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Pacific. Our paths, surprisingly, have not crossed, although your reputation and expertise have not escaped me.”
    “Yes, well, apparently my reputation and expertise are not enough for Trent Storm.”
    “Oh?”
    “He saw fit to sever our business relationship this afternoon.”
    “Ah,” said Karl, understanding at once why Tora was less than her normal self. “And your personal relationship?”
    “It was dead long ago. I had a schoolgirl’s dream of what it could be. Trent let life interfere.”
    “Life?” Karl asked carefully.
    Tora glanced at him sharply. “Yes. I told him the truth, and he could not handle it.”
    “About your daughter.”
    “Yes. He just cast me away like so much riffraff.” She pulled a handkerchief from somewhere in the folds of her dress and dabbed at her eyes. “Can you imagine?”
    Karl fought a smile. Here was the Tora Anders he remembered, manipulative to the end. “I can,” he said softly. “You must have hurt him deeply. What was it?”
    Tora sniffed, as if offended, then sagged a bit. “Well, to secure a job with Storm Enterprises I had to present myself as a woman with no ties. Free to do as they bid. As Trent bid.”
    “No ties. No child?”
    “As well as other things.”
    Karl let her comment slide. “I see. So he just found out about your baby?”
    “Yes. I do not see what difference it makes! She isn’t a part of my life. He would have no responsibility for her!”
    “Perhaps that is just what he wanted.”
    Tora laughed, laughed as if it was a tremendous relief to do so, then soon sobered. “You think Trent
wants
a family?”
    “I know few men who don’t. Maybe he was simply waiting all these years for you to be honest with him, to show him who you really are, rather than who you want to be.”
    Tora rose, color flaming on her cheeks. “Who are you to presume to judge me? You know nothing of who I am, let alone who I will be.”
    Karl stood beside her, sensing their time together was already at an end. He silently lamented not having the chance to sip lemonade, to catch up with a woman who shared some of his history. He laughed at himself. He was apparently so lonely that he even felt led to reach out to Tora Anders! “I beg to differ, Tora. I know who you are. I’ve known you all your life.” He brushed a tendril of dark hair from her eyes as she shied away, clearly irritated at his overly familiar gesture. “On the other hand, I do not know who you will be.”
    “Oh. And who are you now, Karl Martensen? Still the philanderer in sad pursuit of my married sister?”
    Karl winced at the truth of her comment and forced himself to stare back into her eyes. “I made a fool of myself and wasted some of the best friendships I ever made. I made a mistake and then I walked away before apologizing. Are you letting Trent do the same?” Bile rose in his throat. How long would he be haunted by past sins? He seemed unable to recapture any sense of peace in his life. Even Tora could see it, use it.
    She ignored his question. “I think you should go.”
    “I will.” He turned to depart, then looked back at her. “What will you do?”
    “I’ll be fine,” she said, as if miffed that he dared question her. “I have investments, and ideas of my own about what to do along the railroad.”
    “You intend to compete with Trent?”
    “Did I say that? I said I had plans of my own.” She smiled in feline fashion, and Karl knew that it was exactly what she was scheming.
    “Trent would be furious. Believe me, you don’t want an enemy like him on the line.”
    “Like Hall?” she baited him, reminding Karl of his infamous past employer.
    “You’ll note that I found it prudent to develop my own business along the Northern Pacific, rather than the Great Northern. Villard has gone broke again,” he said, referring to the chief financier behind the Northern Pacific, “so who knows what will transpire along this route. It might be wise to consider moving, and for