A Match Made in Texas by Margaret Brownley

Author:Margaret Brownley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2017-03-30T04:00:00+00:00

Twenty-three

The sound of her footsteps fading away nearly tore Rick apart. He wanted her to come back in the worst possible way. The memory of hearing her cry awakened a part of him he’d long thought dead—the part that felt for another.

Still, he was surprised he’d told her about his mother. It wasn’t like him to talk about his past. He couldn’t remember when he last spoke of his mother’s desertion. He thought he was over it, but the reopening of old wounds made a lie out of that.

Why would he reveal something so gut-wrenchingly personal to someone he knew only under the most trying of circumstances? He’d known Christy a year before the subject of his mother came up. Yes, he’d wanted to win the sheriff’s trust and help, but not like that. Never like that.

He sucked in his breath. The damage was done. Nothing to do about it now except to wait till the open wounds healed, allowing him to rebury the past.

As for the lady sheriff…

She sure hadn’t struck him as one of those independent suffering women tonight, and that surprised him. Usually, she had the single-minded purpose of a thrown dagger.

Odd as it seemed, he wanted to take care of her and tell her detractors where to go. The thought made him grimace. As if he could take care of anyone. Hadn’t even been able to take care of his wife.

Fortunately, Hobson arrived with the latest roundup of suspects, saving him from his thoughts. This group of six men were almost exact copies of the others the deputy had hauled in front of Rick’s cell.

Some were indignant at being brought in for questioning for some imagined offense. Others were too drunk to care.

Hobson issued orders like a general. “All right, men, stand straight and face the cells.”

This command brought more grumbling, but Hobson did some fancy maneuverings with his gun that convinced the suspects he meant business. Feet shuffled as the men turned toward Rick’s cell.

Rick’s gaze lit upon each one in turn, mentally comparing him with the man seen leaving Cooper’s room. How was it possible that so many in town fit the description of the suspected killer? It seemed like half the population stood five foot eight or there about. And who would have ever thought there were so many men with light-colored hair?

Rick signaled to Hobson to make the suspects walk back and forth in front of his cell. Some shuffled their feet, and others couldn’t walk a straight line, but none appeared to have an unequal-sized leg.

He’d only got a quick glance at the man leaving Cooper’s room, but it was enough to know that they’d hit another dead end.

Frustration rose inside like steam from a kettle. This was taking too long. There had to be another way.

He caught Hobson’s eye and shook his head.

Hobson took the night’s disappointment in his usual stride. “All right,” he said. “You’re free to go.”

The men filed out of the cell room, muttering among themselves.

“I’ll check out the Golden Spur,” Hobson said.

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