by Nancy Bush
“If you ever do that to me again, I’ll never speak to you!” Charlotte declared, her blue eyes swimming with accusations and hurt. “How could you, Orchid? How could you?”
“How could I what?”
“Discourage the only man I’ve ever been in love with!”
Charlotte didn’t wait for an answer as her dainty feet flew up the stairs. Her bedroom door slammed.
Shaking her head, Kelsey climbed the steps on leaden legs.
¤ ¤ ¤
The following three weeks were the most infuriating of Kelsey’s whole life. She was alternately boiling with rage or sick with worry. Jesse infiltrated their house like a bad smell. There was no getting rid of him. The more Kelsey decimated his character, the more staunchly Charlotte defended it.
Relations between the two women disintegrated until Kelsey and Charlotte were scarcely speaking to each other, a situation that made Kelsey’s heart bleed, yet only tightened her resolve to get the better of Jesse.
Lady Chamberlain viewed the whole disaster with mixed emotions. Charlotte was so infatuated with Jesse that the fair-minded dowager didn’t want to believe Kelsey’s vituperative opinion. Yet, she couldn’t ignore it completely.
“He’s after her money. He as much as told me so!” Kelsey declared for about the thousandth time one evening as she paced rapidly from one end of the drawing room to the other.
Charlotte was not present, having locked herself in her room after another fight with Kelsey. Her brow furrowed, Lady Agatha Chamberlain looked over the top of her delicate china teacup and sighed. “Do you think there’s any chance he loves Charlotte just a little?”
“No. He’s a ladies’ man. I’ve heard rumors about him.”
“Rumors aren’t always the truth.”
“They are in this case. Why are you defending him?” Kelsey demanded. “I thought you wanted me to protect Charlotte!”
Agatha smiled. Her skin was wrinkled and soft, a total contrast to the dynamic woman inside such a frail-looking body. “I do. It’s just that the child thinks she’s in love with him, and he’s never been anything but the soul of courtesy and discretion when he’s here.”
“The soul of courtesy and discretion.” Kelsey swallowed the swear words that rose in her throat like bile. “That’s just what he’s let you see.” She snatched up a picture of Charlotte from the inlaid rosewood desk. “He said he was going to win her, even if he had to dishonor her to do it!”
Lady Chamberlain sat very stiffly, weighing her words. She couldn’t understand why Orchid was so utterly hysterical about this man. If he were a cad, time would bear that out. Meanwhile, Orchid could take excellent care of Charlotte; Lady Chamberlain depended on her to do so. “I don’t believe he’d stoop to dishonoring her,” she said primly.
Kelsey stared at her, aghast. “Have you fallen for his charm too?”
Her laughter tinkled. “I’ve lived a lot of years, Orchid, and I’ve met a lot of men. He cannot be as bad as you say, or I would have seen it already. No, you’re blinded by emotion. Heavens, girl, you act like a woman scorned.”
“Lady Chamberlain!”
“Jesse Danner may be many things, but he’s not poor. I have Ezekiel Drummond’s word on that, and I’ve never known him to lie.”
“How well do you know Ezekiel Drummond?”
“He’s a member of the Arlington Club, and a long-standing supporter of –”
“I know, I know.” Kelsey cut her off, her own manners deserting her in her anxiety. “So you will continue to allow Charlotte to see him?”
“If you mean Mr. Danner, the answer is yes. If I don’t let her, I’m afraid she might find a way all on her own.” She sighed. “Then she undoubtedly will be dishonored.”
Kelsey swept across the room, her skirts rustling with her fury and fear. She couldn’t bear it. “Please excuse me,” she murmured tautly, needing some fresh air. She stormed through the double doors to the foyer. Unfortunately she ran straight into Jesse, who had just been shown inside the house by Cora Jean.
They eyed each other narrowly, adversaries locked in battle. Kelsey’s glare was cold and angry; Jesse’s smirkingly triumphant. Her mind devised new and imaginative forms of torture.
Hands clenched, she strode upstairs. She would prove to Agatha what a miserable scourge he was. It would be easy. All she had to do was send a wire to his family, telling them where he was. The Danners would then descend on him and reveal his past in all its ruinous glory.
Kelsey entertained that delicious notion for about ten seconds. No. She couldn’t expose him that way because the Danners would also recognize her, and then she would have to face Jace and Emerald and she just didn’t have the stomach for it. Besides, what would the truth gain her? Charlotte would undoubtedly find Jesse’s unsavory past romantic, and Lady Chamberlain would be delighted when she met the other Danners, who were all noteworthy citizens of Rock Springs.
Frustrated, Kelsey smacked her fist into her palm. But she could call his bluff. She could threaten to expose him! Since he didn’t know she was a Garrett, he couldn’t exact the same revenge. He would wonder how she’d come by her knowledge, but he’d never know. It would be sweet revenge indeed, to see the look of stupefaction and anger on his face.
Returning downstairs, she waited for him outside the drawing room, finalizing her plan. She could hear his low voice conversing with Lady Chamberlain. Charlotte would soon be alerted that her beloved was here, and then Kelsey would lose her chance. Ducking her head inside the room, she smiled beatifically. “Mr. Danner? Would you mind stepping into the morning room? I’d like a word with you.”
His eyes narrowed instantly. He didn’t trust her sudden benevolence. Realizing she’d overdone it, Kelsey let the smile fall. “I promise it won’t take long.”
“If you’ll excuse me,” he said to Lady Chamberlain.
“Not at all.” Agatha frowned at Kelsey and shook her head ever so slightly when Jesse wasn’t looking.
Kelsey didn’t heed the warning. She was going to be as ruthless as Jesse in winning this game. She led the way to the morning room, which was cold and neglected at this time of day. No fire had been lit since early that morning and electricity, though a glorious innovation, had not found its way into Lady Chamberlain’s environs yet. Agatha was slow to change.
Kelsey quietly latched the door behind them as soon as Jesse was inside.
“Please, sit down,” she invited him.
“I’d rather stand, thank you,” he returned politely.
He wore black, the color of his suit exactly matching his raven hair. His collar and cuffs were snowy white. The contrast set off his swarthy good looks and heightened the dramatic blue of his eyes. He was handsome enough to take a woman’s breath away, yet he looked vastly different than she remembered. His nose had been broken, she realized now, examining him carefully. And one cheek bore an indentation, as if the bone had been crushed and hadn’t knit quite properly. And his mouth was more… more sensual than she remembered. Thinner, the lips tighter. He looked rougher by far than her childhood memories, but there was no doubt he was the Jesse Danner of her youth.
“Well?” he asked.
Kelsey clasped her hands behind her back and drew a breath. “I’ve tried in every way I know how to discredit you, but unfortunately no one will listen to me.”
Jesse’s brows shot up. It was clear he wasn’t used to women speaking the plain truth. “How frustrating for you,” he murmured.
She swept him with a disdainful glare before walking to the window. In the golden slanting rays from the afternoon sun, her hair glowed like fire. Jesse wanted to see that hair down around her shoulders. How long was it? To her waist? Regretfully, he supposed he would never know.
“But I know of your past, Mr. Danner. I know, in fact, that you’re originally from a town called Rock Springs.”
He nearly choked in disbelief. “How do you know that?”
“I’ve had you investigated,” she lied easily. “Yo
u have three brothers, one of whom lives here in Portland, and one sister. Your mother’s dead, but your father still lives on his farm outside of town.”
Jesse stared at her. Despair entered his eyes before he could conceal it. Shocked, Kelsey realized she’d inadvertently scored a direct hit. What had she said? Oh, God, she thought with swift dismay. He hadn’t known Eliza was dead.
Jesse had never had to fight so hard to cover his emotions. Could it be true? Was his mother dead? In all the time he’d been gone, he’d never once thought there might be a death in the family. They were all too tough, too invincible. He felt physically sick.
“I’m – I’m sorry,” Kelsey faltered.
Jesse stared past her, through the paned windows to the rolling green lawns outside, until he collected his raging emotions. Coldly, he said, “Go on. I assume you’re about to make a point.”
But Kelsey had lost her momentum. She’d hurt him. She hadn’t meant to do that. Now she hesitated, feeling mean. But then she remembered his plans for Charlotte. “I’ll reveal your past to Lady Chamberlain. You’ve been accused of many crimes.”
“What?” He frowned, not really listening to her.
“In your past. When you left Rock Springs there was a scandal, and talk of rape and murder.”
“Rape and murder?” He snapped to attention. “What the hell are you talking about? Who did this investigation?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
“You lying little witch,” he said softly. “The facts are dead wrong and you know it.”
“That’s for you to prove.”
The joy had gone out of Kelsey’s accusations. She could tell she’d wounded him, and now he was utterly furious, and frightening. He slowly strode over to her, towering over her, his expression scathing. She wanted to shrink inside herself. Her heart thundered in sudden panic, beating so hard, she was afraid he would see its pumping through the royal blue velveteen bodice of her gown.
“You fight dirty, Miss Simpson, but it won’t get you what you want. If I want Charlotte Chamberlain, I’ll take her. There’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”
“I’ll stop you –”
“I am not the fortune hunter you think I am.” He cut her off in a steely voice. “I have other reasons for wanting Charlotte.”
“Such as?”
He stared into her deep gray eyes. She was incredibly beautiful for such a treacherous schemer. “Respectability.” He leaned even closer. “And lust.”
A part of him wanted to wrap his hands around her smooth neck and shake her until she broke. She was worse than Lila. And he believed that some of her fury sprang from jealousy, whether she knew it or not. Deciding to test that theory, he cupped her chin with one hand.
Her eyes widened in horror. “What are you doing?” she hissed.
“Proving a point,” he muttered.
A second later his mouth crushed hers. She tried to sweep in a breath to scream at the last second, but didn’t succeed. Her arms flailed and he held them down, pinning them to her body. He leaned over her, bending her to his will.
His chest pressed against hers, his arm circling her back, his fingers digging hard against the ribs just beside her breast. Kelsey freed one arm. Her clenched fist slammed into his back. Jesse was too intent on punishing her with his kiss to take note.
Where his body touched hers, heat swarmed through Kelsey, a wave of lust so intense it thoroughly frightened her. She suddenly wanted those fingers to slide upward to her breast. She wanted to feel them pressed hard against flesh.
His thighs were hard against hers. She was abruptly thoroughly aware of the differences in their anatomy, and her heart jumped in anticipation. She hadn’t lied when she’d told Tyrone she’d been kissed; one or two rather clumsy, sexless attempts by past swains. She had, however, never encountered such raging passion and masculinity, a powerful driving force that sent her blood singing hotly through her veins, roaring in her ears.
Oh, my God!
With the last shreds of her self-control, she sank her teeth into his lower lip.
He shoved her away so hard that she fell across the divan, his eyes glittering with rage, a nerve jerking in his dark cheek. She’d never had anyone look at her with such unconcealed revulsion.
A tremor swept through her, part fear, part reaction. Kelsey struggled to her feet. Her derringer was still in her beaded bag upstairs. She would have given anything to have it in her hand. Calmly, Jesse withdrew a handkerchief and held it to his bleeding lip. “And they all think you’re a dried-up spinster.”
“And you’ve just proved how despicable you are!”
“Is that what I proved? I think we both proved something entirely different.”
“Get out of here!” Kelsey was fast losing her edge and she knew it.
“Gladly. A word of warning, Miss Simpson. You won’t stop me.”
“You may be surprised, Mr. Danner!” she declared, her voice rising as he stalked toward the door with that unconscious grace he’d always possessed.
He paused, one hand on the knob, his gaze cold on her heated face. “I’ll use any means to get what I want. Any means. And since I’m a rapist and a murderer,” he added sardonically, “you’d best be careful.”
The click of the handle sounded behind him as he gently closed the door.
Kelsey pressed her knuckles against her cheeks, in the throes of emotions she could scarcely name. “It’s you who should be careful, Jesse,” she said to the empty room.
Chapter Three
Jesse’s apartment on Portland’s waterfront smelled of fish and garbage and on a particularly bad morning, depending on how much liquor had been consumed by the drunks who staggered bleary-eyed down the morning-washed streets, the stench of vomit seemed to creep beneath the windowpanes.
Zeke held a handkerchief in one hand, but so far he’d resisted covering his mouth and nose. If Jesse could stand it, so could he. But thank God the time had come for Jesse to move to a better place! Returning to Portland under a veil of secrecy had been fine; Zeke had understood. Staying in this vile section of town had achieved invisibility like nothing else; Zeke could appreciate that.
But for any person of even marginal esthetic taste… well, this listing, worm-rotted building made the skin shiver and the stomach turn.
“Who the hell is she?” Jesse demanded with repressed violence, tossing clothes into the battered valise thrown open on the wretched cot the building manager euphemistically called a bed.
“Miss Simpson?”
“Yes, Miss Simpson, she knows my whole history and I don’t know a damn thing about her! Find out who she is. Find out who sold her information on me. My God, Zeke, somehow, someone knows I’m back in Portland. If it’s Montana, then what the hell are we doing fooling around with Charlotte Chamberlain and this blasted society marriage stuff?”
“She can’t know about you. No one does.”
“Well, Orchid Simpson does.” Jesse slammed the lid shut and turned to face Zeke, his expression murderous. “She told me things about my family that no one should know. She said my mother’s dead.”
Zeke had heard only bits and pieces of Jesse’s rather colorful past. He knew he hailed from Rock Springs and had left town under a cloud of suspicion, and he knew that Jesse’s brother, Samuel, was a celebrated lawyer right here in Portland. He was vaguely aware that Jesse had several other brothers and a sister all still living in Rock Springs, but he knew nothing about Jesse’s parents and hearing him speak of his mother was nothing short of astonishing.
“Why would she say something like that?” Zeke wondered aloud, his opinion of Orchid Simpson lowering dramatically. What kind of game was the woman playing? A cruel one, based on Jesse’s reaction to the news.
“Find out if it’s true, Zeke. Give me as much information on my family as you can without raising suspicions.”
“What about Miss Simpson?”
“I’ll take care of Miss Simpson,” he assured Zeke grimly
.
¤ ¤ ¤
It hadn’t been smart to antagonize him.
Kelsey glanced out the window of the swaying carriage and wished she’d contained herself in a more circumspect manner. Challenging Jesse had been a mistake. Two weeks of reflection and soul-searching had helped her see the light. Jesse had attacked her with his sexuality. She should have guessed that might happen. What had she expected when she’d thrown herself in his path? She was an obstacle and Jesse wasn’t above using any means, no matter how low, to achieve what he wanted. He’d even said as much.
Kelsey grimaced at her own foolishness. Her reaction to his kiss flitted across her mind, and she pushed it aside. It was natural, given her girlish infatuation with him. So he’d made her lips tingle and her pulse nearly deafen her. He was an attractive man; she would be the first to admit it. And her body’s sudden awakening had been but a momentary lapse, a silly last ditch effort for her girlhood crush. She’d come to her senses soon enough and now she was glad, glad, glad, that she’d bitten him!
She hoped his lip still hurt like hell.
Her own lips twisted in self-deprecation. She also hoped she’d dissuaded him from pursuing Charlotte but had learned to her subsequent dismay that that hope was in vain. Over the last few weeks Jesse had doubled and redoubled his efforts to win Charlotte. Every time Kelsey turned around, there he was: smiling at Charlotte, caressing her hand as he helped her from a chair, gazing down into her naïve, trusting face through blue eyes the shade of a tropical sea. Blue eyes that invariably met Kelsey’s frigid gray ones whenever Charlotte looked the other way. Blue eyes full of smug satisfaction.
Oh, she could kill him!
Kelsey’s hands clenched around the drawstring of her reticule, and she vaguely realized something was wrong. She looked down at the black bag, her heart thinking. She’d forgotten her derringer. She could visualize it on the lace covered dressing table next to her vials of perfume.