She nodded a greeting to several of the young women who had rooms along the corridor and fell in behind them as they started down the stairs to the saloon. Rapidly, she scanned the already crowded room. By the time she reached the first floor and had not found Mae, she decided to leave the newspapers with Frank and return the way she had come. She had almost reached the end of the bar at the back of the room, where far fewer men were congregated, when she was stopped by a hand on her arm.

"Might I be of service, madam?" a man inquired. His black hair was slicked back with pomade and his thick mustache extravagantly curled. He sported a dark suit with a black satin cravat, a brown velvet waistcoat, and an appraising glint in his eye.

"Thank you, but no," Kate said politely, allowing more than a hint of Boston to show through in her speech. "I'm just going to give these to Mr. Williams and I'll be leaving."

"Allow me to accompany you, then," he said, smoothly tucking her hand into the bend of his arm. "Phineas Drake." He bowed slightly.

"At your service."

Kate inclined her head. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Mr. Drake. I appreciate your offer of assistance, but I can assure you it's not necessary."

When she attempted to extract her hand, he clasped her fingers and drew her even more tightly to his side. Although there was nothing truly unseemly about his actions, she was uncomfortable with the press of his body against hers. Even when she had kept reluctant company with Ken Turner, he had rarely done more than lift her hand to his lips.

She was unused to anyone other than Jessie so close to her. Rather than allow him to see her discomfort, she decided the best course was to complete her mission as quickly as possible. "Let me put these on the bar, and then I shall be done."

"Perhaps then you would do me the honor of sitting with me for a while. You are by far the finest company I could hope for."

Kate managed to deposit the newspapers, slip her hand from his grip, and move away. She faced him, her expression cold. "I'm sorry. I really must be going."

Something in his face hardened and he took a quick step toward her.

"Why, Kate," Mae said with a small laugh, twining her arm around Kate's waist. "I'm so sorry I'm late." She batted her lashes at Phineas.

"Don't tell me your card game is over so soon? You're not losing, I hope?"

Through narrowed eyes he observed them both, then gave a conciliatory smile. "No, not at all. I was merely stretching my legs when it was my good fortune to come upon this beauty." He lifted Kate's hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles, his eyes fixed on her breasts. "Perhaps, Mae my sweet, you will support my humble plea that this dear lady grace me with her company for a few moments."

"And let those cards get cold?" Subtly, Mae drew Kate away.

"You'll have plenty of time for company when you've relieved some of those eager gentleman of the coins weighing down their pockets."

In a voice too low for Drake to hear, Mae said, "Just keep walking and pretend you're telling me the most amusing story."

Kate put on a bright smile as she hurried off with Mae, feeling the gambler's eyes burning on her skin. "I'm so sorry. I hope I haven't created trouble for you."

"Nothing of the sort," Mae said grimly, although her smile did not falter. "I enjoyed getting in the way of his plans." She pulled Kate under the stairs. "What in heaven's name are you doing here?"

"I just came--"

A deep voice said quietly, "I would be pleased to disabuse that gentleman of any ideas he might have regarding you, should you ladies require it."

Kate turned from Mae and looked into the deepest, darkest eyes she'd ever seen. For one brief instant she saw sympathy, gentle empathy, and more than a little temper. She smiled, recognizing a bit of Jessie in the handsome stranger. It was that more than the discreetly pinned-up coat sleeve that told her this was the woman Mae had told of. Like Jessie, she wore her unconventional attire with natural ease, as if anything else would be foreign to her.

"We ladies," Mae said archly, although her tone was playful, "are quite capable of handling a snake on two legs if we have to."

"He seems to have quite an interest in you." From her place in the shadows, Vance had observed the man watching Mae and Kate with sharp attention as they'd hurriedly left him. His expression had been both avaricious and angry, and she knew a dangerous man when she saw one. "I'd take some care around him."

Mae ran her fingers up and down the lapel of Vance's coat. "I will." She left her hand linger on Vance's chest for an instant as she indicated Kate. "This is my friend Kate Beecher. Kate, this is our new doctor. Vance Phelps."

"I'm pleased to meet you, Miss Beecher," Vance said, tipping her head slightly.

"Oh, and I you. I'm sorry if I caused any concern." She looked at Mae. "Really, I just wanted to say hello. Jessie's away again and I was helping my father. I thought I'd drop off the newspapers and then find you upstairs."

"I came down early tonight." Mae sighed in exasperation. "I can see that we're going to have to do something about you if you keep insisting on visiting."

Kate smiled. "Well, since you're one of my closest friends, I'd say that was very likely."

"And since you don't seem inclined to stay above stairs, we'll just have to be sure you're not bothered." Mae frowned. "Do your parents know you're here?"

"Actually, my father does. He's going to come for me in another few minutes."

"Well, you're not staying down here until then. I'll take you upstairs, and you can wait there."

"That's not necessary," Kate said. "If I'd known you were already busy, I wouldn't have bothered you."

"Hush, Kate. Don't be silly. I just want you away from here before one of these other gentlemen decides he wants your company and isn't as easily dissuaded as our friend Mr. Drake."

"I'll be happy to show Miss Beecher home," Vance said. She smiled at Kate. "Or to accompany you anywhere you'd like to go."

"Oh, no," Kate said quickly, casting Mae a sidelong glance. "I didn't mean to interrupt your visit."

"That's quite all right. I was about to leave." Vance turned to Mae.

"Until tomorrow evening?"

"Come around five."

"Will you be all right? With this Drake fellow here tonight?"

Mae laughed harshly. "I'll be fine. He's a coward who uses his fists on women who won't fight back. I will."

Vance leaned close. "Use your gun if it comes to that."

"If I shot every man who tried to get over on me or one of my girls, the streets would be thick with bodies." Nevertheless, Mae was touched by Vance's concern and equally worried that Vance still might take it upon herself to warn Drake off. The gambler was not a man to be crossed, especially when his pride was at stake. She had no doubt that Vance could use the revolver holstered to her thigh, but she did not want to see her in danger. Certainly not by way of protecting her. If Vance went after every man who might be a threat to her, she'd have no time left for anything else. And Mae did not want to cast Vance in the role of protector. She'd made her choices, and she would take whatever consequences came of them. She could see the worry in Vance's eyes, although her expression was calm. More than calm. Mae imagined that Vance had looked like this before a battle. Unafraid, resolute, perhaps even willing to die. That single thought frightened her more than any possible risk to herself. "Promise me you won't try teaching him a lesson."

"If I did, you can be sure he would not come back around you."

"No." Mae shook her head vigorously and spoke the one truth she knew Vance would accept, even if she did not care for her own safety.

"It can't be that way. Because if the men start thinking we'll fight them on what they want and what they think is theirs by rights, none of us will be safe then."

Vance looked away, her jaw set. After a moment, she nodded sharply. "I understand."

Kate watched the exchange, and although she could not hear the words that passed between them, she could feel the waves of anger emanate from the doctor. Likewise, she could see the barely contained fear in Mae's face. That was one thing she had never seen before.

Although she knew that Mae's life was hard, dangerous, perhaps unspeakably so, it was not something that Mae let others see. The fact that she did not, could not, hide it now made Kate afraid for the first time.

"Please don't let my foolish--"

"Oh honey," Mae said with a tight smile, "you didn't do anything.

The fact that a woman walks into a room shouldn't give every man within sniffing distance the idea that she was put there for his pleasure.

Not even here."

"What's right isn't always what matters," Kate said quietly.

"It should be," Vance said, her voice low. She took Mae's hand.

"If you're sure you'll be all right, I'll walk with Miss Beecher to her destination."

For a fleeting second, Mae pressed her palm to Vance's cheek.

"Go. And don't forget your dinner."

"Oh," Kate said quickly. "I'd be happy to fix something for you at home. My parents' home, that is."

"I wouldn't think to inconvenience you, but--"

"Please, it's the least I can do." Kate laughed. "Although, I must warn you, my mother is very keen to meet you. Undoubtedly, she will wear you out with questions."

Vance considered refusing, because the last thing she wanted was a social encounter where she would have to be polite and conversant.

She'd been using work as an excuse to decline the frequent invitations to tea or supper from patients and new acquaintances ever since her arrival in town. However, this offer was so genuine and Mae's look of relief so apparent that she couldn't refuse. "That would be very kind of you. Thank you."

"Good," Mae said briskly. "Now, the two of you get out of here."

She smiled at Vance. "You be careful, now."

Vance held Mae's gaze. "And you."

v When Kate found Martin deep in conversation at the hotel with Silas, she informed him that Dr. Phelps would escort her home. "There's no need for you to hurry your visit."

Martin looked from one to the other in surprised confusion but saw no reason to object. "Of course, my dear. You may tell your mother I'll be along shortly." He nodded to Vance. "Nice to see you, Doctor.

Perhaps we can talk sometime about the challenges you face out here.

It would make for an interesting article in our paper."

Vance smiled noncommittally. "I'm sure it would."

As they began their walk through town, the only lights that flickered were in windows lit by candles and oil lamps. Kate said, "We're originally from Boston. We've been here just over a year. It's very different, isn't it?"

"Yes," Vance said, her mind still on the encounter in the saloon.

"It's a strange place where men feel the bounds of propriety no longer apply and women have both great independence and none at all."

"Mae is an amazing woman," Kate said. "She's one of the strongest, most capable people I've ever met."

"She is." Vance rubbed her hand over her face. "Forgive me. I didn't mean to impose my ill mood upon you."

Kate laughed shortly. "You've hardly done that. It makes me so angry that anyone would think less of her for any reason."

Vance gave her a curious look.

"Oh, I know what she does to earn her way. Should I be shocked? That a woman would use one of the few tools at her disposal to survive on her own?" She shook her head angrily. "I think it's incredibly brave."

"You are not a typical young woman from Boston, Miss Beecher,"

Vance said.

"No, Dr. Phelps. It appears that I'm not." Kate slowed as they approached the walk to her parents' home. "If I had never come to this place, I might still be closed-minded and unforgiving of things I did not understand."

"Somehow, I doubt that. It takes more than a change of environment to alter who we are and what we believe."

"You're right," Kate said thoughtfully. "It's more than just my coming here. It's that I came here and found myself." She smiled at Vance. "And I found the only thing that matters to me."

"Indeed. And what might that be?"

"Love, Dr. Phelps. I found my love." Kate slid her arm through Vance's. "Please. Come inside and meet my mother."