Twin of Ice by Jude Deveraux Page A

he made his way through them. No one was more surprised than Houston.
    “I’m sorry I didn’t make the service today or I could a sat with you,” he said as he reached her. “Don’t look so surprised, sweetheart. I know I promised to keep our secret a little longer, but I couldn’t keep quiet after ol’ Lee told ever’body.”
    “Secret?” one of the women prompted.
    Kane put his arm around Houston. They were an incongruous pair, him hairy, rumpled, her perfect. “Houston broke her engagement to Leander because she fell right smack in love with me. Ladies, she just couldn’t help herself.”
    “When did this happen?” one of the women recovered herself enough to ask.
    Houston was beginning to breathe again. “It started when Mr. Taggert and I had dinner together at his house,” she whispered, knowing she was going to regret every word later, but now it was nice not to have to admit she’d been jilted.
    “But what about Leander?”
    “Leander consoled himself with the love of Houston’s dear sister, Blair,” Kane said sweetly. “And now, ladies, we got to be goin’. I hope all of you will come to the weddin’—a double weddin’—in two weeks.” He put his hand on the small of Houston’s back, and pushed her toward his old wagon.
    As he drove away, Houston sat rigidly on the edge of her seat.
    He halted the wagon at the edge of his own property. Before them spread his acres of garden and in the background was his house. He put up his arms to help her down. “You and me gotta talk.”
    Houston was too numb to do anything but obey.
    “I woulda come to church to sit with you, but I had some work to do. It looks like I got there just in time. Another minute and them ol’ biddies would of eaten you alive.”
    “I beg your pardon.” Houston was only vaguely listening. Until this morning she’d hoped it was all a bad dream, that she’d wake up and Leander and she would still be engaged.
    “Are you listenin’ to me at all? What’s wrong with you?”
    “Other than public humiliation, Mr. Taggert, nothing is wrong with me.” She stopped. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to burden you with my problems.”
    “You ain’t heard a word I’ve said, have you? Didn’t you hear me tell ’em you and me was gonna get married? I invited ’em all to a double weddin’.”
    “And I thank you for it,” Houston said, managing a smile. “It was very kind of you to come to my rescue. You would make a splendid knight. Now, I think I should leave.”
    “You’re the damnedest woman I ever met! If you don’t marry me, what else you gonna do? You think any of the so-called society men are gonna have you? They’re afraid of the whole Westfield clan. You think Marc Fenton wants you?”
    “Marc Fenton?” she asked, puzzled. “Why should Marc, as you put it, ‘want me’?”
    “I was just wonderin’, that’s all.” He stepped closer to her. “How come you don’t wanta marry me? I’m rich and I gotta big house and you just got jilted and you ain’t got nothin’ else to do.”
    She looked up at him, his size making her a little uneasy, but she wasn’t really afraid of him. Suddenly, all thought of Leander and Blair was gone. “Because I don’t love you,” she said firmly. “And I know nothing about you. For all I know, you could have been married ten times before and have locked all your wives away in the cellar. You look like you’re capable of such a trick,” she said as she looked down her nose at his hairy face and heavy shirt that was torn at the shoulder.
    For a full minute, Kane stared at her in open-mouthed astonishment. “Is that what you think of me? Listen, lady.” He took a step closer to her. “I ain’t had time to marry anybody. Since I was eighteen and Fenton tossed me out on my ass, I’ve done nothin’ but make money. There was three years when I didn’t even sleep. And here you’re tellin’ me I might of had time to marry ten women.”
    By the time he finished, Houston