Page 92 of Native Hawk
Chapter 27
For Drew, two days passed as a blurry memory.
He remembered playing the two-spirit game in the dark, getting shot, blacking out. He drifted in and out of consciousness, only to wake to the agony of a doctor rooting around under his ribs, in an exhaustive search for the bullet lodged there.
After that, the doctor gave him something bitter to drink, and he fell into a deep sleep.
It felt almost like the journeys he’d taken in thetakiwh,sweat lodge, as a youth in Hupa. He went to the spirit world, communicated with animals, understood the world’s mysteries, spoke in strange tongues.
Most of it was otherworldly, a figment of his drugged brain. But some of it was real, he was sure.
He remembered his brother bending close, speaking in their native tongue and in tones of concern.
He remembered Miss Hattie tucking covers around him.
He remembered a distant conversation between a blonde angel and her white-haired, rifle-toting father.
He remembered the murmurs of pity and the sweet perfume of ladies who visited him.
And always he remembered Cat hovering near. He caught glimpses of her red-rimmed eyes, the tangled black ribbons of her hair, her rumpled scarlet dress. She stayed by his side, easing his fever, giving him sips of water and spoonfuls of soup, speaking soft and soothing Italian words into his ear like a medicine woman’s incantation.
Suddenly one morning, he opened his eyes, clear-headed, feeling strong, and hungry as a horse. His wound still throbbed, but he could tell it was healing. Soon he’d be able to leave The Parlor.
Somehow, he’d find a way to sneak Chase and his ladylove safely out of town. Then he’d have to figure out what to do about Catalina.
He obviously couldn’t stay in Paradise. It wasn’t safe for him here. With Chase gone, sooner or later, someone would claim that Drew was Claire Parker’s abductor, and he’d have no way of proving he wasn’t. The only ones who even knew the twins existed were the shady ladies of The Parlor. And their word was probably worth about as much as a half-breed’s.
So until he figured out what to do, Drew guessed his best move was to bluff.
It wasn’t so bad pretending he was still too weak to move. The bed was comfortable, and the food was decent. Beautiful women came to his room, cooing over him and catering to his every need. Cat kept him company, feeding him, mopping his brow, doting on him as if he were a helpless child. He could hardly complain.
But he knew for Chase, being confined to The Parlor was torture.
His brother missed his little Calamity Jane something fierce. Samuel Parker’s ranch might be just down the road a piece, but it probably felt like it was a world away.
According to Chase, Claire had a fiancé who was bound and determined to regain her affections. And despite Claire’s devotion, the knowledge that someone else was out there, vying for the woman he loved, had to be gnawing at Chase and setting him off-kilter.
His normally levelheaded brother was growing short-tempered. Helpless and frustrated, Chase snapped and snarled at everyone, reminding Drew of themindich,bobcat, they’d found in that snare long ago. He lashed out at even those unfortunates who tried to give him a hand.
But when he started grousing at Catalina, Drew realized it was time to goad his brother out of The Parlor and off to the Parker Ranch.
It was a risk. Chase was now a wanted man. If anyone spotted him, he’d be reported to the sheriff and put back in jail.
But under cover of the night, Chase could be as stealthy as aminim-millediliw, mountain lion. So if he could convince his brother that Claire was worth fighting for, maybe he’d find the happiness Drew had found with Cat.
It wasn’t difficult. Drew tossed out a few good-natured taunts and snuggled up with his own beautiful bride-to-be to remind Chase of what he was missing. Cat convinced him it would be romantic for Chase to kidnap his bride again in the middle of the night. By nightfall, Chase still wasn’t sure what he intended or whether he was doing the right thing, but he was on his way to the ranch and his sweetheart.
Lady Luck must have gone with him. As it turned out, Chase arrived just in the nick of time.
Sometime after midnight, Miss Hattie started knocking on doors, waking everyone in The Parlor. She said she had something to tell them, and it couldn’t wait till morning.
When all the ladies had gathered in Drew’s room, she told them there had been a fire at the Parker Ranch.
Drew’s heart dropped. “My brother…”
“Chase?” Cat reached for Drew’s hand.
“He’s fine,” Miss Hattie assured them. “A bit smoky, but fine.” She clucked her tongue. “He’s actually a hero.”
