A rank, unfamiliar smell suddenly assaulted me, taking my mind off the heat. I looked up, and thudding toward the car was a herd of cows, but not like any cows I had ever seen. They were huge and had horns on them that spanned outward wider than the width of their bodies. I shrank back in fright. Lily looked up at me and laughed.

“Don’t be scared, Miss Delia, they’re only longhorns.”

Aidan turned around, grinning. “I wanted to see the look on your face when you first saw them. I suppose they are frightening at first, but you’ll get used to them. You see, Fort Worth is the place where ranchers bring their cattle to be shipped far and wide by railroad. People say this is where the West begins. Its nickname is “Cow Town.”

I was somewhat put out with Aidan. How dare he try to deliberately scare me this way? But then I looked at him, his eyes dancing with merriment, and my heart melted. For all his reassurance, though, I still shuddered as the herd thundered past. Men with weather-beaten faces sheltered by large white hats rode on either side of the animals, ropes in their hands.

José came back carrying our luggage and put it in the boot of the car. Smiling, he slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine. I was thankful for the faintest of breezes that moved the hot air around. Maybe when we were out on the main road it would be better, I hoped. The streets bustled with traffic and pedestrians. I was shocked to see such activity in the middle of the brown flatlands; it was like a mirage in the middle of the desert. Women wearing lace-trimmed blouses and long skirts, some carrying parasols to keep off the sun, picked their way daintily along the pavements. Many of the men wore boots with spurs, their faces shaded by big hats like the one José wore. Some leaned against buildings, one foot raised behind them, watching the scene before them with keen eyes. Brown-skinned women with long, black braids, some carrying babies, wove in and out of the crowds. Cattle mingled with horse-drawn carriages, cars and trams, and manure dotted the streets. This place would never be mistaken for New York City, I thought.