He levered himself up on his elbows and it was a demand to meet his gaze. She looked up, knowing and expecting this to be the moment of reckoning. There was a sardonic twist to his mouth, and the grey eyes were hard and probing.
Kelly's chin lifted belligerently, if it's beneath your dignity to come here, I'll come to you.'
He shook his head. 'You can't really believe you can barter therapy for the horses…
'I wouldn't try!' A flush of indignation highlighted her cheeks. 'And that's a very offensive comment! I've given you no reason to relate the two things in such a cynical fashion. I do care about you, whether you want me to or not. And I don't want to see you… incapacitated, when it's all so unnecessary.'
His lips curled with bitter irony, if I hadn't been incapacitated, you wouldn't have got away from me yesterday evening.'
Kelly took a deep breath and faced him squarely. 'If your feelings were more human, it wouldn't have been necessary for me to get away from you. You would let me ride my horses. I wouldn't have to steal them from you.' Her green eyes blazed with righteous conviction. 'You're the one who is unjust. I'm sorry about the pain you inflicted upon yourself, but it's all your own fault.'
He rose up from the table, every line of his face drawn into haughty reserve, if I were less of a human being, I would give you every encouragement to break your foolish neck. The thought of having to deliver such news to your grandfather is sufficient inducement by itself to make me decide that you should not ride my horses. I…
'Don't bring my grandfather into this. Yesterday it was Noni. Today…'
‘It's for your own good.'
'No, it's not. It's…'
'I also wish to apologise for kissing you. With
our age difference, it was a totally foolish thing to do.'
'There's no need to apologise,' Kelly insisted hotly. 'As kisses go, that was an experience worth having.'
His face tightened. 'We're not getting anywhere with this.' He eased himself off the table and walked to the chair where he had hung his trousers. He kept his back turned to her as he effected a more dignified appearance.
Hating his silence, Kelly plunged on to another tack, I haven't thanked you for returning my car. I appreciated the consideration. In fact…'
'Simple expedience!' he cut in brusquely, it would have been more of a problem to me if you'd presented yourself at Marian Park for another session of plea-bargaining.'
He swung around, formidable in his armoured control. 'You're a very forward young woman, Kelly Hanrahan,' he stated with an emphasis that had Kelly instantly bristling. 'But I will make a bargain with you,' he added in a tone that smacked of condescension.
Her temperature soared. He'd forced all the running, not her! 'You're an impossibly arrogant man, Justin St John,' she shot back at him recklessly. 'And I'm not sure I want to make a bargain with you. If you're going to pretend nothing happened between us…'
'I'll tell you what's between us,' he whipped back bitterly. 'About twelve years. And a matter of horses. And it wouldn't be the first time a woman used her body to get what she wants.'
That he could have interpreted her response to him in such a way shocked and angered Kelly. For several moments she was utterly speechless, colour ebbing and flowing in her cheeks. He watched her with hard, remorseless eyes as she struggled to bring herself under control.
'You can leave now, Mr St John. You have had your treatment. If you're not in a medical fund, that will be twenty dollars,' she bit out, then marched off to the desk in the waiting-room to do whatever paperwork was required to send him on his way.
She heard him follow her with his walking-stick, but scorned to look up until he reached the opposite side of her desk. Then she raised a frosty glare. 'I hope you appreciate how much better you're walking on that leg?'
'Yes,' he replied curtly, and the steely grey eyes met and returned her challenge. 'How long will it take to restore it to perfect working order?'
‘I don't make God-like judgements!' she snapped, too furious to feel any triumph that he was considering her advice. 'After regular therapy for a fortnight, I might be able to give you a fairly accurate prognosis. Will nine o'clock each day suit you?'
'I'll make it suit!'
He dropped a twenty-dollar note on the desk. Kelly did not bother picking it up. She wrote out a receipt, her biro stabbing at the paper in her fierce resentment.
'I won't be here next week,' she informed him as she banged down her pen, tore the page out of the receipt-book and handed it to him with icy disdain. 'But I'll leave instructions for your treatment with my replacement.'
He ignored the receipt. 'Why won't you be here?' he demanded, his eyes boring into hers.
'Because I'll be show-jumping,' she stated defiantly.
His hand whipped out and caught her around the wrist. 'Not on that black stallion!'