just to ascertain no one ever could.
Which meant her only other choice was this.
Cat raised her cards. She gave away nothing; neither did Alexi. After pulling her purse from her pocket, she tossed a few coins onto the table. With a lift of his brow, he did the same. They played in silence as the day waned.The room grew hot. In the way of cards, first Alexi was ahead, then Cat. She watched him as closely as he watched her. Neither one of them cheated.
Much.
Cat arched, rubbing absently at the ache in the small of her back with her free hand.
“Stop that.” Alexi flicked a glance from his cards to her face, then back again.
“What?”
“You’re not expecting.” He set two cards onto the table, then took two more with stiff yet fussy movements. “Stop acting like it.”
There was something in his face she’d never seen before. Was he scared? Had coming a hair from a hanging frightened him at last? Or was she merely seeing in Alexi a reflection of herself?
Cat bit her lip to keep from looking at the window. Instead she continued with the game.
An hour later, a commotion ensued on the stairs. Many booted feet, loud voices. A door was banged upon. “Open up in there!”
Cat put down her cards. “Two of a kind.”
Wood splintered. More thumps and curses, then footsteps descended once again.
Both Cat and Alexi exhaled. He set his cards on the table. “Three of a kind.”
Cat didn’t bother to frown; she merely swept up the cards and dealt.
Alexi peered at his new hand. “The signora’s room?”
“Sí.”
He muttered a few words in who the hell knew what language and laid down a card. Somehow Langston had convinced the marshal to ask around about the big, hulking brute; then
voilà
, someone had seen a big, hulkingbrute, and the lawman had been forced to investigate.
However, with no big, hulking brute—and no signora—the entire tale fell apart. Langston’s fate was sealed. Cat would have felt badly about that if she hadn’t been of the opinion that the litany of crimes Pardy had attributed to Alexi had, in fact, been a recitation of his own.
When the sun began to slant toward dusk and the pile of coins on both sides of the table lay about even, Cat lifted her eyes. “Wanna make this interesting?”
“
Khriso mou,
” Alexi murmured. “When you say things like that…” He moved a card from the right side of his hand to the left. “I get excited.”
“How about we raise the stakes to…” She drew out the moment, and even though he knew exactly what she was doing, as he was the one who had taught her to do it, eventually his anticipation caused him to lean forward. Only then did Cat give him what he sought. “Anything.”
“Anything?” he repeated.
“
Oui.
” He cast her an exasperated glance as she purposely mangled one of his favorite words. “I win this hand, you give me anything I ask. You win—”
“I get anything I ask.”
“You’ve played this before.”
“Not with you.”
She doubted he’d played it with anyone. What moron would promise anything?
Only someone with little left to lose or…
Cat considered her cards without so much as a flicker of an eyelash. Someone with a hand like hers.
“All right,” he agreed. “Who am I to turn down
anything
?”
Not the man she knew and—
Cat brought herself up short. Not the man she knew and what?
Well, not the man she knew.
Alexi turned his cards faceup.
Cat kept her face blank as she placed hers facedown. “You win.”
C HAPTER 8
C at stood, then crossed to the window and, again, peered out. Watching her, Alexi frowned. She was behaving like her namesake.
In a room full of rocking chairs.
He didn’t think his winning the bet had anything to do with her behavior, as she’d been behaving that way since they walked into the room.
Alexi followed, leaning so close his cheek nearly brushed her shoulder, trying to discover what in hell was so fascinating on a dusty Missouri street.
Nothing that he could
Which meant her only other choice was this.
Cat raised her cards. She gave away nothing; neither did Alexi. After pulling her purse from her pocket, she tossed a few coins onto the table. With a lift of his brow, he did the same. They played in silence as the day waned.The room grew hot. In the way of cards, first Alexi was ahead, then Cat. She watched him as closely as he watched her. Neither one of them cheated.
Much.
Cat arched, rubbing absently at the ache in the small of her back with her free hand.
“Stop that.” Alexi flicked a glance from his cards to her face, then back again.
“What?”
“You’re not expecting.” He set two cards onto the table, then took two more with stiff yet fussy movements. “Stop acting like it.”
There was something in his face she’d never seen before. Was he scared? Had coming a hair from a hanging frightened him at last? Or was she merely seeing in Alexi a reflection of herself?
Cat bit her lip to keep from looking at the window. Instead she continued with the game.
An hour later, a commotion ensued on the stairs. Many booted feet, loud voices. A door was banged upon. “Open up in there!”
Cat put down her cards. “Two of a kind.”
Wood splintered. More thumps and curses, then footsteps descended once again.
Both Cat and Alexi exhaled. He set his cards on the table. “Three of a kind.”
Cat didn’t bother to frown; she merely swept up the cards and dealt.
Alexi peered at his new hand. “The signora’s room?”
“Sí.”
He muttered a few words in who the hell knew what language and laid down a card. Somehow Langston had convinced the marshal to ask around about the big, hulking brute; then
voilà
, someone had seen a big, hulkingbrute, and the lawman had been forced to investigate.
However, with no big, hulking brute—and no signora—the entire tale fell apart. Langston’s fate was sealed. Cat would have felt badly about that if she hadn’t been of the opinion that the litany of crimes Pardy had attributed to Alexi had, in fact, been a recitation of his own.
When the sun began to slant toward dusk and the pile of coins on both sides of the table lay about even, Cat lifted her eyes. “Wanna make this interesting?”
“
Khriso mou,
” Alexi murmured. “When you say things like that…” He moved a card from the right side of his hand to the left. “I get excited.”
“How about we raise the stakes to…” She drew out the moment, and even though he knew exactly what she was doing, as he was the one who had taught her to do it, eventually his anticipation caused him to lean forward. Only then did Cat give him what he sought. “Anything.”
“Anything?” he repeated.
“
Oui.
” He cast her an exasperated glance as she purposely mangled one of his favorite words. “I win this hand, you give me anything I ask. You win—”
“I get anything I ask.”
“You’ve played this before.”
“Not with you.”
She doubted he’d played it with anyone. What moron would promise anything?
Only someone with little left to lose or…
Cat considered her cards without so much as a flicker of an eyelash. Someone with a hand like hers.
“All right,” he agreed. “Who am I to turn down
anything
?”
Not the man she knew and—
Cat brought herself up short. Not the man she knew and what?
Well, not the man she knew.
Alexi turned his cards faceup.
Cat kept her face blank as she placed hers facedown. “You win.”
C HAPTER 8
C at stood, then crossed to the window and, again, peered out. Watching her, Alexi frowned. She was behaving like her namesake.
In a room full of rocking chairs.
He didn’t think his winning the bet had anything to do with her behavior, as she’d been behaving that way since they walked into the room.
Alexi followed, leaning so close his cheek nearly brushed her shoulder, trying to discover what in hell was so fascinating on a dusty Missouri street.
Nothing that he could
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