“He had friends in the local law enforcement, and I was arrested. He lost fair and square and didn’t like it. But I was able to talk myself out of trouble.”

“He did magic tricks for the sheriff,” April said. “The sheriff laughed and said he’d turn a blind eye if Max left town immediately.”

“We hitched a ride and made it as far as the state line. Then we caught another ride and then another. It took us nearly a full day to get here.” The drive should have taken two hours.

“So no fights?” Carlotta asked.

“Maybe a small one,” Max said. “But I didn’t hit any law enforcement.”

Carlotta raised her hands in surrender. “I don’t want any trouble here, Max.”

Max’s smile was easy and quick. “Of course not.”

“You always say that, and yet . . .” On the Maisy Adams he usually limited his gambling to their last night in a port. If the games went badly—as they often did—then he was out of town before sunrise. More than once she’d seen him race down the docks as if the devil were on his heels and reach the gangplank seconds before it lifted.

“There’ll be no troubles here,” he said.

Of course he meant it. He never made a promise he did not intend to keep. But Max had a way of getting caught up in the moment, and his heartfelt promises vanished as easily as the cards did during his act.

Carlotta finished her second set shortly after eleven. As she had predicted, Max and April were quite popular with the guests. They both had a charm that was hard to resist, and she could tell by Edna’s expression that she was pleased with her choice.

She’d seen no sign of Beth Ann at either of the evening shows, but Peter was there. Well on his way to drunk, he lit up when April appeared in her costume. She knew from experience to keep distance between Peter and April so there would be no trouble. As much as she wished Henry were here to keep the peace, she accepted that the job always fell to her.

When the last set wrapped, Max, April, and she lingered around to speak to guests who wanted to express their thoughts about the performances. Some loved Max’s magic, and others wanted to know how the tricks were done. April dazzled with an impromptu balancing act on the wreck, as well as backflips and cartwheels. Several women, growing bolder with Carlotta, had suggestions about song choices, and one or two noted she had hit a few flat notes—which she had not.