Page 70 of Native Hawk
He didn’t care for her.
He’d had a change of heart.
Now that he’d sampled her wares, he was no longer interested in the conquest.
Whatever it was, she told herself, she’d face it bravely.
When she called down from the balcony for the whiskey, her voice cracked.
By the time she came back to the room, he was pacing back and forth. “This ain’t easy,” he confided.
She wanted to put her hands over her ears. She didn’t want to hear all his stupid excuses again. She didn’t want to hear how he couldn’t be tied down or that a nice girl like her would find somebody else.
If she could distract him, maybe she wouldn’t have to hear it.
“We can wait until the whiskey is here,” she suggested. “Why don’t you take off your gun?”
If she could get him to linger a little longer, maybe she could convince him to stay.
He unbuckled his gun belt and set his pistol on the night table.
Frantic for something to say, Catalina asked, “So…what do you think will become of Jenny?”
“I’m sure she’ll land on her feet…thanks to you.”
“Land on her feet?”
He smiled. “Yeah, like a cat.”
“Ah.” She traced the edge of her dresser with a finger. “I wonder what kind of work she will find.”
“In Sacramento? It’s a big city.”
“Maybe she’ll find work in a good household. Or a shop. Or a laundry.”
“Or maybe she’ll find herself a man, settle down, and, you know, get married…or somethin’.”
Drew winced inwardly at his broad and awkward hint. He was going about this all wrong. He had an important question to ask Cat—the most important question he’d ever asked anyone in his life. And at the moment, he was as tongue-tied as a gambler caught with an ace up his sleeve.
What if she turned him down? What if, like Sheriff Campbell’s Maggie Ellen, Cat decided she didn’t want to marry a gambler? What if she felt ashamed by what he’d done to her last night and didn’t want to be with him anymore?
No, he wouldn’t believe that. He just needed to set the proper tone for the conversation. Once they got out of their clothes, once they had a sip of whiskey and climbed under the covers, she’d melt into the warm and welcoming Cat he knew.
Then he’d ask her to be his wife.
He was sure she’d say yes.
Pretty sure.
Miss Hattie came to the door with the whiskey and two glasses. But before she handed them off to Cat, she said, “You haven’t seen Jenny, have you? She snuck off withsome manthis mornin’, up to who-knows-what, and I ain’t seen her since.”
Drew narrowed his eyes at the madam. Was she seriously accusing
Drewof hanky-panky with Jenny? Did she think Drew would double-cross Catalina like that?
Fortunately, Cat was quick on her feet. She came to his defense.
“I hope it was not the man who bought Jenny last night,” she said, “because he hurt her.”
