Read Online Much Ado About Marshals (Hearts of Owyhee) (2011) by Jacquie Rogers - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jacquie Rogers
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it some. Had Forrest seen her kissing the marshal? She swallowed a lump in her throat.
The marshal patted Forrest on the head. “What say we keep it man-to-man.”
Forrest nodded vigorously. “Good idea, sir.”
“Come back a later for our talk .”
“Yes, sir.”
The boy and his energetic mutt charged out as quickly as they’d entered.
Daisy breathed a deep breath as she watched her brother run down the street, wishing she could escape, too. Just then she saw the boot thief. “There he is!”
“Who?” asked the marshal.
“The man who stole a pair of boots from our store!” She pointed wildly. “The one with the ragged clothes and the new boots.”
The marshal stood and peered out the window over her shoulder. “Why I’ll be damned, that’s Porker Rankin.” With that, he took off after the thief. Not very fast, either.
Daisy picked up her skirts and dashed after the both of them. The marshal was in no shape to be running down villains, and he might need help subduing the boot thief. She knew just what to do, too, because she’d read of many arrests made by Honey Beaulieu.
But her skirts hindered her to where, try as she might, she couldn’t run any faster than a recently wounded man. Nevertheless, she’d nearly caught up with the marshal.
“Arf!”
Winky bounded right in front of the marshal, and he tumbled over the dog.
Cole sprang to his feet. “Damned dog,” he muttered. With the ache in his thigh, his spring wasn’t too spry, and Porker had made his escape.
Daisy patted at her skirts with one hand and dabbed at her bent bonnet with the other. “You let him get away!”
He cleared his throat and rested his hand on his Peacemaker. No other woman on the face of this planet was quite like her. Thank the Lord above.
Yes, he’d let the thief get away and she’d never know how much he really wanted to catch the bastard, but the Gardners sure needed to do something with that dog. He was a menace. Almost as much of a threat as the dauntless Miss Daisy. He managed to make a damned fool of himself every time she came around.
He shifted his weight off his bad leg , groaning at both the pain and his indisposition. “I’m going back to the office.” He reached for her hand to help her up. “I suggest you find Bosco and send him over. Maybe he can catch your thief without being t-boned by a dog.”
Then, remembering her reason for calling on him in the first place, he nearly told her exactly why he didn’t have the telegram. But he couldn’t. Not right now. Not with one of the miners under suspicion for theft. A theft conviction would put Porker Rankin behind bars, and that could prevent at least one season of sluicing Sinker Creek.
Daisy stuck her chin out in a huff. “I’ll get Deputy Kunkle right away. He’s at Mrs. Howard’s boarding house, tending to … ” She looked away.
“Tending to?”
“Oh, a stranger who got hurt. Sarah’s there, too.”
“If Sarah’s taking care of the man, then why is Bosco still there?”
Daisy shrugged. “Well, I gotta go get some medicine for him.” She straightened the remaining rumples in her skirts.
Lord only knew what medicine she had on her mind. Hopefully not Dr. Liebig’s Lost Manhood Restorer—that would probably kill the poor sap for sure. “I’ll be at the office if you need me.” Like anyone would need him for all the good he was.
He walked back to the marshal’s office, damning his gimpy leg every step of the way. Damning it for forcing him to pretend to be something he wasn’t, damning it for preventing him from catching the miner, and double-damning it for making him look like a milksop in Miss Daisy’s eyes.
But he refused to limp, no matter how great the pain. A man had to have his pride, and he wouldn’t have a helluva lot left once Miss Daisy found out he was just another rancher, shot during Bosco’s ill-fated bank robbery attempt. By her sister, no less. He nearly groaned, but suppressed that, too.
He
The marshal patted Forrest on the head. “What say we keep it man-to-man.”
Forrest nodded vigorously. “Good idea, sir.”
“Come back a later for our talk .”
“Yes, sir.”
The boy and his energetic mutt charged out as quickly as they’d entered.
Daisy breathed a deep breath as she watched her brother run down the street, wishing she could escape, too. Just then she saw the boot thief. “There he is!”
“Who?” asked the marshal.
“The man who stole a pair of boots from our store!” She pointed wildly. “The one with the ragged clothes and the new boots.”
The marshal stood and peered out the window over her shoulder. “Why I’ll be damned, that’s Porker Rankin.” With that, he took off after the thief. Not very fast, either.
Daisy picked up her skirts and dashed after the both of them. The marshal was in no shape to be running down villains, and he might need help subduing the boot thief. She knew just what to do, too, because she’d read of many arrests made by Honey Beaulieu.
But her skirts hindered her to where, try as she might, she couldn’t run any faster than a recently wounded man. Nevertheless, she’d nearly caught up with the marshal.
“Arf!”
Winky bounded right in front of the marshal, and he tumbled over the dog.
Cole sprang to his feet. “Damned dog,” he muttered. With the ache in his thigh, his spring wasn’t too spry, and Porker had made his escape.
Daisy patted at her skirts with one hand and dabbed at her bent bonnet with the other. “You let him get away!”
He cleared his throat and rested his hand on his Peacemaker. No other woman on the face of this planet was quite like her. Thank the Lord above.
Yes, he’d let the thief get away and she’d never know how much he really wanted to catch the bastard, but the Gardners sure needed to do something with that dog. He was a menace. Almost as much of a threat as the dauntless Miss Daisy. He managed to make a damned fool of himself every time she came around.
He shifted his weight off his bad leg , groaning at both the pain and his indisposition. “I’m going back to the office.” He reached for her hand to help her up. “I suggest you find Bosco and send him over. Maybe he can catch your thief without being t-boned by a dog.”
Then, remembering her reason for calling on him in the first place, he nearly told her exactly why he didn’t have the telegram. But he couldn’t. Not right now. Not with one of the miners under suspicion for theft. A theft conviction would put Porker Rankin behind bars, and that could prevent at least one season of sluicing Sinker Creek.
Daisy stuck her chin out in a huff. “I’ll get Deputy Kunkle right away. He’s at Mrs. Howard’s boarding house, tending to … ” She looked away.
“Tending to?”
“Oh, a stranger who got hurt. Sarah’s there, too.”
“If Sarah’s taking care of the man, then why is Bosco still there?”
Daisy shrugged. “Well, I gotta go get some medicine for him.” She straightened the remaining rumples in her skirts.
Lord only knew what medicine she had on her mind. Hopefully not Dr. Liebig’s Lost Manhood Restorer—that would probably kill the poor sap for sure. “I’ll be at the office if you need me.” Like anyone would need him for all the good he was.
He walked back to the marshal’s office, damning his gimpy leg every step of the way. Damning it for forcing him to pretend to be something he wasn’t, damning it for preventing him from catching the miner, and double-damning it for making him look like a milksop in Miss Daisy’s eyes.
But he refused to limp, no matter how great the pain. A man had to have his pride, and he wouldn’t have a helluva lot left once Miss Daisy found out he was just another rancher, shot during Bosco’s ill-fated bank robbery attempt. By her sister, no less. He nearly groaned, but suppressed that, too.
He
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