She held the magazine in her hands for long timeless minutes without looking at it. She was afraid to look at it! And she was afraid of Bethany’s single-minded interest in Jarrett; she knew better than anyone how he could hurt her young sister with his cruelty and indifference to anyone’s wishes but his own.
Finally she had to look at the magazine article; she couldn’t stop herself any longer, her breath catching in her throat at the familiar figure in the photograph, the long muscled legs, the lean thighs only just covered by the green bathing trunks, the taut stomach and powerful chest, the whole of his body deeply tanned, his chest covered with a fine sheen of dark blond hair. Lastly she looked at his face—a face little changed, the jaw still as determined, his mouth still as forceful, sensually so, his nose long and hawkish, jutting out below deeply green eyes surrounded by thick dark lashes, his brows the same dark blond, a startling contrast to the sun-bleached fairness of his hair. Bethany was right, Jarrett was devastating, although she wondered at the cynicism in his eyes, the lines of decadence beside his nose and mouth. He obviously hadn’t spent the last three years longing for Swannell—or anyone in it.
She read the article with the picture, of how his uncle had died several months ago and he was now in complete control of the King Construction Company, of how he intended extending the company more in England.
A sudden panicky thought entered Sian’s mind. Suppose he was coming to Swannell with that purpose in mind? Suppose—No, the King office in Swannell had long since closed up; Jarrett’s move to America had forced that decison. He must just be coming here out of curiosity’s sake, to see the town that had once been his home, the town that had been his stepping-stone to the multi-millionaire he now was.
She forced herself to read the rest of the article, getting lost in the maze of assets that King Construction had, although the cryptic comment at the end of the article puzzled her somewhat. Obviously it was one of those ‘in’ magazines, the type that thought you already knew the life history of its victim, and the mention of some woman called Arlette meant nothing to her. ‘And while the more than attractive Mr King is in his native England, the lonely Arlette will be cooling her heels in New York as she waits for his return. If I were Mr King I would want the lovely Arlette with me!’ came the reporter’s personal comment.
Arlette. She didn’t need to be told that this was the latest woman in Jarrett’s life; it was all too obvious. She would be beautiful, of course, would have the sophistication and raw sensuality that he liked. God, that he demanded!
Sian threw the magazine down on the bed in disgust, going determinedly down the stairs. She had wasted enough time thinking about Jarrett for one day, she doubted he would waste a minute of his valuable time thinking of the naïve teenager he had left behind him without a qualm.
It was already after three o’clock, she would have to hurry if she was to do the housework before she went back to the surgery. She hated being rushed, and inwardly blamed Jarrett King for upsetting her routine. Everyone in Swannell knew he had made a success of his life—did he have to come back and flaunt it!
She arrived back at the surgery with only a minute to spare, smiling at Chris as he came out to speak to her. He was a very handsome man, with unruly dark curls that he kept short, laughing blue eyes that could be stormy with emotion, with a tall athletic body, and he enjoyed all sports; he and Sian often challenged each other to a game of tennis—which she usually lost.
Chris and his family had come to Swannell almost three years ago, and Chris had been in partnership with Martin Cross for most of that time. Their veterinary practice was very successful.
It had been Chris’s love and gentleness with the animals he treated that had first attracted her to him, although it had taken him some time to persuade her to even go out with him. Now she wore his ring, her admiration for him having turned to love during the year they had been dating.
He bent to kiss her lightly on the lips, the door still firmly locked against the public. ‘Have a good afternoon, love?’
‘A bit hectic’ She put all thought of Jarrett King from her mind, feeling it was disloyal to Chris to even think of another relationship she had had in the past when she was engaged to marry him. ‘And you?’ she smiled.
‘Fine,’ he nodded, sitting on the edge of her desk. ‘Feel like going out to dinner tonight?’
Her brows rose. ‘What are we celebrating?’
‘Nothing,’ he smiled, looking boyish despite his thirty years. Sian had to resist the impulse to smooth back the unruly lock of dark hair from his forehead. ‘You’re looking beautiful, it’s a lovely day, and I think we can afford to go out for one meal,’ he teased.
She didn’t dispute that fact, knew they had enough saved for several meals if they wanted them. They had been saving hard lately, allowing little for luxuries, perhaps a nice meal out was what they needed. ‘I’d like that,’ she agreed, smiling ruefully as the doorbell rang. ‘Your first customer.’ She stood up to unlock the door.
He grimaced, kissing her lightly on the mouth once again. ‘Let’s hope it’s a nice quiet hamster to start with. They can bring the snakes in later!’
Sian was laughing as she opened the door. Several weeks ago the local zoo had made an urgent call to Chris about one of their reptiles, and when he got there he found it was a boa constrictor! She had a feeling he regretted being on call to the zoo after that visit.
The next couple of hours passed quickly, with a constant stream of cats and dogs and rabbits needing Chris and Martin’s expert attention—but no snakes, thank goodness! For Sian her time at work always passed with high speed, mainly because no two days were the same and because she enjoyed what she was doing.
It was seven-thirty before she and Chris were ready to leave, Chris driving to her home so that she could change her clothes for going out. Chris came into the house with her, and went straight into the lounge to sit with her father, the two men getting along with an easy familiarity.
Bethany was on the telephone when Sian reached the top of the stairs, and she gave Sian a startled look before ringing off and following Sian into her bedroom. ‘You’re early,’ she frowned.
‘It’s almost eight,’ she shrugged.
‘Oh,’ her sister gave a light laugh, ‘in that case you’re late. I—er—Are you staying in this evening?’
‘No, as a matter of fact I’m going out.’ Sian gave Bethany a sharp look. ‘You aren’t bringing Jeremy here again, are you?’ she frowned. ‘You know Daddy can’t stand him.’
‘Jeremy and I broke up ages ago,’ her sister dismissed impatiently. ‘Well, at least a week ago,’ she amended ruefully. ‘No, I just wondered because I’m going out too.’
‘And?’
‘I—Could I borrow your black blouse?’ Bethany asked breathlessly. ‘It looks really good with my grey velvet trousers. You aren’t going to wear it, are you?’ she added hopefully.
‘No.’ Sian laughingly threw the blouse to her sister. ‘Thank goodness I’m taller than you and so none of my dresses fit you, otherwise you’d be borrowing all of my clothes!’
Bethany stood up to leave, looking a little hurt. ‘You can borrow anything of mine you want.’
‘Not tonight,’ she refused, her sister’s taste in fashion tending to be a little too young for her, her own style tending to be smart and well-tailored rather than strictly fashionable. ‘Have a good time,’ and she hurried to use the bathroom first.
‘You too,’ Bethany said absently.
Sian had no doubt about enjoying herself. Chris was always good company, and the food at the Raven restaurant was excellent without being too much of a strain on the pocket. It was a quietly intimate