Marion Lennox - Rescued By A Millionaire

‘No.’ The woman’s voice came out of the shadows and she turned to find Maggie watching her from behind the gnarled wisteria trunk. ‘Riley talk to a dog?’ she said bitterly. ‘He might get attached and that would never do.’

‘I’m sorry.’ Jenna started to rise, but Maggie signalled her to stay where she was.

‘Don’t get up. I need to talk to you.’

‘I didn’t want to disturb you.’

‘You’re not disturbing me,’ Maggie told her. ‘You’re disturbing Riley and that’s what I want to talk to you about.’

‘Well, if you want me to apologise for that…’

Maggie managed a worried smile. ‘No. Of course I don’t want you to apologise. The opposite, in fact. Riley hasn’t been disturbed for a very long time and this is way overdue.’

‘What’s overdue?’

‘Falling in love.’

‘Um…’ Jenna stared at Maggie, stunned.

Maggie gazed right back.

Jenna broke the look first, turning to gaze out over the swimming pool. There were tiny insects just above water-level and swallows were swooping in and out of the light to snatch their evening meal. A mass of roses grew almost wild on the other side of the pool. A huge overhead sprinkler sent water drifting across the garden in a long, lazy, arcing spray, and the smell of the damp roses was everywhere.

‘Who said anything about falling in love?’ Jenna whispered.

‘Are you in love with him?’ Maggie asked.

‘I might be.’ What was the use of denying it?

‘Well, he’s sure as eggs in love with you.’

‘I don’t think so.’

‘Have you seen his face?’

‘I…’

‘Of course. You don’t know enough of him to realise.’ Maggie took a deep breath and plumped herself down on the bench beside Jenna. ‘I’m sorry, Jenna. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going. From the minute he got off that plane and I saw his face… I haven’t seen that look since his father died and it made me feel ill.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Well, maybe you ought,’ Maggie said resolutely. ‘You can’t fight without weapons, is what I always say. I’ve been talking to my Max and he says I should butt out of what’s not my business, but when have I ever? Did you know Riley’s mother walked out on him?’

Jenna was having trouble keeping up. ‘No, I-’

‘When he was four,’ she said, turning to watch the swallows herself. ‘Riley’s dad was hopelessly in love with her, but she was a spoiled little princess. She came here and he gave her the world, but it wasn’t enough. They had three kids-two girls who were older than Riley. Then she met some millionaire at a race meet and she walked away without a backward glance. She broke his father’s heart and, as far as I know, Riley never saw her again.’

‘Oh, no.’

‘Yeah, but that was just the beginning,’ Maggie said grimly. ‘The girls were just as bad. Riley’s sisters. Sure, their mother had walked out on them, but they were older and she’d taught them to be just like her. They didn’t like the School of the Air we have here, so they went to boarding-school. They came home when they had to, but they hated the place. By the time Riley was eight they were gone completely. Leaving heartache behind. Riley’s father tried hard to keep them together, but it didn’t work. So Riley was left with his father, who was just bereft. He died when Riley was eleven.’

Jenna didn’t respond. She couldn’t. But Maggie looked across at her face in the moonlight and appeared to find what she saw there satisfactory. She gave a decisive little nod and went on regardless.

‘It was hell for him,’ Maggie said bluntly. ‘No one came near him. Not his mother. Not his sisters. Max and I were here, of course, and we made sure they were contacted when his father died, but the only thing they wanted to know was how much they’d inherit. They got enough, but the farm was left to Riley. After all, the farm was all Riley had. Max and I had to apply to be appointed his guardians as there was no one else for him.’

‘Oh, Maggie.’

Maggie’s hand came across and covered hers, sensing that Jenna was too shocked to say anything else. ‘I’ll make this fast,’ she said. ‘Riley kept himself to himself. He’s worked and worked. He’s learned to play the stock market and he’s made this place fantastic. He’s one of the wealthiest farmers in Australia now-one of our few millionaires. But six years ago he met Lisa. He met her at a stock sale in Adelaide. She was the daughter of a stock agent, she was gorgeous, she was funny, he married her. But I reckon one of the reasons he chose her was that she was self-contained. Self-containment…it’s the one thing he’s learned to value above everything. He doesn’t trust loving and why should he? Anyway, Lisa didn’t help one bit. She left with one of the few men Riley counted as his friend, and she bled him dry in the process. And that’s it. Since Lisa left he’s refused to even get attached to a dog.’

There was a moment’s silence as Maggie reached over to fondle the pup’s ears. Then she gave a sniff that was decidedly watery. ‘He’s worked himself into the ground,’ she said. ‘He cares for the farm and nothing else. He’s committed himself to nobody. And then you came.’

‘I…’

‘Tonight he’s looking like he did the night his father died,’ Maggie said. ‘You can’t leave.’

‘Do you think I want to?’

‘No,’ Maggie said softly. She thought about it for a minute and then corrected herself. ‘Oh, I did. I took one look at his face and I thought he’d fallen for someone else who didn’t need him. That was why…that was why I left you alone at dinner. I was so upset. But it was also why I refused to let Max take you to Adelaide tonight. I had to figure things out. I had to see.’

‘So now you see?’

‘Of course I see. I’ve been talking to him.’

‘You’re kidding,’ Jenna said. ‘Riley doesn’t let people speak to him.’

Maggie managed a shaky smile. ‘No, but if provoked he gives you information. And I’ve done some provoking. I told him that I was sorry I objected to Max taking you on to Adelaide tonight. I told him I’ve been listening to gossip over the radio and it seems you’re a spoiled little tart who’s just as scatty as your mother. Then I stood back and watched.’ Her smile grew a trifle rueful. ‘He gave me the reaction I wanted. I think if I was a man I would have been slugged.’

‘So…’ Jenna took a deep breath and tried to focus. ‘So what?’

‘So he’s in love with you. And you’re in love with him.’ Maggie’s smile grew a little more secure. ‘I’m not sure what magic happened over the last four days. But was it? Was it magic?’

‘It was,’ Jenna conceded and Maggie’s smile grew broader.

‘There. If you think four days at Barinya Downs is magic, then you’re perfect for him. Compared to Barinya Downs, this place is a palace.’

‘This place is certainly a palace.’

‘Then you can stay here for ever.’

‘Oh, right. As if he’ll let that happen.’

‘Go to him,’ Maggie urged. ‘I’ve fought hard for an extra night for you. Make it work. He’s over in the hangar giving the plane the once-over for the morning. Go and talk to him.’

‘I can’t.’

‘He’s not worth fighting for?’

‘Maggie, I threw myself at him last night,’ she admitted. ‘I can hardly humiliate myself any more.’

‘I’m not asking you to humiliate yourself. I’m simply asking that you go and talk to him. I don’t know…thank him for the stay or something. Provoke him. Push him. Chances are he’ll disappear before daylight tomorrow and you won’t get a chance to see him then. Just…just try. What have you got to lose?’