Savage Conquest (15 page)

"I didn't mean it like that!" she protested quickly
as inexplicable sensations washed over her body and
clouded her reason. "I'm cold and wet! My feet are
freezing!" she panted, changing the subject. Truthfully, she didn't care if she was soaked, and the heat of
his body was tormenting bliss. Her breathing became
labored.

"Then behave while I make a fire and coffee." He
stood up and smiled down at her, his gaze leisurely
traveling from her straggly hair to her bare feet. Her
gown had slid upward, offering him a pleasing view
of shapely legs.

Amanda seized the wayward material and covered
herself. "Did you think to bring along my clothes?"
she sneered uneasily.

"Nope," he mischievously quipped. "But you'd
better get out of that wet gown. Wrap a dry blanket
around you," he suggested, chuckling at her embarrassment and outrage.

"You're insane if you think I'll wear nothing but a
blanket around you, you lecherous fiend!" she
shouted, sticking out her tongue at him-

"That wet gown's gonna get awfully uncomfortable. It doesn't hide your many charms anyway,"
he announced devilishly, grinning.

"You !" she cried in rising distress. "You'll be sorry
for this!"

"If you explain and I explain, then neither of us will be sorry or miserable. That is, if you're the
woman I think and pray you are. If not, I'll be
signing my life away," he vowed mysteriously, his
expression suddenly grave.

He stripped off his shirt and boots, then warned
her to turn her head while he exchanged his saturated
pants for a blanket. "You can't be serious, Reis
Harrison! No gentleman would subject a lady to
such indignities! Surely you don't expect us to talk
while undressed?"

"I didn't plan on the storm, Mandy. If we don't get
dry and warm, we'll be too sick to settle matters. I
should have brought us both some clothes; I honestly
didn't think about it. You needn't worry; I've never
raped a woman, and I won't start with you."

Amanda's cheeks flamed a bright red as she
presented her back to him. He eased out of his pants
and wrapped the blanket around his slim hips,
tucking the edges in at his narrow waist. He hung his
pants and shirt on rickety chairs, then set his boots
near the hearth. He told her she could change while
he made a fire.

As he knelt before the fireplace, Amanda turned
and stared at his muscled back. There was nothing
between them but a thin blanket and a scanty
nightgown; soon, just two blankets. Except for the
noise of building a fire and a gentle rain falling
outside, they were sealed in a perilously sensual
world of provocative solitude. Her heart began to
pound so forcefully that she imagined it could be
heard in the stillness.

Her eyes scanned the room which was dimly lit by
one lantern and the approaching dawn. She noticed a
gun and the knife, but both were near him. She feared
this was some cunning trap, to show Weber that Reis
could have her if he so desired. Damn, how she
wanted him! But what would happen afterward?
Was a beguiling seduction part of his vengeful
scheme? Could she trust him? He claimed he only
wanted to talk, but this romantic setting made her
doubt his intentions. Could she trust herself alone
with him, alone without clothes before a cozy fire?

Panic flooded her. Before Reis realized her intention, she raced to the door, flung it open, and fled
outside into the light rain. She ran as if demons were
pursuing her. She didn't get far before Reis was close
behind. He shouted for her to halt, but she rashly fled
toward a boggy area. The squashy surface tugged at
her feet, impeding her progress. She dodged lowhanging tree limbs and moisture-laden bushes, then
tripped on a fallen branch, plunging full force into a
mushy area of yielding earth.

When Reis made the clearing, he grabbed her arm
and tried to pull her from the muddy quagmire. She
fought him wildly, causing him to stumble and fall
into the shallow and slushy pit. As they struggled
and argued in the morass, both were covered with
sticky and clingy mud. Even so, Amanda continued
desperately to struggle for freedom.

Reis shouted for her to stop fighting him and get
back inside the cabin, but Amanda was terrified of
being alone with him. At last he had her pinned to the ground, sinking into oozing mud. The dark
mixture clung to her body, matted her hair, and
stained her gown. She could feel it squeezing between
her fingers and thighs. Realizing at last that she
could not escape him, she ceased her movements and
reluctantly went limp.

"Why the hell did you run like that?" he thundered
at her, sounding angered and baffled. "I told you
you're safe with mel"

"I don't want to hear any more lies!" she scoffed
cynically.

"Just where can you go dressed like this?" he
reminded her. "Sometimes I don't think you have a
brain in that beautiful head!"

"Let me up, you brute! My gown is ruined. Look at
my hair! My God, I'm covered in mud! You'll pay for
this, Reis Harrison! You just wait until Web comes
after me!" she threatened.

"I wish to hell he would! Then I'd force him to tell
you the truth! I think you're in for a big shock when
Randy comes home; you'll learn you still own
Morning Star and it's very prosperous. And your
townhouse isn't mortgaged, and your firm is making
more money than you could count in weeks! It's all a
ruse, Mandy love," he snarled at her.

"What are you talking about?" she asked in
puzzlement, halting all struggles and staring up into
his scowling face. How did he know such things?
What was he trying to pull?

"That ledger is pure fantasy-lies recorded by
Weber and McVane. Every month you grow richer, Mandy. It's a cunning plot to get you to marry him. If
I didn't know how sly and convincing he was, I'd
think you were the dumbest female alive," he
declared sullenly.

"How do you know so much about my affairs? And
how can you make such ridiculous charges?" she
demanded.

He replied with shocking words. "I'm an agent for
President Grant. I know plenty of things. I took extra
care to investigate you, Miss Amanda Lawrence. It
seems I studied you too closely. I'm not here for
revenge; I was sent by Grant on a secret mission. I
never expected to find Richardson here. And I sure as
hell didn't expect to meet someone like you. There
couldn't be a worse time for romance, but I'll be
damned if I allow that bastard to entrap you with
lies!"

"You're the one who's lying! I've known Web for
years. You're a total stranger. Why should I trust
you?" she sneered. A presidential spy? Investigate
her? What in heaven's name was going on!

"Because you'll make the biggest mistake of your
life if you don't hear me out," he replied. His voice
softened as he continued, "Listen tome, Mandy. You
won't face poverty if you reject Weber. You're a very
wealthy lady, despite what that phony book claims.
Would I lie about such an easy matter to check out?
Don't ask Weber or McVane; go ask the bankers and
check with your accounts," he challenged. "Since
I'm investigating Lawrence Shipping, I know how
much business you've been doing. So why aren't those clients and shipments listed in your books?
Why are only bills listed and no profits, profits which
I know your firm's earned recently?"

"You keep talking about my books; how do you
know what's in them? And how do you know where
Randy is?" she inquired skeptically.

"That night you ran out on me, you left the safe
open. I checked to see why you had panicked and
turned on me. Knowing the state of your firm, I knew
you were being tricked. I didn't have to guess by
whom. He's taking money from your firm, Mandy,
not making loans to it. And he isn't supporting you
and Miranda, as you've been led to believe. I couldn't
steal evidence to prove my claims to you without
exposing my investigation to Weber and McVane;
and without proof, I feared you wouldn't believe me.
I saw Miranda before she left. I wonder how Weber
planned to explain your ownership of Morning Star
after your wedding. And why the townhouse is still
yours."

She wondered if he was daft, or staggeringly
accurate. "But Web said you were after revenge," she
protested.

"I swear he deceived you, Mandy. I didn't ride with
Sherman. I was in his camp briefly while on a
mission for President Lincoln. Weber was a captive
then; that's where he saw me first. Later I learned he
was the one in charge of the troop which burned my
home and killed my family. As soon as Luke
completes his work, he'll show you the facts; Weber
and his troop were infamous killers and destroyers. Weber would make Sherman look like an angel. I did
track his men, trying to capture them. I underestimated Weber. He betrayed two of his own men in
order to ambush me. I hate him, Mandy, but not
enough to use you or any innocent person to gain
justice. He knows how much time we spent together
while he was gone. He told those war lies to keep us
apart. He might even suspect who I am and why I
came to Alexandria. I've been trying to find a way to
protect you and my mission. But if I don't take you
into my confidence, you'll marry this snake and ruin
both our lives."

"How would my marriage ruin your life?" she
asked sarcastically.

"It won't, if it's to me," he nonchalantly informed
her.

"To you?" she murmured incredulously.

"That's right, my love. When this is over, I want
you to marry me. Will you?"

"But we're strangers!"

"Does that alter your feelings, or mine?" he
speculated. "Marry me, Mandy. Give us a chance to
be happy and safe. Besides, we were never strangers.
From the moment we met, we knew it was fated
between us. You also sensed it that first night, didn't
you?"

Amanda was speechless with surprise and confusion. Reis took advantage of her silence and
questioned, "You spurned me because of what you
saw in that book, didn't you? You felt obligated to
marry him, to trust him, obligated to reject me. You don't love him, Mandy."

"Who are you, Reis? What's this about a secret
mission for the President?" she probed.

Reis outlined his mission for her and his assumptions, then finished by saying, "I think your father
was innocent. I told those clients if they would resign with Lawrence, I would follow the next few
shipments to see how and where the changes were
made and by whom. I realized there was more to this
mission when I met you and Richardson. I think
Richardson's behind this deception. He needs Lawrence Shipping and your plantation to carry on his
covert activities, and he needs you as a respectable
cover."

"Do you realize what you're saying, Reis? You're
implying he's a traitor, a criminal, and a scoundrel. I
know Web has his bad traits, but to think he's. . .Amanda sighed heavily, forgetting she was lying in a
mud hole beneath the man she loved but feared to
trust.

Yet Amanda had a terrible sensation that Reis
might be right. Crazy thoughts flashed through her
mind. She recalled curious questions Weber had
asked right after her father's death about these same
three accounts. Could she totally trust either man?
Was she the pawn in some monstrous game? Amanda
tried to push aside her wild imagination. Coincidence? A deadly game?

Her quizzical gaze fused with his entreating one.
"Why should I believe you, Reis? How do I know this
isn't some trick to get me on your side, to use me against him? How can I accept such treachery on the
word of a stranger? I'm so confused," she confessed.

"All I ask is that you go and talk with your banker.
See if you're really on the verge of bankruptcy and see
if you've lost the plantation. When Miranda returns,
you'll know that isn't true. Don't tell Weber where
she is, or she might not get back alive. You haven't
told him, have you?" he asked, alarm racing through
him.

"No," she replied, sensing his fear for her sister.
"But Web wouldn't hurt Randy," she argued.

"She wouldn't be the first female he's injured or
killed," he told her. "He has a lot at stake here. I
know you find that impossible to accept, but you
must. Luke's been investigating him a long time. He
hopes to get proof of Weber's crimes then split you
two with it."

Amanda didn't know why she was listening to
such tales. "If what you say has even a grain of truth,
then why would Web do such things? How can I
accept this monstrous charge without proof?"

"Greed, Mandy love. He wants all and more than
he lost during the war. He wants money, power, and
fame. He can't risk involving his company, so he was
using your father's. When I first arrived, I didn't
know if you could be trusted since you and Weber
were so close."

"But you just said my father was innocent," she
shrieked.

"That might explain his accident, Mandy. Perhaps he discovered what was takingplaceand tried to stop it," he speculated softly.

Amanda went white and shuddered. "Are you
saying you think my parents were murdered? You
think Weber ..." That was too much evil to accept,
and she resisted that horrible accusation.

"I don't know yet, Mandy. But I suspect it wasn't
an accident. You've got to realize how dangerous and
desperate Weber and his men are." As soon as Reis
made those statements, he grimaced. "Listen to me,
Mandy. You and Miranda have to be careful until I
solve this mystery. If they think you two are
suspicious of them, they could harm you. Damnitl I
should never have involved youl I must be a fool!
What the hell could I be thinking!" he berated
himself.

"You forget everything I said, Mandy. Don't you
dare see those bankers! And keep this pretty nose out
of your office and books. If Weber or his men think
you are on to them, they could get rid of you and
Miranda just like your parents. Besides money and
power, their lives are in peril; they've committed
treason, a hanging offense. Luke's in danger too if
Weber learns.of his investigation. Just remember:
you aren't indebted to Weber, and I love you. Just
keep quiet and safe at home until I arrest them. Don't
give them any reason to harm you and your sister.
Will you do that for me?" he pleaded earnestly.