Her head still seemed to be ringing. She felt as if she were in a cartoon, as if she needed a sound slap in the face to come around again.

Dan Oliver wasn’t going to slap her.

Reaching out a hand, Dan greeted Matt. “Hey. I heard you are part of an amazing trio of carriage drivers and guides extraordinaire for the Trudeau Carriage Company. I’m Dan Oliver. It’s nice to meet you.”

Matt beamed, taking Dan’s hand. “Matt D’Arcy,” he said. “And to be fair, in many years I’ve only come across a few lousy drivers and guides. We’re tested, you know, and required to know what we’re talking about. Most of us do this because we love it, and because of the city.”

“Well, it shows.” Dan shrugged. “When I learned Katie was here, I looked up the company. You all have glowing reviews.”

“Helps that Monty is a good guy. He loves his animals and takes good care of them. We all love them, too. People don’t realize just how affectionate a mule can be. They get bad raps, you know. Stubborn as a mule. Not that a mule can’t be stubborn, but...”

Matt was in his early thirties. He’d been a history and education major at LSU, and he’d told Katie once that while he’d probably never rule the world by being a carriage driver, he was truly happy. He was a night owl and slept in every morning, and he had a knack for dealing with the somewhat inebriated people he dealt with once darkness had descended. And he’d always step in to help either Katie or Lorna if they had unruly passengers. He was six feet with a full beard and mustache and looked like a man out of a Dickens novel. He was a great friend.

“You’re working now, right? Until late?” Katie asked him.

“You know me. Might have been some vampire in my blood,” he said lightly. Then he grew serious. “I admit, last night I was a bit creeped out. But I don’t think anyone would attack a carriage driver on a busy street.”

“I think you’ll be okay. I pray we’re all okay,” Katie said. “Lots of people in the city will be frightened, but we can hope people will be smart, getting off duty at bars, restaurants and other venues in the middle of the night. Anyway, I think Lorna is out with a tour now, and I was going to head in.”