Chapter 7

Josey

Josie hurried into Daxton’s bedroom to look for a suitable hat, where she had found the few dresses that his ex-wife had left behind. For a moment, she wondered why his wife had left and how long Daxton had been alone with his children. Her heart went out to him, raising his children—a boy and a girl—alone. It would have been hard enough for a man to raise a son alone, but a girl would have been very hard. After all, who would teach her how to be a woman? As she cleaned the house, she didn’t mean to snoop, but she could see that his children had been well cared for and that they were definitely a family.

But a girl needs a mother. If anything happened to her, Josey just hoped that someone would look after her little one and raise him or her as their own. She pushed the thought from her mind, knowing that she wouldn’t be there long enough to find out. She had to think of her child, to protect the baby at all costs… even at the expense of her own life.

She looked through the closet and at the top was a wide-brimmed hat that his ex-wife had obviously used while working outside or in the garden. It was brown and didn’t really match her outfit, but it didn’t matter. She needed to hurry while the fish were still biting.

Josey smiled to herself. It had been a while since she had gone fishing. Her life with Logan hadn’t afforded such luxuries. She had spent most of her time cleaning, defending herself, or living in fear, leaving little room for fun. Josie slipped on the hat, in a hurry to go fishing with Daxton and his son. She would deal with everything else later.

When she entered the living room, Daxton had changed his clothes, looking dapper in clean jeans, a medium-blue shirt, and a black vest. The collar was left open at the neck, revealing a few dark chest hairs. And his eyes were filled with interest.

Although he was a wonderful man, she didn’t want him to be interested. Josie thought it unlikely, but she didn’t want to get mixed up with another abusive man and jump from the frying pan into the fire. But in the few days that she’d known Daxton, he had shown her nothing but kindness and respect. But it was too soon to think of such things. He was just a nice man who had cared for her in her time of need.

“You look lovely.” Daxton smiled, offering her his hand.

“Thank you.” She smiled, taking it. “You look pretty good yourself.”

He tucked her hand into his arm and led her outside. Just then, Andrew walked out of the barn, carrying three fishing poles and a fishing tackle box.

“What are you using for bait?” Josey asked, walking between Andrew and Daxton.

“I’m not.” He smiled at his father. “I’m fly fishing with artificial lures, like my father taught me.”

Josey grinned, glancing over at Daxton. “It looks like your father has taught you well.”

“Yes, he has,” Andrew agreed.

“Had any luck lately?”

Andrew nodded. “I’ve caught a lot of fish this week.”

Daxton laughed. “And you didn’t bring any home?”

“Hey, I brought you two. You know, you could have gone fishing with me and earned your keep,” Andrew teased, sounding more grown than Josie would have expected.

Daxton laughed. “Hey, watch it, son.”

“Sorry, Pa, but the truth is the truth.” A devilish gleam appeared in his eye as he teased his father.

Daxton ruffled his hair. “Oh, it is, is it?” He reached over and tickled his sides as Andrew squirmed.

“Hey, now. Not in front of a lady.” Andrew looked over at Josie as a broad grin spread across his face.

Josey laughed. “I see your father has taught you well in regard to a lot of things.” She smiled, watching the path in front of them. It was nice to be respected and treated as a lady. She hadn’t known what that felt like in a while. “So, do you ever use live bait?”

Andrew shrugged. “Sometimes.” He laughed. “Lillian uses doughballs. She doesn’t like to bait the hook.”

A grin spread across Josey’s face. “I’ll have to show her an easy way. But don’t knock doughballs. I’ve caught a lot of fish with them before myself.”

Andrew’s head snapped up. “You go fishing a lot?”

She shrugged. “I used to, when I was your age. I haven’t gone fishing in a while.” She smiled at the memory of fishing with her father before he passed away. “Sometimes, I’ve used a tuft of yarn on the top of a hook to simulate a fly.”

Andrew’s head snapped up. “And that worked?”

Josey shrugged. “Sure. As long as you cast it to make it look like a fly landing on the water, it works just fine.”

Andrew smiled. “We’ll have to try it some time.”

Daxton let out a deep breath. “My boy here is an avid fisherman. Andrew, you’ll have to go fishing more. I love fish and we don’t get it often enough.”

Andrew shrugged. “When I can. When Pa’s working, I don’t get to go as much.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Daxton give his son a stern look and shake his head. She didn’t push it but wondered what that was all about.She figured that he must have another job in addition to caring for the farm. Obviously, he was a hard worker.

“We’re here,” Andrew announced. “My favorite fishing spot on Whiskey River.”

“It’s beautiful.” She looked up and the river flowed from the mountains, stretching out over the land in front of them, flowing down past to what she was sure were other towns.

“The rapids aren’t bad here and the fish pool over there.” Andrew pointed to a spot on the edge that looked like a little pond. “Farther downstream the rapids are too rough.”

“Is there a waterfall, too?” Josey asked, intrigued. This was probably the most beautiful place she had ever seen, with the snowcapped mountains, a lovely backdrop against the lush forest in various shades of green with light green grass and fish, brown lichen stretched out along the forest floor as far as they eye could see. This was truly a land of milk and honey.

“Farther upstream,” Daxton interjected. “I’ll have to take you for a walk to see it some time.”

Josey smiled. “I’d like that.”

“But right now…” Andrew handed each of them a fishing pole. “The fish won’t catch themselves.”

Daxton smirked at his son as he took the pole. “You’re getting awfully bossy in your young age.”

Andrew winked at his father. “I learned from the best.”

Daxton ruffed his hair again. “You’re growing up too fast for me.”

Andrew chuckled as he glanced over at Josey, fixing his hook. “I can’t wait for Lillian to meet Josey. She’s going to love her.”

Josey fixed her hook and then walked over to the riverbank, pretending not to have overheard. She also wanted to give Daxton a moment alone with his son.

Josey cast the hook, brought it back and then cast it again. She waited for a moment and then repeated the process. She looked over her shoulder at Daxton and he and his son were watching. They smiled, and she smiled back. It was funny. Andrew looked so much like his father—both had dark brown hair and the same muscular build—but Andrew’s eyes were green. For a moment, she wondered if he had his mother’s eyes. As handsome as her son was, she knew that his mother must have been a beautiful woman. Lord knows, he had a handsome father.

She brought the line back and then cast it again, repeating the process, and then left it in the water for a bit on the last cast.

As she waited, Josey wondered what had happened between Daxton and his wife. He said “ex,” so that implied that she hadn’t died. The only other alternative was that she had left of her own accord. She let out a deep breath and shook her head. How a woman could ever leave her children was beyond her understanding. Even though she hadn’t known she was pregnant long, Josey would do anything to protect her baby… and she already had.

In the short time that she had been staying with Daxton, she had smiled more than she had in a very long time. Years, perhaps.

Suddenly, there was a tug on the line. “Oh! I got one!” She took the line and slowly started pulling it in.

“Already?” Andrew asked, running up.

“She’s a natural!” Daxton chuckled, standing on her other side.

“Let’s not count our chickens just yet. I still have to reel it in.”

“You want me to help you?” Andrew asked, clearly excited. A true fisherman indeed.

Josey shook her head, smiling. “No, I have it, but thank you.” Then she began talking to the fish. “Come on, baby. Come on in here.” When it got close to the shore, Andrew jumped in and snatched it up with the net.

“Just look at her, Josey!” Andrew lifted the net so he could get a good look at it. “She’s a beauty!” Then, he looked excitedly at Josey. “You want me to string her for you?”

Josey nodded, enjoying watching his excitement. “Sure, if you like. Just be careful taking out the hook. You don’t want to hurt yourself.”

Andrew scoffed. “Don’t worry. I do this all the time.” Within seconds, he had the fish off the hook and rushed up with the net. “Look at her! She’s so pretty!”

Josey smiled. In the net, the fish shimmered in shades of red, blue, and yellow, and was adorned with black spots. “She’s a rainbow trout. They’re the ones that shimmer like that.”

“Yes, and she’s a beauty.” Andrew pulled Josey in for a quick hug without thinking about it. “Congratulations!” Then he released her and backed away, as if it had been the most natural act in the world. “You caught the first fish of the day!” He ran over to the water’s edge, strung up the fish, and sank it back down into the water to keep it fresh.

“I haven’t seen him this excited in a long time.” Daxton stood by her side, watching his son. “But if he keeps hollering like that, he might just scare off the rest of the fish.”

“It’d be worth it, seeing him react like that.” Josey loved watching him just as much if not more than she had enjoyed catching the fish. “He sure loves fishing.”

Daxton smiled proudly. “That’s my son.”

Josey nodded, understanding. As she watched Andrew, a sense of pride welled up in her chest, as well. She knew that she could come to think of him as her own son… because she already did.

“Well!” Josey yelled to Andrew. “Are you going to play all day or are we going to catch some fish?”

“Coming!” Andrew called out, rushing back to get his pole.

“You made my son very happy today,” Daxton whispered, his breath gently brushing across her ear. She looked up at him and he gazed into her eyes. “Thank you.”

She nodded, enjoying him whispering in her ear a bit too much.

“Well, if we want fish for dinner, I suggest we get cracking.” Daxton looked up at the sky, the spell of the moment broken. “The sun’s not going to stay up for long.”

They spent the afternoon fly-fishing, having fun by the river, until the sun set, sending shoots of red, orange, pink, and purple across the summer sky.

“I think we did okay today.” Andrew grinned as he threw the stringer filled with fish over his shoulder.

Daxton laughed. “I think nine fish is more than okay. We had a good day.” He paused for a moment, and then added, “Hey! Why don’t I go over and get Lillian, and I’ll ask Colton, Ella, and the kids to come over. We’ll have a fish fry. We haven’t had one in a while.”

Josey’s eyebrows pulled together in concern. “Well… I…”

Daxton took her pole. “Don’t worry. They’re going to love you.”

Josey gave him a small smile but didn’t say more as they walked back to the house.She felt comfortable with Daxton and his family, but any more than that and someone might recognize her before she could tell Daxton, although she didn’t know how. Despite Logan’s crimes, she had always stayed out of trouble… until now.

Andrew and Daxton chatted animatedly as they headed back to the house. But Josey was lost in thought. What if someone recognized her? What if someone knew that her husband had been Logan Slater, the outlaw? She let out a deep breath. Josey guessed that since she killed him, that made her an outlaw, too. But on the other hand, spending a night with friends sounded good. She just hoped that everything went well.

When they got back to the house, Daxton and Andrew cleaned up, and then Daxton put on his hat, ready to retrieve his daughter. From what Josey understood, Lillian went over to the Hill’s to help with their twins. She sensed that Daxton missed his daughter, and she wasn’t going to stand in the way of him bringing her home. In fact, she was looking forward to meeting her. But what she was having doubts about was meeting people other than his family.

Over the past few years, most of the people that came over to her and Logan’s house were members of Logan’s gang. And his family was worse. Or, at least, his brother, Austin, was. Their mother had died when Logan was little, and he had been raised by his brother and his father. She had never met his father, but from what she knew, he had been the pinnacle of meanness—the devil himself. He died in a bank robbery years ago, leaving Austin to raise Logan alone.

“Andrew?” Daxton asked his son, bringing her from her thoughts. “Would you like to go with me over to the Hill’s ranch?”

“Sure,” Andrew replied, running in with bare feet, adjusting the straps of his overalls.

Daxton motion over his son’s body. “Not like that, you don’t.”

Andrew held his hands out at his sides. “What?”

Daxton smiled. “Go put on some shoes and brush your hair, at least.” When Andrew walked back to his room, Daxton’s eyebrows pulled together with concern. “I’ll clean the fish when I get back.”

A smile curled her lips as she shook her head. “No, I’ll take care of it. I’ll have the fish cooking by the time you get back.”

Daxton arched an eyebrow, one corner of his lips curling into a smile. “You know how to clean fish?”

She chuckled. “Yes, of course. My papa didn’t raise a weak girl.”

Daxton pulled her to him and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll be right back.” Then his voice turned serious. “Lock the door after we leave, and don’t open if for anyone but me.”

She nodded, knowing that he probably meant to protect her from her husband, not Logan’s brother. But how could she tell him that she had killed her husband in self-defense? Although it hadn’t been her intention, she did it just the same. No, that conversation would have to wait for another day.

“Be careful, Daxton.”

He smiled. “I will. Don’t worry. Remember what I said: Lock the doors.”

“I will.”

A few minutes later, he and Andrew left, leaving her in the house alone. And as promised, she locked the door behind him, along with the backdoor.

Josie sighed, determined to make the best of the evening. She just hoped that nothing happened to ruin it. She placed her hands on her hips and looked down at the fish. “Well, if we’re having company, I guess I’d better get to work.”

Josie found a sharp knife and set to work cleaning all nine fish. When they were ready, she went out to the henhouse, gathered a few eggs and brought them inside. Then she went down into the cellar for some milk and flour. Once the fish was popping in the skillet, she covered it and set to work peeling potatoes that she found in the cellar.

When she was almost finished, there was a knock on the front door. Her heart fell. But she squared her shoulders, wiped her hands on the apron she had found in a kitchen drawer, and headed into the living room.

Bang, bang, bang!

Oh, my God! Please tell me that Austin hasn’t found me!

She walked slowly to the door. A man wearing a cowboy hat stood on the other side.

“Josey, it’s me.”

When she opened the door, Daxton was standing on the other side. She flung her arms around him, elated to see him.Even though it had only been a short while, his time away seemed like an eternity.

Daxton pulled her back with strong hands and looked into her eyes. “Josey, what’s wrong? What happened?”

Behind him stood Andrew, his eyes wide, and beside him stood a little girl wearing a blue dress with a matching ribbon, and a man and woman holding two toddlers.

Josey stepped back, quickly recovering herself. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was you.” She smoothed her hand absentmindedly over her hair and motioned for them to come in. “Please. Do come in.”

The couple—a man with long brown hair and a woman with blonde hair pulled up neatly, much the same color as hers—looked at each other and then back at her, their eyes wide.

“Where are my manners?” Daxton asked. “Colton, Ella, this is Josey Denning. Josey, this is Colton and Ella Hill.”

Josey gave them a warm smile as she extended her hand but pulled it back when she realized they couldn’t shake her hand because her hands had flour on them. “Please, come in. It’s truly a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Colton gave her a broad smile and then stepped forward. “The pleasure is ours.” Then he turned to Daxton. “Now I know why he took off from work this week. Daxton, I don’t blame you. I would have taken off, too.”

Giving her a warm smile, Ella stepped in next and pulled her in for a one-armed hug. “It’s truly a pleasure to meet you.” She gave Daxton a quick smile. “You’ve been holding out on us!”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, too,” Josey replied, reaching out to shake the little girl’s hand in Ella’s arms as everyone laughed.

“Josey,” Daxton said, claiming her attention, holding the shoulders of the girl in front of him. “I’d like you to meet my daughter, Lillian. Lillian, this is Josey Denning.”

Lillian took a step forward and then wrapped her arms around Josey, giving her a big hug. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Josey patted her back, biting her lower lip in an effort to hold back the tears. “I can assure you. The pleasure is mine.” Josey dabbed at her eyes. “Well, what do you say we get this shindig rolling?”

“Sounds good to me,” Colton replied, walking in. “Something smells good.”

“Oh! I guess I’d better get back in the kitchen before it burns!” Josey ran into the kitchen just in time to turn the fish.

Ella followed and sat in a kitchen chair, one of the babies on her lap. “Would you mind if I feed the babies while we talk? I didn’t know we were coming over.”

“No, not at all.” Josey began pulling open kitchen drawers and found a lightweight dishtowel and handed it to Ella. “Here. You can use this… just in case the men come in.”

“Thank you,” Ella replied and then covered her and the baby to breastfeed. “So, how did you and Daxton meet?”

“We met a few days ago.” Josey answered vaguely, a bit nervous. “He’s letting me stay here until I get on my feet.”

Ella nodded. “Where are you from?”

“Laramie.” Josey wasn’t expecting a lot of questions, but she thought that the truth was best… or at least the closest thing to the truth that she could manage at this point. “I won’t be staying long.”

“Oh, I hope that’s not the case.” Ella rocked the baby under the dishtowel. “Daxton seems very taken with you.”

Josey smiled, glancing over at her as she worked in the kitchen. “He does?”

Ella nodded. “Yes, he does. He told us about you when he came over and he spoke very highly of you.”

Josey let out a deep breath. “That’s good to hear.” As the fish cooked, she took it from the frying pan, breaded more, and laid them carefully in the skillet, the grease popping.

“Be careful, there.” Daxton walked in and poured glasses of lemonade. “Josey, Ella, want some?”

“Yes, please,” Ella and Josey said in unison and then both laughed.

“Well, it looks like you two are hitting it off.” Daxton poured the lemonade and handed one to each of them.

“Yes, we were just having a discussion.” Josey glanced over at Ella and smiled as Ella giggled.

“And that means gossip,” Daxton corrected. “That’s my cue!” He set the other glasses of lemonade on a tray and headed back into the living room.

Ella laughed. “He’s not far off the truth.”

Just then, Lillian walked in, carrying a glass. “May I join you?”

“Yes, of course!” Josey pulled out a chair. “You’re a lady, aren’t you?”

A broad smile spread across Lillian’s face as she sat down, obviously glad to be included as a lady.

“But wouldn’t you rather be playing?” Josey asked, placing the lid back over the fish.

Lillian shook her head. “No, I’m a lady and I need to learn how to do more lady things.”

Ella chuckled. “And a lady, you are.” She looked over at Josey. “Do you know that this little lady was a very big help to me over the past few days?”

A broad smile spread across Josey’s face. “Is that right?”

Ella nodded. “Yes, since Colton took over Daxton’s duties this week, I could really use the help.”

A crease formed between Josey’s eyes. “Duties?”

Ella nodded. “Yes, as sheriff. Daxton’s the sheriff of Whiskey River.” She let out a deep breath, not noticing Josey’s posture go ridged. “Of course, Daxton just hired James, but he needed to make sure that he didn’t drive the shop owners crazy. You see, he’s a bit too—” Ella stopped when she looked up and saw the expression on Josey’s face.

Josey was frozen in place, her mouth open, her eyes wide with horror. “He’s the sheriff?”

Ella nodded, a crease forming between her eyes. “Yes. Why? Didn’t you know?”

Josey shook her head. “No, we just met.”

“Lillian, could you take Hannah for me please and go into the living room for a moment?” Ella asked as she quickly adjusted herself, never taking her eyes off Josey.

“Yes, ma’am.” Lillian walked around the table and held her hands out to Hannah. “You want to come with me?”

Hannah cooed as she happily held out her hands to her. Lillian gave the ladies one last glance over her shoulder and then walked out.

“Josey, are you all right?” Ella asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Josey nodded, still dazed, and then remembered the fish. “Oh, no! The fish!”

“It’s okay.” Ella pulled the skillet off the stove. “Josey, what’s wrong?”

She forced a smile, quickly recovering herself. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

“It’s not ‘nothing’.” Ella looked into her eyes, but Josey was careful to reveal nothing. “Josey, listen. We’ve all been somewhere. I was a dancehall girl before I married Colton. Now, we’re happily married and have twins.” Ella bit her lower lip, choosing her words carefully. “You don’t have to tell me, but whatever it is, you can tell Daxton. He’s a good man, Josey, understanding, and kind.” She rubbed Josey’s arm. “Give him a chance.”

Josey shook her head. “It’s not like that. He’s just helping me out—”

“Do you care for him?” Ella asked.

“I’m not sure. We just met—”

Ella nodded, understanding. “Well, whatever it is… whatever you’re hiding… you can tell Daxton… and you can tell me, too. The people here in Whiskey River will accept you for who you are now, not for your past.”

Josey stared at her in disbelief. “He’ll never forgive me. I can’t tell him… I can’t tell anyone.” Then she ran outside toward the barn and fell to her knees. “Why? Why did I have to meet Daxton now? Why didn’t Logan not stop when I told him to? Why?” She buried her head in her hands and sobbed, letting out the years that she had spent as a victim at Logan’s hands... letting out the guilt over what she had done... everything.

“Josey?” Daxton’s voice was merely a whisper behind her. “What’s wrong?”

Josey hurried to dry her tears. “Go away.”

The crunching of leaves resonated behind her, louder. “Josey talk to me. What’s wrong? You can tell me anything.”

She turned her head in his direction without looking at him. “Then why didn’t you tell me you were the sheriff?”

The ground crunched again as he took another step closer. “I didn’t think it mattered.”

Josey wheeled on him. “If you didn’t think it mattered, then why didn’t you tell me?”

A crease formed between Daxton’s eyes. “I didn’t want to scare you.” He took another step closer to her, just an arm’s length away.

Josey laughed without humor. “Well, you were right about that.”

Daxton let out a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Josey. I just thought that after all you’d been through, you didn’t need any more pressure.”

“And why did you think it would pressure me?”

Daxton motioned toward the bruises in the shape of a man’s hand and cuts on her arms. The bruises had been from Logan, but the cuts she got on the run for a week. “This is why.” Daxton closed the gap between them. “Josey, no one here is going to hurt you. And if I have my way about it, no one will ever hurt you again.” He pulled her into his arms and let her cry on his shoulder. “You can talk to me. I won’t judge you.”

As the tears ran down her cheeks and onto Daxton’s shirt, she wished she could tell him everything… what she had done. But it was something she didn’t think she could ever tell anyone. Not if she wanted any kind of a decent life for her child.

“Josey, come inside,” Daxton whispered into her hair. “Please. Everyone’s in there waiting.” He pulled her back to look in her eyes. “Just promise me that you won’t leave without telling me.”

Josey thought for a moment. “That’s the least I can do for all you’ve done for me.”

Daxton took a step back as if she had just slapped him. “You don’t ever have to go, you know. I’ll take you to Laramie… help you to get a divorce—”

“I know,” Josey cut him off, not wanting to be tempted to stay. She could never endanger him like that. Who was she kidding? She could never have a nice life. Never again. “But I know you also have to do your job.”

Daxton’s eyebrows pulled together in concern. “Yes, I do. If your husband comes for you, I’ll take care of it.”

She was about to tell him that her husband was dead, but she couldn’t say the words. “Okay.” Technically, she wasn’t lying to him, just withholding information. But it felt as if she was lying by not telling him the complete truth.

Daxton must have seen that she was giving in a little, because he started talking quickly. “Listen. You don’t have to figure everything out right now. Let’s just go inside and enjoy the evening without pressure. We don’t have to have all the answers right now.” A slight smile lit his lips. “Besides, you can’t leave right now in the dark…”

He didn’t know her very well.

“And the fish will go to waste…” He leaned down and looked into her eyes. “Come here.” Daxton pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back. “Josey, you’re not alone. You don’t have to go through this by yourself.”

She nodded against his chest and stepped back, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Thank you, Daxton. You’re a good man.”

“And you’re a good woman.”

When she looked away, he placed a finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Yes, Josey, you are. Give yourself a chance. The people of Whiskey River and I will help you… if you let us.”

She nodded, placing her hand on his cheek. “I’m so glad I met you, Daxton Clark.”

He smiled as he kissed her forehead. “I’m glad I met you, too.” Then he pulled back to look into her eyes. “Now, let’s go inside and have that fish before it gets cold. It smells delicious.”

She chuckled, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “I hope you like it.”

Daxton wrapped his arm around her waist. “I’m sure I will.”

“It’s probably burned by now.” Josey sighed. “But at least half of it is okay.” She remembered that she had cooked half of the fish before running out the door.

Daxton smirked. “No, Ella took over and cooked the rest.”

Josie nodded. “I’ll have to thank her. She seems very nice.”

“She is… both she and Colton.”

“Just in time!” Ella smiled as they walked back in, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

“Thank you, Ella, but I can take over from here.” Josey crossed the room and took the skillet from her hand.

Ella gave her a quick, one-armed hug. “I really don’t mind helping out.” She clapped her hands together. “So, what would you like me to do?”

“Would you mind setting the table?” Josey took the last of the fish out of the skillet and laid them in the pan with the others. “Ella?”

Ella stopped halfway to the cabinet and raised her eyebrows. “Yes?”

“Thank you.”

Ella smiled. “Don’t worry about it.” She leaned in conspiratorially. “We’ve all had our moments.”

Josey gave her a small smile and turned her attention back to preparing the meal. Ella had already fried the potatoes, had set some corn on the cob on the stove to boil, and had even sliced some fresh tomatoes. “Ella, it looks like you’ve thought of everything.”

“Well, not everything.” She held up the empty pitcher of lemonade.

Josey laughed. “Here. I’ll make some more.”

“Daxton has some lemons down in the cellar.” Ella said and then whispered, “I saw them down there when I went down for the tomatoes.”

“Thank you.” Josey felt much better as she walked down the stairs. Whiskey River sure was a unique place. Josey thought that it was probably because in a small town, everyone had to pull together to help each other or they wouldn’t make it.

Someday, Josey knew that she would have to trust them with her secret, but tonight wasn’t the night. She gathered the lemons and headed up the stairs, closing the door behind her.

In the kitchen, Ella was working away and had already set the table.

“Well! There’s nothing left for me to do, besides making the lemonade.” They both laughed. “Thank you, Ella, for everything.”

“Don’t mention it.”Ella shrugged. “I’m happy to do it.”

Josey smiled, squeezing the lemons. “Here you came over to be entertained. I’d bet you didn’t expect to be the one entertaining.”

Ella smiled. “I like this much better… us working together. It’s much more fun this way, don’t you think?”

Josey smiled, suddenly realizing just how lucky she was, hoping that it didn’t all come crashing down. And when it did, she hoped that Daxton wasn’t the one to get hurt. If things were different, she would like to have Ella as a friend.

“Time to eat!” Josey announced when everything was ready.

Colton was the first one to enter, holding the baby girl’s hand as they walked in. “Well, it’s about time. I was getting hungry smelling all this good food.”

Ella playfully hit him on the arm. “Watch your manners.”

“Why?” Colton glanced over at Josey and smiled. “The sooner she gets to know the real us, the better.”

Lillian walked in carrying the baby boy and gave him to Ella when she reached for him. “Everything smells good, Miss Denning.”

Josey smiled. “Please, call me Josey.”

Lillian smiled as she took her seat at the table.

“Wow! Everything smells good, Josey!” Andrew barreled in and plopped down in a chair at the kitchen table.

“Ella helped.” Josey gave her a smile and then noticed that Andrew was still wearing the straw hat. “Andrew, take the hat off at the dinner table, please.”

Everyone laughed.

“Yes, ma’am.” He slinked off pouting into the other room.

Daxton leaned over conspiratorially. “In case you couldn’t tell, he really likes the hat you gave him.”

Josey chuckled. “I’m glad.”

Andrew came back a moment later, frowning. But when Josey smiled at him, he returned the smile, all forgotten and forgiven.

“Let’s say the blessing,” Josey glanced over at Daxton and bowed her head.

Daxton said a beautiful blessing over the meal, once again thanking God for the good food and good company. When he was finished, he announced, “Dig in!”

Throughout the meal, no one said anything more about Josey running out and the conversation stayed light. As they ate, Josey listened to everyone laugh, have fun, and enjoy each other’s company. At that moment, she realized that this was the closest thing to family that she had seen in a very long time and hoped beyond all hope that one day she would belong. She just hoped that she wouldn’t end up being their downfall instead.