LITMIR.BIZ

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never be certain if men liked her for what she was inside or because her father was powerful and influential in the territorial government. She had learned early on that she was viewed as a tool to gain favors from Harold Quinn. She had never forgotten that humiliating lesson five years earlier. Back then, she had been naive and idealistic. Now she understood that love was an illusion and that men saw her as a pawn.

      Turning, Harold motioned to Maria Gomez, the housekeeper. “Please bring Lexi and me some coffee. We’ll be in the parlor.”

      The Mexican housekeeper strode off as Harold guided Alexa to the tuft chair. “Actually, I’m glad you have no romantic interest in Webster. I don’t know what he’s up to or where he is getting privileged information, but it disturbs me that he knows things the rest of the public doesn’t,” he murmured.

      Alexa perked up. Her father seldom took her into his confidence when it came to his business. He was usually too distracted and too busy to notice her in any capacity besides his hostess.

      She savored this rare moment and vowed to do whatever was necessary to ease his concerns. She loved her father dearly, even if he had little time to spare her.

      “What is it, Papa? You know I will help in any way I can.”

      Harold plunked down on the sofa, then expelled a frustrated sigh. “Thank you, honey. But I’ll muddle through. No need to bother you with my concerns.”

      Bother me! Include me in your life! Notice me! Please stop overlooking me! “What has Elliot Webster done to draw your concern?” she prodded. “And it best not be entangled with a scheme to marry me. I don’t want him.”

      Her decisive tone drew Harold’s attention. He blinked, as if just realizing he had raised a daughter teeming with spirit and fierce independence. “When did this happen?” he mused aloud.

      “About twelve years ago when Mama took Bethany and headed back East,” she replied, then wished she’d kept her trap shut. The comment caused her father to wince and shift self-consciously on the couch.

      “That fiasco wasn’t fair to you, Lexi. I loved your mother, but I swear I will never understand why she left you behind.”

      Alexa clasped her father’s hand, giving it a fond squeeze. “If I had been given a choice I still would have remained here with you,” she insisted. “Now tell me what Elliot Webster has done to upset you.”

      Harold blew out his breath and set aside the troubled past. “In addition to his expressed interest in you, he asked about the government contracts to sell livestock to the forts and Indian reservations in the territory. The fact that I’m not satisfied with our last contract with him and have considered finding new suppliers is not common knowledge. I mentioned it at our last meeting. I fear that one of my trusted confidants has been compromised. I’d like to strangle whoever betrayed our policy of keeping such information quiet.”

      “I’m not surprised to hear that Elliot has found a mole and that he might be paying for information,” said Alexa. “I don’t trust that man because I get the feeling he always has an ulterior motive.”

      She also had a hunch about who might be willing to relay private information for a fistful of money. Ambrose Shelton headed up her short list of suspects. She predicted Ambrose believed himself far more capable of holding a powerful position in the territorial government than her father. Undermining Harold Quinn’s work on various government boards and committees might allow Ambrose Shelton to move up the political ladder. It was speculation, of course, but Alexa would eagerly volunteer to investigate.

      “Elliot Webster will be leaving Santa Fe at the end of the week,” Harold continued. “Until he heads south to Questa Springs I will have someone shadow him.”

      “Good idea. The sooner you find the snitch the better,” Alexa agreed.

      “I also intend to hire an investigator to monitor Elliot’s activities when he returns to Questa Springs,” Harold confided. “I can’t entrust this inquisition to any of my associates, in case one of them is involved. That means I must enlist the help of an outside agent.”

      Her father was frowning so intently that Alexa swore he was going to give himself more wrinkles. She could understand his dilemma. Everywhere Harold Quinn went the press followed. He lived under a microscope…Which made the solution to his problem so simple that she could resolve it over their evening coffee.

      Excitement bubbled through Alexa while she waited for Maria Gomez to set the silver tray on the coffee table. After the servant retreated, Alexa turned to face her father directly.

      “This situation can be resolved easily,” she declared while she watched her father sip his coffee.

      Harold sniffed in contradiction. “I hardly think that is possible, my dear. I’m not sure who I can trust.”

      “Thank you so much for the insult.”

      Harold blinked owlishly then waved her off with a flick of his wrist. “Present company excluded, of course. But this is over your head, Lexi. Besides, I’d shoot myself before I placed you in possible danger.”

      There he goes again, ignoring my potential.

      “Who better to undertake the task of discreetly hiring an investigator to monitor Elliot’s activities?” Alexa argued. “Even you refuse to consider the prospect of sending a woman to do a man’s job.”

      “But I—”

      Alexa cut him off with a slashing gesture of her arm. She was bound and determined to present her case without interruption. “Perhaps I could consult the sheriff or city marshal in Elliot’s hometown to hire an investigator. Provided that Elliot doesn’t have the local lawman in his hip pocket.” If Elliot was in the habit of paying for information that was always a possibility. “Now that Elliot has expressed an interest in me, I have the perfect excuse to visit the area. I can pretend an interest in him, too.”

      “No. Absolutely not,” Harold objected strenuously.

      Alexa’s mind was brimming with possibilities. This was her chance to prove to her father that she had talents and abilities that extended far beyond the skill of drawing up a guest list, organizing seating arrangements and hiring entertainment for social and political gatherings. If she pinpointed the information leak, he might perceive her as what she was—a young woman aching to find a meaningful purpose in her life and accept new challenges.

      “It’s perfect,” she enthused. “Kate Hampton, my dearest friend from finishing school, lives near Questa Springs. I can schedule a visit and make myself available for Elliot’s supposed courtship. I can oversee the hiring of an investigator and make certain the man does his job properly. In no time at all we will know who is leaking information to Elliot.”

      “No.”

      His brown eyes flashed and his thick brows swooped down in a sharp V. However, Alexa was not to be deterred by her father’s evil eye and uncompromising frown.

      “I have spent years guarding my tongue and refraining from speaking my mind,” Alexa declared. “Even the pompous asses you deal with on a weekly basis have no idea what I think of them.”

      Harold’s brows shot up so quickly that they nearly rocketed off his forehead. “My God, who are you? And what have you done with my daughter?”

      Alexa sat up a little straighter on the couch. She batted her blue eyes and smiled sweetly. “Why, Papa, whatever do you mean? I am the same devoted daughter who knows her place and happily remains within the narrow confines men have established for women.”

      She was very much afraid her father’s eyes were about to pop from their sockets. She had altered her persona so quickly that he couldn’t keep up. Well, too bad. It was high time Harold Quinn accepted that she had a mind of her own and ached to use it. It was also time that he realized she didn’t intend to live in his shadow, performing mundane social duties when her heart cried out for the chance to pursue a worthwhile cause.

      Harold slumped

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