Tangled Hearts. Кэрол Мортимер

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СКАЧАТЬ 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 СКАЧАТЬ