Chapter 21.1

'And the tapestries are her work, too?' she asked admiringly. He nodded. 'She loved doing them.'

'I bet it gave her a lot of satisfaction, too. Like my mother with her pottery, creating something beautiful with her hands.'

It was a natural lead in to asking her about her family. She spoke of her parents with great fondness. Her father was a primary school principal, her mother an art teacher, and they lived at Gosford on the Central Coast. Near where Jenny lived, Mitch thought.

'Dad is a born teacher,' she went on. 'He's really wasted in administration but he does run a good school so I guess that's a worthwhile achievement in itself, all the kids liking and respecting him.'

'A headmaster can make or break a school,' Mitch commented, remembering the one in his own boyhood, who'd never made a stand against bullying. 'I think a good one is worth his weight in gold to everyone under his care.'

Her face lit up with pleasure. 'I agree. Dad's had so many great letters from ex-pupils and parents. He's helped a lot of people.'

They chatted on amicably as the dinner was cooked, transferred onto plates and taken to the dining room. Mitch refilled their wineglasses.

Kathryn seemed to hesitate over accepting more wine but let his action go, possibly deciding she didn't have to drink it.

It was interesting to learn that she'd trained as a graphic artist, moved into various promotional jobs, then gradually up the ladder to management, handling accounts in advertising before taking up her position with Ric.

Clearly Ric trusted her decision-making, which said a lot about her, too.

Mitch was enjoying her company in every sense. He liked listening to her, watching her, and nothing hit a jarring note with him…except the diamond ring that said she belonged to another man. More and more he felt that had to be wrong. Or was he just too damned late on the scene to change what surely had to be a very serious decision on her part?

She was talking of her two younger brothers—one a pilot who loved flying, the other off back-packing overseas, discovering the world. Did they like the guy she'd chosen to marry? Were they confident she'd have a happy life with him?

Mitch wanted to ask these questions but knew they would sound too personal, too critical. Yet her lovely green eyes were dancing at him, sparkling with her own enjoyment in the comfortable rapport they'd established. How many people clicked like this?

His intense private reverie was abruptly broken by the sound of his front door opening. Alarm buzzed along his nerves, blowing his mind free of everything but danger signals. He was on his feet in a flash, body pumped with aggression, swinging to meet…

'Mitch…?'

Harriet! Calling out to him from the small vestibule which led into his lounge room. Harriet…using a key she should have returned! Mitch felt his jaw clench as he sensed Kathryn looking questions at him. Of all the people in the world, Harriet Lowell was the last person he wanted intruding on this far too short a time with a woman he really wanted.

Nor did his ex-lover have any right to enter his home uninvited.

The fear that had clutched Kathryn's heart as Mitch had erupted from his chair eased its panicky grip as she heard a woman's voice. It wasn't Gary Chappel breaking in, coming after her. It was someone with a key. A surprise visit from his sister?

Yet Mitch was still tense, and the emanation of violent anger from him was so strong, Kathryn felt herself almost cringing away from it. She tore her gaze from him to see who had stirred such a fiercely emotional response, and instantly felt a weird hollowness as the woman in question came breezing into the lounge room, wearing a slinky black wrap-around skirt with a halter top held together by thin straps, plus carrying a bottle of champagne and a large punnet of fresh strawberries.

'Mitch, darling—' brilliant white teeth smiled as her eyes lighted on him, smoking sexual promises '—quite a victory you had today. I thought a celebration was in order.'

She was tall and blond and beautiful, supremely confident of herself and her welcome in any company. Especially Mitch Tyler's since she had a key to his house. Kathryn wished there was a hole she could sink into.

'Then you thought wrong,' came the harshly cutting reply, jolting Kathryn into looking back at him. He was clearly furious, his jaw jutting out, black brows lowered. 'I'll see you out again, Harriet.'

Rather than being stunned into acquiescence, as Kathryn would have been, Harriet moved to meet him head-on, battle in her whole demeanour as her gaze zeroed in on Kathryn. 'So…you already have company. Where are your famed manners, Mitch?' she mocked. 'The least you can do is introduce us.'

She'd planted herself too far from the front door for Mitch to force a retreat without manhandling her. He blocked any further progress into his house and presented an open palm to her as he curtly commanded, 'Give me the key, Harriet. You have no right to it anymore.'

'Oh, for God's sake!' she snapped. 'Can't you be civil?'

Pure ice answered her. 'I don't regard entering my home without permission civil.'

'Especially when you're embarking on a new affair,' she threw at him viciously. Her gaze targeted Kathryn again. 'I can't recall ever seeing you before. Definitely not from the upper echelons of legal circles.'

It was a snooty remark, ignored by Mitch. 'The key, Harriet,' he bored in with relentless purpose.

Her eyes poured scorn on him. 'You disappoint me, Mitch. I thought you were a competitor.'

'I choose the ring I stand in,' he stated bitingly. 'I won't be drawn into yours.'

'So you pick up the first bit of skirt you can find in retaliation?' 'Enough! I want you to go.'

'She won't measure up to me,' Harriet jeered.

'Your arrogance is totally ill-founded and this isn't winning you anything. In fact, you're turning into a very ugly loser. Please…give me my key and leave.'

'My hands are full with gifts for you.'

'Tools to get your own way,' he savagely corrected her, grabbing both the bottle and punnet from her hold, tucking the bottle in the crook of his arm so he could still extend his palm. 'Now your hands are free.'

She swung one back and Kathryn tensed, anticipating a violent slap.

Mitch Tyler stood like an immovable rock, emanating a power that would certainly intimidate most people. She couldn't see his expression but Harriet had swift second thoughts about hitting him. She moved both her hands to the small shoulder-bag she wore, opening it to submit to his command which undoubtedly wasn't about to be retracted.

'No second chances with you, Mitch?' she commented bitterly.

'As you remarked earlier today, I have a black and white mentality.' 'You judge too harshly.'

'You chose a different bed, Harriet. Don't ever expect to come back to mine. There is no key that will give you entry to it.'

'You're going to regret this.' It sounded like a threat.

'Oh, I doubt it,' he drawled. 'Even if you sleep with all the judges on the bench, they still have to stick to the law.'

She slapped the key onto his palm. 'Going to give it to her now?' Her gaze snapped lofty contempt at Kathryn.

'Have some grace, Harriet. I wouldn't like my respect for you to slip even further.'

She glared at him but obviously found no crack in his armour to attack.

Hating defeat, she haughtily turned her back on both of them and headed for the front door. Mitch followed, ensuring her exit from his home and making it secure against any further unwelcome intrusion.

Kathryn remained seated at the dining table, still absorbing the shock of what she had witnessed. No question that Harriet and Mitch Tyler had been lovers and her possession of a key indicated a high level of intimacy and trust, which had been broken, apparently by Harriet's sleeping with a judge.

A mistake she regretted?

A mistake Mitch wouldn't forgive.

An honourable man…dishonoured by infidelity. And very, very angry about it.

Hurt.

Kathryn shook her head over her own foolishness in thinking the attraction she felt had been mutual. How could Mitch Tyler find her instantly desirable when she was so different in looks to the woman who'd been very recently sharing his bed? Nobody would describe Kathryn as beautiful. Cute was the word most frequently applied to her. And cute didn't cut it when a man like him could have a Harriet, who was obviously a barrister, too, sharing his world.

The violence of feeling this unheralded visit had stirred was proof enough that his emotions were still engaged with his sexy colleague, despite his decision to end their affair. It was ridiculous to have felt any danger in staying overnight in his home. The fault lay in herself, finding him so temptingly attractive. And that was wrong, too, when her emotions should also be engaged elsewhere. With Jeremy.

Kathryn twisted the ring on her finger, fiercely reminding herself that it promised fidelity—a promise she'd meant to keep. And would keep. Just as well Harriet had come, stopping her from possibly making a huge mistake. She should feel grateful to her, but she didn't. The pleasure in Mitch Tyler's company had all been taken away and she simply felt…hollow.