by Jane Corrie
Kent barely had time to reply before Matt rapped out at Tony, 'You'd better get back to the plant. I want those figures out by tomorrow, remember.'
By a slight lift of the eyebrows, surprise was registered on Tony's face, but he did not argue, and with a 'See you', to Kent, he swallowed the rest of his drink and left.
Kent had never felt so alone in all her life as she watched him leave, and when she looked back at Matt she found him studiously studying her with ill-concealed impatience, and was made to feel she was taking up time he could ill afford to lose.
Her own patience was fast running out, too, and she made an effort to control it by haughtily requesting that her luggage lie brought in.
'No point,' he drawled laconically. 'You're not staying. If this was your father's idea of a joke, then it's gone sour.'
Kent Made a tremendous effort to remain calm. She couldn't understand why this man got under her skin. The situation was one she thought by now to be well used to, and to have the explanation cut and dried; usually she had, but for the life of her she couldn't come out with the old quip of, 'Father wanted a son', which would normally be followed by amusement.
This man would not be amused, in fact, Kent very much doubted whether that granite-carved face had ever as much as smiled; she took a deep breath. 'It's no joke, Mr King,' she replied coldly. 'I'm sorry it's come as such a shock to you. For devious reasons of his own, my father named me
Kent. He was perfectly well aware of the fact that most of his friends presumed his only child was a son, and he did nothing to disabuse them. That, if you like, might have been his idea of a joke, but the joke, as you say, has now gone sour, and I've grown immune to it. For better or worse, I'm Kent Stainer; now a partner in the firm, and as a qualified accountant will take my place in the firm as directed in my father's will.'
The cold blue eyes that had been watching her so closely now flew open registering surprise, then just as quickly the heavy lids came down again masking the look. 'So he made you a partner, did he?' he drawled, adding with a note of cold fury in his voice, 'Without consulting me.'
'Should he have done?' Kent queried haughtily. 'It was his firm, if you remember.'
He acknowledged her thrust with narrowed eyes and said abruptly, 'Was is the operative word, lady.'
Kent flushed at the implied statement so bluntly put; as for the way he addressed her ... 'I would prefer to be addressed as Miss Stainer,' she bit back at him furiously. 'It's quite obvious you haven't bothered to read my father's will. I was given to understand you were provided with a copy of it as you were unable to attend the funeral, and subsequent reading of the will.'
His reply to that was a curt, 'In here,' and he turned abruptly and walked through the hall to a door at the end of the passage, which he opened,
and without waiting to see if Kent was following him, went in the room.
A simmering Kent was forced to follow in his wake, and she stood in the middle of the room while he rummaged in a bureau, tossing unopened letters aside until he found what he was seeking, then he tore the flap open and stood perusing the contents.
Kent found a chair and sat down on it; it was obvious she wasn't going to be asked to take a seat while he read the will. She supposed one could get used to bad manners in time—he was no ladies' man, that was for sure! Her eyes swept round the room; it appeared to be a cross between a study and a living room. The same kind of rattan chairs as in the hall, and although there were several scattered rugs on the woodblock flooring, they were of a dull brown colour. It was hardly a room one could relax in, in spite of the two deep armchairs at the end of the room, and a glass cabinet with partially open doors that held bottles of liquor. The room did not have a 'lived-in' atmosphere, and judging by the pile of unopened mail, Kent was sure Matt King was using the place as a second office only. Spread out maps of technical drawings littered the one and only table in the room, and confirmed this thought. He would, she mused, need somewhere to go to get a little privacy from the constant queries and problems the job entailed.
She almost started when he spoke, and when she looked towards him she received a second surprise.
If he'd looked grim before, he looked even grimmer now, and his voice held chipped ice in it. 'I presume you know precisely what this means,' he said, waving the document at her as if he'd like to ram it down her throat.
Kent shrugged and her grey eyes held just as much ice in them as she replied, 'Yes, I know. I like it as much as you do, but there's nothing we can do about it. I have to work for the firm for a year, starting from now; if not, I lose my inheritance—it's as simple as that; so I've not much choice, have I?' she added bitterly.
`You'll lose a darn sight more than your inheritance,' he growled, `if you stay.'
Kent stared at him perplexedly; what else could she lose? He gave her a pitying look as if she were some kind of idiot.
'I see you haven't cottoned on to the reason why your father did this,' he said pithily, and added harshly, 'And it's a damn sight plainer that you don't know much about the condition's out here.'
She continued to look at him; she didn't see what he was getting at, and wished he would get to the point. When he did, she rather wished he hadn't.
'We're expected to marry.' He threw the words bluntly at her, making no attempt to soften the blow.
Kent flushed and snapped, 'Nonsense! -I've no idea where you've got that idea from—it certainly wasn't mentioned in the will the solicitor read out to me.' Although she had to admit privately to her-
self that her father had been hoping for just such a happening.
'It didn't have to be,' he answered curtly. 'And as I've said, if you knew anything about conditions here, you'd have seen it for yourself. Your father knew, though, he knew damn well I couldn't let you loose among five hundred sex-starved men. Not without the protection of someone's name and a ring on your finger, and I'm the only bachelor on this site, ma'am, who fits the bill. I trust you are now beginning to get the picture?' he queried sarcastically.
A slightly stunned Kent knew now what he had meant when he had said she'd lose more than her inheritance if she stayed, and a dull flush spread across her face. The dizziness came over her again, and she closed her eyes and took several deep breaths until the feeling passed.
'We'll discuss this after dinner,' Matt King said gruffly. 'Juan will take you to a room you can use for the time being.'
CHAPTER TWO
KENT took full advantage of the loan of a room made so ungraciously by Matt. She needed to; of all the irritating situations her father had pushed her into in the past, they were as nothing compared to his last masterpiece!
Slipping out of her light linen suit, she stretched out on the bed, not realising just how tired she was until her head touched the pillows. The journey, and the altitude, had stretched her resources to the limit, not to mention subsequent events. Her mind was too active for sleep; she had much to think about, and plenty of time in which to do so, as Juan before he left had pointed to her watch and solemnly repeated the time of seven, which Kent presumed meant dinner time, and she nodded her understanding.
Juan obviously spoke little English and Kent no Spanish, so sign language had to suffice. Not that it mattered, she thought wearily. As Matt King had so bluntly put it, she wouldn't be staying.
A wave of cold fury passed through her; to think she had come all this way for nothing! Matt had
been right when he had said she knew nothing about conditions out there. Her hands clenched into small fists by her side; she ought to have done! And she had to thank her father for the fact that she didn't.
Her lips twisted wryly. His past training had been so thorough it had never occurred to her to look at things from the feminine point of view.
Matt King had not been exaggerating when he had pointed out the possible result of one woman working among that number of men—and she hadn't had the sense to see it ! Although she knew no female staff were employed out on locatio
n; it saved a lot of trouble in the long run.
Kent had to admit that Matt could have gone to town on her over that; instead he had done her the courtesy of thinking her slightly simple—and she was—or had been ! She flushed; to think she had calmly walked in and demanded to be given work! No wonder he had given her a rough reception!
Her small even teeth bit into her lower lip. She would have to go home. Her father's last effort to separate her and Jack had not come off. She frowned; his dislike of Jack must have been more acute than she had realised, if he had gone to these lengths to break them up.
By this time tomorrow, she told herself, she would be with Jack again. She sighed; he was going to be awfully disappointed yet again. She knew how much he had counted on her financial help for their
future, but there was nothing she could do about it —or was there?
Her tiredness gone, she sat up suddenly. Matt King was as keen on the situation as she was. She wanted out—and he wanted her out—surely they could come to some arrangement? Although she dida't know the exact figures, she did know the firm was a healthy one. Matt could buy her out
She got off the bed and dressed hurriedly; with any luck he was still in the chalet, and they could get down to their discussion right away.
As she went in search of him a wave of happiness flowed through her; she would have her July wedding after all—and it wouldn't be to Matt King !
Kent did not have to look far for Matt; he was in the room he had taken her to earlier, and was studying the plans on the table when she walked in. Although his eyes rested on the detailed drawings before him, Kent could tell his mind was not on them. In all probability he was seeing the finished project-. There was a faraway look in his eyes, and Kent for the first time noticed how intensely blue they were. The deep tan he had acquired through outdoor work probably accentuated them, she thought, as she walked towards him to make her presence known.
When she spoke, he straightened up and glanced towards her, and Kent noticed the way his check shirt was strained to the limit against his broad shoulders as he did so. She didn't much care for the
size of the check, or the colour come to that; they somehow made him look even broader than he was. Her eyes then alighted on his brawny arms, the thick reddish-brown hairs denoting the strength of the man. For some reason the sight disturbed her, and she spoke quickly to cover her embarrassment.
`I thought perhaps we could have our talk now,' she said hurriedly. 'I've had enough rest, and I thought
Whatever she was about to say was cut short by an explosive shout .of, ' Juan! Tea for two! '
Kent grimaced, and put her hands to her ears. `Do you have to do that?' she said, and at the raised eyebrows this question produced, she added, 'shout like that, I mean. He's not deaf, is he?'
Matt surveyed her calmly for a second or so before he replied, `No, he's not deaf. He just happens to be outside clearing up in what's supposed to be a garden; although I suspect he's having a late siesta— you were saying?'
Kent swallowed; she had lost the initiative again, and had been made to feel as if she was taking up his valuable time. To even the score up she demanded crossly, 'You might ask me to sit down!'
Another raising of those expressive eyebrows of his acknowledged this bald remark, but he simply shrugged and carelessly waved an arm towards one of the chairs. 'Help yourself, no one's stopping you.'
Kent took a deep breath; if she had hoped to disconcert him she had failed badly. Nothing short of
a tornado would get through to this man.
The arrival of Juan with a tray of tea prevented further discussion until his departure, and Kent was surprised to find the tea served out of a dainty china teapot with cups and saucers to match, when at best she had expected mugs!
Judging by the way Matt looked from the tea tray to her, Kent presumed he expected her to do the honours. He said nothing, but the look was eloquent enough, and so was the sardonic twist of his lips when she poured him out a cup and left him to add either sugar or milk, whichever he preferred.
It took a little while for her to work out the reason for the sardonic expression, and when she did, it was too late for her to do anything about it. In all fairness she had not meant her action to be taken as an insult, and she was slightly surprised that Matt had accepted it as such.
Kent had been told about 'Navvies' tea' and how they liked it black and strong with plenty of sugar in, but she had not meant to offer Matt such tea, and she felt even worse when she watched him add milk but no sugar.
Uncomfortably aware that the discussion they were about to have had not exactly got off to a good start, she cast about in her mind as to how she could make the initial approach to him to buy her out, but he threw her right off course with an abrupt, 'What happens after the year is up?'
Kent blinked and stared at him, completely at a loss for words.
'The will,' he explained tersely, as if she were a backward child and needing prompting.
Resenting his tone of voice and the way he had thrown her off balance, she cast him a look of disdain and answered coldly, b y that time, the man I hope to marry will be in a position to offer me a home.'
'Then why the hell did your father insist ...' he began, then was silent for a second or so, and nodded grimly. get it,' he said slowly. take it he wasn't keen on the boy-friend.'
It wasn't a question but a statement, and although Kent knew it was perfectly true, she couldn't leave it at that. 'There were some differences,' she said casually.
'I'll bet there were,' Matt muttered caustically. 'He was a pretty shrewd judge of character, at that.'
Kent's cheeks turned pink; her private life was nothing to do with him, and she was about to tell him so in no uncertain terms, when his eyes met her stormy ones and he beat her to it.
'It's kinda been made my affair, hasn't it? I see now what the old man was getting at, but I wish to hell he'd left me out of it! '
Kent was so furious she had to put down her cup hastily before she threw it at him. 'My private life is of no concern to you, and I have no intention of discussing it with you. You asked what I intended to do
when the year was up, and I've answered you, let's leave it at that, shall we?' she ground out.
'Quite a temper, haven't you?' he answered calmly, adding infuriatingly, 'Not the type to be taken in by a fortune-hunter, I would have said, but it takes all kinds.'
'Jack is, not after my money!' she retaliated quickly, swallowing the urge to shout. 'Just because he didn't get on with my father it doesn't make him a fortune-hunter!'
Matt's eyes narrowed. 'Yet he let you come all this way to work on a project in the middle of nowhere for a whole year—or doesn't he know much about construction work, either ?' he queried sarcastically.
There was nothing like having it laid down on the line, and it hurt Kent more than she cared to admit, not that she would let Matt King see it. 'He happens to need the money,' she spat out at him. 'Not that it's any of your business.'
A little belatedly she realised she had made things sound exactly what he had thought they were, and his snort confirmed this. 'If you must know, he's an interior decorator, and a good one,' she said defensively. 'He just needs 'to branch out, and I can help him do that. It's for our future, so why shouldn't I help? Wives go out to work too these days, don't they?'
'But you're not his wife, are you?' he said quietly. 'If I read it right, it's no cash, no wedding bells !
Sorry to put it so crudely, but if that's the sort of guy you want, it's up to you.'
Kent's lips straightened; no matter what she said she wouldn't get through to him. He took the same attitude her father had taken and she would just be wasting her breath.
The sense of hurt still lingered, and she had a horrible feeling she might burst into tears if the subject wasn't soon dropped, so she gritted her teeth and got down to business. 'Look, we've rather wandered off the point, haven't we? As I see it, we both agree on one thing; I can't p
ossibly carry out the terms of the will. I apologise for my father's diabolical scheme. I ought to have seen what he was up to, but I didn't think even he was capable of such crass stupidity, I ...'
Matt's quiet, 'Thank you for the compliment,' stopped her in midstream, and too late she regretted not choosing her words more carefully.
A deep flush suffused her cheeks, but she went on determinedly, 'I want you to buy me out,' she said quickly. 'It's the only answer to our problem. When everything's been explained to the lawyers, I'm sure they'll be able to find a loophole, especially when the conditions out here are pointed out to them, and ...' she broke off suddenly, as she saw Matt shake his head with a finality that sent her spirits plunging to zero.
'No can do,' he drawled laconically as he surveyed her through narrowed eyes. 'All we've got is tied up
with this project. In a year's time I can buy you out. Guess your dad kinda knew that too, which doesn't leave us much choice, does it? Especially if you want that money.'
'Choice?' echoed Kent, very much afraid she knew the answer to that one.
For the first time she saw Matt grin, but there was hardly any humour in it. 'We marry,' he said abruptly. 'At least, I put a ring on your finger, and you have the protection of my name—but that's as far as it goes. I've seen some strange things happening when a woman gets a ring on her finger and I don't want you to start getting ideas. I knew someone once who had the same arrangement ' he broke off and stared down at his strong hands, then flexed them gently and looked up suddenly, his eyes surprising Kent with their intense glare. 'Once that ring was on the woman's finger, that was that. He couldn't keep her out of his bed; the poor devil was well and truly hooked.'
Kent was shocked, and her eyes showed it. 'Must you be so coarse?' she demanded indignantly.
'Yes,' he replied curtly. 'You could do with being shocked out of your present notion of what life is all about.'
