Sandra Hyatt - His Ring, Her Baby / His Bride for the Taking

She swallowed hard as she remembered her cousin’s anxiety. “That’s not fair.”

He shrugged. “I’m only telling you that I’m not going to be held responsible for upsetting Linda further or for her thinking I didn’t ask you.” His eyes didn’t leave her face. “You can go back to Sydney or not, but the job offer is there.”

But he wished it wasn’t her who needed the job, she silently inserted.

“By the way, it’s not charity,” he added. “I do need a housekeeper for six months. You’ll have plenty of privacy. Your rooms would be on the other side of the house with your own bathroom.”

Her shoulders slumped. It would have been best if Kirk did have a problem with her son. Then they’d both have an excuse not to even consider her going to live at his cattle station.

And then what?

Panic stirred in Vanessa’s chest for her son. Did she really want to drag Josh back to the city after only a few weeks away? Or to another country town? And did she want to give up all the one-on-one time she had with Josh right now? She would have to juggle every moment between work and home, time that would be better spent with Josh, at least for six more months. His childhood was too precious.

For her son she would change her mind.

“Okay then, I accept.”

Something dark pooled in his eyes before he said dryly, “Use a bit more enthusiasm when you tell Linda, will you?”

She ignored that. “There’s one condition though.”

His eyes narrowed. “What’s that?”

Had he forgotten their kiss? Had he forgotten how much they’d wanted each other last night? She hadn’t.

“You’re not to touch me.” It was a knee-jerk response, but she felt vulnerable where he was concerned. She needed a guarantee to help her keep her emotions safeguarded. “I’ll be there to work, Kirk. Nothing more, nothing less.”

He watched her in silence for a few seconds. “I have no intention of touching you again. It’ll be a working relationship and that’s all.”

“Good. We understand each other now.”

He turned away but all at once he turned back. A pulse beat in his cheek. “By the way. I promise not to touch you again, Vanessa. I haven’t promised not to want you.”

Two days later, Vanessa sat beside Kirk as he drove his Range Rover toward Deverill Downs. Waves of thirsty grass kept them company on either side of the road; inside the vehicle low music played in the background while Josh slept in the new infant seat Kirk had installed. Apart from asking her if she was comfortable or needed anything, he didn’t speak. The angry vibes were still bouncing off him, though they weren’t as frequent, but they were still there below the surface.

It didn’t bode well for the next six months, and Vanessa now regretted not having this out with Linda. In hindsight she should have said something during the past two days, but Linda had been so relieved about it all that she hadn’t had the heart. Besides, Linda probably wouldn’t have listened anyway. Her cousin was the headstrong one of the family, Vanessa mused with affection.

“Something funny?”

Vanessa blinked, then shook her head. “No, nothing,” she said, aware that he probably thought she was congratulating herself on fooling him.

Sheesh!

An hour later, and having seen only one car, they turned onto a winding dirt road that appeared to lead nowhere. A few miles farther in, tall gum trees began to pepper the side of the road, creating an avenue of trees that took them right up to the homestead.

She gasped softly when she saw the house and its setting. Long and sprawling with a deep verandah appearing to go all the way around, it was enclosed by a well-kept garden and a front lawn that could only be green from underground water brought up by an artesian bore. In a landscape baked brown by the sun, it truly looked like an oasis in the desert. Definitely a Blue Ribbon property.

“This is lovely,” she murmured, as he pulled up on the driveway. “Very.” She thought for a word. “Gentrified.”

He shot her a cynical look. “Glad you like it.”

For the sake of peace she bit back an angry comment as she hopped out of the vehicle and he did the same. Just then his cell phone rang and he answered it, while she went to the backseat and unbuckled Josh.

He finished his call. “I have to go. There’s a small emergency over at the cattle yards with the calves,” he said, all business now. He indicated a direction. “The manager’s residence and workmen cottages are about a mile away over there, and the cattle yards are behind them.” He opened the rear door of the Range Rover as he spoke. “Do you think you can look after yourself?”

“Of course. Josh and I will be fine.” It would be a relief to be out of his presence.

“I’ll put your luggage up here for now.” He lifted out two suitcases and placed them on the verandah, then went and got the playpen she’d brought with her. Josh wasn’t walking yet but he could crawl very fast and the playpen would keep him out of mischief. Everything else Kirk had said would be supplied for a small child, and she figured they were probably on loan from one of his employees and their family. “Take a look around. Your bedrooms are at the back of the house on the right and you’ll find plenty to eat. I’m not sure what time I’ll get back.” He carried the last two suitcases. “Martha left a list of instructions and one of the wives has left a casserole in the fridge for tonight’s dinner.”

At least she didn’t have to rush to find her feet.

He transferred a few more items, then he got back into the Range Rover. “If you need me, call me on my cell phone. Martha wrote the number down with the instructions.”

And Martha was obviously Wonder Woman, Vanessa mused, as she stood there with Josh in her arms and watched Kirk drive off. She sighed. At least she could be pleased about one thing. Kirk’s comments were that of an employer to employee.

Which they were, of course.

And that was exactly how it would stay, she told herself as she went inside to take a look around her new temporary home.

The house was generous in proportion. On one side there were formal living and dining rooms and a wood-paneled study. There were six bedrooms with ensuites, one of which was a very feminine room that must be his sister’s. And there were two very masculine bedrooms, one lived in—Kirk’s— and one that looked as if it hadn’t been used for years.

Curious.

In a wing farther along, there was the main bedroom with a sitting area. She assumed it had been his parents’ bedroom, especially when she saw a framed photograph of two teenage boys and a young girl. One of the boys was obviously Kirk and the other looked like him so she assumed he had a brother, which would explain the other masculine bedroom. The girl must be their sister, Jade.

The kitchen was on the other side of the house and was a total delight. It had magnificent granite bench tops and Italian floor tiles and all the latest appliances. A child’s high chair that looked brand-new sat in one corner, surprising her. She’d thought for sure the furniture would be secondhand. Kirk must have really pulled out all the stops to get them bought and sent here in time.

There was also a decent-size bedroom that had a small sitting area with a television and DVD player, which she assumed had been for the housekeeper. In the smaller bedroom next to it, there was a crib for Josh that looked new as well. She was touched by Kirk’s thoughtfulness. He was certainly determined to accommodate her son’s needs in a nice way.

At the center rear of the house was a family sunroom, with an informal dining room close to the kitchen, but it was the dining table that brought an empty ache to her heart. Having been an only child, she’d always loved the idea of a big family sitting around the table, sharing their lives. Linda had been lucky in that respect. She’d had brothers and sisters. But with her father dead and it having been only Vanessa and her mother, it had never happened.