Tempting the Marshal: (A Western Historical Romance) (Dodge City Brides Series Book 2) by Julianne MacLean

that.”
    “Uh-huh—then what’s with the toe tapping? You’ve been doing that since you sat down.”
    Realizing he was right about one more thing, Jo stilled her boot. “I always tap my foot. It’s a habit.” She pulled her toe in to hide it under a petticoat ruffle. “If I’m worried about anything, it’s about whether or not you’re going to deliver me home in time for supper.”
    He glanced toward the western sun. “I reckon we’ll pull into your yard just as Mrs. Honeyworth is spooning up the gravy.” He licked his lips. “Mmm, gravy on just about anything would go down nice right now.”
    Recognizing the hint for an invitation, Jo didn’t bite. “Maybe you should get yourself a wife to cook for you.”
    The corner of his mouth turned up in a cynical grin and he chuckled. “I don’t think so.”
    “Ah. I see,” she said knowingly.
    “What do you mean, Ah, I see?”
    Jo knew his type well enough. She’d seen enough roaming cowhands to get a feel for the kinds of things they wanted. “Married life isn’t good enough for you. Too dull, I suppose.”
    “Dull. No, I never imagined married life would be dull, especially on a ranch like yours, with kids around. The ranch I grew up on was anything but dull.”
    Jo was surprised to hear he’d grown up on a ranch. “If it was so interesting to you, why aren’t you there now?”
    His jaw twitched. “It’s kind of personal, ma’am.”
    “I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to—”
    “No harm done.”
    They drove on in silence for a while and Jo felt like a complete fool for having been so ill-mannered.
    After a few minutes, the marshal spoke up and his words nearly knocked her over. “My father was murdered five years ago. That’s why I’m not at the ranch anymore.”
    Shaken, Jo took a few seconds to respond. “I’m sorry to hear that. What happened, if you don’t mind my asking?”
    He spoke offhandedly, revealing no sadness or regret, something Jo found strange. “My father was a judge, and a man named Garrett Robinson was on trial for murder in his court.”
    “Garrett Robinson. I heard about him. He robbed trains and stagecoaches.”
    Fletcher’s jaw twitched again and she wondered if maybe he did mind talking about it. “The night before my father was to hand down a guilty verdict, Garrett’s gang sent him a message saying that if he convicted Garrett, they would hunt down his family and do to us what Garrett did to all the people who got in his way. We didn’t know anything about it, of course. We were as shocked as everybody else when the verdict was ‘not guilty.’”
    Jo shifted in her seat, needing to hear the rest. “If your father did what they said, why didn’t they just leave it be?”
    Marshal Collins shook his head. “Men like that don’t know much about honor. They killed my father on his way home that day, three hours after he let them go free. I heard the shots from the ranch house and saw the gang ride off. They were hootin’ and laughin’ like a bunch of kids playing tag. I had to run a mile up hill, climb over three fences, and I knew I wasn’t getting there fast enough.” His Adam’s apple bobbed and he paused. “My ma died of typhoid that winter, leaving me and Elizabeth to run the ranch, but neither of us wanted to live there anymore. Too many memories. So we sold off the herd and Elizabeth went to college in Chicago. I’d always imagined I’d be a rancher, but I ended up a U.S. marshal.” With a shade of indifference, he added, “Funny how things turn out sometimes.”
    Jo knew exactly how he felt. How many times had she wanted to pack up and leave, to start a new life somewhere else and forget about the old one? She most certainly would have if she wasn’t certain Leo would return someday to claim the land that was his birthright and avenge his father’s death.
    “What about Garrett and his gang?” she asked, wondering if the marshal and his sister had received the justice Jo herself was still