Not because she was attracted to him. No, it was more likely to be fear that was making her tummy loop the loop and then clench into tight knots.
‘It won’t start,’ she told him distractedly, dragging her gaze away from the amber scrutiny of his as he paused and then reached inside her car to release the bonnet mechanism.
She saw him frown as he looked inside, and it struck her that he might have thought that she was manufacturing her car’s ailment, although for what purpose… A slow burn of colour spread through her body as she realised he might think she was deliberately engineering a situation which would throw them together, but no… how could she have known that Vera had no car… or for that matter that he would appear just at the crucial moment. She was letting her imagination run away with her, she chided herself, but she still found herself letting her breath out in a silent easing of tension when he lifted his head from the engine inside the bonnet and said dryly, ‘The starter-motor seems to have packed in, and there seem to be several electrical faults as well.’ As he closed the bonnet and stood up he addressed Kate directly for the first time, saying mockingly, ‘Why on earth don’t you buy yourself a newer model?’
His very obvious contempt for her, his air of self-assurance, and the distinctly unpleasant manner in which he had treated her coalesced into a seething mass of resentment that caused her fingers to curl tightly into her palms, her voice curt and hostile as she snapped back, ‘Quite simply because I can’t afford to.’ Facing him directly, she added bitingly, ‘And please don’t worry about giving me a lift. If Vera would allow me to use her telephone…’
Behind her she heard the faint sound of distress made by her hostess. So she was being rude, so what? Kate thought on a sudden surge of adrenalin-induced feeling of bravery. She was not going to be browbeaten by anyone, least of all by Dominic Harland.
‘I’m not worried about it.’ The sudden sensation of his fingers closing round her upper arm caused Kate to whirl round in acute disbelief. It seemed incredible to her that he should actually touch her, and her eyes unknowingly betrayed that disbelief to him.
It was extremly disconcerting to see the run of dark colour spread under his skin, as his eyes shifted away from her own, his hand dropping away from her. Instinctively she stepped back, breathing deeply as though somehow having him so close to her had robbed the atmosphere of oxygen.
‘Get in the car,’ he told her quietly.
Suddenly she was too drained to argue, and what was she protesting about anyway? She could see Vera watching them curiously. The last thing she wanted to do was to promote any gossip about the past. There would be those in the village who would remember his visit all those years ago, and who could put two and two together and easily make five. The village thrived on gossip, and she had no wish to be the subject of it. There had been enough during the days when Ricky was still alive.
Dominic’s car was parked to one side of her own, a gold BMW that looked brand new, which she supposed it must be if he had only just come to this country from America.
The passenger door was unlocked and as she got inside she dismissed the idea that it might only be hired, and marvelled a little about the differences between the lifestyle of people like the Bensons and Dominic and herself. Unless of course he was planning to move back to England?
Telling herself that it was really of no interest to her what he did, she tensed instinctively as he got into the car beside her. Vera came to wave them off, shielding her eyes from the afternoon sun.
The car was smooth and powerful. Strapped into her seat, Kate concentrated on looking out of the window, not once allowing her glance to be drawn to the man seated beside her.
She had nothing to say to him that could be said without her betraying her agony over the past, and she was glad that he too kept silent.
As they drove into the village and a group of the locals outside the post office broke off their conversation to admire the car, it struck her for the first time that with the Bensons living locally, Dominic might become more of a permanent fixture in the area than she had first supposed. The thought was distinctly unpalatable, causing her to blench slightly and curl protesting fingers into her palms.
At the garage Dominic took charge, explaining quickly and explicitly about her car. Resentment raged inside Kate as she listened to him. She was used to running her own life—taking charge of her own affairs—but it was pointless to give way to childish temper now… In another half an hour she would be rid of him. All she had to do was to concentrate on the landscape and pretend that it was someone else sitting there beside her.
CHAPTER FIVE
THE car tyres crunched steadily over the gravel drive as Dominic turned in through the gates to the house, the sound unnaturally loud in the thick silence inside the vehicle. He brought it to a standstill next to the front door. As she reached for the door handle, at the same time releasing her seatbelt, she felt his hand on her arm. Apprehension feathered coldly along her skin, but she didn’t look at him, or acknowledge his touch in any way.
‘I want to talk to you.’
So that was it. What did he want to say that hadn’t been said eight years ago?
Pain made her lash out with childish venom, her voice high and shaky as she threw back acidly, ‘Well, I didn’t suppose you were giving me a lift out of sheer human charity!’
‘Very wise of you. Shall we go inside?’
Kate didn’t want to invite him into the house…didn’t want to see him in those same surroundings…but something told her that he was not going to allow her to refuse.
Her whole body felt stiff and unfamiliar as she unlocked the door and walked into the hall. She paused by the drawing-room door, and saw his face darken slightly, as though he too were remembering. She shuddered slightly, and saw that his eyes had registered her faint movement. They glowed dark topaz, hot instead of cold, tracking her every movement…waiting for her to…to what?
Impatient of the theatrical direction of her thoughts, she pushed open the drawing-room door and walked inside.
Strategically she stood behind one of the chairs, holding on to the back as she turned to face him, and demanded coldly:
‘Now, what is it you wanted to say to me?’
It was disconcerting to find Dominic standing so close to her, close enough for her to see the faint lines raying out from his eyes that were new to her from eight years ago. Time had hardened him, it seemed, or at least, she amended mentally, it had stripped away the veneer of compassion she had once foolishly deceived herself he possessed, to reveal his true nature. There was certainly no warmth in the topaz eyes fixed on her own. Strange that such a warm colour as gold could look so cold.
Of course, if Vera was to be believed, and Kate had to admit she could see no reason for her to lie, Dominic did have some justification for mistrusting the female sex. However, mistrust was one thing, dislike to the point of wanting to hurt was another.
There was such an air of taut control about him that she badly wanted to step back, but pride compelled her to stay where she was, her chin tilting slightly as her eyes clashed with his. She was not twenty any more, looking hopelessly for the love she had been denied by her husband, desperate to prove her femininity.