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The sound of steady ticking filled the lavishly furnished room.

“I still don’t understand why you couldn’t go back to Germany and marry a nice German girl.” Walter’s father, Bruno, sat at the head of the thick wooden table. His distinguished gray suit struggled to contain his large belly. A bushy gray walrus mustache graced the lip below his large nostrils. “The French took the lives of many of our young men. Why should we mingle our noble blood with theirs?”

“I did my duty for the Kaiser. Just like you asked me to, just like you ordered me to! Your orders almost got me killed!” Walter struggled to restrain his rage. “Thank God, the war is over with and I can get on with my life. I’ve already proposed to Selena. If she will have me, we will be married. We’ve already discussed this!”

“And we’ll discuss this further later,” Bruno heaved himself to his feet. “It’s time to get over to the train station. The bank needs that gold shipment if we hope to carry on.”

“Alright. But this is the last time.” Walter grumbled as he slid his feet into his expensive leather boots.

“We’ll see. Better bring a gun.”

“A gun?”

“You heard me. One of the Mounties dropped by last night. After you left. He said that Heckensnick woman saw Jefferson Little prowling around town.”

“That Heckensnick woman? You know the kind of stories she tells!”

“She tells some pretty good ones. Just like the one about a French woman who was seen working with Jefferson Little.” Bruno pulled a rifle from a rack on the wall. “I want to make sure that those two swine get the treatment that they deserve.”

Walter opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it. His father was just baiting him. Fighting back would just give him what he wanted.

The ticking of the clock gave way to a round of chimes. Bruno shoved open the door to the great outdoors. As a blast of cold air flooded into the room, he turned to face his son.

“Are you coming?”

“I’ll be right there.” Walter slid a revolver into a pocket and headed out after his father.

Visions of a warm kiss flooded his mind…if Selena kept her word, she would soon be at their secret meeting place.

Walter felt his heart beating faster. The sooner he had completed supervising the unloading of the gold train the sooner he could see her.

The sooner he could hold her.

The sooner he could hear her answer.

He couldn’t wait.