Wrangled by Delores Fossen

Author:Delores Fossen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mystery, texas, comedy, western, cowboy, sheriff, romp
Publisher: Delores Fossen

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Isn’t there something you’d like to tell me?” Hayes asked after Maggie just stood there and stared at him.

Squeezing her hands into tight fists, she put them behind her back and shook her head. “No.”

All right. He expected that. “Let me reword my question. What do you plan to tell me about whatever you’re hiding in your hands?”

“What do you mean?”

Well, that significantly increased his frustration. Hayes pushed himself away from the jamb, tucked the envelope under his arm and walked toward her. “In your hands, Maggie, you’re holding something, and I’d like to see what it is.”

She frantically shook her head and back away from him. “It’s nothing that concerns you.”

Hayes seriously doubted that.

She stopped backing up only when the window got into her way. Her eyes were wide. He could hear her breath cut through the room. “How did you visit with Sheriff Peterson go?” she asked.

“Fine.” And it wasn’t at all something he wanted to talk about right now.

Hayes stopped a few inches from her. He didn’t figure it was a good idea to grab her hands, since he wasn’t sure what she was hiding. If it was a coin or two, then she might even try to swallow the evidence. He probably needed to take a slow, easy approach with this.

It took her several moments to come up with another question, and like the other it was no doubt a ploy to distract him. “The sheriff didn’t try to arrest you for breaking into Brantley’s shop?”

“Nope. I told him I was a deputy, and that I searched the place for the stolen money. I didn’t mention that you were with me.”

Surprise rifled through her eyes. “Thank you.”

He shrugged. “I figured you had enough problems without me adding anything else to it.”

She made a sound of agreement and flattened her back against the window panes. Fortunately, the moonlight made it easier for him to see every detail of her troubled expression. It wasn’t really an expression that evoked a lot of confidence in the fish story she was likely about to tell him.

He took the envelope from under his arm and held it out for her. “You might want to take a look at this.”

“What is it?”

“They’re from Brantley.”

“My pictures.” She studied the envelope and then him. “Have you, uh, looked at them?”

He nodded and watched her eyes narrow. What she didn’t do was take the envelope, and that was something Hayes had counted on her doing. That way, he’d have a better chance to get a look at what she had in her hands. But he wasn’t necessarily in a hurry. He could wait her out.

“Would you, um, please open the envelope for me?” she asked.

Not in this lifetime. Hayes smiled to let her know that.

Maggie huffed. “Just put it on the table and leave.”

He shook his head. “Sorry, I can’t do that. I’d rather you take the envelope yourself.”

Hayes thought it might be pretty hard for her to see straight with her eyes in little slits like that.

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