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There was a wealth of bitterness in the words, and Sarah wondered just how often Jason had been ‘dumped’ on his aunt and uncle over the years. Too many times, by the sound of it.
Ten years ago Garrett had made it clear that any effort they made to see his son would be rebuffed, and for Jason’s sake, because they didn’t think it fair to place that sort of burden on such a young child, they had respected that decision, no matter how much it had hurt them to do so. Now that Jason was old enough to make his own decisions about such things it seemed he felt differently about his grandfather and aunt. She was glad, although she knew Garrett wouldn’t be.
‘I’m sure he doesn’t just “dump” you, Jason,’ she reproved gently. ‘He has to work, after all. And I’m sure your aunt and uncle are very nice.’
‘They’re okay,’ he dismissed. ‘But Dad doesn’t have to work; he has enough money not to.’
‘Don’t you think thirty-nine is a little young to retire?’ she chided.
Anger flared in the brilliant green eyes, and Sarah could see that the last thing Jason had expected was that she would actually defend his father over this. But she wasn’t taking anyone’s side, was just trying to show Jason that there were always two sides to everything. Secretly she thought it was a good thing that Garrett had been forced to bring his son with him this time, and not just because it gave them the opportunity to spend some time with Jason; it sounded to her as if the two of them spent too little time together even when Garrett was at home.
‘He—–’
‘I’m sorry I missed your bus arriving, Jason,’ his grandfather cut in with a warning glance at Sarah. ‘Usually it’s late, and I thought I had left home in plenty of time to meet you off it, only to find when I got to the village that today of all days it had been early!’
So that was why her father had decided to go down to the village mid-week for his tobacco; usually he took a walk down on a Saturday! ‘I gather the two of you missed each other,’ she said drily.
‘Mm,’ her father grimaced. ‘By the time I reached the village the bus had long gone, and Mrs Hall at the shop didn’t know if a young man had got off it or not. I thought perhaps Jason had changed his mind and not come after all.’
Once again her throat filled emotionally at the way her father looked at his grandson. Her father had always been a wonderful parent, had always had time and love for her and Amanda, and he should have had half a dozen grandchildren he could spoil by now. But Amanda had only had Jason and she—her pupils were her children!
‘I asked directions to the cottage at the gas station,’ Jason explained. ‘They said it would be quicker if I followed the coast round, so I walked along the beach.’
‘It is quicker that way,’ his grandfather nodded. ‘But all that sand makes my old legs ache!’
‘Don’t pay any attention to him, Jason,’ Sarah derided. ‘He’s been telling me how old he is for the last twenty years!’
‘And she’s never let me get away with it,’ her father grimaced. ‘Believe me, after living in a houseful of women all these years it’s nice to have another male in residence for a while.’
Sarah’s eyes widened as she looked at the two of them. ‘Jason intends staying with us?’ A day visit was one thing, but she didn’t think Garrett Kingham would allow anything else.
‘If that’s all right with you.’ Jason was at once on the defensive.
‘Of course. I just—–’
‘The spare room is always ready for guests,’ his grandfather assured him jovially. ‘Did you bring any clothes with you?’
Jason nodded, still watching Sarah warily. ‘I left my back-pack outside,’ he answered slowly.
The last thing she wanted to appear was the spoiler of all their fun, but even so… ‘Does your father know where you are?’ she asked with firm control, demanding an answer this time.
Jason flushed. ‘He’s away in Scotland for a couple of days with the owner of the studio. I was sick of sitting around in a hotel room, so I gave Grandad a call.’
‘But even so—–’
‘Jason, why don’t you go and get your things and take them upstairs,’ his grandfather suggested lightly. ‘It’s the room on the right at the top of the stairs.’
Jason looked about to argue, and then he nodded reluctant agreement, his mouth set rebelliously as he went outside.
‘I know you’re angry, Sarah,’ her father soothed before she could speak. ‘But when he called me yesterday the lad was upset; what else could I do but invite him to come here?’
‘You know I don’t mind the fact that he’s here,’ she admonished. ‘I’m as pleased to see him as you are. I just think you should have acted a little more responsibly and—–’
‘How could I tell Garrett when he isn’t even at the hotel?’ he reasoned.
‘You could have left a message for him,’ she pointed out gently.
‘All right,’ her father admitted irritably. ‘I’ll admit that I was so excited at the thought of seeing Jason again after all these years that I may have acted a little selfishly. But it isn’t too late to leave a message at the hotel for Garrett now; Jason said he isn’t due back for a couple more days. I didn’t see why the lad should be bored waiting for him at that hotel when he could be with us,’ he added persuasively.
Her father was worse than Jason, and despite his sixty-six years he seemed about the same age at the moment, excited at the prospect of having Jason stay with them, if only for a few days. Sarah doubted if either of them would listen if she pointed out that it was probably because all Jason would have to do if Garrett brought him with him was sit bored around hotels, that Garrett thought it best if he stayed with his aunt and uncle at these times! Not that she thought Garrett was right completely; heaven forbid she should think that man was right about anything! But he was Jason’s father, and he was going to be worried about him once he learnt of his disappearance.
She stood up decisively as Jason came back into the room, eyeing them both suspiciously. ‘Don’t look so worried, Jason,’ she said lightly. ‘All we’ve decided is to leave a message at the hotel for your father telling him where you are.’
She made no comment as he mumbled the name of one of the most prestigious hotels in London; where else would Garrett Kingham stay, the famous film director, son and brother to Washington senators!
As soon as she got through to the hotel and asked to leave a message for Mr Kingham there was a strange clicking noise on the line and then a very short ring before the receiver was picked up the other end. ‘Hello, I—–’
‘Who is this?’ demanded a gravelly voice that was definitely American-accented.
But not Garrett’s voice, thank goodness! ‘I wanted to leave a message for Mr Kingham,’ she said awkwardly, completely disconcerted, having expected to speak to the receptionist. ‘But there seems to have been some sort of confusion, because the operator—–’
‘What’s the message?’ that gravelly voice demanded again, and Sarah instantly formed an image of a six-and-a-half-foot giant with the build of Arnold Schwarzenegger—but without the intelligence that man had displayed when she had seen him on a chat show several months ago!
‘If you gave me a chance to finish speaking I would tell you,’ she said in her sternest schoolteacher voice, receiving silent attention for her effort. ‘Could you please tell Mr Kingham that Sarah rang, and that—–’
‘Sarah who?’
This conversation wasn’t going at all as smoothly as she had hoped, and she was glad she was out in the hallway and didn’t have an audience to her embarrassment. The man on the other end of the telephone line had the finesse of a bulldozer! Although he probably had a point: Garrett Kingham probably knew a hundred women named Sarah—all of them intimately.
‘Sarah—–’ She hesitated. If she said Sarah Croft then Garrett probably wouldn’t realise who she was; she doubted he had troubled himself to learn that his once-sister-in-law had been married and divorced since they had last met. ‘Sarah Harvey,’ she decided firmly. ‘Could you tell him Jason is with us, and that—–’
‘You’ve got the kid?’ The gravelly voice was instantly alert, making Sarah wonder if she could possibly have underestimated his intelligence just because she didn’t like the sound of his voice.
She bristled indignantly. ‘His name is Jason. And yes, he’s with us. I wanted to—–’
‘What do you want?’ the man growled.
Sarah gave a start at the aggression. ‘If you would just let me finish speaking instead of—–’
‘I think I should warn you that you aren’t being clever, that the kid’s old man is angry, very angry, so if you—–’
‘No more angry than I am, let me assure you,’ she snapped furiously. ‘Now would you kindly tell Mr Kingham that Jason is with us, and that if he wants him he’s going to have to come here and get him!’ She slammed the receiver down, glaring at it indignantly, as if it were its fault she had just been spoken to so rudely. She was shaking because she was so angry, had never been spoken to in that aggressively rude way before.
Jason looked up at her searchingly as she went back into the lounge with controlled violence, pacing the room, still too angry to sit down. ‘What happened?’ he finally asked wearily.
Her eyes blazed with fiery blue sparks as she turned to face him. ‘I’ve just spoken to the rudest man—–’
‘Dad?’ He looked anxious. ‘But he isn’t supposed to be back—–’
‘It certainly wasn’t your father,’ she snapped. ‘If it had been I would have known how to deal with him. This man sounded like an all-in-wrestler and heavy-weight boxer rolled into one—–’
‘Dennis,’ Jason said knowingly.
‘Dennis?’ she repeated incredulously, trying to see the owner of that voice answering to such a name—and failing. Killer, sounded more appropriate! But he must have been a baby once; how could his mother be expected to know he would grow up to resemble a gorilla?
‘What did he say to you?’ Jason’s eyes were narrowed questioningly.
She was about to launch into a word-for-word account of the conversation when she remembered what Dennis had said about Garrett being very angry concerning Jason’s disappearance. She had no idea when Garrett was going to come for his son, and she didn’t see why Jason should be in a state of apprehension until he did deign to do so.
‘I just didn’t like his manner,’ she avoided. ‘But he said he would let your father know you’re staying with us.’
Jason frowned. ‘He didn’t say anything else?’
She gave a rueful smile. ‘I’m afraid I didn’t give him chance to; I slammed the phone down!’
Jason raised amused brows. ‘I bet Dennis just loved that!’
‘I really couldn’t give a—care less about what Dennis loves,’ she dismissed. ‘Now, how about the two of you helping me get a meal ready, and then we can all sit down and have a chat?’
They had fun all crowded together in the kitchen, tripping over each other most of the time. Jason was a little uncertain what to do at first, which reminded Sarah that he probably didn’t do any of these things for himself at home, that Garrett Kingham probably had a houseful of servants to do things for them. Jason seemed to find it all the more fun because of that.
It was an enjoyable meal, her father in his element with his grandson there, the two of them managing to draw out more information about Jason’s life with his father without being too obvious about it. He certainly didn’t sound like an underprivileged child, but his visit here today meant he obviously felt something was missing from his life. Sarah only hoped Garrett Kingham realised that was his reason for coming here before venting his ‘anger’ on anyone.
If Jason found their cottage cramped after the spacious luxury he was used to he didn’t show it, and was already sleeping like a baby by the time Sarah checked on him on the way to her own bed. Her father had gone up to his room at the same time Jason had, mainly, Sarah was sure, because he didn’t want any more lectures on how irresponsible his behaviour had been concerning Jason. Jason had acted impetuously, but her father had known better than to agree without first consulting Garrett, and he knew it; Sarah considered she had said enough on the subject to make him realise that.
She smiled indulgently as she prepared for bed. Her father really was incorrigible! He—–She fastened her robe over her cotton pyjamas as she heard the sound of a car stopping outside; it was almost midnight!
It was a clear night, and silhouetted against the moonlight was the tall figure of a man with silver-blond hair. Garrett Kingham…
CHAPTER TWO (#ub75454b9-2b46-5771-86ab-035bd6b05fbf)
WELL, she had told Dennis to tell him that if he wanted Jason he was going to have to come and get him, Sarah thought ruefully as she hurried down the stairs to answer his thunderous knocking on the door before he woke her father and Jason up too; she just hadn’t expected him to get here this quickly!
She unlocked the door, barely having time to pull back the bolt at the top before the door was pushed open and Garrett Kingham strode inside without giving her so much as a second glance; the first one had been enough, ripping into her! He certainly hadn’t changed, she acknowledged as she closed the door behind him and followed him through to the sitting-room.
He was so tall he made the room seem smaller than ever, his silver-blond hair brushing against the ceiling, the width of his shoulders completely blocking her view of the painting that stood over the fireplace behind him. Green eyes narrowed as he looked at her coldly, his nostrils flared, his mouth tight. And it was still the most handsome face Sarah had ever seen, powerful and magnetic, his muscled body exuding the same power in the black shirt and black fitted denims.
As he silently continued to look at her Sarah began to shift uncomfortably. Her knee-length cotton robe matched the blue pyjamas she wore beneath it, her hair was soft and silky after its nightly brushing. She felt sixteen again, and she knew she probably looked it!
‘As instructed,’ he finally bit out. ‘I’ve come for my son.’
Like icy fragments his voice cut into her. She drew herself up to her full height of five feet two inches. ‘Jason is asleep upstairs,’ she informed him haughtily. ‘Maybe if you had arrived at a respectable time instead of—–’
‘I had to fly down from Scotland before coming the rest of the way by car,’ he rasped.
‘Oh yes,’ she taunted. ‘You left Jason alone in London while you went away on business.’
Garrett’s gaze didn’t falter, not a muscle moved in his face, and yet the anger emanating from him now seemed more intense. ‘Jason wasn’t alone,’ he told her coldly.
‘Oh no, of course he wasn’t, he had Dennis with him,’ she scorned. ‘He must be a delightful companion for a fifteen-year-old boy!’
‘Jason is hardly a boy any longer,’ Garrett bit out stiffly. ‘And Dennis isn’t supposed to be his companion!’
Looking at him now, Sarah could easily see how Amanda had initially fallen in love with this man. It also wasn’t difficult to see why he had made Amanda so unhappy after their marriage; he had the surface attraction to entice any woman, it was only on the inside that he was cold and empty, unable to love.
‘Nevertheless, you left Jason alone with him in a hotel in London—–’
‘Not that I have to explain my actions to you,’ Garrett looked at her coldly, ‘but I asked Jason to go up to Scotland with me, and he declined in favour of sightseeing in London.’
Sarah gave a perplexed frown. She doubted Garrett felt the need to lie about his motives to her, which meant that Jason had—–But no, he hadn’t actually said his father had left him in London either, only that he was sick of sitting in a hotel room; she had just assumed—–Maybe in future, with her dislike of Garrett so intense, it would be better if she didn’t assume anything about him.
‘I must have misunderstood him,’ she avoided awkwardly. ‘But that still doesn’t excuse the fact that you left him with that—–’
‘I left him with his bodyguard,’ Garrett cut in arrogantly. ‘As I always do when I’m unable to be with him myself.’
‘Bodyguard?’ Sarah repeated shakily, suddenly pale. ‘Why on earth would Jason need a bodyguard?’
Garrett’s mouth twisted. ‘Because he comes from a rich family—–’
‘A rich and powerful family,’ she amended flatly.
‘And powerful,’ he acknowledged with an inclination of his head. ‘And because kidnapping the children of the rich and powerful for ransom seems to be in fashion in the States at the moment.’
Sarah swallowed hard. ‘Then when I telephoned earlier Dennis must have thought, you must all have thought—–’
‘That Jason had been kidnapped and you were telephoning with the ransom demand, yes,’ Garrett confirmed grimly. ‘It was all I could do to prevent Dennis from coming here with me once he had relayed your message to me and I told him I knew where Jason was; he thought you were trying to lure me into a trap,’ he derided.
The thought of some six-and-a-half-foot muscle-man demanding entrance to her home made her feel ill.
‘But I assured him you were only my sister-in-law,’ Garrett taunted at her sickly pallor. ‘And that Jason had decided to pay you an unscheduled visit.’
Her eyes flashed angrily, a flush to her cheeks now. ‘How could a visit to us from Jason be anything but unscheduled?’
His mouth thinned. ‘Jason has never shown the slightest inclination before to visit you and your father.’
‘Well, obviously he now feels differently about that,’ she snapped, unable to subdue the antagonism she always felt around this man.
‘Without asking my permission,’ his father rasped harshly.
‘Does he have to ask your permission for everything he does?’ she challenged.
Green eyes ripped into her coldly. ‘Jason is still only fifteen years old, and I think taking off on a whim is a little more serious than asking to go to the damned bathroom!’
He was right, of course he was right, Jason should never have just left the way he had and worried everyone. But it was the way Garrett called Jason visiting her father and her a ‘whim’ that rankled! ‘I realise he shouldn’t have done this quite the way that he did, but I also—–’
‘How magnanimous of you,’ Garrett drawled.
She flashed him a look of intense dislike. ‘But maybe if he felt close enough to you to be able to talk to you he could have told you how curious he felt about us!’ she snapped.
