The Marshal's Mission
Lawman with a SecretHiding his true identity is the only way for U.S. Marshall Jesse Cole to bring bank robbers to justice. But the lovely widow whose Wyoming ranch he stumbles onto reminds him of everything he’s sacrificed for the law. When his job is done he’s resolved to leave Lenora Pritchard behind—until she and her son are threatened. Now the only way to protect them is to make her his wife.To conceal her late husband’s guilt, Lenora hid his stolen haul. And with a ruthless gang leader determined to retrieve it, she needs Cole’s protection for herself and her son. It’s a marriage in name only, founded on dangerous secrets…but could it possibly lead to a true and loving family?
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Lawman with a Secret
Hiding his true identity is the only way for US Marshal Jesse Cole to bring bank robbers to justice. But the lovely widow whose Wyoming ranch he stumbles onto reminds him of everything heâs sacrificed for the law. When his job is done, heâs resolved to leave Lenora Pritchard behindâuntil she and her son are threatened. Now the only way to protect them is to make her his wife.
To conceal her late husbandâs guilt, Lenora hid his stolen haul. And with a ruthless gang leader determined to retrieve it, she needs Coleâs protection for herself and her son. Itâs a marriage in name only, founded on dangerous secrets...but could it possibly lead to a true and loving family?
âSo what makes you restless, Cole?â
He opened his mouth to deny the claim, then gritted his teeth.
âYou once said you were looking to settle down, but you havenât yet. And send for your mother, but you havenât. And now youâre dragging a pregnant mare across countryâlooking for the perfect spot?â She shook her head. âThere is no such place.â
Her perception stunned him. Just seven months ago, his ma had asked him how many criminals he needed to put behind bars before he was satisfied. Twenty? Fifty? A hundred?
Just one more. That had been his justification. But after arresting one outlaw, Cole would hear of another that needed to be stopped. And another.
With parted lips, she watched him. For the first time in his life, someone out-silenced him.
âWay past my bedtime.â He was off the porch and halfway to the barn before he realized he hadnât said good-night.
However, it was the wisest thing to do. If he turned around and went back, heâd tell her things best kept secret. For now anyway.
I hope you enjoyed reading The Marshalâs Mission as much as I enjoyed writing it. I based this story on my great-grandfatherâs lifeâhe was an undercover US Marshal. Then I found out that though he had been married to my great-grandmother, he wasnât directly related to me. What a womanâshe outlived five husbands!
The West has always fascinated me. It was a pleasure to research the lives of the tough men and women who shaped our country.
Iâd love to hear from you. Write to me at [email protected] or PO Box 1642, West Jordan, UT 84088. Please visit my website at annazogg.com.
Anna
ANNA ZOGG has long been fascinated by the Westâranch life, horses and the tough men and women who tamed it. Ever drawn to her Native American roots, she and her husband, John, reside in the heart of the West. Visit annazogg.com to learn more about her love of music, her eclectic taste in fiction and some very special children.
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for Thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.
âPsalms 4:8
To my dear friend and sister in the Lord, Marilynn Rockelman. Without you, this story might never have been told.
Contents
Wyoming Territory, 1882
Who is that?
Hand poised over a scoop of dried beans, Lenora Pritchard peered out her kitchen window. Across the ranch yard, a form ducked out of sight. Was that Toby? Her son had left an hour ago to look for his missing dog. Why was he skulking around the barn?
Wiping her hands on her apron, she stepped onto the porch and stared. Nothing. She was certain she saw someone slink around the building not two minutes before.
A sudden gust of chill wind whipped her long skirts. She shivered as she gripped the porchâs column. Was rain coming? All afternoon the sky had been clear and beautiful.
As she looked upward, she gasped. A bank of ominous clouds rolled in from the north. Marching like an army, the mass devoured the warmth and light of the mid-April day. Many an unprepared traveler had died of exposure because of weather changes this time of year. Though her son wore his coat and hat, would they be enough to protect him in freezing temperatures?
âToby!â The roaring wind swallowed her call. She ran down the steps and into the yard. It was then she spied a half-dozen chickens, pecking in the long grass alongside the house. They were supposed to be locked in the fenced-in area attached to the coop. How...?
Darting between the shed and barn, Lenora yelled for her son again. When she saw the mangled enclosure, she gulped. The small, wooden building leaned at a crazy angle, held somewhat upright by the attached lightweight fencing. Had the wind blown it over?
As though in answer, a blast of air snatched the combs from her hair and spun it like a tornado. A single splat of icy rain hit her skin. She had to get the chickens inside. Now.
