The women paused in their work, and Valerie wondered if she should tell them the rest, but she decided against it for the moment. If they found it curious that she came in person instead of sending a letter, they didn't say so. Instead, they introduced themselves.

With great relief, she found that neither of the younger women had Thomas’s last name, well, his abbreviated last name. “I'm very pleased to meet you all,” she replied cordially. “Again, please forgive my intrusion. I was so excited to find out where Thomas was living that I had to come right away. I would have written, but...” She hadn't had the address or the time to do so. Neither had she truly thought her decision through. Had she expected that the ranch would have room for her? Or that she'd be welcome here? No, her only thought was to see Thomas. Now that she was here, she realized how crazy she'd been. Before she could apologize further, the older woman spoke up.

“It's not bother,” Marge assured her. “Any friend of Thomas’s is welcome here.”

“I—I just realized that I've placed a large burden on your shoulders. I don't suppose there's a hotel or any such thing within a reasonable ride's distance?” She bit her lip, an old habit whenever she felt anxious.

The lovely fair-haired woman, Kate, came forward and put her hand on Valerie's forearm. “Don't fret. I'm sure we can find you a place to rest your head. We won't turn you out or make you sleep with the animals,” she assured her.

“And how long you would like to stay here?” the exotic woman, whose name was Elise, asked with quiet civility. Her question was asked in the soft lilt of one from the Mediterranean. Valerie guessed she was from Spain, Italy or Portugal. “I ask only so I can find a suitable place for you to sleep.”

“I—I'm afraid I haven't thought that far ahead, but hopefully no more than two weeks. Of course I will recompense you for your trouble.” Her anxiety lessened, but she wanted the women to know she wouldn't dream of imposing on them for nothing.

Marge and Elise didn't seem to understand her meaning, but Kate did.

“I guess you haven't heard that people in the West are known for their hospitality,” she replied gently. “We wouldn't dream of taking your money. Now, I have to warn you that a host of rowdy men will be bursting in soon, and although they won't mean to be rude, they'll likely stare. Young women are a rarity in these parts.”

Valerie's heart calmed down long enough to think about someone other than herself. Each of these women was interesting, and she longed to have the time to find out their stories before being faced with more new faces, but she didn’t have that luxury now. The sound of heavy footsteps just outside the doorway alerted her to the approaching men. Feeling a little revived after the water, she stood and readied herself to meet the men who worked on the ranch.

While waiting, she overheard some good-natured banter and the splashing of some water. Obviously, the men were all very familiar with one another. Of course they would be, but the clamor increased her nerves. As accustomed as she was to introductions, she suspected that this would be unlike any she'd ever had before. If the men were anything like the cowboy she'd met outside, she would have to prepare herself. On him, she'd made a poor first impression, but as much as it depended on her, she planned to win over the rest of them.

“That'll be them now,” Marge warned. “Don't worry though. They won't bite.”

With each man jostling to be the first, the group nearly tumbled in through the door but stopped abruptly, almost as one entity, when they spotted her.

A tall man with an air of confidence and authority recovered first, separated himself from the group, and stepped forward.

“How do you do, miss? My name's Luke Winston. I’m Kate's husband.” He extended a hand and for a brief moment, she wasn't sure what to do. When she offered him her own, he shook it a little and smiled charmingly. Oh my, she thought to herself. If he hadn't been married, and if she hadn't been set on Thomas, she knew her heart would be in danger.

The other men were less bold, but one by one, each stepped forward and mumbled some kind of introduction.

“Alright now,” Marge called out. “Go on and take your seat. This is Miss Valerie, a friend of Thomas. She'll be staying here a spell, so you'd better be on your best behavior.”

Shuffling forward, again almost as a group, the men each found a spot at the table and sat quietly. One or two kept sneaking looks at her, but the others looked in any other direction.

Valerie nearly laughed at how nervous they were, and their apprehension eased her own away.

“I'm very pleased to meet you all, and so sorry for intruding unannounced,” she apologized for the third time that day. She bestowed a friendly smile on each of them. Thomas, she noticed, hung back. His face bore a worried expression, but she ignored him for the moment. “I won't be here more than a fortnight, but I hope you'll teach me a little about life in the West. I'm most curious.”

Her words seemed to have a magical effect on them. Instantly, they began grinning and nodding. Their faces relaxed and some of the bolder ones smiled at her. The men on either side of Thomas began elbowing him none too discreetly.

“How do you know Thomas?” one young man ventured to ask.

“Now, now,” Marge interrupted. “We can get to all that later. Let's pray and eat first.”

Luke led them in a short prayer and then most men started eating. She turned her attention to Thomas, but he seemed to be intent on the meal before him.

“I don't think you're used to such food,” Kate murmured when she saw that Valerie wasn't touching her food. “But I hope you'll eat something. You must be hungry after your trip from... Oh. I don't think I even know where Thomas is from.” She frowned as though annoyed with herself for this oversight.

“New York,” Valerie supplied. “And please don't worry. I'm grateful for anything.”

Picking up her fork, she slathered a piece of bread with butter and some kind of relish, spearing a piece of meat and placing it on the bread. She knew that the men were watching her, and so, not wanting to come off as an Eastern snob, she took the whole thing in her hands, raised it to her mouth, and took a large bite. Immediately she realized her mistake. Although she’d seen the men put the relish on their sandwiches, she’d taken entirely too much. Grabbing the large white napkin beside her plate, she coughed and wheezed, but was determined to swallow the whole bite.

“Not too used to horseradish, are you?” Marge asked, a hint of a smile on her face. “I should have warned you, but by the time I was set to open my mouth, it was too late. Feel free to put some of it back.”

Although her tongue was burning, Valerie refused to put any of the spicy pickled relish back. Instead, she chewed and swallowed, and then declared it delicious. She continued eating until the whole thing was gone, stopping only to take gulps of water. By the time she was on the last bite, her tongue had almost gotten used to it. Almost all the men were looking at her admiringly, and she decided that it had been worth it to plow through the large sandwich with reckless abandon.

“I'm sure you're all wondering why I'm here,” she said when she was able and when there was a lull in the conversation. “I came because of a promise, but I’m afraid that's all I can tell you for now.” She turned to Luke, angling him her most persuasive smile. “I do hope you can spare Thomas this afternoon for an hour or two so that we can talk.”

Luke opened his mouth to reply, but it was John who answered. “We're training horses this afternoon,” he said stoutly. “Thomas has been waiting a long time for this.”

“Yes, well, has he been waiting for five years?” she retorted angrily, her temper momentarily getting the better of her. “Because that's how long I've been waiting to talk to him.”

The air in the room thickened with tension and everyone went silent for a moment.

“I’m sorry,” she finally said, her voice strained. “But you don’t know what I’ve been through. I really need to talk with Thomas. Please.”

Thomas finally cleared his throat and spoke up. “I'll be along shortly, boss, if that's okay with you. I'd better talk to Val.”

John grunted by way of a reply, and then Kate neatly turned the subject back to New York and all the common sights. She asked her about her life, her family and so on. None of the men spoke again except to murmur among themselves. Valerie imagined that they were speculating about her and she regretted her outburst, but her heart was overflowing with years of frustration.

When the men dispersed for the afternoon, Thomas rose from the bench and looked Valerie in the eye with a frown.

“Well,” he said abruptly. “You've traveled a long way for this conversation, so let's have it then. What do you want?”

“Thomas!” Kate exclaimed, her voice shocked. “Is there any need to be rude?”

“With all due respect, Miss Kate, yes. This woman is putting everything I've worked for over the past five years at risk, and more than that, her very presence has endangered my entire future.”

A startled look came over not only Kate's face, but also Marge's and Elise's. Probably no one had ever heard him speak so articulately, but Valerie had. For the first time since she arrived, she felt she was actually seeing her Thomas, the one she'd grown up with. But his indignation sparked her own.

“I'm putting you at risk?” she said, her eyes narrowing. “Have you stopped to think what I've done by traveling thousands of miles on my own across the country? My own reputation back in New York will be ruined if anyone finds out.”

“No one asked you to come,” he replied heatedly. “You must have known that I left to escape that society, including you! I can’t, for the life of me, imagine why you came here now.”

Kate’s quiet voice entered the conversation. “Perhaps it would be best if we…” But she didn’t get a chance to answer. She may have wanted to leave the room and bring the others with her, but the scene was utterly fascinating.

The words stung, and she wanted to be calm, but she couldn't stop her tirade now that it had started. “You selfish beast! You have no idea what you’ve put me, or the rest of your family through, do you? Perhaps I should send your father a telegram now and let him know your exact location so he can drag your sorry self back to New York!”

For a moment, Thomas’s eyes went wide, but then his brows lowered. “Go ahead. How are you going to get to town? Walk? By the time you send that telegram, I'll be long gone, maybe even as far as northern Canada to live in an igloo. I'd rather be there than back in New York chained to a desk and trapped in a loveless marriage like my father has been all these years.”

She couldn't help it. Angry tears sprang to her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “Loveless? Thomas, how can you say that? I have loved you since I was twelve years old!”

Upon uttering that humiliating confession, she turned on her heel and blindly fled the room.