wonderful. Now, about that business proposition?”
He chuckled, reached over and picked up the folder he had placed on an empty chair. He handed it to her. “This is information on the home I purchased last year. I would love you to decorate it for me.”
Callum saw how her eyes lit up. She loved her work and it showed in her face. She opened the folder and carefully studied every feature, every detail of the house. He knew exactly what he was doing. He was giving her 9,200 feet of house to do with as she pleased. It was an interior designer’s dream.
She lifted her gaze with a look of awe on her face. “This place is beautiful. And it’s huge. I didn’t know you had purchased a house.”
“Yes, but it’s still empty and I want to turn it into a home. I like what you did with Ramsey’s place and thought you would be the ideal person for the job. I’m aware that because of the size of the house it will take up a lot of your time. I’m willing to pay you well. As you can see I haven’t picked out any furniture or anything. I wouldn’t know where to begin.”
Now that much was true, Callum thought. What he didn’t tell her was that other designers had volunteered to decorate his new house, but he had bought it with her in mind.
She glanced back down at the papers in front of her. “Umm, eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, a huge kitchen, living room, dining room, family room, theater, recreation room and sauna. That’s quite a lot of space for a single man.”
He laughed. “Yeah, but I don’t plan on staying single forever.”
Gemma nodded, thinking that evidently Callum had decided to settle down and send for that girl back home. She glanced down at the papers again. She would love taking on this project, and he was right in thinking it would take up a lot of her time. But then she definitely needed the money.
“So, what do you think, Gemma?”
She glanced back up at him and smiled. “I think you just hired yourself an interior designer.”
The smile that touched his face sent a tingling sensation flowing through her stomach. “I can’t wait to see it.”
“No problem. When can you get away?”
She pulled out her cell phone to check her calendar and her schedule for this week. Once she saw the place and gave him an official estimate, she could ask for a deposit, which would make up some of what Niecee had taken from her. “What about tomorrow around one?”
“That might be a bit of a problem.”
“Oh.” She figured he would probably be tied up at Ram’s ranch doing something at that time, so without looking up she advanced her calendar another day. “What about Wednesday around noon.”
He chuckled. “Twelve noon on Monday would be the earliest availability for me.”
She nodded when she saw that time was free for her, although she wished she could see it sooner. “Monday at noon will be fine.”
“Great, I’ll make the necessary flight arrangements.”
She put her phone back into her purse and glanced over at him. “Excuse me?”
“I said that I will make the necessary flight arrangements if we want to see the house Monday at noon. That means we’ll need to fly out no later than Thursday morning.”
Gemma frowned. “Thursday morning? What are you talking about? Just where is this house located?”
Callum leaned back in his chair and gave her a one kilowatt smile. “Sydney, Australia.”
Chapter 2
Gemma didn’t have to look in the mirror to know there was a shocked look on her face. And her throat felt tight, as if sound would barely pass through it if she tried to speak. To prove the point, she tried to utter a word and couldn’t. So she just sat there and stared across the table at Callum like he had lost his ever-loving mind.
“Now that that’s all settled, let’s order some dessert,” Callum said, picking up the menu.
She reached out, touched his hand and shook her head. “What’s the matter?” he asked. “You don’t want dessert?”
She drew in a deep breath, made an attempt to speak once more and was glad when sound came out. But to be absolutely sure he understood, she held up her hands in the shape of a T. “Time out.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Time out?”
She nodded. “Yes, time out. You lost me between the flight on Thursday and Sydney, Australia. Are you saying this house that you want me to decorate is in Sydney, Australia?”
“Of course. Where else would it be?”
She fought hard not to glare at him; after all, he was a potential client. “I thought possibly in the Denver area,” she said in what she hoped was a neutral tone.
“Why would you think that?”
She couldn’t hold back her glare any longer. “Well, you’ve been in this country for almost three years now.”
“Yes, but I’ve never said or insinuated to anyone that I wouldn’t return home. I was here helping Ramsey out and now that he has the hang of things, I’m no longer needed. Now I can get back home and—”
“Get married,” Gemma supplied.
He chuckled. “As I said earlier, I don’t plan on staying single forever.”
“And when do you plan on marrying her?”
“Her who?”
Gemma wondered why some men suddenly went daft when their girlfriends were mentioned. “The woman waiting for you back in Australia.”
“Umm, I didn’t know there was such a creature.”
Gemma stared at him in disbelief. “Are you saying you don’t have a fiancée or a sweetheart back in Australia?”
He smiled. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Where did you hear something like that?”
Normally Gemma wouldn’t divulge her sources, but typically, Jackie knew what she was talking about, and that wouldn’t be anything the woman would have made up. “Jackie Barnes. And everyone figured she got the information from you.”
Callum shook his head. “She didn’t get that from me, but I have an idea where it came from. Your brother, Zane. I complained about Jackie making a nuisance of herself and he figured the best way to get rid of a woman like Jackie was just to let her believe I was already taken.”
“Oh.” She could see Zane doing something like that. If for no other reason than to shift Jackie’s interest from Callum to him. Her brother was a womanizer to the nth degree. And Derringer wasn’t any better. It was a blessing that the twins, Adrian and Aidan, were away at college, where the only thing on their minds was making the grade. “I assume Zane’s plan worked.”
“It
