The Engagement Bargain by Sherri Shackelford

Author:Sherri Shackelford
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-08-18T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Anna stifled a groan. The marshal wasn’t going to appreciate this turn of affairs one bit. Once again the coincidences were piling up. The little girl had been at the rally the day of the shooting. Mother and daughter had been staying at the same hotel. Now a body had rolled out of their trunk.

Clearly agitated, the mother stepped forward, clenching her daughter’s hand, her chin set at a defiant angle. “I am Mrs. Phillips.”

The woman was young, not much older than Anna. Her dress was expensively made, though a season or two out of fashion judging by the size of her bustle, a distinction Anna doubted anyone else noticed. She’d always had an eye for fashion, a useless trait in the Bishop household.

The woman was pretty, though clearly exhausted. Dark circles surrounded her hazel eyes, and the corners of her lips tugged down as though in perpetual frown. Tendrils of chestnut hair had escaped the tight bun at the nape of her neck. Neither mother nor daughter wore a coat against the late fall chill.

The marshal nudged the trunk with one booted foot. “That’s the trunk you stowed in Kansas City.”

“That is my trunk.” The woman’s frown deepened. “But I can assure you that is not what I packed.”

Someone in the growing crowd tittered.

The marshal held up a hand. “This is a man’s life. Show a little respect.”

Several people ducked their heads. No one left the platform. They were all transfixed by the show playing out before them. No one wanted to hear about this event secondhand.

The marshal waved Mrs. Phillips over. “Why don’t we let your daughter have a seat for a moment, ma’am, while we sort this out?”

The woman offered a reluctant nod. She caught sight of Anna, but no recognition flared in her gaze. Expelling a breath, Anna caught the little girl’s eye. She patted the seat beside her, and the child skipped over. The mother hadn’t known her identity, which was something. Her secret was much safer with the little girl.

“My name is Anna. I remember you from the rally. Would you like to sit next to me?”

“My name is Jane. You’re the prettiest lady I’ve ever seen. That man—” she pointed at Caleb “—he said you were the prettiest lady he’d ever seen, as well.”

Anna’s eyes widened. “Oh, my. That was a nice thing for him to say.”

“When you were giving your speech and everyone started running and pushing, he protected me.”

Why was Anna not surprised? Of course Caleb had come to the rescue. “That was very kind of him.”

“He stayed behind to help someone who was hurt.”

The marshal and Caleb flanked the girl’s mother, parting the crowd as they approached the draped body.

Caleb knelt and pulled back the cover, revealing the man’s face.

The woman’s hand flew to her throat.

“Do you know this man?” the marshal asked.

“Yes and no. I saw him before. In Kansas City. At the Savoy Hotel. He was always lurking around.”

“Name?”

“I don’t know. I never actually met him.

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