Sister Of The Bride

by Valerie Parv

  Swallowing a lump which had wedged itself in her throat, Terise forced a smile. ‘How nice. I thought of taking the children on a picnic.’

  ‘Then we’ll combine the two,’ Ryan announced. ‘It’s time I saw something of Trudy and Lisa.’

  Cecily looked put out. ‘Surely a bushwalk is too strenuous for the little ones.’

  They were likely to leave Cecily standing, if she but knew it, but Terise kept silent, hoping that Ryan would take the hint and let them go their own way. She didn’t care to spend a whole day playing gooseberry in any case. ‘We’ll be fine on our picnic,’ she insisted.

  A frown darkened Ryan’s features. ‘No doubt you would. But, as their father, I’ve made my decision.’

  ‘In that case, Terise should come along to take care of the children,’ Cecily conceded, a smile hovering around her mouth without reaching her eyes.

  ‘Terise was invited on her own merits. It’s time she had a day off. I’m sure you and I can handle two six-year-olds between us.’

  Terise looked from Ryan’s set face to Cecily’s barely concealed dismay. What was Ryan up to? Was he trying Cecily out as mother material? The thought sent a tremor of reaction through Terise until she caught herself. It was only logical, if he was considering a future with Cecily, that his children should get to know her.

  Somehow, the thought gave Terise little comfort.

  CHAPTER SIX

  TERISE stared out of the bedroom window in dismay. The weather in the southern highlands was notoriously unreliable. Why couldn’t it have rained today, instead of dawning sunny and clear?

  She sighed. There was to be no escaping Ryan’s plans for the day. They would all go bushwalking together, one big, happy family. She wasn’t even on duty today, able to hide behind her responsibilities to Trudy and Lisa.

  The pity of it was that under other circumstances she would have adored bushwalking in the beautiful highlands. It was the company which didn’t appeal to her. Cecily had made it plain that she didn’t want Terise along, so she was unlikely to be pleasant company. It promised to be a long day.

  So she was pleasantly surprised when Cecily greeted her warmly when she joined the others for breakfast. The other woman even helped Trudy and Lisa with their breakfasts, Terise noted in surprise. Cecily was taking seriously Ryan’s injunction that it was to be Terise’s day off.

  She was also demonstrating her suitability as a mother, Terise noticed with a twinge of dismay Her reaction troubled her—particularly the sense of possessiveness which ripped through her at the sight of Cecily tending to the twins.

  By the time they set off she had the beginnings of a tension headache, and could only hope that the fresh mountain air would clear it.

  They were heading for Mount Gibralter, known locally as the Gib, a famous landmark between Mittagong and Bowral. Rising almost nine hundred metres, it was known for its walking tracks and look-outs ranged around the rim of the old volcanic peak.

  Marcus dropped them off along a reservoir service road off the Old Bowral Road. ‘We walk from here,’ Ryan told the excited six-year-olds.

  Terise regarded the start of the service road with some misgivings. ‘Maybe Cecily’s right. This looks awfully steep,’

  ‘It’s all right, only the first kilometre or so to Mittagong Look-out is uphill,’ he assured her.

  There was nothing for it but to shoulder the light day-pack he handed her and follow him. Cecily shepherded the children ahead of her, until they were between her and Ryan, with Terise in the rear. She told herself that it was the headache making her feel so stupidly sorry for herself.

  ‘Enjoying the walk?’ She started when Ryan appeared at her elbow. She hadn’t noticed him slipping back until he was level with her as they followed a spur crest towards the first look-out.

  ‘It’s beautiful,’ she admitted, gesturing towards the distant views of the western gorges and mountains.

  ‘It occurred to me that I might owe you an apology,’ he said, drawing a look of surprise. ‘I did rather hijack your plans for today.’

  Was he regretting bringing her along, when he would rather have had Cecily to himself? ‘It’s no problem,’ she said with forced lightness. ‘The children are having a wonderful time.’

  ‘After being confined to a city apartment?’

  She lowered her head. ‘I had no right to criticise your lifestyle.’

  ‘No, but you did it anyway.’ He touched a finger to her chin, lifting her head to meet his eyes. ‘And I have the feeling you’ll do it again if you see the need.’

  At his satisfied grin, she felt answering sparks leap into her eyes. ‘No doubt—if only to give you a change from all those yes-men in your organisation.’

  A devilish smile was his response. ‘So you think I keep yes-men on my team?’

  Recoiling in mock-horror, she lifted her hands palms upward. ‘Of course not. I’m sure they say no when the boss does.’

  His compelling grey eyes narrowed warningly. ‘How long is it since somebody turned you over their knees?’

  ‘Oh, not since I started taking self-defence classes,’ she snapped back, concerned with the turn the conversation seemed to be taking. Sparring with her when Cecily was only a few metres away was in the poorest possible taste, and Terise. was annoyed with herself for responding.

  A single line of irritation angled across his brow. ‘You have no need of self-defence around me, Terise.’

  Oh, no? What she really needed around him when he was this close was a four-metre-high barbed wire fence—preferably electrified for good measure. Dressed for hiking, in moleskins, denim shirt with the sleeves rolled back and a bushman’s hat resting far back on his head, he looked infinitely more dangerous than in a suit and tie.

  The outdoor clothes emphasised his hawklike demeanour, making him appear fitter and leaner than usual. Sunlight glowed in a band across his charcoal hair, giving it an almost metallic gleam. It was tempting to reach up and brush back the strands straying across his wide forehead.

  Her throat dried. ‘No?’

  He drew a heavy breath. ‘No. I may have a reputation for toughness in business, but it doesn’t extend to my treatment of women and never has.’

  Not even with Clair? she wanted to ask. His electric gaze was so forthright that Clair’s letters might have been describing another man entirely. Unless...

  Terise drove down the thought that she could be falling under his spell. She was certainly in danger of losing her objectivity. The thought made her pick up her pace. ‘The children are getting too far ahead.’

  His hand grasped her elbow, forcing her to stop. ‘Cecily’s with them. They’ll wait for us at the look-out. First, I want to know what’s eating you.’

  Panic coiled through her, although she managed to keep most of it off her face. Did he suspect who she was? ‘Why do you ask?’ she stammered.

  ‘The way you look at me with those haunted eyes, as if you’re waiting for me to turn into a monster. I thought it was because I ruined your plans for today, but if that’s not the answer, what is?’

  It was so close to the truth that she felt herself going white. She was waiting for him to turn into the monster of Clair’s letters. But the longer she waited, the less likely it seemed. Or else she was already so far under his spell that she could no longer see him as he really was. It was a possibility which hadn’t occurred to her when she’d hatched her scheme to discredit him. Now, even if she found something incriminating about him—and it seemed increasingly unlikely—would she have the will to use it?

  ‘I don’t know what you mean,’ she whispered, aware that she was betraying herself with every sharply drawn breath.

  One eyebrow canted accusingly. ‘No, Terise? When we first met, I suspected you of having a hidden agenda. I thought you might be angling for marriage, but you denied it. But something’s on your mind, and I intend to find out what it is.’

  She jerked her head towards the look-out. ‘We should go on. Cecily’s waiting.�
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  A light glinted in his smoky gaze. ‘Is Cecily the problem, Terise?’

  No, she wouldn’t allow herself to think so—far less have him suspect it. She managed a defiant toss of her head, angling her hair to conceal the flush which rose to her cheeks. ‘She will be unless we get up there.’

  He bit off a sound which might have been an expletive, and picked up his pace, forging a path to the look-out with a speed which sent stones showering past her. The twins attached themselves to each arm and towed him towards the look-out.

  Behind him, Cecily watched, a satisfied smile on her delicate features. She had evidently noticed the alacrity with which he had rejoined her, and had put her own interpretation on it.

  Despite the beauty of the walk, the day was ruined for Terise from that moment. She had done the right thing, urging him to rejoin Cecily, but she had a hard time making herself believe it. There was still a feeling of wrongness about the situation, as if she had completely misread it in some important way.

  Fortunately the children’s chatter masked her withdrawal as they picnicked in a forested glade in the former volcanic crater. She was aware of Ryan’s eyes on her, as if they were laser beams searing her skin, but he left her alone and she tried to tell herself that she was glad.

  Trudy and Lisa’s feet were starting to drag by the time they headed down a steep section of track towards a farm, where Ryan had arranged for Marcus to meet them with the car.

  Surrogate motherhood had lost its appeal for Cecily, too, and Terise was once more in charge of the twins. She didn’t mind. Their chatter helped to keep her mind off Ryan, striding ahead of her as if the walk was just starting instead of almost over. Where did he get his boundless energy?

  ‘Look, Terise. Look where Lisa is.’

  Following Trudy’s outstretched arm, Terise felt her heart leap into her mouth. While she had been distracted with Trudy, Lisa had slipped ahead. Spotting an echidna halfway down a steep bank, she had climbed down to investigate. One slip and she could tumble all the way down the mountain.

  ‘Lisa, hold tight to that tree beside you,’ Terise instructed, draining all fear from her voice so as not to alarm the child.

  Lisa looked up, her tiny face strained. ‘I’m stuck. I can’t get back up.’

  Dropping to her knees beside Trudy, Terise said softly, ‘Very carefully run ahead and bring Daddy back here.’ As soon as the child had moved off, Terise cinched her lower lip between her teeth and began to inch her way down towards Lisa. ‘Here’s my hand, darling. Reach as far as you can, but don’t let go of the tree with your other hand until I tell you.’

  She almost wept with relief when the tiny hand curled around hers. Anchoring herself to a tree with her free hand, she began to pull the little girl up. ‘You can let go now, Lisa, I’ve got you.’

  Her palm was red-raw from gripping the branch by the time Lisa was close enough to grab. Suddenly the child’s weight was taken as Ryan lifted her clear. He set her safely on the path above. ‘Don’t move an inch, young lady. I’m going to get Terise.’

  Determined not to wait for him, Terise began to climb the slope under her own power, but the bank had been eroded by water and gave under her before she reached the top.

  With lightning speed Ryan snatched at her hand, saving her from going over the embankment, but she felt her ankle twist awkwardly under her.

  Although she bit back her cry of pain, she only half succeeded. Ryan abandoned all caution and hurtled down the bank in a shower of stones. Bracing himself against a tree, he gathered her into his arms. ‘I’m all right,’ she insisted.

  His mouth was set into a grim line. He looked like a human gauntlet—beyond argument, even if she’d had the strength. ‘I’m carrying you up.’

  The heat from his broad chest radiated through her as he hooked an arm around her body and another under her knees, carefully keeping her injured ankle clear as he lifted her up the steep slope. Compared to Cecily, she must be a leaden weight, but he gave no sign of it, transferring her to the safety of the track as if she were no heavier than Lisa or Trudy.

  When she went to unfasten her boot, he stayed her hand. ‘Better leave it on for now. The boot will control any swelling until I can get you to a doctor.’

  Feeling foolish, she shook her head. ‘It’s nothing serious. If you help me I’m sure I can walk back to the car.’

  ‘You’re going to need all those self-defence lessons if you expect me to let you try.’

  ‘But you can’t carry me.’

  ‘Can’t I?’

  Before she could utter another word she was back in his arms, all resistance crushed by the force of his hold on her. At his instigation the twins attached themselves to Cecily, who followed them down the remaining distance to the paddock where Marcus was waiting.

  Soon afterwards Marcus took Cecily and the twins home while Ryan waited with Terise in the rooms of a medical specialist, who had opened his surgery at Ryan’s instigation especially to treat her.

  Ryan maintained a brooding silence as they waited for the results of her X-rays. Probably furious with her for spoiling an otherwise perfect day. ‘I’m sorry about this.’ She gestured towards her leg, elevated on the examining-table.

  Ryan swore caustically. ‘You can hardly be sorry for saving Lisa from a bad fall. What I want to know is why you had to go down there yourself. I was only metres ahead of you on the track.’

  At his furious tone she lowered her head, his anger paining her more acutely than the ache in her ankle. ‘I didn’t want to startle Lisa by calling out.’

  ‘So you decided to risk your own neck. Don’t you realise you could have been killed?’

  She kept her features rigid, absorbing his anger. It was probably a reaction to seeing his daughter in danger, and had nothing to do with Terise herself. She was relieved when the doctor rejoined them, clipping her X-rays to a light board and studying them with professional detachment.

  Ryan moved to stand at the man’s shoulder, his eyes assessing the films. ‘Nothing broken, thank heaven.’

  The doctor nodded. ‘I didn’t think so, but I wanted to check for hairline fractures. If you keep her off that foot for a day or so, she’ll be fine. I’ll give you some painkillers she should take to get a good night’s rest.’

  Terise felt an almost irresistible urge to call out, ‘Hey, I’m over here.’ It was her ankle, but the doctor had acted as if the problem was Ryan’s.

  She soon found out why. ‘I’ll send your wife some crutches, so she can move about without putting any weight on the ankle. But she should stay off it as much as possible.’

  She waited for Ryan to correct the doctor’s assumption but he merely nodded and said, ‘Fine. I’ll see she follows your orders.’

  They left, with Terise managing awkwardly on the crutches and wishing she could wave a magic wand to make her ankle carry her away as far and as fast as possible. Hearing her name coupled with his had caused a reaction every bit as exquisitely painful as the one in her foot.

  She’d hated being linked with him, she tried to tell herself, but had to quell a suspicion that she was being less than honest with herself.

  All was quiet when the taxi Ryan had arranged dropped them back at Westmoreland. Ryan had spoken to the children by mobile phone, arranging for them to spend the night with the caretakers, Kate and Patrick, by the same means. The couple adored the twins, and were only too pleased to have them for the night.

  ‘I feel terrible about this. Kate and Patrick shouldn’t have to do my job,’ she grumbled, more to herself than at anyone.

  ‘They’d be offended to hear it called a job,’ he pointed out as he helped her into the house and settled her on a couch in the living-room. ‘They see themselves as unofficial grandparents.’

  All the same she felt useless. If only she hadn’t been so stubbornly determined to climb up the bank by herself, she wouldn’t be in this fix. ‘At least let me prepare some dinner,’ she volunteered. ‘I can do it on crutches w
ell enough.’

  ‘You’ll do no such thing.’ His tone brooked no argument. ‘The crutches are for essential movements only. That doesn’t include waiting on me.’

  ‘What about Cecily?’ She couldn’t imagine the delegate being too pleased at having to prepare her own meal.

  ‘Cecily’s on her way back to Sydney. With you injured she thought things might become difficult, so she decided it was better if she left.’

  He didn’t sound pleased about it, Terise thought abjectly, reading her own interpretation into his chill monotone. ‘This won’t affect her vote on the Sydney bid, will it?’ she ventured, horrified to think that her stubborn pride might have undermined his hard work.

  His jaw clenched. ‘At this moment I couldn’t give a damn about the vote.’

  He sounded as if he meant it, and she sighed inwardly. If he wasn’t worried about Cecily’s vote, it must be the woman herself he missed. Terise couldn’t imagine anything else which would have stirred such intense anger. ‘She didn’t have to leave because of me. I’d have been fine resting in my room.’

  ‘The fact remains that she has left, and hiding yourself away won’t change anything. So why don’t you stop trying to take the blame for all the world’s ills and let someone else take care of you for a change?’

  She didn’t have much choice. But misery gnawed at her as she suffered him making a bed around her on the couch. Every movement caused her ankle to bark a protest, but she maintained a tense silence, determined to cause him no more problems.

  Moments later he was back, with a glass of water and one of the doctor’s painkillers. ‘Did you think I wouldn’t notice?’ he asked softly, in response to her questioning glance.

  His troubled, half angry expression made her wish he was less perceptive, but arguing would only annoy him more, so she swallowed the capsule with the water. ‘Thank you.’

  Of course he was angry with her, she thought, hearing him moving around the kitchen. Despite his assurance that Cecily’s vote wasn’t an issue, Terise couldn’t help worrying about the delegate’s abrupt departure. Terise’s presence on the bushwalk had annoyed her to begin with. The accident had probably been the last straw.