A Western Christmas Homecoming. Lynna Banning

“Wants you to come over to his office right away. Said it was real important.”

      What on earth could be so important that Sheriff Rivera would send his deputy to summon her in the middle of her peaceful October afternoon at the Smoke River library?

      “Sandy, did he say why he wants to see me?”

      “No, ma’am. Just said for me to get the lead—uh...to hurry and not take no for an answer.”

      Alice retrieved her wide-brimmed sun hat and her beaded reticule, locked the library door and followed the deputy down Main Street to Sheriff Rivera’s office. When she entered, the lawman shifted his feet off the desk and jackknifed to attention.

      “Miss Alice, good morning.” He wasn’t smiling, and that made her uneasy. Hawk Rivera smiled at all the girls. Or, to be more accurate, all the girls smiled at him.

      “What have I done, Sheriff?”

      “Alice, I want to introduce you to US Marshal Randell Logan. He’s brought some news you need to hear. It’s about your sister, Dorothy.”

      For the first time she noticed the tall, lean man standing in one corner of the small sheriff’s office next to a bulletin board plastered with yellowing Wanted posters. He gave her a brief nod. “Miss Montgomery. I’m afraid it’s bad news.”

      He was very tan, she thought irrationally. With dark hair and a mustache over his unsmiling mouth. He took a step toward her. “Maybe you’d better sit down, Miss.”

      Oh, God. She sank onto the hard-backed chair across from the sheriff and clasped her hands in her lap. “Tell me,” she whispered.

      The marshal cleared his throat. “It concerns your sister, Dorothy Coleman. As you know she’s been living in a mining camp in Idaho.”

      “Yes, I know that. Silver City. Dottie owns an assay company she inherited from her husband when he died. Does your news concern the business?”

      She watched his gaze flick to Sheriff Rivera and then return to her face. His eyes were an unusual color. As she studied him, those eyes went from hard jade to mossy green.

      “I’m sorry to tell you this has nothing to do with the assay business, Miss Montgomery. It’s about your sister herself.”

      Alice clenched her hands into fists. “I haven’t heard from Dottie in some weeks. What about her?”

      To her surprise the marshal knelt in front of her. “I’m afraid your sister is dead, Miss.”

      Alice cried out. “But she can’t be! Dottie’s only twenty. She’s younger than I am, my little sister. She can’t be dead.”

      Marshal Logan waited without speaking.

      “H-how did she die? Typhoid? Cholera?”

      He let out a long breath. “She was killed, Miss.”

      “An accident? A mining accident? But she never went into the mines. She hated dark places and—” She broke off, wondering why Sheriff Rivera was pouring whiskey into a shot glass on his desk.

      The marshal hesitated. “Your sister Dorothy was murdered.”

      Unable to utter a sound, Alice sat without moving. The marshal reached for the whiskey and held the glass out to her.

      “It’s not true,” she said. “I don’t believe you. Everyone loves Dottie! No one would want to hurt her.”

      “Alice.” Sheriff Rivera’s voice. “It’s hard to accept something like this, so just take your time.”

      She drew in a shaky breath and pushed aside the whiskey the marshal held out. “I d-don’t drink spirits,” she said in a ragged voice.

      “Maybe not,” he said. “Might make an exception today, Miss.” He folded her fingers around the glass.

      She took a tentative sip. It burned all the way down her throat and brought tears stinging into her eyes. She coughed, then took another, bigger swallow.

      The marshal was still kneeling in front of her. “What did you say your name was?” she said, her voice hoarse.

      “Logan, Miss. Randell Logan.”

      “How do you know about my—my sister? Were you there?”

      “No, ma’am, I wasn’t. I’m a US Marshal out of Colorado Territory. I was called in by the Owyhee County sheriff to investigate your sister’s death. Actually, I’m working for Pinkerton on this case.”

      Alice began to feel disconnected from what was going on around her. “Pinkerton? How was Dottie killed? I mean, was she stabbed or...?”

      “She was shot,” the marshal said quietly. “If it’s any comfort to you, the sheriff in Silver City said she died instantly.”

      “Oh. Oh, my God. Murdered... Oh, my God.” She gripped the whiskey glass and began to rock back and forth. Everything felt unreal, as if she were dreaming. Some of the whiskey splashed down the front of her shirtwaist, and she felt the marshal’s hand on her shoulder.

      “You gonna faint?”

      “No. I n-never faint. I just feel...numb.”

      Then Sheriff Rivera was standing beside her, lifting the whiskey out of her hand. “Alice, do you think you can walk? I want you to go back to your boardinghouse and lie down.”

      She nodded but kept on rocking.

      Rand saw that her eyes were shut. Something about the small hand clenched in her lap made his belly tighten.

      Sheriff Rivera tipped his head toward her. “Rand, could you...?”

      “Sure.” He rose and reached under her armpits to help her stand. “Come on, Miss Montgomery. I’m gonna walk you home.”

      “She lives at Rose Cottage,” the sheriff said. “Over on Maple Street. Take a right off Main about two blocks down.” He tossed back the rest of the whiskey, then sent Rand an inquiring look. “Want a shot?”

      He did, but not until he got Miss Alice over to her boardinghouse. “Later, Hawk.”

      “I’ll be at the Golden Pheasant in an hour.”

      “Yeah.”

      Miss Montgomery moved unsteadily toward the door. Rand kept his arm around her shoulders and guided her out onto the street. She walked slowly past the mercantile and the hotel, but when she got to the saloon, she bobbled a step. He slipped his arm around her waist to steady her and she grabbed on to his forearm.

      A fresh-faced kid shot around the corner. “Hiya, Miss Montgomery.”

      She raised a listless hand as he skipped by.

      “You a schoolteacher?” Rand asked.

      She shook her head. “I am the librarian.” Late-afternoon sunlight fell across her face, but she didn’t seem to notice. Her straw sun hat was still clutched in her hand.

      At the front gate of Rose Cottage she paused to pick a yellow rose from the tumble of blooms along the fence. “Dottie loved roses,” she murmured. “Especially yellow ones.”

      As he moved her up the walk, a grizzled older man rose from the porch swing. “Alice?” Frowning, he clumped down the front steps. “Alice, are you all right?”

      “Yes, Rooney,” she murmured. “Just...tired.”

      The man took a closer look at her face, tramped back up onto the porch and banged through the screen door. “Sarah! Got trouble!”

      Rand sat Alice down in the swing just as a handsome older woman bustled out the door. “Alice! Child, whatever is the matter?”

      He took the woman and her husband aside, identified himself and explained the situation. “Oh, no,” Sarah moaned. “Oh, Alice, honey, I’m