Page 63 of Native Hawk
Chapter 19
Hours after Catalina—as content as a kitten with a dish of cream—had drifted off to satiated slumber, Drew still stared up at the ceiling. Not only was his body tormented by frustrated desire, but his mind felt like a battlefield of conflicting notions.
He’d been a “tumbling rock,” as Cat had called him, for so many years, it seemed impossible to change. But he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving and losing the adorable, maddening Italian lady to anyone else.
Once he was out of the picture, she’d be free to court and kiss and—he thought, grinding his teeth—sleep with whomever she wanted. Would he be able to blithely hit the trail, knowing she might be cozying up to another man?
He rolled toward her, gazing at her moonlit profile. She was beautiful, breathtaking, unforgettable, in spite of the feathers littering her dark hair.
But Drew had met lots of beautiful women.
Cat was more than that. She was brimming with fire and spirit, ambitious, clever, witty and wise yet sweet and innocent, worldly and full of wonder all at once.
After he’d pleasured her, when she’d looked into his eyes, he’d felt a connection he’d never felt with a woman before.
He didn’t want to lose that connection. Damn it, he wanted to feel it again…forever.
The way he saw it, he had three choices.
He could continue fleecing the folks of Paradise for twenty dollars every day and buy Cat’s company every night for the rest of his life.
He could steal her away like his ancestors had with women of the neighboring tribes and take her back to Hupa.
Or he could do the right thing and marry her.
Ordinarily when he thought about marriage, it was with a nasty taste in his mouth, as if he were thinking about swallowing a spider.
But this time, the idea seemed as appetizing as a cool swig of manzanita cider—sweet, comforting, and slightly tart.
Marrying Catalina wouldn’t signify the end of his journey, after all, but the beginning of a new adventure. And he had to admit it seemed like an adventure worth undertaking.
As he lay basking in the midnight moonlight, listening to the soft sounds of her breathing, he let his brain get used to the idea of having a wife.
He imagined seeing Cat’s smile first thing every morning, watching her put on all those intriguing layers of clothing, sitting together at breakfast, sharing a cup of coffee with her.
He imagined coming home in the evening to a cozy house with a white picket fence, swapping stories beside the fire, snuggling with her under the covers and “making the sex.”
He imagined having a whole brood of little Hawks that looked just like her, celebrating birthdays and going on picnics and visiting Grandmother Mati and Grandfather Sakote in Hupa.
The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that maybe it was time. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to settle down. In fact, after a good hour of pondering, he decided that marrying Miss Catalina would be a change for the better and the best bet he’d ever made.
His mind made up, he smiled over at his dozing bedmate and whispered, “Good night, Mrs. Hawk.”
He kissed her temple. She smiled and sighed in her sleep.
Then, filled with new energy and purpose, Drew stole out of bed and quietly dressed. If he wanted to marry this prize of a woman, he had to earn not only her affections, but her trust.
He’d promised her he’d help her clean up the mess downstairs. From the sound of things, the brawl was long over. He might as well get an early start on getting The Parlor back in order.
Catalina was awakened shortly before dawn by a soft knocking on her door. When she opened her eyes in the dim room and saw the empty, feather-littered mattress beside her, she gasped in disappointment. He’d left.
Before her disappointment could bloom into full heartbreak, the knock came again.
“Just a moment,” she croaked out.
She climbed out of bed, snatching up her loose drawers before they could slither down to her ankles, and then giving them a hasty tie. She snagged her wrapper from the wardrobe and staggered through a sea of feathers toward the door. The impatient knocking returned as she slipped on the wrapper.
“I’m coming,” she muttered with a frown.
