For a moment, Ina just stared at the 1921 copyright date in the front of the book she had purchased in the Harvey House store. A fitting souvenir, the book had pictures of Hopis, and Apaches, and the Grand Canyon, and people she had only heard of.

Between La Hunta and Trinidad, Colorado may be seen the Spanish Peaks, beautiful twin mountains, many miles distant. During the entire year, their summits are covered with snow, except a few weeks in the last of summer. These peaks are 13,700 feet high and are located at the end of the Culebra range. They are the first of the Rocky Mountains to be seen as the traveler enters the southwest.

Ina read the description under the first photo and looked out the window to see the Spanish Peaks in the distance, rising majestically out of the flat plains.

The door to her sleeping compartment burst open suddenly, closing as quickly behind the intruder.

“Her family will find me.”

She couldn’t keep from grinning. “You refuse to marry her, I suppose.”

“Now you will criticize me as well, and I’ve not even met the woman. We just started talking in the observation car since we were both from Germany originally. Now they’re trying to arrange a marriage, since all good German men are supposed to marry young, virginal German girls. I draw the line at sixteen-year-olds.”

“Ah. Then have a seat.”

His smile joined hers. “You aren’t German, are you?”

“Swedish,” Ina replied. He sat behind the only drawn shade to keep him from the sight of the fiendish German parents. Her frightfully handsome visitor sat across from her, grinning a grin that she wasn’t sure her parents wanted her to see. Then again, she wasn’t at home, and her parents weren’t here to see. Strong, chiseled features, tall… She pulled her eyes away before he caught her inspecting the bulge in his pants.

“Whatever shall we do now? Should I call for some coffee?”

His eyebrows lifted slowly. “I think I liked your first idea better.