Dark Warrior: Kid (Dark Cloth Series Book 2) by Lenore Wolfe Read Free Book Online

give way to full-blown tears than anything. She waved her hand in front of her face. She’d have been appalled to realize that the gesture had been purely feminine.
    But then Kat was purely feminine—in spite of her expertise in fighting. She just didn’t know it. Perhaps it only lent to her naturally graceful movements.
    “Out with it,” Mandy entreated this time.
    Kat closed her catlike, green eyes, willing away the need to give in further to her tears.” I don’t even know if I can—settle down,” she tried, her voice breaking as she finished the last of this in a whisper. “Not even for Kid....”
    A look of pure surprise crossed Mandy’s face, and Kat immediately felt guilty for even trying to lie her way out of this.
    Whatever Mandy had been expecting her to say—that clearly hadn’t been it.
    Oh, no, Kat thought, biting her lip. Mandy’s going to think her horrible to question something as great as what she had with Kid.
    She must think her ungrateful. After all, couples in the West were lucky to marry for love. Many women married to have a man who hunted and provided. Many men married to have a woman who took care of their home.
    She should be jumping at the chance to marry Kid. He was the love of her life.
    Mandy drew closer. “You have been free to go wherever you wish now, for years. It’s understandable that the idea of suddenly being settled down to one place would be a challenging one.” She smiled and winked a Kat, and Kat couldn’t help but smile. “I don’t know why it never occurred to me that you might find such a thought difficult.”
    “Because you’re a dolt,” Meg grinned, and the three women laughed.”
    Kat bit her lip, then confessed, “I was almost relieved—when the cattle drive to Canada caused a delay in our wedding plans.” She closed her eyes and groaned. “You both must think I’m awful.”
    “Crazy, maybe,” Meg said, with another quick grin. “But not awful. Not at all.” Then, she sobered. “You do—love Kid?”
    Tears sprung to Kat’s eyes, anew. She had to grin in spite of them, when she saw Mandy glare at her friend. Kat had never seen two friends as close as these two—well three—if you were to count Cord. She had no idea how a gun-fighter had become such close friends with the two women—well with Mandy anyway.
    When Cord looked at Meg, it wasn’t friendship Kat saw in his eyes.
    Again, Kat thought about how much Cord loved Meg. Everyone could see that, she thought, her mind returning to this, as it had when she had been waiting outside the store for Mandy the other day. Everyone knew they loved each other, except the two in love. They each seemed oblivious to the other one’s love. Kat had to wonder how they could be so blind to the obvious. It seemed as though everyone in town knew they loved each other—except couple themself.
    Kat had witnessed Mandy, many times, as she tried to tactfully point this out to Meg—to which Meg always became defensive—vehemently denying anything between her and Cord. Kat even toyed with the idea of bringing the subject up herself, now, if only to divert the attention off of her problems. But she couldn’t give in to such cowardice.
    “What do you want to do?” Mandy asked—a catch in her voice.
    Kat knew fear—that she would really have to go. She shook her head.” I don’t know,” she said, and even to her, her voice sounded tortured. She couldn’t bear to lose Kid. It would destroy her. But if she tried to go through with this marriage—right now—she knew that would be a problem too.
    Because, whoever had hired the bounty hunter wasn’t going to stop for a wedding.
    Mandy’s arm tightened around her shoulder. “You have to go.”
    She glanced up at Mandy in shock, at the same moment that Meg unleashed a barrage of shocked words at her.
    “What?” Meg stammered.” Mandy! Are you crazy?”
    Kat couldn’t say a word. The thought both stunned her—like a fist to her belly—and elated