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

frightening my customers.”
    His short laugh grated on her nerves. He treated her like a minor irritation, a mosquito or something equally inconsequential that he considered beneath his attention.
    “I feel certain this is an isolated incident,” he continued, his voice soft and sensual. “I mean surely every paper you print will not be so controversial. There must be some common ground between us.”
     “Common ground is not the issue." Didn’t he realize the seriousness of what he was trying to do?”I shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not the paper meets with your personal approval.”
    “You could always publish your paper in another town,” he suggested with a shrug.
    He was right. She could pack her belongings tomorrow morning and strike out for the closest town alone. But what if there was no work for her in the next town? What if the next town was every bit as violent and inhospitable as this one? How long would she have to wander the West until she found a place to settle down?
    “I won’t be bought or charmed or intimidated, Mr. MacBride. Everyone has the right to live where they choose, isn’t that what you said?”
    He laughed. “That is correct, but --"
    “I choose here,” she said. Let him argue with that.
    “Then perhaps you should learn to abide by the rules of your new home.”
    “Rules you impose! Last time I looked it was a free country. I’ve dealt with men like you before. You think you’re powerful and clever, but underneath it all you’re just a coward using control to hide your fears." She was immediately sorry for her careless words. His eyes took on that hard, soulless darkness she’d seen before, and his face went completely rigid. If ever a man had looked more sinister than Reece MacBride did in that moment, she couldn’t imagine it.
     “Are you finished?” he asked.
    He leaned insolently against the desk beside her, regarding her with an unnatural calmness that reminded her far too much of a rattler just before it strikes. The dangerous glint in his cold eyes belied his casual stance and made her wonder belatedly if she’d gone too far.
    “I certainly hope you don’t plan to print any more slanderous allegations against any of the citizens of this town in your paper,” he said.
    Emma stuffed her hands in her coat pockets to keep from fidgeting. “What I print is none of your business, Mr. MacBride.”
    “And what gives you the right to have your views plastered on paper and call it news?” he asked quietly. “Perhaps you think because you own a printing press you’re a journalist and your opinions are news whereas mine are self-serving. Well, I could have another printing press here in two weeks. As a matter of fact, maybe I’ll print my own newspaper and give you a little competition.”
    She’d never been particularly reckless, but Emma found herself ignoring the voice of caution screaming inside her and meeting his challenge with defiance. “Why not? That way you could slant the news anyway you want. In fact, you could call it the MacBride Gazette.”
     Reece laughed, further infuriating her. “Or maybe I’ll just shut your paper down. We got along well enough without a paper.”
    “You’ll have a fight on your hands,” Emma said, struggling to keep her voice from faltering.
    “Well, Miss Parker,” he said, his gaze caressing her body with a slow, thorough perusal that left her quivering with reaction in its wake. He moved closer, his expression cunningly seductive, his voice unabashedly intimate. “I do enjoy a good fight. But you should know that I never lose.”
    Emma swallowed hard, forcing herself to speak, even though her voice came out an unsteady whisper. “I have nothing left to lose. Can you say the same?”
    “Do not push me, Miss Parker,” he warned, his eyes as hard as marble. “I am sure you have much more to lose than you might realize. Now, you can print your little paper and play at challenging me. In fact, it might