Callahan's Gold (Southwest Desert Series Book 3) by Mary Tate Engels Read Free Book Online Page A

You're going gold digging, Tory. And it's in the heart of some of the roughest terrain in this country. That's what keeps most folks out. Only the roughest and most determined make it."
    She tapped her rose-polished nails on the table. "Well, you'll find I'm pretty determined. I'll make it."
    "I have no doubts about that, city lady," he said as he gave her an approving grin. "But I couldn't help noticing you weren't very rough, so we have some work to do gearing you up." He forked up the bacon and plopped two eggs into the skillet.
    Tory squeezed her eyes shut at the thought of all that cholesterol and oil. Oh, well, she wouldn't be there very long. Maybe a few days of the wrong foods wouldn't ruin her insides or her figure.
    "Here. Maybe you'd like to see what Sharkey was really like." Dodge tossed an old, yellowed newspaper down on the table and went back to the eggs. "The Tucson paper did a story on gold mining a few years back and took this shot of Sharkey and his old desert canary. It's the only picture of him that I know of. Kind of captures the essence of him, though."
    Tory tried to remain detached as she gazed at the yellowed photo of the grizzled, bearded old miner and his flop-eared mule. This was her father? It didn't seem possible. He didn't look anything like she imagined, or hoped. Of course, to expect a pin-striped-suited dandy wasn't reasonable, either.
    Dodge slid a plate of steaming food on the table in front of her. "Well, what do you think of your daddy?"
    "Honestly, Dodge, I'm not impressed. Looks like a drifter to me." She shoved the paper away and tackled her eggs. "Hmm, this looks great. I can't remember the last time I had bacon and eggs for breakfast. Lean and. . . nice."
    He studied her silently for a moment, as if assessing her reaction. "It's beefalo. A fellow over at Sierra Vista, a town near here, breeds buffalo and cattle together. Healthier, so they say."
    "B—buffalo?" She stared at the meat, then at Dodge. "We're eating buffalo meat?"
    "Sure, why not? It constituted the mainstay of the old-timer's diet. Indians, too."
    "I—I can't believe it. I thought they were extinct by now."
    "Naw, they're coming back. Environmentalists, you know."
    Tory nibbled her eggs, wondering if they were some near-extinct creature, too. When would she adjust to this . . . this time-warp place that seemed to be caught in a wedge of a hundred years ago?
    Dodge paused. "What's wrong?"
    "Nothing. It's just that this place is so strange. From the moment I arrived, I felt as though I'd stepped back in time. Like we're living in history in this distant corner of the world."
    "That's the way we like it. It's why most of us are here, I suppose. Yep, I guess this is quite different from L.A." He finished off his meal. "You sure you want to go up the mountain with us?"
    "Yes, of course. I'm not backing out yet. I was just making a comment on the social atmosphere. And if I need different clothes, I'll get them. Where would you suggest I go shopping?"
    "I'd suggest Sierra Vista. I'll go with you."
    "Oh, Dodge, you don't have to—"
    He stopped her with an upraised hand. "I'd like it. I need to make sure you get the right equipment. Plus I have some shopping to do, too."
    "Oh, sure." She hid a smile with her hand. "Sure you do, Dodge."
    He leaned forward, and his dark brown eyes held a gleam. "Actually, it's just an excuse to spend a little more time with you. It isn't often that such a pretty lady comes to town, way out here. Plus, it's an honor to finally meet Sharkey's little girl."
    "I'm not—"
    "I know. You sure aren't, Tory. You're very much your own person."
    "So was Sharkey, from the look of that photo," she claimed defiantly.
    "Yep, Sharkey sure was. Guess you're your father's daughter, after all, Tory."
    She leaned back in her seat and glared at the tall cowboy opposite her. Damned if he wasn't right.
    Within the hour, they were rambling in his shiny black and red Blazer toward Sierra Vista. On every horizon