She was uncomfortable at the note in his voice. “Okay, what’s going on?” she asked.

There was a pause. “The parole board met today.”

Her heart stopped. “And?”

“And it looks as if Morris will get out week after next.”

Her whole life flashed before her eyes. She could actually see her heart beating in her eyes as she stared blankly at the other wall and felt the blood drain out of her face.

“Don’t panic,” he said abruptly. “It’s not the end of the world.”

“Banks doesn’t know about Morris. He doesn’t know that he’s trying to find out what happened to my grandfather. He doesn’t know...!”

“Why haven’t you told him?”

“I could lose my job, Cal,” she said. “My stepbrother is a convicted felon!”

“You won’t lose your job. Many people have relatives who’ve been in trouble with the law.”

“Most of them aren’t employed by the Texas Rangers,” she said. “Especially Colter Banks, who doesn’t even want me to work for him in the first place! He wanted a man—he said so. But no men applied, so he got stuck with me.”

“He did choose you out of a field of four women,” he pointed out.

“Right. You didn’t see what he had to choose from.” She sighed.

He chuckled. “But I heard about it. I understand that he was of the opinion that the other three made their living at night on street corners.”

“Shame!”

“So you were the best of the lot.”

“He hates me.”

“Probably not.”

“Tad will die when I tell him,” she said. “He’s terrified of Morris, after all this time.”

“So are you, kid,” he said gently.

She drew in a breath. “What am I going to tell him?”

“Don’t tell him anything, not yet.”

“We can’t stay where we are. I won’t live with Morris. Neither will Tad.”

“I’ll look around for apartments.”

“Can you find one for ten dollars a month, because that’s what I can afford,” she said, and not altogether facetiously.

“Stop that,” he said. “What about the Martins? You’ve been wheeling old Mr. Martin to church for ages...”

“I won’t put them in danger,” she said solemnly. “Morris is vindictive.”

“I guess I’d forgotten that,” he said apologetically.

“I hadn’t,” she said.

“If worse comes to worst, you and Tad can move in with me,” he said. “I’ll have Miss Betsy and her sister move in, also, to keep people from making nasty remarks about it.”

“You have a life of your own...”

“Some life,” he said heavily. “The walls close in from time to time. I’m too much alone.”

“You should marry again,” she said.

“No, I shouldn’t,” he said shortly. “Once was enough.”

“The world is full of nice women. What about Marquez’s mother? She’s wonderful.”

“Fred Harris.”

“I thought they were just friends.”