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things he d seen. I ll have to cable the ranch, Cal said. They may hear about the hurricane and they
won t learn all of it. We have to let them know that you re all right.
You didn t cable them from Galveston?
Cal s eyes darkened. The lines are down, he said evasively. I ll go over to the Western Union
office and do that right now. I ll be back in a minute. He smiled warmly at Alan. I m glad you re
alive.
Alan nodded. So am I. He smiled, too, because it was nice to know that his brother cared so much
about him. Like King, Cal didn t show his feelings often, or easily.
ALAN STAYED ON IN BATON ROUGE while Cal got on the next train for Tyler Junction, and slept
with pure relief most of the way there. The stories he heard on the way about the flood in Galveston
made him even sicker, now that he d seen it for himself. He hoped that one day he could forget the
sight, even as he thanked God that he hadn t had a relative there. The horror grew daily, along with
the threat of terrible disease. He might have offered to help again, with Alan safe, but he had his own
job to do back in Tyler Junction, making sure that the Tremayne ranch s cattle weren t lost as well.
And there was no shortage of volunteers to help in Galveston, for the moment.
There were reports of severe flooding all over Texas, and he prayed that Galveston s tragedy
wouldn t be repeated anywhere else. If the rivers that lay on each side of the Tremayne property ran
out of their banks again, there could be devastation for the combine as well as Chester and his family.
They had to be his first concern, now that Alan was out of danger. He could do nothing for the dead.
They would have to be left to providence and their poor, grieving relatives.
He could have wept for their families.
Despite his relief at his brother s safety, he arrived back at the Tremayne ranch pale and depressed. He
said nothing about what he d seen, although Chester had heard enough to turn his stomach; things he
hadn t dared share with the women.
Cal had enough to do for the first couple of days after his return home, making sure that the
Tremayne cattle were safe. He d cabled Beaumont from Tyler Junction to make sure that his rig was
still standing. The lines had been down at first, but he d made contact with his drill rigger, and
everything was all right. That was a relief. He dreaded hearing that the wind had cost him his
investment. Perhaps this was an omen that he was on the right track.
His melancholy was noticed, however, and remarked upon. He came to report to Chester a few days
later while Nora was sitting on the porch alone.
He hadn t paid much attention to his surroundings since his return. Nora had noticed his
preoccupation, and she had a good idea what had caused it.
She rose gracefully from the settee where she d been perched, and stopped him just as he was about to
knock on the front door.
You re still brooding about Galveston, aren t you? she asked gently. There was a terrible
hurricane on the East Coast last year. I lost a beloved cousin. And I have seen floods, although not one
on such a scale. It is not difficult to imagine the devastation.
He was surprised by her perception. His pale eyes narrowed as he searched her earnest face. It s
something I ll never speak about, he said tautly. Least of all to a woman.
Her eyebrows rose. Am I made of glass, sir?
His gaze went down her body in the slim skirt and white embroidered blouse. I wonder, considering
the blazing path of some of your contemporaries through saloons with axes.
She giggled softly at the reference to the zealous temperance leagues. Wouldn t I look at home with
an ax in my hand?
He shook his head. It wouldn t suit you. He frowned at her. You ve been subdued since your
arrival. You ride well, and Chester mentioned that you can even handle a fowling piece. Yet I ve not
seen you indulge your fondness for it.
She could shoot, but not well. She had missed her shot in England and blown out a priceless stained-
glass window that dated to the Tudor period. Her host had taken the loss of his prize window with
stiff-lipped good grace, but Nora hadn t been invited back. She hadn t handled a gun since then, either.
It s too hot to shoot, she said evasively.
It has been unseasonably cold lately.
She searched desperately for a reply.
He lifted an eyebrow, waiting for it.
She cleared her throat. Very well, if you must know, I do not like guns and I find most of them too
heavy for my arms, she said proudly. I miss.
He chuckled softly. You fraud.
But I can shoot, after a fashion, she said curtly. It is only that I have difficulty with the weight of a
rifle.
And what of the safari in Africa? he persisted.
She paled and averted her eyes. I do not like to speak of Africa. It is a& tarnished memory.
He wondered at her wording and the expression on her face. What a puzzle she was becoming.
There is a Women s Club social at the courthouse on Saturday evening, he recalled. I have been
appropriated for it, by one of the organizers. Would you partner me?
Her heart stopped and then ran away. Her mind whirled through her wardrobe and she looked up at
him with barely subdued excitement. Partner& you?
I dance rather well for a cowboy, he told her amusedly. And I promise to wear my best boots and
plenty of cologne. You may trust me to be discreet.
She colored, because her aunt Helen had repeatedly made her aware of the social distance between
them. To be seen with a ranch foreman in public would embarrass not only her, but her family.
He saw her conflicting expressions and his face closed up. Perhaps one of the town girls would be a
better choice after all, he said tautly. One of them would not be so far above me on the social scale.
Before Nora had time to react, he knocked curtly on the door and was admitted. When he left, he
didn t even look her way. He was fuming. Back in West Texas, women had vied for his attentions. The
best families from back East had invited him to stay, in hopes of making a match between him and one
of their daughters. He was as accustomed to wealth and position as Nora herself, but he was in the
position of a man at a masquerade. He could not tell her the truth.
And the more he considered it, the angrier he became. It was a good thing that he saw her as she
actually was, he told himself. Had she met him under normal circumstances, he might never have
known what an appalling snob she really was.
THE SOCIAL EVENING was hosted by the local Women s Club, of which Aunt Helen was secretary,
and the club s colors of green and white were used in the decorations. Nora wore a simple black silk
gown trimmed in duchesse lace and diamonds. Melly wore white organdy, and Aunt Helen wore black
taffeta, but their jewelry was made of rhinestones. They were elegant, in their way. But none of the
women could hold a candle to Nora, who was so fashionable that she drew most of the attention.
Cal Barton escorted a pretty young girl who was a daughter of one of the organizers of the event.
He was attentive to the girl, and once, while he danced with his partner, he gave Nora a look that made
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