Giant of Mesabi

"Facts! What do you know about facts?" Emotion strangled her accusing voice. "You wouldn't know a fact if it hit you in the face!"

"I know one fact." Rolt let go of her arm and stepped back, his jawline white with the savage ferocity of his anger. Alanna had

the impression that he had released her and put distance between them to keep from throttling her. "You aren't going to see Kurt again."

If he had phrased it in a less dictatorial way, Alanna would have admitted that she wasn't interested in Kurt, but his command was a red cape waving in front of her.

"Do you think you're going to stop me? How? By locking me in? Posting guards like a prison? I'd find a way to escape just to spite you, if nothing else. Nobody tells me what to do! I don't take orders from anybody!" She flared in full temper. "I will see who I want to, where I want to and when I want to—and you won't stop me!"

"You swore once that you'd make my life miserable. At the time, I thought it was amusing, but I underestimated you." The quietness of his voice was more menacing than if he had shouted in rage. "You're more cunning and deceitful that I realized. You are my wife, Alanna. You try to see Kurt again and you'll discover the consequences of trying to get back at me."

"What consequences could be worse than what's already happened to me?" Tears glistened in her eyes from pain and anger. "I don't have a monopoly on making life miserable. You took out the first patent on it, destroying my relationship with Kurt and blackmailing me into marrying you! As for being your wife, that's a circumstance that can be changed. And I will change it, Rolt. Nothing can make me stay married to you."

"Nothing?" he responded smoothly. "What about your mother and father? The day you file for a divorce my support of them is finished."

"My father will have to pay for his own mistakes the way I'm paying for mine," Alanna answered without hesitation. "And marrying you was the biggest mistake of my life."

"I'll fight you, Alanna," Rolt warned. "You're not going to divorce me and marry my brother."

"I won't marry Kurt." There was a brief, negative movement of her head. "I don't want anything to do with men. None of your sex is worth the pain you cause. There's something very ironic in this situation." Her mouth curved bitterly, "When Kurt falsely accused me of having an affair with you, I blamed you for manipulating things to get what you wanted. Now you're accusing me of seeing Kurt, an accusation just as false as his was. This time, there's no one to blame but me, because I didn't know anything about men. But you taught me, Rolt. You taught me well."

She started to walk past him, intent on leaving, but he stepped into her path. Her shimmering gaze lifted coolly to his face, surprised by the look of a wounded animal in intense pain that she saw in his dark blue eyes.

Immediately his gaze hardened into blue steel.

"Where do you think you're going?" he challenged.

For an instant, Alanna thought she had seen, in the tormenting ache in, his eyes, the same excruciating pain that she was feeling. But she realized it was damaged ego, disgusting male pride, too fragile to withstand any rejection.

"I told you, I'm leaving," she stated forcefully. "Leaving this house. Leaving this marriage. Leaving you."

"What do you want me to do?" His jaw worked convulsively. "Do you want me to get down on my knees and beg you to stay? Crawl to you? Is that what you're seeking? Do you want me to grovel at your feet so your triumph can be complete?"

"That would be a sight to see, the giant of Mesabi at my feet." Alanna laughed bitterly through her tears.

"Does it give you satisfaction to know that you can bring me to my knees?" Rolt demanded harshly.

"None at all." Not when it was pride causing his downfall.

"Nothing I can say or do will make any difference, is that it?"

"There is one thing I'd like to know." Her chin quivered, but pride kept her gaze level. "Before that seduction scene last night, did you know that I'd seen Kurt yesterday afternoon?"

"Yes."

Even though she had braced herself for the affirmative answer, Alanna still couldn't stop herself from recoiling as if struck by his hard, unapologetic voice.

A hot tear burned down her cheek.

"What a fool I made of myself!" she breathed achingly. "You made love to me because you were afraid Kurt would steal my virginity before you did. I never realized love could be such a humiliating emotion."

"Love!" Rolt grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently. "You don't know anything about love!" Pulling her on her tiptoes, he drew her within inches of his face. "Do you know what it was like all these weeks when I sat in this house knowing, you were out on a date with Kurt, imagining you in his arms, kissing him? Have you any idea how it felt to see that dislike in your eyes every time you looked at me? Love." He groaned the word huskily, anguish-darkened eyes sweeping over her face. Alanna was stunned, certain her ears were deceiving her.

"The first time I saw Dorian Powell's teenaged daughter I was fascinated by her. When you matured into a woman, I couldn't stop myself from loving you. I still can't. Yes, I forced you to marry me—I tricked, I blackmailed, I manipulated. I think I would have done anything to have you as my wife. Okay, so I didn't play fair, but whoever said life was fair? I thought I could make you love me in time. Last night—" He shook his head and let her go, not finishing the sentence. "And today you met Kurt."

From somewhere Alanna found her voice. "But I didn't meet Kurt."

"Alanna, don't lie to me," he sighed heavily.