loved her money. Back when they were courting, she’d thought him different from all the other men of her acquaintance. His character seemed above reproach. Back then, she’d mistaken the little ways he’d tried to control her as concern or caring. Of course, it hadn’t been until after they’d been married that he’d first hit her.
Entertaining romantic notions about anyone else... Laura couldn’t fathom doing such a thing except in the secret places of her heart. Her judgment was too poor, and even if someone as honorable as Owen declared his undying love for her, could she believe it to be true?
Laura opened the door and smiled at him. “It’s so nice to see you. What brings you here?”
Owen didn’t smile back. Unfortunately, that lack of smile told Laura everything she needed to know.
“I already heard. The sheriff was here to see me.”
“Good. Then we don’t have to waste time on explanations and small talk.”
“It’s not as though you’ve ever made a social visit before.” She sounded harsh, and she knew it, but after her short reminiscence about him, it stung to realize that he’d simply moved on with his life after the time they’d shared.
He took a step back as though she’d slapped him with the truth. In a way, it felt good to make him feel that way. After all, all those months in Denver, awaiting James’s trial, and the connection Laura had thought they’d shared... But when Owen had moved from Denver to Leadville, he hadn’t once come to visit her. She’d known he was in town, had even waved to him from across the church, but he hadn’t come to call. Even with their mutual friends, Laura was surprised at how little their paths crossed. No one brought up Owen in conversation, and it wouldn’t have been right for Laura to mention him either. It was as though their friendship in Denver had never happened.
Which was why Laura knew anything she felt for Owen was simply a schoolgirl infatuation. To Owen, Laura was just another case. Any thought she had that there might be something romantic was just a foolish notion, best put aside for someone who had more sense about the ways of women and men than she had.
“I suppose I should apologize for that,” Owen said. He shifted his weight uneasily on the porch. “The truth is, I don’t know what to say to you. I mean, we’re not...supposed to...become friends...with the people we’re hired to protect.”
Laura’s heart twisted, and her mouth opened to give a retort back, but then she realized he was only speaking the truth. Any implied gestures of friendship were just that—implied. Further proof that Laura couldn’t trust herself when it came to her heart.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. That was unkind of me.” She softened her expression and started again. “Would you like to come in?”
Owen gave a quick nod. “I think that would be best.”
There was a stiffness to Owen that hadn’t been there before. He was more formal, like her comment about his job had wounded him or perhaps had just reminded him of the truth. She truly had thought they’d become friends. Laura and Owen had been able to talk for hours, and sometimes at night, when Laura could not sleep for fear of the nightmares overtaking her, Owen would open the door to the hallway outside her room and sit with her. He on the chair outside the door, and she on a chair inside, so that no one could question the propriety of his actions.
As Laura stared at the lines on his face, she noted that new ones had formed where previously there been smooth skin. What had happened to him in the past year or so? Then, with a pang, she realized that in all of their talks, it had mostly been about her. She didn’t know anything about Owen Hamilton. Well, she knew that he liked his coffee strong and black. That when focused on a task, he seemed to be able to shut out everything else around him. He laughed at her jokes, which no one else seemed to understand. And he was kind, always thinking about her needs and putting himself out to make sure she had every comfort he could possibly provide. But anything else about him? Laura couldn’t say.
Where was he from originally? How long had he been a lawman? Why had he become a lawman? She couldn’t claim to know anything about his family or his hobbies outside of his work.
No wonder he considered her a job and not a friend. And no wonder Laura was so clueless when it came to matters of the heart. She would do better in the future to remember that any feelings she might be developing were based on her ignorance, not anything real.
Laura smiled at him and gestured toward the sofa in the parlor. “Please sit down. If you’ll give me a moment, I can find some refreshments. It won’t take long to make a pot of coffee.”
Owen shook his head. “As you’ve already surmised, this isn’t a social call. We need to get you somewhere safe.”
“What do you mean, ‘somewhere safe’?”
“James wants you dead. This is the first place he’ll look.”
Laura shook her head. “Maybe, but what he wants more than my death is his freedom. He can’t have enjoyed all that time in prison. Some of his associates are already in Mexico. He’ll go there.”
Information she’d already given the sheriff, which is why it seemed strange to have Owen here. He should know this already.
Owen looked at her like she was still the helpless woman he’d once protected. “You underestimate him. You destroyed James’s pride in the worst way. He’s coming after you. A man as arrogant as James is going to think that he can come to town unnoticed, kill you, then go on his way.”
Determination set in Laura. She wasn’t that woman anymore. The woman James had married didn’t exist anymore, much of that thanks to Owen. Besides, she knew James better than Owen did. “James isn’t stupid. He’s got to know that this is the first place the law will come looking.”
At the core, that’s the only thing that gave her hope that she’d be safe. James always took the easy way out, which was why he’d killed his mistress rather than have his infidelity exposed. But to kill someone he’d publicly threatened, who would surely be guarded...that was too complicated for a man like him.
Owen looked like he disagreed with Laura’s assessment, like she had no clue what she was up against. She squared her shoulders and looked him in the eye.
“Even if he does come after me, I still remember all the things you taught me. I keep a gun in my nightstand drawer. And just like you showed me, every now and again, I go out and practice shooting it.”
Owen continued staring at her like she was an ignorant child. “A gun gives a person a false sense of safety. Many a fool has gotten killed thinking a gun was all they needed to stay safe. James is coming after you, and that itty-bitty gun of yours isn’t enough to save you.”
“You’re the one who gave me that gun!” Now she was starting to get offended. Why had he even bothered to teach her these things if he didn’t think her capable of taking care of herself?
“Yes, ma’am, I did. And I’m glad I gave it to you. I have no doubt that it has given you a great deal of comfort, knowing that you have the ability to protect yourself. But you aren’t protecting yourself against an ordinary villain, and you know it. James is the worst kind of villain, and he won’t stop until he gets what he wants...or he’s dead.”
Though Owen’s words had some logic to them, he’d forgotten that Laura had been married to James for nearly ten years. She of all
