Wild Hearts Read Online Free Page A

to keep from smiling. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I have a pressing social calendar.”
    â€œDo you?”
    â€œYes. Many, many engagements.”
    â€œThat will be my loss.”
    â€œOne I’m sure you will bear bravely. Good night.” She withdrew her hand and started up the stairs.
    Halfway up, she paused and looked back at him. For a second, there was nothing. Then she smiled.
    Zeke nodded properly, watched her until she turned onto the landing, then laughed out loud. Damn, it was good to be home.
    Â 
    â€œHow was your dinner?” Daisy asked.
    Alethea held on to her morning cup of tea. She’d stopped in to see her friend, as she did every day before school.
    â€œYou know about my dinner with Mr. Titan?”
    Daisy looked up from the bread dough she was kneading. “Everyone knows. Zeke has quite the reputation, as you know, but…” Daisy drew in a breath. “You’re not going to like this.”
    Alethea stiffened her spine. “Tell me, anyway.”
    â€œThe men are placing bets. Apparently Zeke has agreed to run you out of town.”
    â€œWhat?” Alethea nearly dropped her cup. “He wants me to leave Titanville?”
    Was that possible? Last night he’d been so charming. She’d been intrigued by the different sides of his character and had even convinced herself she might have been hasty in her judgment of him.
    â€œNot Zeke so much as all the other men. It’s the society.”
    â€œOf course,” Alethea murmured. “Big, strong men don’t want anyone threatening their authority. But how is Zeke supposed to make sure I leave?” And if that was his goal, why had he been so warm to her last night?
    Daisy wiped her hands on a towel and walked to the wooden table. She sat across from Alethea. “You know that Zeke gambles. He started when was young and it’s how he made his fortune.” She frowned. “Now he has several successful businesses, but back then, he had a reputation for being impossible to beat. Gamblers came from all over to play cards with him. When they lost, they got angry. There were several gunfights. The streets weren’t safe.”
    Alethea couldn’t imagine Titanville as such a place.
    â€œZeke was also successful with the ladies. Several daughters were compromised. While there were no resulting children, reputations were ruined. The girls were sent away.
    â€œEventually the city leaders had a meeting with Zeke,” Daisy continued. “Running him out of town wasn’t possible. He owns most of the land. So a compromise was reached. He gave up gambling, except with friends, and he agreed to stop seducing the women in town. In return, the town was named after him and he was given…”
    Daisy hesitated. “This was before we met you, Alethea. Before we were friends. The other teachers were so young and foolish. They weren’t interested in our children—they wanted to find a man.”
    â€œWhat does that have to do with anything?”
    Daisy cleared her throat. “Zeke was allowed to have his way with the teachers, on condition he found them good and loving husbands when he was finished.”
    Alethea sprang to her feet. “What? The town condones the seduction of innocent young women? You couldn’t solve the problem so you imported other people’s daughters to be ruined?”
    â€œWe all like Zeke.”
    â€œAnd that makes the situation acceptable. Of course. How foolish of me to question anyone’s motivation.” She had never heard of anything so appalling in all her life. “I thought this was a respectable town. I thought there were good people living here.”
    â€œWe are good people. It’s just…”
    â€œThat someone has to be sacrificed to Zeke Titan’s lustful nature? And let me state the obvious. I’m to be his next victim.” She was shocked, but more than that, she was hurt.