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were going to come through.
    Sixty days and no more she’d promised her mother, then she could return to the civilized part of the world. Well, she’d promised to be open-minded about Hunter Callahan, too, but really, how long would that take? Mere minutes, she didn’t doubt.
    She and Anna rushed back to the depot and got there with moments to spare. But they nearly missed the train anyway because of the Warrens’ new housekeeper. Anna had already stepped on board. Tiffany had one foot on the step herself when Jennifer yelled at her to wait as she ran toward her and shoved a piece of paper in Tiffany’s hand.
    Tiffany didn’t try to read it, there wasn’t time, so she just asked, “What’s wrong?”
    “Give that to your father, please,” Jennifer said anxiously, her expression full of misery—or was it guilt? “Tell him I’m sorry!”
    The whistle blew, the train started to move, and Tiffany got her other foot off the ground before she was left behind. Jennifer was waving good-bye to her, but the housekeeper looked relieved now. Tiffany wondered why and glanced at the note before she took the last step up to join Anna.
    “What was that about?” the maid asked.
    Tiffany handed the note to her. “See for yourself. Meeting up with Western outlaws was too much for her. She’s running back to her fiancé.”
    “Why do you look like you envy her?”
    “Maybe because I wish I had the option of turning tail like that,” Tiffany grumbled.
    “The time to refuse to go to Montana was before you agreed to do it, not now when we’re almost there.”
    Tiffany sighed. “I know. You just should have seen how relieved Jennifer looked, probably because she anticipated that I’d try to talk her out of going home and I didn’t.”
    “Would you have?”
    Tiffany’s lack of options suddenly overwhelmed her. “No!” she said vehemently. “ She’s the lucky one right now. I don’t blame her one little bit for going home when I don’t want to be visiting this part of the country either. Even if my father had succeeded in hiring a housekeeper for me, I’m going to hate visiting him anyway.”
    “Then let’s go home!” Anna said, sounding exasperated.
    Tiffany looked at the maid. Of course Anna wanted to goback East. She wasn’t obligated to stay. She hadn’t promised she would!
    Stiffly Tiffany said, “You can, I can’t. Honestly, Anna, I wouldn’t blame you for going back where we belong.”
    Anna actually turned a little indignant over the offer. “I won’t deny I thought about it while those bullets were flying. But the robbery is over and it is probably the worst thing we’ll encounter. I’m staying—if you are.”
    Tiffany would have hugged the maid if Anna wouldn’t have gotten all stiff and huffy about it. Instead she laughed and shook her head. “I hate to think of what type of servants they have out here if the good ones have to be hired from back East—and quit before they even arrive!”

Chapter Six

    T IFFANY AND ANNA WERE the only passengers who disembarked in Nashart, Montana Territory, and they were still arguing when they stepped off the train. Tiffany’s stubbornness had kicked in, and although she knew deep down that Anna was right, she was in the grip of the emotions that were clamoring inside her—fear, resentment, even anger—all because she was supposed to come face-to-face with her father, Franklin Warren, today.
    But early that morning an idea had occurred to her of how she might put off that reunion a little longer. The dream she woke up to gave her the idea. In it she’d been standing in front of a door that was slowly opening to her, seeing a man on the other side of it who didn’t actually have a face since she had no idea what he looked like. But she knew it was her father, and she started screaming until Jennifer was suddenly there, urging Tiffany to escape with her. Then she was running away from him with Jennifer beside her, holding her hand. They ran all the way