Trust In Summer Madness

She arrived back at the surgery with only a minute to spare, smiling at Chris as he came out to speak to her. He was a very handsome man, with unruly dark curls that he kept short, laughing blue eyes that could be stormy with emotion, with a tall athletic body, and he enjoyed all sports; he and Sian often challenged each other to a game of tennis—which she usually lost.

Chris and his family had come to Swannell almost three years ago, and Chris had been in partnership with Martin Cross for most of that time. Their veterinary practice was very successful.

It had been Chris’s love and gentleness with the animals he treated that had first attracted her to him, although it had taken him some time to persuade her to even go out with him. Now she wore his ring, her admiration for him having turned to love during the year they had been dating.

He bent to kiss her lightly on the lips, the door still firmly locked against the public. ‘Have a good afternoon, love?’

‘A bit hectic’ She put all thought of Jarrett King from her mind, feeling it was disloyal to Chris to even think of another relationship she had had in the past when she was engaged to marry him. ‘And you?’ she smiled.

‘Fine,’ he nodded, sitting on the edge of her desk. ‘Feel like going out to dinner tonight?’

Her brows rose. ‘What are we celebrating?’

‘Nothing,’ he smiled, looking boyish despite his thirty years. Sian had to resist the impulse to smooth back the unruly lock of dark hair from his forehead. ‘You’re looking beautiful, it’s a lovely day, and I think we can afford to go out for one meal,’ he teased.

She didn’t dispute that fact, knew they had enough saved for several meals if they wanted them. They had been saving hard lately, allowing little for luxuries, perhaps a nice meal out was what they needed. ‘I’d like that,’ she agreed, smiling ruefully as the doorbell rang. ‘Your first customer.’ She stood up to unlock the door.

He grimaced, kissing her lightly on the mouth once again. ‘Let’s hope it’s a nice quiet hamster to start with. They can bring the snakes in later!’

Sian was laughing as she opened the door. Several weeks ago the local zoo had made an urgent call to Chris about one of their reptiles, and when he got there he found it was a boa constrictor! She had a feeling he regretted being on call to the zoo after that visit.

The next couple of hours passed quickly, with a constant stream of cats and dogs and rabbits needing Chris and Martin’s expert attention—but no snakes, thank goodness! For Sian her time at work always passed with high speed, mainly because no two days were the same and because she enjoyed what she was doing.

It was seven-thirty before she and Chris were ready to leave, Chris driving to her home so that she could change her clothes for going out. Chris came into the house with her, and went straight into the lounge to sit with her father, the two men getting along with an easy familiarity.

Bethany was on the telephone when Sian reached the top of the stairs, and she gave Sian a startled look before ringing off and following Sian into her bedroom. ‘You’re early,’ she frowned.

‘It’s almost eight,’ she shrugged.

‘Oh,’ her sister gave a light laugh, ‘in that case you’re late. I—er—Are you staying in this evening?’

‘No, as a matter of fact I’m going out.’ Sian gave Bethany a sharp look. ‘You aren’t bringing Jeremy here again, are you?’ she frowned. ‘You know Daddy can’t stand him.’

‘Jeremy and I broke up ages ago,’ her sister dismissed impatiently. ‘Well, at least a week ago,’ she amended ruefully. ‘No, I just wondered because I’m going out too.’

‘And?’

‘I—Could I borrow your black blouse?’ Bethany asked breathlessly. ‘It looks really good with my grey velvet trousers. You aren’t going to wear it, are you?’ she added hopefully.

‘No.’ Sian laughingly threw the blouse to her sister. ‘Thank goodness I’m taller than you and so none of my dresses fit you, otherwise you’d be borrowing all of my clothes!’

Bethany stood up to leave, looking a little hurt. ‘You can borrow anything of mine you want.’

‘Not tonight,’ she refused, her sister’s taste in fashion tending to be a little too young for her, her own style tending to be smart and well-tailored rather than strictly fashionable. ‘Have a good time,’ and she hurried to use the bathroom first.

‘You too,’ Bethany said absently.

Sian had no doubt about enjoying herself. Chris was always good company, and the food at the Raven restaurant was excellent without being too much of a strain on the pocket. It was a quietly intimate restaurant, only holding about forty people, exactly the sort of place to go to unwind after a busy day.

‘I’m glad I suggested this,’ Chris said as they waited for their meal to be served. He was obviously starting to relax now, his hand holding hers across the width of the table.

‘So am I,’ she smiled at him warmly, wondering how she could have been so lucky as to have a man as gentle and considerate as Chris fall in love with her. He looked so handsome in the navy blue suit and light blue shirt, his skin lightly tanned, and she knew that many women would envy her escort.

But for the moment her attention was riveted on the man standing at the doorway. And well it might! Jarrett hadn’t changed at all, was still a powerful presence, an aura of arrogance and assurance emanating from him, even the casualness of his clothes, the black fitted trousers and dark green shirt making him stand out as a man alone.

But he was far from alone! Standing at his side, looking very beautiful, was Bethany!

Sian’s eyes widened as she saw the way her sister clung to Jarrett’s arm, the way she gazed up at him with adoring eyes, and she knew Jarrett had made a conquest. An easy one, if Bethany’s bemused expression was anything to go by.

Finally she forced herself to look back at Jarrett, and felt a jolt go through her body as she found green eyes fixed on her in total recognition. For timeless seconds their gazes locked as they stared at each other, Sian seeing the way Jarrett’s eyes darkened in colour, his mouth curving into a smile, an intimately enticing smile that three years ago would have had her running impetuously into his waiting arms.

But that was three years ago; she had Chris now! With a cool nod of recognition, she deliberately broke her gaze from Jarrett’s and turned away; the mystery of how Bethany came to be with Jarrett when this afternoon she hadn’t so much as spoken to him could be answered by her sister later. But she had a feeling her sister wasn’t going to come out of it favourably.

‘Chris, I—’

‘Sian, how are you?’

Not even his voice had changed, still deep and slightly husky, completely confident, nothing hesitant about this man at all.

She turned slowly, willing herself to meet Jarrett’s gaze unflinchingly. He towered over their table, lean and attractive, deep lines of experience etched into his face, a wariness to his eyes as he looked steadily down at her.

She swallowed hard, her hand unconsciously clutching tighter to Chris’s, although she was unaware of his sharp look. ‘I’m well, thank you, Jarrett.’ Her voice came out cool and composed—much to her surprise. This was all like some horrendous dream, and she was surprised she could talk at all.

‘Good,’ he said with satisfaction. ‘You’ve grown into a beautiful woman, Sian,’ he added huskily before turning to Chris. ‘I’m pleased to meet you, Mr … ?’ he looked enquiringly at the other man.

Chris stood up. ‘Newman, Christopher Newman,’ he supplied, politely shaking the other man’s extended hand, his expression a little wary as he eyed him curiously.

‘My fiancé,’ Sian put in pointedly—and then wondered why she needed to challenge Jarrett in this way. What possible interest could it be to him what Chris meant to her, or what part he played in her life?

‘Indeed?’ Jarrett drawled, the expression in his eyes hidden now, his lids hooded. ‘I had heard that you were engaged, Sian. When is the wedding?’

She paled at the look of fierce anger in his face, unable to answer him. She couldn’t have spoken if her life had depended on it, her tongue seeming cleaved to the roof of her mouth. She looked at Chris appealingly.

‘Next month,’ she heard him answer Jarrett. ‘Just four more weeks and Sian will be my wife,’ he added with satisfaction.

The anger in Jarrett’s eyes threatened to flare out of control. And Sian knew why. She had just four weeks to go before she and Chris married, when three years ago she should have married Jarrett!

CHAPTER TWO

THIS man should have been her husband, and if he hadn’t chosen to join his uncle in America when he did he probably would be. But would he? Jarrett looked as if he enjoyed the freedom and power his new wealth gave him, and if he looked a little jaded that was his business. Although she would take a guess at a woman being involved—there always had been!—possibly the Arlette the magazine had referred to so pointedly. Why hadn’t he brought the other woman with him?

Maybe, as with her, he preferred to leave the current woman in his life at home, to forget about her while he found someone else to amuse him. And it looked as if that ‘someone else’ was going to be Bethany!’

Her sister had been sixteen when Sian had been dating Jarrett, and at the time he had treated Bethany like a troublesome child. That hadn’t been surprising. Bethany had always wanted to tag along with him, never left them alone for a minute when they were in the house, and at thirty-three Jarrett had already been highly sensual, his passion surpassing any other man’s she had ever known. Bethany had cramped his style, but now it seemed she was old enough to be at the receiving end of that fiery desire that had so unnerved Sian three years ago. In those days, when she was alone with Jarrett, she hadn’t been able to control her response to him, and she now feared that mindless obsession for Bethany.

Not that her sister looked as if it frightened her; she was clinging unashamedly to his arm, small and kittenish, unaware of the leashed danger in the man standing at her side, at the devastation he could wreak in a woman’s life before he walked away without so much as a backward glance.

As he had with her! Oh, she had loved him so much then, would have done anything for him. But her unreserved love hadn’t been enough for him.

‘Darling?’

She looked almost dazedly at Chris, seeing his puzzled frown. ‘Sorry?’ she said jerkily.

‘Mr King was offering us his congratulations.’

‘Really?’ She turned to look at Jarrett, unable to read his reaction now. His expression was deliberately bland, the fierce anger gone.

It was an anger he had had no right to feel in the first place! She had waited for him to come back to her, had waited a long slow lifetime for him to come back, but he never had. He had no right to feel anything about the fact that she was marrying another man.

‘But of course,’ he drawled now. ‘Why don’t you join Bethany and me and we can have a celebration dinner on your behalf?’

‘That’s very—’

‘No!’ Sian’s sharp denial interrupted Chris, and she flushed as Jarrett’s eyes narrowed to hard green pebbles, not even daring to look at Chris for his reaction to her outburst. Poor Chris must be wondering what on earth was going on! ‘We’ve already started our meal,’ she added more calmly, indicating the half-eaten melon on their plates.

Jarrett shrugged. ‘You could easily transfer to our table. It would be no trouble, I’m sure.’ He made it sound as if he would make sure it wasn’t!

‘Can’t you see that they would rather be alone, Jarrett?’ Bethany cooed up at him. ‘They probably have plans for the wedding to discuss.’

Green eyes narrowed at this suggestion, and once again Sian was given the impression that the idea of her marriage to Chris displeased him.

‘We do have the reception to talk about,’ she confirmed firmly, undaunted by that displeasure. ‘And we wouldn’t want to bore you with the details.’

‘I’m sure I wouldn’t be bored.’ Jarrett’s voice was hard, his eyes challenging as he once more met her gaze. ‘I’ve had some practice at it myself,’ he added softly.

Colour heightened her cheeks before quickly fading again. ‘It can be a tiring business,’ she told him stiltedly. ‘Especially if it turns out to be unnecessary.’

What reply Jarrett would have made to that deliberate taunt she never knew. ‘Our table is ready, Jarrett,’ came Bethany’s timely interruption.

His mouth tightened, then he gave a slow nod. ‘Very well,’ he said slowly. ‘It was good to see you again, Sian. Newman,’ he nodded abrupt dismissal of the other man.

Chris slowly sat down as the other couple moved to their table across the room, Bethany’s face animated as she spoke to the preoccupied man sitting across from her. ‘So that’s Jarrett King,’ he muttered.

Sian’s eyes widened at the open dislike in her fiancé’s voice. ‘Yes, that’s Jarrett,’ she said in a puzzled voice, wondering at Chris’s attitude. Apart from that curt departure Jarrett had been very polite. And yet Chris seemed to dislike him on sight, an unusual reaction for him. Chris seemed to get along with everyone usually. Obviously not Jarrett.

‘He isn’t what I expected at all,’ he mumbled, a frown to his dark blue eyes.

‘Expected?’ she echoed sharply.

He shrugged. ‘Everyone in Swannell has heard of the famous Jarrett King.’ He glanced over at the other couple. ‘I’m not sure Bethany should be with a man like him. I’ve heard things about Jarrett King that make him highly unsuitable as a companion for Bethany.’

Sian had stiffened now, for some reason resenting the same criticism she herself had directed at him mentally. ‘Really?’

‘She’s too young to handle a piranha like him—’

‘I think that’s going a little too far, Chris,’ she protested heatedly.

His eyes narrowed, his mouth tight. ‘Why are you defending the man?’

She shook her head. ‘I’m not defending him—’

‘No?’ he bit out angrily. ‘It sounds very much that way to me.’ He eyed her moodily.

She was very much aware of Bethany and Jarrett as they sat across the room from them, of Bethany’s sparkling charm and Jarrett’s lazy humour, almost as if Bethany’s efforts to charm him amused rather than attracted him.

Her mouth was tight as she turned back to Chris. ‘I agree with you that he is totally unsuitable for Bethany,’ her tone was abrupt, ‘but I don’t agree that he’s a piranha.’

His eyes flashed deeply. ‘Not even after the way he walked out on you?’ he rasped.

All the colour drained from Sian’s face, leaving her eyes looking huge and haunted. ‘What do you know about that?’ she choked, crumbling the bread roll on her plate to destruction.

Chris’s mouth twisted. ‘Only what the people in this town felt I should know when we became engaged.’

She swallowed hard, having no idea he had been told the gossip about her. ‘Then perhaps they told you wrong!’

‘He left with another woman, didn’t he?’ Chris scorned.

‘Yes.’ Her voice was pained at the truth of that.

‘Let’s eat, Sian,’ he muttered as their main course arrived. ‘This is hardly the place for this discussion.’

She didn’t think anywhere would be the right place for discussing what was basically a private matter between herself and Jarrett. He had left with Nina Marshall, yes, but only because he found more pleasure in being with her than with Sian.

All enjoyment in the meal had gone for her. All she was aware of was Chris’s brooding anger, and Jarrett and Bethany’s obvious enjoyment in each other’s company, the sound of Jarrett’s husky laughter beginning to grate on her nerves by the time they got to the coffee stage of their meal, and she refused any of the strong brew, as did Chris.

‘Shall we go?’ he asked tersely.

She had never seen Chris like this before; she was more used to his easy charm and gentleness. This side of him was completely new to her, and she wondered if jealousy of Jarrett could have prompted this reaction. She could have told him he had no reason to feel anything over Jarrett; any love she might have felt for him had died when Nina Marshall returned to Swannell, also dismissed from his life. In time she could have perhaps forgiven his loving the other woman more than her, but when Nina returned a couple of weeks later without him it became obvious that neither of them had meant that much to Jarrett.

As they walked past Jarrett’s table his hand came out to grasp Sian’s wrist. She looked down with a gasp; Chris had gone on ahead to pay the bill and so not witnessed this intimacy. But Bethany had, and her embarrassment was all the more acute because of her sister’s wide-eyed stare.

‘Let go of me,’ she ordered between gritted teeth, very conscious of her hip pressed against his arm, could feel the warmth of his body through his shirt.

He made no effort to release her, his thumb moving rhythmically against the delicate veins in her wrist. ‘I have to talk to you,’ he told her throatily, his eyes intent.

‘I’m sorry,’ she wrenched her arm out of his grasp. ‘If you’ll excuse me … ?’

‘No!’ He stood up, towering over her as he always had, as powerfully built as ever. ‘Sian, I need to talk to you.’ He clasped her forearms.

‘Why?’ she asked flatly. ‘Isn’t it a little late for talking between us? I thought we’d said it all three years ago.’

‘Sian—’

‘Darling, are you ready to leave?’ Chris had paid the bill, coming back for her as he realised she hadn’t followed him out, and his irritation fanned to anger as he saw the way Jarrett was touching her. ‘If you wouldn’t mind, King …’ He pulled Sian to his side, a reckless challenge on his face. ‘It may have escaped your notice,’ he added tauntingly, ‘but Sian wears my ring now.’

She gasped at this deliberate provocation, seeing Jarrett’s eyes narrow to steely slits.

‘Sian never wore my ring,’ he answered in a mild voice—too mild! ‘We never needed such affectations as rings to know she belonged to me.’

Sian felt herself sway, forcing herself to remain standing as Chris’s hand crushed hers. But she couldn’t speak, knowing she would choke if she even attempted it.

Chris was white with fury. ‘Well, she doesn’t belong to you now,’ he snapped. ‘So just stay away from her!’

Jarrett’s jaw had tightened ominously at this, a pulse beating steadily there. ‘I’ll stay away from Sian if she tells me to—and if I think she really means it,’ he added tauntingly. ‘So don’t give me orders, Newman,’ he grated. ‘Sian could tell you—only too well—how much better I respond to—persuasion.’

‘Why, you—’

‘Could we please leave, Chris?’ Sian had finally found her voice; this last provocation had been too much. She looked at Jarrett with cold hazel eyes. ‘And I do ask you to stay away from me, Jarrett—as I ask you to stay away from Bethany.’

Her sister coloured painfully, her embarrassment acute. ‘Sian, you can’t—’

‘I agree, she can’t,’ Jarrett drawled, bestowing a smouldering smile on the besotted Bethany. ‘And you didn’t mean that, Sian,’ he looked back at her with mocking eyes. ‘I always knew when you were telling the truth—and that wasn’t it.’

Her mouth twisted, her hand through the crook of Chris’s arm now. ‘How unfortunate I was never as perceptive where you were concerned,’ she was deliberately insulting, ‘then I would have known from the first what sort of man you are.’

‘And that is?’ he bit out harshly, all amusement gone now.

‘The sort of man I don’t like dating my sister!’ She turned away from the angry flame of his eyes. ‘I’ll talk to you later, Bethany,’ she warned.

Her sister looked sulky. ‘I’m not a child, Sian,’ she snapped.

‘I agree—you aren’t,’ Sian said tightly. ‘Which is precisely the reason I think we should talk.’

‘Still trying to be the conscience of your whole family, Sian?’ Jarrett derided.

She looked at him coldly. ‘Still caring for my family, yes, Jarrett. But caring is something you know nothing about. Excuse us.’ This time she and Chris managed to get out of the restaurant undisturbed.

‘Arrogant bastard!’ Chris rasped as he opened the car door for her to get in, closing it with a decisive slam.

Sian knew how disturbed he had been by the encounter by the fact that he swore; Chris never used strong language. But about this she couldn’t blame him. She could quite cheerfully have sworn herself!

Jarrett was arrogant, more so than ever before. And he was out to cause trouble. Why, she had no idea; he had hurt her badly enough in the past without wanting to cause a strain between herself and Chris. But the strain was already there, with Chris driving recklessly back to her home.

‘I’m coming inside.’ There was a determined glitter to his eyes. ‘We need to talk.’

She could see that, knew that Chris deserved some sort of explanation. But about tonight she didn’t have one; she had no idea why Jarrett was acting as he was, had no idea what he was doing back in Swannell. He was a little young to be retracing his roots!

Her father was still up when they got in, so she went and made them all a cup of coffee, giving a barely perceptible shrug of her shoulders to Chris, seeing by the stubborn set of his mouth that he intended staying as long as it took for her father to go to bed. He was determined to have that talk with her tonight.

Sian felt totally confused as she prepared the coffee. She had no idea why Jarrett should want to talk to her about anything – especially while he was dating her sister! She couldn’t let Bethany be hurt as she had been hurt, she had to protect her sister against herself if it came to it.

‘Have a nice evening?’ Her father took the cup of coffee she handed him, oblivious of the strained atmosphere between the engaged couple.

‘We went to the Raven.’ Sian avoided giving him a direct answer, the reputation of the restaurant such that he was sure to think they had enjoyed themselves.

‘You didn’t happen to see Bethany, did you?’ he enquired casually.

‘We—’

‘You know the Raven isn’t her sort of place,’ she interrupted Chris’s reply, knowing by his angry scowl that he was about to say more than she wanted him to. But again she had avoided telling a deliberate lie. The Raven wasn’t Bethany’s sort of place.

‘No,’ her father chuckled, very comfortable and relaxed in his casual and old trousers and tattered worn cardigan, his usual attire after his formal clothing of the day at his office. ‘She’s more likely to be at the Swan, they have a discothèque there.’

‘Not on a Wednesday,’ Sian told him absently, aware of Chris’s glowering impatience.

‘Oh well, I suppose she’s just out with one of her friends,’ her father shrugged. ‘She left in such a hurry she didn’t have time to tell me. I doubt she’ll be too late.’

‘No,’ again Sian answered, when it became obvious Chris was going to make no effort at conversation.

‘There was a good Western on television tonight,’ her father told her happily. ‘I enjoyed that.’

Sian smiled indulgently, Westerns were her father’s passion. ‘John Wayne?’ she teased, knowing the Duke was her father’s favourite cowboy.

‘Randolph Scott,’ he named his second favourite, and put down his empty cup. ‘Well, I’m off to bed now. I’ll see you tomorrow, I suppose, Chris?’ he smiled at the other man. Liking and respect existed between the two of them, a deep contrast to what her father had felt for Jarrett; he had never quite trusted him. And that mistrust had been justified!

‘I’m sure you will, George.’ Chris roused himself enough to be polite.

Sian stood up to kiss her father affectionately goodnight, a habit from when she was a child, a pleasant habit. ‘See you in the morning,’ she smiled.

‘Mm,’ he touched her cheek. ‘And don’t be too late to bed,’ he frowned. ‘You’re looking a little peaky today.’

‘Pre-wedding nerves,’ she joked.