Chapter Seven

"Finn, is this honestly the best town for us to be stopping in?" Cassandra whispered as she warily eyed the large bearded man eyeing her from the dark shadows between two stone buildings. She wrapped her arms tighter around Finnegan's waist and he was laughing as he patted her hands and urged Theo past the imposing character.

"Don't worry none, Little Cass. You're with ol' Finnegan here and I'll keep ya good and safe."

"Somehow that doesn't make me feel any better."

"I'm hurt," Finnegan turned his head and stuck out his lip, "Truly."

"You will survive," Cassandra replied, laughing lightly when his lip protruded further. "And if you continue to do that a bird will lose his bowels directly on that lip of yours."

Finnegan laughed loudly as he turned back around to face front, "'Lose his bowels?'" he mocked. "Oh Little Cass, how I have missed ya."

Cassandra felt her heart flutter a bit and frowned. Finnegan had caused her heart to flutter? She bit her lip and cursed herself a fool. Finnegan was her friend and nothing more. The man did not know how to be more. He was a heartbreak waiting to happen for any woman who dared give her heart to him. Cassandra would not be one of those women.

Cassandra had only ever given her heart to one man and that man had broken it. An Irishman and someone Finnegan knew well.... If Finnegan knew he would probably pitch a fit and so Cassandra kept her secret to herself. Finnegan was her friend. They laughed together, talked together, knew one another and could even finish sentences for the other at times. But it had been five long years and Cassandra was surprised by the new feelings that Finnegan stirred within her.

She had seen him as a brother of sorts when they'd been children but sitting on Theo it certainly didn't feel like her brother that she had her arms around.

Cassandra shook her head again. It was simply fatigue playing tricks on her. They had been riding for two days and she had not been sleeping well in the wilderness at night in fear that some wild creature would appear and eat her face.

While this town, (and she used that word loosely), was quite rough looking with its ancient stone buildings, scary men, nearly nude women and unkempt streets, it would offer a true bed with walls around her as she slept and hopefully a locking door. A good night of rest would certainly make her feel better and help her to get over these addle minded ideas about Finnegan.

"I just want to make it out of here alive, Finn," Cassandra informed him, flinching when a set of swinging wooden doors to their right burst open , revealing a brightly lit bar full of rowdy men, dust and the strong stench of beer and whiskey. Two men tumbled out of those doors, rolling in dirt road as they delivered punch after punch to one another. Blood was pouring from the smaller of the two men's noses and Cassandra found herself both horrified and awed by their display.

"Ah this is my kind of place, Little Cass. Whiskey, beer, brawlin', gamblin' and very friendly ladies who aren't ashamed of them assets the Lord bestowed upon them."

Cassandra followed Finnegan's gaze and rolled her eyes when she saw the women leaning over the balcony, "Are they why we're here?"

"No, we're here to make money but those fine beauties up there are certainly an added bonus." Finnegan waved and shot the ladies a grin and then swooned as they giggled alluringly.

Cassandra shifted behind Finnegan as she wondered what that ache was in her middle. It couldn't be disappointment could it? Disappointment that Finnegan would look at women like that...?

Cassandra knew then that she was going completely daft. Finnegan had every right to look at those women. Cassandra had no hold over him. He was a grown man and not her man..... Besides those women were beautiful and even Cassandra was having a hard time looking away.

She wondered if her breasts would look equally as voluptuous if she tightened up her corset and practiced leaning the way that they did.

"How are you planning on making money here, Finnegan?" Cassandra inquired as Finnegan pulled Theo to a stop outside a rickety wooden building hat appeared to be nearing its death.

"A bit of gamblin', Little Cass. 'Tis how every Irishman makes his money."

"Not all of them, Finnegan," Cass countered, "There are other ways to get money."

"I've done enough thievin' for now. I'd hate to set a bad example for your impressionable eyes," Finnegan winked as he hopped down and lifted Cass off as well. When her body brushed against his, Cassandra felt her breath catch but Finnegan appeared unaffected as he simply sat her on her feet and then turned away from her to grab the sacks that were hanging on the saddle horn.

Cassandra forced herself to breathe and push aside those ridiculous feelings. She was a twenty year old woman and a smart, well-educated woman at that; plenty intelligent enough to know that Finnegan was a great friend who would fail miserably at being anything more than that.

"I'll get ya settled in at the hotel and then I will work on getting us our money," Finnegan said as he led her toward the building he'd hitched Theo in front of.

"How much money are we going to need?" Cassandra questioned, not even bothering to argue about staying in the room while Finnegan went out. Yes she wanted adventure but this town was a bit too much of a.... well... good thing. Cassandra had no desire to be shot, stabbed, beaten or tortured just yet and this looked like just the kind of town to get all four in.

"Enough for train tickets west."

"Train?" Cassandra asked with a bit of disappointment.

"Yes, are ya unhappy about that then?" Finnegan asked with what sounded like irritation. Cassandra glared at his back. How dare he get irritated with her!

"I wanted adventure, Finnegan. Not a train ride."

He turned to her and flashed that grin that no doubt turned many women's knees to mere mush beneath their bodies, "Aye but this won't be just any ol' train ride. This will be a train ride with your dear friend Finn and I think we both know that alone will make it an adventure."

Cassandra rolled her eyes and remained quiet. Finnegan led her inside and up to a counter where a fat old man with thick white sideburns and a bulbous nose was sound asleep in a chair.

"Hello?" Finnegan called politely. The man did not stir. "Sir, the lady and I would like a room for the night."

"Two," Cassandra countered and Finnegan shook his head.

"I'll do well to pay for one. Don't worry, Little Cass, we've been asleep beneath the stars two nights now and I've not taken advantage of ya."

"Yes, I know, and you snore more loudly than ten hogs and I'd like to get some rest."

Finnegan laughed and patted the counter top that the man was still sleeping soundly behind, "Hey, sir, we need two rooms!"

Still the man did not respond and Cassandra shook her head, "He must sleep as hard as you do, Finn."

"You're a regular ol' comedian tonight, aren't ya, Little Cass?" Finnegan questioned with a grunt. He then launched himself over the counter and began playing with the key hanging on the wall as if searching for just the ones he wanted.

"What are you doing?!" Cassandra hissed.

"Getting keys."

"You're not allowed to do that," Cassandra warned. "Just poke him and wake him up and he'll give us our keys."

Finnegan rolled his eyes toward the ceiling, "The woman says she wants adventure and then insists on followin' rules.... Me thinks she's a wee bit confused."

"Would you just wake the man up?" Cassandra demanded, though her laughter took the edge of her words.

"Alright, alright," Finnegan mumbled with a wave of his hand. He stepped closer to the old man in the chair and tapped his shoulder.

"Sir, we need—" Finnegan stopped speaking when the man leaned to the side and then continued in that direction before tumbling into a motionless heap on the floor with a rather impressive and resounding thud.

"Holy shite!" Finnegan screamed before lunching himself back across the counter and throwing his body behind Cassandra.

"What are you doing?!" Cassandra demanded.

"That man is dead!" Finnegan shot back.

"Oh my....." Cassandra bit her lip, leaning forward so she could see the man on the floor and realized that Finnegan was right. She frowned. "Why are you hiding then?"

"Because he's dead!" Finnegan replied pointedly as if he worried for her sanity.

Cassandra laughed, "Really? You are still afraid of dead things?"

"I'm not afraid," Finnegan countered, though he made no attempt to move closer to the man's body.

"Yes you are. You've been afraid of anything dead ever since that time Seamus threw that dead squirrel at you that turned out to not be dead and it attacked your face....."

"Ya just mentioned a horrific moment in my past and Seamus all in the same sentence, Cassandra. Are ya tryin' to piss me off then?"

"Might be," Cassandra laughed. "Now go get us keys, scaredy pants." She knew there was no one to tell about this man's passing until morning. The undertaker was not in his shop this late at night and there was no law to speak of in this town.

"No. I won't go back over there around that man."

Cassandra snorted, "Then go get a blanket to cover him with and I'll get the keys."

Finnegan nodded and disappeared through the door to the back of the hotel. Cassandra pushed open the gate and stepped behind the counter. She swallowed hard as she edged around the dead man. She felt really bad that there was nothing they could do for him until morning.... But then again if folks did know he was dead they may close down the hotel and she really wanted a bed beneath her tonight.

Cassandra chose the keys to rooms eight and nine and was just walking back around the counter when Finnegan reappeared with a blanket. He tossed it at Cassandra and she rolled her eyes before covering the old man.

She handed Finnegan the key to room eight and he nodded, "You get on up to the room and I'll see to winnin' us some money."

"You better not blow what little money you do get on those women we saw earlier," Cassandra warned.

"I would never do a thing like that," Finnegan countered with a wink that told Cassandra he was lying.

"I mean it, Finnegan. We need money."

"I know. I know." Finnegan waved his hand. He grabbed her shoulders, pulled her closer and plopped a loud kiss to her cheek. "Ya worry too much, Little Cass. Now get on to bed and we'll leave out in the morn....." Finnegan glanced at the counter that the dead man lay behind. "And should he awaken and eat ya in your sleep please know that ya were the best friend this man ever had."

"How touching," Cassandra rolled her eyes and hugged Finnegan close. She placed her lips close to his ear, "And you remember that if you blow all our money on whores and whiskey your best friend is going to string you up by your family jewels and feed you to rabid dogs."

Finnegan winced, "Such a beautiful image ya can paint with those delicate words spoken from your lovely mouth."

"I'm serious, Finn."

"As am I," Finnegan assured her. "Now I shall see ya in the morn. Go get rest, Little Cass, ya look a fright."

Finnegan placed the sacks he had carried in into Cassandra's hand and then he left leaving her alone. She made her way up a narrow staircase and down a dimly lit hall to room nine. She tried to ignore the sounds of coupling that she could hear behind a few of the doors and tried even harder to ignore the smell of stale sweat and urine.

Finnegan sure knew how to pick places that were the least appealing they could possibly be.

It wasn't until she was in her tiny bedroom complete with broken dresser, a wardrobe missing one door and peeling floral wall paper that she realized exactly how exhausted she was.

She collapsed onto the bed, ignoring the various stains and odors and closed her eyes. She might be a rich man's daughter but that did not mean she'd turn her nose up at a night in a real bed—even if that bed appeared to have been the sight of quite a few rather unsavory events.

As she drifted off to sleep Cassandra could not help but wonder what her father and mother were doing tonight; she hoped they were not too worried about her.

But as she lost her hold on alertness and sleep claimed her it was Finnegan on her mind as she envisioned him in the arms of those whores they'd seen before and her gut twisted with jealousy and hurt. She had no time to further investigate those feelings before sleep declared her its own.