Emma Darcy - The Ultimate Choice

He rose up from the table, every line of his face drawn into haughty reserve, if I were less of a human being, I would give you every encouragement to break your foolish neck. The thought of having to deliver such news to your grandfather is sufficient inducement by itself to make me decide that you should not ride my horses. I…

'Don't bring my grandfather into this. Yesterday it was Noni. Today…'

‘It's for your own good.'

'No, it's not. It's…'

'I also wish to apologise for kissing you. With our age difference, it was a totally foolish thing to do.'

'There's no need to apologise,' Kelly insisted hotly. 'As kisses go, that was an experience worth having.'

His face tightened. 'We're not getting anywhere with this.' He eased himself off the table and walked to the chair where he had hung his trousers. He kept his back turned to her as he effected a more dignified appearance.

Hating his silence, Kelly plunged on to another tack, I haven't thanked you for returning my car. I appreciated the consideration. In fact…'

'Simple expedience!' he cut in brusquely, it would have been more of a problem to me if you'd presented yourself at Marian Park for another session of plea-bargaining.'

He swung around, formidable in his armoured control. 'You're a very forward young woman, Kelly Hanrahan,' he stated with an emphasis that had Kelly instantly bristling. 'But I will make a bargain with you,' he added in a tone that smacked of condescension.

Her temperature soared. He'd forced all the running, not her! 'You're an impossibly arrogant man, Justin St John,' she shot back at him recklessly. 'And I'm not sure I want to make a bargain with you. If you're going to pretend nothing happened between us…'

'I'll tell you what's between us,' he whipped back bitterly. 'About twelve years. And a matter of horses. And it wouldn't be the first time a woman used her body to get what she wants.'

That he could have interpreted her response to him in such a way shocked and angered Kelly. For several moments she was utterly speechless, colour ebbing and flowing in her cheeks. He watched her with hard, remorseless eyes as she struggled to bring herself under control.

'You can leave now, Mr St John. You have had your treatment. If you're not in a medical fund, that will be twenty dollars,' she bit out, then marched off to the desk in the waiting-room to do whatever paperwork was required to send him on his way.

She heard him follow her with his walking-stick, but scorned to look up until he reached the opposite side of her desk. Then she raised a frosty glare. 'I hope you appreciate how much better you're walking on that leg?'

'Yes,' he replied curtly, and the steely grey eyes met and returned her challenge. 'How long will it take to restore it to perfect working order?'

‘I don't make God-like judgements!' she snapped, too furious to feel any triumph that he was considering her advice. 'After regular therapy for a fortnight, I might be able to give you a fairly accurate prognosis. Will nine o'clock each day suit you?'

'I'll make it suit!'

He dropped a twenty-dollar note on the desk. Kelly did not bother picking it up. She wrote out a receipt, her biro stabbing at the paper in her fierce resentment.

'I won't be here next week,' she informed him as she banged down her pen, tore the page out of the receipt-book and handed it to him with icy disdain. 'But I'll leave instructions for your treatment with my replacement.'

He ignored the receipt. 'Why won't you be here?' he demanded, his eyes boring into hers.

'Because I'll be show-jumping,' she stated defiantly.

His hand whipped out and caught her around the wrist. 'Not on that black stallion!'

Her eyes flared with immovable determination. 'No matter what you do about Rasputin, I'll still go show-jumping. I've been offered other rides, and if I have to take what I can get, I will! You can't stop me!'

His fingers tightened around her wrist. 'Bring that black rogue back, Kelly, and I'll reconsider about the other horses.'

'Rasputin is the best! I can win more surely on him than any other horse.'

'And lose more surely!' was the fierce retort. 'No one has been able to ride him.'

Kelly bared her teeth. 'I can. Now, take your hand off mine, Mr St John. I might think you're using your body to get what you want.'

Every nerve in Kelly's body jangled in alarm as the tension between them gathered explosive proportions. Then, suddenly, the dangerous glitter in his eyes faded and he broke into a self-derisive laugh.

'Touché!' He released her wrist and regarded her with grudging admiration. 'I see I cannot impose my will on yours. But whether you want to believe it or not, I do have your best interests at heart, Kelly.'

'That's very presumptuous of you, Mr St John,' she replied, disdaining his claim, in case it's escaped your notice, I'm old enough to make my own decisions.'

'Then make the right one. The only sensible one!' he said in exasperation.

Another patient came through the door.

'Please… reconsider.'

The soft appeal nearly made her change her mind. She didn't want to fight with him. She wanted to please him. If he let her ride the other three horses in exchange for Rasputin… but the thought of all the years of effort, Henry Lloyd's faith in her, and Noni before that… if she compromised now, it would be a betrayal in more ways than one.

Kelly couldn't do it. She lifted pained eyes, wishing he could understand. 'I'm sorry, Justin. But at present that is quite impossible.'

He looked at her steadily for a moment. Kelly could not possibly decipher what was on his mind. 'I'm sorry, too,' he said. 'I'll leave you to your patients.' He turned on his heel and walked out the door.

Kelly wondered when she would see him again- and under what circumstances. He had given her the chance to settle out of court, so to speak. Having had his offer refused, what would he do now?

Well, it was out of her control, Kelly decided. She had done the best she could by him. She could do no more.

With an air of resignation she turned to her next patient.

It was going to be a long day.

Kelly saw her last patient out of the door. Ever since Justin St John had left that morning she had been half expecting something to happen, but the rest of the day had passed without the slightest ripple out of the ordinary.

She telephoned the judge's place to check on Rasputin. Arlene Moffat assured her that he was fine; her stable-boy had set up some jumps for Kelly, and she could come and practise any time she liked.

Kelly was tempted to drive straight out there, yet prudence dictated caution. Nothing had been resolved with Justin St John this morning, and Kelly did not think he was the type of man to tamely accept her defiance. What his next step would be, only time would tell, but Kelly did not want to risk being observed and having Rasputin taken away from her.

'I'll come out early tomorrow morning, Mrs Moffat. And many thanks to you and the judge for all you've done,' Kelly said warmly.

'Our pleasure, Kelly. And if you bring your clothes for work, you can shower and change here. That will save you some time.'

Kelly thanked her once more, and with her spirits boosted by the thought of having her favourite horse to ride again she locked up the office and went home.

Justin St John's next move stared her in the face as she drove up to the house. The palomino, the chestnut and the grey were all tethered to the fence railing.

When she could tear her eyes away from the horses, she saw her grandfather strolling down the veranda steps, wearing a huge grin on his face. Kelly's heart pounded with excitement and uncertainty as she stopped the car and leapt out.

'How did they get here, Grandpa?'