My Heroes Have Always Been Hitmen (Humorous Romantic Shorts) (Greatest Hits Mysteries) Read Free Page B

being watched. Casually I looked around me but saw noth ing in the blank faces. My instincts have never been wrong before. I ducked into an alley and waited.
    " Didja see 'im?" A cold voice traveled a little ahead of its owner.
    " Naw," came an equally gravelly reply. "Just disappeared-like. Figgins said we wuz to rough 'im up. Teach 'im a lesson."
    My spine turned to steel , and I prepared myself to fight. These two men were talking about me, I was certain of it.
    A man came into view , and I punched him in the throat before he saw me. He collapsed in a heap, spitting and clutching his neck.
    " Whut the…" The second man came around the corner, and before he could get to his gun, I laid him out with an uppercut to his bristly, unshaven jaw.
    I dragged the bodies into the alley and stepped out onto the street, making my way back to the hotel . It was lunchtime, and I needed to think.
    I was sitting at a table in the dining room a few minutes later, concentrating on what had happened.
    "Now then," a soft voice said over my shoulder, "what exactly do you think you're doing, asking questions and stirring up trouble?" Penny Philpot was standing over me, holding a pitcher of water that after a knowing glance, she poured into the empty glass in front of me.
    " Excuse me?" Her words and her presence had caught me off guard.
    Penny shook her head . "You need to be careful when asking questions in this town…Mr.…"
    " Bombay," Jeb said smoothly as he pulled up a chair next to me. "His name is Rio Bombay."
    Penny smiled . "Nice to meet you Mr. Bombay. And you are…?"
    " Smith. Jebediah Smith, at your service, ma'am." Jeb nodded.
    " How did you know I was asking questions?" I interrupted.
    " My little brother told me. Apparently, he's quite taken with you. Calls you the Mysterious Man," Penny said as she filled Jeb's glass. "He likes your horse too. What's his name?"
    Jeb winked at me , and I hurried to cut this conversation off. I was thrilled that Penny's brother thought I was mysterious, a feeling that would be somewhat tarnished by a horse named Norbert.
    " I was just asking about this place. Seems like a nice town to consider settling down in," I replied.
    " Hmmm…" said Penny." Well don't ask about the marshal. He's a bit touchy about that sort of thing." She looked me right in the eyes, and I saw that she knew about the fight in the alleyway.
    Miss Philpot took our orders and left for the kitchen.
    "What exactly did you do this morning?" Jeb asked.
    " Nothing," I tried to be casual, but it wasn't easy. I sipped from my water glass to stall.
    Jeb looked at my hand, then at me . "Been in a fight, have you?"
    I put the glass down and looked at my knuckles. Damn. I should 've worn my black gloves.
    " It was nothing." I examined my hands. "A couple of drunks tried to rob me in an alley."
    Jeb sat back and looked at me for a long moment. He was a fairly handsome man . I wondered if I had a rival for Miss Philpot. I brushed that thought aside. I wasn't here to court Penny, and Jeb wasn't that kind of man.
    Our lunch arrived , and we ate in silence. This gave me time to think. Word spread a bit too fast in this town. Fast enough for the marshal to send some goons after me, and fast enough for my waitress to comment on it. Gossip wasn't necessarily a hindrance. In this case I was sure I could make it work for me.
    " How did the job interview go?" I asked Jeb once the dishes were cleared and coffee was poured.
    Jeb pushed his chair back and regarded me thoughtfully . "I don't really know. I thought it would be one thing, but it turns out to be another entirely. The rancher runs a tight ship, I'll give him that. But I just don't think I'm cut out to be his foreman. I'm not sure I could treat the men who worked for me like that."
    " Like what?" I asked.
    " Well, he's pretty strict with them and doesn't trust them at all. I'm used to the trust and respect we had in the army in the war. I don't think I could oversee men like this guy wants