Savage Conquest (11 page)

"Is it uncommon to check out a firm and its
owner?" she asked.

"Not before a deal is made. But it seems suspicious
to do it afterward. From what I've been told,
Harrison was nosing around yesterday and today.

Don't trust him, Mandy," he stated firmly.

Amanda quickly concealed her surprise and
pain-she wouldn't think about Reis right now. She
laughed saucily. "You can hardly blame him for
checking out my firm's stability. He certainly didn't
expect to deal with a female. As I told you, I didn't
agree to a contract. Wouldn't that explain his
checking around? Why are you so mistrustful? Do
you know him, Web?" she inquired.

"Yep, I know who he is," he informed her, hatred
flaming in his eyes. "It took a while to recall when
and where we met. I guess I was trying to forget the
bloody bastard. Fact is, I thought he was dead; I wish
he were. I'm warning you, Mandy; stay away from
him. He's sly and dangerous. He's a vengeful Yank."

Amanda was startled by the vehemence in Weber.
She hadn't been mistaken; they had met before. "He
didn't mention knowing you. Why did you think he
was dead?" she questioned curiously.

"Because I shot him during the war," he stated
casually. "Evidently my aim was bad."

"You what?" she exclaimed incredulously. Weber
was clearly furious to find Reis still alive. Had Reis
also recognized Weber that first night? If so. . .

"If you see him again, Mandy, ask him about his
friend Sherman and their grisly escapades through
the South. Make sure you don't carry a gun to your
meeting with him. If he tells you the truth about his
war ventures, you might finish where I left off. I can
see from your shock that he didn't tell you about our
meeting years ago."

Amanda paled and trembled. Web must be lyingl
Reis wasn't like that. But Web knew her well enough
to realize she would check out such a grim accusation
if Reis mattered to her. Web stood up and looked
down at her. "The next time you see him, Mandy, it
will be the last time you see me. I love you and I want
to marry you; I want to protect you and take care of
you. The firm's yours and you can do as you please,
but not with my help and not with our enemy."

Suddenly Amanda realized that for the first time
since their meeting, Weber was calling her by her
nickname and she wondered if that meant something
special. In an effort to comprehend Web's feelings,
she answered softly, "The war has been over for years,
Web. Both sides did wicked things to the other. The
hatred and bitterness must end. Let them go, Web.
Evidently Mister Harrison doesn't hold a grudge
against ex-Rebs; he came to do business with my
father. Perhaps he doesn't know you shot him. After
he learned you handled matters for me, he was still
willing to sign with me. To stay in business, I need
all the clients I can find. If I decide to work in the
firm, I'll have to prove myself, Web."

"Forgive and forget?" he sneered sarcastically, as if
those words were evil, those emotions impossible.
"You're too naive and trusting. You don't know
what the war was like, Mandy, but you know what
Sherman's outfit did in the South. Every man who
rode with him is just as guilty. Picture the blood of
friends and family spattered all over you. Imagine
showing up after a battle to see arms, legs, entrails, and brains all over the ground. You've never had
someone die in your arms, Mandy, die with his blood
soaking into your clothes, and then have to wear
them for weeks or months. Do you know what it's
like to have enemies chasing you day and night? No
rest. No sleep. No food. Freezing your ass off while
you hide like a coward to stay alive one more day to
do it all again. Damnit, Mandy! They stole everything from me, from us! You say let it go? How? At
least twice a week I wake up seeing and hearing those
gory sights and sounds again, sweating and squirming like a beaten animal."

When Weber felt his vividly crafted words had had
the desired effect, he became silent. He sighed
dramatically, as if fatigued by a tale which had been
cut from his very soul. That should give Amanda
some sympathy for him and some contempt for Reis!
That should keep her away from Harrison and his
damaging secrets! "Marry me, Mandy. We can merge
the two firms. If you want to work there, no man will
refuse to deal with my wife," he coaxed. "This
Harrison is trouble, Mandy. He's deadly and cunning. I have a bad feeling he didn't come here for the
reason he told you. Watch out for him, or you'll live
to regret it. I told you I shot him during the war. If he
didn't know I was connected to the Lawrences before
his arrival, he knows now. My feelings for you are no
secret. Don't let my foe use my love against me. He
could be after revenge, Mandy."

"Revenge?" she echoed the wicked word.

"What better vengeance than stealing my woman and destroying my business? Did he tell you the three
accounts he offered you belong tome? Did he tell you
it could ruin me to lose them? There are many ways
to kill a man. What could be worse for a man than
losing everything precious to him, all of his reasons
for living? It's me he's after, Mandy. Don't be a pawn
in his vindictive game."

Amanda was horrified by Weber's speculations.
She wished they didn't sound so diabolically logical.
"Surely both of you shot many men during the war.
Why would he single you out for revenge?" she
questioned sadly.

"Because he thinks my outfit was the one which
burned his home and killed his family. He started
tracking us, killing off my men one at a time. The
only reason I survived was because I ambushed him
before he could murder me too," he informed her, his
gaze never leaving hers.

Amanda was afraid to ask if Reis was correct, but
her eyes exposed her alarm and turmoil. He shook his
head and asked, "Do I seem like a Sherman to you, a
devil who could slay innocent people?"

Amanda couldn't imagine any man being so evil,
so she was compelled to shake her head. Weber
grinned and hugged her tightly. Just before leaving,
he asked, "Will you consider my proposal, Mandy?"

"That's exactly what I've been doing for days,
Web. I promise to give you an answer very soon," she
told him, then smiled.

Af ter Weber left, Amanda was trapped by deep and
grave thoughts. After all this time, had she been given a glimpse into what had made Web the way he
was now? Had the war taken a cruel toll on him?

Web had been born to and trained for a genteel life.
After all was lost, he had changed. Web glorified the
Old South, the Confederacy, the Rebel soldiers. Web
had been compelled to find a new role in life, even as
he yearned for the one lost forever. He believed that
wealth and power would make things right again. It
saddened Amanda to see the wasted energy and
emotions that churned inside Weber Richardson.
Should she try to help him, to change him? And at
what cost to herself?

Amanda sought the privacy of her room for some
necessary soul-searching. There was so much she
didn't understand, didn't know, didn't want to
accept. She pondered how she could investigate Reis
Harrison and Weber's story. Weber was so full of
hatred and bitterness; could she trust him to be
honest with her? If only she didn't know what was
inside that bookl

When she closed her lids, Reis's image appeared
before her mind's eye. Could a man with such gentle
eyes and sensitivity have done such evil things? Was
there any man worse than Sherman, or the men who
had ridden with him without halting his devastation? If Reis had trailed and slain Weber's men, had it
been a mistake brought on by grief? She recalled what
Reis had told her about men doing crazy things when
pushed beyond control and reason. Did these facts
explain why he didn't want to discuss the war, why
he had reacted so strangely and coldly? Had he been pressing her because he knew Weber would expose
his secrets? She remembereed the way he had looked
at her, the way he had kissed her. It couldn't be true. It
couldn't. . .

Amanda realized her time was running out.
Considering everything she knew, there was only one
answer to her mingled dilemmas. But when she
thought of what would follow her surrender to
Weber's proposal, she shuddered. Could she be a wife
to him? Could she forget Reis?

Miranda was in her room reading in bed. She knew
the hour was late and her sister was still pacing her
floor. Amanda had been extremely quiet and melancholy after Weber's visit this afternoon. She had even
refused dinner and sought privacy. This abnormal
behavior panicked Miranda. It was time to unravel
the mystery.

When she heard Amanda go downstairs, she tossed
the covers aside and followed. She found her sister
sitting on the rug before a cheery blaze, knees
propped up and feet crossed at the ankles. Amanda's
chin was resting on one knee as she tightly hugged
her legs. The flickering flames seemed to perform a
wild dance upon Amanda's pale face and in her
blank eyes. What pained Miranda the most were the
sparkles off the teardrops which were silently
flowing down Amanda's cheeks and dropping to her
gown. What was causing Amanda such anguish?

"Mandy?" she called softly. "Can I help? You need
to talk?"

Amanda fused her solemn gaze to Miranda's entreating one. Amanda burst into uncontrollable
sobs. Only once before had Miranda seen her sister
weep this way, the night the news came about their
parents. Distraught, Amanda blurted out Web's
charges against Reis. She told Miranda everything,
except the reason why she was going to marry Weber
Richardson.

"But, Mandy, you can't marry Weber because Reis
hurt you," she argued. "Even if what Web said about
Reis were true, it happened years ago, during the
war. Reis didn't strike me as a vengeful and cruel
man. You just can't marry Web to hide from Reis.
You're in love with Reis, aren't you?"

"If that were true, it still wouldn't make any
difference," she replied tearfully. "Web is the man I
must marry."

"Must? Why must you marry a man you don't
love? See Reis, Mandy, and let him explain," she
begged her irrational sister.

"I can't. There's nothing he can say or do to
change matters. Oh, Randy, there's so much you
don't understand," she wailed.

"Then make me understand," she pleaded fiercely.
How could level-headed, proud Amanda Lawrence
do such a reckless thing?

"If you ever get trapped between two men, you'll
learn that love can't always be the deciding factor in
choosing between them. I must do what is right for
me, Randy. In time, I'll forget about Reis. Weber
loves me and needs me," she vowed, as if that were a
curse.

There were no words to ease such agony. All
Miranda could do was listen, listen and be there for
solace. For the first time, Amanda had met a man
who touched her deeply. How tragic that she believed
Reis wasn't what he appeared. Yet, Miranda sensed
some unspoken motive for her sister's drastic decision, one she must discover. Amanda had never been
a coward or a quitter, so why had she become both at
this late date? Just above a whisper, Miranda asked,
"But whom do you love and need, Mandy? What if
Reis didn't come here for revenge on Weber? What if
you discover the truth after you're wed to the wrong
man? It's wrong to marry Weber when you're in love
with Reis."

When Amanda gained control of her emotions, she
murmured sadly, "Web did kill him, Randy, at least
for me. How can I possibly have anything to do with
a devil like that? Why did Reis come here? Why? I
despise the things men do in the name of honor! I
hate revenge! The war's been over for years; when
will a Southern daughter no longer have to ask her
love the color of his uniform?"

For a week Amanda refused all visits and messages
from Reis Harrison, but it was one of the hardest
things she had done in her life. When Reis appeared
to halt his siege upon her, Amanda didn't know
which emotion was greater, relief or disappointment. Once she had admitted to being in love with
him, she realized it was too risky to see him even
briefly or to read his urgent requests for an
explanation. She feared Reis would mesmerize her
again, deceitfully convince her she was mistaken
about him. She couldn't allow it, if she were going to
marry Weber; and that seemed her only path to
survival. She was exhausted from battling her
warring emotions.

Wasn't love supposed to be simple and serene? she
wondered. Wasn't it supposed to bring happiness,
not sadness and pain? Shouldn't it be the most
natural thing in the world to marry the man you love? How could such dark clouds hover over the
flames of love and cruelly douse them before they
could burst into a roaring blaze of passion and
commitment?

Amanda knew she had to regain a measure of joy
and confidence or pretend she had, or else many
people would become curious about her mood. She
couldn't go on suffering and wavering. She would
find the courage to carry out her decision before
anyone discovered her motive. Yet, she knew she was
stalling, stalling Weber and the inevitable. Soon
Weber would force the issue. It was only a matter of
time before he exposed his actions and her obligation. She kept waiting for Weber to reveal her dire
straits, to learn how he was going to use them as a
persuasive tactic.