Free Summer Mahogany by Janet Dailey Page B

drumming into my head as he kept forcing me to drink his whisky."
    "You mean he tried to get you drunk?" Pete chuckled his astonishment.
    Gina blanched as she remembered the thud of the whisky bottle on the table at least three times before she had buried her head under the pillow. It had been an underhanded trick by her grandfather, regardless of his honorable motives.
    "He nearly succeeded. At first I thought it was some kind of test of man hood I was expected to pass. Then I realized, nearly too late, that he intended to keep me from thinking clearly. Not that it mattered either way when he was through," Rhyder tacked on sardonically.
    "If you didn't do anything, how could he blackmail you into marrying her? Gina's a nice kid, but what are you going to do with a child bride?" Pete declared in confusion. "I just can't see you giving in to pressure just because of some small town gossip about you and a girl, Rhyder."
    "It depends on the pressure." Cynicism deepened his voice to a rough sound. "I was presented with the choice of marrying Gina or answering charges of molesting a minor and attempted rape."
    "Good lord!" Pete breathed in sharply.
    And Gina sought the support of the luggage rack as her knees gave way. Yesterday, during the drive, she had thought Rhyder was joking when he said he had married her to save his reputation; but he had been dead serious.
    "Drunk or sober, I had no choice," Rhyder continued. "The newspapers would have loved the story, especially considering the investigation going on to see if the political contributions made by my father's firm were legal or not. If I'd fought the charges and won, the publicity would still have been damning for my father."
    "I'm afraid you're right," Pete agreed in a reluctant tone.
    "Gina's grandfather knew he had me between a rock and a hard place. And he squeezed." The words seemed to be drawn through a jaw clenched in anger.
    "Does Gina know? Surely she must suspect. Or do you think she was part of it?"
    "What you're really asking is, was it all a conspiracy to snare Gina a wealthy husband?" Gina didn't have to see Rhyder to visualize the coldly mocking smile twisting his mouth. "I have no idea. Gina appears unaware of her grandfather's threats. But she also pretended to be a reluctant bride."
    "Pretended? What do you mean by that?" Pete was quick to catch the subtly doubting comment.
    Closing her eyes, Gina remembered how easily she had allowed his rough kisses to change her attitude. The bitter regret she already felt toward her surrender was doubled. He had seduced her merely to prove a point, not because he had a marital right. She would make him pay for taking her innocence, she vowed.
    "Nothing," Rhyder answered Pete's question. "It isn't important."
    Her hatred mounted that he could dismiss it so lightly.
    "What are you going to do now?" Pete asked, not pursuing the former topic. "I suppose you'll have to take her home to meet your family. Geez, can you imagine her meeting some of your sister's friends? They'll tear the kid apart! Not to mention the claws that will be out from some of the girls who planned on catching you themselves. Are you going to tell your family the truth? About how you were blackmailed into marrying her?"
    "Yes," Rhyder snapped, then paused before adding, "they'd never believe that I could fall in love with a teenager. I would be insulting their intelligence by trying to convince them."
    "Your sister would never be able to keep quiet about it," Pete warned. "In a month, Clarise would see that everyone knew. It'll be hard on you and Gina. 'Course, you've got a thick skin; you can take it. But the kid…?"
    "Maybe she deserves it," was the impatient reply, and Gina's temperature rose.
    "Come on, Rhyder. She's young yet."
    "Maybe she'll find married life so miserable that I'll be able to buy my freedom with a divorce settlement," Rhyder growled. "In the meantime I'll have to be careful that she doesn't get pregnant, or I could be saddled