An Agent for Scarlett Read online

  An Agent for Scarlett

  The Pinkerton Matchmaker Series

  By Marie Higgins

  Copyright © 2019 by Marie Higgins

  Edited by Teresa Pearson and Veronica Mesia

  Cover Art by Virginia McKevitt

  Edition License Notes

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

  Contents

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  Scarlett St. John is a lonely rich woman who can’t seem to follow society’s rules on being proper. She relies on her grandfather and his servants to keep her entertained from day to day until... an ancient artifact is stolen from her grandfather and a Pinkerton Agent arrives to solve the crime. Although Travis Hancock is very handsome and charming, he had broken her heart as a young girl, and she doesn’t think she can forgive him. But when the Pinkerton agent involves her in the case of searching for the priceless artifact, she’s anxious to find her grandfather’s ancient shield. Suddenly, the hunt becomes exciting. Working with an agent isn’t that terrible –quite the opposite, in fact. The sweetly conniving man just might change her mind about forgiving him after all.

  ONE

  Colorado 1872

  “Did you hear,” Mrs. Whittle leaned closer to the General Store’s owner across the counter, and lowered her voice, “that Miss St. John had the audacity to ride astride on her horse wearing trousers in the middle of town... and with her hair down?”

  Seething, Scarlett St. John stood behind the rack of umbrellas, wringing her hands against her middle. She loathed little old biddies like Mrs. Whittle, and she’d rather stay far away from them. Unfortunately, making a trip into town and to the General Store was necessary this morning.

  Scarlett glanced at the store’s owner who was on the other side of the counter. Mrs. Kramer was an outstanding figure in the community, so why was she gossiping, too? Scarlett didn’t know if everyone in this town was two-faced, or if they just treated her kindly when she came to stay with her grandfather every so often. Maybe they didn’t approve of the way she lived because she’d been spoiled most of her life... and ignored by her parents.

  However, it didn’t matter how she was raised or that her grandfather was a prominent man around these parts. These people in the town of Loveland, Colorado, needed to learn that gossiping about other people did not make them look good. Not only that, but those involved in the gossip were also hurt – in more ways than one.

  Straightening her shoulders, Scarlett realized that the only way these women would learn how not to gossip was if she taught them a lesson. At least she hoped that’s how it would work out.

  Taking deep breaths for courage, she moved around the umbrella stand and stepped closer to old biddy Mrs. Whittle. The store’s owner saw her first, and Mrs. Kramer’s eyes widened and her cheeks reddened.

  Mrs. Whittle still didn’t know that Scarlett was behind her. The urge to reach out and slap the old woman became strong, but she refrained, which was quite difficult at the moment.

  The old biddy fanned her face and shook her head “Why, in my book, that Miss St. John is only causing scandal. It’s highly improper for a young woman of her age to be sinning like that.”

  Scarlett stepped to the side of the gossiper and leaned against the desk. When Mrs. Whittle’s gaze landed on Scarlett, the old woman gasped and her face lost color.

  “It appears to me,” Scarlett said with her shoulders pulled back, “that you, Mrs. Whittle, have been reading inappropriate materials about scandals since I’m not in your book. And... were you aware that gossiping is Satan’s tool as well?” She shook her head. “I sincerely hope I’ll see you at church on Sunday, asking forgiveness for your sins. During that time, I hope you’ll remember that I’m the victim of your cruel gossiping and that I will be needing an apology from you, as well.” She stepped back, enjoying the stunned expressions of the two women who looked at Scarlett with their mouths agape. “Good day, ladies.”

  Keeping her temper intact, Scarlett tightened her thick cloak around her shoulders, left the store, and moved to her buggy. It wasn’t until she climbed in and took the reins when she expelled a gush of air from her mouth. Her grandfather always told her how strong-willed she was, which of course, was a polite word for coming outright and calling her stubborn. However, it didn’t matter how strong-willed she was, it still felt like tiny knives stabbing her heart when she heard people talking poorly about her. Why didn’t gossipers think of other people’s feelings before they started spouting off hateful and damaging words?

  Her eyes stung with unshed tears and she blinked rapidly to remove the liquid. She couldn’t let her grandfather notice the tears. He’d certainly want to know why. She couldn’t possibly tell him that people in his town didn’t approve of her lifestyle. It would break his heart just as it was breaking hers.

  Then again, she had experienced her heart breaking many times in her life. Growing up with parents who never wanted to spend time with her was at the top of the list. But once she became a woman, she discovered another sort of heartbreak when the men who courted her were not serious in their endeavors. They all told her they enjoyed her company, but nobody wanted to kiss her, and they certainly didn’t want to ask for her hand in marriage. After a while, she wondered if they even knew how wealthy she was. However, she definitely didn’t want a man who loved her money more than her.

  It was difficult not to remember the young man she’d taken a fancy to when she was fifteen. He was a few years older at seventeen, and in her adolescent eyes, he was a man. His father was her grandfather’s friend, and they’d known each other since they were young. As Scarlett matured, she had done everything she could to make this particular man take notice. Unfortunately, he wasn’t falling for any of her subtle tactics. It didn’t take long before realizing that no matter what she did to get Travis to notice her as a woman, he would always just think of her as a little girl. She’d cried for weeks over that heartbreak since it was the first time she’d given her heart to a man.

  “Miss St. John.” Her name floated on the breeze, but she couldn’t see the man who was calling out to her.

  She slowed her horse and glanced around the street, trying to locate who was calling her. The sun was warmer on her face this morning, and she blocked the glare with her hand. When she noticed Neil Maitland waving and hurrying toward her, she brought the horse to a full stop. Her heartbeat fluttered wildly as he came near. Neil Maitland had shown signs of being interested in her, but he had yet to ask her grandfather permission to court her.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Maitland.” She smiled.

  Neil wasn’t as tall as most men, but he still had her height beaten by two inches. He was quite handsome, and she especially liked the way he smiled because it made his eyes twinkle. He doffed his hat and ran his fingers through his deep auburn hair.

  “Good afternoon, Miss St. John.” He leaned against the middle of her buggy, closer to her. “You are looking mighty pretty today. May I ask what the special occasion is?”

  She laughed lightly. He was always trying to charm her. He was a tease, but she couldn’t convince her heart of that. In a way, Neil reminded her of T
ravis, but at least Neil noticed her as a woman.

  “There is no special occasion. I just came into town to see if the train brought in my grandfather’s new plow.”

  Neil’s eyebrows lifted. “And had it?”

  “Unfortunately, no.”

  A small breeze teased his hair, blowing a lock across his forehead. She was tempted to push it back on his head, so she tightened her fingers around the reins. Touching him like that in public would definitely be improper. Then again, she was already known through town as Marvin Jensen’s scandalous granddaughter.

  “Well, I thought about coming over later to visit with your grandfather. I have a Charles Dickens’ book that I’m sure he’ll love to read.”

  Nodding eagerly, she leaned closer. “Oh, yes. My grandfather loves Charles Dickens. I’m certain he’d love to see you again.”

  Neil’s expression softened. “Will you be there, too?”

  Her heart tripped. She shouldn’t let this affect her. After all, he’d flirted with her before, but it came to nothing. “Of course. My parents are out of the country again, and so I’m staying with Grandfather.”

  “Splendid.” He pulled away, smiling wide. “Then I shall see you later.” He tipped his hat and stepped away from her.

  If only her heart wouldn’t play tricks on her. Neil was a flirt and that was all... and she was beyond tired of thinking something might happen. She’d learned by now not to count her chickens before they were hatched.

  She shook the reins to get the horse to start its trotting again as she headed for her grandfather’s home up on the hillside. He wasn’t as wealthy as her parents, but he had a lovely home and a large spot of land to raise his horses, which he dearly loved. What was money if one couldn’t love their life? Scarlett knew that story well.

  As the buggy made the climb up the hill, her thoughts moved to her childhood, growing up the only child of Landon and Wilma St. John. Her father had come from a family of wealth and so Scarlett was given most anything her heart desired. As an adult, she realized she was bored with things being handed to her. She wanted more of a life. She wanted to live as she’d seen her friends live with adventure in their lives... and of course, love. Lots of love.

  The older she grew, the more she questioned if her parents really wanted a child at all, since they were always leaving her with Grandfather Jensen so they could sail the world. Grandfather seemed like her only relative who cared about her. While spending time at his house, he allowed her to become friends with the servants and people who were not as wealthy as her family. When she was at home with her parents, they scolded her for trying to make friends with the hired help.

  As she neared the two-story, brown-bricked home with a wrap-around porch, she noticed a one-horse buggy and another horse out in front that she didn’t recognize. By now, she knew the people who dropped by to visit her grandfather, and especially what their modes of transportation looked like. The buggy was very similar to the sheriff’s.

  She guided her horse and buggy to the stable. A servant hurried over to help her down. Once she was out of the buggy, she glanced at the house again.

  “Timothy? Do you know who is here visiting my grandfather?”

  “Oh, yes, Miss Scarlett. One man is a friend your grandfather knew when he was a boy, and the other is the sheriff.”

  She grumbled under her breath. Why hadn’t she been wrong about him? “Why is the sheriff here?

  “Sheriff Simpson is here with the Pinkerton Agent to investigate the stolen artifact, at your grandfather’s request, of course.”

  She lifted her skirts just high enough to dash across the yard and toward the front stone steps, and into the house. A maid met her at the door, and Scarlett unwrapped the cloak from around her shoulders and tossed the garment to the servant. Immediately, voices echoed from down the hall. Scarlett suspected they would be in grandfather’s study.

  Stolen artifact? Her grandfather had collected many artifacts over the years that were worth a great deal of money. He kept them protected the best he could. So how could one have been stolen? She’d only been in town for two hours. Had it happened during that time?

  As she hurried toward her grandfather’s study, she passed his trophy room. This wasn’t just for trophies his horses had won, but for keeping some of his ancient artifacts on display. The voices drifted from that room, so she stopped, turned sharply, and moved inside.

  Grandfather stood next to Sheriff Simpson. The middle-aged man had always made her uneasy, but it was only because of the way he stared at her with a spark of interest in his wary eyes. Her stomach churned. She was young enough to be his own daughter, for heaven’s sake!

  When he saw her, he gave her the sickening smile that always claimed his face when she was near. This time, however, she wasn’t sure how polite she could be around him, even if her grandfather was next to him.

  She ignored the sheriff and moved to her grandfather, clutching his arm. “What’s going on?”

  Her grandfather was still a handsome man for his age, and still had the strength to ride his horses and train them. Although wrinkles marred his forehead, eyes, and around his mouth – and his dark brown hair had more gray strands than brown, he could still outrun any man ten years younger than him.

  He gently patted her cheek. “Oh, my dear, Scarlett. Please, don’t worry your pretty head about this.”

  “How can I not? Timothy said something had been stolen.”

  “Yes, something has.” He nodded to the middle-aged man next to him with the portly belly. “You remember Sheriff Simpson.”

  “Yes, of course, I do.” She wouldn’t look at the other man for fear she would regurgitate.

  “Marvin,” the sheriff said, “your granddaughter has turned into a real beauty.”

  Her stomach lurched. Perhaps she was going to throw up after all. “Grandfather, I insist you tell me what’s going on.”

  “I will, my dear.” Holding her hand to his arm, he moved them toward the other man in the room.

  She hadn’t noticed the second man, even though Timothy had told her there were two men here. But as she looked him over, it surprised her how much younger he was than she’d suspected for being friends with her grandfather. This man was tall, slender, and quite attractive. A mustache over his top lip wasn’t as repulsive as she’d seen on other men. In fact, it fit this man’s rugged handsomeness very well. It was the same sandy-brown color as his hair. He seemed to entertain himself by studying Grandfather’s collection of ancient artifacts.

  “Forgive me for interrupting your investigation, Agent Hancock,” Grandfather said as they stopped by the man, “but I believe you remember my granddaughter, Miss Scarlett St. John.”

  The man smiled, meeting her gaze. “Indeed, I do remember Miss Scarlett. We were children together.” He nodded. “A pleasure to see you again, and I must say the years have been extremely kind.”

  Her breath stalled in her throat. Memories crashed through her mind, along with the pain that came with them. Travis Hancock? It couldn’t be! He didn’t look anything like the young man who’d broken her heart... and he was so much more a man now. Not only his muscular body, but he seemed to have thicker hair.

  “I... I...” She swallowed and cleared her throat, embarrassed from her stuttering. “It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Hancock. And look at you, a Pinkerton Agent like your father.”

  Travis chuckled. “I don’t know if you remember, but when I was young, I always wanted to be like my father.”

  She tried to smile, but her face had tightened more as she remembered that he had broken her heart. “Yes, I do recall you telling me about some of his and my grandfather’s cases.”

  Grandfather swept his hand in the air, indicating Mr. Hancock’s tall frame. “And Charles would be happy to see that you did turn out just like him.”

  “Yes, well... my father died doing what he loved best – catching outlaws.” Travis smiled wistfully.

  The stressful situation had begun t
o wear on her. It irritated her that Travis was so very handsome because she honestly didn’t think she could forgive him for the heartbreak he’d put her through.

  “My dear,” Grandfather said, patting her hand, “I’ve asked Travis here to assist the sheriff with finding the artifact that was stolen. This Pinkerton agent is as trustworthy as his father, and I don’t want anyone else working this case.”

  “I’m glad my grandfather trusts you enough to have you help him during this time,” she told Travis through stiff lips. She looked at her grandfather and frowned. “What piece was stolen?”

  “It was the shield with the knight engraved on the front.”

  “Oh, dear.” She sighed sadly. “That was a very old piece.”

  “Marvin,” the sheriff said, moving to stand in their circle, “exactly how old was this shield?”

  Her grandfather inhaled deeply and released it slowly, shaking his head. “I wish I could tell you. I stumbled across it while building my home. I’d helped with the digging, and the piece was uncovered during that time. I took it to an art collector, and they guessed the piece to be at least three-hundred-years-old.

  The sheriff’s beady eyes widened. “That old?”

  “Mr. Jensen,” Agent Hancock asked, “how many people knew of the shield’s value?”

  “Although I love collecting ancient artifacts,” Grandfather said, “I don’t brag about their worth. When friends come to the house to see my collection and ask questions, I tell them I don’t know how much they are worth. Because in all fairness... I really don’t.”

  Agent Hancock folded his arms and tapped his fingers on his forearm. “I hope you don’t mind if I question your servants. I also need you to make me a list of friends who have seemed overly inquisitive about your collection.”

  “Yes, I can get you that list.” Grandfather sighed and looked back at Scarlett. “Will you help me?”

  “Of course, Grandfather.” She hugged his arm.

  “Marvin,” the sheriff said, moving toward the window. “I believe this is where the culprit entered.”