Tangled Hearts

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Garrett drew in a harsh breath, his expression contemptuous. ‘On the basis of a few hours’ acquaintance with Jason you have decided that I’m a totally unfit father who at best ignores him, and at worst browbeats him?’

‘No, of course not—–’

‘It certainly sounds like it to me!’

‘It wasn’t just that—–’

‘No, I forgot,’ he rasped. ‘There’s also the fact that you already disliked me intensely and would gladly believe anything anyone said against me!’

It had never been difficult to hate this man, it was true, to hate the way he had preferred Amanda not to visit her family after they were married, the pain he had caused Amanda during their marriage, until it became so impossible for her to live with a man who didn’t love her that she had finally left him and come home, only to be killed in a motorway pile-up the day after her arrival back in England. Garrett Kingham had arrived in time for Amanda’s funeral, and after the service he had told them he was taking Jason back to the States with him. The five-year-old boy was all they had left of Amanda, and Sarah could see how it was breaking her father’s heart to part with him too. But Garrett was immune to their pleadings, until finally, impatiently, Sarah had flown at him, screaming and kicking as she told him how much she hated him.

She had been sixteen then, her body mature but her emotions still those of a child, and all she had been able to think of was that he had hurt her sister and that he was taking Jason away from them too. She was a woman now, but she still hated him.

She looked at him coldly. ‘Maybe that’s because it’s always so easy to believe!’

He sighed. ‘Sarah, it’s late, I’ve had a long journey to get here, and I’m in no mood to argue with you.’

She stood firm in spite of the lines of tiredness she could now see beside his eyes and mouth. She didn’t want to think of this man as vulnerable, because that would make him human, and she knew that was something he wasn’t. ‘I told you, Jason is asleep, and, unlike the last time you dragged Jason out of his bed and away from us, I am now all grown-up and more than capable of handling you without resorting to violence!’

She wished she had never issued the challenge as his narrowed gaze moved over her insolently in a totally male assessment, making her instantly aware of her own inadequacies. She didn’t need Garrett Kingham’s contempt to tell her that although she was slender enough her body certainly wasn’t of the shape to drive a man wild with desire, just as she also didn’t need him to tell her that, although she and Amanda had a surface similarity, Amanda was the one that had sparkled and charmed, while she just quietly glowed.

Garrett’s mouth quirked in the semblance of a smile. ‘You don’t look any different to me now than you did at sixteen,’ he taunted. ‘Or any more capable of “handling” me.’

‘No?’ she flared at his condescension. ‘Then perhaps you would like to try and take Jason away again?’

His eyes narrowed to icy emerald slits. ‘I don’t like being threatened, Sarah.’

‘Really?’ she challenged, her head back. ‘Well, neither do I!’

They continued to glare at each other for several tension-filled minutes, Sarah determined not to be the one who backed down—mainly because she had no idea how to stop him taking Jason away now if he wanted to do so, despite her claim to the contrary. All she knew was that Jason was no longer a child to be dragged away when he didn’t want to go, and that it would break her father’s heart a second time if by some miracle Garrett persuaded Jason to go with him now. Her mother had died twelve years go, Amanda ten years ago, and she and Jason were all her father had left. She would keep Jason here, if only until tomorrow when he could say goodbye to them properly.

Finally Garrett was the one to drop his gaze, sighing as he folded his length down into one of the fireside armchairs. ‘Do you still make a delicious cup of coffee?’ he asked wearily.

She blinked. ‘I still make the same coffee.’ She wasn’t even prepared to take a compliment about such a trivial thing from this man!

He nodded. ‘Strong, just the way I like it. Black, please.’

She wanted to tell him that it was after twelve o’clock at night, that she was tired too, and certainly not in the mood to make coffee for anyone. But despite herself she could see that he really was tired, looking all of his thirty-nine years as he relaxed back in the chair. And with that realisation came the knowledge that he must have been worried out of his mind about Jason before receiving her call, that whatever else she thought about him, he did seem to love his son.

On the few occasions she had allowed herself to dwell on the past, Garrett had always seemed ageless to her, but now she could see that the years hadn’t dealt kindly with him, that his hair wasn’t blond at his temples but grey, giving it a salt-and-pepper look, the deep lines of cynicism beside his mouth long ago having banished any claim he might have had to youth. If he had made those around him unhappy he certainly hadn’t fared any better himself.

‘Very well, Mr Kingham,’ she sighed. ‘Then I would suggest you—–’

‘My name is Garrett, Sarah, as you very well know,’ he said drily. ‘Prove you aren’t still a child and use it.’

Her cheeks were burning as she moved about the kitchen preparing the coffee. She was a teacher, had been a married woman, and yet something about Garrett Kingham reduced her to the petulant child she had always been in his presence. How could Amanda have ever fallen in love with such a man, despite his surface attraction?

Amanda had been beautiful all her life, could have had her pick of any of the local young men who always seemed to be at the cottage to see her, and yet she had wanted to go to America to become an actress, so sure that she would be a success, despite her parents’ warning that every young girl who set out for Hollywood believed the same thing about herself, but few actually ever made it. Amanda had never actually appeared in a film, had become Garrett Kingham’s wife instead, and apparently the Kingham wives didn’t work. All Garrett required of her was that she be a mother to Jason and a beautiful hostess in his home. And Amanda had been good at both those things, had openly adored Jason, become the society hostess of Hollywood.

But even that success hadn’t been enough for the arrogant Garrett Kingham, and for the most part he had ignored the existence of his wife and son as he ruthlessly furthered his own career. He had made Amanda miserable, and he couldn’t be allowed to continue doing the same to Jason, Sarah decided determinedly.

Her expression was set aggressively as she marched back into the sitting-room with the coffee, only to have her determination completely deflated as she saw that Garrett Kingham had fallen asleep in the chair!

She put the tray down carefully, glaring at him frustratedly. He looked only slightly younger in sleep, as if even in that relaxed state he had to maintain a guard over his emotions. Or maybe it was as she had always suspected: he didn’t have any emotions that needed guarding!

No matter how tired he was he looked completely out of place in their comfortable sitting-room, dominating even in sleep. And he couldn’t continue to sleep there, he had to leave.

‘Garrett?’ She shook his shoulder gently. ‘Garrett, wake up!’

His answer was to fling her hand away from his shoulder, his eyes hostile as he glared up at her. ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ he grated harshly, straightening stiffly.

Sarah stuck her hand behind her back as if she had been burnt. ‘You fell asleep, and you can’t stay here,’ she told him abruptly. ‘I had no idea I wasn’t supposed to touch the great Garrett Kingham!’ she snapped scornfully.

Some of the tension left his body, determinedly so, it seemed, his mouth twisting wryly. ‘Believe me,’ he drawled, ‘I’m not usually averse to having a beautiful woman touch me; you just startled me, that’s all.’

She didn’t want to hear about the women in his life, or his relationship with them. He had been her sister’s husband, and as such she felt he should have kept his affairs to himself. ‘I can assure you I won’t do that again,’ she bit out stiffly. ‘I’ve brought your coffee. I suggest you drink it and then leave.’

He shook his head before drinking the black brew thirstily. ‘Not without Jason,’ he told her grimly.

Her cheeks were flushed. ‘Jason said you’re working in England at the moment; surely it isn’t going to hurt anyone if he stays with us for a few days?’ Her father had enjoyed being with his grandson so much this evening, and, while he knew Jason had to go back with his father some time, surely it didn’t have to be just yet?

Garrett’s expression was grim. ‘Maybe if he had spoken to me about it—–’

‘You wouldn’t have let him come here,’ Sarah snapped. ‘The same way you discouraged Amanda from visiting us once she was your wife.’

His eyes were narrowed, his expression cold. ‘I never stopped Amanda from coming home.’

‘I said discouraged,’ she said sturdily. ‘You made it pretty obvious you didn’t approve of her coming here.’

‘I—Sarah, let’s not rehash history that’s years old,’ he sighed wearily. ‘Jason knows better than to evade Dennis and just disappear the way that he did.’

It sounded very much as if he did, as if he had known exactly how much his actions would worry his father. ‘In my experience his behaviour sounds like a cry for your attention—–’

‘And just how much experience of parenthood have you had. Miss Harvey?’ he derided harshly.

Her cheeks were pale, her eyes stormy. ‘I only told Dennis that my name was Sarah Harvey so that you would realise who was calling; my surname is actually Croft now,’ she told him with dislike. ‘And although I may not have any children of my own I am in charge of several hundred pupils during a day!’

His eyes were narrowed as he ignored the latter, staring at the bareness of her left hand. ‘Are you telling me that you have a husband waiting for you upstairs?’

His incredulity angered her even further. ‘Not any more, but I did, yes!’

Garrett’s mouth twisted. ‘The Harvey girls seem to make a habit of “running home to Daddy” when things don’t go quite the way they want them to!’ he said with derision.

‘I didn’t have to “run home”, because David and I lived here with my father,’ she blazed. ‘And, for your information, David and I divorced amicably.’ If her six months’ marriage six years ago could be called that when it had been nothing but a disaster from start to finish!

‘Maybe if he had been man enough to demand that the two of you have your own home it wouldn’t have happened!’

She wasn’t about to tell this man that as a last resort she and David had even tried living on their own, that the marriage still hadn’t worked. ‘Don’t presume to judge my marriage when you made such a mess of your own,’ she scorned.

‘Maybe if you and Amanda hadn’t been spoilt by your parents all your lives you wouldn’t throw a tantrum every time your husband failed to spoil you too!’ he rasped harshly.

‘Oh you—you—–’

‘Yes?’ he mocked.

‘Biased idiot!’ she glared. ‘Amanda and I were loved, not spoilt. It’s obviously an emotion your family knows nothing about, you in particular!’

He rose slowly to his feet, instantly dwarfing her. ‘There are many kinds of loving, Sarah,’ he murmured softly. ‘Which type did you have in mind?’

Her eyes were wide at the sudden threat he posed towards her. How had the conversation come around to this? ‘I—no, Garrett.’ She held up her hands defensively, only to have them flattened against his chest as his arms moved firmly about her. ‘Garrett!’

‘Sarah,’ he returned tauntingly, his expression grim. ‘Whoever would have believed the little she-cat would grow up to be such a beautiful woman ?’ he mused before his head bent to hers.

His lips were cool and moist, and totally possessing as they claimed hers, and Sarah’s last thought, before she couldn’t think at all, was that this just couldn’t be happening, not to her, and with Garrett Kingham.

And then her mind went completely blank as her body acknowledged the expertise of Garrett’s mouth moving against hers, his hands roaming caressingly across her back and down to cup her bottom as he pulled her up against him. Sarah trembled as she felt the hardness of his body, gasping as she felt one of his hands move between them to unbutton her pyjama top.

His fingers were warm against her heated flesh as he undid first one button, then the second, and then the third, until her breasts were completely exposed and that hand moved confidently beneath the cotton material to cup and claim one of them.

His lips moved along the line of her jaw to tug on her exposed earlobe, before moving slowly down her throat to the breast that waited expectantly.

Sarah was trembling so badly that her knees shook, was feeling weak, and dizzy, and a hundred other emotions this man had no right to make her feel. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut as his warmly sensuous mouth claimed her throbbing nipple, opening wide with dazed disbelief as he suddenly thrust her away from him. Had he just been playing with her, teaching her a lesson she would never forget? And she knew she never would forget!

‘Cover yourself up,’ he instructed harshly. ‘Someone is coming down the stairs!’

The words were barely uttered when she too became aware of the sound of footsteps on the stairs, the heated colour leaving her cheeks as she hurriedly rebuttoned her pyjama top, Garrett stepping in front of her as the door opened, giving her the few precious seconds she needed to complete the task.

‘Garrett!’ her father greeted in some surprise. ‘I had no idea… Sarah!’ He gave a perplexed frown as she stepped out from behind Garrett.

She knew she must look flustered, although her pyjamas and robe were now refastened and tidily back in place. But her cheeks felt pale, and she knew her eyes were wide with the shock of what had just happened. And Garrett looked as coolly composed as ever.

‘Garrett was—we were—–’

‘As you’ve probably guessed, I came to take Jason back to London with me,’ Garrett cut in harshly. ‘Sarah was just trying to persuade me to let him stay on with the two of you for a few days,’ he added. ‘I’ve told her I’ll think about it. We certainly didn’t mean to disturb you, Geoffrey,’ he apologised abruptly.

Her father looked pleased at the fact that Garrett was actually considering letting Jason continue to stay with them, while Sarah felt sick at the implication behind Garrett’s words. He seemed to think that she would willingly have given him her body in an effort to influence his decision in their favour!

She couldn’t explain what had happened between them just now. She realised for the first time that hate could be as powerful an inducement to passion as love. Because she hated Garrett Kingham more than she ever had!

Damn him and his biased presumptions!

‘It doesn’t matter,’ her father dismissed, unaware of the friction between Garrett and Sarah. ‘You don’t need as much sleep when you’re older.’

Garrett gave an abrupt inclination of his head. ‘I’d better be on my way to the hotel. I’ll be back in the morning,’ he added warningly.

He was much quieter about leaving than he had been when he arrived, the car accelerating away seconds later.

‘Well, what do you make of that?’ her father mused in some surprise.

Sarah could see he was already anticipating that Garrett’s answer to Jason staying on with them would be yes. She just didn’t happen to have the same confidence. ‘I think we’ll have to see what he’s decided in the morning,’ she said resolutely.

‘I would have asked him to stay, but—–’

‘Why leave yourself open to insult, Dad,’ she dismissed, her eyes narrowed. ‘Garrett Kingham is just as arrogant as he ever was!’

Her father shook his head sadly. ‘I never could understand how Amanda became involved with him in the first place.’

Even Amanda hadn’t seemed able to explain that, but on the day she married Garrett she had been three months pregnant with his child!

Her parents had been very upset when Amanda had introduced Garrett as her husband of a week, and in the same breath announced that they would be grandparents in six months’ time. Sarah hadn’t quite understood what all her mother’s crying and her father’s shaking of head was about, although she realised it had something to do with them not approving of Amanda’s hasty marriage to Garrett Kingham. Sarah had been twelve before the full significance of Jason’s birth so quickly after the wedding had become clear to her, and by that time her mother had died and her father become resigned to Amanda’s marriage.

Her father sighed. ‘When she left here she was so determined to become an actress; it came as a great surprise when she married Garrett and settled down to being a wife and mother!’

Sarah wouldn’t have exactly called Amanda’s parties and hectic social life ‘settling down’ to anything, but she understood what her father meant. ‘Garrett has been successful enough for both of them,’ she dismissed scathingly.

‘Mm,’ her father nodded with a sigh. ‘But it hasn’t made him happy.’

She wondered if Garrett had ever been happy. Not that she particularly cared; Garrett had disturbed her life enough during the last half-hour for her to hate him more than she already had.

‘What do you think he’ll decide about Jason?’ her father frowned.

She was sure that Garrett had already decided to take Jason away with him in the morning, that he had only told her father he was thinking about letting him stay as a way of showing his contempt for her. After all, he was hardly likely to decide to leave his son in the care of a woman who had just shown him how wanton she could be. And with a man she had quite clearly shown she hated.

‘Don’t get your hopes up, Dad,’ she advised him. ‘I’m afraid my “persuasion” didn’t influence him one little bit.’

Except maybe to convince him she wasn’t a suitable companion for his son!

CHAPTER THREE (#ub75454b9-2b46-5771-86ab-035bd6b05fbf)

SARAH was dreading Garrett’s arrival this morning, dreading having to face him again after what had happened between them the previous night. Not that she really knew what had happened! Oh, she could tell herself that they were both emotionally aroused, that she had been challenging his authority over Jason, she could even say that going down to talk to him in her nightclothes was an open invitation. What she couldn’t say was why she had allowed a man she hated and despised to kiss her in that intimate way!

Her cheeks still burnt with the shame of it every time she remembered his mouth on her, those sensitively long hands against her creamy white breasts, his mouth—oh God, his mouth—–! She couldn’t stand to think of the places his mouth had roamed or the way she had been powerless to stop him!

How could she face him again knowing he had been perfectly aware of that?

Jason had greeted the news of his father’s arrival the previous night with wary hostility, only picking at the breakfast Sarah had prepared for him, despite saying he was ravenous minutes earlier.

As she cleared away in the kitchen she could see Jason and her father out on the beach now, engaging in a pebble-skimming contest, already seeming to know they would very shortly be saying goodbye. For her father’s sake as well as Jason’s she wished it didn’t have to be so.

Everyone claimed that retirement was what you worked towards all your life, to the days when you didn’t have to be a slave to your job any longer; they forgot to mention that without the job to go to there was no reason to get up in the mornings, no reason to put on a shirt and tie and make sure your appearance was neat and tidy, neither did they mention how old and useless you suddenly felt.

Her father had always been a busy and active man, until his retirement from the library, and for the last year Sarah had watched him as he became aware of all the things he no longer had without his job to go to. But Jason’s arrival had changed all that, he had seemed to have a purpose in life again. These two needed each other; she only wished Garrett could be made to see that too.

God, how she cursed what had happened between them last night! Without it she would have been able to meet Garrett on equal terms; now she felt that every time he looked at her he wouldn’t see the capable schoolteacher fighting for the happiness of two people she loved very much, but the wanton he had held in his arms the previous night.

‘Damn, damn, damn!’ She slammed the cupboard door shut after putting away the breakfast things.