“About choking her? I do.”
“Then your brother might be here to see you?”
“Probably.”
Jane gave Sophie a little kick and urged her forward when Morgan and his gelding began to move across the ridge. “Where are we going?”
He pointed to the next ridge where a stand of pines offered shelter under their broad, white canopy. “We can stretch our legs over there, walk around a bit where the snow’s not so deep. I brought some extra shells. I thought you might like to have a chance to shoot.”
“Are you certain you want to give me a weapon, Morgan? I might well turn it on you.”
Morgan said nothing.
Jane pulled Sophie up.
Morgan looked over his shoulder and cocked an eyebrow at her. “Aren’t you coming?”
“When you tell me why you think it might have been one of your brothers I met in town. There is something missing because it makes no sense. If it is a brother, why wouldn’t he make himself known to you?”
“Either one of them would have their reasons.”
“Suppose you tell me one.”
“The best I can figure is that he doesn’t want witnesses.”
“Witnesses to what? Greeting you?”
“Killing me.”
Jane stared at him, mouth parted.
“You’re gaping,” said Morgan.
Nodding, Jane brought Sophie abreast of him. “I am not certain what I want to say to you, Morgan Longstreet, so I am going to sort it out before I say things I shouldn’t.” She took a deep, calming breath. “Right now, for all kinds of reasons, I am in favor of that shooting lesson.”
CHAPTER 13
Morgan opened the door for Jane and followed her into Cobb Bridger’s office. They both stamped snow off their feet at the entrance, although Jane was more delicate about it.
From behind his desk, Cobb dropped his chair onto all four of its legs and stood. He lifted his hat to greet Jane. “An unexpected pleasure, Mrs. Longstreet.” His smile faded as he looked at Morgan. “Let’s just say it’s unexpected.”
“I was thinking the same,” said Morgan.
Jane looked from one to the other and shook her head. “Now that you two have observed the niceties of social convention…”
Chuckling, Cobb came around his desk and showed Jane to a chair in front of it. “Would you like to take off your coat?”
Morgan said, “We’re not going to be here that long.”
Jane said, “Thank you, Marshal. Yes, I’d like that. After the ride into town, it feels rather cozy in here.” She unbuttoned her coat, but when Cobb stepped forward to help her out of it, Morgan warned him off with a glare and did it himself. Jane pretended she didn’t know what had happened. Instead of taking the chair Cobb had offered, she walked over to where the notices of wanted men, and one wanted woman, were tacked on the wall.
“Morgan told me about this,” she said. “I cannot decide if it is impressive or merely sad.” She looked back at Cobb. “But I don’t suppose you regard it in either light.”
“No, ma’am. It’s my job.”
Morgan said, “She wanted to see it. Make sure I wasn’t up there.”
“That’s a lie,” said Jane. “I wanted to see it. Period.”
