Alexander paced the parlor while Elise sat quietly on the settee.
“He seemed like an upstanding fellow,” Alexander said worriedly. “It makes no sense for him to completely ignore my wire.”
“Are you sure the wire reached him?” Elise asked.
“I checked,” Alexander replied testily, “it was picked up by a ranch hand that very day.”
“Joseph struck me as the conscientious sort. I imagine he would make sure Nate received it as soon as he arrived,” Elise said thoughtfully.
“If that’s the case, then the man’s a scoundrel,” Alexander spat.
“He said he loved me and I believed him,” Elise pouted.
“Men say all sorts of things when they’re drinking and having their way with a woman,” Alexander said thoughtlessly. “Has he declared his love to you while sober and not in the throes of passion?&rdquo
