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  Lee agreed, 'Yes, perhaps,' knowing she couldn't sound much like a newly engaged girl missing her fiancé. She did love Matt—she did, she assured herself fiercely, leaving Sandra to go outside. If Slade's unexpected return had numbed her normal feelings, it wasn't to say that they weren't there .any more. Once she was used to the idea of his being back, she would soon readjust. Besides, he might not stay long.

  Summer was slipping slowly into autumn, giving warm, lazy days but hazy nights. This evening fog lay like a shroud along the river bank, making the night appear darker than it actually was. Ignoring her car, Lee wheeled her Honda from the garage again. Sometimes, when something inside her seemed to be crying out for release, a burst of speed helped. No other way seemed to work.

  She was about to close the garage doors behind her when a sudden noise made her start. Straining her eyes, she managed to make out a small, thin figure. 'Oh, Trigg!' she exclaimed sharply. 'What on earth are you doing here?'

  It was Trigg Mansfield, a neighbour's child. The dismay in Lee's voice was caused by the fact that he was only eight years old and asthmatic and his home was three miles away.

  As she stared at him incredulously, Trigg advanced unrepentantly from his hiding place. 'I just wanted to take a look at your bike,' he grinned disarmingly. 'Mum and Dad are out, so they won't miss me.'

  'Oh, Trigg!' Lee wasn't sure whom she felt the more exasperated with, him or his parents. The Mansfields usually just went as far as the nearest pub or hotel for a drink, but she couldn't believe it was wise to leave a rather frail, eight-year-old boy in the house after dark by himself. Especially one as ready to take advantage of such a situation as Trigg!

  'You really ought to go home, love,' she told him helplessly.

  'I'd get there much quicker if you took me,' he replied craftily, and looking into his eager little face Lee hadn't the heart to let him see she saw through his very obvious machinations.

  It was caution that made her hesitate. 'Shouldn't I try and discover if your parents are home first? If I gave them a ring they could come and fetch you.'

  His face crumpled with disappointment. 'Oh, Lee, no! They won't be there anyway,' he added dully.

  She gave in. After all, he was taking her mind off other things, so maybe she owed him something. And he didn't have much of a life. His mother was highly strung and his father too easy-going. Neither provided the kind of stable relationship that Trigg was in need of at the moment.

  'I should use the car,' she frowned.

  'I don't like cars,' he said stubbornly, looking so yearningly at her bike that Lee's heart ached for him.

  'Come on, then,' she sighed, hoping she wouldn't live to regret it. He let her fix her spare helmet over his thick fair curls. It fitted well, which should ensure his safety, and he had ridden with her before.

  'That's it, trooper,' she smiled, making a final adjustment to the strap. 'Mind you, I'm just going carefully—no speeding.'

  She would have been speeding if she had been on her own, but with Trigg sitting behind her she didn't even think about it. She was going very carefully indeed when, unfortunately, the bulb in her front light failed, which plunged her into darkness and made it impossible for the car sweeping around the corner to see her. The bright beam of powerful headlights caught her full in the face, blinding her, sending her skidding on to the grass verge. Even so, they might have been all right if she hadn't hit an open gutter. The impact spelled immediate disaster as it made the bike practically stand on end as it came to a sudden stop. Mercifully, Trigg merely slid fairly gently off the back, but Lee landed in the ditch with the bike on top of her.

  Struggling from under it, she was more concerned for Trigg than herself and paid scant attention to the car that had screeched to a halt a few yards away. She didn't even bother to glance at the driver, who had slammed from his vehicle in a storm of rage and impatience.

  'Of all the brainless things to do!' he snapped. 'You could have been killed!'

  Lee's whole body stiffened as she bent over a dazed Trigg. She would have known that voice anywhere! Fearing she was going to faint, she wrenched off her helmet, hoping Slade wouldn't recognise her. She felt a return of the shock she had experienced that afternoon, but the volume of it was far greater. Perhaps the near-collision she had had would account for some of it, but she was sure she had been no more than slightly shaken until Slade appeared. A terrible sickness rose in her throat and she trembled violently. Matt had confirmed that Slade was back, but nothing had prepared her for the trauma of meeting him again. Hugging Trigg to her, she didn't know whether she was comforting him or using him as a shield.

  She was grateful for the darkness. Once Slade would have known her anywhere, but it had been over five years. She tried to control the heavy beat of her heart so she could speak. 'My lights failed,' she managed hoarsely. 'It wasn't my fault.'

  There was an abrupt silence. She heard him draw a sharp breath. His eyes glinted as she lifted her head, she could feel them boring into her.

  'My God, it's you!' he exclaimed thickly.

  Lee felt too shattered to reply immediately. His face was shadowed, she could just make him out, but if she had had any doubts about his identity they disappeared when he reached swiftly down to draw Trigg and her to their feet.

  'You don't think I tried to stop you on purpose?' she gasped angrily, as incredibly familiar sensations began flooding through her.

  'I shouldn't think so,' he replied more smoothly. 'Anyway, we can discuss that later. It's more important, right now, to make sure that neither of you is injured.'

  'It's not your fault that we aren't!' she muttered fiercely. 'You were driving too fast.'

  'I told you to leave it, Lee,' he said harshly. 'Let's take a look at your young friend.'

  'I'm all right, sir,' Trigg assured him stolidly, suddenly finding his voice. 'I just got a little bump.'

  Not taking his word for it, Slade ran his hands lightly over him. 'You seem all right, but you must have got a fright, all the same. How old are you?'

  'Eight.'

  Slade straightened, his eyes on Lee again. 'You don't change, do you? You're still irresponsible and you still have that infernal machine.'

  'It passes its M.O.T.'

  'And you still ride as recklessly,' he continued as if she had never spoken. 'I thought you would have grown up by now!'

  Grown up! Lee shuddered. He had a nerve! Hadn't he seen to it personally that she had grown up five years ago? 'I don't have time to stand here enjoying your insults,' she retorted tightly. 'I have to get Trigg home before his parents discover he's missing.'

  'Enough!' snapped Slade, as if he had heard all he wanted to hear. To Trigg he said, 'You can count yourself lucky, this time, but don't let me catch you on Lee's motorbike again. Now I'll take you home, wherever that might be.'

  'The Willows,' Trigg muttered, beginning to cry.

  Lee put a protective arm round him, but Slade bundled them both straight into his car. He took no notice of either Lee's anger or the boy's tears, and Lee's anger increased at his high-handed behaviour. He might accuse her of not changing, but surely he hadn't changed himself! He still believed only what it suited him to believe. He was arrogant and overbearing, bent on having his own way. She stared at his dark profile, the set of his wide shoulders, and kept on trying to convince herself that she hated him.

  He asked for brief directions and she gave them to him, then rubbed the back of her hand wearily over her brow.

  'How are you feeling?' The words seemed torn out of him and she saw his mouth tighten.

  'Fine,' she muttered, not quite truthfully. 'I don't know why you bother to ask.'

  Slade Western didn't either. He didn't like the way she affected him after over five years of pretending rigorously she didn't exist. She had cut through the careful control he had built up with one glance from those fabulous blue eyes. If anything she was more beautiful than he remembered. When she had looked at him, even after all this time, he had been
stunned by his own powerful reaction. And she'd had the nerve to forget him and get involved with Matt! It was for Matt's sake that he had hurried home immediately he had heard of the engagement.

  'It's a question I might put to anyone who's had a recent scrape with death,' he retorted curtly.

  'You were going too fast!' she parroted, as the car seemed to hurtle forward. 'You're doing it again!'

  'I'm in complete control. If I had been going too fast,' he pointed out with maddening logic, 'how could I have stopped so quickly?'

  Defeated, Lee lapsed into silence. Trigg huddled against her, his thin body curiously pathetic, his need of reassurance clearly as great as her own.

  'I hope they won't be back,' he whimpered. 'I'm scared they might be mad at me.'

  She knew he was referring to his parents. 'I'll explain everything,' she whispered soothingly, 'Don't worry.'

  He gulped but tried to smile as Slade drew up by a small house just off the road. Lee saw the door burst open almost before the car had stopped and wished Trigg hadn't suddenly chosen that moment to burst into tears again. It was just reaction, but she knew Dulcie Mansfield would put a far worse construction on it.

  'Trigg!' the distraught mother cried, almost snatching him from Lee's arms as she helped him from the car. 'Oh, darling,' she wailed, 'wherever have you been? I've been worried out of my mind!'

  It seemed unlikely that Dulcie had been home many minutes herself, because she was still clutching her handbag. George, her husband, hurried after her, but he wasn't in nearly such a state.

  He displayed more irritation than anxiety as he spoke to his son. 'You left your bedroom door open, or I should never have known you weren't there.'

  'I'm sorry,' Lee started to explain, 'I'm afraid we had a slight accident.'

  'Accident!' shrieked Dulcie, her voice rising wildly, eyes wide. 'How…? Where?'

  'I—well…' stammered Lee, not in the best condition to cope with Dulcie's hysterics. 'I was bringing him home on my bike and we—er—met Mr Western on a bend…'

  Slade had left the car but had made no attempt to come to Lee's assistance. Neither did he make any effort to either deny or admit his part in the affair. He just stood there, looking so dark and striking that Dulcie's eyes continued to widen like saucers as she caught sight of him.

  'You mean—you crashed into—him?' She did a pretty little swoon, conveniently into her husband's arms, apparently quite overcome.

  Lee watched in mute fascination. Dulcie had once been an aspiring actress, but after six months at a London drama school had decided that marriage wouldn't be nearly such hard work as acting. Marriage didn't, however, stop her from practising at home the career she still hankered after but which her fundamental laziness had disallowed her from taking up. At parties she managed to faint quite regularly and frequently caused sensational little fiascos in shops and other public places. Slade would know nothing of this, of course. To him, Dulcie must seem merely a distressed, badly done by mother.

  'We didn't crash into him,' Lee said quickly as Dulcie opened her eyes. 'I ran on to the grass verge.'

  'Oh, my God!' Dulcie moaned. 'My son, my only child, might have been killed!'

  'I wasn't,' said Trigg, very earnestly.

  'Dulcie!' George frowned. 'Trigg looks all right to me. I'm sure Lee didn't mean anything to happen.'

  'You would stick up for her!' Dulcie spat. 'You'd let her get away with murder, just because you think she's the most beautiful thing on two legs!'

  'Dulcie!' George appealed again, his colour deepening even in the poor light. 'That has nothing to do with it. Now shut up, there's a good girl, and just let's get Trigg inside.'

  'He'll still have to see a doctor,' Dulcie cried.

  'I don't need to, Mum, really!' protested Trigg. 'I just fell off gently.'

  'Oh, no!' Dulcie went on moaning weakly. 'How can you be sure?'

  'I think a warm drink should be enough,' said Lee, with the intention of coming to Trigg's rescue.

  'You would, wouldn't you!' Dulcie retorted bitterly. 'You wouldn't want the publicity…'

  George, moving decisively for once, took a firm hold of his wife and son. 'If Trigg is any the worse, it won't help him standing here.'

  As he hustled them inside, Lee saw Dulcie's eyes gravitate in Slade's direction. 'I can't thank you enough for bringing Trigg home, Mr Western.'

  'My pleasure,' Slade returned gravely.

  Lee called after them, 'I'll ring in the morning.'

  'Nice people,' Slade mused as they got back in the car. 'New neighbours?'

  'They've been here three years,' she replied shortly.

  He draped a seat belt around her and she wondered why she was letting him. At the touch of his hands she shivered. 'I can manage,' she exclaimed, jerking from him, wishing she didn't suspect he was enjoying himself.

  He took little notice of her protests. To her dismay, as she finished fastening her seat-belt, he reached for her, sliding his hands up her arms to cup her face.

  'Still angry with me?'

  Lee didn't think he was referring to the events of the past hour, and something seemed to explode in her brain. 'You haven't been back five minutes,' she snapped, 'and all I've heard is you're still this, that and the other! You condemn me out of hand like you always did. You ask questions and still supply your own answers. Well, I might never have been an angel, but you were certainly never a saint! And do you realise,' she rushed on, barely pausing for breath, 'that the Mansfield's outside light is on, and if they cared to look out, I'd rather not dwell on what they might think.'

  'You aren't in my arms—not yet anyway.' Mockingly he traced the full outline of her indignant lips with sensuous fingers.

  'Nor likely to be,' she retorted, trying to find strength to finally push him away. She knew what he meant, but she didn't mean to respond. If he was here for a few weeks and looking for someone to amuse himself with, then he'd better look elsewhere!

  He gazed at her for a long moment while powerful emotions raged through her. She felt torn in a thousand different directions. Could she hope that this man would leave her in peace to enjoy her new-found, fragile happiness?

  As if he had read her thoughts, Slade released her, but caught the hand her engagement ring was on. His silky voice warned her of what was coming almost before he spoke. 'This was a mistake, you know. Getting engaged to Matt wasn't a very sensible thing to do.'

  'He's a nice person,' she grated.

  'That's what I'm driving at.' The eyes, so dark a green they might have been black, glinted. 'Too nice for the likes of you.'

  She gasped at the insult, her own eyes glittering with some of the same fury that lurked behind his. 'So,' she retaliated recklessly, 'what are you going to do about it?'

  She should have remembered how dangerous it was to challenge him. He smiled, but she sensed the steel under the indestructible charm. 'You and I have to talk.'

  Her throat felt hot because she knew he was about to trap her into making a promise to see him again. Whatever happened, she mustn't have anything more to do with him. He was soft-pedalling until he thought he had her exactly where he wanted her. And that might only be the beginning!

  CHAPTER TWO

  Suddenly realising she was staring at him apprehensively, Lee swiftly pulled her hand from his and veiled her eyes. Her skin tingled as though it had been burned, but she resisted the impulse to clench her scorched fingers.

  'I don't think we have anything to talk about,' she replied coldly. 'I'd be grateful if you'd just drop me off beside my bike and leave me. There can't be much point in seeing each other again.'

  'I shouldn't have suggested it if I hadn't been sure it was absolutely necessary,' he retorted suavely. 'But I can see you're too shaken to be reasonable tonight.' Slipping the car in gear, he turned back on to the road. 'I'll take you home, but that monstrosity you persist in riding can stay where it is. You must have enough bruises without adding to them unnecessarily.'

  Lee ope
ned her mouth to argue, then closed it again. Anything to get away from him! Alone with him, she didn't feel safe, and the past few hours had been altogether too much. She didn't have to pretend to feel ill. A dreadful nausea was rising in her throat and the shaken feeling inside her was making her increasingly aware that she wasn't as immune to the man by her side as she had imagined herself to be. He could still make her pulses race alarmingly.

  He drove past the spot where her bike lay in the ditch without sparing it even a brief glance. Lee wasn't over-concerned, she could collect it in the morning. The frame was probably twisted, she was sure no one was going to run away with it and she was reluctant to accept any more assistance from Slade. The sooner they parted company the better she would like it.

  Outside River Bend his tyres scraped on the gravel as he drew up. 'Thank you,' she said huskily, jumping out and running towards the house.

  Leaping from the car after her, he caught her arm, halting her swift flight. 'Not so fast!' he said ruthlessly.

  Lee stiffened, wishing he wasn't so tall that he seemed to tower over her. He was six foot two and powerfully built; his leanness was deceptive. He packed a lot of muscle. As he tightened his hold she stood beside him submissively, knowing from past experience that to attempt to fight him physically was well-nigh impossible.

  'I'm tired, Slade,' she kept her eyes focussed on a point just below his shoulder. 'And a bit sore. I'm only beginning to realise.'

  His eyes blazed in the darkness. 'You were under that bike, you little fool. I have no wish to repeat myself, but you're still as reckless and irresponsible as you used to be. You could have killed both yourself and that boy. Why do you do it, Lee?'

  'I'm not irresponsible!' she cried, feeling forced to spring to her own defence. 'Trigg was hiding in the garage when I went for my bike. He begged me to take him home…'

  'Haven't you a car?'

  'Yes.'

  'Then why didn't you use it?' He shook her slightly, as if he couldn't help himself. 'You're still…'