Love Finds You in Last Chance, California Read Online Free PDF

her vision. One of the hired hands, Davis, stood just inside the barn door watching the interaction. She raised her hand in a brief wave, and the man stepped out into the sun. Something about his eyes didn’t look right, and Alex stepped closer and squinted. Bloodshot.
    Had Davis been drinking? Her thoughts flew back to the man she’d seen leaving the saloon. Could he have arrived here ahead of her? Yes—she’d stopped at the telegraph office before heading home.
    “Davis?”
    He pulled his hat from his head and looked at his feet. “Yes, ma’am?”
    “Have you been at the ranch all day?”
    “Uh…” He glanced up and met her eyes. “I’ve been checkin’ the mares in the east pasture.”
    She folded her arms and tilted her head. “You haven’t been to town?”
    “No, ma’am. Not today.” He turned his hat in his hands. “Did you forget somethin’ you want that I should get for you?”
    “No. How were the mares?”
    The sudden shift in topic seemed to catch him off guard. He jerked his head up and met her stare. “Oh—fine—just fine, Miss Travers. No problems a’tall.”
    “Okay, thanks.” Checking on him might be an option, but she’d let it go this time. To her knowledge, Davis had never been dishonest or slacked in his work. Besides, the men had been working doubly hard since her father’s death. Maybe he just needed a break.
    The front door swung open and a tall, gray-haired woman stood on the stoop. “Alexia? I didn’t hear you ride in. You been home long?” Martha’s familiar voice sang across the lawn, its welcome tones warming the cold places her father’s passing had created.
    Alex swung away from Davis and crossed the gravel to the porch. “Hunter wanted to play, but I told him to wait.” She trotted up the steps. “I declare, only a year old and that dog’s as big as a pony. Is Uncle Joe in yet?”
    “Yep. He just finished his chores. Dinner will be ready in ten minutes. I began to think you’d miss it.” Martha wiped floury hands on her apron and gave Alex a quick hug. “You all right?” She stepped back and examined the younger woman’s face, worry and love evident in her eyes and mouth.
    “Right enough, I guess.” Alex grasped Martha’s hand. “Come on, let’s have some of your famous coffee. After that drive, a cup sounds good.”
    They crossed the foyer and entered the parlor. A large fireplace lined one wall, with horsehair chairs and a sofa flanking the other. It opened into a dining area containing a wooden table large enough to seat twelve people. Flowers stood in a vase in the center, and three place settings sat at one end.
    Martha bustled to the stove in the nearby kitchen, lifted the coffeepot off the grate, and returned to the table with the pot and three steaming cups balanced on a tray. She hurried back to the stove, lifted a lid, and sniffed.
    “Stew’s ready. Help me dish up?”
    The two women carried the stew pot, a plate with big slices of bread, and a crock of home-churned butter to the table. Alex never failed to feel gratitude to their old friend Jonesy, who kept a milk cow. The thought of hot bread without butter seemed almost a sin.
    A door slammed and a whistle sounded at the rear of the house. Alex would know Uncle Joe’s special brand of music anywhere. A moment later, the short, lanky man stomped into sight. He leaned on a cane and moved with care, but his eyes lit when he spotted Alex. He removed his hat to reveal white hair badly in need of cutting, curling as it was over his collar.
    “Hi there, darlin’. How’d your meetin’ with the banker go?” He pulled out a chair and slipped into it.
    Alex loved the man, but in that moment her feelings toward Uncle Joe weren’t very charitable. From his guarded expression, she knew that her father had confided in him. To what extent, she didn’t know, but the truth would come out soon enough. “Mr. Elton was kindness itself, but I can’t say much good about his