Moonstone and Mistrust

He has a secret that would make people look at him differently if they knew. She wants revenge, but when she meets him, doubts fill her.

When Alexa Moore sets her mind on something, she goes for it. After her father’s bank is robbed and the thief injures her brother, she decides to hunt the man down and put him behind bars, which will help her become the Pinkerton agent she has always dreamed about. She knows the thief is a man with dark hair and green eyes and goes by the name of Hawk. When her travels take her to Longmont, Colorado, she finds a man who fits that description. As she gets to know him, she hopes he isn’t the thief… but will she listen to her gut or her heart?

After Ash Hawk was released from being a prisoner in the mines of Tooele, Utah, he finds himself lost and alone. As a child, he was captured and brainwashed to believe his family was dead, and that God didn’t care. When he moved to Colorado as an adult, his life changed for the better, and he realizes he has a giving heart… especially when a beautiful woman comes to him, pleading for his help.

Will they learn to accept each other as they face danger and search for the secretive moonstone mine?

There was a reason she wore trousers under her dress. It kept her from sliding all over the place when she rode astride. Men’s trousers held her legs against the horse better, and she would have words with anyone who disagreed.

Alexa Moore leaned closer to the horse, tightening her grip on the horse’s reins as she narrowed her gaze on the target. The imbecile actually thought his horse was faster and that he could get away. He would know soon enough that although she was a woman, meek and timid were not words one used to describe her. In fact, once she caught the man, she would show him how unladylike she could be.

Being raised a tomboy certainly came in handy. Especially now.

Not more than fifteen minutes ago, she had stopped Mr. Jeremiah Jones as he stumbled out of the saloon. She nearly went inside the establishment to confront him, but there were a few things she wouldn’t do, and being seen in a place like that was one of the no-no’s on her list. So, she waited for Jones to exit the saloon before she moved in front of him, stopping him from proceeding down the boardwalk.

His glassy gaze roamed over her slowly, from her long, braided hair, down over her man’s shirt and vest, and then continued to her trousers and boots. His eyebrow arched as confusion etched wrinkles on his face. Seconds later, his mouth stretched into a sly grin—one she wouldn’t mind slapping off his face.

Perhaps she would teach him some manners on the proper way to treat a lady, but not now. She needed information, and batting her eyelashes and pretending to be a helpless female would have to be part of her plan.

“Excuse me, can you help me?” she began politely. She might be dressed as a man, but she remembered how to be courteous.

“What do ya need help with?”

She still wished she could remove his cocky expression. However, that would come later. From her investigation, she discovered that Jeremiah Jones had lived in Utah six months ago and had worked in Big Ed’s mines from the time he had been kidnapped as a child, to adulthood. Alexa also found out that he knew one of the lead men called Hawk. Apparently, that was the name everyone called him.

“I’m looking for my brother.” She hoped God would forgive her for lying, but she needed to get Jeremiah Jones to talk. “You worked with him in the mines, and now that the whole country knows about Big Ed kidnapping children, I need to find my big brother.”

Disgust molded his expression now. He lifted his chin and folded his arms. “If ya don’t mind, I’d like to put that nightmare behind me.”

“Please, Mr. Jones.” Hesitantly, she placed her hand on his dirty shirt. “My brother is the only family I have.”

Jeremiah blew out an exasperating breath. “Fine. Who is yer brother?”

“We called him Hawk.” Alexa wished she had learned the man’s true name, but Hawk was the name everyone at the mines used.

Jeremiah’s eyes widened and his face lost a little color. “I’ve never heard of him.”

It didn’t take a genius to know the man was lying, but now she wanted to know why he was afraid of Hawk. Then again, in her research, she learned that Hawk had been one of Big Ed’s lead men, which meant, the man supervised the other kidnapped children in the mines, and he probably even kidnapped some of them. Had Hawk tortured these poor lost children as well?

“I’m sorry to make you remember that part of your life, but I can tell by your reaction, that you do know my brother. Please, help me find him.”

Growling, he yanked his arm away, and her hand dropped to her side. Malice turned his brown eyes darker. “Leave me alone. I told ya I don’t know him, so quit buggin’ me.”

He moved past her, drunkenly weaving his way toward his horse. She wasn’t about to let him get away.

“Mr. Jones. You’re the only one who can help me.”

“Then yu’ll never find yer brother.”

Although she didn’t tolerate people’s snarky attitudes, she would put up with his for a few more minutes as she tried to wear down his resistance.

“Please, Mr. Jones. You cannot possibly leave without giving me some clue as to where my brother is staying. That is all I need. Just some direction.”

It was a good thing she had been searching for the man named Hawk for six months. After all, looking for bank robbers was something she did best… Well, at least one of the things. Yet, she needed to get Jeremiah to talk. The trail had led her to this town and to Jeremiah, so she mustn’t let him get away.

Alexa reached him before he mounted his horse. She grabbed his arm, keeping him from going anywhere. “Please don’t make me beg.”

He glared and pushed her away so hard she fell backward and landed on her rump. The pain wasn’t as bad as the humiliation filling her. How dare he accost her in such a way! This man didn’t deserve her sympathy, and now it was time to show him what kind of woman she really was.

Jeremiah Jones climbed on top of his horse and took off as though the devil rode on his heels. Thankfully, she had a fine horse that had been trained to race. One of the main reasons she purchased Pegasus was because the animal was fast.

Alexa quickly mounted and rode after Jeremiah, following him even as they left the town. It didn’t matter how many people had stared at her as she passed them, not only aghast that she would dress this way, but because she wanted to catch up with the filthy drunk. She didn’t care what others thought of her. Thankfully, she had moved away from that stage in her life.

Narrowing her eyes on him, she tightened her legs around the horse’s belly, pushing the animal faster. Within seconds, she would be close enough to capture the man. She couldn’t figure out why he would want to run from her unless… Perhaps he was Hawk’s accomplice in the bank robberies between southern Utah and Longmont, Colorado, where she felt the man was hiding. And her hunches were usually spot on.

When she was nearly close enough to touch her horse to Jeremiah Jones’ animal, she pulled out her rope. Since she had been taught to rope cattle from the time she was in pigtails and old enough to climb on a horse, she was always prepared for the chance to do some calf-tying, even in this case she considered it bandit-ropin’.

Alexa let the rope fly through the air until it wrapped around her target. With a hard tug, she tightened it around the man as she brought her horse to a stop. The quick movement yanked the unsuspecting drunk off the animal, dropping him to the ground with a hard thud.

She jumped off her horse and rushed toward him. Naturally, he would be struggling to breathe since the wind had been knocked from his lungs, but that gave her the seconds she needed to roll him face down in the dirt, and finish tying his arms and legs behind him.

Grinning, she nodded at her work. Indeed, she was good at capturing outlaws.

“What…are ya…doin’?” the man questioned in between large gulps of air.

“You left before I was finished questioning you.” She chuckled to herself, loving her answer. Sometimes she found her wit was used more than her ropin’ skills.

“I told ya. I don’t know anythin’ about Hawk.”

“And I told you,” she rested her boot in the middle of his back, holding him down on the dusty ground, “I know otherwise. You worked in the Utah mines, which means you know Hawk who was one of Big Ed’s lead men. There is no way you can tell me you have never met Hawk, when all the children and men who worked at the mines knew each other quite well.”

She really wished she had more than just one name to give him. Was Hawk his first name or last? Or had it just been what the men called him at the mines? Eventually, she would find someone who could give her the right answers.

Jeremiah groaned, turning his face away from the dirt. “I don’t know him personally. We were never friends.”

“I find that hard to believe, especially when I was told he is here in Longmont, and surprisingly, so are you.” She applied pressure to the foot on his back.

“But I don’t know where he is.”

“So, you’re telling me that you just moseyed up to Colorado from Utah on a whim?”

“Well…not exactly.”

“Then why are you here?”

He groaned. “To find employment, just like the rest who worked for years at the mines.”

Alexa rolled her eyes. Usually, she was able to get drunken men to confess by now. Her skills must be rusty. She would certainly work on them.

“You have one last chance to tell me the truth. Where is Hawk?”

“What will ya do to me if I don’t tell ya?”

“I’ll turn you over to the sheriff.”

“What for? I’ve done nothin’ wrong.”

“I beg to differ, Mr. Jones.”

He struggled to move, but the pressure of her foot on his back kept him down. “What is my crime?”

“You…” She quickly thought of a good reason, even if it wasn’t something men were jailed for—at least they weren’t there for long. “You assaulted a lawman.”

Jeremiah snorted. “I did not.”

“Indeed, you did. You pushed a Pinkerton agent to the ground and ran away.”

“Prove it,” he snapped.

Sometimes, men were so obtuse. “The backside of my trousers is still caked with dirt.”

He stretched his neck, turning his head more to look at her. “Yer not a Pinkerton agent.”

“I sure am, and I have the badge to prove it.” Using her foot, she added more weight on his back until he cried out. “Now tell me what I want to know.”

“Fine.” His chest heaved heavily. “I was told Hawk works for old man O’Leary at the Blue Creek Ranch. That is why I’m here. I want him to get me a job workin’ at the ranch.”
Alexa grinned wider. Once again, she got her man.