The Heart's Pursuit Read Online Free PDF

dropped their gazes. One leaned closer to the other and whispered, “That must be him. The bounty hunter.”
    It appeared the local gossips had heard he was coming. Not that he was surprised by it or cared what they said. He’d learned that a man who spent his life chasing down criminals for the rewards offered wasn’t highly esteemed. Not even by most of the people he served. But he hadn’t chosen this profession, if it could be called that. It had been thrust upon him by circumstances. Still, the work served its purpose. Delivering fugitives from the law to jail gave Jared the ability to continue the search that mattered most to him. Who was he to argue with fate? Certainly he wouldn’t be dissuaded by those who gossiped about him.
    A voice from long ago whispered in his memory. His mother’s, speaking to his sister. “Tattlers and busybodies speak things which they ought not. Never become one of them, Katrina. Guard your lips and mind.”
    Katrina. Precious Katrina. His sister had had the purest of hearts, along with the strongest of wills. And his beloved mother and father had been the finest people he’d known. Six years hadn’t lessened how much he missed the family that had been taken from him.
    He gave his head a quick shake, throwing off painful memories as he strode down the aisle toward the counter. Just before he arrived, Silver Matlock appeared in the doorway to a back room. An expression of relief crossed her facethe instant she saw him. Had she doubted he would show up? Probably. But she had good reason to doubt a man’s word after what had happened to her.
    “Miss Matlock.” He tugged the brim of his hat.
    “Mr. Newman.”
    “Have you got the supplies ready?”
    She nodded. “Yes. Everything is over there.” She pointed to the far end of the counter.
    From the looks of it, she hadn’t held back anything he’d requested. “How about the information I asked for?”
    “I wrote it all down for you. Everything I know.” She glanced toward the fabric table—and the two whispering customers—at the front of the store. “Why don’t you come into the back room where we can talk privately?”
    So he was right about those young women. Gossips. And they hadn’t whispered only about the bounty hunter who’d ridden into town. He had the feeling—judging by Silver’s expression—that they’d been gossiping about her too.
    Without a word he followed Silver through the back storage room and into a cluttered office.
    She moved to the opposite side of the desk before facing him again. “Everything’s here. There’s a photograph. It’s the only one I have. And a description of Bob, his habits, his work . . .” A blush rose in her cheeks. “Some of the information isn’t as detailed as I would like. I . . . I’m afraid I didn’t know him as well as I thought. It was a whirlwind romance,and at the time I thought him utterly charming. But perhaps everything he told me about himself was a lie.”
    Jared took the slip of paper and photograph from atop the desk. She’d told the truth about what she’d written down. It wasn’t a detailed accounting. “This isn’t much to go on, Miss Matlock. Your description could fit a dozen men in this town alone.”
    “There wasn’t much more to say,” she answered softly.
    He touched the paper with his index finger. “You mention here something about a man in Central City. A Mr. Carlton.”
    “Yes. Bob knew someone named Carlton who was a dealer in one of the gaming halls there, but Carlton could be his first name or his last. I’m not sure. Bob mentioned him in passing when we were planning the ceremony. I thought he meant to invite him to the wedding.”
    “No family anywhere?”
    She shook her head. “He told me he had a half brother, but I think the brother must be dead. Bob didn’t seem to want to talk about him. I know his parents are deceased. They died during the war.”
    “He wasn’t from Twin Springs?”
    “No. He arrived here about