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eye. Works mostly for oil companies, that sort of thing. They kinda like his eccentricities, and he does good work. Travels all over the world.”
    “I recall you talking about him,” Winter said.
    “And you need to meet him one of these days real soon. His father was my commanding officer in Nam—boy grew up on Army bases. Nicky's forty, I think. Was a Western nut from childhood. Always wanted to live in the Wild West, and he used to get me to tell him all about what it was like growing up on the ranch. He did a four-year stint with the Army, but he didn't fit. Now he lives outside Houston, in Big Spring.”
    “He's an urban cowboy who's never ridden a horse in his life,” Millie declared. “He has the accent and he dresses like he just stepped off the stage at the Grand Ole Opry.”
    “He drives a '65 Caddy convertible and he rides a Harley some. He's allergic to horses,” Hank said defensively.
    “He's bald, right?” Winter asked.
    “From childhood,” Millie said. “There's a name for it.”
    “Profeema, or propizza, or something,” Hank offered.
    “Alopecia,” Sean said.
    “No brows, not even any eyelashes,” Millie continued. “It takes some getting used to. He looks surprised all the time. Always has a toothpick in his mouth, like he's just had a steak dinner. Awful.”
    “Well, it keeps him from smoking,” Hank said. “How many people would put a skunk in the window of a motel room to flush out a cheating wife and her paramour?” He laughed as he thought about it. “Pair of 'em come out the door naked as baby mice and stinking to high heaven of skunk pee. Has it on video. I've seen it.”
    “So after a fun-filled night spent with Nicky reliving his experiences once again, we'll be spending the rest of the time with Kimberly and Faith Ann.”
    “Rush is very fond of Faith Ann,” Sean said.
    “If he told us to ask you to tell her hello for him once, he said it a hundred times,” Winter told the Trammels.
    “And Faith Ann's real fond of him,” Millie said, chuckling. “That girl doesn't make friends easily. She's so independent and smart, it puts off most children her age. Kimberly was the same way. Knows what she wants. She wanted a child, but she didn't want a husband to complicate her life. She wanted to be able to pick up and go wherever her work led her.”
    “The Kimberly Porter Electric Chair Crusade and Traveling Sideshow,” Hank said, drawing a frown from his wife.
    “They've lived in interesting cities, like Houston, Dallas, Nashville, and New Orleans. It hasn't hurt Faith Ann one little bit,” Millie said.
    “Faith Ann has a built-in bullshit meter that would turn a seasoned Texas Ranger green with envy,” Hank added.
    “Hank Trammel!” Millie chided.
    “Rush can't wait for her to come back up this summer. They instant message daily, e-mail constantly. He's been planning things for them to do,” Sean said.
    “We won't be here this summer,” Winter reminded his wife.
    “Rush and I have discussed that. Hank and Millie can bring her to Washington and stay with us. I'm sure she'd like to see the Smithsonian, the Air and Space Museum, the White House. It'll be fun.”
    “We would love to do that,” Millie said. “That child's too energetic for me alone.”
    “Let's plan on it, then,” Sean said. “How's Kimberly's practice doing?”
    “She's struggling a bit, I think,” Millie said.
    “Kimberly Quixote,” Hank said. “Always looking for a windmill to tilt at. And dragging Faith Ann along to hold the spear.”
    “Lance,” Millie corrected. “I'm not always sure how I feel about things like capital punishment. But Kimberly has always known exactly how she feels about everything. She's an immovable object when it comes to her convictions. She isn't always hitting you over the head with her opinions, like
some
people.”
    “Her legal cases barely cover her living expenses. Soon as she starts getting herself a reputation—and she does win more than she