Carole Mortimer - Freedom To Love

‘There’s no need——’

‘There’s every need,’ he insisted. ‘During our brief acquaintance I’ve come to realise that you’re incapable of doing anything without something going wrong.’

‘That isn’t true——’

‘I don’t have the time to argue, Katy. Nearly everyone else is off the plane. Now, come on.’

Katy let herself be led towards the exit, furious with her sister and Gerald for leaving her at the mercy of this sarcastic man.

The air hostess who had served them during their flight was standing at the doorway. ‘I hope you both enjoyed your flight,’ she smiled at them both, although the smile was brighter as her gaze rested on Adam Wild. ‘I hope you weren’t too uncomfortable, Mr Wild. I’m sorry there were no first class seats available.’

‘That’s all right,’ he returned the smile with lazy charm. ‘I just needed a seat, I didn’t care where.’ He manoeuvred Katy so that they departed together, striding along and pulling her with him.

‘So you did try to get in first class,’ she accused in a fierce whisper.

He shrugged. ‘I tried.’

‘You do realise that the hostess was one of those girls making an offer,’ Katy scorned, having trouble keeping up with his pace, but the hand on her arm not allowing her to lag behind.

‘Too flat-chested,’ he dismissed callously. ‘A beautiful face, charming manner, but no bust.’

Katy became angry for the other girl. ‘How would you like it if you were discarded because you had too little—too little———’ She couldn’t think of a male equivalent, at least, not one she could say to this man!

He looked down at her, one eyebrow arched mockingly. ‘Too little …?’ he prompted tauntingly.

‘If you were found lacking!’ she amended crossly.

He shrugged. ‘I’ve had no complaints so far,’ he told her calmly.

‘Well, really!’ Katy pulled away from him to join one of the queues of people waiting to pass through the Canadian passport control.

She was immediately pulled out of the queue to stand beside Adam Wild. ‘Not that one,’ he told her. ‘Not unless you have a Canadian passport. You don’t, do you?’

‘You know I don’t!’ She glared at him with angry grey eyes.

‘Then you won’t get very far standing there. It happens to be for Canadian citizens only.’

‘Well, I didn’t know that!’

‘You do now.’ He looked down at her. ‘What hotel are you staying at in Calgary?’

She eyed him suspiciously. ‘Why?’

‘So that I know which area to avoid on my way through.’ He gave a throaty chuckle at the indignation on her face. ‘You have to admit, you’re a bit of a disaster.’

‘I admit no such thing. Just because I’ve made a few mistakes——’

‘A few!’ he scorned. ‘You can’t seem to do anything without getting into trouble.’

‘I can,’ she defended. ‘But this is my first time on an aeroplane. I was nervous, frightened on occasion,’ she said with remembered embarrassment. ‘I think that’s ample excuse for those few mistakes I made.’

He shook his head impatiently. ‘Your first time in the air and you choose to fly to Canada!’ He gave her a scathing glance. ‘You could have been sick for the whole of the flight. I suppose I would have had to cope with that too,’ he finished disgustedly.

‘I didn’t ask for your help. I could have managed perfectly well on my own.’

‘Oh sure,’ he scorned. ‘You’re the epitome of cool efficiency.’

Hot colour entered her creamy cheeks. ‘And you’re the arrogant bighead I would have expected you to be! Just because I’m a little inexperienced about dealing with airport officials and——’

‘Inexperienced!’ he mocked. ‘You’re like a babe in arms. And it looks as if your sister has already gone through. Will she wait for you?’

‘Of course she will!’ Katy was still angered by her sister’s desertion of her. Some holiday this was going to be if Gemma and Gerald were going to keep leaving her out like this!

‘I hope so,’ the man at her side said grimly, ‘because I simply don’t have the time to help you out of another disaster. I’m being met.’

‘You have friends in Canada?’

‘A few,’ he nodded.

‘Female friends,’ she said knowingly.

‘Some,’ Adam Wild smiled.

‘Will she mind my being with you?’

‘She——? Oh, I’m not being met by a she, Katy. And I’m sure Jud won’t mind seeing you with me, in fact he’ll probably enjoy it.’

‘I see.’

‘Disappointed?’ he bent his head to whisper against her earlobe. ‘Would you have enjoyed being the cause of trouble between a girl-friend and myself?’

‘I might have done.’ Katy’s head was back challengingly.

He shook his head, smiling. ‘Why on earth you were blessed with such tranquil grey eyes I’ll never know. They’re at complete variance with your stormy nature.’

‘I don’t have a stormy nature,’ she snapped, immediately contradicting the statement. Blushing, she turned away.

Once they had shown their passports and collected their luggage, Katy’s brand new case, and Adam Wild’s battered holdall, they made their way outside to the curiously empty airport.

A tall man with deep red hair and laughing blue eyes detached himself from several people standing outside and made his way towards the man standing confidently at Katy’s side.

‘Adam!’ He shook his friend’s hand with unconcealed pleasure. ‘Glad you could get back so quickly.’ His accent was distinctly Canadian.

Adam grinned at him. ‘I always like to finish what I start. God protect me from jealous women!’ He grimaced.

Jud turned to look pointedly at Katy. ‘This isn’t——’

Adam laughed. ‘Good God, no!’

‘In that case … I’m Jud Turner,’ he introduced himself to Katy.

She couldn’t help returning the open friendliness of this man. ‘Katy Harris,’ she divulged shyly, still wondering what Adam Wild had meant by his remark about ‘jealous women’. Jud Turner obviously knew the answer because he hadn’t questioned the remark. She turned to Adam Wild, her smile instantly fading. ‘Thank you for your—help,’ she said reluctantly, politeness calling for some acknowledgement of the assistance he had given her. ‘If you’ll both excuse me, I have to join my sister.’

Adam nodded. ‘Take care, Katy,’ he advised with ill-concealed humour. He took another of his cards out of the breast pocket of his denim shirt. ‘Don’t tear this one up,’ he warned. ‘Call me when you get back to London.’ He put the card in exactly the same place as he had the first one.

Katy’s cheeks flamed, and she would have liked to have slapped that taunting smile off his face. Instead she removed the card and with one last glance in Adam Wild’s direction she walked off, her head held high.

‘Pretty girl,’ she heard Jud Turner remark.

‘Passable,’ Adam Wild drawled. ‘It wasn’t her face I was interested in.’

‘It never is,’ his friend returned.

Katy heard the two men laugh together and anger flared within her. So she was just a body to Adam Wild, just a faceless piece of flesh and bones that he thought photographable. God, she hated him!

GEMMA and Gerald were waiting outside the airport building. Well, at least they hadn’t gone on to the hotel without her!

‘Do hurry up, Katy,’ her sister snapped. ‘We’ve been waiting ages for you.’

She didn’t think five minutes constituted ‘ages’, but she wasn’t going to start an argument in the middle of Calgary airport. ‘Mr Wild was just helping——’

Gemma sighed, interrupting her. ‘You’ve been talking to him again!’ It was almost an accusation.