An Agent for Scarlett Read online

  As she walked into the parlor, the man who had been staring out the window, turned toward her, smiling brightly.... and holding a bouquet of red roses. Her heart sank in disappointment. Neil?

  “Good morning, Scarlett.” His gaze briefly ran over her. “You look so pretty today, that I’m afraid these roses will look dismal next to you.” He handed her the flowers.

  As always, his words were so sweet, and this was the first time he’d given her flowers. Strange to think her heart wasn’t skipping as it had done with Travis last night.

  “Oh, Neil. They are lovely, thank you.” She leaned into the bouquet and sniffed. She’d always loved the scent of roses.

  “I hope you don’t mind that I dropped in on you unexpectedly.”

  “Of course not.” She turned toward the maid out in the hallway and motioned for the servant to enter. “Please put these in a vase with fresh water. Also, inform my grandfather that we have a visitor.”

  “Yes, Miss Scarlett.” The maid took the bouquet and left.

  She smiled at Neil, but it wasn’t exactly a full smile – not like she’d given him before, anyway. “Can I get you any tea or coffee?”

  “No, but thank you.”

  She moved to the settee and sat. He sat beside her, but thankfully, not too close.

  “I knew I had to come to tell you what happened after I’d left to offer my assistance to the sheriff yesterday.”

  Scarlett blinked, mentally scolding herself for forgetting that part of her day. “Yes, please tell me. I’ve thought of nothing since.” So, she lied... It was better than admitting she hadn’t thought of him at all since Travis had shown up.

  He sighed and shook his head. “I am very upset, let me tell you.”

  “What happened?”

  “When I offered my services to the sheriff, he downright refused.”

  She gasped. “But why?”

  “Believe me, I was confused, too. In fact, he told me he had an important appointment, so I left.”

  Scarlett held her breath. He hadn’t been in the sheriff’s office for very long, so had he seen her and Travis together? She prayed that wasn’t the case. Just in case he had seen her and Travis, she’d let Neil start the conversation about what he’d seen.

  “How inconsiderate.” She frowned. “You know, I’ve never had any respect for Sheriff Simpson. There’s just something about him that makes me... queasy.”

  Neil arched an eyebrow and nodded. “Exactly. I felt the same thing after I walked out of his office, so I hid behind the back of the building and waited for him to leave... then I followed him.”

  Relieved that he hadn’t seen her with Travis by the large oak tree, she sighed, but then suddenly, her interest spiked and she leaned closer to him. “Oh, tell me you discovered something incriminating.”

  Neil chuckled. “I’m not sure how incriminating it is, but I did follow him to a cabin on the other end of town, deep into the woods.”

  “Really?” She scrunched her forehead. “I think I know what place that is but isn’t it empty?”

  He scooted closer and touched her arm. “I thought it was, too, but as I crept up on the place, I noticed some smoke billowing out of the chimney. There wasn’t very much, but enough for me to know that someone was staying there.”

  “Who was it? Did you see?”

  “It surprised me to see the sheriff walk into the abandoned cabin, but what was even more surprising was—”

  “Mr. Maitland.”

  The booming voice of her grandfather calling out to Neil caused her to jump and swing her attention toward him walking into the room. But... walking seconds behind him was Travis. She sucked in a quick breath as her heartbeat raced with excitement. Travis looked so good this morning, but his expression didn’t give her the feeling as if he felt the same way. He appeared almost upset, especially when he peered toward Neil.

  Inwardly, she groaned, remembering she and Neil were sitting so close together on the settee, and the man’s hand was still on her arm. Indeed, that was very improper. Slowly, her heart began to wrench. She didn’t want Travis to think she held feelings for Neil.

  “Mr. Jensen.” Neil quickly stood.

  “I didn’t expect you this early,” her grandfather said warily.

  As she studied the older man’s face, she knew he was also a little upset that she and Neil were alone together. Yet, the servants were out in the hallway, and the door remained open the whole time. However, would that even matter to her grandfather, or even to Travis?

  “Agent Hancock,” she said, standing. “What a pleasure it is to see you again.” She motioned to Neil. “I don’t think you’ve met my friend, Neil Maitland.”

  Travis reached out and shook hands with Neil. “Actually, Miss Scarlett, I met Mr. Maitland yesterday.”

  “It’s good to see you again.” Neil smiled at Travis.

  The tenseness in the room was so thick she could have cut it with a knife. She tried breathing calmly, but her rapidly beating heart wouldn’t allow it, especially since Travis still looked at her with an expression of betrayal on his handsome face. If only they were alone. She would let him see that she had no feelings for Neil any longer. Not since a certain Pinkerton agent walked into her life and had kissed her.

  “Do you have any leads?” Neil asked Travis.

  “I have a few, but nothing that will lead to an arrest, yet.” Travis glanced at Scarlett. “I’m sorry we interrupted you. It sounded as if Mr. Maitland was telling you an interesting story.”

  She laughed lightly. “Actually, he was telling me—”

  Suddenly, loud footsteps boomed on the floor. “Mr. Jensen! Come quick. It’s back!”

  All heads turned toward the butler, running into the parlor, huffing as he tried to catch his breath. His cheeks were red from exertion.

  “Landis,” her grandfather said, moving closer to the butler. “What are you jabbering about?” Grandfather touched the servant’s shoulder. “Calm down and tell me what’s going on.”

  “The... shield.” Landis pointed out in the hallway. “It’s back. The shield.”

  Scarlett gasped. Travis and her grandfather exchanged surprised looks, mere seconds before they were both scrambling to get into the trophy room. Scarlett hurried behind them.

  “Not, not there,” Landis said as his voice lifted higher. “It’s over here.”

  The butler led the way down the corridor toward the back of the house, only stopping just before he reached the outside door. He pointed to the planter table. Laying right next to the plant was the stolen shield... but it wasn’t stolen any longer.

  “What in tarnation...” Grandfather snatched the artifact up and examined it closely.

  Scarlett rushed to her grandfather’s side. She couldn’t keep her focus off the shield as she looked for any signs that it had been tampered with.

  “Landis,” Travis asked the butler, “do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

  “Not at all, Agent Hancock.” The sixty-year-old man with white hair nodded.

  As Travis walked away with the butler, she touched her grandfather’s arm. His shocked gaze met her. “Grandfather? How could this have happened?”

  “I... don’t know, my dear.” He glanced at Neil and then back to Scarlett and shrugged. “This is a priceless artifact. I’m sure it’s worth a lot of money. Why would the thief return it?”

  Neil shook his head. “Whatever the reasons, I’m very happy that you have it back, Mr. Jensen. But may I suggest that you keep it in another location, one that is more protected?”

  Scarlett nodded. “That’s what I have been trying to tell my grandfather for years.”

  “Yes, you two are correct.” Grandfather smiled and patted Scarlett’s cheek. “I have learned a valuable lesson, and nearly lost something very important.” He took hold of Neil’s hand. “I hope you forgive me, but I’m not going to ride the horses with you today. I have plans to make on how to keep my artifacts safe.”

  Neil smiled. “There is nothing to forgive. I would have done the same thing.” He turned to Scarlett. “I will have to continue my story another time.”

  “Yes, I think that’s best.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “Would you mind terribly if I dropped by later today, perhaps late afternoon? It would be my honor to take you on a drive in my buggy.”

  Scarlett wasn’t sure she heard him correctly. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Nah, she must have misunderstood.

  “Neil?” Grandfather tilted his head as he narrowed his gaze on the man in question. “Do you have plans to court my granddaughter? Because your invitation certainly sounded like it.”

  Embarrassment crept over Scarlett from her grandfather’s crassness. However, it also surprised her that she wasn’t inwardly shouting for joy, especially since she’d been waiting for Neil to ask permission from her grandfather to court her. Instead, she held her breath and hoped that he didn’t want to pursue a relationship with her.

  Neil’s eyes widened as his gaze jumped between her and Grandfather. “Well, I...”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Travis moved slowly toward their circle. Sadness encased his face, and her heart dropped. He’d heard, she just knew it!

  Her stomach twisted, and her mind tried to find an excuse or a way out of this awkward moment. She didn’t want Neil to court her. Instead, she wanted Travis.

  SEVEN

  Travis couldn’t breathe. The tight pain in his chest was unmistakable. He was jealous – completely and utterly jealous – and he’d been feeling this way since he witnessed a quaint scene with Scarlett and Neil sitting entirely too close on the couch with his hand on her arm. And now as Neil stumbled over his thoughts while trying to tactfully answer Marvin’s question about courting Scarlett...
Travis felt uncomfortable. He couldn’t be here now. He didn’t want to hear Neil’s words asking to court Scarlett.

  Scarlett’s wide-eyed gaze hopped from person to person standing in the hallway as color continued growing in her cheeks. Travis couldn’t quite read her expression. Was she panicked or just embarrassed?

  “Well, you see, Mr. Jensen,” Neil chuckled awkwardly, “I was thinking—”

  “Grandfather,” Scarlett said quickly. “It’s not fair to cause our guests discomfort. Besides,” she took a breath, “there are more important things right now that we need to worry about.”

  Marvin sighed heavily and nodded. “You’re correct, my dear.” He looked at Neil. “Forgive me for putting you in the spotlight. We don’t need to discuss that now.”

  Travis cleared his throat. “Marvin? I hope you don’t mind, but I need to speak to you and Scarlett privately about the robbery. I have discovered more information, but I need to talk to you about it, first.”

  “Oh, certainly.” Marvin nodded. “Neil, I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all.” Neil’s voice seemed more relaxed now. “Miss Scarlett, Mr. Jensen, I shall drop by and visit you both later.”

  Travis waited for the man to walk down the hall before he looked at Marvin. “I believe we need to keep this conversation private. Can we go to your study?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Marvin led the way. When Travis passed Scarlett, she quickly stepped beside him. From the corner of his eye, he could tell she was looking at him, but right now, he didn’t want her to recognize the pain of rejection he carried inside him that he was certain filled his eyes. As difficult as it was not to glance at her lovely face, he kept his focus on the back of Marvin’s head until they walked into the study and closed the door.

  “What have you found?” Marvin asked, moving behind his desk and sitting on his chair.

  Scarlett sat on a chair closest to her grandfather. Her pretty amber eyes glistened from the light shining through the nearby window.

  “After questioning your butler, I started wondering why the thief would return a priceless artifact not long after he’d stolen it.” Linking his arms behind him, Travis paced the floor in the study. “There are only a few reasons why a thief would return something that could obviously make him – or her – a wealthy person. I came up with two possibilities.” He stopped in front of Marvin’s desk, looking at the man his father had loved like a brother. “Either the thief was a close friend to the family and had a moment of guilt and regret, or...” His gaze moved to Scarlett, sitting on the edge of her seat, hanging onto Travis’ every word as her pretty eyes held a hint of anticipation. “Or, there is something extra unique about the shield and the thief was unable to figure it out.”

  Confusion crossed Scarlett’s face. She blinked and moved her focus to her grandfather. Marvin, on the other hand, looked as if he’d been caught sneaking fresh cookies from the kitchen.

  Travis leaned over the desk and picked up the book-size shield. The scene artfully carved on the steel shield was of a knight in full armor protecting a woman. Both the knight and the woman stood in front of the window of a house or building. The window was dented in deeper than the other objects in the scene. Another thing odd was that the sword in the knight’s belt was loose. It was definitely a remarkable shield, hand-carved by someone very imaginative. “Marvin? Is there something about this peculiar shield that you haven’t told me?”

  Scratching his head, Marvin sighed slowly. Scarlett stared at her grandfather through a narrowed gaze.

  “Yes, I suppose there is something I haven’t mentioned.” Marvin glanced at an obviously shocked Scarlett and shrugged. “I didn’t want you to get too excited or hopeful.”

  “What are you talking about, Grandfather?”

  Marvin motioned to Travis. “Please sit. Your pacing is making me nervous.”

  Nodding, Travis sat on a chair in front of the desk, placing the shield back on the desktop.

  “Forgive me for not telling you sooner, but I had hoped that nobody else had heard of the rumor surrounding this interesting piece.” Marvin touched the shield. “I hadn’t heard of it until last year when I was showing Mr. Hale my collection.”

  “Who is Mr. Hale?” Travis asked.

  “He has since died, but he was the town’s historian.” Marvin looked at Scarlett. “His granddaughter was one of your friends.”

  “Margaret?” Scarlett asked.

  “Yes, that’s the one.” Marvin shifted his attention to Travis. “Mr. Hale told me that this shield was made by Pedro de Oňatey, a Spanish Conquistador in the 1700s. Pedro was the one who discovered this territory where we live and named it Colorado.”

  Travis nodded, recalling things he’d learned in school over the years. “Yes, I’ve heard stories about him. Wasn’t he the man blamed for taking the treasure from a ship sailing from Spain to the Americas in the seventeen-hundreds?”

  Marvin nodded. “You know your treasure stories well. Pedro had been on the ship when it sank during a hurricane. The ship had been rumored to be carrying an extensive amount of diamonds, pearls, emeralds, not to mention gold and silver. Only a few men survived. People suspected that Pedro had secretly taken the sunken treasure with him when he made his trek to this territory.”

  “I think I’ve heard this story, as well.” Scarlett’s face brightened, making her eyes gleam with excitement. “He had all that treasure, but he had to bury it to keep people from robbing him.”

  “Yes, my dear. That’s exactly what happened.” Marvin smiled proudly at his granddaughter. “Pedro buried the treasure so well that he had to create something that would remind him where he’d hidden it. In his older age, he was losing his memory, and so...” He motioned to the shield. “That is when he created this shield. According to Mr. Hale, this shield has special markings that will be able to show you where the treasure has been buried.”

  Scarlett pulled the shield on the desk toward her. She slowly glanced over the front and then turned it over to look at the back. She ran her delicate fingers over every crevasse, spending more time on the loose sword.

  “I’m assuming you studied this thoroughly?” she asked Marvin.

  “Of course, I did, but I found nothing.” Marvin touched her cheek, making her look at him. “But I’m assuming this particular rumor is false. I found nothing that led me to believe this was any kind of treasure map, especially when Mr. Hale also mentioned that the Spaniard had eventually lost his mind in his old age and had muttered foolish tales.”

  Travis leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest as he processed the information. Although the story was fascinating, the question remained – was it true? Could this shield really be a treasure map? But more importantly, how many other people had heard the tale and were treasure seekers?

  “Unfortunately,” Travis said with a sigh, “our thief might actually believe the legend.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense,” Scarlett said, meeting Travis’ gaze. “If the thief believed this story, then why did he return the shield?”

  Travis sat forward, leaning his arms on the desk. “My gut feeling tells me that he – or she – returned it because they couldn’t figure it out. I think they are hoping one of you figures out the message first... and if you do, the thief will surely be watching.”

  Scarlett inhaled quickly as the color began to disappear from her face. “Do you really think they are watching us?”

  Travis inwardly groaned. He hated to hear her voice shake. What a fool he’d been for voicing his thoughts in front of a woman who definitely had delicate feelings.

  “There’s nothing to worry about, my dear.” Marvin patted Scarlett’s arm. “Travis won’t let anything happen to us... will you, Travis?”

  Sitting up straight, he tried to appear encouraging, even though deep down inside, he was really worried. “Absolutely. I’ll watch you both constantly.”

  “That’s a little hard to do when you don’t live here.” Scarlett arched an eyebrow at him as if silently challenging him.

  “I have questioned all your staff, Marvin, and they are all very devoted to you and Miss Scarlett. I’m sure that if—”