Much Ado About Marshals (Hearts of Owyhee) (2011)

BOOK: Much Ado About Marshals (Hearts of Owyhee) (2011)
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MUCH
ADO
ABOUT MARSHALS

By Jacquie Rogers

Copyright 2011 Jacquie Rogers

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Mélange Publishing

 

Praise for Jacquie Rogers

Much
Ado
About Marshals

 

“Unforgettable! I cannot recommend this title highly enough.”

~Detra Fitch, Huntress Reviews

 

“Full of belly laughs, sexy scenes, and rollicking adventures, this book is a lively romp through the Old West. You’re in for a treat. Hold on to your hat!”

~Ann Charles, national award-winning author of the Deadwood Mystery Series.

 

“Western romance has never been funnier. Get your copy now!”

~ Meg Mims, award-winning author,

DOUBLE CROSSING, Astraea Press, August 2011

 

“A spunky would-be lady detective and an accidental bank robber keep the mayhem and the laughter coming in this sparkling Western romance.”

~ Judith Laik, author of THE LADY IS MINE, a
Traditional Regency

 

“Laugh out loud funny plus plotting so clever and seamless makes
Much Ado About Marshals
my favorite new recommended read.”

~
Amber Scott
, author of FIERCE DAWN

 

“Award-winning novelist Jacquie Rogers brings her unique humor to create comedic relief in
Much
Ado
About Marshals
…”

~
Norman
W. Wilson, PhD
,
author of THE SHAMAN’S QUEST.

 

“Turn off the iphone, kick off yer boots (or Jimmy Choos) and let Jacquie Rogers provide that mini-vacation you KNOW you need!”

~
Laron Glover
, owner of Ninth Moon

http://www.ninthmoon.com

 

“Nancy Drew meets William Shakespeare –
A comedic romp through 1885
Western Idaho
.”

~Taylor Lee, author of The Grandmasters Legacy series

 


Ms. Rogers is a gifted author. Her subplots are superb, and her cast of characters are spot on character studies. In fact, she creates characters so fully formed you believe they are real people

do yourself a favor and read this book!

~
Caroline Clemmons

author of THE MOST UNSUITABLE HUSBAND

 


Like romance? Love stories about the old west? Want a dreamy cowboy to cuddle up and read about? Then this is the book for you.

~My Eclectic Bookshelf

http://myeclecticbookshelf.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

Much
Ado
About Marshals

 

By Jacquie Rogers

 

To
Idaho
Readers

You’d better read the Author’s Note in the back of the book before you read the story. I did move a few towns
and creeks
around. It’s the spirit that counts.

Chapter 1

1885, Southwest Idaho desert
,
Owyhee
County

 

“Sorry you got shot, Cole. Damn, this is gonna mess up all our plans.”

Cole Richards grasped for consciousness as he pressed the dirty handkerchief to his inner thigh in a vain attempt to stem the bleeding. Bosco’s jabbering irritated the hell out of him, but at least it stirred his awareness enough to keep his seat on his horse.

“How in the ever-lovin’ hell was I supposed to know that a sweet looking banker like her could shoot the inside eyelash off a grasshopper?” Bosco protested. “Whoo-wee! She batted them baby blues at me and I was a goner.”

Bosco was sincere,
but
not the brightest lantern in the saloon. Cole figured his wound could very well be The Last Roundup, and he didn’t want to go to his Maker bearing hard feelings toward anyone.

“Are you listening to me, Cole?” Bosco asked. “Hey, did you hear me? I’m sorry you got shot—really I am. But I just thought if I took the money, the bank couldn’t give any to the miners, and then they wouldn’t dig up Sinker Creek.”

Cole blew out a deep breath. “That’s just it. You didn’t think.” And now they were wanted by the law. Rightfully so. Bosco had tried to rob the bank, and Cole had stumbled in. He’d put a halt to Bosco’s nonsense, but the lady banker was quick on the trigger. Now Cole had a hole in his thigh.

He hooked his attention to his partner’s incessant chattering to keep from blacking out, but Bosco sounded like he was talking from the next valley. Cole could do without the repetitive apologies, too. The throbbing pain in his leg kept pace with every word out of Bosco’s mouth.

“I think we’d better stop.” Bosco’s voice echoed faintly.

Cole worked his jaw to answer. Instead, the reins slid out of his grip, the bright sun turned gray, and he slipped from the saddle.

 

Oreana
,
Idaho
Territory

 

“Yes, he’s definitely the one.” Her sweet tone belied her accusation. Most robbery victims wouldn’t be so cheerful. Was he in jail? The aroma of sagebrush and alkali had been replaced by tincture of iodine, so he could be in the doctor’s office.

“Fits the description exactly.”

Cole’s hopes sank at the lady’s certainty. While he’d never had a doubt he and Bosco would be caught, he’d hoped to make it back to the ranch to set things right. And the lady didn’t have to sound so damned happy about it.

“You’re sure about that?” a man’s voice asked.

“Well, Doc, he’s tall, so he matches the six-foot-two height, he has dark brown hair, brown eyes, and he’s wounded on the right leg just like the wire said.”

Cole hoped that at least Bosco had made it to the ranch. He was goodhearted, a loyal friend, but not all that quick on the draw.

“Yes,” the lady continued.

Our
new marshal
’s finally here
, all right.”

New marshal? Hell, he was wanted for bank robbery! This didn’t seem exactly the right time to mention it, though.

“Good,” the man named Doc responded, “then I’ll bill the city for his care. The wife will be happy to hear I finally have a cash customer.”

“You don’t have a wife.”

The doctor chuckled. “No, Miss Daisy, but I’d sure like you to change that.”

“Not a chance,” she teased.

They both laughed, but Cole knew how the doctor really felt. Some men were born to be alone.

A cool cloth smelling of borax mopped his forehead. He forced his eyes to open. He blinked a couple of times and focused on a beautiful woman, her brow wrinkled with concern.

“Come here, Doc,” she said with quiet enthusiasm. “He’s awake.”

Cole heard water pouring as he stared at the lady who belonged to the sunny voice. Her green-eyed gaze bathed him with compassion and reminded him of sunset on Sinker Creek, where the rays glanced off the rapids, and the rippling of the water made a man’s heart feel pure.

He wondered what she’d look like if he loosened her auburn hair that was pulled tightly into a bun. She was a beauty, all right.

A slight man dressed appropriately for a doctor, or an undertaker, rubbed his brown handlebar mustache while he mulled over Cole’s condition. “His color’s much better, Daisy, don’t you think?”

“I’ll go tell Dad that he won’t have to rush over here for the marshal’s last prayers.” She pulled on her gloves and tossed a cloak over her shoulders.

Damn, a preacher’s daughter. What a waste of womanly flesh.

“Look for him at your Aunt Grace’s house,” the doctor advised. “When I picked up the wire telling us the new marshal was riding in, Rayburn told me that your sister had just come home. Seems like some yahoos tried to hold up her bank—put quite a scare into her, too.”

Daisy clapped her gloved hands to her cheeks. “Oh, no! Is Iris all right?”

“She’s fine,” replied the doctor, “but I hear one of the would-be robbers is somewhat worse for the wear. She claims she shot one.”

“Oh, my!” Daisy picked up her parasol and reticule. “I’ll get over there right away. She may need me!”

Cole’s throat tightened as Daisy hurried to the door. She’d put two and two together as soon as she talked to her sister.

“God works in wonderful ways,” she exclaimed triumphantly as she unlatched the door. “It’s a miracle that our new marshal showed up when he did.” She swept out of the room like a queen.

Stay calm and think
. So Daisy’s sister was the woman who’d shot him. What lousy luck. He had to get the hell out of here.

Especially since Miss Daisy thought he was the town’s new marshal.

He didn’t even know
what
town.

* * * * *

“Oh, Iris, are you all right?” Daisy slid to a stop on the polished wood floor of her Aunt Grace’s living room. From the clatter of pans and the enticing aroma of roast beef, she knew she was too late to help and that meant her mother would not be in a good mood.

On cue, her mother peeked out from the kitchen and cast a reproving frown. “Will you at least pretend you’re civilized?” She ducked back into the kitchen. “I don’t know if that girl will ever settle down.”

Her aunt’s boisterous laughter at her mother’s frustration echoed off the kitchen walls—Aunt Grace had never been known for her subtlety.

Iris hopped off the couch and grabbed Daisy in a hug as they danced in a little circle.

“This is so exciting! Oh, Iris! Tell me
everything
.”

Iris giggled. “I guess those robbers will think twice before messing with Herman and Company Banking again.” Iris took a coin from her pocket. “Look, I brought you a souvenir. The robber dropped this silver dollar when he escaped.”

“Thanks!” She took the coin by the edges and studied at it. “
Um,
I wonder if I can get fingerprints from this

Honey Beaulieu would use it for something clever.”

“Oh, you and your dime novel heroines.”

Daisy ignored her sister’s jibe. “I bet you were scared out of your mind!” She smirked, irritated that exciting things like foiling robberies never happened to her. “What kind of guns did they have?”

“Guns?”

Daisy rolled her eyes. “Yes. Gun. The thing you point that goes ‘bang’ and a bullet comes out the end?”

Her sister raised an eyebrow, then studied the ceiling like she always did when she concentrated. She lowered her voice. “I, uh, can’t remember a gun


BOOK: Much Ado About Marshals (Hearts of Owyhee) (2011)
8.55Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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