“I said, it’s an emergency. I have to get to Juniper Junction. It’s in Wyoming Territory because I have to warn someone.”
“Why don’t you just tell the police?” That must have been the voice of the ticket agent. He sounded exasperated.
“Well,” he heard the girl say, “if she has to come back here and marry that despicable man, that’ll be on your conscience, not mine.”
It was too much for him. The dramatics alone deserved to be observed. Not to mention the fact she planned to go to the same town where he was headed. But, before he lowered the paper and glanced at the girl, he put his skills of observation to the test. Based on what he’d heard, he conjured a vision of what he expected to see. A young girl, no doubt, probably dressed in tattered clothes and with a sob story to match. Obviously this was some sort of con game being played out and the jewelry she touted was made of paste.
Was this part of a bigger crime ring that might be headed to Juniper Junction? What a coup it would be for him to break up the gang before he’d even arrived in town to claim the job.
Feeling proud of himself, he folded the paper and glanced in the direction of the ticket booth.
Damn. He was usually pretty good at this little game he played, but not today. The speaker was no girl, but an attractive, if petite, young lady. The gold of the bracelet she held glinted in the afternoon sunlight. When the young lady turned in his direction, her large brown eyes met his.
Damn it to hell. Not big brown eyes. No. He was a sucker for big brown eyes and hers were like dinner plates.
Standing, he strolled over to the ticket window where a line was forming behind the brown-eyed girl. The folks in line shifted on their feet and he could feel impatience building all around the platform.
He tipped his hat to the young lady and then held out his hand. “May I see that bracelet?”
She eyed him up and down and then placed it in his waiting palm. “It’s real gold. And those are real sapphires too. It belonged to Miss Elizabeth and she gave it to me. Now I have got to get to Juniper Junction right away. Would you please tell this man,” she waved her hand in the direction of the ticket agent, “that he ought to give me a ticket and some change too since that bracelet is worth a lot of money.”
He thought for a moment. He’d stopped by the police precinct that morning to say his good-byes to a couple of the fellows there and had overheard something about a missing woman and her jewelry. The name Elizabeth seemed familiar, though it was a common enough name.
“What is this Miss Elizabeth’s last name and how do you know her?” he queried.
“Her name is Elizabeth Corwin Pendleton and this bracelet belonged to her mother and she inherited it when her mother died and before she left town, Miss Elizabeth gave it to me because I was her maid and we were friends.”
His eyebrows rose. “You were her maid and she gave you this item of jewelry?”
She snatched it back out of his palm and placed her hands on her hips. “Yes. I was. And she did. Now you can either help or get out of the way because I’ve got to get to Wyoming Territory.”
Walk away. Turn and walk away. This will only lead to trouble.
“I’ll tell you what miss—”
“Minnie. You can just call me Minnie like everyone else does.”
“Fine. Miss Minnie, against my better judgment, I would like to help you. I will make a deal with you. I am also going to Juniper Junction.”
“You are? Do you know Matt Foreman? Because he’s the man Miss Elizabeth is supposed to marry. He works at Windy River Ranch and his boss is a man named...oh drat, I can’t remember, but his boss sounds like a nice man. Maybe you can get a job at the ranch and maybe Matt could help you.”
She could certainly talk. He waited to see if she was finished and then continued. “I will pay for your ticket and I will take possession of this bracelet until we get to Juniper Junction. Once we get everything sorted out, you can repay me for the ticket. Does that seem fair?”
She thought for a moment, looked him up and down. “How do I know you won’t take off with my bracelet yourself?”
Impudent little— He sighed.
“For one thing, you were willing to part with it to the ticket agent in exchange for a ticket, so if I am willing to buy you a ticket and also give you the chance to repay me instead of losing this bracelet, doesn’t that seem more than fair to you?”
She paused. “Oh,” she said, smiling up at him. “I suppose you’re right about that. Fine, you’ve got a deal.” She stuck her hand out and pumped his up and down several times.
“Could we please get on with things.” The ticket agent stuck his head out of the booth.
“Hold your horses. We’ve got it all figured out. This fella is going to pay for my ticket. What’s your name by the way? Oh never mind, we’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other on the ride to Wyoming. I hear it takes three days.”
Oh what have I done?
Chapter 9
I’ve cracked the code.
Lizzie gazed at the pot of venison stew with pride and a bit of wonder. For someone who’d barely even stepped foot in the kitchen of the home she’s lived in for eighteen years, she’d learned fast.
What choice did she have?
She’d asked Posey for some tips on cooking. Posey’d given her an odd look. “I thought you were a maid.”
Fortunately, that was easily and truthfully explained away.
