The Marshal Meets His Match Read Online Free PDF Page B

heart.
    “Enough of that. We keep this up, and we’ll both be crying while your food spoils.” Mrs. Kilburn dabbed her eyes with her apron and tugged Meri to a seat at the table before placing the plate of breakfast in front of her. “You eat while I tend to this bread, and then you can help me do the dishes. Busy hands help keep the mind off heartaches.”
    Meri’s mouth watered as the aromas drifted up from the plate in front of her, and she bowed her head briefly. Digging into her meal, she listened to Mrs. Kilburn quietly hum the new tune “Blessed Assurance.”
    Mrs. Kilburn was in her late forties with curly blond hair arranged in a thick bun, and soft eyes that seemed to look at the world with a calm assurance and acceptance Meri wished she could emulate. Meri had not spent much time around the woman outside of church gatherings, but she knew Mrs. Kilburn was familiar with heartache. She’d miscarried several times and knew the grief of loss and childlessness, so her words of compassion rang with authentic empathy.
    Mrs. Kilburn assisted her husband with his patients, and Doc frequently said he wouldn’t be able to practice medicine without her. He bragged she was his right hand and the best nurse he’d ever worked with. Watching her over the past few days, Meri couldn’t help but agree.
    Finished with her meal, Meri washed and dried the dishes while Mrs. Kilburn kneaded and shaped the dough into loaves and slid them into the oven. Meri could hear Dr. Kilburn’s office door open and the sound of boots getting closer.
    “Come into the kitchen,” Dr. Kilburn was saying to someone. “We can grab a cup of coffee while you wait for Meri to return.”
    Meri finished drying the dish in her hands as she glanced toward the door. Dr. Kilburn entered followed by the tall figure of Marshal Cameron. Meri stiffened her knees and spine, fighting an abnormal thudding in her heart that destroyed the measure of peace she’d found earlier.
    “Ah, she’s back already. Meri, the marshal stopped by to speak with you. Both of you have a seat, and I’ll get us some coffee.” He stepped to the stove where the coffeepot simmered.
    Meri set the dish down and wiped her perspiring hands on the towel, the marshal’s cool, searching eyes making her uncomfortable.
    “If she can be spared for a few minutes, I need to speak to her in private.” He addressed Dr. Kilburn, but his hard gaze remained on Meri, watching, waiting. He motioned toward the back door. “If you’ll step outside into the garden, I have a few questions to ask you about the bank robbery.”

Chapter Three
    W yatt studied Miss McIsaac, and replayed the morning’s events in his mind. Questions concerning the holdup had driven him from his bed before dawn. After time spent praying and searching the Scriptures for wisdom, he set his Bible aside and pored over the wanted posters and notices filed in his desk. He had glanced through them as time permitted over the first days on the job, but early this morning, he’d studied each one carefully, looking for any descriptions that matched what he knew of the bank robber.
    Sounds of an awakening town had finally caused him to push back from the desk, stretching as he stood. He needed more information about the holdup and the culprit; rushing to follow the trail of the thief hadn’t left time for a comprehensive investigation. Talking with witnesses again might provide additional information to tie to the wanted posters. Buckling his holster around his waist and settling his prized Stetson on his head, Wyatt blew out the lamp on his desk and walked out the door. He’d learned the cafe was a favorite morning spot for many of the single tradesmen in town, and Wyatt decided to combine two chores at once: breakfast and information gathering.
    The food was tasty and plentiful, but Wyatt didn’t learn anything particularly useful, and he answered as many questions as he asked. Finishing his breakfast, he left the gathered