by Etta Foster
“This is my horse,” Xavier said after a moment of measured silence, telling himself to be polite. “If you can afford your own, then yes, you can have a horse. In times of emergency, then you may go to the stables. Abe will lend one to you.”
Nodding, McGee grinned from ear to ear. “Emergency, huh? Like another posse? Oh, that would be great. I’d like that. I rode out on the last one. Not today, but the one a few weeks ago. Remember? Now, that was a wild ride. I couldn’t believe we caught all them rustlers. Three rustlers!”
Xavier fixed the cinch on his horse’s saddle and climbed up the steps to the office where McGee was standing. He hadn’t remembered the younger man being part of the posse, but they’d sent out three groups in different directions when the tracks they were following had split. It had all been a ruse in the end, and he’d found them together with three other men shortly thereafter. “Right,” he said finally.
He stepped in through the door, followed by his deputy. He’d head back to the ranch soon but needed to make sure the other man could handle things here. After a week of training, he’d let the man handle a day in town all on his own. McGee was a tall, willowy fellow who rubbed his hands together in his excitement. The enthusiasm was worse than his inexperience. But Xavier told himself it might get better with time.
“Did you find your horse?”
He gritted his teeth. It was just another reminder that he didn’t want to be there right now. “Not yet.”
There had been the first idea of hiring a deputy not just for the help, but also for the chance to eventually turn the job over to someone else in a few years. Xavier liked being settled in New Mexico, but the more time he spent around people like Judge Thompson and Mayor Andrews, the more he wanted to do more than cleaning out cells and handling court hearings.
“Aw, well I have a surprise to cheer you up!” McGee crowed. “See them cells? I filled them up mighty fast. Thought you’d like to see to them since I haven’t sorted out the papers yet.”
Xavier paused and glanced towards the next room where they held two cells. He had made arrests? They’d been empty when he’d left McGee on the job. Sighing, he hung up his hat. “Paperwork needs to be done following each arrest,” Xavier reminded him. “Or things are forgotten. Grab the papers.”
Leading the way to the next room, he tried to ignore the way McGee dropped the papers in a shuffle twice. Xavier decided not to look. Instead, he opened the door and studied the scene. The frustration he was already dealing with from that morning did not lessen, and now he was confused.
Two jail cells. They weren’t much, just iron bars with locks, and each held a single cot. One of them used to have a window, but Xavier had learned from his mistakes. Two typical jail cells that now carried five men squished in one, and a single woman in another. All the men were sedentary, but the woman paced with her head down.
“See?” McGee peaked around his shoulder. “Got a whole house full. Well, almost. I can probably fit a few more. But I couldn’t find anyone else.”
Xavier hesitated. “And how were you planning to fit more in?”
“Oh, you know. I’ve been reading law books. There’s lots of things people can get themselves arrested for, you know. Crossing the street all wrong, too much drinking… that was those fellows, there. Those four. They were drinking out on the streets way too late. I kept track. Then that one, he’s a horse thief. Tried to walk out with one of Abe’s horses.”
Xavier held back a sigh and tried to think about how to speak diplomatically. It was something he had learned to do with his nephews, but usually with adults he could be straight. With McGee, he just didn’t know. “If we arrested every drunk, we’d need a few more buildings. We don’t arrest them unless they’re causing trouble, like throwing things, loitering around specific buildings, or hassling townsfolk.”
Taking the keys from off the wall, Xavier unlocked the crowded cell. This was the easier situation to deal with, since he’d never arrested a woman before. He recognized three of the men. Samuel Jenkins and Bartholomew Timmons, who played their part as the town drunks. Lately they’d been joined by the third, Ryan DeBray, but he didn’t recognize the fourth. He had the same chin as DeBray, though. Probably related. “Go home,” he recommended.
“Thank you, Xavier,” DeBray patted his shoulder. “You have to train the youngsters, you know?”
He nodded. “Certainly, of course. We’re just watching out for you. Go home and get some rest, yes? Eat something. I’ll see you around. And try not to drink so much. Your wives don’t like it.”
The one he didn’t recognize snorted. “It’s not like women are going to-” Xavier pushed the door, clipping the man’s shoulder as he closed it. He yelped, jerking back.
“Watch the door,” Xavier offered as he carefully noted the stranger. This one he would need to keep an eye out for; a man who readily disrespected women. Xavier locked away the man’s face and turned back to the other one still sitting in the cell. “You. Horses?”
He shrugged. McGee cleared his throat. “Two of them. It was two of them, Sheriff. He tried telling me Abe had given them to him as a gift, but I told him that was crazy. Abe doesn’t give people anything for free.”
“Did you ask if he had paid for them?”
“I… no, I guess I didn’t think of that.”
Xavier turned to the young man who hadn’t even bothered to look at him. He couldn’t be more than fifteen and hardly budged. “Did you pay for the horses?”
“Sure,” he shrugged. “Why not?”
That was answer enough. Nodding, Xavier turned to McGee. “He needs papers. Talk to Abe and we’ll deal with him later.” The man gestured with the papers and disappeared into the hall. But glancing at the woman, Xavier cleared his throat and called him back. “McGee!” The man came running. “What did you bring her in for?”
The woman was fairly tall with long blonde hair trailing down her back. With her hands clutched in front of her, she was pacing in circles quickly. “Oh, her?” McGee gave him a stern look. “She’s a regular thief. Robbed the stagecoach as it passed through, apparently. But she won’t say anything.”
It got her attention. “No, I didn’t rob it! I didn’t do that, I told you. There’s been an awful mistake. I don’t understand why you won’t listen to me. I’m not supposed to be here!”
Nodding, Xavier gave her one final look before unlocking the door. She was dressed too nice to be dangerous. The boots she wore would not help her to run and the eastern accent meant she wasn’t from the area and wouldn’t know where to go. “Then let’s talk. Please, step out. My name is Xavier Martinez, and I’m the sheriff here in San Miguel.”
Dropping her arms down stiffly, the blonde stepped out and exhaled loudly. “It’s about time. I’ve never been so insulted. Do you have any tea? Please?” she added when the two men exchanged a look with one another.
She wasn’t going to run. Xavier took a step back as he shook his head. “No. But we have a chair. Right this way,” he pointed towards the hall, directing her to his desk. It was a table covered in papers with a chair on either side. Though it wasn’t much, it met his needs. “Please, take a seat.”
“Finally,” she huffed. Down into the seat she went, fixing her large skirts. They had a particular sheen to them and were so fluffy they reminded him of little chicks.
He forced back a sigh. There was too much going on. This was not a good day for him. Rubbing his neck, he took his own seat on the other side. There were still too many piles of papers on his desk. They were organized but now blocked his view of the woman. Holding back a groan, Xavier grudgingly moved them aside. Then he focused on the woman.
Pointed nose, clear blue eyes, high cheekbones. And a familiar sense of fury written across her brow that he recognized. He’d seen it in Bianca before, when there was so much going on but there was little power to do anything. “What is your name?”
“Maythorpe,” she finally looked him in the eye. “My name is Miss Regina Maytho
rpe. My home is- it was- in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. That’s northeast of here,” she added with a stern expression. “I came on a train and then I came here by stagecoach.”
He decided to ignore the unfriendly tone. The accent made more sense now, though he wasn’t certain he’d ever met anyone from Pennsylvania. Most folks who used the stagecoaches came and went. No one ever stayed. Yet he had no reason to disbelieve her story. Perhaps it was all a misunderstanding and he could get this sorted out soon to get back to the ranch. His right leg bounced lightly, ready to be back in the saddle.
“The stagecoach. Deputy McGee said you’ve been accused of stealing from the stagecoach?” He scratched his head. There were other things that needed to be done.
McGee coughed loudly, reminding them that he was still there. “Yeah, bags are missing. Three bags from the stagecoach. And one of the horses. A horse is gone, and we don’t know where it went. A brown one, I’d say it was.”
Miss Regina Maythorpe looked miserable, like she’d rather be anywhere else. He didn’t blame her. Bianca had gone out first thing that morning to find their prize stallion gone. The doors were unlocked, and the stall door was broken. Horse was gone, a bridle was gone, and a saddle was gone. Bianca was following the trail with the small posse they’d put together, but he’d had to leave her to come back to town. Was dealing with a lost woman really worth losing that horse?
She interrupted his thoughts. “This is ridiculous. If anything,” Miss Maythorpe’s hands waved in the air, “I’m the victim here. My fiancé is missing. Missing! And no one has done anything to help me. Your so-named deputy shoved me in that cell, and I’ve had nothing to eat or drink since yesterday.”
Xavier glanced at McGee who shrugged. Maybe he needed to write the man a book so he would remember everything. But there was no time for that, so he turned back to the woman. “I see. I’ll talk to Garrett and Abe to get their account of the story. At the moment, the only way in and out of town is with the stagecoach or on a horse.” His fingers drummed on his knees as he thought. The woman looked like a fine lady. She clearly didn’t belong in a place like this. What had happened to have brought her to a town in the middle of nowhere?
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About Etta Foster
Etta Foster grew up in Maine and has studied Conservation Biology at the Boston University.
Her studies and adventurous spirit led her to meet the love of her life in Lovelock, Nevada.
She currently lives there with her rancher husband and their two teen daughters. She delights in writing about women who came also a century before her to find love in the West.
She got her first idea of a story while taking care of the horses with her loving husband. He was the one to push her not only in the actual riding, but in the exciting ride of writing as well.
Except writing, she enjoys making wooden handicraft artifacts with the help of her two daughters who, by the way, exceed her.
Right now her daughters are teaching her how to connect with her readers!
A Thank You to My Reader & Starfall Publications
Dear Reader,
First of all, I would like to Thank You for taking some of your precious time to read my book.
It is such an honor to be able to share my stories with you.
Continuing, I would like to thank Starfall Publications for taking the risk and giving me the chance of working with them.
As quality is their primary goal, it gives me a great feeling of security and pleasure to know that my books are in the right hands.
With their help, I will be able to provide Better Books for you, my dear reader.
So Thank You My Reader & Thank You Starfall Publications for making this possible for me!
With Gratitude,
Etta.
Also by Etta Foster
Book 1: A Tormented Bride for the Courageous Cowboy
Book 2: The Stubborn Sheriff and his Feisty Bride
Book 3: A Mail Order Bride to Heal his Heart
Book 4: A Sheriff to Harness Her Heart
Book 5: A Mail Order Bride he would Never Forget
Book 6: Finding Love under the Western Sun
Book 7: Love and Retribution in the West
Book 8: A Western Love for an Unexpected Bride
Book 9: A Mail Order Bride for his Montana Heart
Book 10: A Christmas Miracle for the Hopeless Rancher
Book 11: A Love to Redeem his Haunted Heart
Box Set 1: Tales of Enduring Love in the West
Book 12: A Love to Mend Her Broken Heart
Book 13: A Love Beyond Vengeance
Box Set 2: Rising Loves and Setting Suns
