A Family for the Holidays by Sherri Shackelford Page A

the wrong town to occupy.”
    â€œHe didn’t think that in the beginning. He paid that fellow a lot of money to make Frozen Oaks the last stop on the line. Steele City got the depot instead. The guy from the railroad was named Steele. They named the town after him. I guess that meant more than a bribe alone.”
    â€œVic should have changed the name.” Jake snorted. “Frozen Oaks is a silly name for a town.”
    â€œYou got that right.” The sheriff chuckled. “I wouldn’t mention it to Vic, though. He’s still sore.”
    â€œI have other business with Vic.” Leaning back, Jake braced his knuckles behind him on the desk and considered what he’d learned. “You must know something about what’s going on in this town.”
    â€œI get paid to look the other way.”
    â€œSometimes a man can’t help but see things, even if he’s not supposed to.”
    â€œI already told you what I know. Vic lost the deed to the hotel, and Regina is spitting mad. She gets visitors all the time. Likes to show off.”
    Which explained Vic’s lapse into housebreaking. He was searching for the hotel deed. Another reason to believe Emil was still alive and had gone into hiding. Which was good for Emil and disastrous for his grandchildren.
    The full implication sent a flush of pure, hot rage through Jake. That old fool had gone into hiding and left his grandchildren like lambs to slaughter. Lily and the Tyler children never had a chance. She’d walked right into a trap.
    He’d been too focused on Vic and the guns, and he’d missed the real crime unfolding. “Vic was looking to recoup his losses. That’s why he talked you into granting him guardianship?”
    â€œYeah. But you didn’t hear that from me. You got no proof of nothing. Everything is on the up and up. Regina read a bunch of legal stuff in one of them law books. She got enough fancy-sounding words to make the paperwork sound legitimate. Between you and me, I think she’s the smarter of them two.”
    â€œI’ve heard enough.” Jake pushed off from the desk. “Thank you for your time, Sheriff.”
    â€œWait a second, ain’t you letting me out?”
    â€œCan’t do that. I need a head start. It’s two days to Omaha.” Jake doubted even the sheriff was dumb enough to take the bait, but he might as well try a little misinformation. He snatched the newspaper and slid it through the bars. “A little reading material while you’re waiting.”
    The sheriff’s furious hollering followed him out the door.
    Once outside, he tucked his hair inside his coat and turned up his collar, then set his hat low on his forehead. Head bent, his hands stuffed in his pockets, he stepped onto the boardwalk. As long as he stayed clear of Vic and Regina, he could keep an eye on Lily and the boys.
    He crossed the street and leaned against the corner of the hotel, then waited. He didn’t have to wait long. Lily and the boys exited the barbershop and made their way down the stairs.
    As he pushed off to follow, the door swung open beside him. He slipped around the corner and waited. After the footsteps faded, he stepped into sight once more.
    Regina.
    Even from the back he recognized her. No one else in town wore that shade of emerald. Especially not around Frozen Oaks. Regina might be smarter than Vic, but her taste in men left something to be desired. Jake would never understand what she saw in him.
    On a hunch, Jake crossed the street and followed her. She ducked into the telegraph office and emerged only a moment later, stuffing a sheaf of telegrams into the fur muff she carried. Once she cleared the doorway, Jake slipped inside and let his eyes adjust.
    The telegraph operator was a nondescript middle-aged woman with a dishwater-blond topknot and a plain gray dress. She glanced up from her work.
    â€œMay I help you, sir?” she asked.
    â€œYou