~~~
Wesley Haught opened a barrel of beans, set the wooden top aside, and prepared to sack up ten pounds for Mrs. Slonaker. The bell over the door of the store jangled, and he looked up. The man who came through the door hadn't visited Haught's General Store and Commercial Emporium before. Perhaps he was just passing through town. Wes appraised the dark suit he wore. It was made of expensive fabric nicely cut. The man must have money. Maybe he would spend some today.
“Morning,” Wes said. “I'll be with you shortly.”
“Take your time,” the stranger replied, but with a terseness to his voice that indicated he was not in the habit of waiting his turn.
Wes bagged and weighed the beans, and then tied the sack closed with a bit of twine. He'd just turned to add the beans to Mrs. Slonaker's order piled on the counter when the door's bell jangled again.
“Lonnie,” he called over his shoulder into the back room. Lazy layabout, he thought. At nineteen, Lonnie was three years younger than Wes. In his mind's eye, Wes saw Lonnie sitting at the work table, feet propped on the top. Playing with a pistol. As usual. “Get out here. Folks are lining up.” He hated using a brusque tone of voice in front of customers, but Lonnie wouldn't move unless he thought Wes meant it.
“In a minute,” Lonnie hollered. From the sounds, Wes knew he was fitting a cartridge into the cylinder.
~~~
Thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoyed the sample.
Click the "My Books" tab at the top of the page for more information about my books and short stories, including the newest story, Happy Halloween. Purchase links are included. The "Special Collections" tab includes information and links to my novella, Faith and the Foreman, and a short story in the Owenverse, Bloodied Leather, which gives a glimpse into the future of the Owen Family. Don't forget to come back next Saturday for another sample of my writing.
Bestselling author Marsha Ward wrote the novella, Faith and the Foreman, in the Timeless Romance Anthology Old West Collection. She is the author of an acclaimed novel series featuring the Owen family. Book 4, Spinster's Folly, won the 2013 USA Best Book Award for Western Fiction, and recently was named Finalist in Western Fiction in the 2014 International Book Awards. A former journalist, Ward has published over 900 articles, columns, poems and short stories. She is the founder of American Night Writers Association, a.k.a. ANWA.
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