It had been only the habit that had made her jump at the opportunity of paying back David Hutton. Now, a combination of her conscience and the relentless arguments of a man she had only known for two days seemed to have succeeded in killing even the habit of wanting revenge. Kalinda thought once again of the unknown wife and of her own stupidity in wanting revenge on a man who wasn’t worth the time of day.
She made up her mind about what to do in the morning and went very soundly to sleep.
She dialed the private line number of David Hut-ton’s office promptly at eight o’clock the next morning. He was there, just as she had expected him to be. Whatever else could be said of the man, he was a hard worker. It was one of the things she had admired about him in the beginning…
„David, this is Kalinda…“ she began firmly, coolly.
„Getting impatient, darling?“ he chuckled knowingly. „It won’t be much longer now. I’m taking off around twelve. I’ll be in the mountains by the middle of the afternoon. Enjoying yourself? Your office said you’d taken off a couple of extra days.“
„I left that message in case you tried to get in touch with me,“ she affirmed. „But, David…“
„I can’t wait to see you again, Kali. God, it’s been a long time! I keep wondering what happened to us two years ago. We had so much going for us,“ he murmured deeply into the phone.
Kalinda gritted her teeth. He knew very well what had happened to them two years ago! He’d caused it to happen! But the momentary anger died quickly, leaving once again her newfound determination.
„David,“ she said calmly, „it’s no good. I’m not going to meet you up here. I’m calling so you won’t make the drive for nothing.“
There was a fragment of stunned silence on the other end of the line and then David’s voice came soothingly.
„This is hardly the time to get cold feet, Kali. We’ve got everything planned. Don’t panic, darling. Just sit tight for a few more hours until I get there. We’ll talk everything out You’ll see!“
Mentally Kalinda pictured him sitting behind his desk in the downtown highrise where his company had its headquarters. It was a handsome image in many respects. David Hutton was a good-looking man with dark brown hair and eyes. He would be thirty-six now and, unless he’d changed a lot in the past couple of years, still lean and dynamic. He dressed well, lived well, and admired those who did likewise. Two years ago Kalinda thought they would have made a good couple. It was with a small start that she realized this morning they would have made a disastrous couple. It would probably have been her David was planning to cheat today instead of the unknown woman who was his wife.
„I’m not getting cold feet, David. I’ve simply changed my mind.“ She’d decided earlier on the approach she would use. If she told David she’d only been plotting to make a fool of him, he would be infuriated and she didn’t feel like putting up with that sort of scene. She would leave him with a sop for his ego, annoying as that course of action might be for her.
„Why, Kalinda?“ he demanded with the first touch of a chill in his voice.
„If s wrong, David, and we both know it There’s your wife to consider, for one thing and there’s the little matter of both our reputations. What if someone were to discover what’s going on?“
„That’s hardly likely,“ he growled forcefully. „And you don’t have to concern yourself with my wife. I’ve never really talked to you about my marriage, darling. It’s one of the things I wanted to discuss with you this weekend. It’s… it’s been something of a business arrangement,“ he hinted delicately as if casting out a lure.
Kalinda lifted one brow sardonically but said calmly into the phone, „I’m afraid that’s your problem, David. All I know is I don’t want to be involved in a triangle…“
„Kali, honey, stop talking like that,“ he coaxed, sounding a little desperate and very determined. „This is just between you and I. Now you stay put I’ll be up there in a few hours. I can get away earlier than planned. We’ll talk this out in person.“
„Go ahead and drive up here, David, if you like. But I won’t be here. I mean it, I’m not seeing you again.“ Kalinda felt her patience and reasonableness slipping away. The firmness in her words was unmistakable. „Let’s just agree we were on the verge of doing something we both would have regretted and let it go at that“
„No! Kali, listen to me You would never have agreed to see me again if you weren’t still interested. You know that We can recapture what we once had if we only give it a chance…“
„Oh, go to hell, David!“ she finally snapped, disgusted with him and with herself for having gotten into the mess. „Do you want to know the real reason I agreed to meet you up here? I was going to let you drive all the way up with notions of starting an affair and then I was going to encourage you to think I was equally interested. I was going to let you wine and dine me, make you think you were on the point of seducing me and then I was going to laugh in your face! I never had any intention of rekindling our old romance, you idiot! How could I after what you did two years ago? You destroyed whatever we might have had together and I have no interest in raking through the ashes. Good-bye, David. Don’t call me again!“
She set the receiver firmly back into the cradle and surged irritably to her feet Dammit! She hadn’t meant to wind up the phone call that way, but he’d asked for it She wanted out of the awkward situation and she’d offered him a reasonable way of calling it quits. He had only himself to blame for having annoyed her to the point where she’d told him the truth.
She glanced around the small motel room, impatient to escape now that the decision had been made and action taken. She wanted away from these mountains, away from the scene of the canceled fiasco.
She went to the closet and began packing the chocolate leather luggage. She wore the white cotton tuxedo shirt she’d had on the first day with the khaki trousers and her hair was in the neat twist behind one ear. She felt as cool and self-confident as she looked. She had made the right decision.
Or had it made for her, she reflected ruefully, thinking of Rand Alastair as she swung the soft leather case into her silver Mercedes.
By the time she checked out of the motel it was nearly nine o’clock. She climbed behind the wheel of the car and wondered what Rand was doing. Was he thinking about her? Concerned about what her final decision would be?
Kalinda sat quietly in the seat before starting the engine. staring straight ahead through the windshield and thinking about Rand. She would never see him again and that seemed rather strange, considering the effect he’d had on her during the past two days.
But it was for the best, of course. There was no chance for anything solid and lasting between them. He was obviously content to live the undemanding life here in the mountains and she was both to thrive in the city. There would be other lady tourists to amuse him and with the coming of ski season he’d probably have to close up the shop completely in order to handle both his skiing and his dates, she told herself grimly.
With a decisive gesture she started the engine and backed the car out of its slot No, Rand wasn’t her sort of man by a long shot. She needed someone altogether more like herself. And she didn’t need an affair that came to life only on the weekends she managed to drive up into the mountains.
But somehow Kalinda wasn’t altogether surprised to find herself guiding the silver car along the narrow lakeside road toward Rand’s home. She would only stop long enough to say good-bye, she told herself. He deserved to know his arguments had been effective. She really believed he’d been genuinely concerned for her in this matter.