He sat back, sipping the wine that she had poured. He lifted his glass, and the speculation remained in his eyes. 'No, my pleasure, Miss McCahy.' He sighed, finished the wine, set his glass down and rose. She jumped up along with him.
'You're going now?'
'I'm going now.'
'I'll get your food. And your coat and cavalry jacket' She paused. 'You probably shouldn't ride into Kansas with that jacket. Do you want another one?'
He took his jacket and coat from her. 'Why, haven't you heard, Miss McCahy? The war is over. Or so they say.'
'Or so they say,' Shannon echoed.
He grinned. He touched her cheek, and she quickly turned away. 'I'll get your food.'
'Thanks,'' he drawled, but when she started to walk away, he caught her hand and pulled her back.
He had put his plumed hat atop his head, and his Confederate greatcoat lay over his shoulders. His eyes were heavy-lidded and sparkled with a lazy sensuality and humor.
'It was a nice dinner, Miss McCahy. You were a beautiful companion. I enjoyed it. Whatever comes, I want you to know that. I enjoyed it'
It was very peculiar talk, coming from Malachi. She nodded nervously and pulled away from him. 'I'll…I'll just get your food.'
'I'll meet you out front. I want to take a last peek at Gabe, and tell Delilah goodbye.'
'Fine.'
She fled to the kitchen. She hurriedly secured his bundle of food, adding a bottle of her father's old Irish whiskey from the cupboard. Then she went outside and nervously waited.
Soon he passed by her on the porch. 'Just need to get the bay,' he told her.
'Of course.'
She watched him walk to the stable, a tall figure, dominating the night, with his greatcoat falling from his shoulders and his plumed hat touching the sky.
He was swallowed up by the darkness.
Moments later he reappeared, a masterful horseman, cantering toward her on the bay.
He reined in before he reached the porch and waited as she approached him with the bundle of food and the liquor.
'Is your leg all right?' she asked him with a little pang of guilt. He should have had some rest, but he seemed to be doing well with the wound. As long as infection didn't set in, he should be fine.
But it was true that he should have rested.
'The leg feels good, thanks.' He buckled the food into his saddlebag. The bay mare shuffled nervously, wanting to be gone.
Shannon stepped back. Malachi nodded to her, lifting the reins. 'Take care of Gabe. I'll be back with Kristin as soon as I can. I hope Cole will hear of this and come back, but we can't rely on that. Be ready. We'll have to take her somewhere. She'll have to hide now, too, or they'll come after her again.'
Shannon nodded. 'I'll be ready.'
'I'll bet you will. Goodbye.'
She lifted a hand and waved. He saluted, swung the bay around and rode into the night.
Shannon could barely stand still. The second he was out of sight, she swung around and raced up the steps. She burst into the house and ran up the stairway. She didn't pause to change, but wrenched her saddlebags from beneath the bed and tore down the stairs again and into the kitchen.
Delilah was there. Shannon ignored her as she packed her own food, then she hurried over and hugged Delilah fiercely. 'Take good care of Gabe, Delilah.'
'Shannon, Shannon, you shouldn't be going! I thought that he would know, I thought that he would stop you—'
'No one can stop me, Delilah. You know that. Please, please, promise to take good care of the baby!'
'You know that I will, missy, you don't need to say a word.'
'I know that. Oh, Delilah, you and Samson were God sent! I don't know what we'd ever have done without you.'
'You might not be able to run off like this.'
'Delilah, she's my sister. I have to go for her.'
Shannon kissed Delilah quickly on the cheek, swept up her bags and left the kitchen.
In the hallway she plucked the second Colt from the wall and stuffed her bag full of ammunition. Delilah hovered behind her.
'Shannon, you take care, young lady. Don't go off impetuously and get yourself in trouble, you hear?'
Shannon nodded and threw the door open. She started to hurry out, and she hurried straight into Malachi's waiting arms.
'Malachi!'
'Shannon!'
He set her back on her feet, a broad, smiling barrier in the doorway. He took her saddlebags from her hands. 'Going somewhere tonight, Miss McCahy?'
'Yes!'
She tried to snatch the bags from him. His smile faded from his face, and he tossed the saddlebags on the floor of the porch. The sound reverberated, but neither of them heard it. Their eyes were locked.
'Malachi Slater—'
'You aren't coming, Shannon.'
'Damn you, you can't—'
'I am sorry, Miss McCahy, but what I can't do is let you get yourself killed.'
'Malachi—' She cried out in soft and wary warning. He stepped forward anyway and dipped low, catching her in the midriff and throwing her over his shoulder.
'Put me down, you damn Reb!' she ordered him. He just kept walking. She pummeled his back. 'Malachi, Slater, you—'
'Shut up, Shannon.'
'Scurvy bastard—'
His hand landed firmly upon her derriere. 'This is such a delectable position!' He laughed, his footsteps falling upon the stairs.
She burst out with every oath she knew, beating savagely against his shoulders. He didn't seem to feel a thing, protected as he was by the heavy padding of his greatcoat.
Despite her wild fight, they came quickly to the second floor. His long strides brought them down the corridor to her room. He pushed the door open, and a second later tossed her hard upon her bed. Her skirts and petticoats flew around her, and she scrambled first for some dignity, pressing them down.
'Temper, temper, Shannon,' he murmured.
'Temper!' She jumped to her knees, facing him. He arched a brow but didn't take a single step back. He seemed to be waiting for her next move, just waiting.
Shannon smiled and sank down on her pillows, comfortably crossing her arms over her chest. 'Go ahead. Lock me in.'
'I intend to.'
'Aren't you forgetting?' she said sweetly. 'This is so very foolish. The second that you're really gone, I will crawl right through that window. Now, it would just make so much more sense if you would be a reasonable man and—what are you doing?'
Shannon sat up, tensing, for he had turned away from her and was prowling through her drawers.
'Malachi?' She rose to her knees again, then leaped from the bed, accosting him. She pulled his hand out of her top drawer. A pair of her knit hose dangled from his hands.
'You're letting me come?' she said curiously. Then she realized from the grim determination on his features that he had no intention of letting her come. She still wasn't sure just what he meant to do.
Then he reached for her, sweeping her off her feet and plopping her down on her bed once again.
