Sitting in the virtually deserted saloon, Cole stretched his legs under the table and gazed into his whisky glass. He barely flinched as the batwing doors screeched open, allowing the distant sound of a brass band to float in from outside. After a slight pause, the steady thump of heeled boots on the wooden floor heralded someone’s approach. They halted just before where Cole sat and at last, he looked up. Julia stood there as if she had just stepped out of a picture, dressed in a powder blue dress and matching bonnet. She gently twirled a pink parasol with floral motifs between her palms, looking for all the world as if she were preparing to go for a Sunday afternoon stroll in the sunshine. But although this was a Sunday, and the sun did shine, the idea of a stroll anywhere was not someth
