by Miranda Lee
The mare took off, cantering around the yard, playing the tease to perfection. Goldplated was after her like a shot, giving her a tender love nip here and there, nuzzling into her neck when he could get close enough. And didn't she adore the whole ritual? Shaking her head and mane, then kicking up her heels and running off some more before finally letting herself be caught in the one empty corner. There, she backed away at first, acting like a reluctant virgin. But when Goldplated looked hesitant once more, the mare suddenly whipped around and backed up towards him, her tail swished to one side with tantalising frankness.
All right, big boy, her body language screamed. I give in. Take me. I'm yours.
Goldplated reared up on his hind legs and neighed his agreement.
Then, take her, he did.
For the first time in her life Courtney's mouth went dry as she watched a mating between horses. She could not take her eyes off Goldplated as he mounted the mare. The mare neighed once, then just stood there, trembling, the stallion keeping her captive with his front legs whilst his seed pumped deep into her body. It was obvious she was in a state of bliss, her flanks quivering, her back arching a little. No one witnessing such an incredibly primitive but pleasure-chocked display could doubt that a foal would result from this union, or that Goldplated would eventually get to learn to like his allotted career.
Meanwhile, Courtney had to endure the fact that Jack was pressed up against her behind with a quite stunning erection of his own. By the time the horses parted company Courtney's whole body felt stretched as tight as a
drum. My God, she'd never been so turned on in her life! If only she could do what that mare had done, back up to Jack right here and now and whisper, 'Take me, I'm yours.'
But they weren't animals. They were human beings, constricted by standards of decency and decorum. They couldn't mate with no thought of where they were or who was watching. It just wasn't done.
With 'a struggle, she ignored her cripplingly aroused state and got on with her job as boss of Crosswinds
"That looks promising,' she called over to Sean and Ned 'What's your next move?'
'Ned's going to find him another experienced mare for next week,' Sean answered. 'I don't think we should overtax him to begin with. Best he wait awhile. He'll be more eager that way. Then another couple of mares the following week, but with some handling involved. By then, hopefully, he should be ready to service some of your own mares.
"That sounds great. Keep me posted.'
'Will do.'
'Come along, Jack,' she said, pushing him back from her with a brisk turn of her shoulder. 'We have work to do. A study to clean out and a birth certificate to find. Lord knows where Mum's put it But it'll be in there somewhere.'
She was off, almost at a trot, Jack having to stride out to keep up.
'I don't want to go up to the house,' he said 'Take me somewhere we can be alone. Right now.'
She ground to a halt and stared at him, heat zooming into her cheeks. Because she knew exactly what he had in mind. She could see it in his eyes. '
'The far feed shed,' she said before she could stop herself.
'Come on, then.' He grabbed her nearest hand, began pulling her along the path.
'Not that way,' she choked out. 'This way...'
It only took them ten minutes, walking fast. Ten long, excruciating minutes.
The far feed shed had once been a grand old barn, but was now just a ramshackle building used to house straw and feed for the horses in the far grazing paddocks. With good grass in the pastures and fresh straw only being put into stables on a Monday the odds of anyone coming in there that afternoon were remote.
But it was possible.
When she told Jack this, he said he didn't give a damn and to just get her damned clothes off. All of them.
Did that add to her excitement, knowing someone might walk in on them?
Courtney didn't know. All she knew was she would have done anything he asked. She did do anything he asked. She took off every stitch she had on then bent over two bales of straw and let him take her as Goldplated had taken the mare, let him bite her on the neck, let him pump his unprotected seed in her.
It was over almost before it began, both of them climaxing together, Jack collapsing across her back, gasping. She lay underneath his heavy, heaving chest and slowly, very slowly, got her mind back.
'Jack,' she whispered at long last 'You didn't use anything.'
He was, by this time, lying very still on top of her. Possibly exhausted, Courtney imagined.
'No,' came his rather cool reply. 'I didn't.'
A frisson of shock ripped down her spine at the thought this omission had been deliberate, not the result of an uncontrollable passion.
'Does it matter?' he 'muttered. 'You did say you wanted to start a baby straight away.'
'You know I meant straight after the wedding,' she protested, panic in her voice at the realisation his timing couldn't have been better, if it had been his intention to impregnate her.
'I don't see what difference one month makes,' he said drily. 'Unless, of course, you're planning on changing your mind after you get my money.'
'You know I wouldn't do that.'
'No, Courtney. No, I don't know that, given this adverse reaction of yours to what was really a mutual recklessness. But it's good to hear you say it.'
He levered himself off her back, but when she went to rise up as well she realised he was still inside her. Not only inside, but not totally deflated. 'No, don't get up,' he said, his voice thick. 'I haven't finished yet'
He pushed her back down with strong hands, then kept her there by massaging her shoulders and spine, swiftly bringing her back to a sensual awareness of her own not quite sated body. Her arms, which had been hanging limply down beside the bales of straw, lifted to fold and make a nest for her head. She just lay there, an odd mixture of relaxation amid regathering tension. She could feel him expanding inside her but he remained still, only his hands moving, those clever, clever hands, caressing and stroking and exploring every intimate inch of her. When she began to moan and arch her back, those knowing hands grabbed her hips and lifted her up onto her knees.
'You do it,' he urged, and showed her what he wanted.
She groaned, but obeyed, rocking back and forth, making love to him with her body, her head still down on her forearms, her eyes squeezed tightly shut. If someone had walked in on them then she wouldn't have seen them, or cared.
She was in another world, a world where nothing existed but what she was doing. She begged him to move also. But he didn't. Not till she was beside herself, till she was sobbing with frustration. Then and only then did he move, his knowing hands joining in once more, stroking her aching breasts before sliding down her stomach between her legs, touching that magical spot which shattered her apart.
She cried out his name, then just cried.
Oh, Jack...Jack...what have you done to me?
COURTNEY hung up the phone and walked disconsolately back into the kitchen. 'Jack's not coming back till Sunday, now,' she said drearily. 'He said it took him a lot longer to do everything than he realised. He also said he's got far too much stuff to fit into his car, so he's asked Lois to bring up the rest. She's coming up on Sunday as well, to pick up that horse, remember?'
Agnes glanced round from where she was standing at the sink, washing up. "The one you've been trying to skinny up?'
'Yep. That one. You know, Jack must have one heck of a lot of clothes if he can't fit them in his car. Lord knows where he'll ever wear them all.'
Agnes pulled the plug in the sink. 'I don't think it's all clothes. He promised to buy me a dishwasher while he was down in Sydney. And he said something about a computer for Sarah.'
Courtney frowned. 'He never said anything to me about any of that.'
'He wanted it to be a surprise. I'm only telling you now to put your mind at rest. I'm pretty sure he's planning on buying you something special too, so you can stop pouting.'
'I'm not pouting.'
'Oh, yes, you are. You've been in a bad mood ever since Jack left.'
'I have not.'
'You can't fool me. You miss the man. And why shouldn't you? You're in love.*
'I don't think I like being in love,' she muttered.
'Yes, I gathered that too. But you'll get used to it, in time. Jack's a good man. You'll be happy with him, if you let yourself be. But if you start carrying on like your mother did with men you'll make yourself miserable.'
'I'm not like my mother!'
'You are in some ways.'
Courtney bristled, 'Truly, whose side are you on?'
'Does there have to be sides?'
"There are always sides where men and women are concerned.'
'Who said so? Hilary?'
'No, me. They, always want the upper hand.'
Agnes shrugged. 'I don't think Jack's like that at all. He's a nice man. Kind and helpful. You should thank your lucky stars for the day he fell in love with you, because not many men would.'
'Well, thank you very much!'
Agnes shot her an uncompromising look..'I only have your best interests at heart, girl. I'm worried you're going to do something to ruin this. Jack is the best thing that's ever happened to you, and to Crosswinds. So be careful. And behave!'
Courtney only just resisted throwing at Agnes exactly what sort of man Jack was. An opportunist, that was what. A man with a ruthless agenda. A man possibly driven by vengeance against a woman he was still besotted with.
He doesn't love me, she wanted to scream. He's just using me. I'm no better than a brood mare, all paid for and properly serviced, according to plan. The bottom line is that only the baby matters to him. Not me. Not our
marriage. They're totally irrelevant. He'll divorce me as good as look at me once I've had his precious child!
This last thought brought Courtney up with a jolt. Actually, all her thoughts had jolted her. She hadn't realised they'd been lurking somewhere in her head,
Not that they changed anything. Even knowing the worst, she still wanted Jack, wanted him so badly that the wait till Sunday seemed an eternity. Yet it was only two days away. Two never-ending, miserably lonely days.
Everything inside Courtney seemed to tighten, then shatter. No wonder her mother had warned her about this kind of thing happening. It was hell. It was agony. It was unendurable!
'I'm going for a ride,' she announced abruptly.
Courtney reined the big bay gelding to a halt at the top of the highest hill on Crosswinds, a spot where the whole property was laid out before her. Her troubled eyes travelled slowly over all she owned, but, try as she might she couldn't muster up the passion she'd once had for it. All she could think about was Jack.
This was Sunday, the third day in a row she had ridden up here and just sat on her horse, thinking about him. They were terribly mixed up thoughts. One moment she clung to the hope that he did care for her, that he was done with Katrina once and for all and was genuine in his desire to embrace family life here at Crosswinds. Then, the next moment, doubts would crowd back in, fuelled by several recent incidents. First Jack's delaying his return. Then his vagueness over exactly what was taking him so long down there. Finally his taking an age to answer the phone last night, then sounding distracted when he did.
This morning her doubts far outweighed her hopes, due to an article in the Sunday paper that the minister for sport and his beautiful wife, Katrina, had parted company during the week and would be seeking a divorce. The article reported that Mr. Axelrod had been tight-lipped about the split but it was rumoured there was a third party involved. Mrs Axelrod admitted she had left her husband's harbourside mansion and was currently staying with an old friend somewhere in Sydney.
The idea that Katrina was staying with Jack had taken hold on reading this, and simply wouldn't let go.
What would she do if Jack rang her today and said he wasn't coming back after all?
The sudden sighting of dust in the distance brought her bolt upright in the saddle, her neck craning, her heart pounding. Yes! It was coming from the road to Queenswood. A vehicle, speeding towards Crosswinds.
Yet Jack wasn't due for a couple of hours. Not unless he'd started with the dawn. Maybe it was Lois. She was known to get on the road very early.
The sun burst out from behind the clouds and Courtney spotted flashes of red between the trees lining the road. Red! It was a red car. It was Jack, hurrying back to her.
Courtney sobbed with relief, then kicked her mount into an instant gallop, tearing down the hill and across the paddocks, jumping any fences in her way. She vowed not to think such negative thoughts any more, or to worry that Jack didn't love her. He liked her. He desired her. And he'd come back to her. That would do for now.
She sailed over the last fence, which brought her onto the winding gravel driveway just as Jack drove through the main gate. He braked to a halt barely metres from the horse's dancing front feet, his handsome face darkening with instant fright And a measure of fury.
'Courtney! Are you stark raving mad, jumping fences like that? What if you'd fallen?'
She grinned down at him, finding immense satisfaction in his angry concern. 'It wouldn't be the first time. You don't need to worry about me.' But it was nice that he did.
'But what if you're pregnant?'
All the pleasure in his return drained out of her. 'And if I am, am I to stop riding altogether?' she threw at him. 'Is my life going to come to a halt simply because I'm carrying Jack Falconer's child?'
'I would expect you to be sensible,' he ground out 'So, yes, I'd prefer you to stop riding.'
'I'll bet you won't stop me riding you tonight, though,' she pointed out tartly. 'After all, I might not be pregnant yet. And that's your main priority, isn't it? Getting me knocked up.'
'Courtney, for pity's sake...'
'Pity, Jack? What's pity got to do with any of this? This is nothing but a deal, remember? Your millions in exchange for my womb. Did you think all that great sex had scrambled my brains? Oh, no, Jack, I know exactly where I stand with you now.'
'And where's that, Courtney?' he asked through clenched teeth, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.
'Nowhere of any lasting value.'
'That's not true.'
'Our marriage will be a sham and you know it. So why bother? Keep your'two million pieces of silver. I'll still have your baby, since I probably already am knocked up. But I won't be marrying you. The price is just too high.'
He glared up at her for a long moment 'Lois isn't far behind me,' he said, making an effort to be calm despite the stubborn set of his jaw. 'So let's keep this argument till later.'
"There'll be no argument later. My mind is made up. No marriage, Jack. And that's final!'
His face tightened. 'You don't mean that.'
'I do.'
'I thought you cared about me.'
'I thought you cared about me? she countered, tears smarting her eyes. 'But you don't. Tell me, Jack. What took you so long to answer the phone last night? Have a visitor, did you?'
And there it was. That momentary flicker in his eyes.
Courtney paled. 'My God, Superbitch way there, wasn't she? You were in bed with her when I rang.'
'Of course I wasn't. Don't be ridiculous.'
Suspicion swiftly gave way to rage, a rage born of pain. 'Ridiculous, am I? I'll show you how ridiculous I am. I want you to turn right round and go back where you came from. Get the hell out of here and out of my life. I'll pay you back every cent, if I have to sell every damned horse I own. And let me tell you this, if I am having your baby, you are never going to see it. Never!'
Reefing on the reins, she dug her heels in and rode off even more wildly than she'd approached, uncaring of her safety, uncaring of anything. Tears streamed down her face as she jumped fence after fence, not stopping till she'd put plenty of distance between her and Jack, and only halting then because she could no longer see. She st
opped she knew not where, slid down off the gelding's sweating back, then leant against him, clutching the saddle and sobbing her heart out.
'And why would a lucky lass like you be crying your eyes out like that?'
Courtney swung round, brushing her hair back from her blotched face and blinking madly. Sean was leaning against a nearby fence, his dark eyes watching her.
Embarrassment put her immediately on the defensive. She dashed any remaining tears away with the backs of her hands, her chin lifting defiantly. 'Lucky, am I? How in hell do you figure that out?'
'You have this wonderful property. Hundreds of fantastic horses. Two very handy stallions and another who could be anything. On top of that, you'll soon be getting married to a man I hear is crazy about you.'
'Jack? Crazy about me?' She laughed. 'You have to be joking. All Jack cares about is himself!'
Sean looked genuinely taken aback. 'Are we talking about the same Jack here?'
'Who else?'
'Sarah said he was a real good bloke.'
'What would she know? She's as silly as Agnes. God, if only my mother was here. She'd understand. She'd be on my side. There again, Mum loved me,' she muttered.
'I love you too.'
Shock sent Courtney's eyes flinging wide. 'What? What did you say?'
'I said I love you too.'
'Are you mad? You don't even know me. Why, you're...you're old enough to be my...'
'Father?' he finished for her, smiling the strangest, saddest smile. "That's because I am.'
'You are what?'
'Your father.'
She just stared at him, utterly speechless.
'I'm sorry,' he went on. 'I guess I shouldn't have blurted it out like that.'
All Courtney could do was stare at him, suddenly seeing the similarities between them. The eyes. The nose.
