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Laura stifled a smile at Lena’s disdain for the room. Or maybe it was the wealthy people Lena didn’t like. In particular, this hard-to-please bride she’d mentioned. Laura’d had a bathing room in Denver, but it had seemed too much of an extravagance to install one in her boardinghouse in Leadville.
When Laura stepped into her bedroom, she found it to be well decorated and a very pleasant space. Someone had put a great deal of effort into the quilt on her bed, and a beautiful cross-stitch hung above it. Lena’s work? Laura was almost afraid to ask more questions of her hostess. “This is wonderful, thank you. I’m sure I’ll be quite comfortable here.”
As she looked around, Laura realized that Lena hadn’t mentioned where Owen slept. And that all of the rooms upstairs appeared to be taken. “But where is Owen’s room? I haven’t put him out of his bed, have I?”
That could account for Owen’s sour mood toward her.
“Not at all. His room is downstairs, off the kitchen. Our uncle used it as a study, but Owen likes the location for making sure everyone is safe.”
Laura nodded. That sounded like Owen. “He’s very concerned with safety, isn’t he?”
“He has a right to be,” Lena said stiffly. “I’ll leave you to unpack. The water in the pitcher is fresh.”
Before Laura could respond, or even thank Lena for her hospitality, she was gone. Lena might have encouraged Owen to invite her to stay, but it seemed like Lena was just as closed off as her brother was when it came to answering Laura’s questions. So many secrets, and even though Laura was curious about them, she wondered if she’d be better off not knowing.
She’d already developed feelings for Owen once, and clearly she’d been mistaken there. What heartache would she face if she learned all the things about him that he’d been keeping private, and he once again didn’t return her regard?
* * *
Owen didn’t turn around when he heard Lena enter the barn. “Hand me that liniment over there, will you? Troy’s leg feels hot.”
A few moments later, Lena handed him the jar. They had a good routine, and it was comforting to know he could always count on his sister.
“She seems nice,” Lena said.
“They always seem nice.” Owen rubbed the sore spot on Troy’s leg. He shouldn’t have pushed him hard that last mile. He’d seen signs that Troy was tiring, but he’d been so eager to get home. Owen just hoped he wouldn’t regret that decision later, which he would if his horse went lame.
“She had a lot of questions.”
“She is a woman.” Owen looked up at Lena and grinned. “You should understand that better than me.”
“You care for her, don’t you?” Lena’s probing expression made him turn away.
The trouble with Lena was that she knew him too well. He couldn’t keep a secret from her if he tried.
“Of course I do. That’s my problem. I care too much. About everyone. I can’t care about the victims. You know the trouble it’s gotten me into before.”
Lena sighed. “I know, but you’re a good lawman. A good man. You and Sadie were happy for a time.”
He stood and looked at her, then recapped the liniment. “Were we? I don’t remember. I was so busy trying to keep her alive, and she said she loved me, and I loved how that felt. Being the hero. Which is all it is with Laura. I know how she looks at me. A man would be a fool not to notice. But it’s just misplaced gratitude toward the man who took her out of a bad situation and was the first man to be kind to her in a long time.”
Finished with taking care of Troy, Owen looked around the barn to make sure he’d gotten everything else done.
“Maybe if you didn’t push people away, they could get to know the real you and figure out if it’s love or not.” Lena gave him that stubborn look of hers. When they were kids, he’d have shoved her and then they’d have wrestled until someone yelled at them to cut it out.
But they were adults now, so he shook his head instead. “I thought we’d agreed we weren’t going to do any matchmaking for one another. I have my reasons for not seeking out another wife, and you have yours for not finding a husband. So let’s try to get through the next few days of having a single woman under our roof without your planning a wedding. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to ask my various single male friends out for a visit to meet my charming sister.”
“You wouldn’t.”
Owen grinned. “I would, and you know it.”
The long sigh escaping Lena’s lips told him that he’d won. Then she said, “I just think that you can’t let your bad experiences keep you from a potentially wonderful future.”
Owen picked up the saddle from where he’d hung it on the stall. “Great advice, sis. Let me know if it works when you follow it yourself.”
He was needling her, but she’d started it. Some of their childish ways would never be broken.
“I just came to tell you that dinner’s ready. Since we have a guest, I will be on my best behavior, and I expect you to be, as well.”
Lena winked at him, and he grinned. His arrow had hit its mark, and even though Lena was aching to meddle in his love life, she wouldn’t. Not now.
That was sometimes the trouble with being so close to his sister. It made it harder to be close to others who didn’t understand that a man’s best friend could be his sister. He and Lena had been through a lot together, been each other’s rock when they’d had nothing else.
Among other problems in their relationship, Sadie had been jealous of Lena. To the point that Owen and Lena spent a good year without speaking. The hardest year of his life. And, it turned out, Lena’s hardest, as well.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” Owen said. “Let me get this put away.”
“Don’t take too long or else I’ll eat your dessert.”
She stuck her tongue out at him as she left the barn, and he knew she was giving him his space before having to go in and deal with Laura. His first time protecting her had been so much easier when she wasn’t questioning his every move and he could ignore the calf eyes she made at him. But now she acted as if he owed her something.
And maybe he did. He’d promised he’d keep her safe from James, which is what he’d been trying to do. But she was making it really difficult.
He put his tack away, then stepped out of the barn. The ranch was positioned so that they could see a rider coming for miles. On a night like tonight, with so much cloud cover and not much moon, a man would have to be crazy to ride out here with all the rocks and shrubs in the way. But James wasn’t a sane man.
Still, as Owen scanned the area and could see the lights from town dotting the distance, he felt a sense of peace. James wouldn’t be coming tonight.
When he went into the house, the family was already seated at the dining table, eating.
“I told you we weren’t going to wait,” Lena said before taking another bite.
“I didn’t ask you to. I’ll just go wash up.”
He could feel Laura’s eyes on him as he left the room. Not just her eyes, but the weight of those questions in her eyes. His appetite fled as he thought about having to sit at the table with her and make small talk about things he didn’t want to discuss.
When he returned to the table, the girls had nearly finished, and the ladies appeared to be eating more slowly to give him time to catch up. Presumably to give him company so he wouldn’t have to eat alone.
“Papa, did you know Miss Laura doesn’t have any children?” Anna smiled at him like she had a whole day’s worth of conversation to catch him up on. And she did, he supposed, since he’d been gone most of it.
“I do know that. And that’s probably not a polite thing to say about a lady. It might hurt her feelings,” he said gently.
Anna turned her attention to Laura. “Did it hurt your feelings that I asked if you had children? Papa says I ask a lot of questions that I shouldn’t, but how do you know things if you don’t ask?”
Owen closed his eyes for a moment and prayed for patience. Anna was an inquisitive little girl with a zest for life, and Owen didn’t want to kill that spirit totally, but sometimes, she made it difficult.
Fortunately, Laura didn’t seem to mind the impertinent little girl. She smiled at Anna. “It did not hurt my feelings. But thank you for being willing to consider them.”
His daughter preened at being validated in her questioning of Laura. If there were ever someone with enough questions to match Laura’s, it would have to be Anna. But Anna’s questions were easier to answer.
Lena set her fork down on her plate with a clatter. Owen looked up at her, and she smiled sweetly. A little too sweetly.
“Girls, let’s clear the table and let your father finish his supper. Miss Laura can keep him company. I’m sure they have much to discuss.”
She gave him another sugary smile before picking up her plate and leaving the room. The girls followed suit, leaving Owen alone with Laura in the awkward silence.
“You have a very nice home,” Laura said.
“Thank you. My uncle had it built for his bride.”
“I know,” Laura said. “Lena told me.”
He gave a nod, then focused his attention back on the delicious roast Lena had prepared.
“I find it interesting,” Laura continued, “that you both refer to her as his bride and not your aunt.”
Owen set his fork down. Small talk was not something he enjoyed, nor was he capable of it. Especially because nothing about his life involved small talk.
“That’s because we don’t like talking about her. She hurt a lot of people, and my uncle stayed here, hoping that someday she’d come back to him. She never did. He put everything he had into this place, all for her. But she never appreciated it. He was never bitter, so I suppose we’re bitter on his behalf. He was a good man, and he didn’t deserve to be treated like that.”
Something he and his uncle had in common. They both picked women they thought they could save, but in the end, they didn’t have that kind of power.
“I suppose that makes sense, then,” Laura said, sounding a little too cheerful. She was probably hoping this would open him up to more of her questions.
“So the girls’ mother is dead? I believe you said your wife died?”
Owen set his fork down and patted his lips with his napkin. “Yes. And that is all I will say on that matter. Please don’t bring it up again. With me, my sister or my daughters.”
He threw the napkin down on the table. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to—”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Lena said, reentering the room, carrying a pie. “The girls helped bake this, and we’re all going to enjoy a nice family dessert and chat about things.”
Had Lena heard Laura ask about Sadie? Her face was too innocent for him to be able to tell, but he had to think not. Though Lena liked to encourage him in that department, she’d never give a stranger such easy access to his pain.
“Owen, sit,” Lena said. “You don’t get to go off sulking tonight because your perfect little plans got ruined. We’re going to have pie and get to know Laura better, and it’s going to be fun.”
Emma sidled up to him. “Please, Papa. Auntie said you might even tell us a story about life on the trail.”
Owen shot Lena a quick glare. She knew he refused the girls little, and even though those stories were the last things he wanted to tell, especially in front of Laura, he would because the girls asked.
“Of course I will.” He pressed a kiss to the top of his daughter’s head, then he looked over at his sister. “Even though Auntie knows I don’t like to talk about those times, and she exaggerates about what a hero I am. But just as soon as I get this case wrapped up, we’ll invite my old friend Harold out, and he can tell you about life on the range.”
Two could play Lena’s game of torment.
Ignoring him, Lena turned to Laura. “Don’t believe a word he says about not being a hero. You can’t imagine all the wonderful things Owen has done, the lives he’s saved. He’s the best lawman you’ll ever meet.”
The smile Laura gave him made the dinner he’d just eaten turn over in his stomach. Back to the hero worship he detested. That was the trouble with people thinking he was so wonderful. Owen wasn’t that man. Just like Sadie had been all those years ago, Laura was over the moon about an illusion, not who he really was.
As a lawman, he’d made too many mistakes. Enough that he knew he didn’t deserve to wear a badge. Maybe he’d even been too prideful in keeping his promise to protect Laura. Could he keep her safe?
Looking around the table at the shining eyes directed at him, he wondered if he should have brought her here at all.
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