They turned toward the ranch, Bucky and Frances leading the way. Alice, riding beside her lover in the darkness, found the defenses upon which she had relied begin to fail her. Nevertheless, she summoned them to her support and met him full armed with the evasions and complexities of her sex.
“This is a surprise, Mr. Collins,” he was informed in her best society voice.
“And a pleasure?”
“Of course. But I’m sorry that father has been called to Phoenix. I suppose you came to tell him about your success.”
“To brag about it,” he corrected. “But not to your father—to his daughter.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you. Will you begin now?”
“Not yet. There is something I have to tell you, Miss Mackenzie.”
At the gravity in his voice the lightness slipped from her like a cloak.
“Yes. Tell me your news. Over the telephone all sorts of rumors have come to us. But even these were hearsay.”
“I thought of telephoning you the facts. Then I decided to ride out and tell you at once. I knew you would want to hear the story at first hand.”