Quicksilver Passion (81 page)

Cherokee shrugged, watching her dance.
Sounds like a pretty lonely future.”

At least she won’t be sellin’ her body just to eat,” Al said.
All the men she’s known have let her down—except me. I tell her she’s smart not to trust them.”

Is it smart for
her
or only
you?”
Cherokee turned and looked at him.
You don’t want her to find anyone else, Al; you’re afraid of losing her.”

I’m afraid of some sonovabitch like you hurtin’ her,” he grumbled and began wiping the bar.
Silver’s been hurt enough already.”

Al knew a lot he wasn’t telling, Cherokee realized. There were a million questions he would like to ask, but he didn’t think he would get any answers.

Silver finished dancing to thunderous applause and bowed.
Silver Heels!” the crowd shouted until it became a chant,
Silver Heels! Silver Heels!”

She bowed and smiled at the audience, thinking that here was where she belonged, a star to be adored and applauded. She hadn’t been thinking straight when she had been trapped in that cabin. Why, she’d almost started to think she might be happy just dancing and singing for an audience of one.

The piano began one of her favorite numbers and she sang:

Tis the last rose of summer, left blooming alone. All her lovely companions are faded and gone . . .”

She looked out at the crowd and saw Cherokee Evans leaning on the bar. For just a moment, her voice faltered at the sight of him, and then she steeled herself and kept singing:

I’ll not leave thee, lone one, to pine on the stem, where the lovely are sleeping, go sleep thou with them . . .”

That was right, wasn’t it?
In only a short time, her own looks would be faded, but like a lovely butterfly, she must think only of today and not worry about what would be her future fate. No man would really want her when she was no longer pretty.

The men in the audience wiped their eyes and blew their noses as she sang of faded beauty and dreams, dead as the last roses of summer with winter’s chill coming on. When she finished, there was no sound for a long moment and then the men cheered and stamped and whistled,
Silver Heels! Silver Heels!”

She bowed and came down the steps from the stage. Drat! What should she do; pretend she hadn’t seen him? That would be ludicrous since he stood head and shoulders above the others. Maybe the best thing was to treat him in a casual, breezy manner as she did all the others.