Katie Rose Read Free Page A

coach had been close to starting a mutiny, but Emily had seemed oblivious to everything but her own objectives. He had to admire the way she’d handled those women, and her obvious intelligence, but there was an undeniable naïveté about her. God only knew whatshe would have said to the businessman if given the chance. He reminded himself to be careful around her, for Emily was no fool. In spite of his own good sense, Thomas found himself admiring her.
    The object of his thoughts was looking around as if to get her bearings. This time he surreptitiously subjected Emily to as thorough an appraisal as she’d given him. Prim and proper, dressed in a simple dove gray dress with purple plush at the sleeves, a pretty veiled bonnet trimmed with feathers, and suede gloves, she was the epitome of a spinster, a woman determined to be alone. In spite of himself, he tried to do what she had done by examining her sleeves and boots, but they revealed nothing to him. Instead, as she bent over to pick up her case, his eyes wandered over her figure, which hinted at being magnificent. She straightened, and he noticed that her face held a promise of beauty, her chestnut hair was splendid, and her mouth was downright kissable. There was a vulnerability about her, a sensitivity to life that he’d already sensed from their brief exchange.
    Thomas’s thoughts drifted back to the innocent brush of their fingers when he handed her the cat, and her firm handclasp when he formally introduced himself. A hot rush of sensation had swept through him at the simple contact, a sensuality so compelling that it momentarily caught him off guard. He couldn’t remember ever touching a woman who evoked that kind of emotion so quickly. Her reaction told him he wasn’t imagining it, that she had felt the same thing and was just as confused.
    He continued to smile, but the warmth had gone out of him. Emily Potter might enjoy mysteries, but she had no idea about the one she was about to walk into. Nor that he, the Reverend Thomas Hall, would play a major role in the plot.

2

The Investigation Begins
    Emily rummaged in her pocket for her glasses, excitement coursing through her at the thought of seeing her new home for the first time. But when she put on her spectacles, she gasped in astonishment at the sight of Denver.
    It was a bawdy place, she could tell that immediately. The saloon was twice the size of the church, and the boardinghouse had the prosperous look of a booming business. The street thronged with life, cowboys and farmers, shopkeepers and miners. There was a dressmaker’s shop, a shoemaker, a stable and a blacksmith. Emily sighed in relief as she observed that there was no milliner’s shop, at least not on the main road. She was used to competition, but the less of it, the better. Even this consideration didn’t distract her much. She was overwhelmed by the sights,smells, and noises of a real western town, and didn’t want to miss a minute of it.
    It was everything she’d expected. Whereas Boston was settled and dignified, Denver was alive, bustling and frenetic, filled, like herself, with exuberance. Joyfully, she snatched up her carpetbag, unaware of the snubs of the women with her or the calculating survey of the cowboy who was just leaving the coach.
    “Miss Emily, I’d like to go with you to see the house, just to make sure you get there safely,” the preacher volunteered. “Do you mind?”
    “I ain’t sure that’s proper,” the cowboy interrupted. He spat on the ground, the wet tobacco hitting the dirt with a tar-colored splat. He gave Emily a charming smile. “After all, the place has a reputation, and as a preacher, you need to keep that in mind. Ma’am, I’m Jake and I’d be more than happy to provide an escort to your new home.”
    Emily was about to respond, when the preacher cut in. “But the mission is close by, and I have to go right past the house.” He grinned at her winningly. “I must insist.”
    Emily smiled