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Even when Laura had been under his protection all those months ago, she’d felt a strange pull to him. There was something about Owen that drew her in a way she couldn’t explain. However, Owen had always been extremely professional. And so Laura kept Owen in that special place in her heart where all those schoolgirl crushes resided. Something to be sighed over with friends, but never acted upon.
She’d exercised such poor judgment in marrying James, thinking he loved her when he’d only loved her money. Back when they were courting, she’d thought him different from all the other men of her acquaintance. His character seemed above reproach. Back then, she’d mistaken the little ways he’d tried to control her as concern or caring. Of course, it hadn’t been until after they’d been married that he’d first hit her.
Entertaining romantic notions about anyone else... Laura couldn’t fathom doing such a thing except in the secret places of her heart. Her judgment was too poor, and even if someone as honorable as Owen declared his undying love for her, could she believe it to be true?
Laura opened the door and smiled at him. “It’s so nice to see you. What brings you here?”
Owen didn’t smile back. Unfortunately, that lack of smile told Laura everything she needed to know.
“I already heard. The sheriff was here to see me.”
“Good. Then we don’t have to waste time on explanations and small talk.”
“It’s not as though you’ve ever made a social visit before.” She sounded harsh, and she knew it, but after her short reminiscence about him, it stung to realize that he’d simply moved on with his life after the time they’d shared.
He took a step back as though she’d slapped him with the truth. In a way, it felt good to make him feel that way. After all, all those months in Denver, awaiting James’s trial, and the connection Laura had thought they’d shared... But when Owen had moved from Denver to Leadville, he hadn’t once come to visit her. She’d known he was in town, had even waved to him from across the church, but he hadn’t come to call. Even with their mutual friends, Laura was surprised at how little their paths crossed. No one brought up Owen in conversation, and it wouldn’t have been right for Laura to mention him either. It was as though their friendship in Denver had never happened.
Which was why Laura knew anything she felt for Owen was simply a schoolgirl infatuation. To Owen, Laura was just another case. Any thought she had that there might be something romantic was just a foolish notion, best put aside for someone who had more sense about the ways of women and men than she had.
“I suppose I should apologize for that,” Owen said. He shifted his weight uneasily on the porch. “The truth is, I don’t know what to say to you. I mean, we’re not...supposed to...become friends...with the people we’re hired to protect.”
Laura’s heart twisted, and her mouth opened to give a retort back, but then she realized he was only speaking the truth. Any implied gestures of friendship were just that—implied. Further proof that Laura couldn’t trust herself when it came to her heart.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. That was unkind of me.” She softened her expression and started again. “Would you like to come in?”
Owen gave a quick nod. “I think that would be best.”
There was a stiffness to Owen that hadn’t been there before. He was more formal, like her comment about his job had wounded him or perhaps had just reminded him of the truth. She truly had thought they’d become friends. Laura and Owen had been able to talk for hours, and sometimes at night, when Laura could not sleep for fear of the nightmares overtaking her, Owen would open the door to the hallway outside her room and sit with her. He on the chair outside the door, and she on a chair inside, so that no one could question the propriety of his actions.
As Laura stared at the lines on his face, she noted that new ones had formed where previously there been smooth skin. What had happened to him in the past year or so? Then, with a pang, she realized that in all of their talks, it had mostly been about her. She didn’t know anything about Owen Hamilton. Well, she knew that he liked his coffee strong and black. That when focused on a task, he seemed to be able to shut out everything else around him. He laughed at her jokes, which no one else seemed to understand. And he was kind, always thinking about her needs and putting himself out to make sure she had every comfort he could possibly provide. But anything else about him? Laura couldn’t say.
Where was he from originally? How long had he been a lawman? Why had he become a lawman? She couldn’t claim to know anything about his family or his hobbies outside of his work.
No wonder he considered her a job and not a friend. And no wonder Laura was so clueless when it came to matters of the heart. She would do better in the future to remember that any feelings she might be developing were based on her ignorance, not anything real.
Laura smiled at him and gestured toward the sofa in the parlor. “Please sit down. If you’ll give me a moment, I can find some refreshments. It won’t take long to make a pot of coffee.”
Owen shook his head. “As you’ve already surmised, this isn’t a social call. We need to get you somewhere safe.”
“What do you mean, ‘somewhere safe’?”
“James wants you dead. This is the first place he’ll look.”
Laura shook her head. “Maybe, but what he wants more than my death is his freedom. He can’t have enjoyed all that time in prison. Some of his associates are already in Mexico. He’ll go there.”
Information she’d already given the sheriff, which is why it seemed strange to have Owen here. He should know this already.
Owen looked at her like she was still the helpless woman he’d once protected. “You underestimate him. You destroyed James’s pride in the worst way. He’s coming after you. A man as arrogant as James is going to think that he can come to town unnoticed, kill you, then go on his way.”
Determination set in Laura. She wasn’t that woman anymore. The woman James had married didn’t exist anymore, much of that thanks to Owen. Besides, she knew James better than Owen did. “James isn’t stupid. He’s got to know that this is the first place the law will come looking.”
At the core, that’s the only thing that gave her hope that she’d be safe. James always took the easy way out, which was why he’d killed his mistress rather than have his infidelity exposed. But to kill someone he’d publicly threatened, who would surely be guarded...that was too complicated for a man like him.
Owen looked like he disagreed with Laura’s assessment, like she had no clue what she was up against. She squared her shoulders and looked him in the eye.
“Even if he does come after me, I still remember all the things you taught me. I keep a gun in my nightstand drawer. And just like you showed me, every now and again, I go out and practice shooting it.”
Owen continued staring at her like she was an ignorant child. “A gun gives a person a false sense of safety. Many a fool has gotten killed thinking a gun was all they needed to stay safe. James is coming after you, and that itty-bitty gun of yours isn’t enough to save you.”
“You’re the one who gave me that gun!” Now she was starting to get offended. Why had he even bothered to teach her these things if he didn’t think her capable of taking care of herself?
“Yes, ma’am, I did. And I’m glad I gave it to you. I have no doubt that it has given you a great deal of comfort, knowing that you have the ability to protect yourself. But you aren’t protecting yourself against an ordinary villain, and you know it. James is the worst kind of villain, and he won’t stop until he gets what he wants...or he’s dead.”
Though Owen’s words had some logic to them, he’d forgotten that Laura had been married to James for nearly ten years. She of all people knew what he was capable of, and Owen still treated her like she knew nothing.
“But James doesn’t know that I’ve moved to Leadville. He won’t know where to find me. Even if he does, Leadville is in the complete opposite direction of where he’ll be headed. He won’t waste that much time in search of me.”
Owen looked at her like she was an idiot. “You don’t think he can read a newspaper? Even I’ve seen the ads for your boardinghouse. It’s noble of you, making sure women know that they have a place to go when they’re in danger from their husbands. But this house, it isn’t safe. Any determined man can get in and hurt the people inside.”
He looked around the room as if to take in the surroundings and judge them. She tried to see it through his eyes. The pretty glass vase full of flowers could easily be used as a weapon. The windows, while locked shut, could be broken and someone could come in. As much as Laura hated to admit it, Owen was right. Not just about James, but about the fact that all this time she’d given herself a false sense of security.
“So what now?” Laura sighed as she sat in her favorite chair. How had she gone from feeling strong to being so helpless in so short a time?
“You’ll come with me. I’ll take you somewhere safe, where James can’t find you. You’ll stay there until the authorities capture him and put him back in prison.”
“How long will that take?” Just because she felt helpless didn’t mean she had to act that way. Or let Owen make decisions without giving her all the information.
“I don’t know. My hope is that they get him before he ever arrives in Leadville. But so far, all we have is dead bodies to let us know where he’s been, and where we think he’s going.”
Which sounded an awful lot like Owen was trying to get her to act on her fear of James when Laura had moved beyond that phase of her life. She wasn’t going to live in fear of what James might do.
“So he’s not here yet?”
“Not yet. But he’s coming.”
Laura took a deep breath. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere safe. You’ll know when we get there.”
More lack of information and the expectation that Laura was the helpless woman she’d once been. However, these days, she had more to worry about than just her own comfort. “But what about my boardinghouse? The women who stay here need me.”
Owen looked around the room again. “Doesn’t look like you have any boarders right now.”
“Not right now, but I’m expecting some soon.”
“They’ve made reservations?”
Laura hated the way he pried into her business like he knew it. But as she looked into those deep blue, knowing eyes, she saw that it was futile to argue. He was the law. He probably already had all that information.
“All right, I’m not expecting anyone in particular. But you know how these things work. My house is empty one day, and the next day it is full of people needing a place to stay. I can’t just leave. What if someone needs me?”
She stood and crossed her arms, glaring at him. He had to see that she’d changed. That she could take care of herself if need be.
“You can’t help someone if you’re dead.”
A good point and Owen’s satisfied expression told her that he knew it. He always knew these things, and it seemed useless to argue. Except...she couldn’t just leave.
Somehow running away felt a lot like giving up the hard-won strength she’d developed since being on her own.
“Can’t you stay here with me until we know he’s been apprehended?”
Owen shook his head. “That’s not possible. I have obligations that require me to be elsewhere.”
His answer made something in Laura snap. It wasn’t right that everyone else expected Laura to do the bending. Meek, biddable Laura. A woman who no longer existed.
And if Owen thought she was still that woman, well, maybe she wasn’t the only one misjudging someone else.
“So this is actually about you and your obligations, not about keeping me safe.”
Owen let out a long sigh like he’d finally gotten irritated with all of Laura’s questions. Back when he’d protected her before, she’d easily acquiesced to everything he wanted. She’d easily acquiesced to everything in her life. She’d been the most agreeable person anyone knew. However, over the past several months, Laura had learned that she had an opinion on a lot of things. She didn’t quickly agree to every suggestion people gave her. She didn’t let people tell her what to do. Instead, she took the time to think about what she wanted. When she finally got out from under James’s thumb and had been able to create a life for herself, Laura had decided that she wasn’t going to ever again do anything she didn’t want to do.
If Owen thought she was going to simply do what he wanted, well, that was too bad.
“I’m sorry to inconvenience you, but I believe I’ll stay here.”
“This isn’t a negotiation,” Owen said. “The only option you have is to come with me.”
Chapter Two
Riding on a horse with Owen, leaving her boardinghouse, made Laura feel more like a coward than she ever had. She’d finally learned to stand up to James, and here she was, running from him. Worse, she hadn’t even felt like she’d had a choice but to go with Owen. How had she become so helpless again?
“You could have at least let me say goodbye to my friends,” she said, not bothering to hide the anger in her voice. “And what about my boardinghouse?”
Owen had only given her enough time to pack a bag. Even then, he’d stood above her, telling her what she could and couldn’t bring. While the rational part of her reminded herself that he was a lawman who knew what he was doing, the woman who had made so many strides in becoming independent resented his interference.
Funny how just hours ago, she’d been entertaining the foolish thought that he might have had some personal interest in her. Maybe she wasn’t a good judge of character, but she at least knew the signs of a bully. She’d been married to the worst of them, so for Owen to be so forceful with her, perhaps it was just as well that he’d never given her any indication that their relationship was anything more than professional. She wouldn’t risk getting her heart involved with a man who showed such obvious signs of needing to have power and be in control. At least that was one area where Laura could remain strong.
“I told you, Will has arranged for some of the ladies at church to help out with the boardinghouse.”
“How would he have had time to do that already? James only escaped this morning.”
“We agreed when he sent me to get you, that he would talk to his wife, Mary, and she would rally the ladies. I have no reason to doubt his word.”
Owen made a sound with his mouth that Laura had never heard before. But his horse seemed to understand what it meant because it sped up.
Laura clung tighter to Owen’s back, hating the impropriety of riding double with a man, but knowing it was the only option. Though it seemed inconceivable that a woman of her age couldn’t ride a horse, she’d never had a reason to ride until now. She’d always had carriages, and her parents had thought riding too dangerous a pursuit for young ladies.
And at this speed, Laura could see why.
“Do we have to go so fast?”
This time, the noise Owen made before speaking was one Laura knew all too well. Let him be irritated. Hadn’t he been irritating her?
“As a matter of fact, we do. I’m deliberately taking a convoluted route to our destination so that if anyone has been following us, or tries tracking us, they’ll be lost for sure. However, we have a lot of ground to cover if we are going to make it there by dark.”
It had been the most he had said to her in a while. She should have been grateful for the information, and in the past, it would have been enough. But now that Laura had taken control of her own life, it seemed foolish to blindly trust this man, even though she’d done so before.
“When are you going to tell me where we’re going? You said at the house you couldn’t tell me because you didn’t want anyone who might be eavesdropping to overhear. We’re in the middle of nowhere. Surely you can tell me now.”
Owen made another annoyed noise. This seemed to be how their conversations had gone since he showed up on her doorstep. Him needing to be in control, and her no longer living a life where she was pushed around all the time.
“What happened to the woman who used to trust me?”
“She grew up. Learned to take charge of her own life. And now she resents the fact that you’ve swooped in, taken over and coerced her from her home and are making her go somewhere without revealing the destination.”
Owen let out a long sigh. “I wouldn’t have had to coerce, as you say, if you’d just listened to reason.”
His condescending tone rattled something in her. She didn’t deserve to be spoken to like that. “Funny, James used to say the same thing.”
The reminder killed any remnants of those schoolgirl dreams she might have once had of Owen. He wasn’t the man she thought he was, and now that she knew she didn’t need a man, she wasn’t interested in one like him. How had she been so blind?
He pulled back on the reins and asked the horse to stop. Owen got off the horse, then helped Laura to the ground, giving her a glare.
“Fine. Have it your way.” Owen pointed in the direction from which they’d come. “Town’s that way. I promised I’d protect you and that I would never let James hurt you again. But it seems to me that you are determined to let that man kill you. And now you want to compare me to him? Fine. I can act like James. He’d have no problem letting a woman fend for herself in the middle of nowhere. You want to be free so bad? Have at it.”
He turned on his heel and walked over to his saddlebags, where he untied the canteen, then took a long drink out of it. When he finished, he walked to the front of the horse, poured a bit of water into his hands, and stuck it under the horse’s mouth so he could drink.
Owen appeared to be completely oblivious to Laura. She looked in the direction he’d indicated, remembering how long it had taken them to get this far. On foot, there was no way she’d get back to town by nightfall. Even if James wasn’t potentially out there, the danger she faced as a woman alone made such a choice impossible.
“I just don’t know why you can’t tell me where we’re going.”
“And I don’t know why you have to argue with me about every little thing when I’m trying to save your life.”
His tone hurt. Even more so, the thought that he would abandon her in the middle of nowhere. Was this the man she’d once had a slight tendre for? “Would you really let me leave?”
Owen held the canteen out to her. “If you have to ask that question, then I guess you don’t know me as well as you think you do. I made you a promise, and I intend to keep it.”
She stared at him for a moment before taking the canteen. Owen kicked at the dirt, making another irritated noise. “Sorry, threatening to leave you wasn’t the brightest idea. I let my frustration get the best of me. I just thought that after all the time we spent together, you’d know what kind of man I am. I need you to trust me enough to go when I tell you to go and not spend so much time arguing with me about it.”
Knowing it was a burst of temper didn’t make Laura feel any better, even if he had apologized for it. He was so different from the kind man who’d cared for her in her time of need. How could she have not seen this side of him before?
Letting out a long sigh, Owen took off his hat and mopped his sweaty brow. “No, I wouldn’t leave you here. I’m just extremely frustrated, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
“You could try talking to me and explaining what’s going on.”
“I never had to before. We had to get out of there fast.” Owen looked back in the direction of town. “I just hope we got out fast enough.”
More things he hadn’t explained. “We’ve been riding for at least an hour now. Plenty of time to tell me what’s going on.”
“Possibly,” Owen said. “But I’ve been busy thinking about what we’re going to do. Figuring out the best route to get you to our destination so that any trackers who try to come after us won’t be able to find us.”
He went over to his saddlebags and pulled out some cloths. Laura watched as he tied the cloths around the horse’s hooves one by one.
“What are you doing?”
“Now that we’ve gone a ways out of town and taken a break, I’m making sure that from this point on it will be even more difficult to track us. They might be able to track us here, and ascertain that we took a few moments to rest, but they won’t be able to figure out where we’ve gone after this.”
He turned to look at her and grinned. “I was once known as a very good tracker. One of the best. I’m pretty confident we can evade anyone who might be following us.”
“You think James would hire a tracker?” Laura looked in the direction they’d just come from, staring out at the vast expanse of brush rock and a few scraggly trees. Most of the good trees had been cut down for wood—either to be used in the mines or to build houses. Some of it probably had been claimed for firewood. But as Laura looked around the area, it seemed as though she and Owen were the only two people for miles.
“I wouldn’t put it past him. That’s why all the secrecy. As far as anyone knows, I am no longer a lawman. In fact, when Will goes back to the sheriff’s office, he’s going to tell everyone that I wasn’t willing to help him.”
So many questions ran through Laura’s head. She didn’t even know where to begin. “Where will Will tell everyone I’ve gone?”
“He’s going to tell a variety of stories, depending on who asks,” Owen said, brushing off his hands. “He isn’t sure who he can trust right now. James had to have had help from someone with a connection to the law. Though Will hates lying, we decided it would be best to use it as a means of figuring out who we can and can’t trust.”
Laura wasn’t sure what to say. She’d always assumed that because a man was with the law, he was honest. Certainly, all of her dealings with Will and Owen, and the rest of the men they worked with, had all been very positive. But she could see where Owen’s words might be true. After all, back in Denver, James had bribed many a man supposed to uphold the law. She wouldn’t be surprised if that were what he was doing now. Though the trustees to her fortune had blocked James from accessing most of her money, James had still managed to steal a significant amount from her accounts. Not to mention the valuables he’d taken and sold. She didn’t know how much money James had hidden away, but she knew he had means. Unfortunately, that put a lot more questions in Laura’s mind.
“What kind of help would he have from the inside?”
Owen shrugged. “Could be any number of things. There’s no way he could have escaped from prison without help. We just can’t figure out who would’ve helped him, considering he killed two of the guards.”
Laura’s stomach knotted. It was one thing to know her ex-husband was a convicted murderer; it was another to know that he was still killing people. Especially since he’d threatened so many times to do the same to her. When she’d initially heard reports that he’d escaped, she hadn’t been so worried because most of his threats to kill people had been nothing but bluster. His mistress was the first person he’d killed. But now, knowing he’d killed again, the way Owen was concerned about the situation and the extreme measures he’d been taking to protect her, she was starting to get scared.
But she wasn’t sure she was ready to admit that to Owen.
“Feel free to walk a bit and stretch your legs. We’ve still got a long ways to go,” Owen said, turning to tend his horse. He seemed to ignore her as he adjusted some straps on the saddle.
It was nice to walk, but it was also good to have some distance from Owen. Especially because the longer she had to think about the situation with James, and saw how Owen was acting, the more she realized that Owen was probably right. It wasn’t like Owen to overreact, so for him to be this concerned...
But it felt almost like she was giving up all her hard-won strength to admit that she was afraid.