Marriage At A Price
Courtney whirled back to face him. He’d sounded totally composed, but his eyes betrayed emotions best not explored. ‘Where?’
He pointed to a far corner.
Courtney quickly assessed that there were two routes she could use to make her way there. One went straight between the tables, the other skirted the bar. Courtney went between the tables on her way there, and skirted the bar on her way back. Superbitch was still there, sipping a cocktail and hanging on hubby’s every word.
‘Hi, Katrina,’ Courtney said breezily as she passed, but without stopping. Long enough, however, to see the cow’s green eyes—they would be green, wouldn’t they?—lift in surprise, then trail after her.
Courtney threw Jack a blinder of a smile as she walked towards him, and he automatically smiled back, as she had known he would. ‘You were quick,’ he said once she’d sat down again.
‘Didn’t have to touch up my make-up,’ she said truthfully. ‘Or my hair.’
He gave her face and hair a long, thoughtful look. ‘You don’t need to. You look great.’
‘Thanks. You look great too.’
His laughter was real, and his eyes warm with genuine amusement. ‘You are a very unique girl, do you know that?’
‘Yep.’
He laughed again. ‘Didn’t your mother ever teach you modesty?’
‘Lord, no. She taught me to say what I thought and do what I pleased.’
Jack’s straight dark brows shot upwards. ‘A very unusual mother, from the sounds of things.’
‘She was.’
‘You must tell me more about her. And about yourself. But first, I think another drink is—’
When he broke off, his eyes freezing once more, Courtney knew the reason why. She’d bargained on Katrina watching where she went, then not being able to resist coming over. It was one thing to dump a man. Quite another to find him seemingly happy in the company of another woman. And a much younger woman, at that.
If there was one thing guaranteed to get up the nose of a thirty-something female, it was seeing her ex with a younger woman.
And Courtney wanted to get up Katrina’s oh, so perfect nose to the nth degree.
‘Jack,’ came a softly purring voice which could belong to none other but the scheming cow herself. ‘I didn’t expect to see you here today.’
She drifted into Courtney’s view. Hubby, however, was nowhere in sight.
Jack smiled a smile that sent shivers running down Courtney’s spine. Here was a man who would not forgive easily. Or forget. It occurred to her that Jack’s embezzling partner would be wise to stay exiled for ever in his South American hide-away.
‘Why ever not, Katrina?’ Jack drawled, leaning his broad shoulders back against his chair. ‘Big Brutus is going to win today and I’m going to be there to accept the trophy. Along with Courtney, here.’
Glittering green eyes swung her way. ‘I’m sorry,’ Katrina said with lemony sweetness. ‘You said hello to me, but I can’t seem to place you.’
‘Oh, you don’t actually know me,’ Courtney trilled back. ‘But I feel like I know you. Jack has told me so much about you.’
‘Really,’ Katrina said coldly.
‘We didn’t want to have any secrets between us, did we, Jack?’ Courtney smiled over at Jack, who thankfully wasn’t looking too poleaxed by her bold charade.
‘How nice,’ his ex managed to grate out between her dazzlingly white but grindingly clenched teeth. ‘So how long have you two been going out together?’
‘Gosh, I’m not sure,’ Courtney jumped in again. ‘I haven’t been counting. How long has it been, darling?’ By now, she hoped and prayed Jack would back up her story.
‘Lord knows, sweetheart,’ he returned, his eyes amused on her. ‘I haven’t been counting, either. All I know is it’s been one remarkable experience.’
Courtney could practically feel the woman’s hostility. If she gripped her purse any tighter, her scarlet fingernails would sink holes in the leather.
‘She’s a little young for you, don’t you think, Jack?’ Katrina sniped.
Jack’s expression was superbly indifferent to the woman’s barb. What a man, Courtney thought. City-smooth and city-smart. But with such adorably macho looks. A most unusual combination.
‘I would have thought she’s just the right age,’ he replied coolly. ‘Can’t say the same for old George, however. He’s only got a few good years left in him, I would imagine. Look, I’d love to chat, Katrina, but the horses are in the barrier. We’re sure to run into each other later, after Big Brutus wins his race, since George is going to present the trophy.’
With that, Jack picked up his binoculars from the table and focused them on the race that had just jumped. Katrina glared pure hate at Courtney, then stalked off.
‘She’s gone,’ Courtney whispered, smiling satisfaction to herself.
‘I’m not sure if I should be angry with you, or grateful,’ Jack muttered drily, but without shifting his eyes away from the binoculars.
‘Grateful would be the more sensible option.’
‘I presume Lois told you about Katrina.’
‘Only the bare facts. I asked her if you were rich and she told me of your own recent money troubles, which led on to her mentioning Katrina’s defection to George.’
‘Ah… I see… Yes… That explains everything.’
He fell silent then, seemingly intent on the race. It was only a sprint and the runners were already approaching the turn into the straight, with three of them vying for the lead and another pair hot on their heels. It looked like being an exciting finish.
Yet, for the first time during the running of a horse race, Courtney found her mind wandering away from the action.
A couple of things had begun puzzling her. She could understand why Jack hadn’t quite got over Katrina yet. After all, he was the one who’d been dumped. And the woman was simply stunning to look at. Courtney suspected she was hot stuff in bed as well.
But Katrina’s jealousy on seeing Jack with another female seemed over the top. What on earth had she expected? That a man like him would never turn his eye elsewhere? Had she imagined for a moment that she was irreplaceable in Jack’s life, that her betrayal would turn him into an embittered celibate?
The idea was laughable. The woman had to have a screw loose.
Unfortunately, it did seem as if Jack hadn’t turned his eye elsewhere as yet. He’d come here today alone, hadn’t he? She was just a pretend girlfriend.
‘You’re far better off without her, you know,’ she announced with pragmatic logic just as the horses flashed past the post. ‘If she didn’t love you poor, then she didn’t love you at all, did she?’
Jack lowered his binoculars and gave her a long, hard look. ‘I know you meant well in doing what you just did, Courtney. And in a way I’m grateful to you. But you really don’t know what you’re talking about where Katrina and I are concerned. Neither does Lois. She…oh, oh, talk of the devil. Lois is about to descend upon us. Now, for pity’s sake, don’t relay to her anything that just happened. And you can drop the besotted girlfriend bit. Katrina and co have left the bar.’
Courtney pulled a face. ‘Pity. I was rather enjoying myself. What about when Big Brutus wins? Shouldn’t I revive the role, at least for the presentation?’
‘Let’s wait till the horse actually wins, shall we?’ Jack stated drily. ‘Hi, there, Lois. Time for a glass of champers?’
CHAPTER FOUR
‘SO WHAT do you think, Courtney?’ Jack asked ten minutes before the main race. ‘Will Big Brutus win, or not?’
They were standing by the parade ring, watching the grooms leading their charges around in circles. Lois was standing in the grassed centre, giving her hoop last-minute instructions and suddenly looking very much the professional horsetrainer she was.
‘Come on,’ Jack persisted. ‘You’re the horse expert here. Give me your expert advice.’
Courtney had to admit she was impressed by Big Brutus’s appearance this time in. He was beginning to look like the classy thoroughbred his breeding indicated, most of his earlier ugly angles filled in with hard muscle.
And there was that superior look in his eye which often denoted a good racehorse. Her mother had always had faith in Big Brutus and her mother had been no mean judge of horseflesh.
‘He certainly looks the goods today,’ she said. ‘Worth a bet at the odds.’ He was twelve to one.
‘Mmm.’ Jack reached for his wallet. ‘Each way?’
‘Betting each way is for little old ladies,’ she scorned. ‘Better to put your money straight out on two horses than wimp out on one.’
‘Heaven help any man who looked a wimp in front of you!’ he returned, smiling wryly. ‘Straight out it will be, then. Stay where you are. I’ll be back shortly.’
Courtney watched him counting out a lot of notes as he hurried off. She hoped he wasn’t going to put too much money on Big Brutus’s nose. He probably couldn’t afford it. Besides, her record of tipping winners wasn’t all that great. Too biased, most of the time.
Strangely, she wasn’t much of a gambler herself. Her thrill whenever a Crosswinds-bred horse raced was just as great with or without a bet on it. She didn’t need any extra adrenaline charge. Her excitement level was already at its zenith, just watching one of their horses run around. To see it win was the ultimate joy.
Her heart contracted at this last thought. If only her mum could have been here today. She loved it when one of her horses won.
Though in this instance it was a case of if, not when.
‘If you’re watching from up there, Mum,’ she murmured under her breath with an upward glance into the clear blue sky, ‘then ask the Lord for a little help. No, a lot of help. This is Big Brutus here. As you know, the best he’s finished so far is second. In a maiden!’
The reality of Big Brutus’s past form hit home and Courtney sighed. Lois really shouldn’t build people’s hopes up.
By the time Jack returned to lead her up into the stand to watch the race, Big Brutus’ price had tumbled to an alarming six to one.
‘My God, how much money did you put on?’ she questioned as they squeezed into a spot in the stands not too far from the winning post.
‘Nothing I can’t afford,’ he returned calmly.
‘Yeah, right. And if Big Brutus doesn’t win? I’ll bet come Monday you’ll be heading for the dole queue.’
‘But you said he would win.’
‘I said no such thing!’ she protested. ‘I said he looked well. If you want to lose the rest of your savings on a stupid horse race, then that’s your problem. I didn’t twist your arm.’
‘True,’ he said with a smile.
He wouldn’t be looking so cool when Big Brutus ran down the track, Courtney thought angrily. Men! Egotistical fools, the lot of them!
Despite her dismissal of any personal responsibility for Jack’s bet, Courtney’s stomach began churning and chundering like an old washing machine stuck on the spin cycle.
‘They’re off!’ she shouted simultaneously with the course commentator, every muscle in her body tightening.
It wasn’t a big field. Only ten starters. But when Big Brutus settled down at the tail soon after the start, Courtney had to stifle a groan of dismay. As much as she kept telling herself this was Randwick, where horses could come from behind once they topped the rise into the straight, Big Brutus’s record in races up till now didn’t help. He was a good stayer, all right. He usually stayed at the back of the field.
By the time they reached the back straight, with half the race already over, Big Brutus was still running last. Admittedly, the front runners were setting a brisk pace, which meant they might tire, and Big Brutus did look as if he was just jogging.
‘Get a move on, you ugly old brute!’ she burst out at long last.
‘You talking about the horse or the jockey?’ Jack quipped drily out of the side of his mouth.
She threw him a vicious glance, warning him that any smart alec chit-chat was not a good idea at this stage of proceedings. But he wasn’t looking at her. His eyes were glued to his binoculars.
‘Move him up closer,’ Courtney urged loudly from the stand, cupping her hands around her mouth as though by some miracle this action would funnel the advice half a mile away.
‘Now, that’s definitely advice for the jockey,’ Jack muttered, bringing an exasperated sigh from Courtney.
‘It’s your money going down the gurgler,’ she pointed out tartly, whereupon Jack dropped his binoculars and started shouting advice as well.
They both fell deathly silent, however, when the field swung into the straight and a still trailing Big Brutus was pulled out into the centre of the track to make his run. His long legs lengthened stride and he began to gobble up his opposition. With a furlong to go, he swept past the tiring front runners.
‘The ugly old brute is going to win,’ Jack said with awe in his voice. ‘Lois was right!’
The reality of his words snapped Courtney out of her own frozen state of shock, and she started jumping up and down. ‘Go, boy, go!’ she chanted like a demented rock groupie. ‘Go! Go! Go!’
Big Brutus went all right, leading the field by ten lengths, stretching out his neck at the winning post as all really good racehorses do. An ecstatic Courtney threw her arms around Jack. ‘He won!’ she cried. ‘He won!’
‘He sure did,’ Jack said, grinning and making no attempt to disengage her.
‘You must have won a good bit,’ she said, so pleased for him.
‘More than a good bit. The bookie is going to be the one heading for the dole queue after he pays me out, I can assure you.’
‘Fantastic! Lois, did you hear that? Jack won a stack on Big Brutus.’
Lois didn’t hear a thing. She was too busy hugging everyone within hugging distance. It suddenly crossed Courtney’s mind that Katrina was probably watching all this hoo-ha from somewhere in the crowded stand. With that thought in mind, she launched herself up on tiptoe and kissed Jack full on the mouth.
For a second or two, she thought he was going to spoil everything and push her way.
But he didn’t do any such thing. He did just the opposite. He yanked her hard against him and kissed her back, kissed her with an incredibly explosive passion, kissed her till everything in her head was scattered to the four winds and there was nothing but his lips grinding against hers, his tongue deep in her mouth, and his hands burning hot through her clothes.
And then…then he pushed her away.
She gasped and stared up at him with startled eyes. He laughed softly, gathering her close again. She didn’t resist. She couldn’t resist.
Amazing…
‘Be careful what you start wanting, Courtney Cross,’ he whispered into her ear. ‘Or you just might get it.’
Lois’s tapping Jack on the shoulder had him drawing back once more.
‘Hate to interrupt, folks,’ she said, giving a flushed Courtney a raised-eye glance. ‘But it’s time to go lead Big Brutus in. Would you like to do the honours, Courtney?’
Courtney snapped out of her highly uncharacteristic fluster to congratulate Lois on her brilliant training of Big Brutus, grateful for the opportunity to turn her mind from Jack’s kiss. She’d been dangerously turned on there for a while. And he’d known it.
Courtney never liked a man to think he had her at a disadvantage. She liked to call the shots in every aspect of her life. And that included her sex life.
‘You do realise you’re leading in a Melbourne Cup contender,’ Lois remarked happily as the three of them made their way downstairs.
The Melbourne Cup! Courtney had to admire Lois’s optimism. Admittedly, after today, she respected the woman’s judgement a good deal more. But Australia’s premier staying race over two miles was a big step up from today’s mediocre-class handicap.
‘You’ve actually entered him?’ Courtney asked, knowing that was not a cheap exercise in itself.
‘Your mother did.’
‘My God, wasn’t that just like her?’
‘Your mother knew what she was doing, Courtney. The horse has got a good chance. It’s a handicap race, remember? Big Brutus will get in with a very light weight. Of course, he’ll have to win one of the qualifying lead-up races to ensure him of a start. But he’ll do that easily, after today.’
‘Lord, don’t say things like that in front of Jack!’ Courtney exclaimed. ‘Or he’ll make Big Brutus favourite next time! He might even be tempted to take some of those ridiculous odds they give Melbourne Cup entries months in advance.’
It was three months till the big race itself took place, on the first Tuesday in November. A veritable lifetime in horse racing. A million things could happen to stop them even taking their place at the start!
And then there was the race itself. Twenty top stayers from all over the world vying for the biggest prize money on the Australian racing calendar, every owner trying, every jockey riding more recklessly and ruthlessly than usual.
‘Tell Jack not to waste his winnings, Lois,’ Courtney advised firmly. ‘Tell him to wait and see how things pan out.’
‘As long as Jack’s paying Big Brutus’s training fees,’ Lois said, ‘I’ll be telling him the truth as I see it. Big Brutus has a good chance in the Cup, Jack. Make no mistake about that. And I’ll get him to the post. Make no mistake about that, either. Your money could do worse than to ride round on such a noble animal’s back.’
Courtney rolled her eyes at Jack, who tactfully smothered his laughter.
They’d barely made it downstairs and out onto the grass when a tall, balding chap with a microphone grabbed Lois for an on-the-spot television interview.
Courtney hurried over to lead Big Brutus back into the number one gate, patting his sweaty neck and telling him what a good horse he was before remembering to congratulate the jockey on his brilliantly patient ride.
‘Just followed instructions,’ the jockey said. ‘Frankly, you could have knocked me over with a feather when he took off like he did. Never done that before. Still, now that he’s hit his straps, I think the big boy will go on to better things. I’d be very happy to have the ride on him again, no matter what race he starts in.’
‘What was the jockey saying to you?’ Jack asked on her eventually returning to his side.
‘He wants to ride Big Brutus, no matter what race he’s entered in.’
‘And what do you think?’
‘I think you kiss very well.’ Couldn’t leave him thinking he’d really rattled her.
He shook his head, laughing. ‘You’re incorrigible, do you know that?’
‘Agnes tells me as much, practically every day.’
‘Who’s Agnes?’
‘She’s the housekeeper at Crosswinds. She’s also the woman who delivered me. Mum hired her when she was pregnant because of Agnes’s midwifery skills. She didn’t want any man attending to her, you see. Agnes helped raise me, too. But she gave up when I was around seven. They say that’s the age of reason. Agnes claims seven was the age of my becoming unreasonable.’
‘Perceptive woman, this Agnes.’
‘Really!’
‘Well, you do suffer from a serious lack of discipline and self-control. One day someone is going to have to take you in hand.’
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