After the child walked away, he turned his attention back to her. "Frankly, she's better off."
The man would never hear a disagreement from her as she watched his two children walking toward the house, her heart breaking.
"Who are you?" he asked. "Why are you asking all these questions?”
With them now alone, she could tell him the truth. Though she would have liked to keep that information to herself for a little while longer. But he asked and deserved to understand what kind of person his brother-in-law truly was.
"My name is Dora Tennyson. I'm his wife."
Jesse gazed at the woman sitting on her horse in the yard, proclaiming to be Leo's wife. "Mrs. Tennyson, I'm Jesse Moore, by the way. Why don't you come sit a spell on the porch and drink a glass of tea?"
She smiled at him. "Please call me Dora."
"That might be wise, especially because of the children," he said. "After all, you share the same last name."
Dora swung her leg over the saddle and dropped to the ground like she'd been riding all her life. Leading the horse to the hitching post in the front of the house, she tied the reins and followed him up the steps.
Curious, Grace came back outside with Ben and Ella in tow.
This would be an adult conversation that needed privacy. Jesse looked at Grace. "Why don't you take the kids inside and give them a snack? Me and Mrs. Dora are going to sit out here and talk."
"Yes, sir," Grace said, her green eyes flashing with anger. Life had dealt this kid so much heartache, she didn't deserve to hear how her other parent was such a low life.
The two of them went into the shade, taking the two chairs from the porch. "Would you like something to drink?"
"No, I'm fine," she said.
"You wed Leo?" he asked, staring at her.
The laugh that resounded from her sounded hollow. "Ten years ago. Until a couple months ago, I believed I was a widow."
That was hard to comprehend. How could the woman believe her husband was dead and suddenly learn he still lived? Didn't make a bit of sense, but then again, what about Leo ever made sense? A careless individual. Leo's interests were only what pleased him at the moment, including women.
Not knowing someone was alive was a stretch of Jesse's imagination.
"At eighteen, I married Leo in Fort Worth at the county courthouse. For years, we struggled. After my father died, I collected a small inheritance."
In the shadows, he watched her take a deep relaxing breath.
"Not too long after the money was deposited, Leo took off on a business trip to Dodge City, Kansas. About two weeks after he left, I received a telegram from the sheriff telling me he had been killed in a shootout. So I went down to the bank and behold, the account with my inheritance had been cleaned out. Since then, I've lived off our meager savings, which I think he forgot about."
Leaning back in the chair, she gazed at the land. "Looks like my money bought a nice place."
His sister's voice telling him to put the land in the children's names startled him. Why had he not gone to the courthouse and changed the title before now? The property was in Leo's name and if what she said was true, the children would have nothing. "I don't know if he bought this place or my sister did."
"Did he marry Ida?"
Oh, how Jesse didn't want to answer her question, but what good would it do to lie to the woman. Very easily the record of their marriage could be located at the Grayson County courthouse. "Yes, they married about five years ago. Ella and Ben came along soon after."
A funny expression crossed her face, a grimace of what looked like pain. One he didn't understand. This wasn't the first time he mentioned Leo's children. Yet she never said how many kids she and Leo had together.
"Were you happy being married to Leo?"
Her shoulders rose in a shrug. "Not really. Often times, I fussed at him for not having a consistent job. Leo always searched for the fast, easy, money, nothing steady."
Jesse thought of his brother-in-law and knew what she said was true. Right now, Leo was off selling some miracle cure that would make them thousands. But if Dora married him first, Leo had broken the law.
"How could he have wed you and Ida at the same time? That's bigamy."
A chuckle escaped her, and she gazed at him. "Who is going to catch him? Who is going to question if a man had multiple wives?"
She had a point. There were no marriage lawmen saying wait a minute, you're married. How would anyone know? At least his sister would never learn her wedding had been illegal.
And when he found his brother-in-law, no other woman would need to worry about him marrying again, because he would have no use for a woman. The man had done this to two women. What if more were tied to Leo?
"Are you sure you're the only one he married?" Jesse asked. "If he did this to you and my sister, what if there are others?”
A frown furrowed Dora's brow and the urge to reach up and soothe the wrinkle overwhelmed him. A gorgeous woman with her blonde hair and soft blue eyes and yet she showed no fear. In fact, she almost seemed like a warrior the way she rode in here and stood up to him.
"It's possible there are more victims of Leo," she said. "Never thought about how many he might have married. To be honest, I was shocked to learn about the farm. Didn't know about the children. I'm sorry if I upset them."
"Yeah, they've had a rough time with their mother dying so unexpectedly. One day she was fine, and the next day, she was so ill and died not long after that. All I could think about was, what if I hadn't been here? What if she died and left these children alone? Certainly, their father would never be located in an emergency."
The blonde slipped her long hair back over her shoulder. "Have you searched for him?"
"No, been too busy taking care of the kids and hoping he would ride back in here. Now I just want to kill him," Jesse said, knowing it was best that Leo was not around.
The baby came running out the door with the other two girls chasing after him. "Stop him."
This time the child wore clothes, but in his hands, he held his sister's favorite doll. Reaching down, Jesse scooped him up and sat him on his lap. "Are you tormenting your sister by taking her doll?"
The little boy grinned. "Momma," he asked, looking around the yard.
Every time he said momma, Jesse ached with the loss of his sister. Ida should’ve been alive and loving them, watching them grow. Ben was still searching for her.
Grace walked out the door and took him from Jesse. Sometimes Grace forgot how to be a child and acted more like an adult.
"Bad," she said, taking the doll from Ben who smiled.
"I should get going and let you get back to work," she said, standing. "Thanks for the information."
The man reached out and touched her arm. "Where are you staying?”
Why did he feel like there was still so much they needed to discuss? As the hour grew later, he realized it was time to feed and bathe the kids, but he wanted her to stay. No, her spending the night probably wouldn't be considered proper, but three chaperones and the Colt forty-five she wore low on her hips would serve as a deterrent.
"Out on the trail," she said in a rush.
A woman sleeping alone along the road at night? The outlaws, the critters, the snakes all seemed dangerous, but from looking at her, he knew she could take care of herself. Still, he needed to talk more with her and see how much he could learn about Leo.
"Stay here tonight, with me and the kids. We could use the company. You can bunk in my sister’s room. Don't worry, we burned the mattress and I put a new one on the bed, thinking I'd sleep in her room, but I couldn't."
"All right," she said. "Only if you let me help you with dinner."
Relief sagged his shoulders. "That would be wonderful."
One night of someone helping him care for these children would be so great. Even if she just helped with the dishes, it would be better than nothing at all. While he loved these kiddos dearly, they were a lot of work.
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Odd she didn't offer to help with the children, but that was all right. Just talking to an adult instead of a child would be wonderful. A fabulous experience he wanted so badly.
After dinner, Dora helped clean up, but Grace acted cold and standoffish and didn't appear to want any help in cleaning the kitchen. Jesse dried the dishes while Grace washed and Dora kept the small children occupied. Poor little Ella seemed almost eager for a woman's touch. The little girl came over and sat in her lap.
"Why are you looking for my papa?" the child asked her, face earnest as she stared at Dora with her large brown eyes.
How did she answer this question and how could she consider killing Leo when he was all these poor children had left for a parent? Now that their mother was dead, maybe she should walk away and let things go on like they were.
What if Jesse lied? Or what if Leo wasn't their father? Had she learned the truth? Yet this situation felt like something Leo would do. Marry an innocent woman and ignore the fact he was already married.
"Your papa and I have some business to discuss," she said, wanting to be honest with this child.
"Did you want to talk with my momma?" she asked and then solemnly said, "You can't speak to her. She's in heaven. The angels came and took her, even though she didn't want to leave us."
A piece of Dora's heart cracked open, causing her to ache at the loss in this child's voice. A five-year-old shouldn't have been dealing with the death of her mother.
"Yes, your uncle Jesse told me she went to heaven. I would’ve loved to have met her. I bet she was a great momma to you and a nice lady," she said.
The woman had married her husband, and yet, Dora would never talk badly about her because Ida was a victim as well.
"The best momma ever," Ella said. "Do you have children?"
How did she answer this? People assumed that when you didn't have kids, you didn't like them, when the opposite was true.
"No babies for me," she said, the sadness overwhelming her. After today, she had to face the reality that the problem had not been Leo, but her. Her womb was as barren as the desert and no man would ever want to marry her.
"You could be our new momma," Ella said, smiling at her like she had just thought of the most amazing idea. "Our uncle Jesse, he needs a wife and we need a momma."
Not knowing how to answer, she glanced up and noticed Jesse standing there grinning at her. "Ella, don't scare the woman off. Why don't you get ready for bed? Grace will help you."
Grace stood beside him in the doorway frowning at her sister. The warning glare she shot Dora surprised her. For some reason, the girl hated Dora and she didn't understand why.
"Come on, Ella," she demanded.
Grace sounded more like she was eight going on twenty. The thought of the responsibility bearing down on that child made Dora sad. When she should be playing with dolls, she was taking care of her brother and sister.
Ella gazed at Dora and smiled. "It was nice talking to you." Glancing at her uncle, she giggled, then leaned into and whispered to Dora, "He needs a wife, real bad. His cooking is lousy."
Laughter bubbled up inside her as the little girl walked over and took her older sister's hand. Skipping down the hall, she waved goodbye as she went toward her bedroom.
"It's been really hard for her since she lost her mother," Jesse said, coming over and sinking into a chair across from Dora. The man had cleaned up before supper and she smelled his clean masculine scent.
The baby crawled up in his lap and he bounced the boy.
"This little guy has shown his displeasure by being more ornery than ever. One moment, he's throwing a temper tantrum, and the next, he's taking his sister's doll and hiding it or crawling up on the counters and getting into trouble. Once I found him wandering in the field. He'd gone in search of his mother."
Jesse hugged the child tightly and the little boy laid his head against his shoulder. Dora's heart cracked. That boy should have been hers and Leo's. Ella should be their child, but instead, Leo had a family with a woman who could give him babies. For a moment, her throat constricted as she swallowed her unshed tears, trying to hide her pain deep inside.
"It’s not easy for me to understand why the good Lord thought that Ida had to die. Why didn't he take Leo instead? He's never around. These kids need their mother," Jesse said, gazing down as Ben began to grow sleepy.
His words made Dora sad and she didn't know how to respond. Her mind screaming these children belonged to her and yet they didn't. With a calming breath, she said, "They're lucky they have you."
"Yeah, one of Ida's last request was their father never be allowed to keep the kids. Ida didn't trust him to care for them the way they need."
"Leo didn't tell you what cities he would be traveling to?"
All she wanted was to find Leo and put an end to his miserable life. But what about his family? If she killed Leo, they would be without a father and mother.
A quick glance at her, Jesse's gaze met hers. "Believe me, if I knew where he was, especially after you showed up, I'd go after him and make certain he never harmed anyone else again. No, he doesn't even know his w--my sister is dead."
She thought about where Leo had last been seen. "The sheriff of Zenith saw him selling his miracle cure in Fort Worth. That's how I learned he was still alive. So I hired a private investigator who located the farm."
"You're going to take the farm back, aren't you?"
How could she answer that question? How could she put these children out with no place to go? Right now, the future was unknown, her focus on finding Leo.
"No decision has been made yet, since I don't know what I'm going to do. My inheritance paid for this place, and well, I'm kind of broke at the moment. In fact, I went to bounty hunting school just to be able to track down Leo. Once I locate him, if I don't find my money, I will be forced to become a full-time bounty hunter."
A smile crossed his face. "A woman bounty hunter?"
Why did men consider it such an anomaly for a woman to do a man's job? For years, women stepped in and took over when needed.
"Ever heard of the Lipstick and Lead ladies? Ruby McKenzie -- now Culver and very pregnant--taught me."
"Yes, I have heard of them. Ruby caught the man who killed their father."
"Yes, she did," Dora said, thinking of the women she met who had chosen bounty hunting over being a saloon whore or any other measly job that paid very little.
She stared at this handsome man in front of her. How many men would take on the care of three children? One of whom was just a toddler. "What about you? When you're not caring for your sister’s children, what do you do?"
He glanced down at the sleeping baby in his arms, his face tight like he couldn't remember his life before his sister's death. "I'm a carpenter. The reason I was here was to finish the cabinets I built for Ida. Still can't believe she's gone and I'm responsible for her children."
Staring down into the baby’s face, he shook his head. "After our parents died, I raised Ida until she turned sixteen, then she married Joe. He was killed when he was thrown from a horse and Grace was two years old. After that, Ida met and wed Leo and two more children came along."
Though his sister was gone, jealousy gripped Dora in a tight hold. The woman had carried not one, but three children, two were Leo's. Sadness seeped from her pores and she sighed knowing she needed to go to her room. The day overwhelmed her, and she longed for private time to let her tears flow.
Rocking the child, Jesse sighed, "After I finished her cabinets, my plan was to head down to the coast and spend some time fishing and relaxing."
"I'm sorry," Dora said. "Doesn't seem fair, but these children would be so lost without you."
"Yes," he said, his voice gruff. "As much as I'd like to go, I can't. They're more important right now."
How did he feel about Leo? What would he do when his brother-in-law returned?
"What about Leo?"
"That son of a bitch better not come back or
he's dead. After everything he's put my family through, he's going to die."
Dora sighed. "Not if I find him first."
No way had she come all this distance just to let Leo realize she knew he was still alive. If she saw him, she wanted her money and to tell him the law would be after his lying, cheating ass.
A smile slowly spread across his face. "May the best shooter locate him and finish off his days on this earth."
"And that would be me," she said, rising. "Goodnight, Jesse. I'll be leaving in the morning to locate Leo. Don't worry, I'm going to get to him first."
Chapter 3
The next morning, Dora woke coughing, her head pounding with a headache and generally felt lousy. The nights of sleeping outside had finally caught up with her and she feared a bad cold could be coming on. Rising, she dressed and found her way to the kitchen where Jesse cooked breakfast.
"You don't look good," he said, his face turning red as he blushed. "I'm sorry. It's just you're so beautiful and I can see in your eyes, you're not feeling well."
The rugged cowboy was so cute when he became all flustered. Unfortunately, her body ached from the restless nights, waking at every sound in the woods.
"Too many nights sleeping in the night air," she said, coughing. "I should go. Don't want to expose the children and then you really would have your hands full."
If one of these kids became sick because of her, she would be so upset. The man struggled to keep the house running and his family cared for, he didn't need an illness spreading.
Gazing at her, he shook his head. "Nonsense. Rest for a while."
"You need papa's medical cure. I'll go get you a bottle."
Dora frowned. This morning she awoke to a queasy stomach and she wasn't going to drink some rotgut Leo sold to make money. The little girl came up the stairs from the cellar and handed her a glass jar.
"Momma drank a cup full every night and said the miracle cure made her better."
Lipstick and Lead Series: The Complete Box Set With a Bonus Book Page 105