The Outlaw's Daughter by Margaret Brownley

The Outlaw's Daughter by Margaret Brownley

Author:Margaret Brownley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2020-03-05T00:00:00+00:00


19

Matt and Jesse caught a late midday meal at the Feedbag Café following the school dedication. Jesse was wound up tighter than a toy soldier, and his constant babble drew disapproving looks from the other diners.

Eyes shining, he made a fist and punched the air with a triumphant look. “Pow!”

Watching him, Matt tapped the table with his fingers. He’d hoped to impress Jesse with his investigative skills, not his fists, but he could hardly blame the boy for seeing no merit in such a dull and unproductive pursuit. Nothing worse than following a cold trail.

Neal Blackwell had taken his secrets to the grave, and apparently that was where they would stay, for Roberts sure in blazes wasn’t talking.

But it wasn’t Neal or Roberts on Matt’s mind, or even the fella who had ruined the school dedication. It was Ellie-May Blackwell. He felt bad for her. Bad for her children. Today should have been a special day for them. Instead, Ellie-May had been forced to leave under unpleasant circumstances and had missed the dedication altogether.

He only wished he’d been able to catch up to her before she’d left. Maybe he could have persuaded her to stay. But he’d lost her in the crowd, and by the time he realized she had left the premises, the dedication ceremony was over.

Drawing a napkin to his mouth, Matt tossed a nod at Jesse’s plate. The boy was so busy fighting off an imaginary foe that he’d hardly touched his food.

“Eat up. Your food is getting cold.” Where Jesse was concerned, those were words Matt had never expected to say.

Jesse reached for his fork and stabbed at a piece of meat. “Would you teach me how to fight like that? I want to be a good Ranger, just like you.”

“You don’t have to be a Ranger to do what’s right.” Matt toyed with the food on his own plate. For some reason, he didn’t feel like eating. “That man was about to hurt Mrs. Blackwell. I’d have gone after him even if I wasn’t a Ranger.”

Jesse gave him a knowing smile. “Is that cuz you like her?”

“I don’t like…” Matt cleared his throat. “Not the way you mean.”

Not only would involvement with a suspect’s widow be unprofessional, he had no desire to settle down. Least not until he’d settled his business with his brother and found justice for his father’s death.

Ellie-May had once asked him how many outlaws he would have to capture before he considered the score settled. He didn’t know. What he did know was that he couldn’t stop. Not yet. Maybe never.

Still, he couldn’t shake the vision of clear blue eyes and a wide, dazzling smile that had once again sprung to mind unbidden. The same vision came to mind a dozen times a day at the least expected times. It had even followed him in his sleep.

Aware, suddenly, that Jesse was watching him with a funny look on his face, Matt shook his thoughts away.

“Doesn’t matter who you are—Ranger or not,” he said.



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