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have to make the trip out to the ranch.”
    “And just how do we do that?” Miss Harriet asked, looking a bit unsure about what was to come.
    “Since we weren’t certain how our stagecoach connections were going to work out, there probably won’t be anyone from the ranch to meet us,” Les said. “I’ll have to see if Will down at the stable has a carriage we can use. If not, I’ll send a rider out to let Josh know that we’ve arrived and we’ll have to wait for him to send someone to get us.”
    “And Josh is the foreman, right?” Millie asked.
    “Yes. He’s been at the Rocking R for almost a year now,” Les explained. “Emmie hasn’t met him yet, but you all will today. He’s done a fine job of running things.”
    Emmie wasn’t sure whether she was glad to hear that or not. Her father should be the one running things at the Rocking R, not a stranger. Not a man she’d never met.
    But even as she thought it, Emmie reasoned with herself that her father had hired Josh on, and that said a lot about what Hank had thought of him.
    “This is exciting,” Millie said, glancing out the window. “We’re actually here…in Texas.” She had been raised in the city, surrounded by people and buildings. This Western landscape was a far cry from what she was used to, but instead of feeling intimidated, she thought of the trip as a big adventure. She couldn’t wait to get out and explore everything. “So, Emmie, tell me about Shotgun again. What’s the town like? And how did it come to be named Shotgun?”
    “Charlie Miller was one of the first settlers here, and he always carried a shotgun. He got elected the first sheriff and was real good at using his shotgun to keep things quiet. Some outlaw who was passing through ambushed him one night, and that’s when the folks decided to name the town after him.”
    “Oh, dear.” Miss Harriet gasped. “What happened to the outlaw?”
    “From what my father told me, the townsfolk got up a posse and went after him.”
    “Did they catch him?” Millie asked.
    Emmie wasn’t sure her traveling companions were ready to hear the truth, but she told them anyway. “Yes. They tracked him down and strung him up.”
    “Strung him up?” Miss Harriet repeated, confused in her innocence.
    “They hanged him,” Les spoke up.
    “Gracious me.” Miss Harriet looked sorry she’d asked.
    “But don’t worry, Miss Harriet,” Les assured her. “Things have been pretty peaceful in Shotgun for a while now.”
    “That’s good news,” the older woman said, relief apparent in her tone.
    They fell silent again as the stage continued on its rough, jarring ride toward town.
    “There’s Shotgun,” Emmie told them as she caught sight of the buildings in the distance some time later.
    Miss Harriet took a quick look out the window. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but it wasn’t the forlorn grouping of run-down-looking buildings she saw about a mile off. She’d expected a town—a city. She sat back, troubled, but taking great care to keep her expression pleasant. From the looks of things, her job was going to be quite a challenge. After all, she supposed, they didn’t call it the Wild West for nothing. She just hoped the Rocking R Ranch was a bit more civilized-looking.
    Millie was glad the trip was over. It had been a long, hard one, but now the really difficult time was upon them. She looked over at her friend and gave her a reassuring smile. “I wish we were here under different circumstances,” she said softly.
    Emmie nodded, her eyes full of sorrow. “So do I.”
    The stagecoach rolled into town, leaving a trail of dust swirling behind it.
    Les climbed out of the vehicle first, then turned to help the ladies descend. They stood in front of the stage office, looking most out of place in their fashionable traveling clothes. The coach driver threw their bags down, and Les quickly stacked them on the wooden sidewalk.
    “Why don’t you wait here at the office while I