Free Stay a Little Longer by Dorothy Garlock

was nearly penniless.
     He had attempted many enterprises: investing in a “surefire” Oklahoma oilfield, selling insurance outside of St. Louis; he’d
     even traveled with a circus as a carnival barker.
    But all had ended in failure…
    Now he was attempting to ply his trade as a traveling salesman, but he could already see that this was headed in the same
     direction as all of his other careers. The fact was that people didn’t want the junk he was selling. With winter coming, his
     prospects seemed bleak.
    Not that he considered himself above stealing. He’d needed occasionally to break into a home or business. He felt no shame,
     no regret. He’d learned long ago that there were moments a man had to take what he wanted. He might need to do so again.
    Part of his interest in Rachel Watkins was that she had a secure roof over her head for the coming winter. If he were to become
     romantically involved with her, it seemed unlikely that he would be expected to pay for his room. But that was hardly the
     end of his interest.
    The truth was that he lusted after her. Even in the plain blouses and skirts she wore, he could see that she had curves in
     all the right places. His loins positively ached to be between her legs! She had once smiled at him and the burning desire
     it had caused had lasted for days! While Jonathan had no illusion that he was the best-looking man in the world, he also knew
     that in Carlson, Rachel had little room to be choosy. If he were to play his cards right, if he were to display his ample
     charms at just the right time, he had no doubt that she would fall for him.
    That was why today was so important!
    He’d finally managed to get Rachel alone, away from that poorly behaved brat and the thin walls of her mother’s flea-ridden
     boardinghouse, and then everything had been going as well as he could have hoped. It had been a risk to reach up under her
     skirt as he had, but the defiant way she had spoken had been well worth it and nothing short of arousing. Though she protested,
     Jonathan had known that she was only moments away from accepting his offer of a picnic.
    But then Otis had come along and ruined it all!
    Thinking of the fat, drunken man gave Jonathan a sudden idea…
    Maybe if he were lucky, Otis would have already wandered off to the bottom of whatever bottle he was currently nipping on
     and Rachel would again be by herself.
    Hurrying over to his small window, Jonathan stared down into the open area behind the building. Wiping away a layer of dust,
     he arrived just in time to witness Rachel finish hanging the last of her laundry, snatch up her basket, and return inside.
    He was too late… his chance was missed.
    As he collapsed onto his clothes-strewn bed, anger simmered in Jonathan’s heart. Everything had run off the rails! Too much
     was riding on his pursuit of Rachel for him to give up the hunt; on the contrary, he knew that he would just have to try that
     much harder.
    He smiled to himself. “Whether she likes it or not.”

Chapter Seven
    M ASON TUCKER LEAPT from the moving train about a quarter mile from the outskirts of Carlson, just as the engine began to slow on its approach
     to the depot. Choosing a spot that had been cleared of trees, he slammed hard into the ground before tucking his head and
     rolling through, his momentum carrying his satchel up and over his head. It was a well-practiced move, an action that left
     him ready to run quickly if necessary.
    Leaving the train short of town had been an easy decision; he was not certain how close to town he wanted to get, and either
     way, the last thing he wanted was someone to identify him. From where he had exited, it would be a short walk to the first
     houses.
    “And then I’ll be home, I reckon,” he muttered to himself.
    But just as Mason straightened, a wave of dizziness washed over him. With a trembling hand, he steadied himself against a
     tall oak tree, his feet buried in an impressive drift of fallen