Twin of Ice Read online

  She looked at him with as much dignity as she could manage, considering the state of her face. “I’ll scream all the way through town, and I’ll leave your house at the first opportunity.”

  He leaned toward her, bending her backward.

  “You know that brewery your stepfather owns? A year ago, he had some money problems that he didn’t tell nobody about. Two months ago, in secret, he sold the place to an anonymous buyer, somebody that lets him remain manager.”

  “You?” Houston whispered, her back against the wet brick wall.

  “Me. And last month, I bought the Chandler National Bank. I wonder who’d be hurt if I decided to close the place?”

  “You wouldn’t do that,” she gasped.

  “You just said that I do whatever I want, no matter who gets in my way. And right now, I want you to move back into my house.”

  “But why? I never meant anything to you. All I ever meant to you was something to further your revenge on Jacob Fenton. Surely, someone else would be better—.”

  He ignored her words. “What do you say? Will you martyr yourself to save the whole town? My house and my bed bein’ the stake you’ll burn at, of course.”

  Suddenly he grabbed her chin in his hand, his fingertips roughly caressing her damp, gritty skin. “Can I still make you burn? Can I still make you cry out in pleasure?”

  He bent his head as if he meant to kiss her but stopped a breath away from her lips. “You ain’t got any choice at all as far as I can see. You either come home with me right now or I foreclose on a whole lot of people. Are your uppity morals more important than the food in people’s mouths?”

  She blinked at the water in her eyes, whether from tears or the rain she wasn’t sure. “I’ll live with you again,” she said, “but you have no idea how cool the Lady of Ice can be.”

  He didn’t answer her but lifted her into his arms and carried her to his waiting wagon. Neither spoke on the way up the hill to the Taggert mansion.

  * * *

  Houston didn’t have a great deal of difficulty remaining cool to her husband, and only once was she tempted to falter. She remembered too well why he’d married her and what a fool she’d been to think she was in love with such a selfish man. At least Leander had been honest when he’d told her what he wanted of her.

  Houston did the bare minimum of what was required of her to run the house and no more. She rehired the servants but planned no entertainments, and she spoke to Kane only when necessary and refused to react when he touched her—which had been the most difficult part.

  The first night she was in his house had been the worst. He’d come to her bedroom and slowly pulled her into his arms. Houston had refused to let her body betray her. She’d stood as rigid as a steel pole and thought about Sunshine Row at the mining camp. It was probably the most difficult thing she’d ever done in her life, but she wasn’t going to fall into bed with him after the way he’d used her. Nor had she let her reserve break when he’d moved away from her and looked at her with the eyes of a sad puppy. She thought he’d used his good looks to advantage to get what he wanted.

  The next morning he came to her room and lifted a small chest from the floor. Houston knew that it was his wedding gift to her, and she’d always known what was in it, but she’d waited for him to present it to her. And now, when he dumped about a million dollars’ worth of jewels in her lap, all she could think about was that they were so cold—about as cold as her insides felt.

  Kane stood back and watched for her reaction.

  “If you mean to try to buy me—,” she began.

  He cut her off. “Damn it, Houston! Was I supposed to tell you about Fenton before we were married? I had a hard enough time as it was, what with you tryin’ to get Westfield even when we were standin’ at the altar.” He waited a moment. “You ain’t gonna deny that you wanted Westfield?”

  “It doesn’t seem to matter what I want. You are an expert at getting your own way. You wanted a house to impress Mr. Fenton, you wanted a wife to impress him. It doesn’t matter that the house cost millions and the wife is a human being with feelings of her own. It’s all the same to you. You have to have your own way, and look out, anyone who tries to thwart you.”

  Kane left the room without another word.

  The jewels glowed in Houston’s lap and, without another glance, she turned the blanket down to cover them as she stepped out of bed.

  She spent the days in her sitting room reading. The servants came to her to ask questions, but otherwise she stayed alone. Her only hope was that Kane would see that she didn’t want to live with him and would release her.

  A week after she’d returned, he came storming into her room, papers from the bank in his hand.

  “What the hell are these supposed to mean?” he shouted. “The account of Mrs. Houston Chandler Taggert has been charged for bath powder, two yards of ribbon, and for paying the telephone bill of the Taggert household.”

  “I believe I’m the only one who uses the telephone, therefore I should pay the expenses.”

  He sat down in a chair across from her. “Houston, have I ever been stingy with you? Have I ever complained about how much you spend? Have I ever done or said anything that makes you think that I’d ever withhold money from you?”

  “You have accused me of marrying you for your money,” she said coolly. “Since your money is so precious to you and not to me, you may keep it.”

  He started to speak, but closed his mouth. After a long moment of looking at the bills, he said softly, “I’ll be goin’ to Denver tonight, and I’ll be gone for about three days. I’d like you to stay in the house. I don’t want you doin’ anything to get in trouble, like tryin’ to start a riot at the coal mines.”

  “And what will you do to innocent people if I do? Will you throw three families into the snow?”

  “If you haven’t noticed, it’s still summer.” He walked to the door. “You don’t know me very well at all, do you? I’ll tell the bank to send your bills to me. Buy whatever you want.” With that, he left her alone.

  As soon as he was gone, she went to the window to look at Chandler below. “You don’t know me very well, either, Kane Taggert,” she whispered. “You’ll not be able to keep me chained inside this house.”

  Three hours later, after she saw Kane drive away from the house, she called Reverend Thomas and told him to prepare a wagon because, tomorrow, Sadie would visit the Little Pamela mine.

  Chapter 27

  Houston, dressed as Sadie, eased the wagon up the hill toward the coal mine and, as she maneuvered the horses around a long, deep rut in the road caused by the recent heavy rains, she thought she heard a sound in the back of the wagon. Last summer, a cat had been caught under the canvas that was tied down so tightly, and she was sure that was what was making noise now.

  She flipped the reins to the horses and concentrated on getting up the hill. At the gate, she prayed the cat, or, by the sound, several cats, would be still long enough for her to get past the guards. She’d hate to have the men’s curiosity aroused so they’d feel compelled to search her wagon.

  She breathed a sigh of relief when she was past the guards and into the camp. She’d called Jean this morning and, in between Jean’s breathless announcement that Edan had asked her to marry him, Jean had said that Rafe was now working the graveyard shift and would be at home when she brought her wagon. Rafe didn’t know about Houston, but he was willing to introduce Sadie to another woman who’d help her with the distribution of the vegetables and the contraband goods. Jean didn’t know whether the new woman was aware of Sadie’s true identity or not.

  Houston pulled the wagon over in front of the Taggerts’ company house and halted just as Rafe came out the door.

  “Mornin’ to you,” Sadie called as she struggled to get her fat old body down from the wagon.

  Rafe nodded in her direction, looking at her so hard that Houston kept her head down, the sloppy hat shading her face. “I hear you’re gonna find