that you’ve had this in mind from the moment we met up again. String him along, play hard to get, and then show him what he’s been missing. And put the cherry on top by turning him down flat when he proposes. Did that feel good, Kate?’ he demanded.
She shook her head silently.
‘So now what? Don’t tell me you want us to be good friends!’ He gave a mirthless bark of laughter. ‘At this moment in time, Kate Durant, I don’t feel friendly at all.’
‘I can see that, and I’m sorry for it.’ She turned away, unable to hold that hard, implacable gaze a moment longer. ‘It’s my fault. I shared your room last night because after the sleepwalking episode I was scared to stay on my own.’
‘That was last night,’ said Jack grimly. ‘But it was broad daylight when we made love this morning. You were wide awake when we walked all the way upstairs to my bedroom, Kate. You had ample opportunity to say no along the way. So why the hell didn’t you?’
She eyed him in surprise. ‘Surely it’s obvious. I wanted to make love with you—simple as that.’
‘Why?’
‘Curiosity, nostalgia, lust—take your pick. I wanted to find out if it would still be good with you.’
‘And was it?’ he asked casually, as though her answer was unimportant.
But Kate knew it wasn’t. She could see a telltale pulse throbbing at the corner of his clenched mouth. ‘It was miraculous, Jack. I told you that. Better than with anyone else. But it makes no difference. Even if you’re still of the same mind…and, by the look on your face, I doubt that—Ican’t marry you.’ She hesitated. ‘We could be lovers again,though, surely?’
Jack gave her a flaying look, then bent to put more logs on the fire. ‘You mean you love the sex, but you don’t want me as a husband?’
‘Something like that.’
He turned expressionless eyes on her. ‘Did it give you a buzz to tell me that, Kate? Did it make up for your hurt when I married Dawn?’
‘You have no idea how much you hurt me,’ she said with sudden passion. ‘One of my reasons for turning you down is to avoid similar hurt in future.’
His mouth twisted. ‘A pity you didn’t let me know that sooner.’
‘A great pity,’ she agreed.
‘What are the other reasons?’
‘Pretty obvious ones. When I inherited the house I found a new job, made a home here for Joanna and me—’
‘And there’s no room for a husband in your tidy little life,’ Jack said harshly. He looked at her objectively, as though seeing her for the first time. ‘When we met up again I thought you’d hardly changed at all. I was wrong. You’ve grown hard, Kate.’
‘I prefer to think of it as mature. But I agree I’m not the malleable little girl you once knew.’
‘Malleable!’ He laughed again. ‘That’s a joke. Nothing I could do or say back then changed your mind about a job in London.’
‘True. But marrying someone else by way of retaliation was a bit extreme, even for you, Jack,’ she flung at him.
They looked at each other in hostile silence for a while, then Jack took the phone from his pocket, excused himself politely and went out. Kate stayed by the fire, staring down into the flames as her heartbeat gradually slowed to normal. The odd, abrupt proposal had taken her by surprise. She just hadn’t seen it coming. If she had, maybe she could have deflected it somehow without alienating Jack so completely.
Jack came back into the room with Bran padding after him, and Kate bent to fondle the dog’s ears to hide the sudden tears of bitter regret in her eyes.
‘I rang up to check on the roads,’ Jack told her, making the fire safe. ‘Apparently there’s a lot of surface water in places, so I’ll drive you back in the Jeep. I’ll have your car sent to Park Crescent in the morning.’
Kate eyed him militantly. This was the last thing she wanted. ‘I’m perfectly capable of driving through a few puddles.’
‘The river’s broken its banks at one place. Your car is too small to cope,’ he said in a tone that warned her not to argue.
‘I don’t want to put you out—’
‘You’re not. I was driving into town to see Dad, anyway. If you’ll get your things I’ll bring the Jeep round.’
Feeling well and truly put in her place, Kate went up to the guest room. She removed the sweatshirt, folded it neatly and left it