Chapter 6

Daxton

Daxton listened to the sound of her breathing beside him. When it became labored, he knew she was asleep. When she had asked him not to leave, his heart went out to her. He sighed. It bewildered him how a man could treat a woman like that. If he had a woman like her, he would cherish her and treat her with the respect she deserved. But he forced the thought from his mind. Even though she was married to a fiend, she was still married, nonetheless.

At that moment, he vowed to help her to get everything sorted out before her husband came for her… if he came for her. Who knows? Her husband may have just let her go, but Daxton seriously doubted that.Men like that were usually possessive.

As the night wore on, he concentrated on listening to her breathing, pushing all other thoughts from his mind. He would help her sort things out when she was feeling better and not so easily upset.

As he lay beside her, Daxton enjoyed the feel of this woman in his arms a bit too much. It had been a while since he had held a woman, protected a woman. But he willed himself not to think of it. After all, she would probably leave when she had the chance, just like Priscilla. But deep down, he knew he couldn’t compare her to his ex-wife. This woman just needed comfort and safety. He couldn’t allow his old demons to come back. No, this woman needed his help and protection, but nothing more.

He listened to the wind howl through the window. Daxton was about to get up and close it, but he didn’t want to disturb her. This was the first restful sleep she had had since he found her. Once she had a good sleep, she would be able to think clearly. Maybe he could help her to find a job and a place to stay in Whiskey River? Maybe he could help her to start over?

Even though she had only been there for a few days, he didn’t want to think of her leaving already. And if she stayed at the hotel, who was to say that her husband wouldn’t catch up to her and do God knows what to her? But deep down, he knew that Harrison Curry, the hotel and restaurant owner, wouldn’t allow it.

Daxton chuckled to himself. Why, he had seen Harrison physically throw a man out of his establishment for less than that. But somehow, Daxton wanted to be the one to protect her.

Then there were his children. Daxton had to think of them first. He couldn’t allow any harm to come to Lillian and Andrew at the hands of a madman. If her husband came for Josey at his house and his children were home… well… he didn’t even want to think about it. If anyone ever hurt his children, he would kill them first and ask questions later. No, it was good that the children were away for a few days… for their own safety.

Although Josey’s fever was gone, she felt warm in his arms, the weight of her head on his shoulder comforting. He hadn’t realized that he had missed this, holding a woman in his arms while she slept. But he quickly pushed the thought aside, knowing that he couldn’t let himself start to have feelings for this woman, but he couldn’t fight the attraction. After all, she was blonde and beautiful, with curves in all the right places. But he couldn’t allow himself to think of her like that. What this woman needed now was protection… and she was married.

A yawn escaped his lips as he listened to the even sound of her breathing. He would think of what to do in the morning. But right now, he couldn’t fight the sleep threatening to pull him under. Since he found her, Daxton had been sleeping on the chair. He relaxed onto the feather bed, letting himself enjoy the feel of this woman in his arms as he finally drifted off to sleep, listening to the sound of the wind.

The next morning, he woke to the sound of pots and pans clanking in the kitchen as memories of the night before flooded his mind. His eyes flew open, waking with a start. Josey! Where was she? Had her husband come for her?

When Daxton rushed out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, Josey was lifting a slice of bacon out of one of his cast iron skillets, still wearing the same men’s clothes she had on when he had found her. He looked over at the table and it was set, along with a plate piled high with biscuits and a bowl of eggs. The scent of fresh coffee and bacon wafted toward him.

“Oh! There you are,” she announced matter-of-factly. “I was about to wake you.” She set the plate of bacon down and then sat at the table. “Come here and have some breakfast.”

When he looked around, the kitchen was clean. “What are you doing?” As sick as she was, he couldn’t believe that she had made such a recovery in so little time.

She shrugged. “I wanted to pay you back, so I made breakfast and cleaned up a bit.” Josey smiled, her eyes kind. “I hope you don’t mind.”

Reluctantly, he poured them both cups of coffee, set one by her plate, and then sat at the head of the table where she had set a place for him. “So, how are you feeling?”

She nodded. “Better, but I still feel tired.” She took a few pieces of bacon and set it on her plate, then passed the bacon to him.

Daxton smiled. “Let’s say grace first.”

“Oh… yes… of course.” She set the plate down, a delicate flush coloring her cheeks as she folded her hands on the edge of the table, and bowed her head, waiting.

Unable to believe what was happening, Daxton said a beautiful blessing over the meal, thanking God for the good food and good company. When he finished, he reached for the bacon. “This looks delicious, but you made enough for an army.”

Josey’s eyebrows pulled together in concern. “I thought that the children might be here.”

Daxton shook his head as he buttered a biscuit. “No, they’re away for a few days. But they’ll be back tomorrow.”

She nodded, understanding. “I don’t blame you. I would want to protect my children too.”

Daxton smiled, surprised by how insightful she was. “They’re always my first concern.”

“I understand.” Josey set down her fork and looked into his eyes. “I promise I’d never hurt them.”

He reached over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I know, but I had to be sure.”

Josey smiled. “I appreciate you taking such good care of me.... in my time of need.”

Daxton smirked. “Happy to do it.”

Then Daxton’s eyes traveled over the table, taking in all the food. “Well, I think we’d better eat before this goes to waste.”

Josey scooped some eggs onto her plate. “I hope you don’t mind scrambled eggs.” When she was finished, she handed the bowl to him. “I didn’t know how you liked them.”

A smile lit his lips, trying to encourage her to relax. “Scrambled is just fine.” For a moment, he was glad he had sent the children away. He didn’t know how they would have reacted to waking up to a strange woman in the house.

“More coffee?” she asked, having made herself at home, as if she had been living there all along. She certainly knew her way around a kitchen.

He shook his head. “No, I’m fine.”

Josey stood and poured herself more coffee and set it back on the stove to keep warm. “So, what do you have planned today?” She sat back down at the table and resumed eating.

Daxton couldn’t believe how comfortable she appeared to be in his home. “Well, I need to milk the cow and take care of the horses.”

Josey gave him a small smile and took a sip of her coffee. Although she was putting on a brave face, he could see that she was fighting back tears.

Daxton let out a deep breath, his eyebrows pulling together in concern. “Josey, you can relax and make yourself at home while you’re here. I truly don’t mind.”

She nodded as she stared at her plate but said nothing.

Reaching over, he softly patted her hand. “Don’t worry. No one will hurt you here.” He placed a finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. “As my promise to you, I’ll keep you safe.”

“Thank you.” Josey pushed back from the table and set her plate in the sink, along with her coffee cup. “But I promise to be on my way soon.” She reached for the metal buckets setting on the other side of the stove and placed one in the sink.

“You don’t have to leave. Not yet.” Daxton walked up behind her and gently took the bucket from her hand. “Go get some rest. I’ll do this.”

She froze. “Later today, I’d like to take a bath, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” He placed his hands on her shoulders as she faced the sink. Not wanting to push her further, he let out a deep breath. “My ex-wife left a few dresses behind. She was about your size. If you like, you’re welcome to them after you bathe.”

She turned her head. “You were married?”

“Yes, a long time ago.”

She turned around to face him, sincerity in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“As I said, it was a long time ago.” Daxton sighed. “Why don’t you go lie down and rest. I’ll let you know when the water’s ready.”

She blinked back tears. “You wouldn’t mind?”

He shook his head as he wiped a tear away from her cheek. “No, it’s fine. I wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise.” He gently pulled her to his chest and let her cry. “Josey, just because you didn’t find kindness in your husband doesn’t mean that you won’t find it in others.”

She nodded against his chest and then pushed away, headed into the bedroom, and closed the door behind her.

Daxton let out a deep breath, trying to understand why he felt so protective of this woman. He shrugged as a smile lit his lips. He always had been a sucker for a damsel in distress.

Needing to get out for a moment, he set the buckets back down on the floor beside the stove, donned his cowboy hat, and walked outside, closing the door behind him. Daxton was sure she’d be safe for a little while. If her husband came for her, Daxton would be ready.

He walked through the chickens, listening to them squawk and fuss. “Yeah, yeah! You’re not hurt.” One bravely strutted over, clucking louder than the rest. “And if you keep that up, you’ll be the next one in the cooking pot come dinner time.”

As if understanding what he had said, the chicken quickly ran back to the rest of her friends.

“Yes, that’s what I thought.”

He led the milking cow from the barn and began milking her. Before long, several buckets were filled with milk. “Feel better, girl?” Daxton ran his hand along the cow’s side. “I’ll come back to milk you again later.” Daxton didn’t realize how much he had come to depend upon the children until now. He was going to have to change that.

While he was doing his chores, his thoughts kept going back to Josey. He wondered where she came from and how far she had journeyed on foot. She had told him that she had been traveling for a week, so that meant that she could have come as far as from Laramie. But he doubted that she had traveled farther than that. She was a brave woman to run away from her husband like she did. During his time as sheriff, Daxton had seen a few cases of spousal abuse, and it was never pretty. Sometimes, even the children were abused, as well.

Daxton shook his head. In his opinion, women were to be cherished. Why some men got drunk and abused their wives, doing unspeakable things to them, was beyond him. While he and Priscilla were married, he had tried to care for her and had treated her well. Even after the children were born and she became mentally unstable, he still cherished her… right up until she walked out the door with another man. But no matter what she had done, he would never have thought of abusing her or touching her in any manner that wasn’t respectful.

Daxton was glad that Josey had the courage to run away. He just hoped that when her husband came for her, his children didn’t get caught in the crossfire. But somehow, Daxton had the feeling that he wasn’t coming for her. If he was coming for her, he would have caught up with her while she was on foot. Daxton shuddered at the thought. If he would have caught her, he would have probably killed her. Abusive men didn’t want their wives to leave and would rather see them dead first. No, Daxton was glad that, somehow, Josey had found her way to his barn.

At that moment, he vowed to protect her until she was stable enough to stand on her own two feet. If she was interested, he would ask Harrison if he needed another waitress. Or maybe she had some other interest. Perhaps sewing? Maybe Kenzie Baker, the new dress shop owner, needed help. Her business was growing, after all.

But one thing was certain: He needed to talk to her first. He just hoped that she would come to trust him enough to open up to him. Only then could he help her to overcome her past and go on with her life.

After a while, most of the chores were finished and his stomach started to grumble. He knew it was lunch time, and he wanted to check on Josie, so he headed toward the house. But as he drew near, someone passed before the kitchen window, wearing a straw hat.

“Oh, my God!” Daxton ran toward the house, wondering if Josey’s husband had tracked her down while he was out. But when Daxton burst in through the door, his son, Andrew, was sitting at the table with Josey, eating a bacon sandwich, wearing a straw hat.

He beamed up at his father, smiling from ear to ear knowingly. “Well, hello, Pa.”

“Take the hat off,” Daxton said. “You know better than to wear a hat at the table.”

Andrew reached up and pulled it off quickly. “Sorry, Pa.”

Daxton let out a deep breath. “Where did you get it, anyway?”

Andrew looked over at Josey and smiled. “Josey gave it to me.”

Josey was sitting across the table from Andrew, smiling, and then looked up and smiled at Daxton. She was bathed, her golden blonde hair was pulled up into loose curls and pinned into place, and she was wearing a dark blue dress that made her green eyes sparkle. Josey truly was a beautiful woman. “I hope you don’t mind. He said he was going fishing again later, so I thought he could use a hat to keep from getting sunburned.”

Daxton smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. He was going to get a plate, but Josey already had one out for him. “No, that’s quite all right.” He looked over at his son. “Sorry. I just didn’t know you were home. When I saw someone wearing a hat in the house, it scared me.”

Andrew’s lips turned up into a crooked grin. “It’s okay, Pa.” He nodded toward Josey. “So, how did you and Josey meet?”

Daxton laughed. “No, it’s not like that. Josey and I met a few days ago. She’s just staying here until she gets back on her feet.”

Andrew nodded. “Well, I vote that she stays here with us permanently.” He nodded to the house, now spick and span. “Look at the house! It looks great! She cleaned everything from top to bottom. It hasn’t looked this good in a long time.”

Josey blushed as she glanced over at Daxton. “I thought I’d repay the kindness you’ve shown me. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Mind?” Daxton chortled. “No, I don’t mind a bit. But I thought you were resting.”

She shrugged. “I did, but I’m feeling better now… especially now that I’ve had a bath.”

“Well, make sure you lie down when you get tired.” Daxton looked over at the plate of bacon sandwiches setting in the center of the table when he thought of something. “Say, that’s a good idea. Would you be interested in staying on to look after the children and take care of the house?”

She looked up at him sheepishly. “Like a housekeeper?”

He nodded, smiling. “If you don’t mind. We could use the help, and frankly, I would feel better knowing that someone was with the children while I’m at work. I couldn’t pay you much, but you’d receive free room and board. Also, if you need anything for you or the children, let me know and I’ll get it for you.”

“Thank you for the offer, but may I think about it?”

“Yes, of course.” He gave her a smile. “In the meantime, let’s enjoy this good meal.”

It would be a way for her to be able to stay there without the town gossip’s tongues wagging. If she took the job as his housekeeper, then her living there would be easier to explain. Although he knew she may not stay long, she would be a big help to him while she was there. That’s what he told himself, at least. In reality, he just wanted more time with her. What she may not realize was that, if she worked for him, she wouldn’t ever have to go. But he would discuss it with her later.

He took a bacon sandwich and laid it on his plate. “Andrew, I’m glad you’re home and can help us eat some of this bacon. Josey fixed enough for an army.” Daxton glanced over at her and smiled.

Andrew laughed. “Yes, even Lillian doesn’t fry this much.” He finished chewing the bite in his mouth and swallowed. “I got tired of staying at Shawn’s house. He has a lot of brothers and sisters, and it was just too loud. Even Shawn needs to get away from it sometimes.”

“You should tell him to come over here sometime.” Daxton took a bite of his bacon and biscuit, and it tasted delicious.

“Really?” Andrew’s eyes widened.

“Yes, of course. It would be good for you to have friends over... as long as you both behave.” Daxton arched an eyebrow.

Andrew blushed. “Of course, Pa.”

Daxton laughed and glanced over at Josey. She was drinking a glass of lemonade and eating a sandwich. “I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but you look beautiful.”

Josey smiled as beautiful shade of pink colored her cheeks. “Thank you.”

“Josey, feel free to make yourself at home while you’re here. What’s ours is yours.” He pushed the stack of sandwiches toward her. “Here. Have another.”

Josey smiled. “Thank you. I think I will.” She lifted another sandwich from the stack and took a bite.

“So, how long are you staying?” Andrew asked between bites.

Josey shrugged. “Until I get on my feet, and then I’ll be on my way.”

Daxton reached over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You can stay as long as you like. There’s no rush.” He let go and then looked around at the house. “Besides, I’ve never seen the house look so good.” Then he looked in her eyes. “Josey, even though I offered you the job, don’t feel as if you have to work right now. Just rest and don’t push yourself too hard.”

Josey smiled. “I’m feeling better now. Also, I want to. I like chipping in, being a part of a real family.” She must have realized that she had said too much because she got up from the table, grabbed the pitcher of lemonade, and filled their glasses.

“Hey,” Daxton stopped her, grabbing her hand. “I’m glad you feel comfortable here. It’s okay.”

Josey smiled. “Thank you. I appreciate that.” Then she turned to Andrew. “And if you want to get out there while the fish are still biting, then I suggest you get going. I’ll pack you a few sandwiches.”

Andrew’s eyebrows rose, almost into his hairline. “Really, Pa?”

Daxton shrugged. “That’s what the lady said.”

“Would you and Josey like to go, too?” Andrew asked, clearly excited.

Daxton smiled. “Well, I think I would.” Then, he looked over at Josey. “What about you? Would you like to join us?”

She thought for a moment and then nodded. “Yes, I would. It’s been a while since I’ve gone fishing.”

Andrew handed her the hat. “Then, you’re going to need this. The sun is beating down pretty hard now.”

“Absolutely not.” Josey took a bite of her sandwich. “I gave it to you, so it’s yours.”

A broad smile spread across his face. “Thank you.”

Daxton took another sandwich. “Well, I think we’d better eat up then, if we want to get out there while the fish are still biting.”

Josey grinned, obviously enjoying herself. It looked as if she was finally starting to relax. But Daxton knew it would take a while before she felt completely at home.

Daxton was quickly getting used to her being there. But he pushed the thought aside. After all, she was a married woman. Just his luck. A beautiful damsel in distress comes to his door and she’s married. He chuckled to himself. But he quickly pushed the thought out of his mind. The last thing Josey needed right now was a man having designs on courting her. Besides, he didn’t need to fall for a woman who was going to leave, just like Priscilla did.

Daxton finished the last of his sandwich and stood. “Well, are you two ready?”

Andrew gobbled up the rest of his sandwich as he jumped from his seat and put his plate in the sink. “I’ll get the fishing gear ready!” He ran out the door, already heading toward the barn.

“Slow down there!” Josey yelled after him, smiling, clearly having fun.

Daxton reached for her plate. “Are you finished?”

Josey chewed and swallowed the last bite, shaking her head. “No, I’ll get it.”

Daxton took it from her. “Here. I’ll take it.” He let out a deep breath. “Josey, don’t feel as if you have to earn your keep while you’re here. Just be yourself.”

“I know, but you don’t understand. I want to.” She bit her lower lip, thinking. “I haven’t been around a real family in a very long time.”

Daxton gave her a one-armed hug. “I meant it when I said that you could stay as long as you like. Besides, I’m enjoying you being here.” He realized what he was doing and released her, then took a step back.

She smiled up at him. “Thank you. Let me get ready and I’ll be out in a bit.”

“Don’t take too long.” One corner of his lips curled into a smile. “We want to get there while the fish are still biting.”

“They’ll really be biting at sunset,” Josey replied as she headed toward the bedroom.

It amazed Daxton that she liked to fish and wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. One thing was certain: Josey Denning was a woman full of surprises.