Jarrett straightened as she drove past the building site, his chest gleaming darkly in the last of the evening sunlight, narrowing his eyes as he recognised her father’s car. Sian kept her gaze straight ahead, angry with herself for getting into this position.
She wasn’t at all surprised to see him standing in the middle of the dirt lane as she drove back, the dark blue van that had been parked next to the house now disappearing down the lane, leaving a trail of dust behind it. Jarrett must have dismissed his men for the night as soon as he knew it was her in the car!
He didn’t make any effort to move as she slowly accelerated the Escort towards him, and she knew that unless she actually wanted to hit him she was going to have to stop. And it was her own curiosity that had once again got her into this situation!
She slowed the car to a stop, winding down the window as Jarrett approached her. Looking at him now was like turning back the clock three years, and she felt her senses leap.
He leant on the roof of the car looking down at her, sweat and dust caked on to his body. ‘I was going to have this lane widened and tarmacked,’ he said huskily, his gaze intent on her averted face. ‘I’m glad now I didn’t.’
‘Er—Someone told me you had started work on the house,’ she shrugged. ‘And you have,’ she finished lamely.
‘Come and take a look.’ He was already opening the door, allowing her no chance to refuse. ‘Sian?’ He held out his hand to her.
She looked at that hand, a roughly calloused hand, dirty now from a day’s work, but having the sensitivity to play her body like a finely tuned instrument. Against her own volition, it seemed, her own hand moved into his, her fingers curling around the back of his as his did the same.
‘Come and look,’ Jarrett urged once again as she hesitated.
She swung her legs to the ground, wearing fiat shoes, fitted denims and a fitted shirt, feeling very small next to Jarrett as he guided her through to where they had laid the foundations of the house.
‘I had an architect draw up the preliminary plans three years ago—’
‘How could you?’ she spoke for the first time. ‘The land wasn’t yours then.’
‘It was,’ he nodded. ‘See, here’s the kitchen, overlooking the river and the willow as you always wanted. And over here—’
‘Jarrett, you never told me that you owned the land,’ she persisted with a frown.
‘No. This is the utility room. And—’
‘Something else you didn’t think to tell me, Jarrett?’ Sian rasped with bitterness.
Anger flared in his eyes, a flame burning in the luminous green depths. ‘That’s right, Sian,’ he bit out tightly. ‘Something else I didn’t tell you.’
Pain filled her eyes. ‘You knew how I loved this spot. You knew how happy I would have been to know our spot belonged to you.’ Her face was accusing. ‘But you didn’t care about my happiness, did you,’ her voice broke emotionally. ‘You owned all this and you—you never said a word!’
Jarrett turned away, his shoulders hunched as he muttered something unintelligible.
‘What did you say?’ she choked.
He turned fiercely, his hands clenched at his sides. ‘I said it was for you. It was to be your wedding gift from me!’ he told her savagely, glaring at her as his chest heaved in his deep agitation. ‘I was going to give you the deeds to the land on our wedding day, and then we would have planned all this together. That’s why you didn’t know—there wasn’t a wedding!’
She swallowed hard, staring at him with pained eyes. Could he possibly be telling the truth, was this really all to have been hers three years ago? Jarrett’s anger told her it was.
‘I didn’t know…’
‘You weren’t supposed to,’ he rasped. ‘What would be the point of a surprise wedding gift if it were no longer a surprise?’ he derided harshly.
She flushed at his rebuke. ‘I had nothing to give you—’
‘All I wanted was you,’ he told her softly. ‘Come and see the rest of the house, Sian. I think I’ve remembered how you wanted it all.’
He had remembered exactly, and he knew he had. It was going to be a beautiful house, a dream house, also a luxurious one.
‘Surely you won’t need all this, Jarrett?’ she frowned as he showed her where he intended putting the patio and pool. ‘Even if you get the building contract here—’
‘Which I will.’
‘You can’t possibly know that. It doesn’t come under review until next week, and—’
‘I’ll get it.’
She knew he would too! ‘Well, even when you get it, you surely won’t be spending enough time here to merit having a house like this built?’
‘It’s already being built,’ he pointed out dryly. ‘And even without the building contract this is going to be my home in future; I’ve only a few last things to move over here before King Construction is English based.’
‘Doesn’t Arlette have something to say about that?’ she taunted.
He shook his head, his expression grim. ‘Arlette has no say in my life.’
‘I doubt if she’ll like living here,’ Sian scorned.
‘She isn’t being asked to! She’s messed up my life long enough, when she goes back to the States she stays there.’
She swallowed hard. ‘She won’t be living with you?’
‘God, no! As soon as she’s got the money out of me that she wants she’ll go back to New York and stay there. She’s always liked the apartment in New York. You know damn well she wouldn’t be living in this house, Sian,’ he snapped. ‘You will.’
‘No—’
‘Will you just stop this!’ He completely lost his temper with her. ‘You’ve put me through enough. I’m not going to beg, Sian. This is our house, and we are going to live in it.’
‘I think Chris might have something to say about that,’ she taunted.
Jarrett’s mouth tightened at the mention of the other man. ‘Aren’t you leaving it a little late to tell him the wedding is off?’
She turned away. ‘But it isn’t.’
‘Damn you, Sian—’
‘Swearing at me won’t change anything, Jarrett. I couldn’t trust you before, and events have proved I would be a fool to trust you now.’
‘Events?’ His eyes were narrowed. ‘What events? Do you mean my seeing Bethany?’
She shook her head. ‘There was Nina in the past, and there’s Arlette now.’
‘Arlette means nothing to me—’
‘Then I feel sorry for you,’ she glared at him, her face flushed. ‘You use and discard women like you would a—a shirt,’ she said exasperatedly. ‘I’m going now, Jarrett. I really hope you don’t stay in Swannell!’ she turned to walk away.
He wrenched her round, a cold glittering fury in his face. ‘You aren’t going anywhere, Sian, not until I’ve talked some sense into you. It isn’t just your own life you’re ruining by your stubbornness, your unwillingness to see the truth, that you belong to me. There are too many people involved, Sian, some of them just innocent bystanders.’
‘Like Bethany!’
‘And Newman,’ he bit out gruffly. ‘He means nothing to you. Oh, you care for him, I don’t think you could marry anyone you didn’t care for—’
‘Thanks!’
‘But there’s a difference between caring for someone and loving them.’ He grasped her arms, holding her firmly in front of him, one hand wrenching her chin up, forcing her to look at him. ‘Look me straight in the eye and tell me you don’t love me,’ he ordered roughly.
She was conscious of his heated warmth, of his physical attraction reaching out for her, pulling her towards him, and the groan in her throat was one of submission, her gaze softening, her moistened lips parted invitingly.
‘You know I love you, Sian,’ Jarrett moaned. ‘Why else would I be here?’
‘The hotel and shopping centre—’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ he snapped. ‘King Construction Company is vast, I have men on site who
deal with things like that.’
‘And this house?’
‘Is a labour of love,’ he told her without hesitation. ‘I always intended to build this house for you. I wish now that I’d arranged for it to be done before I came back, then I could have moved you straight in and there would have been none of this fighting me all the time.’
Sian pulled away from him with a disgusted snort. ‘Your arrogance knows no bounds, does it? You think you only had to come back here and snap your fingers and I would come running!’
‘I’ve asked you to come to me, Sian,’ he reminded her grimly. ‘I haven’t demanded.’
‘Maybe that’s as well!’
‘I’m beginning to think not,’ he bit out. ‘I thought you had enough sense, knew me well enough, to have ended things with Newman by now. You’re just prolonging the inevitable.’
‘I have to go—’
He sighed, pulling on the light green shirt he must have discarded earlier in the heat of the day, but making no effort now to button it. ‘Drive me back to town, will you?’
Anger flared in her eyes at his dictatorial tone. ‘I—’
The Porsche roared into view down the dirt lane, dust spiralling into the air as it was driven with great speed down the totally unsuitable lane, Arlette King sitting behind the wheel.
Sian’s mouth tightened. ‘You must have forgotten you’d already asked to be picked up.’
‘Damn her to hell!’ he swore as the Porsche came to a screeching halt feet away from them. ‘That’s no way to handle a sensitive piece of machinery,’ he was scowling heavily as he marched over to where Arlette was just sliding out from behind the wheel. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ he rasped furiously. ‘This isn’t Brands Hatch, you know!’
‘Don’t be so bad-tempered, Jarrett,’ Arlette told him without concern, her hand on his arm. ‘Miss Morrissey,’ she greeted coolly before turning back to Jarrett. ‘Honey, you surely haven’t been talking to Miss Morrissey dressed like that?’ she derided his still bared chest.
‘She’s seen a damn sight more of me than this,’ he still scowled.
Arlette gave a throaty laugh as Sian blushed. ‘You’re always so physical, Jarrett!’
‘I have to go,’ Sian told them abruptly.
‘Sian—’
‘Jarrett, I’m longing for my dinner,’ Arlette told him softly. ‘I’ve been waiting for you.’
His gaze was fixed on Sian. ‘I didn’t ask you to,’ he told the other woman callously. ‘Join us for dinner, Sian?’ he invited huskily.
She almost choked at the gall of this man. He cared nothing for the fact that his wife was clinging to his arm, at how obvious he was making his desire for her. ‘No, thank you,’ she said tightly. ‘I really do have to go. I hope you enjoy living in the house when it’s finished, Mrs King,’ she added with spite for Jarrett.
‘I wouldn’t live in this godforsaken hole if I were paid to,’ the other woman scorned.
‘I might pay you to go away, but never to stay,’ Jarrett told her with blunt cruelty.
Arlette’s smile was tight. ‘Careful, honey,’ she drawled throatily. ‘You’ll give Miss Morrissey the impression we don’t get on.’
‘We don’t!’ he rasped coldly.
‘No, but we’re stuck with each other, aren’t we?’ Hard blue eyes glittered her hatred of him.
‘For the moment,’ he acknowledged tightly. ‘But my lawyers are working on that.’
Arlette smiled without sincerity. ‘It could take years without my co-operation,’ she taunted.
‘It will be worth it!’
Sian had heard enough, and turned with a choked cry to get into her father’s car and turn on the ignition.
Jarrett reached her before she could drive off. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said abruptly. ‘Arlette and I shouldn’t have aired our differences in front of you.’
‘No.’ She stared rigidly in front of her. She had very much doubted the success of Jarrett’s marriage, but that there was so much bitterness and dislike between them she hadn’t guessed.
He sighed his frustration. ‘Why is it I never seem to finish a conversation with you?’
‘Because we always talk about the same subject,’ she said coldly. ‘And you never like the answer I give you.’
His eyes flared with anger. ‘Not until you change your answer to yes,’ he ground out.
‘Arlette is getting impatient for her dinner.’ She put her foot down on the accelerator pointedly.
He moved back from the car. ‘Suddenly I’m not hungry,’ he grimaced. ‘Why won’t you join us, Sian?’
‘Because I’m not hungry either. And neither do I care for the company!’ She accelerated the Escort down the lane, not sparing another glance for either Arlette or Jarrett.
She could feel no sense of elation that Jarrett’s marriage was such a disaster, wasn’t bitter enough of his betrayal of her to be that insensitive. It sounded as if the two of them would be divorcing, although that still didn’t lessen the outrage of Jarrett’s proposition towards her.
Her father had fallen asleep in the chair when she got home, although he woke up as she came into the lounge. ‘Blown the cobwebs away?’ he sat up with a tired yawn.
‘Just about,’ she nodded, giving him back his car keys. ‘Is Bethany still upstairs in her room?’
Her father shook his head. ‘She went out about half an hour ago. One of her friends called, she went out with them. It will do her good.’
‘Yes,’ Sian agreed, glad that her sister was at last going out again. And she knew it wasn’t with Jarrett, because she had been with him herself half an hour ago. And he was with his wife now.
‘You aren’t seeing Chris at all tonight?’ her father frowned.
‘He’s busy,’ she shrugged.
‘Is that all it is?’ her father probed softly.
She grimaced. ‘I think he’s still annoyed about Jarrett being here.’
‘But that isn’t your fault. Or is it?’ his gaze sharpened. ‘I’ve heard that he’s building his house on Dane’s Hill?’
‘Yes,’ she nodded.
‘Where the two of you used to meet.’
‘Yes.’ Even to her own ears she was beginning to sound strained now.
‘The man either has no emotions at all—or too much,’ her father added thoughtfully.
The bright colour in her cheeks seemed to be a permanent fixture. ‘That doesn’t make much sense, Dad,’ she attempted brightly.
‘Of course it does, Sian. Jarrett either feels nothing for you and the past—or he cares too much to let go.’ Her father’s gaze was searching. ‘I think, knowing him as I did, that it’s the latter. Am I right?’
She turned away, shrugging. ‘How would I know?’ she dismissed carelessly.
‘All too easily. Jarrett was always a blunt man. If he had something to say then he said it. Has he spoken to you about his feelings since he came back, Sian?’
‘Even if he has it won’t do him any good.’ She was becoming agitated. ‘I think I’ll have an early night, Dad. We have to be up early in the morning to go to church. Mr Small expects us there to hear the banns being read.’
‘You’re still sure about marrying Chris?’
She frowned. ‘Why do you ask me that?’
‘Because this whole household has changed the last week and a half since Jarrett came back. Bethany’s like a ghost, you’re jumpy all the time, Chris has suddenly developed moods. If you’re having second thoughts about marrying Chris—’
‘I’m not. I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life,’ she said stubbornly.
‘Haven’t you?’ her father chided softly. ‘I seem to remember a bright-eyed, ecstatically happy young lady telling me that once before.’
Her blush deepened. ‘I made a mistake that time.’
‘Did you? Perhaps,’ he nodded. ‘But you looked a damned sight happier then than you do now.’
‘Until it ended,’ she reminded him bitterly.
‘With Jarrett it wouldn’t have been happy at all!’
‘You think you stand a better chance with Chris?’
‘I’m sure of it!’
‘I just want what’s best for you,’ he told her gently.
‘I know you do, Dad,’ her mood softened. ‘I’m sorry I was so snappy. It’s always a tense time before a wedding.’
He nodded. ‘I’ll come to church too in the morning.’
‘I’d like that.’
In the end only her father accompanied her to the service. Chris was called out to an emergency at the last minute, and Bethany was still in bed. Her sister had got in very late the evening before, and when Sian had gone to the bathroom at two o’clock this morning her sister’s bedroom light had been on, although her gentle knock on the door received no answer. Not wanting to intrude, she had gone back to her own room.
The church was very full when they arrived slightly late, and Sian and her father slipped into a pew at the back, her breath catching in her throat as she looked up to see Jarrett strolling in behind them with long powerful movements, his narrow-eyed gaze flickering around the church, going past Sian only to come back again as he recognised her.
She instantly looked towards the altar, very conscious of the bareness of the pew beside her.
It was inevitable, of course, obvious that Jarrett was going to sit beside her, his thigh deliberately resting against hers in the confined space.
She stared straight ahead, very conscious of the bent blond head beside her, of the way her father glanced past her at the other man, his brows raised at her in query. She simply shrugged her tightlipped reply; she had no idea what Jarrett could possibly be doing here either.
The whole of the service was an agony for Sian, although Jarrett seemed perfectly relaxed—until it came to the end when the notices were read out! Then his whole demeanour changed, his eyes hardening, his face tight with tension, his mouth thinning, his body tense with anticipation.
As the vicar read out the banning of her marriage to Chris in three weeks’ time Sian saw Jarrett blanch, and she suddenly knew the reason he was here. He had come to see if she had gone through with having the banns read!
Trust in Summer Madness Page 12