A Family for the Holidays Read Free Page B

cheeks. “Not that I minded or anything. She’s actually really nice and she let me buy a penny candy at all the train stops.” He snapped his fingers. “I think trains and stagecoaches make her sick. She holds her stomach and turns green. But when we’re not moving, she’s fine. This morning she gave most of her breakfast to Sam and she only ate the toast. But that might have been because Sam is always hungry.”
    Sam chucked his brother on the shoulder. “She told me I could have it.”
    The telling sacrifice brought back memories of his own mother, and Jake fought against the tide of the past. In a blink the years slipped away. He’d been little older than Sam when she’d been murdered by outlaws. In what began as an uneventful day, she’d dragged him along on her errands, and her last stop had been the bank. Bored, he’d leaned against the counter and passed the time spinning a penny on its narrow edge. His mother had promised a visit to the general store when they finished.
    In a flash there’d been gunshots and shouting. His mother had shoved him behind her, but she hadn’t dropped to the ground like the other bank patrons. Her hesitation had cost her her life. The rest of that day was a blur. In an instant his future had been rewritten.
    From that moment on, his path had been set. When outlaws roamed free, innocent bystanders were hurt. He couldn’t bring his mother back, but he could prevent other tragedies.
    â€œIt’s not your fault, Sam,” Jake said. “I had a brother who took sick every time he traveled by train.”
    Lily groaned and he reached for her hand. Her pulse kicked robustly beneath his fingertips.
    â€œShe’ll feel better after she rests and has a good meal.”
    Judging by the brothers’ explanations, Lily was cold, tired and hungry. Not to mention she’d encountered a gun-toting outlaw in her path. No wonder she’d fainted. Jake sat back on his heels and rested his hand on his gun belt.
    Some days the deception weighed on him heavier than others. “What brings you three to Frozen Oaks?”
    Sam and Peter exchanged a glance.
    â€œOur grandpa Emil,” Sam said.
    â€œEmil Tyler?”
    â€œYep. Our parents died in Africa. We’ve come to live with our grandpa.”
    Jake’s misgivings increased tenfold. Emil was an irascible old man who ran a barbershop out of the front of his store, and a high-stakes poker game out of the back. A rumor had been floating around Frozen Oaks that Vic Skaar had recently lost deep to Emil. If Vic had lost money, there was one surefire way to erase his debt that didn’t bode well for the boys. While Jake didn’t peg Vic as a murderer, he wasn’t above hiring someone else.
    â€œYeah,” Peter said. “Except Grandpa didn’t meet us at the livery like he was supposed to.”
    A sharp sense of unease pricked Jake. Emil was missing and Miss Winter was fluttering about like a helpless dove in a nest of grackles. “How far have you traveled?”
    â€œFrom St. Joseph. Two days by train. The trip was only supposed to take one day, but there was a problem with the engine. Maybe that’s why Grandpa Emil isn’t here.”
    â€œMaybe,” Jake said.
    He had a bad feeling Emil had been detained by something far more ominous than a change in the train schedule.

Chapter Two
    J ake carefully considered his options. He hadn’t paid much heed to Emil’s recent desertion from Frozen Oaks. Given the current circumstances, the time had come to rectify his oversight.
    As he calculated his odds of escaping the room unseen, Lily stirred. Her eyes drifted open. Her forehead creased and she glanced around the room. Her gaze landed on his face and he noted the exact moment when she recognized him.
    She surged upright and reached for Sam and Peter. “What happened?”
    â€œYou fainted,” Peter said. “Like