Read Online Wild Is My Heart by Connie Mason - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Connie Mason
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character. Something inside him forswore intimacy. A shield of iron surrounded him, a will of steel governed him, and a relentless seeking drove him. Sam pitied anyone who tangled with Colt Andrews.
Colt was already gone when Sam left her bedroom. The remnants of a makeshift breakfast still were on the kitchen table, and Sam picked listlessly at the leftovers, not really hungry. Vaguely she wondered where Colt had disappeared to so early and decided it really didn’t matter. He’d be back, and all too soon she’d be sitting behind bars. The thought was so terrifying she sat down in the nearest chair as a twinge of pain lanced through her body. Perhaps for the first time she truly realized the terrible consequences her recklessness had earned.
A knock on the door at first brought no answer from Sam, so enmeshed was she in the agonizing thought of endless years in prison stretching before her. It was the voice that finally raised a response from her.
“Samantha! Are you in there? It’s Vern, Vern Logan.”
Calvin Logan approached his bank at the ungodly hour of seven a.m. The bank didn’t open until nine, but he liked to spend an undisturbed time on private business before opening the doors himself each morning. Vern knew some of what was going on, but Klaus Spindler was entirely in the dark about the railroad and the inordinate number of foreclosures Calvin had acquired. Sickness had confined Calvin to his bed the past two days and he had more business than usual to catch up on. He hoped Vern hadn’t messed up things too badly in his absence.
Though Vern was his only son, he was not overly bright where business was concerned. He also had a propensity for hard liquor, gambling, and whores. It was all right to indulge, Calvin allowed, but one had to keep a clear head if one wanted to succeed. That’s why Calvin relentlessly goaded Vern into choosing a wife. He’d even helped Vern along by foreclosing on the Howard ranch, hoping to force the willful but extremely desirable Samantha Howard into marriage.
Of course, Calvin had an ulterior motive. The railroad people would soon arrive to buy the right-of-way for land on which to build their railroad. As of five o’clock last night he had added the Howard property to his list of holdings, all of which were located along the right-of-way. Calvin’s goal was to be the richest man in the state of Texas. There were still a few holdouts who refused to sell their land, but the Crowder gang was slowly changing their minds. Striking a deal with those lawless outcasts had been the smartest move he’d ever made. Costly, but smart.
When Calvin sat down at his desk, the first thing he saw was the sale papers completed the night before by Klaus Spindler assigning the Howard land to a Mr. Steven Colter, and he prompdy flew into a rage. He cursed Klaus, cursed the illness that kept him confined to bed, but most of all he cursed Vern for not being here to prevent Klaus from making such a muddle of tilings. Who in the hell was Steven Colter? He asked his poor, unsuspecting clerk that very question when he arrived an hour later.
“I…I never saw the man before,” replied Klaus, cowering beneath his employer’s scathing rage. “But he’s a friend of your son’s. Or at least he said he was. He was looking for property, and since the Circle H became available at five o’clock last night I saw no reason not to mention it. Mr. Colter expressed interest and decided it would be perfect for his needs. He wanted the papers drawn up immediately and I…I complied,” Klaus said, carefully excluding any mention of the bonus he received. “I had the bank’s best interest at heart.”
“You addlepated idiot!” Logan raged. “How could you do this without consultin’ me? Where was Vern?”
“Herr Vern…er…stepped out for a time,” Klaus flushed. “He told me to handle things in his absence and close up if he wasn’t back in time. I was only following orders. The bank
Colt was already gone when Sam left her bedroom. The remnants of a makeshift breakfast still were on the kitchen table, and Sam picked listlessly at the leftovers, not really hungry. Vaguely she wondered where Colt had disappeared to so early and decided it really didn’t matter. He’d be back, and all too soon she’d be sitting behind bars. The thought was so terrifying she sat down in the nearest chair as a twinge of pain lanced through her body. Perhaps for the first time she truly realized the terrible consequences her recklessness had earned.
A knock on the door at first brought no answer from Sam, so enmeshed was she in the agonizing thought of endless years in prison stretching before her. It was the voice that finally raised a response from her.
“Samantha! Are you in there? It’s Vern, Vern Logan.”
Calvin Logan approached his bank at the ungodly hour of seven a.m. The bank didn’t open until nine, but he liked to spend an undisturbed time on private business before opening the doors himself each morning. Vern knew some of what was going on, but Klaus Spindler was entirely in the dark about the railroad and the inordinate number of foreclosures Calvin had acquired. Sickness had confined Calvin to his bed the past two days and he had more business than usual to catch up on. He hoped Vern hadn’t messed up things too badly in his absence.
Though Vern was his only son, he was not overly bright where business was concerned. He also had a propensity for hard liquor, gambling, and whores. It was all right to indulge, Calvin allowed, but one had to keep a clear head if one wanted to succeed. That’s why Calvin relentlessly goaded Vern into choosing a wife. He’d even helped Vern along by foreclosing on the Howard ranch, hoping to force the willful but extremely desirable Samantha Howard into marriage.
Of course, Calvin had an ulterior motive. The railroad people would soon arrive to buy the right-of-way for land on which to build their railroad. As of five o’clock last night he had added the Howard property to his list of holdings, all of which were located along the right-of-way. Calvin’s goal was to be the richest man in the state of Texas. There were still a few holdouts who refused to sell their land, but the Crowder gang was slowly changing their minds. Striking a deal with those lawless outcasts had been the smartest move he’d ever made. Costly, but smart.
When Calvin sat down at his desk, the first thing he saw was the sale papers completed the night before by Klaus Spindler assigning the Howard land to a Mr. Steven Colter, and he prompdy flew into a rage. He cursed Klaus, cursed the illness that kept him confined to bed, but most of all he cursed Vern for not being here to prevent Klaus from making such a muddle of tilings. Who in the hell was Steven Colter? He asked his poor, unsuspecting clerk that very question when he arrived an hour later.
“I…I never saw the man before,” replied Klaus, cowering beneath his employer’s scathing rage. “But he’s a friend of your son’s. Or at least he said he was. He was looking for property, and since the Circle H became available at five o’clock last night I saw no reason not to mention it. Mr. Colter expressed interest and decided it would be perfect for his needs. He wanted the papers drawn up immediately and I…I complied,” Klaus said, carefully excluding any mention of the bonus he received. “I had the bank’s best interest at heart.”
“You addlepated idiot!” Logan raged. “How could you do this without consultin’ me? Where was Vern?”
“Herr Vern…er…stepped out for a time,” Klaus flushed. “He told me to handle things in his absence and close up if he wasn’t back in time. I was only following orders. The bank
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