Free Missy Meets the Marshal (Lone Star Love Book 2) by Amelia Smarts Page B

Nathan was concerned, and they weren't too bright either. Elizabeth certainly wasn't if she thought she could run from him and hide for long. She belonged to him, and he didn't accept losing anything—certainly not the woman whose duty it was to lengthen his loins.
    While Nathan studied the posters, he felt a man's presence approaching from behind and to his left. Instinctively, he placed his right hand on the handle of his gun and indexed his left on his stomach. Glancing over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of the potential threat, he relaxed. Approaching the jail was a fat, middle-aged man who didn't even pack iron. Nathan noted with some amusement that he doubted a gun belt even came in a size to fit his girth. The man's face was red and sweaty, and he breathed hard as he approached.
    "Recognize anybody?" the man asked in a congenial tone. He planted himself next to Nathan to browse the posters.
    "Nope," Nathan responded, noting how much hotter and smellier the air became when the man invaded his space.
    The man scratched his stomach. "Do you like to have a look at the posters when you pass by? I always do."
    Nathan felt suspicious of the stranger. "I'm a bounty hunter, so it comes with the trade." He turned to leave but paused when he heard the man take in a sharp breath.
    "Luddy mussy! I know that face."
    Nathan held his hand on his gun again in case the man was smart enough to recognize him and stupid enough to say it out loud. When Nathan observed the direction of the man's gaze, however, he noticed that it focused on Elizabeth's sign. A thrill went through him.
    "You recognize the woman bank robber?" Nathan asked.
    "I'd swear on the bible that's the marshal's wife in Porter, the town I'm from."
    Nathan felt disappointed and annoyed enough with the man that he would have cuffed him if there weren't witnesses. The saphead had gotten his hopes up for nothing. "That can't be, mister. Can't you read?" he snarled. "The poster next to hers is for Nathan Matthews. That's obviously her husband since they have the same last name."
    The man looked at Nathan's poster, and Nathan groaned inwardly. That was foolish, he realized, to give the man a reason to study it. Nathan remained tense, ready to draw at the slightest flash of recognition in the man's eyes. He wouldn't shoot him there, but he'd hold him at gunpoint until he got him a ways out of town. Then he'd watch with great pleasure and no small amount of awe as the fattest gut he'd ever laid eyes on spilled its contents onto the ground.
    But the man didn't pay Nathan's poster any mind. Instead, he returned his scrutiny to Elizabeth's photograph. A sneaky expression crossed his face. "I reckon you're right. It's not her. Good day."
    The man waddled off abruptly and Nathan stared after him. That was odd. Nathan recognized the man's sneaky expression. He recognized it as the appearance of a man who thought he was about to win something and wasn't prepared to share it. What had the idiot lubber said? The marshal's wife in Porter? Nathan kicked a pebble. Poppycock. Porter was a solid day's journey from Bartow. It probably wasn't worth the trip.
    Mounting his weary mare, Nathan yanked the reins to the side and spurred the horse toward the camp he kept with his partner outside of town. After a spell of hard riding, the mare's neck lathered with sweat and she panted. The sun set in the distance, finally allowing some relief from the heat. Nathan viewed smoke behind a knoll and the smell of rabbit meat filled his nostrils. Good. His no-account partner had managed to catch something.
    Nathan greeted Tim with a scornful smile. "Finally able to put your muck forks to good use, eh? There'd better be some chuck left on the spit for me."
    Tim grunted in lieu of speaking to him. The relationship between the two partners began as something resembling friendship, though neither knew the true meaning of the word, but disintegrated into a reluctant acquaintance that kept both with one eye open