Silverton: Claims On The Heart by Karen Cogan

litters of kittens around.”
    She beamed at him, warming his heart. “That would be wonderful. You can help me name her.”
    Collin laughed. “We never had cats, only dogs with names like Goliath and Duke. I’m afraid my suggestions might not suit her.”
    Kathleen smiled in return. “Maybe I’ll name her myself.”
    Stan grew misty-eyed when he talked of the little pony he’d had as a boy.
    They reminisced about pets until it grew late.
    Collin stood and retrieved his hat. “It’s been the best Sunday afternoon in a long time. Thanks for the food and good company.”
    Kathleen walked him to the door. “I enjoyed it, too. Thanks for taking us on the hike.”
    “It was my pleasure. I’ll come by the store when I find the right cat.”
    “I’ll look forward to it.”
    With a nod and a good night to both of them, he strode into the night.
     
    
     
    Kathleen closed the door, feeling a dreamy smile on her face. She had enjoyed every moment of her time with Collin. And now that Papa had spent time with both men, she felt sure he, too, would prefer Collin’s company over Martin’s.
    “Collin may not have Martin’s money, but he’s very pleasant to be around, don’t you think?”
    Papa puckered his graying brows. “There’s something about him that bothers me, as if he’s not being quite honest about himself.”
    Kathleen sighed. There seemed to be no convincing her father, so she told him good night and went to get ready for bed.
     
    
     
    Collin whistled as he cut across town passing down dark streets. As he went past an alley on Blair, he heard the tinny sound of music drifting from the saloons. His boarding house was set off by itself at the end of another long block. His thoughts were on Kathleen and where he might find her a kitten.
    He was taken completely by surprise as a hammer-like fist smashed into his temple. He raised his arms to defend his head, and a blow to his stomach knocked him breathless. He squinted trying to see his assailants, but the light from the saloons didn’t penetrate the dark alley. He was fighting blind and doubled-over. A blow to his skull left him dizzy.
    He struck out blindly hoping to connect. He felt soft flesh and heard a grunt. At the same time, a strong arm stretched around his neck from behind, pulling him backwards and choking him. He thought of the two men who had threatened him at the boarding house; Martin’s hired thugs.
    It seemed they had watched for him to leave Kathleen’s house and cut around to ambush him. And they would kill him right here in this alley unless he could free himself. He jabbed an elbow into the man behind him, and loosened the hold around his neck. He summoned all his strength and battled hard to break away. Something warm and wet ran into his eyes.
    Blood.
    He was strong and he’d been trained, but even as he landed a hard punch that sent one man to his knees, he wondered if it would be enough to save his life.
     
     
     
     
     

8
     
    Collin staggered past the fallen man desperate to put distance between them. He made it to the front of a saloon. Light from the doors illuminated the street. He spun in time to see that the larger man had followed.
    The man barreled into Collin knocking him from his feet. Big fists pummeled as Collin struggled to roll away from the blows.
    Shouts from the saloon were loud, even as light from the door slanted across his face. Then everything went mercifully black, and he felt no more pain.
    He woke to find himself in the back room of the saloon. He squinted through the swollen slits of his eyes to see that it was daylight.
    Someone stirred in the room, dabbing his face with cool water. It was a woman clad in a pale wrapper…a ministering angel. He tried to speak and found his lips too thick and painful to move. He closed his eyes and fell back to sleep.
     
    
     
    Monday morning, Kathleen stirred around the store, humming a happy tune. She had brought in some fresh eggs, only to have