Love Finds You in Tombstone, Arizona by Miralee Ferrell Page A

wailing and crying when they arrived.
    “I don’t believe it for a minute. Jake is wrong. Logan is alive and comin’ home soon with plenty of money.” Ivy shook her head stubbornly. “Jake always was a fool with not enough sense to shake a stick at.”
    Christy stared, not sure how to respond. Her mother was obviously ill. Maybe she couldn’t deal with the situation, and the possibility her husband was dead. She forced herself to relax. “Whatever you say, Ma. Are you hungry? I didn’t see much food in the pantry.”
    Ivy wagged her head. “Not hungry. Where’s Joshua? That boy was supposed to bring his winnin’s home. He been here yet?”
    Christy shut her eyes as despondency rolled over her. She’d so hoped somehow that Ma would have changed since her last visit when Ma, Logan, and Joshua lived in Sacramento. After her mother married her third husband, Logan, they’d moved from one mining town to the next over the next few years, dragging Joshua with them. Tombstone was only one of many attempts to get rich at either gold mining or gambling, whichever hit first. Problem was, they were always chasing a golden rainbow that had yet to pan out.
    “He was here for a while, but he left. He didn’t say anything about winning any money.” Best to keep the episode at the saloon to herself, Christy decided. “Joshua said the cash Logan left you is gone. I thought Logan hit a nice little pocket of gold and left you plenty to live on.”
    Her mother frowned. “Joshua promised he could increase what we salted away, but I think he lost most of it. I put some aside he don’t know about, though. And don’t you be tellin’ him, neither. It’s all the food money I got left.”
    “Don’t worry, Ma, he’ll not hear it from me.” She felt sick to her stomach. Ma had never been able to stand against Joshua’s wheedling when he needed money to gamble. Why Ma allowed him to tag after Logan and sit at a poker table at the age of sixteen, she’d never understood, but her brother’s fascination with the game had only increased since. She doubted the stash would last long. “How about you let me take care of it for you? In fact, if you’ll give me a little now, I’ll go to town and buy some supplies so I can fix us a decent meal.”
    Ma twisted her lips to the side and seemed to study on the idea for several moments, then pushed to her feet. “I’ll give you some, but you can’t take charge of the rest. You stay here. Don’t want nobody knowin’ where I keep that money.”
    “Oh, Ma.” Christy blew out a hard breath. “I won’t touch your money without permission.”
    “Don’t care what I think I know. I keep that money in a secret place, and I ain’t tellin’ where it is.”
    “Fine. I’ll sit right here.”
    “No. You step outside so you can’t see what room I go in.” Ma waved toward the door. “Go on now, scoot.”
    “Will you be all right if I walk to the livery and ask them to deliver my trunk?”
    “Why wouldn’t I be all right? I’m here every blamed day alone, ain’t I? Not like you been around to care for your ailin’ ma before today.”
    Christy winced and walked to the door. There was no sense in answering. Her mother had already turned and headed for the kitchen.
    Christy had hoped when she’d left Last Chance that she might start a new life and find some happiness. Now she stepped outside, not looking back. She couldn’t see anything resembling happiness in this place and doubted she ever would. Maybe she’d made the wrong decision in coming to care for Ma. After all, Ma didn’t act as though she cared to have her around. Returning to Last Chance and the warm acceptance of friends sounded mighty appealing about now.

Chapter Seven

    Christy stepped into the livery stable. No one in sight. Strange. She was certain the stage driver stated someone would be here all day so she could retrieve her trunk. He’d said the OK Corral Livery, and the sign outside clearly proclaimed this to