Green Paddocks Page 6

  Again she saw the muscle move at the side of his mouth. The next moment he had gone, slamming the door behind him. Holly found her hands were trembling. Only on one other occasion had she been deliberately rude to him, and this was shortly after his arrival at Green Paddocks. Her conscience had made her go and apologise, and he had accepted the apology with an equanimity that had surprised her. It was as if he had been expecting it. If he thought she was going to apologise this time, he had another thought coming! He had been as rude to her, even though he thought he was dealing with a spoilt brat. She would apologise if he did and that would be never!

  Ten minutes later Milly appeared with a loaded tray. 'Land sakes, child!' she exclaimed. 'Get yourself cleaned up. What would Hayes say if he saw you?'

  'He has,' said Holly darkly. 'Seen me, I mean.'

  Milly stared at her. 'Like that?' she almost! squeaked.

  Holly couldn't help grinning. 'Practically,' she said. 'I did manage to pull the bed cover over me. Serves him right, anyway. He had no right to come to my room. This is my home, although goodness knows you wouldn't think so.'

  Milly gave her a searching look. 'You bin crying?' she demanded.

  Holly shrugged and got off the bed. She was in no mood for an inquisition.

  'Why, Holly girl?' Milly persisted.

  Holly collected her toilet bag. 'I guess things got on top of me,' she answered quietly.

  Milly folded her arms across her ample chest. 'You got nuthin' to cry about,' she said censoriously. 'That fella's putting things right. You got no worries. He knows what's what.'

  Holly gave her a sardonic look. 'That fella,' she said firmly, 'knows he knows what's what! And I wish to goodness I'd never set eyes on him!'

  With a shocked look Milly said, 'Now you don't mean that. Why, he's the best thing that's happened around here since your dad died.'

  Holly walked to the door. 'That's your opinion,' she said tartly. 'He's rounded up Pegleg and I'll never forgive him !' With that she rushed out of the room and cannoned into Hayes looking for Milly. Holly brushed past him without a backward look, not caring whether he had heard or not. The fact that she was still only in bra and panties did not disturb her either. He could think what he liked ! Perhaps from now on he'd keep away from her section of the house.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  WHEN Holly set her mind to something she usually saw it through, and she was set on avoiding any future contact with Hayes. The next day presented no problem; he was at camp. She made it quite clear to Milly that no amount of persuasion would serve to get her to sit down to meals with him again, guest or no guest. 'They can entertain each other,' she said obstinately in reply to Milly's protest. 'I'm uncomfortable enough now in his presence and don't intend to be made to feel the awful child ever again. I can just imagine the scene, sitting there trying not to look or listen to their conversation. No doubt,' she went on scathingly, 'he would include me in it at one point while he makes eyes at his woman.'

  Milly's eyes went heavenwards. 'Lordy, girl! Where you learn these things, huh? This Miss Fields is probably just a nice girl. Cause you got a bee in your bonnet 'bout that old bull no reason to take it out on her.'

  'She's his friend, isn't she?' Holly replied crossly. 'And I'll tell you another thing, she'll be all dressed up to the nines and a chocolate box beauty to boot. Why do you think he got the deep freeze in and the new stove? So you could cater for her sophisticated tastes, that's why! Just good old plain fare wouldn't suit his type of woman.'

  Milly grinned, showing an even set of very white teeth. 'Well,' she conceded, 'Hayes did show me how to mix a highball the other day.'

  'There you are, then !' Holly said triumphantly. 'No doubt she'll be showing you how to make her favourite dish !'

  Placing her hands on her waist, Milly asked with a twinkle in her eyes. 'You jealous, huh?'

  Holly almost snorted. 'Jealous? Of course not! She's more than welcome to him. I only wish she'd persuade him to go back with her—I presume she's only staying the weekend?'

  Milly shrugged. 'Nuthin' said about time limit. Do you good to have someone your own age about the place.'

  Holly stared at her. 'She'll be years older than I,' she said cuttingly. 'Probably a widow. Why, I believe he's even older than Hal!'

  Milly's laughter echoed down the hall as she went to prepare lunch.

  Holly stood frowning after her. Just how old was he? she wondered, then shrugged; even if he wasn't as old as Hal was, he certainly acted as though he were !

  The muster was completed by the following day, and Holly heard the horses' hoofs pounding towards the homestead long before the men were in sight. In a cloud of dust she watched them gallop by full of high spirits and looking forward to a day's lay-off after the rigours of the round-up. They must, she thought, have finished late the previous evening. Her heart was heavy as she listened to their gay chatter and looked longingly towards the men's quarters; she dearly wanted to know what had happened to Pegleg. Was he to be driven with the rest on that long run to the meat town? She shivered; he would find it hard going keeping up with the herd. She saw Hayes arrive in the saddling yard just below her bedroom window, and her lips twisted. He had pushed them hard, hadn't he? They hadn't expected to finish until that evening. All on account of his lady love, no doubt.

  In a way Holly was relieved. She had now no qualms about entertaining the visitor, in spite of her spirited refusal to have anything to do with her. Good manners demanded that some effort should be made to welcome her to Green Paddocks.

  When noon approached, Holly was well away from the homestead vicinity in case Hayes sought her out. He might as well learn now as later that she had meant what she had said. She longed to go in search of Dave for news of Pegleg, but knew he would be busy catching up on jobs held over during mustering. He now held Hal's job of head stockman and the responsibilities that went with it.

  She made for the water hole and on reaching it dismounted and perched on a log overlooking the greenery surrounding it, leaving Silky patiently grazing behind her. Looking down at the water, she thought of Hal and what he would have done in the same circumstances; he would have driven Pegleg out of the ranch boundaries and into the bush beyond and he would have survived. There was of course a chance he might have attempted to return but with the kind of fencing Hayes had had erected, even Pegleg would have had his work cut out.

  Thinking of Hal increased her misery. Holly had never realised how much she had depended on him for company until now. Hal had never talked down to her. She remembered the day at the motel and the way he had suggested marriage as a solution. She sighed heavily; if only she had waited to see him that evening and agreed to it! Her eyes narrowed. If Hayes Chester had not interfered Hal would be with her right now and her life a much happier one. She might still live at Green Paddocks, but what was she? Nothing! What friends did she have? None! Dave and Tim and the rest of the men were Hayes Chester's men now. She was just an incidental clause he had gathered in his business dealings. The thought of the visitor he was now entertaining sent a surge of anger through her. He had not had the decency to ask if he might invite her; but had gone ahead in his usual highhanded fashion and casually informed Milly. Milly ! Not Holly, his so-called partner and owner of the homestead. Her fingers crushed the stem of a blade of grass. She was well within her rights in refusing to have anything to do with this Miss Fields.

  Only when the sun began to descend slowly, telling her it was well past six, did Holly begin the homeward journey. On reaching the homestead, she bypassed it and made her way to the men's quarters, knowing they would be having their evening meal. Her eyes pricked slightly at the shouts of welcome that hailed her as she joined them in the cook-house. 'Where did you get to?' was the main call. At least, she thought sadly, they had missed her. Dave made a space for her to sit beside him and more banter followed. Dave half scolded her for leaving camp like that. 'Boss was furious,' he said. 'Wouldn't give anyone else the job of going after you eithe
r.'

  Holly accepted a plate of steak and chips passed down from Cookie behind the serving hatch. 'You should have told him I'd be all right,' she answered.

  Dave shook his head. 'You don't tell that man anything,' he said. 'He tells you.' There was no resentment in his voice, if anything a kind of pride.

  She looked at him. 'You like him, don't you?' she said.

  Cutting himself a slice of steak, Dave grinned. 'Sure,' he murmured. 'Knows what he's talking about. And I'll tell you something else; wouldn't ask you to do anything he couldn't do himself.' His brow darkened. 'Not like that jumped-up grazier Pete Mills.'

  Holly sighed; Dave spoke the truth, but it made her feel all the more like an outcast. Apart from her there was not one person who didn't like Hayes; even Milly sided with him. She looked at her food and listlessly tried to do her portion justice. After a short silence she asked abruptly: 'Dave, what happened to Pegleg?'

  Dave gave Tim a meaning look end met Holly's anxious eyes with a touch of ruefulness in his. 'Rounded up with the rest,' he said. 'They'll do the run on Monday.'

  It was as Holly feared. 'He'll never keep up,' she said despondently as her knife and fork clattered down on the plate.

  Dave laid his arm across her drooping shoulders. 'Guess he won't at that, but he's old, girl. It's for the best, you know.'

  Holly swallowed convulsively. 'You mean he'll just drop out, don't you?'

  His arm tightened about her. 'Look, girl, one way or another it comes to the same thing, doesn't it?'

  Holly couldn't answer; the run covered miles of arid desert land. Dave's meaning was clear. Even if by some stroke of fate Pegleg did make it there was the same ending. She couldn't bear to think of him taking that long trek. Hayes wouldn't have known of his existence if it hadn't been for her. 'It's my fault,' she said aloud. 'If I hadn't encouraged him he'd still be free.'

  'Not for long,' affirmed Dave. 'Hayes don't miss much. He'd have spotted him sooner or later and had him routed out.'

  Suddenly the talk around the table ceased and Holly felt Dave's arm draw slowly away from her. She looked where everyone else was looking and met the stormy gaze of Hayes standing in the doorway, then she looked away quickly.

  'Dinner,' he said quietly but furiously, 'has been held up for you. Perhaps you've forgotten you have a guest.'

  Holly flushed. She wanted to scream out that it was his guest, not hers, and that she was quite happy where she was. However, it would have, meant trouble for Dave if she had stuck her heels in. She rose reluctantly and thanked Cookie for the meal, then slowly walked to join Hayes. She could feel the boys' eyes on her and felt like a small girl being hauled back home.

  Once outside she turned furiously on the cold silent man by her side. 'How dare you!' she blazed. 'Treating me like a truant in front of my men!'

  'My men,' he corrected her coldly. 'And if you continue to act like a child you'll be treated like one. Just thank your lucky stars I didn't put you across my knee then and there, audience or no audience.'

  'You'd love to do that, wouldn't you?' She ground out. 'The bigger the audience, the better. Anything to show who's boss around here,' she ended bitterly.

  He stopped and stared at her. 'There's no question who's boss,' he said harshly. 'Just that a certain person doesn't seem to be getting the message. But you will,' he added grimly. 'I've plenty of time.'

  'So have I!' stated Holly. 'And no one browbeats me—but no one!'

  'Is that what you call it?' he asked sardonically. 'I'd call it being brought to heel. You've been allowed too much rope, young lady, and it's high time you realised the world doesn't exist for your benefit alone.'

  Holly gasped: he certainly had a biased opinion of her. What had she done to deserve it? And what business was it of his anyway? 'I thought we'd agreed,' she murmured bringing a sugary note into her voice, 'that you wouldn't interfere with me. Yet here you are hunting me down and routing me out of the canteen just to meet someone I don't know and don't wish to know.'

  She knew she was being extremely rude and ill-mannered and sounding remarkably like the spoilt child he accused her of being. It must be the effect he has on me, she thought bewilderedly. I'm not usually like this.

  She felt her shoulders caught in a steely grip and she was shaken hard. Holly had never had as much as a finger laid on her before by anyone except Hal, and struggled furiously to release herself from that iron hold. When he had finished the treatment he released her so abruptly she nearly lost her balance and staggered back a few steps until she had regained it. She was so furious she couldn't find her voice, but her eyes said it all.

  'Now you'll go to your room and change into a dress—if you possess one,' he said scathingly, 'and do something about your hair. Miss Fields is expecting to meet a young lady and by heaven, a young lady is what she will meet. Do you hear me? Or do you want another shaking?' he threatened. 'As for doing as you choose, fine—as long as you keep out of my hair. I choose not to allow you to hang around the men's quarters. The homestead is your domain and the sooner you realise it the better ! Now get going!' He thrust her through the side door of the homestead. 'We'll give you precisely ten minutes,' he said crisply. 'If you're not down by then I'll come and drag you down.'

  Holly's shoulders ached from the rough treatment, but she was by no means cowed. 'That would-look well, wouldn't it? she bit out. 'And what would your Miss Fields think of that?'

  'Miss Fields,' he stated haughtily, 'is well aware of the position. She will no doubt make allowances for you.'

  Holly saw no point in arguing; he was bigger than she was. She walked away with shoulders stifly erect. It hurt to keep them straight, but she wasn't going to let him know how much. Once in her room, she stared at herself in the mirror, unable to believe the events of the last few minutes. As if her life had not been unhappy enough there was now a new threat to be added to her existence. Hayes Chester had decided to take her in hand. He didn't have to say so; it was painfully obvious. She saw a miserable future stretched out before her. After promising to let her go her own way, too!

  She had not foreseen this, neither had Hal, or he would not have let her in for it. She bit her lip remembering Hayes' warning; ten minutes and he would be looking for her. Her lips twisted bitterly. She could well imagine how she would be treated—as a young delinquent, no doubt ! She could also imagine how Hayes had described her. Her eyes narrowed; she was not beaten yet. If he thought he had got the better of Holly Drew he would soon begin to think again. She feverishly searched in her wardrobe for the dress she required. When she found it a small sigh of satisfaction escaped her and she dragged it out of its protective covering and eyed it carefully. It was all she had remembered it was, but would it still fit her? She hastily cast off her blouse and jeans and tried it on. She had not altered much size-wise over the years and the last time she had worn the dress she had been fourteen years old.

  She stared at her reflection; the dress barely came to her knees, otherwise it fitted perfectly. Her glance went over the bright pink silk material and rested on the flounce round the hem, then travelled up again to the embroidered front and puffed-out sleeves. It had a wide belt that tied at the back in a large bow. Holly thought of Milly; she would have a fit if she could see her. The dress was Holly's first party dress and Milly had sentimentally refused to throw it out. Serves her right, Holly thought, for siding with Hayes!

  The next thing on the agenda was shoes; Holly found a pair of black pumps used for the rare occasions she attended a dance. Lastly there was her hair and she scowled as she recalled Hayes scathing comments on it. She wished it was longer and she could really go to town; as it was, there was not much she could do with it. She frowned. Hadn't she worn a ribbon with the dress? A quick look through her dressing table drawer produced a dark red one, but Holly was not entering a fashion parade. She twisted it into a large bow and set it on the crown of her head, fixing it into position with a hair grip. Then she looked at the final result.

&
nbsp; She ought, she thought, to look like something out of a pantomime, but she didn't. Vaguely she was disappointed and, sadly, saw why Hayes Chester insisted on referring to her as 'young lady'. Her slim boyish figure hadn't changed much over the years. Her small bust could easily belong to the child she was now depicting. Her heart-shaped face with eyes that looked larger than she could ever remember them looked back at her solemnly. One more glance at her watch told her she had exactly two minutes in which to put in an appearance. As she made her way to the sitting-room she fervently hoped Milly would be busy in the kitchen and not see her until it was too late.

  Hayes had his back to her as she entered the room; he was busy pouring out a glass of sherry for the woman reclining in one of the easy chairs. Holly stood hesitantly on the threshold as if afraid to enter without permission. The woman was all that Holly had predicted she would be, blonde and quite lovely. Her bright hair fell in soft golden waves to her shoulders and with a flash of annoyance Holly saw she had dressed for the occasion and wore a filmy blue dress more suitable for a banquet than an ordinary dinner. Perhaps it wasn't ordinary to her, thought Holly; she was Hayes' guest, wasn't she? Determined at all costs to impress, it seemed. Not for nothing had Holly spent a year at finishing school. She knew enough about correct wear to know that Miss Fields was overdressed, to put it mildly.

  Her sapphire blue eyes were fixed on Hayes' broad back and Holly recognised the proprietorial expression in them; then she became aware of Holly.

  'You must be Holly Drew,' she said with a husky inflection in her voice, and again Holly had the impression of a calculated effort to achieve that particular inflection. 'Well, come in, I won't bite you,' she murmured.

  The condescending voice put Holly's teeth on edge as she moved into the room. Hayes turned to hand his guest her drink and stopped in mid-stride as he took in Holly. For a brief second his eyes met her innocent-looking ones, then she dropped her lashes in a manner that did credit to the finest vamps of the seventies, studying the carpet and fiddling with her belt as if ready to bolt to the door at the first given opportunity.