The Lawman's Surrender: The Calhoun Sisters, Book 2 Read Free

Silver Dollar Opera House, the next she was a murder suspect. She wracked her brain for a way to prove her innocence.
    She had indeed dined with Brick after the eleven o’clock show the night before last, and he had made it clear that to refuse the invitation was to lose her job. While she had rebuffed Brick’s attentions many times without repercussions, that night he had seemed determined that she would end up in his bed—willing or not. Things had escalated, and she had been forced to defend herself.
    Susannah got up and paced the length of the tiny cell. It wasn’t the first time she had been forced to fight for her virtue, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. She knew that men found her beautiful, and that was fine. But some of them lost all sense of reason in their desire to pursue her. She would have cursed fate for giving her such stunning looks, but it was hard to feel remorseful when she had deliberately cultivated a lethal charm to go with her striking appearance. Many a time she had used her attractiveness to get out of tight situations, but it didn’t look as if she’d be able to charm her way out of this one.
    Fear rose again, and she fought it back with pure strength of will. If she gave in to her rising panic, she wouldn’t be able to think. She had to figure out what to do next.
    The only flaw in Sheriff Benning’s case was his assumption that she had been the only one there that night. There was one other person who had been at the scene, the only person who could clear her name—Abigail Hawkins. But Sheriff Benning had obviously crossed Brick’s housekeeper off his list of suspects. And now that the woman had left town, the chances of getting her to change her testimony were slimmer than ever.
    She remembered Abigail’s smile and wondered what had been behind it. Why had the housekeeper lied to the sheriff? What was she hiding? Had she killed Brick? These questions had to be answered.
    John Benning was as honest as the day was long, and just as stubborn once he made up his mind. Since he wouldn’t bring Abigail back in for more questioning, the task fell to Susannah. She would have to find Abigail herself and clear her own name. Obviously the law wasn’t going to help her do it.
    With a thoughtful expression, Susannah regarded the small, barred window of her cell and started to plan a jail break.
     
     
    “Marshal Brown!”
    Jedidiah groaned and, half-awake, reached across the bed, as if searching for someone even in slumber.
    The call came again, louder. “Marshal Brown!” Then there was a pounding noise, like thunder. Was it going to rain?
    “Marshal Brown!”
    With a start, Jedidiah sat up in the bed. Daylight streamed into his hotel room, a rude contrast to the moonlight that lingered in his memories. Scowling, he glanced at the pillow beside him, but there was no evidence that anyone had shared the bed with him.
    He let out a gusty sigh and rubbed both hands over his face. Another dream.
    “Marshal Brown!” Someone continued to shout his name and pound on the door.
    With a muttered curse, he shoved aside the sweat-dampened sheets, grabbed his gun from beneath the pillow, and stalked across the room, unconcerned with his naked state. He positioned himself to the side of the door, then reached over and yanked it open, leveling his Colt at the startled hotel clerk. “What?”
    The young man’s eyes bulged, and his mouth worked for a full minute without any sound coming out of it. Finally he just shoved a piece of paper at Jedidiah and ran.
    Jedidiah slammed the door, then turned to face his empty bed. Crumpling the paper in his hand, he leaned back and pounded his fist against the sturdy wood in frustration. The damned dream was always so real. He hated to wake up to the truth.
    Even the memory of the dream was enough to stir his flesh. He glanced at the paper, but the words blurred before his sleep-heavy eyes. With a muttered curse, he went to the washstand and put down the paper,