It was impossible to know how much of it was genuine. Tom reminded himself to behave and resist the temptation to provoke her with any more arsy Brit cynicism. Her laugh was full of sunshine and optimism, and he found himself smiling back as he opened the passenger door. ‘I’m sure I will.’

He climbed in beside her. The seats were upholstered in something reptilian. ‘I assume a lot of snakes were harmed in the making of these seats?’

Again she laughed, but was clearly baffled.

The engine growled thunderously, and they were engulfed by a gale of aircon and country music.

‘Everything you heard about Texas, it’s all true.’ She turned to him with an even bigger smile as she threw the shift into drive. The truck leaped forward.

‘So, tell me about the event. Who’s coming?’

‘Aw, it’s just, y’know, guys networking.’

‘That’s a bit vague.’

‘They’re all friends of Oryxis. And they’re just dying to hear what Invicta’s doing for y’all.’

‘I just like to know who my audience is. In case they’ve heard it all before.’

She laughed yet again, probably to cover up the fact that she didn’t have a clue what he was on about.

On the way he quizzed her more but her answers were all frustratingly vague: ‘Aw you’ll see,’ or ‘The guys’ll fill you in,’ each accompanied by her sunny laugh. So he just let her talk, pointing out roadside features, like a drive-through liquor store called Beer Barn, which was, unsurprisingly, styled to resemble a barn, and Freakin’ Pecan – ‘The best place in the universe, like ever, for pecan pie. Don’t you go and leave without trying it now, y’hear?’

‘Okay, promise,’ said Tom, his resistance wilting in the Texas sun.

Despite feeling carpet-bombed by her enthusiasm, he had fewer problems with Americans than some of his fellow Brits had. He admired the can-do mentality, the refusal to compromise and even the tendency towards overkill, which could make British methods seem tentative and half-arsed. As he considered this, he realized how detached he had become from his roots. In the space of just the last few days he had already begun to change his thinking. But whereas before he had felt angry and disillusioned, he now felt energized and refreshed. The Texas sun, the country music, Beth’s enthusiasm – and her long legs – were working their magic.

At an intersection they pulled up behind another pick-up with a gun rack carrying a Mossy 500A and a Winchester 94.

Beth grinned. ‘Betcha don’t get to see a lot of that back home.’