fish market to buy fresh seafood. As a little girl, Gabrielle was enthralled watching the dock men hoist pulleys, lift bushel after bushel of fresh produce, and haul nets up overflowing with the daily catch.
She liked to pet the workhorses and give them apple and carrot treats when her mother was busy bartering for the best price on sea trout and flounder. She felt sorry for the big, kind-hearted animals as they stood patiently hitched to their flatbed carts waiting to receive their loads. With a crack of a driver’s whip they were off, hauling their goods to market.
“That’s why you have such a strong, sensible head on your shoulders. Melissa, bless your mother’s soul, could always drive a hard bargain and win,” her father was fond of saying, usually in his more melancholic brandy moods.
Gabrielle heard one of the men refreshing the ice in his glass. “Ahh ... A seawall? A colossal waste of time and money,” Hadlee said behind her. “What Galveston needs is more beachfront vacation property. That’s where the future is.”
“Yes, but I agree with Mr. Caldwell too,” Timothy replied. “We need to protect what we have as we prepare and build into the twentieth century. Isn’t that true, Gabrielle?”
Gabrielle watched a white sailboat glide by, the happy, laughing couple seated at the rudder as though steering their craft on a drifting dream of promise and hope the way Bret and her once—
“Gabrielle?”
Gabrielle turned as though shaken from a pleasant memory. She smiled at her two earnest, well-to-do suitors dressed in their most colorful, debonair summer attire. Always-serious Timothy DeRocha ran his finger along the tip of his freshly waxed moustache. He waited politely for her answer as he glanced nervously at the slimmer, taller, more relaxed Hadlee Foster leaning on the veranda rail, twirling the ice in his glass.
“Yes, of course. Father is always right in these matters.”
Timothy flashed a quick, triumphant grin at his rival.
“Of course. You’re right as always, Gabrielle.” Hadlee glanced away and adjusted his red striped tie. “Say, I am looking forward to Doctor Hellreich’s next lecture though—Eugenics and Social Engineering. Fascinating, but he has some folks quite riled up and fit to be tied.”
Timothy brushed the sleeve of his light yellow shirt. “To be honest, I find his opinions practical and refreshing. You know he favored passing the ‘Chinese Exclusion Act’ into law?” He lifted his head proudly to Gabrielle as though seeking her approval like a faithful pet. “I can see why your father values his opinion.”
Gabrielle smiled. “Yes ... he does cut a dashing figure and the ladies who have met him cannot say enough kind words about the man.” She turned to hide the flush she felt building in her cheeks. “And I confess, gentlemen, that I might count myself among them.” It was cruel, she knew, but oh how she loved to tease men like Hadlee and Timothy who were only a few years older but regarded themselves as wise, worldly men of experience.
And she did hate how they talked down to her sometimes, although in her heart she told herself it wasn’t their intention.
Hadlee cleared his throat. “I see . . . and how does your father feel about even bigger news than that?”
Gabrielle strolled over to the pitcher of iced tea and poured herself another glass. She sipped her drink without looking at Hadlee or Timothy. “What on Earth are you talking about, Hadlee Foster?” She turned to face the men. “What could be more important than our safety and future?”
Hadlee, obviously embarrassed, glanced awkwardly at Timothy. His friend made a sweeping gesture with his hand as though batting away some bothersome fly. “I, for one, believe he should have stayed where he was.” Timothy’s chest seemed to puff up like a seagull with every word. “If he fancied himself such a Bohemian adventurer, let the damn Europeans have him.”
Timothy strode toward Gabrielle. “He’s certainly not a gentleman, at least not the one he used to be. Lord, I’ve heard he even keeps a loaded pistol in that infernal contraption of his as if any self-respecting person would want to steal it.”
Hadlee nodded, seeming quite relieved. “You don’t say? Mmm . . . two years is a long time, my friend. People change, and sometimes not for the better. Isn’t that right, Gabrielle?”
Gabrielle knew what they were trying to do but she wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. She raised her chin proudly. “I can’t remember the last time his name or business affairs were