Twin of Ice (Montgomery/Taggert 6)

“And you’re no longer worried about that?” Blair asked.

Houston could feel the color in her cheeks rising. “Not with Kane,” she whispered, thinking of his hands on her body. No, she didn’t feel cool when he was near.

“You really do love him?” Blair asked, sounding as if loving Kane were the most impossible task on earth. “You don’t mind the food flying everywhere? You don’t mind his loudness or the other women?”

Houston caught her breath. “What other women?” Right away, she saw that Blair was hesitating about answering, and Houston had to use all her control to calm herself. If Blair thought she was going to once again decide what her sister should or should not do . . . “And Blair, you’d better tell me.”

Houston saw her sister trying to decide and she advanced on her. “If you even consider managing my life again as you did today at the altar, I’ll never speak to you again. I am an adult, and you know something about my husband, and I want to know what it is.”

“I saw him in the garden kissing Pamela Fenton just before the wedding,” Blair said all in one breath.

Houston felt a little weak, but then she saw the truth of the matter. Was this what Kane was referring to when he said he’d given up something today? “But he came to me anyway,” she whispered. “He saw her, kissed her, but he married me.” Nothing else could have made her happier than this. “Blair, you have made me the happiest woman alive today. Now, all I have to do is find my husband and tell him that I love him and hope that he will forgive me.”

A horrible thought came to her. “Oh, Blair, you don’t know him at all. He’s such a good man, generous in a very natural way, strong in a way that makes people lean on him, but he’s . . . ” She buried her face in her hands. “But he can’t stand embarrassment of any kind, and we’ve humiliated him in front of the entire town. He’ll never forgive me. Never!”

Blair moved toward the door. “I’ll go to him and explain that it was all my fault, that you had nothing to do with it. Houston, I had no idea you really wanted to mar

ry him. I just couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to live with someone like him.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that anymore, because I think he just walked out on me.”

“But what about the guests? He can’t just leave.”

“Should he stay and listen to people laughing about how Leander can’t decide which twin he wants? Not one person will think that Kane could have his choice of women. Kane thinks I’m still in love with Lee, you think I love Lee, and Mr. Gates thinks I’m marrying Kane for his money. I think Mother is the only person who sees that I’m in love—for the very first time in my life.”

“What can I do to make it up to you?” Blair whispered.

“There’s nothing you can do. He’s gone. He left me money and the house and he walked away. But what do I want with this big, empty house if he’s not in it?” She sat down. “Blair, I don’t even know where he is. He could be on a train back to New York for all I know.”

“More than likely, he’s gone to his cabin.”

Both women looked up to see Edan standing in the doorway. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but when I saw what happened at the wedding, I knew he’d be in a rage.”

Houston wrapped the train of her wedding dress about her arm. “I’m going to him and explain what happened. I’m going to tell him that my sister is so in love with Leander that she thinks that I am, too.” She turned to smile at Blair. “I can’t help but resent the fact that you thought that I was low enough to marry a man for his money, but I thank you for the love that made you willing to sacrifice what has come to mean so much to you.” Quickly, she kissed her sister’s cheek.

Blair clung to her for a moment. “Houston, I had no idea you felt this way. As soon as the reception is over, I’ll help you pack and—.”

Houston pulled away with a little laugh. “No, my dear managing sister, I am leaving this house right now. My husband is more important to me than a few hundred guests. You’re going to have to stay here and answer all the questions about where Kane and I’ve gone.”

“But Houston, I don’t know anything about receptions of this size.”

Houston stopped at the door beside Edan. “I learned how in my ‘worthless’ education,” she said, then smiled. “Blair, it’s not all that tragic. Cheer up, maybe there’ll be an attack of food poisoning, and you’ll know how to handle that. Good luck,” she said and was out the door, leaving Blair alone with the horror of having to manage the reception of hundreds of people.

Outside the office, Edan caught her arm and led her into the storage closet beside the north porch. He was smiling at her.

“You certainly do make a habit of spying on me,” she snapped, pulling away from him.

“I’ve learned more in two weeks of spying on you than I have in the rest of my life, total. Did you mean what you said about loving Kane?”

“Do you think I’m a liar, too? I’m going to get dressed now. It’s a hard climb to the cabin.”

“You know where it is?”

“I know the general whereabouts.”

“Houston, you really can’t go rushing off up the side of a mountain after him. I’ll go get him, explain what happened and bring him back.”

“No, he’s mine now—at least legally—and I’m going after him alone.”