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.
The next morning, when Laura went down to the kitchen, she found Lena already hard at work.
“Good morning,” Laura said.
Lena smiled at her. “Good morning. Breakfast will be ready shortly. Owen is out feeding the animals.”
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
Lena shook her head, then turned to the stove. “No, I have everything in hand, thank you.”
It was the same conversation they’d had more than once since she arrived yesterday. She wanted to be useful, not a burden, in Owen’s household.
“Please,” Laura said. “Give me something to do. Otherwise, I’ll go crazy.”
Lena sighed as she turned back around. “Well, I suppose you—”
“Auntie! Tell Emma it’s her turn to get the eggs.”
“No. It’s your turn. That mean old rooster got me yesterday.” Emma held out her scratched arm.
“But I don’t want him to get me.” Anna’s face had the cutest little pout. It was hard for Laura not to laugh, considering how serious the two girls were taking the situation.
Lena sighed. “Well, I guess I know what’s for supper then. Laura, come with me.”
Laura followed her outside. “What are we doing?”
“Dealing with a mean rooster.”
As they passed a shed, Lena grabbed an ax.
Laura stopped.
Supper. The mean rooster. The ax.
“You mean you’re going to...” Laura couldn’t even say it.
Lena stopped and looked at her. “I know you’re supposed to be some wealthy heiress. But surely you know where supper comes from.”
Laura nodded. She wasn’t that sheltered.
“The way I figure, we take care of the ones who deserve it first.”
Before they were able to take another step, the two little girls came running out of the house, crying.
“No! Please don’t. It’s my fault the rooster got me. I should have known not to get so close. Papa has warned me. But did I listen? No. You cannot kill him because of my mistake. Kill me instead.”
Emma spoke with such passion; Laura had a hard time continuing, especially since she wasn’t looking forward to assisting with catching tonight’s supper. True, she did know that’s where her suppers came from. But she had always hired help to do the distasteful task. Even at her boardinghouse Laura employed a young maid to come in and help with some of the household chores. Procuring the chicken for dinner was one such chore.
Laura closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Had anyone thought to look after Betsy? The young woman depended on her wages to help her family get by. At fourteen, the girl should be in school, but her parents needed her to work. Laura did her best to pay the girl a good wage, and when things were slow, she tried to help with some of Betsy’s schooling. Maybe her family couldn’t afford for her to go to school, but that didn’t mean the girl wouldn’t get an education.
But thoughts of Betsy’s woes were the least of Laura’s concern right now. The two girls had caught up with the women and were sobbing hysterically.
“Please don’t kill him,” Anna said. “I’ll get the eggs every day, so Emma doesn’t get hurt again. You just can’t kill that rooster. He’s one mighty fine rooster, and we should protect him.”
“Yes, we should protect him,” Emma tearfully agreed.
Owen came running up to them. “What’s going on? Is everything all right? Why are the girls crying? And why do you have an ax, Lena?”
Lena let out a long sigh. “I was about to get our supper and dispatch the mean rooster that attacked one of our girls. But now these girls are saying they don’t want the rooster to die.”
Though Laura wasn’t sure how well she could read Owen anymore, she could tell that he was torn between being exasperated with the situation and genuinely concerned for the girls.
He walked over to his daughters and knelt. “Girls, if that rooster is being mean to you and he hurts you, then we can’t have him on our farm. It’s just not right. We don’t keep dangerous animals here.”
The girls hugged each other; then Anna looked up at him. “Please, Papa. I’ve already promised I’ll do Emma’s chores. Well, at least the eggs part. She said she’d do something else for me, only I haven’t quite figured out what it is.”
Emma nodded enthusiastically. “And it was my fault anyway. Like I told Auntie, I was the one in the wrong. It wouldn’t be fair to punish a poor old rooster for something I did.”
Owen sighed. “I can’t have you pleading for the life of every farm animal on the ranch. You girls know that we have to eat, and this is where our food comes from. So, unfortunately...”
“No!” The girls cried together.
“You wouldn’t kill me if I was mean to my sister, would you?”
“And she’s mean to me all the time.” Emma lifted up the hem of her skirt to show a bruised leg. “See here? This is where she kicked me yesterday.”
Owen’s groan was definitely one of exasperation. But he wrapped his arms around his daughters and hugged them tight against him.
“All right. We’ll give the rooster another chance. I’ll go cut off the spurs on his legs, and we’ll see what that does to keep him from attacking you. But if I hear any more grousing about the mean old rooster, he’s going in the stew pot.”
“Thank you, Papa,” the girls said in unison.
Laura had never been around twins before, so it was interesting to her to see how they not only looked alike, but they seemed to sound alike.
As she watched Owen continue to embrace his daughters, something stirred in her heart. Back when he was protecting her the first time, she’d wondered what kind of man he’d be with a family. He’d seemed like the type who belonged with one. How little had she known. Watching him with the girls now, she knew she’d underestimated him, and that was saying a lot, considering that at the time she would have thought he’d hung the moon.