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    The Storekeeper
    The Storekeeper
    The Storekeeper
    Ebook49 pages39 minutes

    The Storekeeper

    By J. M. Davis

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Short Story approximately 6,000 words.
    Excerpts included after the end of story.

    Tom Carland, a young man from back east, has a lot to learn about women. Soon after arriving in a small one-street western town, Tom meets Harriet and her three-year-old daughter, Katie. Tom offers to help, but the widow does not want his pity. Even if he is able to convince Harriet his intentions are completely honorable, Dirk Thurman, a local ranch foreman, makes it known he will not tolerate any competition for the widow's attention. Tom may have a lot to learn about the woman and little girl he can’t stop thinking about, but when it comes to displaying courage, in a life and death situation, the easterner shows he is up to the task.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJ. M. Davis
    Release dateJan 14, 2015
    ISBN9781310329616
    The Storekeeper
    Author

    J. M. Davis

    Jim Davis is the author of Portrait of Conspiracy, Tough As They Come, A Woman To Die For, Murder and Mayham, The Ghost of Leonard Korn, The Durley Incident, No Tears For Jack, Prom Friday, The Storekeeper, and The Last Violin.Over a period of two decades, he traveled to twenty foreign countries and made the first cellular telephone call in the country of Russia. In 1988, he thought he'd found Elvis alive on the Island of Tortola. Awakened from a dream, he learned an Elvis Impersonator had begun singing in the bar located directly beneath his second floor room.Jim lives with his wife in the Boston Mountains. He writes mystery/suspense novels, novellas, and short stories.

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      Book preview

      The Storekeeper - J. M. Davis

      THE STOREKEEPER

      J. M. Davis

      Published by J. M. Davis at Smashwords

      Copyright © 2015 by J. M. Davis

      Cover Design by Fury Cover Design

      This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.co or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. All rights reserved.

      This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

      Discover other titles by J. M. Davis

      Portrait of Conspiracy

      As Tough As They Come

      A Woman To Die For

      Murder And Mayham

      The Ghost of Leonard Korn

      No Tears For Jack

      The Durley Incident

      Prom Friday

      Dedication

      To my wonderful wife, our two amazing children, and our grandchildren.

      Table of Contents

      THE STOREKEEPER

      About the author

      Excerpt: PORTRAIT OF CONSPIRACY

      THE STOREKEEPER

      Tom Carland stared at the slosh and hesitated before stepping from the stage coach onto the muddy street in his new boots. Why anyone would ever think they could find their fortune in a small town out west puzzled him even more than it had two years earlier when his uncle tried to convince him to leave the city life back east and head west with him. A one-street town with no more than twenty buildings situated along both sides of the road couldn’t have much to offer.

      Here’s your gear, the driver said.

      He took the bag from the man. Sir, could you help me? I’m here to see Seth Carland. Would you be able to tell me where I could find him?

      A frown formed on the driver’s face.

      Perplexed by the man’s silence, Tom said, This being such a small place, I assumed you might have heard of him.

      Everybody around these parts knew Seth. He removed a red bandanna from around his neck and wiped his face. I reckon he was one of the finest fellers I ever met.

      Before he could ask the driver what he meant by was, the man continued.

      You’re too late, young fella. Seth was buried last week.

      The shock caused him to drop his bag onto the mud. He tried to get his breath, while his heart grew heavy with grief.

      Minutes later, he walked toward the other end of town, following the directions the driver had given him. Along the way he was appalled at the slapdash construction of some of the buildings. A few of the structures were unpainted or only painted on the front side. Arriving at a small house that had a makeshift hand painted sign above the entrance, he knocked on the door. He introduced himself and explained his reason for being there.

      The town’s doctor invited him inside so he could explain what happened to his uncle.

      "Seth walked in here one day complaining of back pain. He thought it

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