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‘You wouldn’t take no for an answer. That poor horse is going to be so exhausted doing what the owner wants...’
‘I wish I were that exhausted.’
He was totally unabashed. His eyes twinkled happy triumph at her. Maybe he thought he was at last getting somewhere. Something had been achieved!
Well, he still had some learning to do as far as Caitlin was concerned.
‘Now all we need is a property,’ he said with a satisfied air.
‘I don’t think I could go through it again,’ Caitlin said weakly.
The Clydesdale stud farm was on the Calga plateau. David took the route down Bumble Hill to link up with the Yarramalong Road to Wyong.
He had already outlined his plan to Caitlin about buying a property in the Wyong district. It was in easy reach of Sydney, her father could keep an eye on the horse, and land was always a good investment in this area.
Land was also exorbitantly expensive in this area, Caitlin reflected as they drove on. It worried her. Was David in his right mind at the present moment? Would he pay anything to get the matter settled between them? To prove whatever he thought he had to prove? He had certainly ripped up his schedule and divested himself of his business concerns on her behalf. That showed an enor-mous commitment.
Caitlin grew more and more disturbed about the situation. She spotted The Last Retreat coming up. It offered some kind of resolution to her inner turmoil.
‘Stop at the hotel, David.’
‘What for?’
‘I want you to book us a room.’
David shot her a piercing look. The Ferrari veered towards the edge of the road.
‘Look where you’re going! Keep your mind on what you’re doing!’ she hastily warned him.
He corrected the drift of the car before they ended up in the ditch. He forced himself to relax back in his seat. ‘Caitlin,’ he said quietly, ‘the horse was not a bribe. I don’t want you to do anything. I don’t need to be paid off.’
‘I want to be sure you’re sane before you start buying a property,’ she answered bluntly.
The Ferrari slowed down. David eased it into the hotel car park and brought it to a halt. He switched off the engine, then turned to her, his face serious, his eyes probing hers with urgent intensity.
‘I’m perfectly sane, Caitlin. I don’t need your body to work off some madness inside me. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t ache to make love. I do.’
‘I do, too,’ she confessed. ‘And if we’re here, I won’t be thinking of Crawley knowing about it.’
His brow furrowed. ‘Is that what’s been worrying you?’
‘He said he knew. Every time you made love to me. His words were “laying me”.’
David winced. ‘I wasn’t laying you, Caitlin. I was loving you. Blindly and selfishly perhaps, but you were never what a man calls a lay. There is a difference, a big difference. If it takes a month or a year of celibacy to prove that to you, I’ll do it.’
‘No.’ She shook her head and looked down at the wing of motel units. A week ago, David had followed her here. She hadn’t known what to believe then. It was different now. He had more than amply proved she was special to him. The only question left was, how special? That wasn’t something she could make happen. It had to come from him.
‘I’m sorry about Crawley,’ David said, his voice roughening. ‘I should have known better, Caitlin. I regret, very much, that I didn’t stand by you that night and throw the filthy scum out on his lying face.’
‘It doesn’t matter now,’ she murmured.
‘It matters to me. I failed you in the worst possible way. It made me take a long, hard look at myself, Caitlin. I didn’t like what I saw.’
Was that why he had suddenly stepped away from his business? Changed his priorities?
His hand touched her face. Very gently he turned her head towards him. His eyes blazed with a turbulent mixture of concern and need.
‘I’ve been trying to erase my mistakes, Caitlin,’ he said gruffly.
