Savage Conquest (12 page)

Amanda hadn't mentioned her father's books to
Weber or shown any desire to take over from him. She
wondered if he found that suspicious, considering
how anxious she had been not long ago. She had used
lingering grief and self-doubts as excuses, but they
were wearing thin and tasting foul upon her lips.

Knowing the reason for Amanda's behavior, Reis
avoided any embarrassing contact when she was with
Weber. Although he watched them furtively, he was
assailed by doubts and fears himself. Somehow he
had to uncover Weber's game. He had to prevent her
marriage, to win her for himself. But she needed
time, time to relax and time to become wary of her
close friend. He needed to come up with a ploy of his
own, one to get her alone with him ...

But Reis's subtle strategy had one drawback, one
he didn't recognize: as he stayed away, it became
easier for Amanda to convince herself that he should
remain out of her life ...

Weber continued to give Amanda business reports, reports she felt were false, designed only to
keep her happy and naive. Feeling she must begin to
show some interest in the firm, she began asking
simple questions. Weber was evasive about certain
information, as if reluctant to give up this hold over
Amanda until he was ready to use her dependence on
him to his advantage. Not a day had passed since his
vilification of Reis that he had not tried to convince
Amanda to marry him. Unfortunately, Reis had
shown Amanda what was missing in other men, in
Weber, and in her emotions.

Amanda threw herself into chores at home, trying
to shut out the emotional demands of both Reis and
Weber. She told herself Reis was just another man, a
past enemy, a treacherous beguiler. But Reis wasn't
just a man. He was unique. Amanda was torn
between wanting him and rejecting him. Why did
Reis have to be the one to bring her emotions to life?
Why did thoughts of him torment her day and night?
How could she punish him for her misery? Had Reis
lied to her or misled her? If she questioned him,
would he? Amanda finally realized she was being a
coward. She was too frightened to seek the truth,
fearing the revelation could hurt her more than she
was hurting now.

Miranda witnessed the rising turmoil in her sister-the desire to see Reis and to hear his side was
fiercely battling the fear of how to handle what he
would tell her. She wondered how her sister could
agree to marry Weber when her thoughts were filled
with Reis.

Needing a distraction, Miranda met Lucas Reardon for lunch and a stimulating conversation. As she
was strolling home, she bumped into Reis Harrison
as she rounded a corner. Miranda wondered if Reis
had arranged the meeting. They smiled genially at
each other and exchanged greetings. As Miranda
brushed past him, Reis gently caught her arm.

"Miss Lawrence, could you tell me why your sister
is avoiding me? Did I say or do something to offend
her?" he inquired, setting his plan into motion, a
plan which could use an understanding partner.

"It seems we've had this conversation before,
Mister Harrison. Why don't you ask Amanda, not
me?" she suggested softly.

Reis sighed in frustration. "I've tried countless
times. Amanda is a very special lady. I thought we
were getting close. Then something happened which
I need to understand. Is it because of Weber or me?
How can I solve a problem which she refuses to
clarify?"

Miranda looked up at him. Unless she was
mistaken, he was distressed by Amanda's behavior.
Did she have the right to interfere? "May I ask you a
question first, sir?" she countered.

"Of course," Reis responded curiously.

"Why did you really come to Alexandria, Mister Harrison?" she questioned candidly, her eyes clear
and her tone direct.

"I'm here on business, Miss Lawrence. But I sense
that isn't the meaning behind your question," he
astutely remarked.

"What kind of business, sir?" she pressed boldly.

"Private," he replied, watching for any clue to her
scheme.

"When is revenge a private business, sir?" Miranda
asked softly, stunning him and confusing him.

It wasn't what Reis had expected to hear. "Revenge? I don't follow your meaning. I came here to
clear up some shipping problems with your father.
That first night at your home, Amanda said she had
taken control, and I would deal with her. I must
confess I was wary about dealing with a woman, but
Amanda is a most unusual one," he remarked
mischievously, then grinned at some pleasant
thought.

His voice waxed grave as he continued. "Everything was going fine, then she backed away from our
deal the morning after we'd had dinner together. She
seemed nervous, almost frightened of something. I'll
be honest with you, Miranda; I did steal a few kisses,
but it's not just a romantic rebuff I'm getting. She's
rejecting me on all levels. She told me to discuss my
deal with Richardson. That's a little tricky since he's
the one who holds those accounts at present. We
spent a lot of time together while Richardson was
away; we toured the docks and discussed business.
I'm positive she's capable of running that firm herself, so why hand it over to him? Why refuse to
take back accounts which he enticed from your father
months ago?"

He looked into Miranda's troubled gaze as he
inquired, "Is it a matter of loyalty to him? I found her
crying in the office one afternoon. When I tried to
comfort and question her, she raced out as if terrified
of me, or something else. Suddenly she won't have
anything to do with me. Why is she refusing to see
me? I must know, Miranda; she means a lot to me.
Maybe I was dreaming, but I thought she was feeling
the same about me."

Seeking her own clues to this riddle, Miranda
bravely asked, "What happened that last morning in
the office before she raced home? Why doesn't she
want Weber to know you two met and talked there?"

Reis made no attempt to hide his astonishment at
those words. To see how much, if anything, Miranda
knew about their situation, he told her that Amanda
had been going over the books, when he arrived. He
disclosed her behavior, her refusal of his contracts,
and her odd request to keep their talks and visits a
secret from Weber. "She didn't want him to know
she'd been in the office or seen the books. Since both
are hers, I thought her request strange, but I honored
it.,,

Miranda became pensively silent. What was going
on with Amanda? She had been enchanted by
Reis Harrison; she had been ready to take control of
their firm; she had seemed prepared to drop Weber
from her life. Then suddenly it all changed. She was rejecting Reis and the firm, and accepting Weber.
Why? What had she seen in those books? Positively,
Amanda was keeping something alarming and
critical from her ...

"Miranda, is something wrong? Do you know
what the problem is?" he inquired gently, although
Reis was positive Miranda didn't know the dismaying situation which Weber and McVane had cleverly
arranged with their false entries.

"No, but I intend to learn what's troubling my
sister. You're right about one thing; it started that
morning. It's gotten worse during the last week since
Weber's return. Did you ride with Sherman during
the war? Did Weber really shoot you?" she asked
bluntly.

Reis stiffened. "So that's it," he murmured coldly.
"Just what did Richardson tell your sister about
me?"

Instead of answering, Miranda asked more questions. "Did he tell Mandy the truth about you? Do
you think he burned your ranch and killed your
family? Did you track his troops and kill all except
him? Did you come here to take revenge on him? Is
Mandy a cruel part of it?" she probed, barely
stopping to take a breath.

"I must know everything he said about me. Is
Amanda going to marry this Richardson to punish
me, to spite me?" He clenched his fists in frustration.

Before Miranda could help herself, she blurted out,
"I hope not!"

"So do I, Miranda, so do I," he quickly agreed.

Miranda's piercing gaze traveled over Reis's face.
"You didn't answer my questions, Mister Harrison.
Tell me how you know Weber."

"If you don't mind, I'd rather explain all of this to
your sister and let her explain it to you. It's a long,
painful story. I will tell you this much, Miranda; it
wasn't like he said. About the only truth he told was
that he shot me. Weber Richardson is a sly and
dangerous man. It might help if you remind Amanda
that he has been in full control of her books for
months; whatever's recorded there, he entered it.
Perhaps she shouldn't trust everything she reads in
them. And she certainly shouldn't feel obligated to
marry him because of what she thinks he's doing for
her," he stated mysteriously.

Miranda gazed inquisitively at him. "You know
what's in those books, don't you? You know why she
feels she must marry him."

"If I told Amanda what I suspect, she wouldn't
believe me. Besides, I can't explain to either of you
how I know such things. Weber has set a cunning
trap for Amanda, but she's so confused she doesn't
see it. Try to inspire some suspicion about those
books and Weber's claims. You might also let her
know that Lawyer McVane is a close friend of
Weber's. If I were you two, I wouldn't trust him so
completely. Weber has Amanda convinced I'm the
enemy, but I'm not, Miranda. I'm going to save her
from that devil, even if I have to kidnap herl"

Miranda smiled warmly. "I don't know why, sir,
but I believe you. If it matters what my sister thinks and feels about you, I would explain things to her as
quickly as possible," she suggested.

"How? I can't get near her," he stated in
exasperation.

Miranda grinned as she offered a solution. Reis
chuckled. "What happens when Amanda discovers
you've helped me?"

"If I haven't misjudged you, sir, she'll be delighted
-after she flogs us all for pulling such a trick! If I'm
wrong about you, you'd best fear me and Luke more
than Weber." They joined in mirthful laughter, then
shook hands before going their separate ways to dress
and prepare for their impending charade.

It was nearing midnight when Miranda returned
home from dinner with Lucas and Reis. She was
apprehensive but excited about putting her daring
scheme into motion. She was grateful Lucas had
agreed to play a role in this delightful drama. Reis
had met them at a small and quiet restaurant near the
edge of town. After talking for hours, Miranda and
Lucas were both eager to assist the bold Mister
Harrison.

Lucas was willing to help just to get even with
Weber for stealing his sweetheart, then casting the
unfortunate and tarnished girl into the street.to work
as a cheap prostitute. What made the sore fester
rather than heal was Weber's constant reminders of
his foul deed, his tauntings about Luke's taking
Marissa back into his arms. For all of Lucas's previous affection, he couldn't bring himself to love or
touch Marissa again, not after Web's use and abuse.

But since Marissa's betrayal, Lucas hadn't fully
trusted another female, except for his twin cousins.
Both girls hoped Lucas would find someone very
special one day.

"You're late, Randy. I was beginning to worry,"
Amanda chided her sister. "Where have you been? It's
midnight. No lady should be out this late, even with
her cousin. Why didn't Luke come in?"

Miranda prayed she could carry off this act, as
she was always so honest. "I'm sorry, Mandy; time
took wings tonight. But I don't think you want to
know where I was or with whom. Luke isn't the
one who brought me home. It's late and I'm tired.
Good night."

When she headed past Amanda for the steps,
Amanda seized her arm and shrieked, "Just a minute,
Miranda Lawrence! Don't you dare leave this room
until you explain yourself."

Miranda looked indecisive and tense. "You won't
like it," she warned before adding, "I had dinner
with Luke and ... Reis Harrison. Luke was busy
making notes, so Reis saw me home. You said you
didn't want to hear his name mentioned, so I wasn't
going to tell you."

Amanda's mouth fell open and she gaped at her
sister in disbelief. "Why on earth would you do such
a thing?" she demanded.

Miranda gazed at her innocently. "Have dinner
with Luke? Or stay out so late?"

Her eyes filling with outrage, Amanda shouted,
"How dare you be seen with that damn Yankee! And to allow him to escort you home? I told you what
Weber said about him."

"I know what Weber said, and how he feels about
Yankees. Frankly, I don't care. As you put it the other
day, you'll be marrying Web, not me. I can see whom
I please," she stated sullenly to stun Amanda into a
confession of some kind. "The war is over for me. I
like Reis. So I'll see him again if I wish," she
announced saucily. She anxiously waited to see how
that news would affect her sister.

"You can't be serious!" Amanda stormed in
dismay. "What about me and my feelings?" she
panted.

"What about your feelings?" Miranda probed
nonchalantly, perceiving the fury and tension building within her distraught sister.

"You know I was seeing Reis! How could you do
this?" Amanda inquired sadly. Had Miranda been
impressed with Reis from the beginning? Did she
think he was free for the taking now? How could her
own sister be so traitorous? If Randy and Reis became
close, that would put Reis in her life once more! How
could she bear to see him with another woman,
especially her sister? If Randy knew what Web had
done for them, she wouldn't despise him so much.

"I believe you've told me many times this week that
you're going to marry Weber. Surely you can't have
serious feelings about Reis, then marry Weber?"

"I told you how I felt about Reis, and why I had to
stop seeing himl You can't bring him into my life
again. Please, Randy," she beseeched her sister. "It's just a mean trick to get back at me."