Texas Tiger

chapter 26





They waved Evie and Tyler off at the train station in Cincinnati. Then Daniel took her hand and led her down the platform.

"Well, Mrs. Mulloney, shall we go home, or would you prefer to wait for the next train and go wherever it takes us?"

Georgina started slightly at the sound of her new name, but his words captured her attention. There was nothing she would like better right now than to run and hide in some faraway city where no one knew her, where she could learn to deal with her embarrassing predicament without the watchful eyes of people who had known her all her life. She wanted to be the child she once was, the one who knew the world was a happy place and everything would be all right because Daddy made it so. But she wasn't.

Georgina turned her eyes up to her husband's concerned face. They had been stiff and nervous with each other ever since Evie and Tyler had gone. She didn't see any immediate resolution, but she knew enough now to know the answer Pecos Martin expected. "Your father still thinks he's running a slave plantation. Who will correct that if we don't go home?"

Although there were shadows of strain behind his eyes, Daniel smiled and brushed her hair with his hand. "Then come on, Miss Merry, the train's fixing to leave. It's time to head back."

They had made this trip together once before. That time they had laughed and teased and behaved outrageously with each other. That had been before, when she was still a child. Perhaps she had proved her wanton status even then. Had Daniel seen it? Was that why he had allowed her into his life? Because he had seen what she was and wanted her the way a man desires a whore?

Georgina's cheeks flooded with embarrassment. She clutched her hands in her lap and stared out the window.

Daniel watched as Georgina closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. He had taken something magical away from her and destroyed it. He didn't know how to undo whatever he had done. She was afraid of him, and rightly so. He didn't know himself anymore.

His stomach clenched as he remembered how he had taken her last night, not once, but twice. She had every reason to fear he would lose control and do that to her again. He couldn't even tell himself that he wouldn't do it again. Even knowing he must have hurt her very badly, he was aching to have her again. He couldn't keep his thoughts from straying to their bed, of dragging her up the stairs and tearing her clothes off, and of making mad, passionate love to her for the rest of the day and night.

He was obsessed with the notion. Sex had never been an extremely important part of his life. It was something one did when the time was right. The rest of the time he had been quite content with his books and printing presses and horses and whatever interests he was involved with at the time. He had always been surrounded by women. They were there to laugh with, to talk to, to flirt with upon occasion. But they hadn't been the kind of women he would take to his bed and practically rape. Neither was Georgina. But that's what was on his mind now. He was sitting here peaceably beside her on a public train, but he was so hard his trousers pinched.

Loins aching, Daniel struggled with this new problem life had dealt him. Surely, his obsession with his wife a temporary aberration that he would overcome with time and work. Georgina was a lady, and he had a proper respect for ladies. It was just a matter of getting back into their regular routines. He would give her time recover from the discomfort, then he would take her properly, with the gentleness that she deserved. He didn't want her to regret marrying him. He adjusted himself uncomfortably while his wife slept.

Georgina woke when the train pulled into the Cutlerville station. Determined to do things properly and not to frighten her anymore, Daniel talked of what needed to be done when they returned to the office. She brightened somewhat as she made suggestions for his next edition. This was something they could share without the shadows and restraints that marred their hasty marriage, and he felt a measure of relief that one island of sanity still remained in their lives.

Seeing the half-grown boy being towed down the street by his powerful German shepherd as they arrived at the office, Daniel wasn't certain that perspective could be relied upon for long. Leaving Georgina at the door, he rushed to grab Max's leash before the dog could strangle himself with unrestrained joy at his arrival.

"I took care of Max while you were gone," Douglas proudly announced the obvious.

"And Max and I thank you. Come upstairs and let's see if we can't give you something for your trouble. How're your sisters?"

The boy rushed up the stairs ahead of them, chattering as he ran. "They've been holding meetings and talking to the other ladies and acting like everything will be all right, but I think something's wrong and they're not saying. Egan was over the other night."

Daniel and Georgina exchanged glances, but Daniel was the one who spoke. "What did he want? It's not the first of the month."

Douglas slid to a halt in front of the office door. His eyes were as old as an adult's as he turned to face them. "I know. That's why I know something is wrong. I think he's going to evict us."

Daniel cuffed the boy's head gently and opened the door, pretending an ease he didn't feel. "Well, then, I guess you'll just have to move into this place with us, won't you?"

The boy shouted his approval and slid across the wooden floor. "We could turn out papers every day then. We'd be rich."

Daniel gave Georgina a rueful look. "I think we need to teach the lad a little about labor and economics."

"Not to mention marketing and sales. Why don't we send him out to solicit advertisements?"

"Miss Merry, you are a genius." Daniel bent to kiss her cheek and felt her stiffen. He brushed his lips across her hair instead.

He handed Douglas a few pennies for taking care of Max, then pushed him toward the door. "Tell your sisters they may hold their meetings here if that would help and have them let us know when the next one will be so we may attend. And if Egan comes around again, let me know at once."

"Yes, sir!" Douglas danced out the door, jingling the coins in his hand.

Daniel turned to his wife, who had frozen into a motionless statue at his touch. "Well, Georgina, this is it. Behold your new home to do with as you wish. I had better go and see what Egan is up to now."

Daniel departed with an odd sense of relief at having something constructive to do to keep him away from his wife. He refused to start counting the hours until he dared approach her physically again.

* * *

Georgina stared out the window at the workers filing into the factory across the street on Monday morning. She hugged herself against the struggling sense of emptiness inside her.

Daniel hadn't come to bed these last nights. She'd found him asleep in his easy chair in the office, books lying scattered around him. She wasn't certain what to make of it.

She didn't know what to make of these aching feelings inside her, either. It had been over two days since Daniel had first taken her to his bed, and she could still feel him inside of her. She could easily recall the heat and texture and strength of him. And she could scarcely stop thinking of how he had lifted her in his palms and come into her until she was filled to overflowing with him, until she was convulsed with the need of him. It had seemed so perfect and right at the time.

She closed her eyes as the throbbing began again. She had felt very married at that moment. She had felt valuable and wanted. Daniel had been shaking with desire when he had taken her. She knew she couldn't be mistaken in that. The need in his eyes had been as strong as her desire. She had been certain that feeling would grow stronger and become something special.

Instead, they were farther apart now than they had been before he had taken her.

She would have to find a life of her own to fill this emptiness. She wasn't made for sitting around and moping all day. She had time and energy to spare, and she had an inkling of an idea of how to use it.

But first she would have to retrieve her clothes.

When Daniel came home some time later, she was gone. Terror swept through him as he searched all the rooms and the roof, finding the only trace of Georgina in a trunk of clothing that hadn't been there before. Had she left him? That was difficult to believe if she had gone to the trouble of recovering her clothes. And if not, had she been kidnapped again? The terror of that first time still lodged deep in his heart.

He didn't know where to begin to search. Should he start with the Mulloneys under the assumption they were responsible for her disappearance? Should he go to the Harrisons in hopes she had just gone visiting? As his gaze drifted to the window, his lips set in a tight line. He at least had a starting place.

Daniel knew he had found her the minute he opened the office door to Hanover Industries and heard the laughter. It took a moment before anyone turned to see him standing there, and he used the time to study the scene.

Georgina was modeling a lady's chemise on the outside of her gown, pointing to the lace and trimmings as she explained what she wanted done, occasionally striking a mocking pose as she pictured the garment with the neck opening tied too tight or the ribbons falling loose. Daniel was reminded vividly of how she had appeared with a similar chemise partially undone and nothing on under it. He was beginning to believe Evie was right. Men had only one thing on their minds.

Two of the seamstresses from the factory were laughing at her while correcting some of Georgina's suggestions with their working knowledge of what was possible with the machines that they had. The gray-haired secretary Daniel remembered from a previous visit was presiding over this with a notepad and pencil, but he wasn't certain how she managed to take notes from a conference like this one. Sheer exuberance seemed to be the name of the game here, but she wasn't complaining, and neither were the participants.

When Georgina climbed up on a crate to model a wrapper over the chemise, she finally saw him, and a smile lit her face. Daniel felt the warmth of that smile seep straight into his bones, but then she remembered herself, and she hastily disrobed and came forward to greet him properly.

"Daniel, what are you doing here? I thought you were out digging up dirty details on Mr. Egan."

"I was hungry, and I came looking for my wife." Daniel watched as the double entendre went right by Georgina's innocent little mind.

Her brow puckered with worry. "I hadn't realized it was that late." She threw a glance over her shoulder at the workers discreetly waiting out of hearing. "Could you wait just a little while longer? I want to get them started on these new style changes right away."

"I can wait, but Georgina"—he took her hand—"are you certain you ought to be doing this? Your father could come back at any minute. Or my father could come in and order the place shut down. Or he could send Egan over here to clean house. This isn't the safest place in the world for you to be."

Daniel had never noticed the obstinate set of Georgina's chin before. He marveled at it now as she spoke.

"These women won't have jobs if this place closes down. Even if there isn't any money, I still own part of this business, and until someone tells me otherwise, I'll do what I can to keep it going. Give me one of your guns and I'll shoot the first person who tries to stop me."

The thought of Georgina with a gun in her hand was not a pretty one, and Daniel shuddered. "No, ma'am. If there's any shooting needing to be done, I'll be the one doing it. You just send over to the office for me. I'll be right there if you need me."

She smiled vaguely, patted his arm, and returned to her fashion show. Daniel had no choice but to wander back to his office alone.

She didn't appear even after the lunch whistle blew. When it whistled again to indicate it was time for the workers to return to work, Daniel fixed himself a sandwich from bread and cheese and went back to working on his lead article. He had spent the better part of his life amusing himself. There was no reason he needed a wife now to fill the empty hours.

The furious knock at the door with the resulting crazed bark of the dog some time later startled him out of his concentration. Yelling at Max to settle down, Daniel called for the visitor to enter. The door was never locked. He thought everyone knew that.

The man entering now knew it, too, but Daniel supposed Peter was showing an excess of politeness by not walking in on a newlywed couple. Daniel hid his amusement as his brother looked carefully around before entering. He wasn't certain which Peter feared most: walking in on a revolutionary committee or Georgina in dishabille.

Daniel set his pencil down and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked his younger brother over. Peter didn't look like he'd slept in a week. He was still dressed in his normal immaculate suit and starched linen, but an aura of untidiness clung to him. The handkerchief in his coat pocket was crushed, the suit was slightly rumpled, and his thick, dark hair needed cutting. The boy's mind was obviously tackling a problem he hadn't solved.

"Georgina isn't here," Daniel said conversationally when Peter didn't immediately speak.

"It's you I want to talk to." Peter's voice was harsh, but a hint of uncertainty edged it. He glared at Daniel. "I want to know who you really are and what you want. And don't give me any more cock and bull about being my brother. Your grave is in the family cemetery."

Daniel chuckled. "How touching. Did I get a monument? Did I rate an angel and an inscription about being known for so short a time but loved just the same?"

Peter scowled. "Daniel Ewan Mulloney is dead. Did you really think you could walk in here and claim to be heir to Mulloney Enterprises?"

"Hell, I hadn't even intended telling anybody who I was until you pulled your little stunt. But the more I look at what Mulloney Enterprises is doing to this town, the more I think somebody with a backbone ought to step in. Can those pretty suits mean that much to you that you'll allow a family to be thrown into the streets to keep them?"

Peter leaned over the table and grabbed Daniel's shirt front. "Mulloney Enterprises is none of your business. If you know what's good for you, you'll get the hell out of town now."

Daniel grabbed his brother's wrists and applied pressure where it would hurt most. The grip on his shirt immediately slackened, and he shoved Peter away. "This is Georgina's home even if her family resorts to kidnapping to save the family business from our father's clutches." Peter's look of startlement gave Daniel some sense of satisfaction.

He plunged on. "I'm not leaving until Georgina's ready to go. After you leave here, why don't you go look for my death certificate? Then find the midwife who delivered me and ask about the baby with a crooked leg born to the mighty Mulloneys. If you can get that far, then you're ready to talk to your father's attorneys. They have the records showing the checks mailed to St. Louis for every month of my life until I came of age." Daniel rose behind the table and leaned over it. "Then do us both a favor. Go ask my mother if she knew I was alive. I'd like to know what kind of monsters created me."

Daniel caught Peter's furious swing, yanked his arm behind his back, and shoved him toward the door. The huge dog growling prevented any further attack.

Eyes glaring with fury, Peter stopped at the door before leaving. "I'll make you regret this, whoever you are. I'll not let you hurt my mother. She's suffered enough as it is."

Daniel shoved him out and released him, and Peter walked away without looking back. Daniel ran his hand through his hair as he watched him go. His mother was the one missing piece in this entire puzzle. Could the woman who had borne him really have let her first-born son be given away? Or did she even know he was alive?

So far, he hadn't had the heart to find out.