Rubies and Rivers

She has a secret, and doesn’t want the hot-headed handsome lawman cowboy to find out. He is searching for a thief in this small town. But butting heads will only cause trouble.

Whitney Brooks compares herself to Robin Hood—she steals from the corrupt rich and gives to the humble poor. However, after she is crippled in an accident, she must change her life. As she sets out on righting the wrongs, she recognizes a man from her past. She fears the U.S. Marshal has come to arrest her.

Jake Sterling doesn’t consider himself a hero—he just takes his job seriously and arrests the outlaws. He is in search of stolen rubies and believes the woman who is lovelier than a desert rose has something to do with the missing gems.

Will they realize what is truly in their hearts and work together to find the rubies?

Standing still, like the dead, was her only option.

Footsteps shook the floor and entered the study. Panic filled Whitney Brooks as she closed her eyes, hoping the intruder wouldn’t notice she was hiding behind the heavy drapes covering the only window in the room.

Her heartbeat quickened, and she took slow breaths to keep calm. Yet, under the circumstances, how could she remain composed when she feared they’d find her? Being locked away in jail – or even hung – was not an option!

The person in the room stopped. Whitney held her breath. It was Mr. Crowley himself. His scent gave him away without having to peek around the drape and look at him. The man’s overbearing cologne wafted thickly through the air, making her want to gag. He smelled like a horse… like the animal’s droppings inside the stalls, no less. How could anyone stand to be around him when his scent was this horrid?

Inwardly, she groaned. She was going to be sick all over his floor unless he left quickly. If he didn’t discover where her hiding place was now, he’d definitely know she was here when she regurgitated.

Slowly, she lifted a hand to cover her nose. Whitney couldn’t blow her cover now.

Because of the thick, blue velvet drape blocking her view, she couldn’t see Mr. Crowley or why he had left his wife’s birthday party to venture into his study. His grumbles vibrated through the room. Whatever he was doing, he wasn’t having much success. She knew the feeling well. If he didn’t leave soon, she wouldn’t have much success stealing from him, either.

Whitney hadn’t originally started out to be a thief. On the contrary, but when her best friend’s father gambled away their money, leaving Constance destitute, Whitney knew she had to help. Constance needed money for the stagecoach to Utah, where her older sister and husband lived and would take care of her.

Constance’s grandfather, Mr. Crowley, was a greedy old man and wouldn’t lift a finger to help his granddaughter. He hadn’t even invited Constance or her father to this party tonight.

And so, Whitney would nudge the greedy old man into assisting dear Constance, even if he didn’t realize it.

Mr. Crowley grumbled. He was too close. Whitney could even smell his breath. He’d been eating fish. Her heart sank, and her stomach lurched. Had he found her? Yet, as she waited for him to whip back the drape and catch her, the moment never arrived. A few times, she caught herself holding her breath too long, and so she had to slowly exhale and draw in another breath as silently as she could. So then, who was he talking to just now? Himself?

A low rumble came from the man as he chuckled. Whatever he was doing, he was at his desk, and she specifically heard the rustle of papers. She was tempted to move the drape just a bit to watch him, but she resisted. If he didn’t know she was here, she certainly didn’t want to make him aware of her presence.

A drawer closed, and more papers rustled before his heavy footsteps moved out of the room. Once the door clicked shut, she released a heavy breath. Her limbs shook as she relaxed against the window. However, she couldn’t hesitate for very long. She had money to find and to get herself back downstairs before someone noticed she was missing from the party.

On soft feet, she moved away from the window and resumed her search through the study. Constance mentioned that her grandfather kept some of his money in his favorite room. Because he was always in this particular room, Constance assumed it was his favorite.

Unfortunately, her friend didn’t know exactly where the old man hid it. Whitney figured he wouldn’t miss fifty dollars. And, after all, it was going toward a good cause.

Being as quiet as a mouse, she pulled out each drawer of his desk, moving papers aside as she searched for the wad of money. Nothing. From there, she wandered to each scenery painting hanging on the wall and peeked behind them. Still nothing.

Whitney grumbled and shook her head. Where could it be?

Against the far wall stood two ebonized bookcases filled with volumes. The lower fourth of the shelf was a locked cupboard. Immediately, she recalled seeing a skeleton key when she’d searched through the desk. She hurried and retrieved the key and then knelt to see if it fit inside the keyhole.

Her hand shook, making it a little difficult to slide the key into the hole, but finally she accomplished that feat. Moisture beaded her forehead, and she grumbled under her breath.