The Bounty Hunter's Redemption by Janet Dean Read Free Book Online

believed she might bite, the bounty hunter set her away from him and took a step back. “Quite the contrary, Mrs. Richards. I brought the deed.”
    Carly closed her eyes and fought to slow her breathing before she again fainted on the ruffian. “Where is it?”
    He waved a hand toward a wagon. On the seat sat a pretty woman dressed entirely in black. She was wearing a stunning black traveling suit befitting a well-dressed widow that immediately caught Carly’s attention.
    Carly’s stomach dipped. The newcomer looked too much like Mr. Sergeant to be anyone other than his sister, the woman who held the deed to the shop and had lost her husband at Max’s hand.
    “Mrs. Richards, this is my sister Anna Hankins.”
    At the mention of Carly’s name, Mrs. Hankins gave a tentative smile, her eyes filling with uncertainty. “I’m pleased to meet you.”
    With every ounce of her well-honed will, Carly fought for composure, and then said the only true and nice thing she could think of to the woman who had the power to ruin her life. “I like your dress.”
    “Thank you.” Anna smoothed her skirt with gloved hands. “I designed and made it myself.”
    Tiny tucks adorned the bodice, each one exactly like the next. Covered buttons down the front and on the cuffs had not the slightest pucker. The buttonholes were neat and evenly spaced. From collar to waist, the bodice fit Mrs. Hankins’s slender frame to perfection.
    Apparently the woman had the skill to create exquisite clothing. Skill and time and most certainly an interest, but that didn’t mean she had the know-how to operate a seamstress shop.
    “I love to sew,” Anna said. “I can while away an entire day making a dress. I’ve only done a little sewing for ladies at my church. Just pin money, really.” She waved a gloved hand at the shop. “I admire your talent for running a business.”
    The compliment didn’t match Carly’s image of Nate Sergeant’s sister. “Well, thank you.”
    “I know the circumstances are unusual, even uncomfortable,” Anna said, shooting her brother a pointed glance. “I’m very sorry about all that’s happened.”
    The bounty hunter clamped his jaw, wisely keeping his own counsel.
    “Me, too. You have my sympathy,” Carly said, her face heating with humiliation that Max had not only killed this woman’s husband, he’d threatened her life.
    “As you have mine.”
    Did Mrs. Hankins actually believe Carly grieved for a man like Max? “From what the sheriff said, the decision on the shop’s ownership rests with the circuit judge.”
    “When’s the judge expected?” Nate Sergeant said.
    Carly shrugged, refusing to discuss the matter with him and turned to his sister.
    “I’d love to spend a day in your shop,” Anna Hankins said. “The idea of running a business feels a lot like jumping into a dark pool without knowing what rocks lay hidden beneath the surface.” She sighed. “I know I’d be way over my head. Not that I expect to need the information,” she added quickly, her cheeks flooding with color.
    Without wanting to, Carly found herself connecting with Anna Hankins. Almost liking her. Almost .
    Carly didn’t want to help this woman succeed if the judge ruled in Mrs. Hankins’s favor. Still, Carly well remembered those feelings when she’d first reopened the shop.
    Anna Hankins had talent and a sweet spirit. Carly’s breath caught. Could she be God’s solution to Carly’s dilemma? She’d prayed for help making the wedding trousseau, never expecting that help to come from her adversary. But no one else had the time and that kind of skill.
    “You’re welcome to spend a day in my shop.”
    From the look on Nate Sergeant’s face, he found Carly’s offer startling. Had he expected her and Anna to put up their fists and fight for ownership? Probably. What bounty hunter could conceive of peaceful opponents?
    If the woman worked in the shop, perhaps Carly could learn exactly what had happened at that poker