Honor-Bound Lawman Read online

  Laura looked at the other woman, who was growing paler and paler by the minute. “And tell him you’ve been shot,” Laura said.

  Lena looked at her with so much anger it felt almost as though Laura were the one with a gunshot wound. “Don’t you dare tell him I’ve been shot. If he knows I’ve been hurt, he’ll be distracted, and more people will be in danger. You tell him you’re safe, and that’s that.”

  Laura hesitated, and Lena shook her head. “I’m sitting here right now because you didn’t listen. Don’t make the same mistake twice.”

  As the import of Lena’s words washed over her, the weight on Laura’s chest was almost unbearable. Lena was right. Had Laura not come out of the root cellar, Lena wouldn’t have been shot.

  Swallowing the tears that threatened, Laura walked to the front door, peering out the tiny window to make sure Owen was there before cracking the door open.

  “Lena told me to tell you that I’m safe.”

  “Where is she?”

  Laura took a deep breath. Lena hadn’t prepared her to answer any questions. It didn’t feel right to lie to Owen, but she couldn’t bear to cause any more trouble by telling him the truth.

  “In the kitchen. She’s busy with other things.”

  Owen gave a quick nod. “Good. You need to get to the store room and stay there this time. Tell Lena to cover me from the girls’ room. He was hiding by the wagon, and ran into the barn.”

  They weren’t going to be able to follow his orders, but Laura nodded as she said, “All right.”

  She’d take this information to Lena and let Lena decide what to do with it. But from the look on Lena’s face, there was no way Lena was going to be able to help Owen.

  Laura closed the door behind her and returned to the kitchen. Lena was still in her chair, but she’d found some towels and had wrapped them around her leg. Blood was already seeping through them.

  “We need to get you to a doctor,” Laura said.

  “We need to do what Owen asked. What did he say?”

  From the way the other woman clenched the side of the table, Laura could tell she was in pain. But the glare Lena shot her told her that she’d better not leave anything out. So Laura repeated Owen’s words, knowing that there was no way Lena could do what she’d been told.

  Lena reached for the shotgun she’d left on the floor when she’d crawled into the house. The grimace of pain she gave as she moved made Laura cringe. Especially because Lena couldn’t support her weight to stand.

  “You’re not fit to do anything. You need a doctor.”

  “I’ve already sent the signal to town for help. That’s the closest doctor. There’s nothing we can do, except help keep Owen safe while he goes after James.”

  It looked like it hurt Lena even to say that much.

  Laura picked up the gun. “I’ll do it.”

  The disdainful look Lena gave Laura would have made Laura back down in the past. But that was the Laura James had known. To the new Laura, Lena’s gesture only made her more determined to prove herself.

  “Do you even know how to shoot?”

  “Owen taught me.”

  Lena nodded slowly. “I suppose he would. Did you pick up learning how to shoot the way you picked up learning to ride?”

  “I did.” Laura squared her shoulders.

  “All right.” Lena let out a long sigh. “Help me up to the girls’ room. I’ll sit next to you and tell you what to do.”

  It was a struggle, holding the gun and giving Lena something to balance on as they made their way up the stairs. But Laura wasn’t going to let on that she found it difficult. She knew that it had been hard enough for Lena to ask for help, let alone accept it.

  When they finally got up to Emma’s room, Lena pointed to a chair. “Pull that over to the right side of the window. I can see what I need from there.”

  Laura did as Lena asked, hating her labored breathing. But if the closest doctor was in town, what else were they supposed to do? Laura knew nothing about tending a normal wound, let alone a gunshot wound. The best she could do was trust Lena and pray that the other woman would be all right.

  Once the women were in the positions Lena had indicated, Lena called out the open window, “I’m ready. Let’s get this man.”

  “Did you get Laura out of the way?”

  “Yup.” Lena turned and winked at Laura.

  “I hope you locked the door. That woman doesn’t have a lick of sense. I don’t know why she can’t just listen.”

  Lena gave a half snort, half laugh, but shame filled Laura. Is that what Owen thought of her? She supposed, since Lena was injured because of her, she couldn’t argue. But Owen didn’t even know that. How poorly would he view her when he found out about Lena’s injuries?

  A high-pitched screech came from the barn.

  “That sounds like Beauty,” Lena said.

  “It sure does.” Owen adjusted his gun. “That may be the distraction I need. I’m going in.”

  As he started down the porch steps, Lena nudged Laura.

  “Be ready,” Lena said quietly. “When I tell you to shoot, you shoot, no questions asked. I’m watching for anything that could be movement from James or his men. Even a slight delay puts Owen’s life at risk.”

  Laura swallowed, willing herself to remain calm. Though she’d always known the threat from James was real, being in the middle of the action, with the responsibility to protect someone else’s life made the situation seem even more frightening.

  She’d trusted Owen with her life, and now he was trusting her with his. Even if he didn’t know it.

  Owen darted from object to object, looking like he was searching to make sure no one was hiding between the house and the barn. He paused at the wagon. He lifted the tarp, shook his head, then made a motion to Lena.

  The gesture seemed to mean something to Lena, who leaned in to Laura and whispered, “The area is clear. If James brought help with him, they aren’t nearby. He’s going into the barn. No matter what happens, no matter what you hear, you do not leave this position, and you keep your gun ready until I say differently. Do you understand?”

  It was almost insulting the way Lena kept pushing her point. Like she was rubbing salt in what would always be a wound between them.

  “I understand,” Laura said.

  “Good.”

  As Owen went into the barn, Lena let out a long sigh and closed her eyes. Perhaps the other woman would rest now. But just as quickly as Lena had closed her eyes, she opened them again.

  “If you need to rest—”

  Lena glared at her. “I don’t need to rest. I was praying. Asking God for His help in what should have been an easy situation, that now seems almost impossible.”

  Then Lena shook her head. “No. It will be fine. Owen has handled situations far more dangerous than this. I just hate not being able to help him. He’s counting on me.”

  Once more, Laura’s stomach twisted at Lena’s words and the reminder that this was all her fault. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, trying not to cry.

  “We don’t have time for that. You made a mistake. Don’t let that ruin everyone’s future. Move on and do better.”

  Only a fool wouldn’t know Lena fought the pain with every word. But Lena was right. Laura’s guilt wasn’t going to save them. Not when they had to be alert in case they were needed. How Owen and Lena were able to push away their feelings so easily to do a job, Laura didn’t know. But until they caught James, Laura was going to try.

  * * *

  Owen slipped into the barn, glad he knew all of the barn’s secrets and had a way to get in without making noise or casting a shadow. James was in here, waiting. The back door, which Owen always kept open, was closed.

  “I know you’re in here,” Owen called. From his vantage point, he could see the entirety of the barn.
James was at a disadvantage. If he moved from his hiding spot, Owen would see him.

  Owen listened for the sound of the other man moving. Even if he didn’t answer, there would be other clues.

  A horse whinnied in response.

  “How’d you get here? I didn’t see a horse.”

  The more Owen talked, the more confident James would feel about Owen’s position, and the more likely he was to give away his own.

  Beauty pawed at her stall. Her scream earlier had been what had given Owen the confidence to enter the barn. James was in Beauty’s stall. Beauty didn’t like men much, and she especially didn’t like them in her stall. She barely tolerated Owen’s presence, and even he knew not to turn his back on her.

  The screech was a warning. The clunk of her hooves against the stall door another. And she didn’t believe in third chances. James would either make his move soon, or Beauty would force him into it.

  Owen listened to the rustling sounds of the other animals. They were anxious because they knew what he knew. No one liked to mess with Beauty.

  “It’ll be easier for you if you just give yourself up now. I’ll put in a good word for you.”

  Not that it would help. James had killed two guards escaping from prison, and Owen didn’t know the if the third had pulled through. There wasn’t a judge on earth who wouldn’t hang him. The trial would only be held to give a sense of fairness.

  “I want my wife.”

  Owen shook his head. “Not going to happen. She doesn’t want you. That’s why she divorced you.”

  Men like James had egos bigger than the mountains that surrounded them. Owen’s words would serve to antagonize him, which would force him out of hiding. And, hopefully, into a mistake.

  “Is she your woman?”

  It would be easy to say no because that was the truth. But this wasn’t about the truth; it was about getting James to reveal his position with minimal bloodshed.

  “What do you think?” Owen asked instead.

  Silence. But now that Owen had been in the barn long enough to distinguish the subtle sounds of the animals, he could hear Beauty’s nervous movements. James wouldn’t be able to hide much longer.

  “I think you made a big mistake.”

  Owen heard the latch of the stall door just as he heard Beauty make her move. She let out an angry screech, then James wailed in pain. Beauty must have bitten him hard and, from the loud thud, had probably kicked him, too.

  As Owen moved in the direction of the stall, Beauty darted past him. It was tempting to catch the horse, but as angry as she was, she needed time to cool down. Lena would be better able to handle her. Beauty wouldn’t go far.

  Owen could see James struggling to get up at the stall entrance. He’d definitely been kicked, and probably bitten. The limp was a sure sign. James saw him coming and reached for the gun at his hip. But when James took a step toward Owen to get a clearer shot, he kicked over the basket sitting there.

  The rooster came flying out, claws ready for battle. It didn’t like being in the basket, and it sure didn’t like being kicked over. It was enough of a distraction, as James swatted at it and tried to duck away from the razor-sharp nails, that James dropped his gun.

  Unarmed, James would be easy to take down. Especially with a leg injury and the various cuts and scratches from an angry rooster and a biting horse. As Owen came toward him, James’s eyes grew big and round. He knew it was the end.

  “I’ll tell you again. Give up easily, and I’ll put in a good word for you.”

  “You know that’s not going to happen. I won’t go back to jail. Just give me my wife, and I’ll be on my way.”

  Owen shook his head. “And I told you. It’s not going to happen. Why make it harder on yourself?”

  James looked like he was thinking about the offer, but then he turned and went to Rascal’s stall. He opened the stall door and whistled. Then he ran to one of the other stalls and did the same thing. Owen understood what he was doing. Trying to get the horses to create another distraction. With horses loose in the barn, and the only open entrance near Owen, they would naturally charge toward Owen in their startled state. Owen put his gun away and stepped aside. Of course he wouldn’t shoot, knowing that the horses could make a sudden movement and take the bullet. But that didn’t mean he was going to give up so easily either. Just as he had underestimated the amount fight left in James, James had underestimated the amount of fight left in him.

  The horses raced past Owen, forcing him to step aside. Owen took a step toward James, and James picked up one of the lanterns and lit it.

  “What do you want more? Me? Or your barn?”

  The ploy to use the horses as a distraction had quickly failed, since Owen’s horses had simply run out of the barn. It would be a challenge to catch them now, but later, when they got hungry, they’d come back on their own.

  Which left Owen with nothing to fall back on but his gun.

  He’d no sooner unholstered it than James dropped the lantern. Flames licked at the hay as James laughed and ran to the back door.

  “You deserve to lose your barn.”

  Owen chased after him, knocking over one of the water buckets near the flames in hopes it would slow the spread of the fire.

  As James fumbled with the latch on the back door, Owen used the moment to take aim. He didn’t like what he had to do, but this man had to be stopped. And with the smoke filling the barn, it had to happen now.

  Just as Owen pulled the trigger, he heard a voice yell, “Owen!”

  He jerked, and the shot went wide as Owen turned to Laura. Her face was white and fear filled her eyes.

  When he turned back, James was gone. He’d jumped on Daisy’s back and was riding away.

  James might be gone for now, but he’d be back.

  Chapter Nine

  As soon as Owen turned toward her, Laura knew she’d made another terrible mistake. She hadn’t seen James when she’d entered the barn, just the smoke, and Owen’s back.

  All she’d meant to do was get help for Lena, and now James had escaped.

  The anger on Owen’s face was evident, and nothing Laura could do was going to take it away. Especially once she told him why she’d stormed into the barn.

  “Do you have any idea what you just did?” The angry words coming out of Owen’s mouth made Laura shrink back.

  She’d known he had a forceful side, but this anger? What would he do when she told him about Lena?

  Laura shook her head. It didn’t matter. Lena needed help.

  “Lena fainted. She needs a doctor. She said the closest one is in town, and she sent a signal for help, but I don’t know how much time we have.”

  Owen stared at her. “Lena never faints.”

  “She was shot,” Laura said quietly.

  Owen looked around. “When? I thought James was alone.”

  This time, Laura couldn’t help the tears she’d been fighting so hard to keep at bay. “When she came to get me.”

  She watched as Owen clenched and unclenched his fists. That was what James always did shortly before hitting her. Laura turned, knowing that the blow wouldn’t be as bad if he couldn’t get a direct hit. When she did so, she spied a bucket of water.

  With the smoke still filling the barn, there wasn’t time to do anything else. Laura grabbed the bucket and threw the water at the fire. Not waiting for Owen’s response or actions, she ran to the next stall and grabbed that bucket of water.

  When she went to dump it on the fire, she noticed that Owen had done the same thing. Fortunately, they’d refilled all the horses’ water before going on their picnic. The water buckets were soon empty, and the fire still smoldered. Owen grabbed a shovel and started throwing dirt on it. When Laura looked around for another shovel, Owen pointed outside the barn.

  “Get more water from the well. I’ll
keep using the dirt to keep the fire from spreading. Hurry!”

  Laura hesitated as she tried to decide which bucket to use, and Owen shouted, “Now! This isn’t the time to argue.”

  She grabbed the first bucket and ran to the well, letting the tears fall freely. Clearly Owen thought her just as stupid as James did. And maybe she was. It was her fault Lena had been shot. Her fault James had gotten away. Now they were putting out a fire that James had most likely set, and somehow that was all probably Laura’s fault, as well.

  The well wasn’t far from the barn, and Laura was grateful that whoever had built the barn had the foresight to know that they’d need to bring in a lot of water. Probably not for fighting a fire, but it did make chores easier.

  Her arms ached as she carried the water back to Owen. The fire looked mostly out, and Laura was glad that it hadn’t had the chance to spread far. She handed the bucket to Owen, who dumped it on the remaining embers.

  He turned and looked at her, his face full of the kind of angry emotions she was used to seeing on James’s face. Owen hated her, and Laura didn’t blame him. James used to torment her for ruining his life, but in Owen’s case, she deserved the wrath.

  “Where’s Lena?”

  “In the girls’ room. She was telling me what to do while I covered you.”

  Owen made a noise. “If that gunshot wound doesn’t kill her, I will.”

  Laura couldn’t tell if he was joking or serious, but his words still traveled down her spine in a most uncomfortable way.

  “Where was she hit?” he asked, turning toward the door.

  “In the leg.”

  Owen gave a quick nod. “Stay here and make sure there are no flare-ups. If you see anything glowing, put more water on it.”

  “What about the dirt?”

  He shook his head. “If there’s any with hay in it, it’ll fuel the fire. I know what to look for. You don’t. Stick with the water.”

  Laura looked in the distance. “And James? What if he comes back?”

  “He won’t.” Owen’s shoulders relaxed slightly, like he believed they were safe and he no longer needed to be on guard. “He’s injured and will need some time to recuperate before trying again. Even James isn’t dumb enough to come back today.”