Twin of Ice Read online

  “What did you talk to your other women about?”

  “What other women?”

  “The others. Like Miss LaRue.”

  “I don’t ‘member ever talkin’ to Viney about anything.”

  “But the nice part is afterward, lying like this together, and talking.”

  He ran his hand down her body. “I guess it is pretty nice at that. But cain’t say as I’ve ever done it before. I guess after we . . . I guess I just went home. You know, I don’t even ’member wantin’ to lay around like this. Fat waste of time,” he said, but he made no attempt to move away from her. Houston snuggled closer to him.

  “Cold?”

  “No, I’m the warmest I’ve ever been.”

  Chapter 19

  Houston looked up at Kane from the cabin bed, watching him dress, and knew that her short honeymoon was over. “I guess we have to go,” she said sadly.

  “I have a couple of men comin’ this mornin’ and I can’t afford to miss ’em.” He turned to look back at her. “I wish I could spend more time up here but I can’t.”

  There was sadness in his voice, too, and Houston decided to help rather than fight him. Quickly, she got out of bed and began to dress in her riding clothes. Kane had to help her with the ties to her corset.

  “How in the world can you breathe in that blasted thing?”

  “I don’t think breathing has anything to do with it. I thought you liked the curves of women. With no corseting, we’d soon all have twenty-seven-and twenty-eight-inch waists. Besides, the corset supports a woman’s back. They’re really quite healthful.”

  Kane merely grunted and finished shoving food into the cloth bags. She could tell that his mind was already back on his work.

  Silently, the two of them prepared for the journey down the mountain. Houston wasn’t sure what was on Kane’s mind, but she knew she’d never been happier in her life. Her fear that she was frigid was gone, and ahead of her was a lifetime with the man she loved.

  As they were leaving the cabin, Kane paused to look back at the little room. “I sure never had a better time in that place,” he said before shutting the door and walking toward the saddled horses.

  Houston started to mount by herself, but Kane grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her into the saddle. She tried to hide her surprise as she looked at him. Was this the man who had left her to climb boulders all alone?

  Kane ducked his head. “You look like a lady again in that suit,” he mumbled.

  They were silent as they started down the treacherously steep slope, and several times Kane slowed for her.

  It wasn’t until they were near Chandler, and they began to slow their horses to a crawl, that Houston spoke.

  “Kane, you know what I’ve been thinking the last few days?”

  He gave her a bawdy wink. “I sure do, honey, and I’ve enjoyed ever’ minute of your thoughts.”

  “No, not that,” she said impatiently. “I thought I’d invite your cousin Jean to live with us.”

  When she looked at Kane, she saw that his mouth was open.

  “I doubt whether she’ll accept a direct invitation because all you Taggerts are much too prideful, but I’ve purposely held off hiring a housekeeper and thought she might like to have the job. That would get her out of the coal camps and, besides, don’t you think she and Edan would make a lovely couple?”

  Kane was still gaping at her.

  “Well, what do you think?”

  He managed to shut his mouth and stop staring at her. “When I told Edan I was thinkin’ about gettin’ married, he asked me if I was ready to let a woman in my life. He ’bout laughed his fool head off when I said I didn’t plan to let marriage change my life. I’m beginnin’ to see why he was laughin’. Who else you gonna invite to live at my house? The town drunk? But I tell you, I draw the line at preachers. I like preachers even less ’n kids. Course, it don’t matter who I like—.” He broke off as Houston, her back rigid, urged her horse ahead.

  For a moment, he didn’t move but watched her, then, in a spurt of speed, he caught up with her. “You ain’t gonna get mad, are you, honey? You can invite whoever you want to live in that big house. It don’t matter none to me.” It was the first time in his life that he’d ever tried to coax a woman out of a bad mood and he was awkward at it.

  He grabbed her horse’s bridle. “I ain’t even seen this woman. What’s she look like? Maybe she’s so ugly that I won’t be able to stand lookin’ at her.” He was sure that he saw the faintest glimmer of a smile on her lips. So . . . humor was the way.

  “Jean was wearing violet chiffon over purple satin, with tiny brillants at the shoulder and—.”

  “Wait a minute!” he interrupted. “You mean that little black-haired, green-eyed wench with the curvy backside and the great ankles? In fact, I saw her get out of the carriage and her calves ain’t bad either.”

  Houston glared at him. “You were looking at other women on our wedding day?”

  “When I wasn’t watchin’ you climbin’ up and down the rose trellis. Come to think of it, you sure looked mighty good in your underwear.” He moved his hand to caress her arm.

  In the distance was the civilization of town and the people who would make demands on their time. Now was their last chance for privacy.

  As if reading her thoughts, Kane dragged her off the horse and into his arms and they came together as if it were to be their last night alive.

  And when they entered the Taggert house two hours later, there was dirt on their clothes, cockleburs in their hair, and their faces were flushed. Kane was holding Houston’s hand until Edan appeared.

  Edan took one look at them and, when he’d recovered his speech, he said to Houston, “I see you found him. Kane, there are four men waiting for you and half a dozen telegrams. And Houston, I think those servants you hired are in a state of war.”

  Houston felt Kane give her hand one last squeeze, and then he disappeared down the hall. She started up the stairs to her bedroom to change clothes. Reality had come back to them.

  Ten minutes later, Kane came to say he had to leave on urgent business and would be back as soon as it was finished. He was gone for three days.

  Chapter 20

  Within four hours after Kane had left, Houston knew that being a wife was what she was meant to do. Blair could have her ambition, her need to reform the world, but Houston just wanted to manage a household for the man she loved.

  Of course, running Kane’s house was rather like directing an army during wartime, but she’d been trained for her position as General of the Army.

  The first thing she did was write a note to Jean Taggert begging her to spend a few days helping with the housekeeping arrangements. Then Houston wrote a letter to Jean’s father telling him that she planned to ask Jean to stay and be her housekeeper. Houston prayed that Sherwin Taggert would want his daughter to get out of the coal camp.

  When she gave the notes to a new footman to deliver, Houston had her first taste of what was upsetting the servants so badly. The footman seemed to think it was beneath him to go to a coal camp, and, being American, he didn’t hesitate to express his opinion.

  Houston very calmly asked him if he wanted his job or not, and, if he did, he was to do what she asked and to not belittle the relatives of the man who was feeding him. When that was settled, and the footman on his way, Houston went downstairs and began sorting out the duties of the other people she’d hired. Most of the people she’d chosen were now sitting on the bare floors, refusing to do anything until they knew exactly the limits of their responsibilities. Houston saw immediately why Miss Jones had strongly recommended that experienced servants be hired.

  By the morning of the second day, Houston had seven maids cleaning the house, four footmen bringing furniture down from the attics, and three assistants helping Mrs. Murchison in the kitchen. Outside, she had a coachman, two stableboys, and four young, strong-backed boys to help in the gardens.

  It was while she was i