Read Online A Rich Man for Dry Creek / a Hero for Dry Creek by Janet Tronstad - Free Book Online

suspense did seem like that to him. He must really want the slot. “My sister says the winner will be able to write his own ticket with the advertising companies.”
    Robert groaned. “I’d forgotten about that part of it. I may need to fly Charlie in to take those calls after all.”
    â€œWho’s Charlie? Your attorney?”
    Robert started to chuckle. “No, Charlie is an acquaintance of another kind.”
    â€œOh.” Don’t tell me he has an agent, Jenny thought in dismay. He certainly had the looks to go into modeling. But somehow, she was disappointed. “I hope you draw the line at underwear.”
    Robert blinked. “Underwear?”
    â€œYou know, in the endorsements. I wouldn’t want to see you in a magazine in your underwear.”
    Jenny felt the blush creep up her neck. He didn’t have to look at her that way—like she was picturing him right now in his underwear. “I just think it wouldn’t be a good example for the kids around here.”
    â€œYou’re worried they’ll grow up to be underwear salesmen?” Robert was entranced. He’d seen precious few blushes in his day. That must say something about the kind of women that usually flocked around him.
    â€œWell, it’s not very steady work.”
    â€œI don’t know about that. People always need underwear.”
    If they hadn’t been talking, Jenny was sure she would have noticed that the music had stopped.
    She did notice the loud voices from the front of the barn near the door.
    A woman’s voice called, “Francis? Anyone seen Francis?”
    There was a loud shuffling as the boots of the ranch hands who were sitting by the heater hit the floor with a united thud.
    A man’s rough voice demanded, “Garth? Where’s Garth?”
    Finally one of the teenage girls opened the barn door from the outside and shrieked, “Kidnapping! They were right! There’s a kidnapping! We saw the truck—we saw them!” The girl’s face was white, but Jenny couldn’t tell if it was from the outside cold or from shock.
    â€œCome in, dear. Tell us what you saw.” Mrs. Hargrove was drawing the girl inside as Jenny and Robert arrived at her side.
    â€œBryan and I were outside looking at the stars when we heard a gunshot.”
    â€œI told you that was a gunshot,” one of the ranch hands muttered to another.
    â€œAre you sure it was a gunshot?” Mrs. Hargrove put a jacket around the shivering girl. “It might have been a car misfiring.”
    â€œBut there weren’t any cars running. Not even that big truck was going when we heard the shot,” the girl insisted. “Besides, I know the difference between a gunshot and a car backfiring.”
    Mrs. Hargrove took a quick, assessing look at the girl. The girl was tall and skinny with a light brown skin that could signal almost any race. Finally, the older woman nodded. “We’d best call out the sheriff.”
    â€œThe sheriff? Where’s he off to anyway?” one ranch hand said.
    â€œSome guy called in an emergency from the Billings airport,” another answered. “Something to do with some VIP.”
    â€œI think the guys with the guns are in that big truck that just left,” the girl continued. “Bryan saw something shiny that looked like a gun.”
    â€œWhere’s Bryan now?” Robert asked the girl quietly. Something about the whole story didn’t seem right to him. Any teenage boy he knew would be in here claiming the glory of the moment. But there was no Bryan.
    The girl bit her lip.
    Robert looked around. There were a lot more dresses than tuxedoes in the crowd.
    â€œWhere’s Bryan?” he asked again.
    â€œHe wanted to be sure. I told him it was a gunshot, but he wanted to be sure before he told everyone.” The girl’s brown complexion went a little yellow and she swallowed hard.
    â€œWhere is