by Karen Kirst
Except he hadn’t anticipated a child. The stark pain in Heather’s eyes ripped away the last remnants of his convictions. Dillon had wronged her, but Sterling had wronged them both.
Mrs. Dawson straightened her spine and touched her gloved fingertips to her chest. “I cannot believe you’d betray your own brother this way.”
Sterling’s stomach clenched and he absorbed the full brunt of the accusing stares. In his shock, he’d forgotten his name was on the certificate, not Dillon’s.
“The two of them must have been carrying on right under Dillon’s nose,” someone said behind him.
“Wait just a minute,” he ordered, unsure how to defend himself without dragging Dillon and Heather down along with him.
Otto blocked his view. “Don’t say anything, son. Not until we’ve got this sorted out. You’ll only make matters worse for the both of you.”
Tears pooled in Heather’s eyes, and Sterling instantly longed to reach out and comfort her. For reasons he couldn’t explain, he’d always been drawn to Heather. Her looks were more exotic than traditionally pretty. During his travels he’d often found himself comparing other women he met to her. Her fiery red hair drew attention, and her button nose was adorable. Soft freckles dusted her face from forehead to chin, and her pale blue eyes were surrounded by nearly transparent eyelashes. No one would ever call her beautiful, but she was definitely eye catching.
It was because he admired her that he’d kept his distance. His feelings for her had no bearing on why he’d convinced Dillon to join the cavalry, but she’d never understand. Neither of them would. He sensed if he let down his guard, she’d see past his bravado and discover the truth of his betrayal.
Mrs. Dawson slapped down the postmaster’s waving arm. “It’s forty degrees. Stop fanning me, you dolt.” Sensing she was losing the crowd’s attention, Mrs. Dawson’s voice grew shrill. “We deserve an explanation for this—this travesty.”
Heather started forward. “Let me see that paper. How do I know you’re not lying?”
Otto held her back. “She’s not lying. I saw myself.”
Sterling’s thoughts ricocheted around his head. Dillon had never given him any indication they’d been intimate, yet everything fell into place. After Dillon left, Heather had gone to stay with a friend in Butte. The timing worked, yet questions burned in his brain. Why list him? Had she discovered his part in their breakup? Was this a chance for revenge?
“Miss O’Connor wants a piece of that ranch,” the postmaster mused loudly. “When she couldn’t snag the older brother, she set her sights on the younger one.”
Sterling grabbed the man by the scruff of his shirt and nearly lifted him from his feet. “Say that again.”
Otto wrestled the postmaster free. “Not here, Sterling.”
Heather pressed both hands against her mouth and shook her head. “This isn’t right. None of this is right.”
Fury pulsed through him. Sterling felt as though he was separating from his body. He’d trusted his brother. There were no secrets between the two of them.
The child reached out a pudgy hand and tugged on Heather’s lapel. Her chubby pink cheeks plumped into a grin, revealing her two lower teeth.
“Ma!” the child declared. “Ma!”
The breath whooshed from Sterling’s lungs. It appeared there was at least one secret between them.
Copyright © 2017 by Sherri Shackelford
ISBN-13: 9781488017919
A Lawman for Christmas
Copyright © 2017 by Karen Vyskocil
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