Millionaire's Women Part 31

'I'll just say goodbye to Bran before I go.'

'No need. He's coming with us.'

The sunshine had gone, leaving an overcast afternoon as dark as Kate's mood as Jack helped her up into the Jeep, her only consolation the welcome from Bran behind his wire screen.

When they reached the main road there were large stretches of surface water in some places. As they drew nearer the river, the water grew deeper and Kate realised that Jack had been right. Only a four wheel drive could have made the journey in safety.

'If you can't get my car back tomorrow it doesn't matter,' she told Jack. 'I can walk into town if I need anything.'

'Fine.'

And that was the sum total of their conversation until they arrived in Park Crescent. Instead of getting out right away, Jack looked at her for a long moment and she waited in foreboding, sure she wouldn't like what he had to say.

'I made a big mistake when I asked you to share my bed last night,' he said at last.

'And I made an even bigger one in agreeing.' Kate gave him a mirthless smile. 'I realise now that there was a much better solution to the sleepwalking problem. Instead of sharing your bed I should have taken Bran up to the guest room to share mine.'

'Dogs aren't allowed upstairs in Mill House,' Jack said after a pause, and got out. He came round to lift her down, and then waited while she unlocked her door and deactivated her alarm.

'Thank you for driving me home,' Kate said politely.

'My pleasure,' he said with sarcasm.

'Goodbye, Jack.' She closed the door, turned the key in the lock and rammed the bolts home hard enough for him to hear.

It was only after the Jeep moved off that she conceded that Jack had every right to be angry. Even hurt. This was the second time she'd rejected him.

As she went upstairs to change her clothes Kate felt a deep, mounting sense of guilt. For the first time in her life she had let her hormones take control. She had known, in her heart of hearts, that if she let Jack make love to her he would take it as a sign of something far more significant than mere s.e.x. Last night, when he was smiling at her down the length of his dinner table, it was obvious that he'd taken it for granted they were back together again in every sense of the word. But she'd a.s.sumed he just wanted them to be lovers again. The idea of marriage had never occurred to her.

If only it hadn't rained so much.

Kate pulled on thick socks and jeans and a heavy sweater and tied her hair back from her tired face. She eyed her reflection with distaste. The way she looked now it was pretty amazing that Jack had wanted her at all. But their relationship had never been about looks. It was about the kind of rapport they'd shared over lunch today as much as the heat and rapture of their lovemaking earlier on. And there was no use blaming the rain. Without the flooding she wouldn't have stayed the night, it was true. But even after the upset about the sleepwalking she should still have had the strength to control her own libido in broad daylight. She scowled at herself. Normally she never noticed that she had a libido. With Jack it was different. Just one look from those silver-flecked grey eyes and every clamouring hormone she possessed ran riot.

CHAPTER TEN.

THAT weekend marked a downward turn in Kate's 'tidy little life'. Her painting and decorating was finished, it was too cold to start gardening, and it was so hard to fill her free time she accepted another client. When she found her keys posted through the door and her car parked outside she wrote a polite letter of thanks to Jack, but after that had no further contact with him of any kind. And felt the lack of his forceful presence in her life just as painfully second time round as the first. weekend marked a downward turn in Kate's 'tidy little life'. Her painting and decorating was finished, it was too cold to start gardening, and it was so hard to fill her free time she accepted another client. When she found her keys posted through the door and her car parked outside she wrote a polite letter of thanks to Jack, but after that had no further contact with him of any kind. And felt the lack of his forceful presence in her life just as painfully second time round as the first.

Over supper mid week Anna was agog to hear details of the sleepover at Mill House. Armed against this in advance, Kate reported that she'd slept in a guest bed and stayed for lunch next day, after which Jack had driven her home in the Jeep.

Anna sighed, disappointed. 'We thought there might have been more to it than that.'

'You did, not me,' protested Ben. 'Leave the girl alone.'

Kate blew him a kiss. 'Thanks for the "girl" bit.'

'Pity though,' said Anna with regret. 'I hoped that spending the night together would do the trick.'

'We didn't spend the night together,' Kate reminded her. At least, not all of it.

Kate was heartily glad when the weekend arrived at last and she could make for Manor House School to spend a few happy hours with Joanna. The time with her pa.s.sed far too quickly, as always, and Kate was in melancholy mood after taking Jo back to school that evening. When Philip Brace intercepted her in the car park she was pleased to see him and this time, with nothing in the world to hurry home for,she accepted his offer of a drink or coffee in the nearest pub before the drive back. Philip was an interesting companion and the interlude was pleasant, but when he saw her to her car afterwards Kate thanked him rather formally for the coffee and his company.

'No doubt we'll see each other at school again some time.'

'I'll look forward to it,' he a.s.sured her, his wry smile telling her he knew exactly where she was coming from.

Kate's mood deteriorated on the journey home. There was no point in encouraging Philip Brace-or anyone else. The only man she wanted in her life was Jack Logan. And fat chance there was of that that now. She would just have to make the best of life without him. Again. Easy to decide, she thought morosely, but hard to put into practice, even though Jack could have been on another planet for all she knew until she met his father in the park one Sat.u.r.day afternoon with Bran.

'What the devil happened between you two, Kate?' Tom Logan asked bluntly when the greetings were over.

Kate fondled the dog instead of meeting his eyes. 'What do you mean?'

'You know perfectly well, my girl. Jack is like a bear with a sore head these days. When I see him, that is. He's either working all the hours that G.o.d sends on several projects at once, or driving to London-sometimes there and back the same day.'

And Kate, stabbed by jealousy, could well imagine why. 'I haven't seen him, Tom.'

'Which accounts for his permanent black mood!' He sighed. 'I was so sure you two would get back together. What went wrong, Kate?'

Kate smiled into the striking Logan eyes. 'How about I tell you over coffee at my place? You never did bring Bran to visit me.'

While Bran explored the garden Kate showed her visitor over her house, anxious for his opinion. 'What do you think of it?'

'You've done a very good job,' he a.s.sured her. 'Your aunt would be pleased. The house would sell like the proverbial hot cake if you put it on the market.'

Kate shook her head. 'Not for sale. It's mine.'

'Just like Jack and that great house of his.' Tom followed her into the kitchen to call Bran inside and sat down at the table with the dog at his feet while Kate made coffee. 'But I'll say the same to you as I said to him; bricks and mortar are poor subst.i.tutes for a loving relationship.'

'True, but they cause a lot less pain.'

Tom nodded slowly. 'I grant you that.'

'You know Jack asked me to marry him?'

'Just the bare facts. He said you refused, but he wouldn't say another word.'

Kate heaved a sigh as she brought the tray over to the table. 'I hoped we could stay friends but Jack isn't having any.'

Tom looked her in the eye. 'This is the second time you've turned Jack down, remember.'

'I know.' She looked at him in appeal. 'I hope it doesn't change things between you and me.'

'Not in the slightest, love.'

To prove it, Tom Logan stayed with Kate until Bran grew restless. 'I'd better take this chap home. Shall I give Jack a message?'

Kate shook her head sadly. 'I doubt that he'd want one.'

Later that afternoon she thought for a brief, hopeful minute or two that she was wrong when a familiar florist's van drew up outside her house. Her spirits soared when she was given a basket of spring flowers but took an instant nosedive when she read the card. The flowers were from Richard Forster. Not Jack.

'Kate, your strategy worked like a charm. With heartfelt thanks, RF.'

Too bad she couldn't think of a strategy to improve her own life, she thought grimly.

A few days later Kate drove to collect Joanna for the Easter vacation.

'I'm dying to get out of my uniform,' said Jo, as they left the school car park. 'Are we having lunch on the way?'

'Would I expect you to survive if we didn't?' Kate teased. 'But not the posh hotel today; you can make do with a burger somewhere.'

'Cool! We don't get burgers in school.'

'At those fees I should hope not.' Kate glanced sideways to see a worried frown on Jo's face. 'What's up?'

The dark eyes gazed at her anxiously. 'I know it's terribly expensive to keep me there. Can you really afford it?'

'I don't have to, love. When you were a baby Robert took out an education insurance which covered your fees right up until you leave the place.' Kate patted her hand. 'There may be a few extras along the way due to cost of living and school trips and so on, but I can cope with that.'

'Can't you take the extras out of my money?'

'If it was absolutely necessary I could, but it's not, so chill, OK?'

Joanna Sutton was at the stage where she was an adult one minute and a child the next, but the child predominated as she raced through the rooms in Park Crescent, exclaiming in delight as she went.

'My room looks great! And I love the sitting room now it's furnished. Is that the paint colour I picked?'

'It certainly is. Your Coral Porcelain turned out well.'

Jo gazed round the room in approval, then turned a determined glance on Kate. 'I've got something to say.' She paused and took a deep breath. 'The thing is, I should have said it ages ago.'

'Spit it out, then,' said Kate in alarm. 'What's wrong?'

'Nothing. I just want to say thank you,' blurted Jo. 'For taking me on, I mean.'

'Oh, Joanna! No thanks necessary,' Kate a.s.sured her, weak with relief. 'I'm only too happy to "take you on".'

'You really mean that? I've been worried. You know, because you gave up your job and sold your flat and-'

'Hey! Let's get something straight here. I was about to resign from my job anyway. And I sold the flat because I inherited this house.'

'But you only came to live in it because I didn't want to stay in London after Mum and Dad died,' Jo reminded her.

'True,' Kate agreed and smiled into the anxious elfin face. 'But it was no sacrifice. I love the house and, though I'm sorry for the tragic circ.u.mstances that made it necessary, it's a great big bonus to have you sharing it with me. OK?'

'OK.' Joanna heaved a heartfelt sigh of relief.

'Right. Now you've got that off your chest ring Grandma and tell her you're home.'

Jo made her call, and reported that her grandparents were looking forward to her visit. 'I'll try not to wear them out,' she added, grinning.

'Good. We're having supper with Anna and Ben tonight, by the way.'

Jo beamed. 'Great! Is Anna OK?'

'Blooming. She's dying to see you. Pop upstairs for a bath while I unpack for you.'

'I'm supposed to do it myself,' Jo said, pulling a face.

Kate tapped her nose. 'I won't tell if you won't! Now go.'

A minute later there was a scream of delight from upstairs and Jo came hurtling into the kitchen in her briefs and the unnecessary minuscule bra she'd asked for because all her friends had one.

'The cropped jeans and stripy top in the wardrobe,' she panted, 'I just love them, Kate-thanks. Can I wear them tonight?'

'That was my plan. Now scoot.'

Jo tore back upstairs and returned later, the gleaming hair brushed, her slender, long-legged body graceful in denims and pink and lavender top. 'Well?' she demanded, doing a twirl. 'Do I look cool or what?'

Kate blinked at the transformation from schoolgirl into something else entirely. 'I don't know about cool, but you certainly look grown up,' she said with misgiving.

Jo punched the air in delight, then stopped, the joy suddenly draining from her face.

'What now?'

'I forgot for a minute,' she whispered guiltily.

'And so you should,' said Kate with emphasis. 'Your mother and father would want that.'

'I hope so. Because I'm much better lately. I hardly cry at all. Do you?'

Kate shook her head. 'Elizabeth disapproved of tears.'

'I know! When I fell down when I was little she used to dust me off and tell me to stop making a fuss.' Jo's mouth drooped. 'But I wouldn't like her to think I didn't grieve for her-and for Daddy.'

'Darling, you'll never forget them, and you're bound to miss both of them terribly at times, but they would want you to stop grieving now and get on with your life.' Kate took her hand. 'They made me your official guardian, remember, so you know they trusted me to take care of you. And I will.'

'I know that, Kate.' Jo smiled valiantly. 'What time are we due at Anna's?'