Free Winchester Christmas Wedding by B.J. Daniels

you get lost? You were gone long enough.”
    He decided to see how much information about the McCormicks and Lizzy Calder he could get out of Enid, since she did love to gossip. “I rode south and stumbled across the McCormick ranch,” he said as if just making conversation.
    â€œSurprised you didn’t get shot. If Joanna McCormick wasn’t in prison you would have been.”
    â€œI take it she didn’t like the Winchesters?”
    Enid huffed. “Not after Pepper tried to steal her husband. Bad blood between the families.” She added conspiratorially, “Started over an affair.”
    â€œSo this war between the Winchesters and the McCormicks began with an affair?”
    â€œAnd some affair it was,” Enid said warming to the subject. “Hunt McCormick asked Pepper to run away with him.”
    Pepper and Hunt McCormick? “But she didn’t.”
    Enid shook her head. “She had her reasons.” The old woman seemed to close up again. “I think Hunt McCormick was the true love of her life.”
    â€œIs he still alive?”
    She nodded. “Pepper hasn’t seen him for twenty-seven years. As far as I know, he’s still married to Joanna. I heard she wouldn’t give him a divorce, but they haven’t lived together for years.” He listened as shetold how Joanna McCormick had ended up in prison for murder.
    â€œThere seems to be a lot of violence out here in the West,” he said.
    â€œYou have no idea,” Enid said. “No idea at all.”
    â€œI guess I was lucky the owner is in prison and the woman I ran across didn’t try to shoot me.”
    â€œIf she was a McCormick, you damned sure were lucky,” Enid said. “That bad blood has spilled over onto the young ones. I wouldn’t turn my back on either of them.” She mugged a face. “They’re both spoiled to high heaven. Anne isn’t so bad, but her younger sister, Janie, was spawned by the devil.” Enid crossed herself.
    â€œFortunately neither were McCormicks, I guess. The woman I ran across said her name was Lizzy Calder. Even heard of her?”
    Enid frowned. “Calder. A Will Calder used to be the ranch manager over there, but he’s been dead for some time. Wait, he had a daughter. A pretty little redheaded girl.” Now beautiful, he thought. “I think she was friends with Anne McCormick. She over there, too?”
    â€œApparently.”
    â€œHow’d you meet her?”
    â€œShe was out riding.”
    â€œProbably riding on Winchester land. All three of those girls always used to sneak over here. Thought nobody knew. Well, I knew all right. Come over here flirting with Pepper’s grandsons. If she’d have caught them…” Enid wagged her head as if she didn’t even want to imagine what would have happened.
    â€œWhy would Pepper have anything against the girlsif she was the one who had the affair with this Joanna McCormick’s husband?” he had to ask.
    â€œIt goes back a lot further than that.” Enid clamped her lips together as if that was all she could say.
    A secret, he thought.
    â€œI’m going to give you some good advice. Stay clear of the McCormicks and that Calder woman, just do your job and don’t ask any questions. And don’t go mentioning this to any of the family,” Enid said as she thrust a huge bowl of salad at him. “Virginia’s probably starving. Take this out, then you’d better get on the steaks pronto.”
    Taking the salad, he stepped through the door into the dining room and saw that the family was gathered around the long table.
    Virginia made a point of glancing at her watch before picking up her wineglass. She started to take a drink, but seemed to change her mind.
    He served the salad, taking note of the Winchesters sitting around the table. Pepper sat at the head of the table, her son Brand on her right, her daughter, Virginia,