Riding the Storm

by Heather Graves

  ‘Right. Someone my own age, I suppose?’

  ‘Well, yes.’

  ‘Don’t you dare try to pull rank. I was there, remember, and I know you enjoyed our kissing just as much as I did. And no – I don’t want you to find me a girlfriend, Chrissie. I want you.’

  ‘But Ryan, can’t you see how hopeless it is?’ She laughed weakly. ‘We are cousins – family, and too closely related. If we’d known each other as children, we’d have grown up together and you wouldn’t have feelings for me.’

  ‘You can’t know that.’

  ‘And for me this is all too soon. Emotionally, I feel bruised. I’ve only just come to the end of a bad relationship – I need a bit of breathing space and some peace. I don’t want to be in love again. Not right now.’

  ‘And you think I do? I know it’s uncomfortable and it hurts. But we can’t always choose the ones we love. It just happens, doesn’t it? Like a bolt from the blue.’

  ‘Oh no, you’re a romantic. That’s all I need.’ Chrissie sighed. ‘You haven’t thought this through at all, have you? Can you imagine the look on my father’s face if we were to tell him—’ She broke off and her expression changed as something occurred to her, making her wince and close her eyes as if caught by a sudden pain. ‘Oh, my God. That’s it, isn’t it? That’s what this is about. You don’t love me at all – you’re just using me to get back at my dad.’

  ‘No! What are you saying? Chrissie, listen to me. How can you think I’d take cruel advantage of you like that?’

  ‘My, but you’re good. You had me going there for a moment. I almost believed in you.’ She shook her head, blinking back tears that suddenly threatened. After the way Tony had behaved towards her, her self-esteem had been badly damaged, making it hard for her to trust again. She was slipping away behind her barriers and Ryan couldn’t find the right words to reach her.

  ‘Come on,’ she said wearily, pushing him away and trying to straighten the creases in her skirt. ‘You have to put all thought of me out of your mind. It’s the only way for us to get past it.’

  ‘I don’t want to get past it, Chrissie. And I’m not sure you do, either.’

  ‘Stop pretending you love me because it’s not fair. We have to forget what happened between us just now.’

  ‘Because nothing did happen, Chrissie,’ he said in a small voice. ‘It was just a few kisses.’

  ‘Yes.’ She smiled wearily, wishing she hadn’t enjoyed them so much. The memory of his passion and youthful enthusiasm would remain with her for some time. ‘Just a few kisses.’ She tilted the rear-view mirror to check her dishevelled appearance, realizing there was little to be done about the mark on her throat. Hopefully, her lips would look less bruised by the time they arrived back in Cranbourne.

  ‘I don’t want to leave it like this—’ he began.

  ‘We don’t have any choice. Fasten your seat belt, Ryan, we’re leaving. I don’t want to stop for coffee or anything now. I just want to get home.’

  On the road again, Ryan tried several times to get through to her but she dismissed his attempts at conversation with a shake of her head, keeping her eyes on the road.

  ‘Chrissie!’ he said at last, frustrated by her lack of response. ‘Don’t do this to me. It’s not my fault your ex was a thoughtless bastard who bruised your ego and hurt you. I am not that man—’

  ‘Ryan, that’s enough. I don’t need to hear any more. Just accept that I saw through what you were doing. The game is up so you can drop the pretence now.’

  ‘Chrissie, you have to believe me – I’m not playing games. I keep trying to tell you this but you won’t hear me.’

  By now they had arrived at the stables. Chrissie stopped the car and got out, leaving Ryan to garage the vehicle and deal with the horse as she sprinted for the house. She didn’t trust herself to say anything without breaking down.

  The evening also got worse for Ryan, too. While he was settling Tommy in his stall, Bill Sansome, the vet, arrived, setting down his bag and rolling up his sleeves.

  ‘What’s all this about?’ Ryan said. ‘I don’t think Tommy’s due for any more shots.’

  ‘After the way he played up at the track, Mr Lanigan wants him gelded,’ Bill said. ‘He thinks it’ll settle the horse so he’ll concentrate on his racing.’

  ‘But you can’t!’ Ryan stood protectively in front of Tommy. ‘He’s almost the last of a very special line. When his racing days are done, he should be offered for breeding. That was my father’s plan.’

  ‘So he should. I don’t like this any better than you do. It’s a knee-jerk reaction on Mr Lanigan’s part.’

  ‘Can’t you tell him so? I know he won’t listen to me.’

  Bill pulled a face. ‘Have you ever tried to tell Rob Lanigan anything?’

  ‘If you agree that it’s wrong, then why are you doing it?’

  Bill Sansome thought for a moment, folding his arms and looking at Tommy. ‘It does seem a shame – he’s such a magnificent beast.’ He brightened, struck by another thought. ‘How often does Robert come down to the stables, these days?’

  ‘Hardly at all. We stay out of each other’s way as much as we can.’

  ‘OK. Most likely he’ll assume that the job has been done. If he finds out it hasn’t, I’ll tell him I’ve been so busy lately that it slipped my mind.’

  ‘Oh, thank you so much. You don’t know what this means to me.’

  ‘Don’t thank me yet. If Rob thinks I forgot to do this on purpose, he’ll sack me and get someone else to finish the job.’

  ‘Then I’ll have to make sure he doesn’t. I do appreciate what you’re doing for us, Bill. I’ll buy you a beer sometime.’

  ‘I’ll hold you to that,’ the young vet laughed. ‘I might need it too if Rob gives me the sack.’

  CHAPTER TEN

  SEEING THAT HER mother was on the telephone, Chrissie ran through the kitchen, hoping to reach the sanctuary of her room and indulge in a good, self-pitying weep. This wasn’t to be. Val called out, holding the landline towards her.

  ‘I think you need to take this.’

  Chrissie took a deep breath and closed her eyes. ‘Mum, if that’s Tony, I don’t want to speak to him.’ She didn’t break her stride, continuing her progress towards the stairs.

  ‘It’s not Tony. It’s Mrs Raymond, his mother. And I think you should speak to her. She sounds really upset.’

  ‘Not my problem if she is,’ Chrissie muttered, accepting the phone with bad grace. Lena Raymond was the last person she wanted to tangle with; there had never been any love lost between them. Tony’s mother had made it plain that she didn’t think Chrissie beautiful or talented enough to be a good match for her son. But then, no girl was ever going to reach her exacting standards.

  ‘Yes, Mrs Raymond?’ She made it sound as if she were answering a business call. ‘What can I do for you?’

  ‘Nothing at all. Not now.’ The woman’s voice was thick with tears. ‘Oh, Chrissie, he told me he was coming to see you. Why didn’t you help him? You’ve always done so before.’

  Chrissie sighed. ‘Mrs Raymond, times have changed and we’re not together any more. I’m sure you know Tony left me for another girl.’

  ‘Yes, but that didn’t mean anything. It was just a silly fling. He realized his mistake and wanted to come back to you—’

  ‘Well, it was too late. How could I trust him again after that?’

  ‘But didn’t you see how desperate he was, to swallow his pride and ask for your help?’

  ‘Yes, of course. But Tony and his problems aren’t mine. Not any more.’ Somehow it was a relief to say it out loud.

  ‘So it doesn’t matter to you that he was singled out and attacked on a public street?’

  For a moment Chrissie was stunned into silence. ‘Well, of course it matters. When did this happen?’

  ‘Earlier this evening as he was leaving the racecourse.’

  ‘Look, Mrs Raymond, I knew Tony was in trouble over his gambling
debts and I’m sorry if he’s been hurt. But it’s time he learned not to tangle with loan sharks. Such people don’t play nice.’

  ‘Oh, that’s easy for you to say, Chrissie Lanigan – smug and sitting in judgement on everyone.’ The woman was angry now. ‘They knocked him down in the street and his head struck the kerb. My boy, my lovely Tony – is dead.’

  ‘Oh no!’

  ‘Human beings are frail. They can die so easily. And this time you have to take a share of the blame. I want you to think about that.’ And, choked by a fresh storm of tears, Mrs Raymond left Chrissie with the dial tone. Stunned and struggling to assimilate this latest news, she walked slowly across the room and carefully returned the telephone to its stand.

  ‘What is it?’ Val said, having heard only one side of the conversation. ‘Has something happened to Tony? You’d better sit down. You’ve gone white as a sheet.’

  ‘Yes,’ Chrissie said, feeling her way to a chair and collapsing into the cushions, hunched and hugging her knees. ‘She says Tony’s dead. Knocked down in the street. She thinks he was murdered by loan sharks.’

  ‘Rubbish. Loan sharks damage people but they don’t usually kill them. Why murder the goose that will keep on laying those golden eggs?’

  ‘I don’t know. But Lena wants to lay the blame at my door. She knew Tony was coming to find me and borrow some money—’

  ‘Of all the nerve, after the way he treated you—’

  ‘Stop it, Mom. None of that matters now. Tony’s dead,’ Chrissie said through trembling lips as a tear splashed onto her cheek.

  ‘God, yes. I’m sorry. I forgot.’ Val considered this for a moment. ‘All the same, his mother might have put two and two together and made five. She assumes the debt and the death are connected but maybe they’re not. You saw Tony at the races and not long afterwards he has a fight in the street and ends up dead. Maybe he was in a bad mood after seeing you, picked a fight with the wrong person and there was an accident. You hear of these things on the news every day.’

  ‘I know. But I can’t help thinking it’s partly my fault.’

  ‘Well, don’t. If you’d given him money, it could have been stolen, anyway.’

  ‘All this is giving me a headache, Mum. I need to go to bed.’

  ‘You haven’t had any dinner.’

  ‘I don’t want any. I couldn’t eat a thing.’ Chrissie heaved herself from the chair and started towards the stairs.

  ‘Until we find out what really happened to Tony, I won’t have you blaming yourself,’ Val called after her.

  And with her mind full of this latest drama, Chrissie forgot all about the misunderstanding with Ryan and the heartache it had caused her.

  Robert was in the stables when his mobile rang. He looked at the caller ID and wasn’t pleased to see it was Harry.

  ‘Didn’t I tell you not to call me here? We agreed that I’d get back to you with the rest of the money as soon as I knew the job was done—’

  ‘Yes and that was a week ago,’ Harry snapped back. ‘I’m getting tired of waiting. I have things to do and need to get out of here, pronto!’ He was thinking of Ondine, who had probably given up on him by now and found somebody else. He didn’t care if she had; but if she was waiting for him, it would save him the trouble of finding another girl.

  ‘Of course I’ll pay you, Harry, but not until the job is done. And while you’re there, I’d like to know what’s taking so long.’

  ‘Are you deaf? I told you – your job was completed a week ago – outside the racecourse, just like you said.’

  ‘That so? Then why can I hear the lad whistling along to the radio while he’s grooming my horse!’

  ‘He – he works for you?’ For the first time Harry sounded uncertain. ‘You never said that.’

  ‘Didn’t I? How much clearer can I be? I told you – the lad who’s always hanging around my daughter.’

  ‘You never said there might be more than one. In my business, I need very clear instructions. You told me I’d see this guy with your girl at the races – and there he was – large as life and all over her just like you said. Then they had a bit of a spat and he left. I follow, pick a scrap with him outside in the street and make certain he falls down hard enough to break his head. Then I get out of there fast while everyone’s still in shock, looking at him lying in the road, bleeding out. Funny thing, that. People are always fascinated when there’s a lot of blood.’

  ‘Spare me the details.’

  ‘Bit late to be squeamish, isn’t it?’ Harry laughed. ‘So there ’tis. An unfortunate accident, all nice and anonymous just like you said. The job is done and now I’d like to be paid.’

  ‘You killed the wrong bloke, you idiot!’ Robert hissed down the phone – glancing around to make sure he wasn’t overheard.

  ‘If I have, it’s your fault. You were so freaked about your wife turning up early that day, you sent me off without proper instructions—’

  ‘Then you should have checked. You can’t go around killing people at random in the street.’

  ‘Is zat so?’ Harry was mocking him now. ‘It’s what I do for a living, remember?’

  ‘Well, I’m not paying for your mistakes,’ Robert said, totally rattled and trying to keep the tremor from his voice. ‘You can keep the money I’ve already paid but I’m not—’

  ‘Thanks. I’ve already spent it.’

  ‘Fine but don’t expect any more. Get out of Melbourne and make yourself scarce. I don’t want to hear from you ever again.’ So saying, Robert cut the call, determined to have the last word although the altercation had left him shaking and shivering like an old man.

  ‘Oh no, Robbie,’ Harry repeated softly, tapping his phone against his teeth. ‘You should remember who you’re dealing with – you don’t get to blow me off that easily.’ He smiled to himself. He knew more than one way to get money out of a client unwilling to pay.

  Ryan didn’t know what to do. Every time he tried to get through to Chrissie, he came up against a blank wall. In hindsight, he realized that his approach had been clumsy and without finesse; no wonder she believed he had an ulterior motive. But now she would give him no opportunity to convince her of his sincerity. She didn’t ignore him completely – other people would wonder why – but she made sure they were never alone and answered his questions with a listless ‘yes’ or ‘no’. She had retreated behind her barriers and there seemed to be no way for him to get through to her.

  On the brighter side, Mac Wesley was making good progress with Tommy. Ryan had taken the horse to Caulfield that day and they had won quite a long and difficult race against a fairly large field and he was in high spirits as he returned the horse to his stable. Tired but happy, he thought even Robert would have to be pleased with this latest triumph, although he didn’t expect any praise from that quarter. His uncle was sure to point out that it was only a midweek meeting and not even a listed race. All the same, so long as Tommy remained fit and free of injury, he would be an outstanding horse to watch during the Spring Carnival, now only a matter of weeks away.

  After making sure Tommy was fed and comfortable in his stall, Ryan made his way back to the house, hungry and looking forward to an early supper. Having spent the day seeing to the horse’s needs with no one to help him, he hadn’t had time to eat anything much himself.

  About to open the kitchen door, he heard Chrissie’s distinctive giggle in response to a male voice. It occurred to him they’d heard little of her laughter in the weeks following Tony Raymond’s funeral. The body had been quickly released for burial when the coroner brought in a verdict of accidental death during an affray that, according to witnesses, Tony seemed to have started himself. No criminal charges had been brought against anyone and, in spite of Lena Raymond’s ongoing complaints, the case appeared to be closed. Everyone, including Chrissie, would have to move on.

  But today her infectious giggle was back; in fact she sounded almost flirtatious. Someone was here who’d succeeded in making her lau
gh. He couldn’t help wishing it had been himself.

  He opened the door and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who it was. So much had been happening recently, he had forgotten entirely that Mike Harrison was living in Melbourne. Yet here he was, sitting next to Chrissie, legs crossed and with his feet up on the table, rocking back in his chair and making himself at home in Val’s kitchen. They looked quite relaxed and cosy together already, Chrissie with a glass of red wine nearby. She looked flushed and bright-eyed, more animated than he had seen her for some time. There was no sign of meal preparation and Val was nowhere in sight. Ryan took all this in in a matter of seconds, surprised to find that he wasn’t more pleased to see his old friend.

  ‘And here he is – the man of the hour!’ Mike stood up and came to give Ryan a hug. ‘Fresh from victory on the racecourse, I hear. How the hell are you, mate?’

  ‘Good. No, I’m great,’ Ryan murmured. ‘I’d almost forgotten that you were in Melbourne.’

  ‘My fault!’ Mike was unusually hearty. ‘I should have made the effort and come to see you before.’ He turned to Chrissie with a grin that was all mischief. ‘And I’d have been here a lot sooner if you’d told me about this lovely cousin of yours.’

  Chrissie smiled at the compliment, looking down at her hands in her lap. Oh, Chrissie, not you too! Ryan thought. Can’t you see what Mike’s doing? Don’t be one of his victims, falling for his superficial charm. He had seen girls like this too many times before; staring at Mike with that soft, vulnerable look in their eyes.

  ‘Well, say something!’ Mike clapped him on the shoulder. ‘Anyone’d think you weren’t pleased to see me.’

  ‘Of course I am. It’s a surprise, that’s all.’

  ‘And so is your gorgeous cousin.’ Mike winked. ‘I’m looking forward to showing her my favourite places around town.’

  ‘I think Chrissie already knows more places than you do. She used to work in town.’