Read Online Dangerous Men (Flynn Family Saga Book 2) by Erica Graham - Free Book Online Page B

do.”
    Maggie nodded.  Together, they made
breakfast, but the kitchen was silent, and the air was heavy with unexpressed
grief.
    Maggie had just carried the last
platter of ham and eggs into the dining room when Sam came to the back door.  “I
came as soon as I heard.  Are you all right?”
    Kate nodded.
    Sam came into the kitchen.  He took
off his hat and sat down at the kitchen table.  “What happened?”
    Kate sank down into the chair
across the table from him.  “He killed a man, Sam.”
    Sam reached across the table and
squeezed her hand.  “After breakfast, we’ll go see Jasper Williams.”
    Kate shook her head.  “No, Sam. 
The scandal is going to be bad enough.  I need you to stay away.”
    “But—”
    She lifted her head.  “Please, Sam.”
    He sighed.  “All right, Kate.”  He
got up and walked toward the door.  He turned back once.  “But if you need
anything...”
    Kate nodded.  “Maggie knows where
to find you.”
    Sam nodded.  He drew a deep breath
and left the kitchen.
    Maggie let out a breath.  “He’s
right.  We should hire Mr. Williams.”
    Kate shook her head.  “No, Maggie. 
Richard killed a man.  There were witnesses.”
    Maggie came around the table and
laid her hand on Kate’s shoulder.  “He still deserves a fair trial.”
    Kate turned her head and smiled at
her sadly.  “Are you sure you aren’t Sam’s flesh-and-blood
daughter?”
    Maggie smiled back.  “That’s the
nicest thing anyone ever said about me.”  Her smile faded, and she tilted her
chin up.  “But if you don’t go see Mr. Williams, I will.”
    Kate sighed.  “All right, Maggie. 
After breakfast, we’ll go see Jasper Williams.”
    Jasper listened without
interrupting.  When Kate finished.  He nodded.  “I’ll do what I can, but there
were witnesses, Mrs. Hamilton.”
    Kate nodded.  “I know.  I just don’t
want him to have to face this alone.”
    Jasper reached across the desk and
patted her hand.
    As soon as the news broke, all of
the boarders left.  Sam appeared at the front door with his saddlebags.
    “Sam...”
    “I’m moving in, Kate, and that’s
that.”  He scowled at her.
    Kate smiled tremulously.  She took
his hand and squeezed it.  “Thank you, Sam.”
    *  *  *
    Flynn reached the cabin he and
Alexander Ridgeton had built near the end of November.  The cabin was dark, and
the woodpile was dangerously low.  Flynn smiled grimly.  He needed the work to
keep his mind off Maggie O’Brien.
    He stabled Horatio in the lean-to
and went into the cabin.  He brought out the ax and began to chop wood.  That
night, he slept on his old cot.  It felt strange, sleeping in a bed again.  A
fire crackled on the hearth, and the cabin was warm.
    Flynn slept, but his dreams were
filled with longing and sadness.  Sometimes, he dreamed of Jennie and woke
sweating, despite the cold.  Sometimes, he dreamed of Maggie, but even those
dreams were bittersweet.  He longed to tell her how he felt, but Jennie always
stood between them.
    One week before Christmas, he
packed his saddlebags and rode toward St. Jo.  He felt better than he had since
he left Maggie standing alone in the Sacramento Valley.  The sun was setting
over the Missouri, and the shadows lengthened in front of him a he rode up to
Kate Hamilton’s boarding house.
    Flynn knew, instantly, that
something was wrong.  The upper floors were dark.  He dismounted cautiously. 
He checked to make sure his pistol was loose in its holster.  He knocked on the
door.
    Maggie opened it.  Her face was
pale, and there were dark smudges under her eyes.
    The knot in Flynn’s belly
tightened.  “What’s wrong, Maggie?  Is Sam all right?”
    Maggie nodded.  “He’s fine.  Come
inside, Flynn.  I’ll tell you all about it.”
    He nodded and followed her into the
echoing hallway.  They went into the kitchen and sat down at the table.  Flynn
listened without interrupting.  When Maggie finished speaking, he