Cindy Holby Read Online Free PDF Page A

around the statue?
    Dodger came back for her again. If there was a threat he would have attacked. Leah rounded the statue to find a horse standing patiently. The animal’s coat was covered with snow, but enough of it showed that she could see that it was either white or dappled. Which made it practically invisible in the storm. It jerked its head at her approach.
    “What are you doing out here?” Leah cooed. She held her hand out beneath its nose and he nibbled at her palm. She didn’t recognize the animal as belonging to any of the townspeople. “And where is your rider?” The horse wore full gear. Leah looked toward the saloon once more. When she found the idiot who left his horse out in this weather to suffer, he would definitely get a piece of her mind.
    Leah took the reins. She pulled on them, determined to get the horse to the shelter of Martin’s livery, but they were stuck. Dodger yipped again and dug at the snow thatsurrounded the angel. Leah yanked on the reins again. Were they frozen to the ground?
    “Oh my goodness!” They were attached to a hand. Someone was buried in the snow. Leah dropped to her knees to help Dodger dig. Her hands, already chilled, turned to ice as they both flung the snow away. Dodger whined and stuck his nose in the man’s face.
    “Is he dead?” Dodger couldn’t answer her. He looked at her expectantly. Leah pushed him out of the way. She shook her hands to relieve the numbness, slid them under her arms to warm them, and then touched the man’s face. It was covered with frost, yet she felt heat coming from his skin. “He’s burning up with fever.” Leah was so accustomed to talking to Dodger as if he were human that it was second nature to her. She brushed the snow away from the man’s head. His hair was dark, soaking wet and plastered around his face. He wore a heavy wool coat that reached to his knees. Even though he was crumpled in the snow she could tell by the breadth of his shoulders and length of his legs that he was big. Too big for her to move on her own.
    Leah gathered her skirts and quickly made her way to the saloon. The wind gusted as she pushed the door open. It flew out of her hand and hit the wall behind with a bang. Ward Phillips, the owner of Heaven’s Gate and Jacob Reece, a local rancher, both reached for their guns with the noise but relaxed when they saw it was her. Priscilla, who waited tables, gave her a friendly wave and Bob the bartender nodded from behind the bar. Leah recognized a few of the cowboys from Jake’s ranch and some of the miners who were scattered about as frequenters of the Devil’s Table.
    “I need help,” Leah said.
    Jacob jumped up so quickly that his chair fell over backward. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Is it Banks?” Concern flashed across his handsome face as his gray eyes looked her over for any sign of injury.
    Once more Leah felt the guilt of not being able to return Jake’s feelings for her. How could she ever love another man after what she had with Nate? Yet Jake didn’t want to take no for an answer, as he’d made it very plain that he would wait her out until she came to her senses. “N-n-no.” Her teeth chattered. “There’s a m-m-man in the snow.” Jake looked past Leah into the night. He took the time to grab his coat from a hook and place it over Leah’s shoulders before he went out.
    “What kind of man?” Ward was a few years older than Jake and far more jaded. His coal black eyes avoided her gaze as he asked his question, searching out the window. Even though she’d forgiven him, he had yet to forgive himself for not being there the day Nate was shot down on the street.
    Leah pulled Jake’s coat close and immediately felt warmer. “A sick man,” Leah replied with a shrug. Ward gave Bob a look that said
don’t give away the place while I’m gone
and followed Jake.
    “As if it makes a difference,” Priscilla said, “what kind of man it is.” She was sweet to everyone, no matter what the