To Love A Wild Irishman

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Finnegan groaned as he slowly began to gain consciousness. The sunlight against his closed eyelids told him that it was no longer night and the soft body wrapped in his arms told him that it had been a good night indeed.

He buried his face into a mess of wild curls and froze.

Curls?

Soft body?

A good night?

Shite! It better not of been that good a night. This bare body he was holding had better not belong to Cassandra...... He had no memory of much of anything from the night before and he could only imagine what this would do to her. Hell a simple kiss had had her heartbroken for years... if they had lain together.....

Finnegan barely opened one eye and breathed out a huge sigh of relief when the curls his face turned out to be snuggled against were dark brown instead of bright gold.

Finnegan pulled himself away from the woman in his arms and flopped onto his back, nearly falling from the tiny bed. Once he righted himself and felt assured that his heart was not going to burst, Finnegan took in his surroundings.

It appeared he was in a hotel room. That was good at least because it meant he was still in the town he had left Cassandra in.... he hoped.

Finnegan pushed himself to his feet as his head swam. He never did get headaches after a night of heavy drinking but the dizziness was nearly just as bad.

What had happened last night? He remembered the dead man and then sending Cassandra up to the rooms while he headed to the saloon to see about making some quick money.

He remembered that he'd been doing good. The money had been coming his way quickly, the whiskey had been pouring, the beer mugs were clanking and the women were hanging off his arms..... Then it all became a blank.

Finnegan quickly pulled on his pants and then reached in the pockets—empty!

He ran to his vest and checked the inside pocket, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt the leather bound map and then his heart falling when he realized that's all that was there.

He had no money.

He had told Cassandra not to worry and assured her that he'd take care of her and get the money for the train but he had failed.

They needed that train ride. To go all the way to Montana by horseback would take months and the odds of them being caught by her father, who was no doubt searching high and low for his little girl were very very good.

Finnegan shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. He'd just have to go out again tonight and do a better job at keeping what he won.

A knock on his door had his head whipping around and the woman in the bed moaning as she woke. "Who is it?" Finnegan called out as he motioned for the rather beautiful woman to get out of his bed.

"The Virgin Mary, you idiot, who do you think it is?" Cassandra's voice came from the other side of the door. "Let me in."

"Just a moment there, Little Cass. I'd hate for ya to see me in all my glory and ruin ya for any man who tries to win your heart in the future." The woman currently pulling on her petticoat and corset rolled her eyes and Finnegan glared at her. "Do I owe ya money?" he whispered.

"No, sugar, you paid up last night." Finnegan saw the predatory gleam in her brown eyes and knew that he'd paid a pretty penny. Dammit! Cassandra was going to skin him alive.