A Victorian Christmas Read Online Free PDF Page B

joined by the matrons of Silver City’s most upstanding families. Mayor Douglas lauded Miss Canaday’s generosity. “In the tradition of her beloved father, Jacob Canaday . . .
    Fara let her eyes drift shut. Papa had always gotten such a chuckle out of his role as a leading member of Silver City’s high society. He remembered well his days as a poor prospector with no education and little more to call his own than a mule and a pickax. Like her father, Fara had learned to use the relationships with the wealthy to further the Canaday family businesses. But she preferred the company of her horses.
    Remembering the sadness in the stranger’s blue eyes as he had spoken of his horse, Fara felt concern prickle her awake again. Confound it, she wasn’t going to think about him! She was going to relax. After the sun came up and she ate a good breakfast, she would stroll down to the cabin and check on the man. Until then, the time was hers. She glanced again at the newspaper.
    P ROMINENT P HOENIX C ITIZEN S TILL
C RITICAL AFTER G UN B ATTLE
         Mr. James Copperton, owner of five Phoenix business establishments, was gunned down late on the evening of December 4. A former associate by the name of Robert Hyatt stands accused in the incident. Copperton remains in grave condition with a bullet wound to the upper right shoulder. Also injured in the gun battle, Hyatt escaped and was last spotted riding east from Phoenix.
     “He’s been trailing me for years,” Copperton said. “We had a falling-out some time ago, and he swore revenge.” Copperton, who maintains a four-man bodyguard at all times, said he had been expecting the attack. “I always keep a watch on the hotels around Phoenix. When I heard that Hyatt had checked into the Saguaro, I knew the time had come. I was ready for him, but he’s a sharpshooter.”
     Hyatt, who is wanted for train robbery in Kansas and horse rustling in Texas, is known as a gunslinger. He stands six feet three and weighs two hundred pounds. He has brown hair, blue eyes, and should be considered armed and desperate. Injured in the left forearm, he may be dangerous. Anyone with information on Hyatt should contact the sheriff.
    Fara swallowed and read the article a second time. Then she sat up and looked out the window toward the little cabin. Six-three. Two hundred pounds. Blue eyes. Brown hair. Wounded in the left forearm. Phoenix. She tried to make herself breathe. A wanted gunslinger was lying in Papa’s cabin!
    Throwing back the covers, she slid out of bed onto the cold pine floor. She quickly pulled on her buckskin leggings and warmest flannel skirt, knowing she would need all the protection she could get for a ride into Pinos Altos in all the snow. After buttoning on a blouse and jacket and pinning up her hair, Fara headed down the stairs.
    The scent of frying venison wafted over her.
    “You slept a long time, Filly,” Old Longbones said. He gave her a snaggletoothed grin. “Look, I have your breakfast ready. Venison steak. Eggs. Oatmeal.”
    “I’m going to have to ride down to Pinos Altos,” she said. “It’s an urgent matter, Old Longbones. Breakfast will have to wait.”
    “ You will have to wait.” He gestured to the window. “Still snowing. No trail.”
    Fara bit her lower lip. She had to get to the sheriff before the man escaped . . . or died. Maybe he was dead already. In some ways, that would be a relief. Then she wouldn’t have to fool with the situation.
    “Sit down, Filly,” Old Longbones said. “I will fill your plate.”
    “No, really. I can’t. Not right now.” Should she tell him? What if her old friend wanted to go down to the cabin? She couldn’t put him in any danger. Armed and desperate , the article had said. In her hurry to get back to the warmth of the ranch house, she had neglected to check the man for weapons. As for his level of desperation, only time would tell.
    “What’s the matter, Filly? You’re usually so hungry in