Savage Conquest (10 page)

A mischievous grin tugged at the corners of his
mouth. Devilish lights twinkled in his eyes. If he
planned this scheme just right, he could obtain all
his wishes. He would take Weber's rope and tie up
that menacing Rebel and that fetching tart, one
victim on each end with a cunning and victorious
Reis in the middle!

"When I finish with you, you'll never forget the
first and last time we clashed, Weber Richardson, you
bloody son of a bitch. As for you, my exquisite
butterfly, you'll never escape me. You were mine
from the moment we met. You just try to fly away.
before paying me what you owe me. That Reb's debt
is nothing compared to mine!"

Again, Amanda refused to come downstairs for
dinner,. this time pleading a headache which
Miranda knew came from some emotional upheaval.
Each time she approached Amanda's door, she could
hear muffled sobs which rent her tender heart. She
and her sister had always been close, sharing even
their innermost feelings. What was so terrible that
Amanda felt she couldn't share it? Miranda knew her
sister would confide in her when she was ready. Until
then, Miranda silently suffered with her.

Since Reis was the only person Amanda had spent
time with today, it evidently had something to do
with him. What had he said or done to cause Amanda
such anguish? It had to be something important
because Amanda was always so calm and controlled.
It pained Miranda to think she might be to blame for
assisting Reis's torment of her sister. Miranda
couldn't understand her sister's drastic swings in mood and behavior. But somewhere behind them
was a charmingly handsome rogue.

The night was long for both girls. When Reis had
delivered Amanda's purse last night, that told
Miranda her sister had raced from Reis's company.
This morning, lovely flowers and an invitation to
dinner and the theater arrived, but Amanda declined
both. She told Miranda and the housekeeper to refuse
all gifts and messages from Reis Harrison. She made
it bluntly clear she didn't wish to see or hear from
him, that he was not to be allowed in her home.

It was midafternoon before Amanda ventured
downstairs to sip hot chocolate and to nibble some
cake. She looked so pale and weary, as if she hadn't
slept all night. Before the housekeeper left to do
shopping, Amanda convinced her she simply wasn't
feeling well. She sat on the floral sofa and gazed off
into empty space.

"Randy," she spoke faintly, "I know you're
concerned about me, but I'm not ready to discuss this
yet. I just need a little time to sort out some feelings
and make a decision." Amanda couldn't bring
herself to tell Miranda how critical their situation
was, not until she decided how to resolve it. Amanda
wasn't blind, so she was aware of Miranda's feelings
for Weber. She knew Miranda would battle an
enforced marriage to Weber as fiercely as the South
had battled the North. But would marriage to Weber
be so terrible in light of her scant options? Until she
fully comprehended this dire episode herself, she
could neither defend Weber not praise him. She berated herself for suspecting some ulterior motive in
Weber. But her dear sister had suffered enough lately,
and she couldn't add this additional burden to
Miranda's slender back. Until settled, it would be her
problem.

"Did you and Reis quarrel?" Miranda asked
helplessly.

To prevent any further mention of Reis, Amanda
edged into lying when she replied, "I won't be seeing
him again, Randy. He's even worse than the others;
he's tried to seduce me twice in two days. Every time
he's near me, he can't keep his hands off me. I'm not
some cheap slut to be pawed or ravished. The
accounts he was dangling before me as bait are
nothing more than troublemakers. Papa got rid of
them months ago; now Reis thinks I'm too stupid to
refuse them. He even claimed he goes along with the
deal. I don't trust him, Randy. He acts like the only
thing he wants is to get into my bloomersl He's a
smooth charmer, and I should have known better."

Miranda gaped at her, eyes and mouth wide open
with shock. "But he seemed so nice, Mandy. I don't
understand." Had she misjudged Reis? Or was her
beloved sister fibbing to her for the first time?
Miranda knew that change was often for the better,
but Amanda was being forced to change too much
too rapidly. Miranda was alarmed by the pain in her
sister's ice-blue eyes. Perhaps the key word in
Amanda's tale was "seduce," not ravish.

"You have a lot to learn about wily males, dear
Randy. All men are nice while they're trying to get you under the sheets with them. I've never been
fooled like this before, and it angers me. And yes, it
hurts, too. I thought Reis was so special, so different.
You asked if we quarreled. I suppose we did have a
one-sided dispute. When he kept pressing me, I
thought the best way to cool his passion was to tell
him Weber had proposed, which he has many times.
Instead of cooling his ardor, I inflamed his temper.
He was furious; can you imagine that? Then he
proceeded to prove I don't love or want to marry
Weber by assailing me with embraces and kisses! And
he excused his lewd actions by claiming that I am
besotted by him!"

Miranda had a gut feeling that Amanda was
defensively exaggerating. Reis didn't seem like a man
who would force his attentions on a woman. Surely
Amanda hadn't tried to play coy games with the
masterful Mister Harrison. Didn't Amanda realize
that her looks and actions toward Reis were sensually
provocative? Besides, if. Reis was enchanted by
Amanda, that would explain why he was so bold and
persistent. Perhaps he was trying to prove something
to Amanda. "Is that why you ran out on him so
quickly that you forgot your purse?"

"Please, drop it for now. I'm too upset to discuss it
further."

"Did you tell him just that Weber had asked, or did
you also tell him you had accepted?" Miranda boldly
continued the conversation with a point which
worried her. To Miranda, it seemed the quarrel had
been over Reis's passion and jealousy-twoemotions which hinted at affection.

"I told him the truth, that I was seriously
considering Web's proposal," Amanda announced
incredibly. Before her sister could speak, Amanda
added, "I know you don't like Web, Randy, but you
won't be the one marrying him; I will. There's a lot
you don't know about Weber, but I'll tell you
everything one day soon. I must decide how
important Reis is to me before I mess it up between
us. Please, Randy, trust me to make the right
decision."

"By 'mess it up,' you mean with Reis?" Miranda
inquired softly, fearing to silence Amanda if she
wasn't careful with her words and mood. Miranda's
heart thudded heavily, for it sounded as if Amanda
had already made her decision in favor of Weber. Had
she been this assured with Reis? It didn't make any
sense; why was Amanda viewing Web in a new light?
There had to be much more to this turn of events!

"I'll admit I was infatuated by Reis's good looks
and charm." She inhaled loudly, then used her
previous thought as her last argument. "Reis is a
playful dream, but Weber is reality. A fantasy fades
with time, Randy; reality is always there."

That comparison revealed much about Amanda's
feelings and fears. Miranda entreated, "Just make
certain Reis is only a dream before you say yes to
Weber."

"I did, Randy, last night," Amanda confessed
sadly.

When Miranda held out a note for her sister the next morning, Amanda sullenly reminded her, "I
told you, no more messages."

"It's from Weber," Miranda stated crisply.

"From Weber?" she inquired suspiciously. "He's
back?"

"Evidently," came the reluctant response as she
handed the missive to her wary sister.

Amanda read it and frowned. "He wants me to
come down to the office to meet him for lunch," she
stated in visible dread.

"Are you going to yield to this summons, this
command performance?" Miranda inquired almost
belligerently.

"Please don't treat me this way, Randy," her sister
pleaded.

"What way?" Miranda innocently asked. "You're
going to marry him, aren't you? Out of spite to Reis
over a disagreement?"

"Don't be silly. I haven't decided yet, but I am leaning toward yes. Randy ... Never mind," Amanda responded, dropping the topic.

"You'd better dress quickly; it's eleven now."
Miranda was dismayed by the resignation she was
detecting in her sister. But why were those normally
bright eyes so somber?

"I'm not going," Amanda stated surprisingly.

"You're not?" Miranda asked in gleeful disbelief.

"I don't feel like rushing. I'll send Weber a note of
regret. He can come over tonight if he wishes," she
told her sister casually. "Randy, don't mention
anything to Weber before I do."

The note never reached Weber as he hurried
around checking out matters. When he called later
that day, nettled with Amanda for ignoring his
message, Miranda hoped her sister would refuse to
see him. But, to Miranda's distress, Amanda appeared eager to see him. She had donned one of her
loveliest gowns, matching slippers, and most
appealing perfume as if she were setting the stage for
a drama.

When Amanda realized the reason for Web's black
mood, she apologized sweetly, then explained the
mix-up. "I've had so much on my mind since
McVane's visit. And the weather's turned so damp
and chilly again. I thought spring was in full
bloom." She pouted prettily to distract him. It might
be wrong, but she needed to hang on to Web until she
made her final decision. As she had done so often in
the past, Amanda used all her charms. Yet, this time
she didn't enjoy the coyness.

"I saw your new friend today," Web stated
caustically.

"My new friend?" she echoed in confusion.

"Reis Harrison," he replied tersely, as if that told
all. "You've been seeing him while I was gone. Why,
Mandy? He's not a family friend. Why did you two go
down to the docks and warehouse?"

"We had dinner one night at the Windsor, and I
gave him a tour of my property. He wanted to meet
the new owner of Lawrence Shipping. He represents
three clients who want to sign with my company. Did
I commit some crime?" she asked playfully to reduce his anger. She wondered just how much Weber had
discovered.

"Since I'm handling the firm, why didn't you refer
him to me?" he questioned, his gaze and voice
accusing as he stared at the exquisite beauty who was
sitting so gracefully before him.

Amanda knew this was the perfect time to clarify
some points, while keeping other facts a secret. She
didn't want Web to discover what she had learned.
She had to mislead him carefully. She smiled and
responded cheerfully, "Because I wanted to surprise
you with the new accounts. Don't be so cross with
me, Web. While you were gone, I wanted to see if I
was capable of handling the business, to see if a
customer would actually deal with a female owner. I
only talked and listened, Web; I didn't make any
deals. When he pressed me for an answer, I told him
the matter would have to be settled with you."

"You did?" he asked in astonishment. "Then why
meet with him?"

"Ego. And because he sent a message he was
leaving by Friday if I didn't meet with him. We talked
over dinner, then he asked to see how we run things.
He seemed pleased and agreed to assign the accounts
tome." She refilled his coffee cup with a steady hand.

"If everything worked out, then why didn't you
complete the deal? Did he say why he was so anxious
to sign and leave so quickly?" he asked, trying to appear and sound as poised as she was.

"He didn't say, and I wouldn't ask. I wanted to
hand you the contracts when you returned, but that seemed rash. I was afraid of making mistakes. He
asked questions which I couldn't answer. I realized
there was much I didn't know. I thought I could run
Papa's business, but now I'm not so sure. It's more
complicated and risky than I realized," she confessed
cunningly beginning to drop her desperate hints.

"What kinds of questions did he ask, Mandy?" he
quizzed, feeling a mixture of elation and wariness.
Was she truly backing out?

Amanda didn't ask about Web's emphasis on
"questions" or his strange expression, but she
noticed them. She hastily contrived a logical reply.
"About laws, and tariffs, and schedules, and such. I
couldn't even give him prices for shipments. He must
have thought I was awfully dumb."

"If that were true, why would he offer you the
accounts?" He needed to know what Reis had told
Amanda without arousing her suspicion. Just what
was this Yankee trying to pull?

A reason escaped her keen mind. "I don't know."

"He's been deceiving you, Mandy. Perhaps his
interest is in you, not the accounts. He claimed he
was here to do business with the Lawrence firm, and
you said he verbally agreed to a deal. So why is he
visiting all the others and asking so many questions
about your company, you, and your father?"