Justin tried to ignore the pain in his leg, but he knew he couldn't make it to the stables without the support of the walking-stick. He almost fell in his haste to scoop it up from the floor. Cursing with the frustration of his disability, he made it to the front door as fast as he could and hobbled down the steps to the driveway.
She had abandoned her car. He just caught a glimpse of her running figure before she disappeared behind the hedge that lined the right-hand fork of the driveway. Justin had no doubt about her destination. It didn't occur to him to call out for assistance. He wouldn't allow any other man to touch her. Kelly was his responsibility.
That big black rogue of a horse was just like the one Noni had ridden to her death. How Henry Lloyd had ever allowed Kelly to have him, Justin couldn't comprehend. Blind indulgence! Madness! He had to stop her.
He should have sold the damned stallion the moment he had started giving the stable-hand trouble. Then Kelly could never have got near him again.
But he hadn't known it was her!
His hip was on fire with agony, but he pushed himself on, frantic to prevent the child… no, the girl-the woman… from endangering her life with such foolhardy recklessness. He couldn't let her do it to herself!
She had left the gate to the stable-yard open.
Justin quickened his pace, uncaring of what damage he was doing to his leg. A sense of triumph gripped him as he clutched the top railing, dragged the gate shut, and shot the bolt home.
He heard the clatter of hooves on the cement floor of the stable-block, but Kelly was too late now. He leaned against the gate, exhausted, but able to relax, knowing she couldn't go on with this madness.
Pain swamped over him. But that didn't matter. He had stopped her. She couldn't get out of the yard.
He heaved himself around to face her, and experienced another wave of shock. She sat on the big black stallion bareback. No saddle. No stirrups for control. Only a halter and the thin strap of reins to hold a horse that measured nearly seventeen hands. The huge, lethal power of the animal was heart-jokingly evident as it pranced with excitable impatience. Sheer horror drained the blood from Justin's face.
Kelly called out to him before he could recover himself. 'You shouldn't have followed me. That hip is going to need working on. Come and see me tomorrow.' 'Get off that horse!' he shouted with all the force he could gather. 'Be sensible, Kelly! You can't get away now.'
'Tomorrow. In my office,' she yelled back.
The horse reared slightly as she gathered in the reins. Justin couldn't bring himself to believe she'd do it. But she was setting the horse for the jump.
'No!' he screamed at her. 'Kelly, no!'
But the black stallion was already in stride, heading straight for the gate, picking up speed, urged on by a woman who had lost touch with all reality. She wasn't even wearing a riding-helmet!
Justin's heart was in his mouth as the horse lifted, but the mighty stallion cleared the gate with space to spare. He landed smoothly, and without the slightest hesitation in his stride raced on down the road, imbued with the heady spirit of freedom.
Its bareback rider never looked back, never shifted in her seat.
However grudging the feeling was, Justin couldn't help but admire the way Kelly Hanrahan could ride.
CHAPTER SIX
Kelly worried about Justin St John as she galloped off on Rasputin. His face had looked so white and strained. But she did not slacken the great stallion's pace. She had to get the horse away and safe as quickly as she could. She didn't draw rein until she was over the knoll and out of sight.
'Now for cross-country, Rasputin,' she said, and patted his shoulder encouragingly before wheeling him to face the fence. The small time advantage she had before Justin St John could organise a pursuit had to be optimised. The only way of ensuring she would not be caught was to get off the road and stay off it.
'This will be something of an endurance test, my beauty,' she crooned to the horse, whose ears pricked appreciatively. 'But you can do it, can't you?'
Rasputin whinnied eager agreement. He responded instantly to Kelly's urging and leapt the fence with arrogant ease. He almost bolted across the sheep pasture, eager to take the next jump, and however many more Kelly wanted him to take.
Kelly only kept a light control on him. She didn't try to temper his exuberance until she was sure they could not be spotted by anyone giving chase. 'Easy boy!' she called, and reined him in to a relaxed canter. 'It's a long way to the judge's place,' she explained to him, 'and I don't want you breaking a leg in a rabbit-hole.'
Rasputin gave a contemptuous snort, but he was happy to follow her lead.
Kelly figured that Judge Moffat would be sympathetic to her cause. He was a horse lover himself. And it could only help that he was extremely put out with Justin St John about the sheep business. Rasputin would be safe at the Moffats' place.
After all, who would ever think of looking in the judge's stables for a stolen horse? Even if they did, the judge would never grant a search warrant against himself. No place could be safer until she could think how else to deal with the problem.
Having settled that in her mind, Kelly's thoughts automatically drifted back to Justin St John. It distressed her that he might have hurt his leg chasing after her, and trying to prevent her from leaving the stable-yard. He should have called for Roy Farley. Or someone else.
However, she felt no guilt whatsoever about taking Rasputin. That Justin St John had threatened to destroy him… Kelly shuddered at the thought of such a rash and terrible criminal act.
Of course, people did occasionally have an accident on horses, but in all her years Kelly had never had the slightest injury. What had happened to Noni was a freak accident. Kelly was not going to stop show-jumping because Justin St John was opposed to it!
But she wished he could be reasonable. She didn't want to be enemies with him. She wanted… but it was no use thinking about that now. He had no right to separate her from her horses!
The sun had set by the time Kelly reached Judge Moffat's stud-farm. She walked Rasputin up the driveway, not wanting to alarm anyone with their arrival. She could see the judge and his wife sitting on the homestead veranda, enjoying the balmy twilight before going inside for the night. It was a favourite time of day for most people on the land.
Arlene Moffat saw her first and rose from her chair in surprised curiosity. 'Why, it's Kelly! On Rasputin!' Her voice carried on the still evening air, but she raised it in sheer pleasure. 'Hello, there! You're riding again.'
'Yes, Mrs Moffat,' Kelly called back. She cantered up the last stretch and slid off Rasputin as the judge rose and came to the veranda railing to join his wife. Kelly made her appeal directly to him. 'I need your advice, Judge. I had to take Rasputin away from Marian Park. Justin St John was threatening to shoot him rather than let me ride him. I didn't have Justin St John's permission. He… er… tried to stop me. But I couldn't leave Rasputin with him after he said that. I had to…'
'How could he be so dreadful?' Arlene Moffat cried in sympathetic protest. 'You did right, Kelly! Henry Lloyd meant those horses to be for you…'
'And possession is nine tenths of the law!' the judge quoted with relish. 'Good for you, Kelly. I reckon this might teach Justin St John a lesson about doing things right. In fact, he needs every lesson he can get!'
'I was wondering if I could stable Rasputin with your horses, Judge? Just for a while…' Kelly pleaded.
'Certainly. Certainly,' he roiled out with gusto.
'As long as you like, Kelly,' Arlene put in determinedly. 'And you can use our horse-float to get to the show-jumping. We'll stand by you. And so will all of Crooked Creek. I'll see to that.'
The power of holding office on all of the local committees rang in Arlene Moffat's voice, and Kelly knew her support was no small thing. When it came to arousing public opinion, Arlene Moffat could teach professional lobbyists a thing or two.