Anna Finch and the Hired Gun by Kathleen Y'Barbo

hurriedly returned her attention to the clock.
    “You’ve not said a word, Miss Finch,” Mr. Thompson said.
    Anna shook her head, but before she could say anything, her mother appeared next to Mr. Thompson.
    “Mr. Thompson, might I borrow Anna?” her mother said.
    Anna just caught a glimpse of Mr. Thompson’s befuddled face as Mother whirled her around and marched her back toward the party.
    “He’s a nice man but not our sort. At least not yet,” Mother amended. “Now that Mr. Beck, Daniel’s brother? He’s quite the catch, isn’t he?”
    “Is he?”
    “Well, of course he is.” Mother waved at the man in question, who obliged by starting in their direction.
    Thankfully Anna spied Charlotte standing alone at the top of the stairs. “Please excuse me, Mother,” she said, “but I promised Charlotte I would introduce her around, and she’s just now made her appearance.” She slipped free of her mother’s grasp, ignoring her protests, and moved toward the staircase.
    Charlotte was truly on her way to becoming a woman, whether Daniel would admit it or not. Her curls had been tamed and properly styled so that few would recognize her as the impudent child she once was. In profile, Charlotte was very much a Beck, though her late mother—Daniel’s first wife—must have played some part in her slender build and the tilt to her chin. The tapping toes, however, were purely the influence of Gennie Cooper Beck, as was the lilac ballgown that fit her so well, a last-minute substitute for the more childish dress Daniel originally deemed appropriate for this event.
    Anna met Charlotte halfway up the broad carpeted steps on a landing that provided views of both the ballroom and the reception area. The orchestra played an up-tempo tune that had Charlotte almost bouncing in place by the time Anna reached her.
    When they embraced, Daniel’s daughter whispered, “What do you think of Uncle Edwin?”
    Anna broke off the hug to hold Charlotte at arm’s length. “Not you too.” At the almost sixteen-year-old’s perplexed look, Anna hurried to explain. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but it appears I’m to be married off soon, and my mother thinks your uncle should be on the ever-growing list of potential grooms.”
    The girl sighed. “It all sounds very exciting.”
    “Not really.”
    Charlotte’s green eyes widened. “Oh, Anna, I so look forward to the time when I can discuss suitors with Papa.” Her gaze swept the room below, then lifted to take in the ballroom above. “He’s so difficult.”
    “Your father?” Anna found Daniel in the crowd. While he carried on a discussion with Governor Grant and the mayor, part of his attention was obviously focused on his two ladies, Gennie and Charlotte. “He only wants the best for you.”
    “As does yours,” Charlotte said as she grasped Anna by the elbow. “Now, let’s listen to the orchestra.”
    “Listen?” Anna tried to keep Charlotte to a sedate pace as they ascended the stairs. “I saw you tapping your toes. I wager dancing’s what you want to do.”
    Charlotte skidded to a halt at the edge of the ballroom. “Not tonight,” she said as she craned her neck to peer around the room. “I promised Papa I wouldn’t. It’s the only way he would allow me to attend. Oh look, the Millers are here. I wonder if my friend Augusta was allowed to accompany them.” Her curls bounced as she slipped in front of Anna for a better view of the room. “Yes, there she is. Oh, I’m so glad her father changed his mind. Isn’t that a daisy?”
    “A daisy? Yes, of course.”
    The ballroom was populated with the usual collection of party-goers, chatting in groups or twirling around the dance floor. As Anna surveyed the crowd for someone she knew, she spied one man lingering in the shadows. He was tall but not overly so, with the look of an observer rather than a participant. The cut of his suit coat was stylish, the expression on his face one of watchful boredom. He seemed,