Bride at Briar's Ridge

by Way, Margaret

  ‘I must be quick,’ Violette said, sinking very languidly into it. ‘No one seems to say anything to each other if I’m not there. One of my roles in life is to be the life and soul of the party. Lilli tells me you showed her over your house?’ She turned to Linc thinking he looked so at home, with his classy clothes and stunning good looks. She just loved his extraordinary eyes. They were like light-filled peridots in his darkly tanned face.

  Linc smiled sardonically. ‘I don’t think it was to her taste.’

  Violette gazed moved momentarily heavenward. ‘You should have asked me. Lilli knows nothing about interior design, renovations—that kind of thing. I did a stint with a top-notch design firm some years back. I’d be only too happy to give you a few ideas.’ A slow smile accompanied the double entendre. ‘All it takes is to plan a date.’

  ‘Then I’ll let you know,’ Linc responded, with a glint in his eyes.

  A little more eye-rolling from Violette. This time in Daniela’s direction. ‘I love your dress. Who is the designer?’ Unexpectedly she reached out and fingered the fabric of Daniela’s skirt. ‘Silk chiffon. It’s so you!’

  ‘Thank you,’ Daniela said.

  ‘It looks very, very expensive, but I suppose it wasn’t?’ She offered a little commiserating smile.

  ‘Well, it all depends on what you’d call expensive,’ Daniela said.

  ‘I shouldn’t say this…’ Violette lowered her rather haughty voice ‘…but for me money isn’t a problem. Now, I really should go back to my table. They’ll be missing me.’

  ‘Why don’t I walk you back?’ Linc suggested, already on his feet. He had calculated how far Violette might get before lurching into something.

  ‘What a lovely idea!’ Violette took his arm and held on as if the two of them were missing at sea. ‘I want you to meet my friends. We’re bound to be seeing a lot of each other.’ She glanced back over her shoulder. ‘Nice to see you, Donelda.’

  If Violette had been trying to take a rise out of her, it didn’t work. Daniela swallowed a laugh. She didn’t envy the man caught between Violette and Lilli. And right now that was Linc.

  They hardly spoke on the way back to town, their minds and bodies hooked on the powerful physical attraction that was binding them ever tighter. Linc had thought he would be returning her to the safety of the family home, a Mediterranean-style residence with white stucco and terracotta tiles on the outskirts of town. It was an attractive and well-kept house, but pint-sized when compared with what he was used to. He could well understand why Daniela had opted to give her family their space. But now everything had changed. Daniela had her own apartment. Thre was no way he could take her back to the motel, even if she consented to go. He was in no doubt she wouldn’t, even if other young women of his acquaintance would have agreed without a second thought.

  They turned into South Banksia Street, a fashionable part of town, dominated by the high-rise View Point apartments which he happened to know were expensive. He had looked over them when he had first arrived, but opted to go with the motel, which was situated farther into the valley. He pulled into a parking spot and cut the engine.

  ‘Well, do I see you to your door?’ He turned his head to her. He had often heard an expression—hell, he had even used it himself—when friends and acquaintances got caught up in relationships that screamed danger. God, what gets into people? He knew now. Desire for this woman had got into him. It was running through his body like flame.

  Again a little hand gesture. ‘Is that a good idea?’

  He sighed, his light eyes burning over her. ‘I can’t think of a better one right at this moment. I want to make love to you, Daniela, as little or as much as you like.’

  There—that was over and done with. You threw down the gauntlet.

  She shook her head, almost sadly. ‘Would it be all that easy to call a stop?’

  He smiled, but there was an edgy down-curve to his mouth. ‘I haven’t actually had that experience, but I’m damned sure if a woman says no, I’ll heed it.’

  ‘And what if I don’t wish to say no?’ There was a slight break in her voice. ‘So far what is between us I can control.’

  With her admission he lost all thought. His hand flicked out and he caught her small-boned fingers. The trembling transferred itself to him like a sensual vibration. ‘You must be doing a whole lot better than I. I wanted you from the moment I laid eyes on you.’

  ‘And you feel this to be a unique experience?’ she asked, as though she could see him tiring of her and moving on.

  He laughed harshly. ‘I told you once before, Daniela, you could have made it big as a shrink. Anyway, whatever you wish, I intend to see you safely to your door.’

  ‘Very well, then.’ She remained where she was until he came around to her side and opened the door.

  As it happened no one was in the foyer or waiting for the lift. They rode it alone, both of them staring straight ahead. They had talked about many things over dinner, a man and a woman accepting each other as equals and enjoying the effortless flow of conversation. He had, in fact, told Daniela a number of things he had thought he had forgotten, perhaps they were better forgotten—and she had really listened. Needless to say he hadn’t told her about Cheryl. He wouldn’t, even if a suitable occasion arose. Cheryl had been doing her level best to make a nasty mess of all their lives. He knew himself to be blameless of any wrongdoing, but what man was mad enough to trust to the integrity of a scorned woman?

  The lift door opened silently. They stepped out into the softly lit, thickly carpeted hallway. Three apartments to this floor. If apartment life suited, the View Point, looking out at the steeply rising blue ranges, was a good place to live.

  At her door Daniela looked up at him with brilliant unfathomable eyes. ‘I expect you’d like to see inside?’

  God, alone! He tried to hold himself steady. How could he define what he was feeling? Love? Infatuation? Intoxication? A driving need to want a woman just for herself? And not just the here and now. It wasn’t simple lust. It wasn’t complex lust. What he felt was so much more than that. He had found her.

  Yet when he spoke his voice was smooth, almost nonchalant. ‘I’d like to know what sort of a home you’ve made for yourself.’

  ‘Then please come in.’

  Both of them were fighting hard to keep up their guard. Daniela was thinking herself on the point of disintegration. She ached for him to make love to her. Yet here in the quiet corridor, self-control reigned.

  It gave way immediately once they were inside, the door shut tight against the outside world.

  Daniela was standing small and slender, her back to him, her body as poised and alert as a dancer’s, blazingly aware of what was to happen next.

  Linc, too, felt that taut leap of fire. Of their own accord his hands found her bare shoulders, shaping them, gently exploring the delicate bones. She didn’t move. He could smell her perfume, haunting but not pervasive, and beneath that the exquisite essence of her. He had made her a promise and he meant it, but he felt the dangerous frailty of his self-control. It was a wonder she couldn’t hear his heavy heartbeats. Slowly, irresistibly, he lowered his head, letting his mouth and the tip of his tongue trail down beneath her ear to the silky column of her throat. The taste of her! She moved slightly, but it was back into him, her blond head falling against his shoulder. Now his arms moved to wrap her, to bind her to him. In a way the action betrayed him—because there was so much to betray.

  The pressure grew. The tempo picked up.

  When he turned her to him Daniela was so overwhelmed she didn’t murmur or whisper one word of protest. Instead she let him kiss her with all the burning slowness he desired, until it became too much for her and she felt herself surrender completely.

  ‘If you’re going to stop me, it has to be now.’ His strong, muscular arms were trembling. Even his voice sounded different—younger, shaken, husky in his throat. All the emotion locked up within him come to the boil. He was desperate t
o be a part of her, to make her a part of him. His hands had moved down over her small perfect breasts, full of passionate yearning. He had never felt like this before. The silk seemed to evaporate beneath his touch.

  Her answer, when it came, was a soft, fluttery whisper. Like him, she sounded dazed. Her arms came up to encircle his neck. ‘It’s all right, Carl. I want you.’

  The world spun.

  He didn’t speak, but picked her up.

  It was almost three in the morning before Linc pulled into the motel, parking his car quietly, then letting himself into his room. He stood in the dark for long moments. Even the darkness seemed transformed. Without turning on the lights, he stripped off his clothes, laying them on a chair. His body ached for her even though they had made love until they were spent on splendour.

  He knew every inch of her, nothing hidden. So tumultuous had been their hunger they had made love under bright lights, the bed a cool white field of cotton, scarcely aware of the illumination spilling over them because they couldn’t stop or let go. Whatever he’d wanted, she had risen to meet him, the two of them physically, wondrously compatible. He had never known such intimacy existed. It had left him feeling exultant and a little unstrung. He sensed it was the same for her. It was almost as though for a few short hours they had forgotten everyone and everything—even their own identities. He hadn’t wanted to get up and leave her. He just wanted to be with her for a thousand years.

  You and me.

  Always.

  Or was that just a dream?

  CHAPTER SIX

  ALTHOUGH inside Cheryl Mastermann was screaming with boredom and frustration, she kept to her routine. Ben adored her, but she couldn’t do a single thing out of the ordinary. She wouldn’t have been a bit surprised to learn he kept tabs on her.

  Most people in the district regarded her as the trophy wife—the third Mrs Ben Mastermann. She knew she wasn’t liked. There had only ever been the one Mrs Mastermann so far as the district was concerned, and that had been the late Barbara. Wife Number Two—Valerie, socially well placed—hadn’t gone the distance but had been reasonably well liked. In no way was she, Cheryl, an acceptable replacement for either—especially Barbara, the mother of Ben’s two splendid sons. Barbara’s premature death was universally regarded as a tragedy.

  Cheryl had met him at a fundraiser on the Queensland Gold Coast, a holiday destination for anyone seeking the sun, the surf, the casino, and a frenzied night-life if you wanted it. As soon as she’d found out Ben Mastermann was loaded she had always managed to squeeze herself into the chair beside him. It hadn’t been as easy as she’d thought to get him to sleep with her—most guys took advantage of that right off—but when she had, flattering him immensely, she’d had the multimillionaire all stitched up. Anyway, Ben was a fine-looking man—and plenty virile enough, as it turned out.

  All might have gone along smoothly enough, only next she’d met his two sons. Chuck was a nice guy. No problem. She’d liked him right off. The other one, Linc, who really hadn’t wanted to meet her—she understood from Ben he had been a mommy’s boy—had shaken her to her very foundations. He looked dangerous—kind of wild. Nobody’s idea of a mommy’s boy, although it was certain he had loved his mother and continued to mourn her. Both brothers were tall, dark and handsome, but Linc made Chuck look dead ordinary. She would never forget the lash of his eyes—silvery green, sultry, brooding. It brought out her masochistic streak. So, instead of falling in love with the father—her husband—she had fallen violently in love with his younger son, when she hadn’t believe she would ever genuinely fall in love with anyone. She was thirty-two years old—though she looked nothing like it—and it was no secret she’d played the field. When she was twenty she had even almost got married. Instead she had jilted Dean at the altar. Turned out she hadn’t been pregnant after all. What a lucky break!

  Though she had tried every way she knew how to find out where Linc had gone, all lips were sealed for her, and Ben refused point-blank to speak about his younger son, dubbing him ‘a traitor’. Even she, who had no interest whatsoever in Gilgarra as a working station, knew as well as anybody that Linc was the driving force behind the whole operation. Chuck was just fine in the second chair, but everyone on the station was feeling Linc’s absence. But she knew why Linc had had to leave, even if he had never spoken a word. He was secretly as nuts about her as she was about him.

  Her mind had already begun the leap towards leaving Ben—though she wasn’t such a fool she didn’t recognise the danger. Ben was a proud man, and he regularly flew off the handle. Not with her—he wasn’t that sort of man—but everyone knew Ben was furious with Linc for his defection. So where had Linc skedaddled to? No one disappeared into thin air. She could find out if she put her mind to it, but she had the dismal notion Ben might find out what she was doing, too. And, hell, if she got on the wrong side of him he might kick her out before she was ready. Ben was capable of anything. He had got her to sign a pre-nup agreement, which didn’t say a lot about his trust in her.

  There were a lot of things that frightened a girl. One was being left on her own. The other was being left broke.

  Today she was on her way to a luncheon in town—another fundraiser for the local hospital. Whatever people secretly thought of her and said behind her back, as Ben Mastermann’s wife, they were careful to include her on the important committees. Most committee women were older than she, and she knew they were green with jealousy over her youth and good looks. As always, she was done up to the nines. She wanted Ben to be proud of her even if she daydreamed of cleaning out his bank accounts and taking off to the South of France with Linc. She was struck by an image of him and groaned aloud.

  It was as she was approaching Ben’s study, her footsteps muffled by the long Persian runner, that she heard Chuck say, ‘I don’t need this, Dad. I work my butt off, you know that, but I’m not Linc.’

  ‘Goddamned right, you’re not. You’re loyal. Your brother left us in the lurch. What the hell is he up to?’

  ‘I thought you didn’t want to know?’

  ‘Son, I only have to lift my hand to the phone,’ Ben growled. ‘Where is he? Where did he go? What are his plans? His mother and his grandfather left him money.’

  ‘And he has a half-share in Gilgarra, Dad, after you’ve gone.’

  ‘After I’m gone?’ Ben bellowed. ‘I’m not planning on going anywhere real soon. For all you know Cheryl could bear me another son. We’re working on it. If I had my way Linc would be cut out of everything. He doesn’t deserve it.’

  ‘Yes, he does,’ Chuck answered flatly. ‘You never tried at all with Linc, did you? You always favoured me.’

  ‘On the other hand your mother favoured Linc over both of us,’ Ben returned bitterly.

  ‘It wasn’t like that!’ Chuck protested. ‘Mum loved us all. But you didn’t want to share her with anyone—even your own sons. Linc was right to go away. I shouldn’t be telling you this, but he’s bought a place of his own. And knowing Linc it won’t take him long to make a name for himself in the industry.’

  A moment of deadly quiet, then Ben snapped out, ‘You mean he’s been able to acquire a halfway decent property? Do I have to drag it out of you an inch at a time, boy? Where the hell is he?’

  ‘All right, Dad, calm down,’ Chuck begged swiftly. ‘This flying into a rage can’t be good for you. Just between the two of us, Linc has bought a place called Briar’s Ridge. It’s in a valley beyond the Hunter. The owner, a man called Alan Callaghan, died some time last year. Linc’s friend Guy Radcliffe put in a word for him.’

  ‘Radcliffe!’ Ben let out another bellow. ‘Ah, the rich, powerful Radcliffes—old family, old money. I just bet Guy was a big help. Probably came in as a backer.’

  ‘No, Linc went in alone. I’d be grateful if you didn’t tell Cheryl.’

  ‘And why in the hell would I do that?’ Ben yelled. ‘Better yet, why would Cheryl want to know? She never said anything to me, and I never saw anything f
irst hand, but Linc never did a damned thing to make her feel welcome in her own home. He resented her on account of your mother. I never discuss Linc with Cheryl. It’s been mighty peaceful around here without him.’

  ‘Then why are you missing him, Dad?’ Chuck asked quietly, having the last word.

  Cheryl backed up very quickly, her heart in her throat. Chuck could come out of the study at any time. She didn’t want him to catch her eavesdropping as though her life depended on it. Little tears gathered in her eyes. Her prayers had been answered. Now she knew where Linc was. At the end of the month Ben and a group of wool producers had a trip to China lined up. As far as she knew he was expecting her to go with him. She would have to come up with a good excuse to stay home.

  As Chuck strode into the entrance hall, on his way back to work, Cheryl appeared to be just coming down the stairs. ‘Hi there, Chuck,’ she called, giving him a bright, friendly smile. ‘Man in a hurry?’

  He nodded pleasantly enough. ‘On your way out? You look great.’ Even so, Chuck considered that in marrying Cheryl his father had made a horrendous mistake.

  ‘Why, thank you!’ Cheryl trilled. ‘Your dad in the study? He always likes to see me dressed up.’

  And undressed, Chuck thought bitterly, his nerves badly frayed. He had told Linc he wouldn’t tell anybody. Now this! At least Cheryl wouldn’t know. Chuck was sure his father would keep that piece of information to himself—and thank God for that! He had the dismal notion that beneath the fluff Cheryl was a nasty piece of work.

  In the weeks that followed Linc had the sense of living on a different plane. Whatever he was doing—and he was extremely busy—there simply weren’t enough hours in the day, what with furnishing the house, stocking the property, putting on another man, meeting up with his fellow breeders, acquiring and training a pair of truly excellent, tireless sheep dogs. But Daniela kept insinuating herself into his mind. When he was with her all was right with the world. It was when he was away from her the feeling was especially strong—and that was most of the time, because she, too, was kept busy.