SOMEONE was following her!
January wasn’t quite sure when she first became aware of the car following some distance behind hers, but she had been sure of it for at least the last three miles, every turn she took down increasingly country roads—deserted roads!—the car behind making the same turn seconds later.
Suddenly Max’s scathing comments about the safety of her driving home alone late at night no longer seemed quite so ridiculous!
Unless it was Max himself who was following her…?
Surely not; she knew he was a determined man, but surely not a vindictive one? And it was more than vindictive to scare her in this way!
Then who was it?
She gave another glance in the driving mirror, those two headlights still there, if some distance away, too far back for her to even begin to identify the make of the car, let alone identify the driver. But she certainly didn’t intend stopping the car in order to confront the other driver, either!
But she didn’t like this, didn’t like it one little bit.
Of course, she could be wrong about the other car deliberately following her, it could just be someone else returning home late at night who also happened to live in her area. She could just be overreacting to this because of Max’s dire warnings!
There was one way of testing that theory, January realized as she took note of where she had got to in the journey; in about half a mile or so there was a narrow lane that led onto the track that eventually reached the farm. And only their farm. If the person behind her took that same short cut then she was definitely being followed.
January’s hands tightened on the steering wheel as the car followed on behind her as she turned down the lane, feeling hot and cold at the same time as she accepted she was definitely being followed.
To say she was alarmed now would be an understatement; she had never been so scared in her life!
The mobile telephone!
They had one mobile telephone between the three of them, May keeping it with her during the day as she worked about the farm, but insisting that January take it with her on the evenings she worked. She had always dismissed the necessity of it in the past, but at this particular moment she was glad of May’s over-protectiveness!
But who did she call?
Her sisters at the farm?
Both May and March were heavy sleepers, and with the mobile here with her, the only other telephone was downstairs in the hallway.
Max?
Absolutely not!
The police, to tell them she thought she was being followed?
If she turned out to be wrong about that, she was going to end up looking extremely foolish.
But what if she wasn’t wrong…?
The police, then, she decided hurriedly as the car behind followed her doggedly down the narrow lane—
No—wait a minute! The car had stopped, the headlights starting to fade away now as January took the turning up the track that led directly to the farm, able to heave a deep sigh of relief seconds later as she saw the vehicle was being turned around before driving back in the direction they had just come.
How strange. How very, very odd.
Strange and odd it might be, but January was shaking badly with reaction by the time she parked the car in the farmyard ten minutes later and climbed out onto the cobbles!
Perhaps it was as well, after all, that after tomorrow she would no longer have that long drive back from the hotel at night; she had the evening off anyway on Saturday, to attend Sara and Josh’s wedding.
Although she had no intention of ever giving Max the satisfaction of knowing he might have been right about these late-night drives, still maintained that he had no right to interfere in her life in the high-handed way that he had.
She had no intention of telling her sisters about the car following her home tonight, either; they had enough worries already. With only one evening left to work, it wasn’t worth mentioning.
‘I don’t understand.’ May frowned the following morning as the two of them sat drinking coffee together, March having already left for work. ‘What reason did Peter Meridew give for letting you go?’
‘Sacking me,’ January corrected dryly. ‘My own safety, apparently.’ She grimaced. ‘A likely story!’ she added disgustedly, knowing exactly who was responsible for her jobless state after this evening. And why! ‘But don’t worry, I’ll get another job,’ she assured optimistically.
Quite where, she wasn’t sure. She could always wait for the health and country club to open and apply for a job there—she didn’t think!
May still frowned. ‘Perhaps, in the circumstances, we really should consider Jude Marshall’s offer to buy the farm…’
‘What?’ January sat up stiffly, staring at her sister incredulously. May couldn’t be serious, not after all they had already gone through! ‘I will get another job, May,’ she assured her determinedly. ‘Besides, if we sold the farm, where would we all live?’ She frowned.
May shrugged. ‘March could get a flat in town, which would save her all the travelling to and fro to work. The two of you could probably get a flat together,’ she reasoned.
January couldn’t believe she was hearing this! ‘And what about you?’
‘Me?’ Her sister looked a little uncomfortable now. ‘Well, the thing is, January— Well, you see— I—’
‘What is it?’ January prompted warily; May was the least tongue-tied person she had ever known.
May’s cheeks coloured. ‘I’ve had this offer, you see—Well, not exactly an offer—more like—’
‘May!’ January protested impatiently. ‘Just spit it out, will you?’
If her sister had a boyfriend, someone May was serious about, then it was the first January had heard of it. But if that were the case… The three of them had always known that they could only continue to run the farm if all three of them were in agreement, if it was what they all three wanted to go on doing. One of them wanting to marry would certainly change that. Even if the man agreed to live on the farm, there was no way he would want the other two sisters living with them, too. As she had learnt only too well from her brief relationship with Ben!
May gave an embarrassed sigh. ‘Someone approached me, after I did the pantomime at Christmas, suggested that I go for a screen test, that—well, that—’
‘May…!’ January said excitedly. ‘Really?’
May flushed uncomfortably. ‘I wasn’t completely honest about going to the dentist the other day, I actually had lunch with this director. He—’ She moistened dry lips. ‘Apparently he spent Christmas with his sister’s family nearby, came to the pantomime with them all, and saw me—January, if I go for the test, and it’s successful, he wants me to appear in a film he’s going to begin making this summer!’ she finished incredulously.
January had known her sister was good, very good in fact, but this—!
It was beyond any of their wildest dreams. Beyond May’s, she was sure.
‘But don’t you see?’ May wailed. ‘If I have the screen test, and if this director offers me the part, I would no longer be here to work on the farm,’ she pointed out emotionally. ‘You and March simply wouldn’t be able to cope here on your own, job or no job.’
January could see only too well. But, at the same time, this was too good an opportunity for May to turn down.
‘But of course you must do it,’ she told May decisively. ‘May, you didn’t say no?’ She groaned as her sister still looked unconvinced.
‘I said—maybe.’ May grimaced. ‘I needed time to think about it,’ she defended at January’s reproachful look. ‘After all, it’s a big step.’
‘But if you’re successful—!’
‘I’m not sure I want to be successful. Not in that way,’ May added hardly.
‘But you have been thinking about it?’ January persisted.
‘Yes,’ her sister sighed. ‘And now that you’ve lost your job, and we have an offer on the farm, anyway… It all seems to be leading to one thing. Maybe this is what we’re supposed to do. I don’t know, January. I just don’t know.’ She gave a weary shake of her head.
January knew that she would personally hate having to tell Max that they had changed their mind about accepting Jude Marshall’s offer, would hate even more the look of triumph that would be on his face once he had been told. But, at the same time, May deserved her chance at success, didn’t she…?
‘Let’s see what March thinks about it all, hmm?’ January prompted, although she was pretty sure March would be of the same mind as herself.
As sisters they had always looked out for each other, but May had always been the mainstay of the family, the one who took the most responsibility; it was only fair that she be given the chance to do something totally for herself.
Having Max arrive at the farm later that afternoon, to inform them that he was returning to America in the morning, along with a recommendation to Jude Marshall that he work his plans for the health and country club around the Calendar farm, was not something either she or May could have envisaged!
But he was intelligent enough to realize that neither January nor May was exactly thrilled by the news, looking at them both with narrowed eyes as the three of them stood in the warm kitchen. ‘That was what you wanted, wasn’t it?’ he rasped.
‘It was, yes,’ May was the one to answer guardedly.
‘January?’ Max bit out tautly, blue gaze compelling.
She met that gaze reluctantly, very aware of how disturbingly attractive he looked in the dark business suit and white shirt he was wearing today. Even more aware of the things she had said to him the previous evening—and the huge backdown they were probably about to make.
But it was for May, wasn’t it…?
‘It was what we wanted, yes,’ she confirmed slowly.
His gaze narrowed. ‘But you have since changed your mind?’ he guessed shrewdly.
January looked pleadingly at May, knowing she couldn’t do this. She just couldn’t!
‘We’re—thinking about it, yes,’ her sister told Max dismissively.
Max looked at the two of them disbelievingly, shaking his head, obviously completely baffled by this seeming about-face on their part.
As well he might be, January acknowledged with an inward wince.
Women, would he ever understand them? Max wondered dazedly as he looked at January and May.
He hadn’t slept at all the previous night, had gone over and over in his mind the things January had said to him, punishing himself for his own determination never to let anyone into his life, never to care about anyone enough for them to be able to hurt him.
Because January had hurt him the night before. Had hurt him more than he had ever been hurt before.
Finally, he had known that the only thing left for him to do was to go back to America, to explain the situation to Jude, and let him take over from there, if he cared to. One thing Max was very sure of: he couldn’t do this any more…
And now, it seemed, the Calendar sisters had changed their mind about selling, after all!
Without being invited to do so—he would probably wait all day if he expected any politeness from January!—he sat down abruptly in one of the kitchen chairs. ‘Would someone mind telling me what is going on?’ he prompted wearily—and not only from lack of sleep.
‘Here, have some coffee.’ May poured some from the pot into a mug and placed it in front of him.
A double whisky would probably have been more beneficial, Max decided with a grimace, but sipped the hot coffee anyway. ‘Well?’ he finally prompted when neither sister seemed inclined to add anything.
‘I only said we’re thinking about it, Max,’ May reminded impatiently. ‘Circumstances have changed—’
‘So January informed me, only too volubly, last night!’ He nodded tersely.
May shot January a sharply questioning look, January answering with a warning shake of her head.
‘January being temporarily out of a job wasn’t the circumstances you were talking about,’ Max realized slowly, gaze narrowing speculatively. ‘Care to tell me about it?’ he prompted lightly.
‘No!’ January snapped.
‘Yes,’ May countered firmly, giving January a frown. ‘You don’t shoot the envoy, January,’ she reproved teasingly.
Max’s mouth twisted. ‘I would like to stick around and watch one of you shoot Jude!’
‘Be my guest,’ January returned sharply. ‘But, of course, you’re going back to America, aren’t you?’ she added scathingly.
What he would most like to do at the moment was put her over his knee and give her a good spanking. A thought May, if the teasing smile she gave him was anything to go by, was all too aware of!
Going back to America was not the ideal thing for him to do with this attacker called the Night Striker still on the loose, but with January hating him in the way that she did, he didn’t feel he could stay here, either.
To say he was disappointed in this uncertainty of the sisters about selling the farm after all would be an understatement. He had come to admire all three sisters for their determination this last week, had to admit he had half relished going back to Jude and telling him the answer was a definite no!
No doubt about it, he would never understand women. But this possible change of mind by the Calendar sisters ultimately made no difference to his own plans. Someone else could sort out the details, he really had had enough.
‘I am,’ he confirmed evenly. ‘So what happened?’ He turned to May—deciding, of the two, she was probably the one who would give him a straight answer. ‘Is one of you getting married or something?’ If it was January—!
He felt a jolt in his chest just at the thought of her marrying some faceless man. Just as well he was leaving!
‘Or something,’ May told him dryly.
Immediately starting Max’s heart beating again. Until that moment he hadn’t even been aware that it had stopped!
May looked slightly abashed. ‘A director has approached me about appearing in a film he’s going to make in the summer.’ The words came out in a self-conscious rush. ‘I’ll probably be awful at it, but…’ She gave a rueful shrug.
Aha! The answer to May’s nonexistent dental appointment earlier in the week? The derisive smile May shot his way told him that his supposition was correct.
Well, well, well. So May might be going off for some time filming. And he already knew that March had a full-time job. So what was January going to do?
As if aware of his curiosity, January snapped, ‘I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be part of the entertainment team on a cruise ship.’
‘You have?’ May frowned—obviously hearing this for the first time.
‘I have,’ January confirmed with an awkward shrug, at the same time shooting Max a resentful glare—obviously not at all happy with having him here as part of this family ‘baring-of-hearts’.
A sentiment that he wholeheartedly agreed with—although, as January didn’t think he had a heart, she probably wouldn’t believe that!
He stood up abruptly, once again keeping his gaze firmly fixed on May. ‘It all sounds great.’ He nodded. ‘I hope it works out for you. I just felt I owed it to you all to come and tell you what I plan on doing tomorrow.’ He drew in a sharp breath; now that the time had actually come for him to part from January his legs felt like lead, his heart even heavier.
‘That was very kind of you, Max,’ May told him warmly. ‘Wasn’t it, January?’ she prompted pointedly.
‘Very,’ she echoed dryly.
He gave a self-derisive smile. ‘What she really means, May, is she’ll be glad to see me go!’ he murmured softly.
January gave him a level stare. ‘Is that so surprising? You’ve done nothing but cause mayhem and confusion since you arrived here!’ she accused, her anger obviously starting to rise, two spots of colour in the paleness of her cheeks too now.
‘January!’ May gasped.
‘But he has, May,’ she defended impatiently. ‘He’s harassed us about selling the farm,’ she claimed heatedly—a little unfairly, Max thought. ‘He’s lost me my job, he claims because of concern over my safety,’ she continued disgustedly. ‘And now he’s got me into such a state of paranoia that I’ve even started imagining people are following me home at night!’
Max tensed, his gaze narrowing with sudden alertness. ‘Someone followed you home last night?’ he echoed slowly.
‘Of course not,’ she dismissed irritably. ‘I just thought they did—’
‘Why did you think they did?’ he cut in softly, every muscle and sinew of his body tensed now, a nerve pulsing in his cheek.
January gave a dismissive smile. ‘Because they obviously live somewhere in the area and were driving home at the same time I was!’ she snorted self-derisively.
Max looked at her searchingly. ‘Are you sure?’
She nodded. ‘I’m still here, aren’t I?’ she scorned.
Yes, she was—and as verbally resentful as ever. Oh, well, what had he expected? Nothing had happened to change that since they’d parted last night. In fact, from what she had just said, the opposite!
‘So you are,’ he conceded dryly. ‘But I understand you will be at the hotel this evening?’ There was a notice up outside the piano-bar that tonight would be January’s last performance for a while.
Max’s mouth had thinned disapprovingly as he’d read the notice earlier; Peter Meridew obviously couldn’t even do that right! By making such a public announcement the other man was effectively letting anyone who cared to know that January would be driving home alone this evening one last time…!
‘Yes, I will,’ January confirmed abruptly, her chin raised challengingly. ‘Can I expect to see you there?’
His mouth twisted humourlessly. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised,’ he drawled.
Her eyes flashed dark grey. ‘Neither would I!’
He gave an acknowledging bow before turning to a frowning May; obviously she wasn’t at all happy about her youngest sister’s rudeness. ‘I wish you every success with your possible acting career,’ he told her warmly.
May looked embarrassed again. ‘I haven’t definitely decided to go ahead with that yet.’
‘But she will,’ January said determinedly.
‘Maybe,’ May conceded. ‘Have a good flight home tomorrow, Max.’
Once again one of the sisters had assumed that his home was in America. But this time he was too weary to correct the mistake.
‘Thanks,’ he accepted with a smile. ‘I’ll see you later, then, January.’
She gave him a look that clearly said, Not if I see you first!
Max chuckled softly. ‘Or perhaps not,’ he allowed ruefully.
Although that humour faded as soon as he was outside, taking a moment to stand and look at the surrounding countryside with narrowed eyes.
Had someone followed January home last night? Or was it as she said, just another local resident driving home late at night?
He didn’t know. And neither did she. Not really. She couldn’t.
January wasn’t going to like it, he knew, but this was definitely something the police should be made aware of.
He also had one more call to make this afternoon on his way back to the hotel to pack.
To Josh.
January might see all of this as some sort of paranoia on his part, but if it stopped her from getting hurt, paranoid was exactly what he would be!