Page 73 of Inventions of the Heart

“Now that he’s here in town, I’m going to grab him. It’ll be a sight easier here than when he’s at home. I’d prefer having my men with me, but I can’t wait. He might head home at any time.” Irving looked down the street in the direction Zane and Michelle had come. “He’s in the Red Boot Saloon. No idea what else he’s come to town for. I was riding to the sheriff’s office. I’ll get Sheriff Stockwood and his deputy, but another man would help things go smoother, Zane.”

“Glad to help, Marshal. My foreman, Shad, is trailingalong behind us, driving a wagon. Do you want to wait for him?”

“I’d as soon not wait a minute longer than we need to.”

With a firm nod, Zane said, “Let’s do it fast. A man drinking in the saloon before midday might not stay long.”

With a one-shouldered shrug, Irving said, “And he might settle in for hours. In which case, he’d be easier to arrest later. But I don’t want to chance it. Let’s get Stockwood.”

“Michelle, do you want to wait in the sheriff’s office?” Zane hesitated to call it the jail for some reason. Probably because he could so easily picture himself swinging the iron door shut on her to keep her away from the danger.

“I’ll walk along to see the sheriff. While you’re arresting Jarvis, I’ll go to the general store and discuss a few orders I want to place.”

Zane shuddered to find out what he was going to own next. In fairness, he had to admit most everything Michelle ordered, she paid for herself. Still, her money was his, wasn’t it? So he oughta have some say in how it was spent.

For now, if ordering something kept her away from armed men, he’d encourage it.

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