Her father and Shiloh walked into the kitchen as she finished tossing the salad and the three of them sat down to the meal. The two men had obviously called an armed truce, spoke to each other warily, and if either of them noticed Danni was a little subdued no comment was made on the fact.
‘Shiloh tells me you want to get married quietly next weekend,’ Jock Mathieson gruffly dropped his bombshell as Danni was sipping her second cup of tea. Her eyes opened wide and her cup shook in her hand.
‘If I said I was happy about this marriage I’d be lying,’ he looked at his daughter, ‘but Shiloh has convinced me that it’s what you both want. Well, you’re both adults …’ He shrugged his shoulders. ‘He was saying you wanted to go along to a Register Office but I think that’s sort of impersonal. You know, your mother and I had a nice church wedding and, well, if you want to get married I won’t have any slapdash affair,’ he finished firmly.
Danni took a deep breath, about to deny the haste for the ceremony. Next weekend? Shiloh must be mad! She glanced across at him, and he smiled that same cool enigmatic smile he seemed to have acquired in the last twenty-four hours.
‘What your father is trying to say, sweetie,’ he spoke before she had a chance to utter a word, ‘is that he’d like us to get married out in the grounds at Mallaroo. And I told him that it sounded like a great idea, especially as we don’t want to invite a large number of guests.’
Oh, how she’d like to knock his ego for six! He had it all planned, did he? Well, here comes the first chink in your armour, Shiloh O’Rourke!
‘That would be a lovely idea,’ she smiled guilelessly into his eyes and had the pleasure of seeing momentary shock register there. ‘Now, why didn’t we think of that, darling?’ She put a finger to her cheek. ‘Glory! If it’s next Saturday we have lots of arrangements to make. I’ll have to decide on a dress and we’ll have to have a cake and decide who we’ll invite.’
Apart from that one flicker of those yellow-brown eyes Shiloh had schooled his features and wasn’t giving any of his reactions away via his facial expression.
‘Perhaps you should leave it until the weekend after,’ suggested her father.
‘No. I’m going down south. I’m racing at Oran Park that weekend,’ said Danni matter-of-factly, ‘so it will have to be next Saturday or Saturday fortnight.’
‘Racing?’ her father repeated. ‘But I thought if you were getting married you’d be giving motor racing away.’
Danni shook her head. ‘Being married won’t make any difference to my racing.’ We won’t be married that long, she added to herself. ‘I’ve put too much effort into it, Pop, to give up now.’ She looked pointedly at Shiloh, waiting for him to side with her father.
‘Next Saturday fits in well for both of us, Jock,’ he said decisively. ‘There’ll only be my immediate family on my side, my parents and young Nathan. And Bill Peterson. How about you, Danni?’
‘Oh, just Lisa and Sue from the library,’ she replied half-heartedly, suddenly feeling as though the whole thing had snowballed, had been taken out of her hands, and that she was lost somewhere in the middle, unable to stop herself in her headlong fall.
‘Well, if it’s all settled I’ll get back out to Mallaroo right after lunch,’ her father finished, a trifle disgruntled.
‘I thought you’d stay for the weekend?’ said Danni, suddenly decidedly reluctant about spending any time alone with Shiloh so soon.
‘I did intend to, but Shiloh gave me a hand with the few odd jobs I had to do about the place, so I’m pleased I can get back to Mallaroo now. Paul and I are a little worried about one of the mares. I was half expecting a call from him this morning.’
‘I’m taking Danni over to meet my parents this afternoon,’ said Shiloh. ‘They were somewhat surprised to hear that someone had eventually succeeded in tying me down.’ He gave Danni a fond, teasing smile.
‘Now, now, darling,’ she said sweetly. ‘You know it was you who wanted to do the tying down.’
‘So long as you’re both happy,’ Jock innocently patted his daughter’s hand. ‘All I can ask is that you’re as happy in your marriage as your mother and I were in ours.’ But his eyes tiredly told her he thought she was making the mistake of her life.
CHAPTER SEVEN
If the desire for retribution had burned brightly when the idea to marry him had first formed in her mind then it had grown into a raging inferno after she had made the acquaintance of Shiloh’s parents. Shiloh’s father had set the seal upon her scheme.
Shiloh drove her to his parents’ Isle of Capri home after lunch so that they could relax and swim in the pool for the afternoon, and later she was to meet his parents on their return home. As Shiloh turned between the open wrought iron gates and up the short pebbled driveway Danni had received her first shock.
The house gleamed white, offset by the red-brown trim, and from the outside in the quiet cul-de-sac it appeared to be a modest Spanish-style home. However, as Shiloh stopped the car in front of a huge four-bay garage Danni realised that behind the simple high-walled fence was a veritable mansion. The hacienda ran through to the water, having its own mooring and boatshed. The O’Rourkes weren’t exactly poverty-stricken, she thought, wryly.
Not bothering to unlock his garage door, Shiloh left the car parked where it was and without speaking they walked along a tiled pathway into the very attractive courtyard behind the garage. Similarly tiled, the courtyard had been beautifully landscaped with an ordered confusion of hanging plants, artistic rockeries and cascading greenery and, through an archway, Danni could see a large turquoise blue swimming pool sparkling in the sunlight.
However, Shiloh opened a patterned glass sliding door and waited for her to precede him into a large family room. It housed a full-sized billiard table and on the wall were racks of pool cues and other paraphernalia associated with the pastime. A Spanish style bar, decorated with studded rich dark leather and beaten copper motifs, continued in a curving sweep from the family room into the living-room, and the two rooms were separated by a huge double-sided bookcase that stretched from floor to ceiling.
The living-room could only be described as subtly magnificent. It rose two storeys with exposed dark beams in the roof and an upstairs balcony ran along one side, overlooking the room below. The stairs of polished wood up to the top storey blended with the rich cream of the carpet, the beige toned wallpaper and the deep chocolate lounge chairs.
Danni stared at Shiloh in glazed disbelief. ‘It’s a beautiful house,’ she said inadequately.
He gave her his cynical smile. ‘Yes, it is quite beautiful. But it takes more than visual beauty to make a house a home,’ he said softly, almost mockingly. ‘Seeing that you’re wearing your swimsuit I’ll take your change of clothes upstairs and change myself.’
Footsteps galloped from above and Nathan in bright red board shorts jumped enthusiastically down the last few steps. ‘Hi! I thought I heard you two arrive. How’s Dallas keeping your racer, Danni?’
She smiled at his fresh young face. ‘Fine, Nathan.’
He was a nice-looking boy, in his mid-teens, and his face held an open welcoming smile. His hair was dark and relatively closely cropped and, other than a hint of that same humour around his mouth, Danni could see little resemblance between the brothers. Nathan was as dark as Shiloh was fair.
‘Hey, congratulations on becoming my prospective sister-in-law, by the way.’ He gave her a noisy kiss on the cheek. ‘Shiloh told me this morning, but I’d already guessed how you two felt about each other.’ He grinned. ‘Every time I mentioned Shiloh to you last Sunday, Danni, you went all red and flustered and when I mentioned Dallas to Shiloh he turned green. The writing was on the wall.’ He laughed at them both.
‘Quite the little clairvoyant, my young brother,’ remarked Shiloh drily. ‘How about showing Danni out to the pool while I take her things upstairs?’
‘Seriously, Danni,’ said Nathan, as they sat by the pool waiting for Shiloh, ‘I’m really glad you’re marrying Shiloh. He needs some good breaks. After theâ’ He bit his lip. ‘Well, he’s been through some really down times and sometimes I thought he would surely crack up under the strain. But he didn’t. I think he’s a great guy, Danni, the best, even if he is my brother.’
‘What are you two talking about so earnestly?’ asked Shiloh, striding out from the courtyard. In the bright sunlight the scars on his leg told their own story, and Danni’s heart contracted painfully.
‘I was just telling Danni she should reconsider about marrying you,’ teased Nathan. ‘I told her if she waited a couple of years she could have me.’ He smirked at his brother.
‘Oh, can she? We’ll see about that,’ said Shiloh, and tossed him bodily into the blue water.
The three of them spent an enjoyable afternoon in the pool, and Nathan’s company kept the atmosphere on an even keel. After they had been relaxing in the long low chairs beside the pool for an hour or so after their swim they moved inside to shower and change.
‘I’ve put your things in my room,’ said Shiloh as they walked up the stairs. ‘I’ll use the guest bathroom.’ He opened a door and motioned Danni inside as Nathan walked further down the hall to his own room. ‘The shower’s through that door and I’ve put a clean towel on the rack for you.’
‘You don’t have to give up your bedroom, Shiloh. I can use the guestroom.’ Danni became aware that they were virtually alone, dressed only in their brief swimwear, shut off from the rest of the house, and she turned instinctively back to the half-opened door.
But Shiloh moved quickly, reaching from behind her, shutting the door with a sharp, explosive click, leaning one hand on it to keep it closed. ‘I like your bikini,’ he said, a teasing smile in his voice.
Danni’s pulses accelerated. She couldn’t make the move to face him and she could almost feel his eyes moving down over the rounded contours of her body, working his way with slow deliberation back to her shoulder. And then he brushed his lips across her sun-warmed softness.
She did turn then and he put his other hand on the door, imprisoning her in the circle of his arms, and her face flushed at his nearness.
‘Neither of us need resort to the guestroom,’ he said softly, his lips turning to the other shoulder. ‘We could conserve water and shower together.’
Danni had retreated until her hands and back were pressed against the flat of the door.
âSo delicious,’ he murmured, and moved his mouth up to tease her earlobe.
‘Shiloh, your parents will be home any minute,’ Danni began, fighting her body’s responses to his caresses.
He held himself apart from her and only his lips touched her, setting her aflame. Those lips moved from her earlobe, slowly over her jaw and were drawn like a magnet to the softness of her mouth. And as their lips met his control seemed to snap and their bodies came together in a feverish hunger of mutual abandon, a hunger that had begun that morning. It was as though the time in between had never been.
Danni’s arms moved around his naked back, sliding sensuously over the smooth muscular firmness of him, her own body arching against his as they leant together against the closed door, lost to all but the needs of their heightened senses. Her bikini top fell to the floor and his hands moved downwards, destroying all her self-control, shutting out all her thoughts of hate, of revenge. She groaned softly in pleasure and Shiloh lifted her in his arms and stalked towards the bed.
‘Hey, you two!’ Nathan’s tap on the door halted Shiloh in mid-stride. ‘Mum and Dad have just arrived, so you’d better break up your canoodling. I’ll keep them busy while you get yourselves together.’ And he walked down the hall chuckling.
Shiloh swore and went to continue towards the bed, but Danni struggled in his arms. He allowed her to slide to the floor and ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation. ‘Very bad timing all round,’ he said, his eyes moving downwards, and Danni wrapped her arms about herself in dawning horror. If they hadn’t been interrupted …
The look in Shiloh’s eyes changed from irritation to renewed arousal and she ran for the shower room. Closing the door, she heard him laugh softly.
‘My time will come, Danni Mathieson, and then you won’t be able to run away from me. And somehow I don’t think you’ll much want to,’ he said confidently.
Danni held her breath until she heard the outer door close behind him. Only then did she move dazedly into the shower recess, allowing the cool shower spray to fall on her burning cheeks and equally flaming body.
The whole episode had left her feeling absolutely disgusted with herself. How could she have allowed Shiloh to touch her like that? Especially now with their farce of a wedding to take place so soon? However, if it had left her feeling disgusted then it had at least taught her one thing. She must ensure that she kept him at arm’s length at all costs, because she was not at all certain that she could trust her traitorous body where Shiloh O’Rourke was concerned.
It took some time for Danni to regain some semblance of self-possession. Moving about Shiloh’s rather austere room, she made herself go through the motions of changing into her dress, a short simply styled design in a soft pastel green material. She slipped her plain white high-heeled shoes on to her feet and stood in the middle of the room. Her hair was combed, her light make-up had been applied, and now she must go down to face his parents.
She felt a flutter of nervousness. They were obviously extremely well off, in a far more elite economical class than her family lived in, but they were still Shiloh’s parents and they would expect certain things of the girl he was to marry. In fact, she must convince them that she was so taken by their elder son that she was going to marry him in one short week’s time. She sank nervously on to the bed, glancing at her pale face in the long mirror on his wardrobe, looking for any courage she might find in her own reflection.
Her eyes were caught by the corner of a framed picture standing on the floor almost concealed by the bureau. She walked across and looked down at it. It faced the wall and now that she looked at the bareness of the wall above the bureau she was almost sure it had been taken down from there. Yes, the hook was still in the wall. She lifted the picture carefully out until she could turn it towards her.
Her hands shook until she had to lower it in case it fell from her hands and smashed on the floor. It was a racing shot, a black and white photograph, and there in the background was a distinctive billboard that could only be Sandown. And it could only have been taken in Shiloh’s last race, in an earlier lap, because on the curve were three cars.
The first Formula 5000, a dark one, had “Rourkey” printed in large clear letters across the front and the car immediately behind it, close on its tail, was number twenty-three with “Mathieson” written artistically on the side of the cockpit. The third one, partially obscured, would be Don Christie. The faces of the drivers were not distinguishable behind the racing helmets, but Danni knew just how they both looked, knew both their faces would be tense with concentration, their breathing regular, their eyes sharpened to watch for each minute movement. Shiloh must have just passed the other two, and would have had two more cars in front of him.
Why had he taken the photograph down? Did he think it would upset her? Or did it remind him of his own guilt? Maybe that was the reason he had it hanging in his room, so that he would constantly remember his tragic mistake. Danni burned in anticipation of watching his face when she took her revenge.
‘Danni?’ Nathan tapped lightly on the door. ‘You ready yet?’
She moved quickly, sliding the photo back into its place behind the bureau and, pulling herself together, she put a smile on her face and walked across to the door. ‘Sure, Nathan, I’m ready.’
He smiled easily. ‘Aw, don’t be nervous, Danni. They’ll love you.’
If on
ly it was that simple, Danni thought, as they walked down the steps.
There were three people in the living-room below. Shiloh was to one side, apart from his parents, giving the glass he held his undivided attention. He looked smoothly attractive in a conservative pair of grey tailored slacks and a white knit shirt, the collar open at the neck showing the firm column of his throat and the beginning of a mat of curling fair hair on his broad chest.
Conan O’Rourke stood across the room and he was frowning at his son. He was a tall broad-shouldered man, his dark lounge suit sitting well on his solidly built frame. His dark hair was almost completely grey and he looked exactly what he was, a distinguished and successful businessman. That he was Shiloh’s father there was no doubt. He held himself in the same firm upright manner and there was some resemblance in his features.
His frowning countenance and Shiloh’s set expression pointed to there having been a disagreement over something, but whether or not it concerned herself Danni couldn’t tell, as nothing was said as she crossed from the stairs with Nathan.
‘Ah, this can only be Danielle,’ the woman sitting on the lounge chair by Conan O’Rourke said easily. She set her glass of sherry on the coffee table as she stood up and walked towards Danni. ‘We’ve heard so much about you from both our sons. I’m Estie O’Rourke.’ She took Danni’s hands and kissed her lightly on the cheek. Although her smile was pleasant her eyes were looking sharply at the younger girl, weighing her up. ‘We’re pleased to meet you at last.’
‘How do you do, Mrs O’Rourke.’ Danni had to admit to being a little overawed by this glamorous woman. She was a good four inches taller than Danni and looked far too young to be Shiloh’s mother.
‘Please call me Estie,’ she laughed gaily. ‘Everyone does.’ She had just a slight American accent and for a woman who must be all of fifty years old at the very least, Estie O’Rourke carried her age exceptionally well. She was tall and slim with a good figure and her dark hair was coiled neatly in a chignon. Her make-up was flawless and there was something about her eyes that reminded Danni of Shiloh. In the lapel of her dark tailored suit she wore a diamond pin and two large diamonds flashed on the fingers of her left hand.
Race For Revenge (Lynsey Stevens Romance) Page 10