An Agent for Clenna: Pinkerton Matchmakers, #28

By P. Creeden

What's a good Catholic girl to do?

 

When Clenna finally sees her dream of becoming a Pinkerton Detective agent becoming a reality, she's struck with the news that to become one, she has to marry her training agent—at least temporarily. But marriage is one of the most sacred of institutions of the church, and she's not certain she's ready to violate it.

 

Ben Mercer was a sharpshooter for the Union in the War. Some people call him a cold-blooded murderer, others call him a hero. But Ben likes to live from one adventure to the next, which is why he joined the Pinkerton Detectives. He's not keen on babysitting a new, female agent for training, and he's definitely not keen on marrying her before they leave.

 

But when the railroad believes they've caught two of the bandits who've been holding up the train, and they turn out to be Clenna's brother and cousin, she'll do just about anything to keep from seeing them hung.

 

Lady Pinkerton detectives, their rough and ready agents, and a whole lot of excitement and romance! The Pinkerton Matchmaker series tells the stories of the women determined to bring criminals to justice, and the agents who win their hearts. Each book is a standalone story and they can be read in any order.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barr26 Publishing, LLC
• Release date: Dec 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223544067

Book preview

image-placeholder

April 1872

Clenna

A hand came out of the alley and grabbed Clenna by the shoulder. She jumped to the side and screamed. But when she turned around, her cousin, Declan laughed so hard his face had already begun to turn red.

She frowned at him and placed her hands on her hips. Declan Kelleher, you do need to grow up someday, don’t you know? You can’t go around grabbing women by the shoulders and expecting a good response. Sneaking up on people is rude and dangerous. You’re lucky I didn’t deck you.

Clenna Murphy, her cousin said with a frown. It’s Keller, not Kelleher—I’d thank you not to make the mistake again.

Lifting an eyebrow at her cousin, Clenna shook her head. You’re not fooling anyone. Changing your name won’t change the fact that you speak with a brogue, and that shock of red-hair you have is not as common in Germany.

Her cousin shushed her, looking around as though seeing if anyone was listening.

I’ll speak as loud as I want, Clenna said, upping her volume. If you shush me, you’ll only make me louder.

Fine, Declan whispered. But please don’t talk about the plan so loudly. James and I are doing this because we’re tired of living in the slums here in New York. We want to head out west and have an adventure, but the railroad won’t hire us because we’re Irish.

She rolled her eyes. James already told me.

You’re coming with us, then? Declan asked, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

Absolutely not. She folded her arms across her chest and humphed. As if I’d be interested in coming with you two eejits—you only want me around to do your cooking and cleaning.

He rolled his eyes. You know as well as I do that cooking and cleaning isn’t what you’re best at. You have other talents that people on the railroad specifically would be shocked to discover and with our help, you can show them all how impressive you are.

That’s all well and good, but I’m still not interested in staying in railroad camps and working on the line, she huffed.

Then what are you going to do, Clenna? You can’t stay here with no one to take care of you. I hear that Scottish fellow at the laundry has been sweet on you for a while.

As though that is my only other option, she said with a shrug. She hated that everyone believed she needed a man in her life to take care of her. I know what I’m going to do, but I’m under no obligation to tell the likes of you.

A cat screeched and rushed past them both, making Clenna jump a bit to the side to avoid the little monster. Although Clenna liked to look at animals from afar, she’d learned to avoid them close up. They tended not to like her. She’d been scratched, bitten, stepped on too many times in her twenty years, and eventually learned the lesson. After the animal passed, she let out a slow breath. I hate surprises.

Her cousin stood there, looking at her like she had two heads.

What? she asked, frowning.

You’re really not going to tell me where you’re going? Clenna, I do worry about you, you know. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. Nor do I want to lose touch with my favorite cousin.

Clenna’s heart pinched in her chest. For a long moment, she held her breath, afraid that if she let it out, she’d tell him exactly what she’d planned, and he’d laugh. Finally she settled on what to say. I’m not ready to tell you what I’m going to do, but I’m using my savings to take the train to Denver in the Colorado Territory. If you need to reach me, you can contact the Pinkerton Detective Agency there.

Declan’s eyes went wide. You’re going to answer that advertisement, aren’t you?

She couldn’t help but smile wide as she shushed him. I told you that I’m not ready to say.

Slowly her cousin shook his head. You don’t need to say. You know full well you don’t need to say with me. I know you better than anyone else does. If they are accepting strong female agents, they are sure to choose Clenna Murphy.

Warmth prickled through her body at the sound of confidence in her cousin’s voice. She hadn’t expected him to be supportive. A lump formed in her throat. Of course they will, she said, even though she wanted to hug him and tell him how much he meant to her, too. Instead, she blinked away the sting of tears from her eyes and kept walking. Although spring had barely arrived in New York City, the weather was unseasonably warm and muggy. Clenna swiped the sweat from her nose. She always seemed to sweat there first. Since they’d come to New York from Ireland back when Clenna was nine years old and James, her brother, was eight, each of the cousins had had a dream of going to the west. They wanted to see open land and fields and know just how big this new world actually was. Declan even dreamed of seeing the ocean on the other side of the wilderness after hearing talk of California gold.

Each of them had their own dreams. And with the passing of Declan’s mother, they decided it was time to take their decade long dreams and make them into reality. The boys, by working the railroad, and Clenna by using the savings she’d been building since earning her first dollar as a assistant engineer. It took a lot of wrenching and pinched thumbs, but she’d finally gathered enough money to consider making the trip out west. And the advertisement for female Pinkerton agents came at just the right time.

Then I guess it’s settled, then. Declan still strolled by her side as they reached the river and the sun peeked through an opening in the overcast sky to the west. We’re all leaving by train on Saturday, then.

The lump in Clenna’s throat still wasn’t ready to let her speak. So, she nodded instead, mesmerized by the light shining across the clouds. She’d done many things on her own. It wasn’t that she was afraid of leaving, exactly, but her heart still remained unsettled about the future. If it weren’t for her cousins leaving Saturday, she’d be happy to remain working and saving more money for years to come. Eventually she’d go. Eventually. But now, eventually was Saturday.

image-placeholder

Ben

Ben Mercer lined up the shot in his sights and exhaled slowly, pulling the trigger when he was halfway through the breath. The rifle pushed on his shoulder in a comforting, familiar way, and the smoke from the end of the rifle rose into the air. Ben backed from the edge of the rock outcropping quickly, knowing that the gun smoke would giveaway his location. And if the bandits had a sharpshooter like him, he didn’t want to be an easy target for return fire.

He counted to ten, waiting for the smoke to dissipate before he stood and made his way down the hill. Small rocks slid under his feet, making each step unsure, but he smiled at the feeling of almost falling, and moved faster. When he reached the bottom of the hill, he laughed and peered back up at the rock and clay hill. Even though he’d slid several times on the way down, he didn’t once fall. But each slip had gotten his gumption going and that’s what he liked most, the feeling of his heart racing in his chest—the feeling that he might fall, he might get shot, he might get caught—but then surviving past the momentary threat.

The chestnut gelding he had tied to a tree nearby shied a bit as he approached him. Easy there, boy, Ben said as he offered the palm of his hand for the horse to sniff. You’re just fine. Nothing to be scared of.

He liked the skittish type of horse, preferred