Superstar (16 page)

After lunch
they got the herd moving again, and Carrin relaxed atop the big
grey, her reins slack as he ambled along. Flies bothered the horses
and cattle alike, and she was constantly waving a hand to chase
them away from her face. It grew quite hot, and Cloud sweated a
little. One of the cowboys played a tune on a mouth organ as he
rode, adding to the relaxed air.

A bullock
exploded from the herd with incredible speed, and galloped almost
directly across her path. Carrin was jerked from her lethargy as
Cloud responded. She did not touch the reins or use her heels, but
the cattle horse knew exactly what to do. Carrin grabbed the pommel
as he leapt into a gallop after the bullock, moving beyond it. With
consummate ease, he shouldered the animal back towards the herd.
The bullock was determined, however, and stopped and swung,
slipping behind the cattle horse.

Carrin hung on
as Cloud propped and spun after the bullock in an instant. He tried
to head off the beast again, but the bullock dodged. The cattle
horse outwitted it at every turn, until they stood face to face.
The bullock tried to dodge past, and Cloud swung, blocking it. It
tried to go the other way, and again Cloud cut it off. Carrin sat
with slack reins while the cattle horse outsmarted the bullock.
When the bullock had had enough, it turned and trotted back to the
herd with a mournful bellow, Cloud right behind it.

When
Carrin re-joined the cowboys, they grinned. She laughed and fanned
herself, her heart still pounding from the exciting, unexpected
ride. Shaun moved his horse closer.

"You all
right?"

"Never better.
I stopped a breakout!" It sounded grand, and Shaun laughed.

"Hell, give
credit where credit is due, Carrin."

"Okay, okay,
Cloud stopped a breakout."

"That's more
like it." They laughed, and she patted Cloud. "That's why I gave
you Cloud," he explained. "You don't have to tell him anything; he
knows it all."

"He certainly
does, and now I know why cattle horses react so fast."

"That's it."
Shaun pointed to a dark bay that one of the older men rode. "That
one's a youngster, still learning the trade."

The cows
seemed to be resigned to their fate, which was, Shaun told her,
dipping and worming. By late afternoon, they were on the final leg
of their journey, but not yet within sight of the ranch. Carrin had
never spent an entire day in the saddle before, and even in the
padded comfort of the western saddle, her hips ached and her
tailbone twinged from time to time. She was looking forward to a
shower and tea when the shout went up from one of the cowboys.

"Rider coming
in!"

Carrin
squinted into the setting sun, and spotted a cantering horse
silhouetted against it. As it drew nearer, she was able to make out
a magnificent iron-grey gelding with a black mane and tail, black
stockings and a dappled coat. The rider, who sat on his mount as if
part of it, cut an all too familiar figure. Mark Lord. He gave the
herd a wide berth and guided his horse up to hers. Shaun saluted
and rode off.

"Hello
Carrin." The slight, famous smile was perhaps a little wider than
usual, as if he struggled to control it.

Carrin grinned
at him. "Hi."

He pushed back
the white Stetson and regarded her piercingly. "I might have known
you'd be driving cattle."

She laughed.
"Why not? It's fun."

"Some people
have other ideas about what's fun. Most girls consider sunbathing
or swimming, or reading magazines fun, but not you. I come here
expecting to find you in the pool, and instead you're out driving
cattle."

"And having
the time of my life. Bert wasn't too impressed when I asked to
come. He thought I should wait to meet you. I hope you don't think
I was rude."

Mark's smile
widened. He appeared to be struggling not to grin, and she wanted
to kick him and tell him to go ahead and laugh, knock himself out.
He controlled it.

"I'd have been
disappointed if I'd found you lying by the pool. We seem to enjoy
the same things."

She nodded,
still grinning. "I even stopped a breakout."

He chuckled.
"You did?"

"Well, okay,
Cloud did."

"Shaun gave
you the right horse."

She patted her
mount. "He's lovely."

Mark's horse
threw his head and cavorted, but Mark held him easily. "Dante'
wants to run. Race you home?"

"You'll give
Cloud heart failure," she protested.

"Nonsense,
he's good for it."

The prospect
of another wild gallop excited Carrin, and she nodded. Mark
slackened his reins, and she dug her heels into Cloud's flanks. The
big grey leapt ahead, and she flew with the wind as the grass
blurred beneath his thundering hooves. In minutes, they had left
the herd behind, and raced over the rolling grass. Cloud kept up
with Mark's mount, and they clattered into the stable yard
together. Grooms ran up to take the horses, and Mark joined Carrin
as she slid from Cloud's back. He looked relaxed, his eyes
sparkling. Carrin's legs wobbled, and she leant against Cloud's
warm flank.

Mark chuckled.
"Walking like a cowboy already?"

"I've been in
the saddle all day."

"Great, isn't
it?"

"Yes." She
smiled, her heart filled with so much love that she thought it
would burst. For a moment, she was able to forget about Helen and
the web of intrigue that seemed to shadow Mark Lord, and just enjoy
his company. The day had been like a dream, and she had never been
so happy. He looked away, apparently disconcerted, and she wondered
how much of her feelings had been shining in her eyes. Cursing
inwardly, she straightened. Mark gestured in the direction of the
ranch.

"Shall we go?
You must be dying for a shower and tea."

She
nodded.

Mrs Martin
waited at the house, her perpetual smile in place. Carrin ran up to
her room to shower, then joined Mark for tea. He informed her that
scene twenty-eight was complete, then tactfully did not mention it
again. Carrin enthused over the ranch, and Mark cocked his head
with a slight smile.

"So, you'd
like to live on a place like this?"

"I'd love it!
I wish I could afford a ranch here, though it doesn't need to be as
big as this."

Mark glanced
away. "You'll have to write a few more screenplays then."

"Yeah, I guess
so. Would you be interested in the lead again?"

He smiled. "If
the part suits me. But I don't make that many movies, Carrin. One
every couple of years is sufficient."

She sat back,
disappointed. "Well, I guess there's no rush. I have a nice little
place in Africa."

"You could
stay here," he said, and her heart pounded. He glanced at her and
hurried on, "As a guest, of course, a friend. You could come for
holidays."

Carrin tried
to relax. He was so smooth, so charming. Actor! She shrugged.
"Maybe."

Leaning forward to choose a cream cake from the selection,
she caught him watching her with narrowed eyes.
What was going on behind
them?
Their
easy camaraderie earlier had disarmed her, but now she was on guard
again, wary of traps and innuendos that might hint at his real
reason for being so nice to her. She trusted him about as much as a
bucketful of rattlesnakes, and was not taking any chances. Helen's
words returned to haunt her. 'He conquers hearts, bodies are too
easy.'

Mark had
conquered her heart before she had even met him, but he must never
know. She no longer believed Janice's assertion that he knew about
her feelings. If that was true, he would not bother to be so nice
to her. Then there was that other sinister motive, that use he had
for her. It was all so complex and confusing. She nibbled on the
cake and studied his famous profile as he gazed across the garden.
If only dreams came true.

The following
morning, Mark supervised the cattle dipping and worming, and Carrin
realised that this was why he had come up for the weekend. It was
odd that he had not mentioned it when he had invited her, but
perhaps it had slipped his mind. She enjoyed watching the cowboys
herd the cows into long fenced runways called crushes, where they
were anointed with dip and given a dose of worm medicine.

Once
medicated, they went into another holding pen. She perched on a
railing with Mark, watching the cows pass below. Every now and then
he would point out a cow that needed other attention, and at the
end of the run it would be singled out for the vet. Each animal had
a number clipped to its ear for identification. Here the cowboys
had a chance to show off their skills as they roped the beasts and
cast them for the vet. The sun blazed down from a cloudless sky,
and Mark lent her a cowboy hat that was a little too big for
her.

At lunchtime,
Mark announced that he had to speak to Shaun, and helped her down
from the railings. He disappeared into the dimness of a stable
block, and she wandered over to watch the roping. After about ten
minutes, Mark re-emerged, looking smug. By that time, everyone was
quitting for lunch, and they went back to the ranch house, where
Mrs Martin had laid out a spread of wine, cheese, cold meat and
salad. Carrin relaxed after the meal and sipped a cool drink. Mark
excused himself and sauntered off to the stables, returning about
half an hour later. He removed his Stetson and settled into a
chair.

"How would you
like to go riding this afternoon?"

Carrin shot
him a surprised glance. "What about the cattle dipping?"

"Shaun and
Bert can take care of that. They don't need me to tell them what to
do. In fact, they probably know more about cattle than I do. They
just let me act like the boss when I'm here."

"Then you
didn't come here to supervise the cattle?"

He shook his
head. "No, of course not." He hesitated. "I just needed a break,
that's all."

Right, Carrin
thought, and it was just a coincidence that he needed a break on
the same weekend that she was here. He inspected his Stetson, then
glanced up.

"So, do you
want to go riding?"

She shrugged,
acting casual. "Sure, why not?"

"Good." He
smiled. "I have a surprise for you."

Carrin's
suspicions were immediately aroused, and her mind whirled with
possible surprises as she followed him to the stables. Mark stopped
in the cool, hay-scented aisle, and she looked at him.

"Okay, bring
him out, Shaun," he called.

Carrin glanced
around at the thud of hooves. Shaun emerged from one of the stalls,
leading the golden palomino she had seen running free in the
paddocks. He was saddled and bridled, and his coat glowed in the
soft light. Carrin went over to him and stroked his sleek, arched
neck. The horse snuffled her, nibbling her sleeve.

"He's
beautiful," she murmured, turning to smile at Mark. "You're sure I
can ride him?"

"He's
yours."

"What do you
mean?"

"I mean I'm
giving him to you. Shaun said that you liked him, so he's
yours."

Carrin shook
her head. "Oh, no, you can't. I mean, I like all your horses."

"But you
especially admired Sirius."

"Yes." She
frowned. "But I can't accept such a valuable gift."

"Why not?
We're friends, aren't we? I have more than enough horses."

"But... I may
never come back here."

Mark raised a
brow. "I was hoping that this would persuade you to."

Carrin turned
away to stroke Sirius. Why, she wanted to shout at him. Why do you
want me to come back here? Why are you being so damned nice to me?
What do you want? There was only one way to find out, and that was
to play along. If she confronted him with the fact that she knew he
had something planned for her, he would only deny it. She gave him
her brightest smile.

"Thank you.
He's lovely."

It sounded
cold and insincere, but she did not care. He seemed pleased, and
Shaun handed her Sirius' reins as Mark led his iron-grey out of the
stall. They mounted and rode out into the rolling hills. Sirius was
calm and responsive; a steady, surefooted mount with comfortable
gaits and a rocking chair canter. Mark watched her with that
slight, superstar smile, and she resented the implication that she
had gone along with his plans. At the same time, riding with him
was exciting.

Carrin
remembered a Western in which Mark had played an outlaw, and
imagined that she rode with the fictitious villain. She wished the
ride would never end, and that he was a simple, uncomplicated man.
When the white stables came into sight, the daydream ended as cold
reality robbed her of her dreamy happiness.

Mark suggested
a swim, but Carrin opted to watch the last of the cattle being
dipped. Once again he seemed amused, but pleased with her choice,
and joined her on the railings.

Carrin was
surprised to find candles and roses on the dinner table when she
entered the dining room that evening. Mark looked a little
embarrassed.

"Mrs Martin's
idea."

The
housekeeper served the first course, and as Carrin sliced the
tender beef, she decided to do a little digging. Perhaps she could
trick Mark into revealing his motives. The question that had been
bothering her for some time sprang into her mind, but she hedged a
little first.

"How's
Janice?"

"Janice?" He
looked surprised. "She's fine. Everyone's fine."

"Are you
serious about her?"

"Janice?" This
time he looked amazed. "I'm not even interested in her. Whatever
gave you that idea?"

"You go out
with her."

"Oh, well,
that's just publicity. I took her to a fund-raiser."

Carrin's brows
rose. "She gave me the impression -"