A Rocky Mountain Christmas Read Free Page B

furniture therein
A bunkhouse
A barn
1500 head of cattle
20 horses with saddles and tack
$1017.56 (remaining after all final expenses)
    In order to claim your inheritance, you must present yourself at the Pueblo courthouse on or before November 1st, 1890.

    Sincerely,
Tom Murchison
Attorney at Law

    The letter came as a complete surprise. Luke had not seen his uncle Frank in over ten years, had no idea he’d lived in Colorado, or that he even had anything valuable to leave in a will. And he’d left everything to him!
    Conflicting emotions quickly rose in Luke—elation over what appeared to be a rather substantial inheritance and guilt because not only had he not seen his uncle Frank, he had corresponded with him only three or four times in the last ten years.
    Setting the letter aside, he finished the paperwork and returned to Mr. Buckner’s office as requested.
    “Mr. Shardeen,” Buckner said. “With the unfortunate death of Captain Cutter, we have to find a new captain for the American Eagle . You know the ship and the men, and you brought her successfully through a terrible storm. I would like for you to be her new captain.”
    Had this offer been made to Luke one month earlier—or even one hour earlier—he would have accepted it immediately. But the letter from Tom Murchison had changed all that.
    “I thank you for the offer, Mr. Buckner. I am extremely flattered by it.” Luke took a deep breath before plunging on. “But I believe I will leave the sea for a while. I’ll be submitting my resignation today.”
    “What?” Buckner replied in shocked surprise. “You can’t be serious! Mr. Shardeen, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. How can you possibly pass it up?”
    “Simple. Until today, I had no anchor. But now”—Luke held up his letter—“I am a man of property and can no longer afford to sail all over the world.”
    “Are you absolutely positive of that? If you are, we will have to promote someone else to captain.”
    “I am positive.”
    “Very well. The company will hate to lose you, Mr. Shardeen. You have been a good officer. If ever you wish to return to the sea, please, come see us first.”
    “I will do so,” Luke promised.

C HAPTER T HREE
    New Orleans—October 5
    Nate McCoy boarded the Delta Mist and immediately entered the Grand Salon, interested in getting into a game of poker. He dressed well, had impeccable manners, and seemed able to get along with everyone. He was also the most handsome man Jenny had ever seen.
    For the next two days, she watched him as he played, though she stood on the far side of the salon so nobody could see that she was watching him.
    As evening fell, she took a quick break from her duties and she leaned on the railing of the texas deck, looking down at the great stern wheel, its paddles spilling water as they emerged from the river.
    A man spoke to her. “You have been watching me.”
    Turning toward the speaker, Jenny saw Nate McCoy. “I’m supposed to watch people in the salon. That is my job.”
    “You’re not watching me as part of your job. You’re watching me for the same reason I’m watching you.”
    “Oh? And why is that?”
    “I think you know why that is,” McCoy quipped.
    Jenny was lost from that moment, falling head over heels in love with him.
    Three months later, On January 3, 1891, they were married.
    Jenny learned quickly that marrying Nate McCoy was the biggest mistake she had ever made. Although he’d told her he was a broker who dealt with “other people’s money,” that was an extremely broad interpretation of his actual profession. McCoy was a professional gambler, and not an honest one.
    Caught cheating on the Delta Mist , he was barred from taking passage on that or any of the passenger boats that plied the Mississippi. When he left the boats Jenny left with him, and for the next eighteen months, her life with McCoy became little more than running from town to town just ahead of a lynch mob.
    “Why do you