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Tears choked her throat. “Do we even know that for sure? Why do Kieran and Alex act so strangely whenever they see one another? If I didn’t know better, I’d say Alex was Kieran’s woman of mystery. She certainly looks the part. Maybe they think they’re related? Maybe that’s what they’re afraid of?” She broke off, emotionally exhausted.
Guy’s dark eyes cut to her distraught profile. “Alan Callaghan was the father of Annabel’s child.” His voice had the ring of certainty. “Don’t make yourself sick toying with a fantasy. Although there is something odd in Kieran’s relationship with my sister. Whatever it is, it’s definitely not what you’ve just thrown in. You can get that out of your head right now. However your father won your mother—whatever method he used—it has haunted him. Believe me, Alana, Kieran is his son. Do you really think my father would have let his own child get away from him? Your mother alone made the decision to marry your father. She could not be dissuaded. Anyway, as a family you always gave the appearance of being happy. You were happy. Leave it at that, Alana. There’s nothing to be gained by asking too many painful questions to which you might never get an answer.”
Even so, immense frustration was building in her chest. “When I was a girl I used to hero-worship you,” she said in a tight voice.
He kept his eyes on the road. “You said that with such a mix of emotions. Am I going to have to do battle for you, Alana? You know I want you. I’m having trouble thinking of anything else but wanting you.” He lifted a hand off the wheel to touch her cheek.
Her body was swept by the sharpest aches and longings. Don’t you dare cry, she admonished herself. But her feelings were reflected in the melancholy tone of her voice. “So we start an affair? Is that it? Because you want me? For how long? What happens when it’s all over?” She turned her head to stare at him. “What could be the terrible result? For that matter, how do you know I won’t trap you into marriage? Even for you, someone renowned for never making a mistake, it wouldn’t be difficult. I could swear to be on the pill when I wasn’t. It’s been done before today. We both know of cases in the Valley.”
“You could never trap me,” he said. “The man who gets you, Alana, will be walking off with a prize. And let me correct you. I’ve made plenty of mistakes. Not, however, with women. Anyway, that’s not the way you are. You don’t have a dishonourable bone in your body.”
“I hope not.” Everything about him went deep with her. It was so much worse since they had crossed that dividing line. This man had the power to break her heart. She might be like her father. Some broken hearts never mended. “Do any of us truly know what we are until crisis time?” she asked. “Was Kieran’s conception just an accident?”
Guy’s face darkened. “Please, Alana, forget it.”
“Easier said than done. Maybe much of life is a series of accidents? What do you really want of me, Guy? I must tell you I’m no plaything to be enjoyed and then thrown away.”
“You think I see you as a plaything?” he asked with a flare of anger. “I don’t fall into the emotionally screwed up category, Alana. And in case you’ve started thinking revenge; forget it. Revenge is not in my heart. We both know we’ve always had a connection, though I suppose both of us have done our best to cover it up. I was older when you were just growing up. It made a difference. Then.”
Hadn’t his position, his charisma, his experience and sophistication kept her in awe for a long time? She stared out of the window for a few moments. “Were you ever sleeping with Violette?” she asked finally. She couldn’t stop herself. That was the other thing. His relationship with her cousin.
Guy’s mouth twisted. “Okay—yes! I was for a while. I won’t lie to you. My mother was very much in favor of Violette. I guess you don’t understand why. I don’t know that I do myself,” he said wryly. “But Violette can be very charming when she puts her mind to it. She knows how to insinuate herself with the right people. I’m sure you know what I mean. But our relationship couldn’t go beyond a certain stage. We’re very different people. Violette will find someone to suit her. I’ve had plenty of girlfriends. You know that. Most of them are still my friends. I’ve never deliberately hurt a woman. The very last person I want to hurt is you.”
“But despite your best intentions it could all turn out very differently,” she said quietly. “If we became close, our differences might stand out.’
“Does that worry you?” he asked. “I’ve known you all your life, Alana. I haven’t seen any essential differences. We’re not opposite poles. We both love the land. Not everyone sees it as we do. We need this life. We love Nature. We feel its healing power.”
“It hurts me to know you slept with Violette,” she admitted. “Your affair—whatever it was—lasted quite a while. She must be good in bed.”
A groan came from the back of Guy’s throat. “Alana, even for you I can’t kiss and tell. Did you want me to lie to you? Sex happens. I made no promises to Violette. I didn’t lead her astray. We really weren’t half as close as you seem to think. There’s a thousand times more excitement in touching your cheek.”
“So we’re going to have a sexual relationship?” If so, she might lose herself for ever!
“That’s what I want! I think we’ve gone past the stage where we can remain good friends.”
“Would you like it if I said I’ve slept with Simon?”
He turned his head briefly. “No, I wouldn’t,” he said, unmistakably emphatic. “But you haven’t. I’m thinking Simon has to be the Sir Galahad of the Valley. He adores you. It must have been very hard for him, treating you all this while as his best pal.”
“He is my best pal, that’s why!”
“What would I be, then?” He shot her a challenging glance. “Come on—tell me, so I’ll know.”
She began to count out on her fingers. “You’re a man with a lot of influence. You have a lot of power. And, yes, you have loads and loads of money.”
“Would you marry me for my money?”
“Of course I wouldn’t. Anyway, I’m not thinking of marriage at this stage.”
“What about six months from now?”
“You’re fooling,” she said shortly. She could see the sparkle in his eyes. “Go on, have your fun.”
“You never know! Anyway, you and Simon are wrong for each other.”
A little wave of sadness swept through her. “Simon is going to be dreadfully hurt.”
“I know that, and I’m sorry. Simon is my cousin—he’s family. But we both know Simon and Rose are much better suited. Besides, Rebecca will take a completely different view of Rose.”
Alana gave a brittle laugh. “Rose is a Denby.”
“So are you. Rebecca is an odd person,” he commented unexpectedly.
“My mother used to say Rebecca ‘wasn’t quite right.’”
“And she was being kind. Keep away from Rebecca as much as possible.”
She turned her head in surprise. “Why do you say that? Anyone would think I was considering moving in.”
“Well—” Abruptly, Guy broke off what he’d been about to say. He further startled Alana by putting a warning hand on her arm. “Looks like there’s been an accident up ahead. I can spot skid marks, and there’s a gouge in that big tree that looks fresh. A vehicle might have skidded on the gravel, hit the tree, then flipped. We’ll need to take a look.”
Instantly Alana was riven by dread. Some part of her recognised that she had always been prepared for something like this. Her mother had lost her life not very far from here. Her father had told her he intended driving into town. That meant he would have had to travel this very road. Full-blown panic entered her bloodstream. The beauty of the day gave way to nightmare.
Guy stopped his car at the top of the rise, a few feet from the towering gum. An area of bark had been gouged out of the trunk, long strips of it lying around the base. Swiftly Guy got out of the car and came round to her. “Stay where you are. I can smell petrol.”
She responded by trying to get out. “I’m coming too. You can’t stop me.”
“I can and I will,” Guy said, looking grim and well capable of using force if he had to. “This is a dangerous situation, Alana. Stay put. You’re needed to ring the police and an ambulance.”
“Just tell me it’s not our car,” she implored, her hopes dimming.
Guy lifted his hand, then dropped it as if in futility. Despite himself he too was giving in to a peculiar dread. He moved off while Alana sat there, door open, making heartbreaking little keening sounds.
He was back to her in moments. “It is your car,” he said, a world of regret in his voice. “I can see your father slumped over the wheel. The petrol fumes are strong. I have to get him out of there.”
“But, Guy, the danger!” She stared up at him, wild-eyed. Could she lose Guy and her father too?
“I’ll be fine,” he insisted. “Just do what I tell you. Make those calls. There’s no real help you can give. You’ll only be in the way.”
Urgently he moved down the woody slope. The smell of petrol was worrying him dreadfully. Alan Callaghan could be incinerated—a fate not to be borne. He was either unconscious or dead.
Guy reached the vehicle, tugging with all his might at the door handle. Finally he got it open. He reached in over Alan Callaghan’s dark head to turn off the ignition, his heart flipping at the moan that issued from the injured man’s throat.
Thank God!
Guy withdrew his head for a split second, shouting back to Alana, who was standing at the lip of the slope, staring down at the crash scene. “He’s alive!” But in what condition?
Blood was running from a wound high up on Alan Callaghan’s temple. Working swiftly, fearing the situation, Guy released the seat belt, then got his arm around the man. There was no way he could leave Alan Callaghan where he was.
The car could catch fire at any minute. It would explode. Too gruesome a death! One to be avoided at all costs. There was nothing else for it but to carry the semi-conscious man up the slope. To Guy’s immense relief, Alan Callaghan roused himself, then made a definite effort to stand on his own two feet.
“I’ve got you, Alan!” Guy cried. “We have to get up the slope as quickly as we can.”
Just as he had done once before, Guy slung his arm around the big man, half pulling, half dragging him up the slope, which mercifully wasn’t steep.
Oh, Dad—Dad, what’s to become of you? Alana shook her head, her nerves raw. Was this an attempted suicide? Or had her father simply lost control of the vehicle when he’d skidded on the gravel? Going on the strength of the petrol fumes, she was terrified he and Guy wouldn’t make it up the slope until it was too late. And she was in danger herself, standing so close to the lip. But she couldn’t bring herself to move away.
I can’t face life without these two.
If anything bad happened now it would break her. There had been so many losses, her spirit would simply call it quits.
“There’s a rug in the boot,” Guy called to her. “Be quick, Alana. Get it and drape it over the back seat. I’ll put your father there. We can get him to hospital much faster than waiting for the ambulance.”
Alana ran.
Less than a few minutes after that, with Guy’s car speeding back towards the town, the Callaghan’s car exploded. It went up in a solid wall of orange flame, with sections of buckled steel flying like missiles through the sulphurous air.
CHAPTER SEVEN
THEY were sitting in the waiting room, hoping for news of Alan Callaghan’s condition.
Alana knew she would have been locked into a dark world if Guy hadn’t been with her. His strong, calm presence lent her tremendous support. He was, in fact, holding her hand. She didn’t know when he had taken it, but she wasn’t going to let go. Some time in the future, when her father had made it, she was going to thank Guy for saving her father’s life. It had been a very brave thing to do. Not everyone would have taken such a risk. Most people would have been thinking, quite naturally, of their own survival. Now her mind was dulled with shock, replaying the incident over and over, trying to fathom what had been in her father’s mind. She was leaning against Guy, her head resting on his shoulder, but she was no longer fully conscious of what she was doing.
“Lana?”
They both looked up as Kieran, with a visibly upset Buddy in tow, came into the waiting room. News of the crash had travelled with the speed of lightning. It had reached the Mangan farm in no time at all.
Alana stood up, throwing herself into her brother’s arms. They closed around her powerfully, conveying the state Kieran was in, but there was a faintly bitter edge to his voice. “What’s all this about, Lana?” he asked, his handsome face pinched. “Was it an accident, or Dad deciding to call it a day?”
She could only murmur helplessly, “I don’t know. I don’t know.”
“Well, the police will soon sort it out,” Kieran said grimly. “God, I’ll have to stop Buddy blubbing. It’s really getting to me.”
Alana looked towards the sobbing youngster. “He loves Dad.”
“Well, I love Dad too, but I’m fed up with all this. What was in Dad’s mind? Doesn’t he care about us at all? Doesn’t he care how we would feel afterwards?”
Clearly Kieran thought it was a failed suicide attempt.
Guy, on the other hand, was by no means sure of that. He decided to intervene. Alana looked pale enough to faint. “It could well have been an accident, Kieran,” he said, joining them.
“Or Dad determined on taking his last ride,” Kieran said in a choked voice. “We can’t thank you enough, Guy. You’re a hero.”
“Forget that!” Guy brushed all mention of heroism aside. “I did what you would have done in the same circumstances.”
“You’re a hero in my book,” Kieran repeated firmly, suddenly turning on the weeping Buddy. “For goodness’ sake, Buddy, quit it!” It was obvious he was in no mood to listen to Buddy’s choking sobs, which had started the very minute they got the news.
Guy twisted about to get an arm around Buddy’s slight shoulders. “You’ve got to be strong now, Buddy. Think you can do it?”
“I’m a bit of a mess right now, Mr Radcliffe,” Buddy said pitifully.
“We all are, Buddy. But we mustn’t slip into despair.”
Buddy rolled his eyes. “You were willin’ to go down to a rolled car that was threatenin’ to blow up! I call that mighty brave.”
Incredibly brave, Alana thought.
“It wasn’t about bravery, Buddy,” Guy said, finding being labelled brave a burden. “It was doing what had to be done. Now, let’s forget it.”
I’ll never forget it! Alana thought.
Minutes later Simon and Rose hurried in, both showing their concern. “When we first heard there had been an accident Simon nearly went off his head,” Rose confided to Alana quietly. “We had absolutely no idea at that point it was your father. Simon thought it was you. Maybe there’s a lesson to be learned in that. He loves you, Lana. Only you.”
Alana looked into Rose’s blue eyes. “He’s there for me, Rosie as I’ll always be there for him. Oh, look—” her gaze went past her cousin “—it’s Dr Pitman.”
They all rose to their feet. They all knew Bill Pitman, who was in his early fifties and had a shock of pure white hair. He was the hospital’s cardiologist and head of the emergency team.
“Okay,” Pitman announced briskly, but with sympathy and understanding. “Alan has had a heart attack. It was that which caused him to lose consciousness at the wheel. Our immediate goal has been to ease his pain and discomfort. Now we have to clear the blocked coronary artery and restore bloodflow to the heart.” He turned to Guy. “Only you acting so quickly, getting him to the hospital in time, Guy, after pulling him out of the car, has ensured his survival. I won’t beat about the bush. Alan is a sick man. We all know he hasn’t been looking after himself. I’m going to keep him here for a day or so. I want to run more tests. He’ll need bypass surgery, so be prepared for that.”
“Can we see him?” Alana asked, experiencing a degree of relief that it had been an accident and not attempted suicide.
“For a moment only.” Bill Pitman smiled gently. “You and Kieran. Your father is groggy. He needs to be kept quiet.”
“Of course.” Guy, who had saved Alan Callaghan’s life, nodded his head on behalf of the rest of them.
The fact it had been an accident made quite a difference, Guy thought. He could see the relief neither Alana nor Kieran was able to keep out of their faces. Bypass surgery had a high success rate. With the proper care Alan Callaghan had many more years of life left. What he had to do was make huge change to his lifestyle. That was if he really wanted to live.
Alan Callaghan’s quadruple bypass was scheduled for ten days’ time. He was sent home on medication. There was no question of his touching alcohol. Alana was certain he’d make no attempt to, even when no one was around. Not that he was left on his own for any length of time. Kieran was managing the farm almost single-handedly. She devoted her time to her father watching him like a hawk, and when she took a short break Buddy, who had moved into the house from the cottage, was at hand.
“A man’s never alone for five minutes!” Alan Callaghan pretended to growl. “Can’t even go to the lavatory on my own.” It was true Buddy followed him there, on sentry duty outside the door.
The Wine Festival Dinner-Dance was to take place on the Saturday night, but Alana had no thought of going. She had to be home with her father. She was going to be extremely nervous until he had his operation, and stood over him while he took his medication. Simon came over frequently—mostly to see Alana, but genuinely concerned for her father’s health.
“Surely Buddy can watch your dad for a few hours?” he suggested. “He looks all right to me. In fact much better.” That at least was true.
“There will be other dinner-dances, Simon,” she said. “Take Rose. You and she have been spending a bit of time together, I hear.”
“Bless her. She’s been a big help when I’m really busy,” Simon said quite fondly. “It’s just as you said. There’s a lot more to Rose than meets the eye.”
“Gosh, I would have thought what meets the eye was good enough for most guys,” Alana said. “Maybe Rose is having a calming influence on you? As for me—one part of me is really sorry I’m missing out, the other knows where love and duty lie.”
But her father when he found out, wouldn’t hear of her missing out on the big night. “Alana, I won’t sleep until you tell me you’re going. I’m as right as rain, my girl. Haven’t you been noticing how much better I am? Would you deprive your father of the pleasure of seeing you all dressed up and winning The Naming? Think about it. I’d be far happier seeing you go off to the ball than seeing you sitting home with me. I can watch some television. Buddy will keep me company. Buddy’s perfectly capable of keeping an eye on me. As if I need it! I can’t have you worrying yourself sick about me. I want you to go.”
Alana had a problem. She didn’t have a dress.
Kieran worked close to the homestead while Alana took a quick trip into town. There were two excellent boutiques. Maybe she could find something to fit her budget?
She was coming out of the first boutique, having tried on several lovely but too expensive garments, intending to move on to another shop to check out what they had in stock, when a well-bred but severe-sounding voice hailed her.
