Read Online Ashes and Memories by Deborah Cox - Free Book Online Page A

to one side. “You would be wise to remember that yourself.”
    “So if you don’t like what I print you just buy all the papers so no one can read it. Is that it?”
    Reece placed his glass on the sideboard behind him. “It is my prerogative.”
    “Your prerogative,” she parroted, surprised her voice didn’t shake. How could she dislike him and be drawn to him at the same time?
    He’d helped her when she needed help, worked hard to bury her father, and for that she was grateful. But everything he’d done since then had shown him for the ruthless, conniving scoundrel he was.
     He shrugged. His nonchalant attitude bolstered Emma’s resolve and helped her overcome the war raging inside her between her righteous anger and her physical and emotional response to the man before her. That response could range in one single moment from fear to attraction to a deep abiding sadness that was more disturbing and more confusing than any of her other feelings.
    Her gaze returned to the painting on the wall. She could well imagine Mr. Reece MacBride standing on the lawn in front of that house, walking its luxurious halls. The image pricked her temper.
    “What if I print a hundred next time?” she asked.
    “Well, I suppose I would be free to exercise my prerogative again."
    He pushed away from the sideboard and walked toward her, stopping so close she could feel the warmth of his breath on her flushed face. The musky masculine scent that always clung to him filled her senses as it had when he’d stood in her newspaper office earlier that day.
    “Of course, there are alternatives for both of us,” he suggested.
     He was doing it again, damn him. He knew very well how his nearness affected her, and he used her weakness to his advantage. Emma fought the urge to back away, to put some distance between them, determined to stand her ground. But his eyes burned into hers with such unremitting force that finally, inevitably, she glanced away, unable to hold his gaze in spite of her best efforts.
    “My offer still stands,” he told her with a hint of amusement. “I am prepared to contribute to your paper financially and to put all of my resources at your disposal.”
    “I do not need or want your help, Mr. MacBride.”
    He took her hand in his, and for the moment Emma was incapable of extracting it, mesmerized by the sensual feel of his warm skin against hers.
    “Are you sure?” he asked. “I could make things much easier for you here in Providence. I could open doors for you, make sure your paper gets the attention it deserves.”
    “You wouldn’t make an offer like that if I were a man,” she accused, her voice surprisingly level and calm.
    Reece laughed. “No, if you were a man you’d be living on the street by now.”
    Emma withdrew her hand. “The quality of my paper will earn attention.”
     “You are an idealist, aren’t you Miss Parker?”
    The hand he’d just held itched to slap him, but she managed to control the impulse, not entirely certain he wouldn’t return the gesture. “Don’t you dare be amused at me!" she ground out between clenched teeth. “Who do you think you are?”
    She felt a brief satisfaction at the surprise that flashed across his face. He hadn’t expected her to stand up to him.
     “As I pointed out this morning,” he said, turning his surprise back to amusement with a smile, “I am the man who owns the building --"
    “You can kick me out if you want, Mr. MacBride!" she shouted, incensed by his calmness in the face of her anger. “Because I’m sure there are other suitable buildings in Providence. Why should I take your word that there’s not another piece of property to be had in the whole town? I will still print my papers. Freedom of the press is very important to me and you will not take away my right to that freedom. I don’t care if this is your town or your state!”
    “Please keep your voice down, Miss Parker, or I will be forced to shut the door. I cannot have you