Read Deborah Camp for Free Online Page B

and a herd of bison. A porcelain urn, a good four feet high, sat on a short round table in the center of the foyer. Ivy, roses, and some other flower he couldn’t name spilled out of it. He removed his dark brown Stetson and ran a hand through his hair.
    The tap of shoes sounded and grew louder, but they were not the footfalls of a woman. Judge Silas Bishop swung around a corner and beamed at Zach. He held out his hand in a hearty greeting.
    “Look who the cat dragged in,” the judge said, his bass voice booming from his barrel-shaped chest as it had on the bench. “Good to see you, Warner. What brings you to our humble abode?”
    “Hello, Judge.” Zach shook his hand. “Nice house. Very nice”
    “Luna picked it out. Theodore Wilson, the banker, built it, but his wife died just before it was finished and he didn’t have the heart to move into it without her. She had been sickly her whole life, poor thing.”
    Zach nodded, recalling the sad story. “I don’t mean to bother you, Judge. I was hoping to speak to your wife. I have some news about her former husband.”
    The judge’s bushy, white brows met as he peered at Zach through his thick glasses. “Good news or bad news?”
    “I don’t rightly know. It all depends on —.”
    “Were you here yesterday?”
    “Yes. I spoke to your gardener and he said that Luna was visiting relatives.”
    “That’s right.” The judge beamed and hooked his thumbs in his vest pockets as he rocked back on his heels. “She never meets a stranger. I love that about her! She is busy all the time. Going here and there, visiting friends, checking on relatives. I’m a happy man, Warner.” He clapped a hand onto Zach’s shoulder. “When are you going to settle down with a good woman?”
    “I’m happy for you, Judge, but marriage isn’t something I have a hankering for.”
    “You haven’t met the right woman. Once I got to know Luna, I realized that she had become the light of my life. I was a broken man after Edith went to her Great Reward.” A shadow passed over his features. “Did you know my first wife?”
    “I didn’t have the honor, sir. She had taken ill when I first moved to Guthrie.”
    “She was nothing like Luna. Edith was quiet and shy of strangers, but we had a good life together. She was a dutiful wife and mother. We both loved to read and Edith wrote poetry. She had a way with words. We had a nice, comfortable routine. When she passed, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I hadn’t been alone since the day I was born!”
    Zach nodded, thinking of his own parents who had married in their teen years and were still together. Even though they had never been happy with each other, they had stuck it out rather than be alone. “It must have been lonely for you, sir.”
    The judge seemed lost in dark thoughts, but then he shook his head and a smile crept up his face again. “Luna is full of spirit and my life is brimming.” He let out a bark of laugher and ran his hands up and down the front of his shirt. “I feel young again!” He leaned closer to Zach and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial rasp. “She’s a wildcat in bed and I can barely —.” His gaze lifted from Zach’s face to focus on someone behind him. Straightening, the judge extended a hand toward the staircase. “Here comes my bride!”
    Zach turned to see Luna descending the stairs. He was glad for the interruption because he didn’t wish to hear about the judge’s adventures between the sheets.
    “My, my, as I live and breathe! Zach Warner has come a calling. Did you bring me a wedding present?”
    “I am remiss, I’m afraid,” Zach said, bowing his head as she approached. “Thank you for allowing me to barge in like this. I wanted to speak to you about … well, I have some information to share with you about Charles Hastings.”
    Her gaze sharpened and her brown eyes darkened to near black. “I can’t imagine there is anything about him I care to hear.”
    “If you could