His gurgle of laughter stopped her in mid-stream. “Can’t say I’ve ever pranced anywhere, Miss Burton, but I reckon I can give it a try, if you so require. Please understand that I ain’t goin’ anywhere for frivolous reasons. My dear sainted mama is dyin’.”
“Gabe!” Impulsively, involuntarily, Hannah reached out to clamp her fingers on his wrist, in shock. “What happened?”
“One of my brothers sent me a telegram, and I need to rush home.”
Hannah’s shoulders slumped as she worked to calm her racing heart. “I will keep her in my prayers.”
Draining his cup, he set it aside on a convenient table. “Thank you. I figure to be gone a few weeks, maybe a month. Will you miss me?” Again, he cocked his head, studying her.
“I think I will,” she said.
From the outer rooms, a sudden hum of conversation, raised women’s voices, and bits of feminine laughter reached them. It was nearly eight on a dark, chilly Friday night; clearly business had picked up here at the Table. Abigail must be holding a soirée.
“Well, maybe by the time I get back you’ll have yourself a nice shiny new husband.”
“Life is full of interesting possibilities,” she said enigmatically.
“It is that. Well.” His fingers were laced together across his middle, drumming soundlessly upon a neat waistcoat. “So. Okay, I need some help.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “What kind of help?”
“Well, here’s the thing. I have to get some animal care for the time I’m gone.”
“What, like currying a horse or something? You could try Norton’s Stable for—”
“Uh-uh. This requires personal care. Real personal.” He shifted uneasily in his chair, hemming and hawing, then decided to go for broke. “I got me a mother cat and two tiny kittens at my house.”
“Cat? Kittens? But—but—I’ve never taken care of animals, at all. Can’t Letty do it?”
“Already asked her,” Gabe responded glumly. “She refused. Says with her studies and runnin’ a household and helpin’ with Reese’s new puppy, she ain’t got time to fool around with anything else. They’re awful cute,” he wheedled.
“But what would need to be done? You mean—food and water, and so on?”
His expression deepened from discomfort to actual pain. “It’s the ‘and so on’ that’s the problem,” he frankly admitted. “There’s a—um—box of dirt, I keep for her use...needs to be changed every few days. Otherwise, they just need some cuddlin’.”
“I would love to help out, but I can’t. I can’t have cats in my room at the boarding house. Why, Mrs. McKnight would never allow it! But I sure would love to cuddle up with a kitten.”
“Aw, sure she would. As a favor to me. I’ll just promise her free medical visits for a few months or so, to make up for the inconvenience.”
“I doubt that will hold any sway in her opinion. She’s very particular, as you must be aware.”
He cast her a speculative look. “Well, then, if that don’t work, you could always come stay at my place till I get back. It’s pretty comfortable, and Letty knows her way around.”
Wishing she could slap that hopeful expression off his face, she shook her head until both garnet ear-bobs twinkled in the lamplight. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I couldn’t come stay at your place; that would be completely inappropriate, and I would be ostracized by the town. Do you even hear yourself?”
“But I wouldn’t even be there!”
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“It doesn’t matter. Oh, for heaven’s sake, Gabe, surely you can’t be as ingenuous as you sound!” Indignant, she stopped for breath. “Why don’t you invite one of your adoring public to do this favor?”
“Adorin’ public? Huh. You livin’ in the same town I am, Hannah Burton? Or you just got blinders over your eyes?”
“Oh, enough. You know how smitten all the single women are with you.”
“But not one has captured my heart. I have somebody special in mind, and I’ll wait for her as long as it takes.”
“I’m glad there is somebody special in your life. Maybe you should ask her.”