Page 83 of Native Hawk
In the moonlight, the revolver on the nightstand gleamed up at her. Even if she didn’t mean to use it, it wouldn’t hurt to have the weapon in her hand. It made her feel more powerful.
The gun seemed cold against her palm, but no colder than her heart.
Taking a shaky breath, she opened the door and stole onto the dimly lit balcony. Then, gripping the pistol in both hands, she approached Drew’s room.
She pressed her ear to the door. There was no sound.
For a crazy moment, she wondered if she’d dreamed the whole thing,hopedshe’d dreamed the whole thing.
She carefully turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. By the moonlight, she could see that Drew wasn’t sleeping with another woman. He wasn’t even in his room.
She furrowed her brows. Where had he gone?
The floor beside the bed, where he would have left his boots for the night, was empty. But when she rested her palm atop the rumpled sheets, they were still warm.
Then she heard a noise in the hallway.
Holding the gun in front of her, she crept toward the door. When she got to the doorway, she saw a shadow fall across the balcony.
She lunged out.
Someone gasped.
Startled, Catalina almost pulled the trigger.
It was Miss Hattie.
Catalina managed to steady her hands, but she didn’t lower the gun.
“Where is he?” she demanded, sure Miss Hattie must know.
“Who?” Miss Hattie choked out.
“You know who.”
“Put the gun away, and I’ll tell you.”
“Tell me, and I will not shoot you.”
Miss Hattie’s brows shot up. But she complied, with the warning, “You ain’t gonna like it.”
Catalina gulped. But she had to know the truth, no matter how painful. “Tell me.”
“A young blonde lady came for him. I think she was the daughter o’ one o’ the ranchers here. She said it was a…a family matter.”
“Family? What family?”
Miss Hattie grimaced. “I got a notion she might have been in the family way.”
“What does this mean—in the family way?”
“Expectin’ a baby.”
“A baby? But what does that have to do with…”
A horrible thought came into Catalina’s head, and she knew at once what Miss Hattie was trying to tell her.
“No!” she cried, full of disbelief and hurt and anger all at once.
