Page 157 of The Trouble with Tigers
Zeke sucked in a breath. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead to hers. “Kitty—"
“Let say one thing more.” She gazed at him through misty eyes. “I accept you as you are. If you desire travel, to scour the globe for…for those ores you love so much, I will wait for you until you come home--if you still want me, that is, after all I put you through, and there is still the issue of me being unlikely to conceive.” She pressed her lips together.
Zeke’s brows furrowed and he shook his head. “Sweetheart,” he began.
The hackney jerked to a halt.
“We’ve arrived. Perhaps you need time to consider.” She leaped from the vehicle, leaving Zeke to pay the driver.
Her mind raced as she darted into the inn. She told Zeke he was free to not marry her, hoping beyond hope he’d reject the notion out of hand.
He hadn’t. Had he finally given up on her? Had he finally had enough of the trouble that followed in her wake?
She forced the dreaded possibility from her mind. One disaster at a time.
She charged up the stairs and crossed to Collin’s chamber as fast as her feet would carry her. She burst into the room half afraid she’d find her brother dead.
“Milady,” the innkeeper’s wife said, rising from his bedside.
Collin lay still, his eyes closed, his complexion practically bloodless.
Kitty stretched out her hand and moved forward. “Is he…”
“He’s resting,” the woman said with a kind smile. “I’ll leave you to him, then.” She stepped into the hallway, pulling the door closed behind her.
Kitty hovered over her brother, smoothing his greasy hair from his forehead.
He opened his eyes, wincing when he saw her. “Kitty, can you ever forgive me? I was wrong. Wrong to ask you, wrong to help him. I’ve been such a bastard.”
“Shh,” she whispered, and gave Collin a small smile. “Just rest now. We can talk about all that later.”
“But did he…are you…”
“Married to Garrick James? No. And I don’t believe we’ll have to worry about him in future.”
“Thank God. I’ll make it right between us, Kitty, I will.”
“I know. Sleep now.”
He smiled and closed his eyes.
Kitty looked down on his battered form and couldn’t have agreed more with his summation. He had been wrong. He had behaved terribly. But she loved him.
The door opened and closed softly behind her. Zeke stood there, glaring daggers at Collin.
“He’s sleeping,” she mouthed, moving toward Zeke, toward his heat, the innate strength of him.
He crooked a finger under her chin, lifted her gaze to meet his. “Perhaps we can finish that conversation now?”
She nodded, her heart in her throat.
He took her hand and led her from the room.
If she wasn’t mistaken, his hand was shaking. Now if she only knew if that was a good sign or a bad one.
***
He didn’t speak ‘til he had her alone in her chamber, door locked behind them. Once there, he opened his mouth. “Now, then—”
