he guessed, when the house was well over a century old.
Cara would like this kitchen.
No, she wouldn’t. He gave a rueful inward grimace. What was he thinking of? Cara wouldn’t step foot in a kitchen unless she was dragged.
But she’d love the rest of the place. The house was fabulous. Vast bluestone walls were ringed by a wide veranda that ran the full perimeter of the house. Every room seemed to have French windows. The curtains wafting outwards in the breeze looked fresh and new, and the whole place had instant appeal.
He looked across the table and found Molly’s eyes on him, assessing, and he guessed she was right in business mode.
‘It’s great, isn’t it? You know, you’re the first person we’ve shown it to.’
‘I know that.’
‘You won’t be the last.’ She turned to Mrs Gray and smiled. ‘I hope you bake scones every time I bring prospective buyers down here. These are delicious.’
It was a tactful way of saying Jackson was first in a queue and there were others who’d be interested if he wasn’t. He smiled, acknowledging she had a point but refusing to be hurried. ‘But I have first option, right?’
‘I believe you have first option until Monday.’
‘Very generous.’
‘We aim to please.’ She smiled across the table at him, and he found himself staring. She was charming. Intelligent. Organised. Beautiful…
He found himself looking down at the ring finger on her bandaged left hand—just in case—and felt a ridiculous twinge of pleasure when he discovered it was bare. And then he had to jolt himself back to hear what she was saying.
‘Mr Jackson would like to see over the farm,’ she told Gregor. ‘Can you show him around?’
‘Oh, my dear…’ The elderly farmer’s face fell.
‘Is there a problem?’
‘I can’t do it,’ Gregor said heavily. ‘My legs won’t take me.’
‘I didn’t mean walk,’ Molly told him. ‘I assume there’s a vehicle?’
‘The Jeep’s in for a service. If we’d known you were coming… But Miss Copeland only rang last night to tell us you were on your way.’
‘There’s the farm bike,’ Doreen said. ‘But it only holds one. Then there’s the horses, but Gregor’s hip can’t take it.’
It nearly killed them, Molly saw, to admit that they were getting old and needed help. Gregor’s face was anguished.
‘I can go by myself,’ Jackson said gently, reacting to the old man’s distress. ‘Miss Farr…’ He cast Molly a sideways look and decided on informality. ‘Molly’s given me excellent maps, and if you have a horse then I can ride.’
‘But you could fall off.’ Doreen was practically wringing her hands. ‘There’s rabbit holes and heaven knows what else. You’ll want to see everything, and the only way to see it properly is by horse, but…’
‘You can’t go alone,’ her husband added. He turned to Molly and she could see what an effort it cost him to ask. ‘Unless you ride, miss?’
‘I ride,’ she said briefly, and received another look of astonishment from Jackson. One surprise after another… City realtors, it seemed, were not expected to ride.
She hesitated. Sam was right beside her, pressing close. His insecurity was almost tangible. ‘But Sam can’t.’
‘We’ll look after Sam.’ Doreen beamed at this easy solution to the problem. ‘It would be our pleasure.’ Then she addressed Sam, adult to adult. ‘I’m making a pavlova for supper,’ she told him. ‘Have you ever made one?’
Sam hesitated. ‘No, I…’
‘Would you like to learn? I need help to pick the strawberries for the top.’
‘And we’re hand-rearing a calf,’ Gregor added, seeing where Doreen was headed and putting in his two bobs’ worth. ‘She needs bottle-feeding. Seems to me you’re just the sort of lad who’d be able to do that.’
‘And did you say you have a frog in that box?’ Doreen asked. ‘After we’ve done our jobs, Gregor and I will walk you to where there are a thousand frogs. And tadpoles to match.’
It was too much. Sam gave a shy nod and the tension in the room eased like magic.
Molly let her breath out in a rush. Darn, everywhere she looked there were conflicting demands, but these two lovely old people had given her time off. Wonderful…
‘Can you really ride?’ Jackson demanded. ‘Or do you mean you can sit on a riding school hack?’
The toad! ‘Try me,’ she retorted, and turned to Gregor, excluding Jackson nicely. He deserved to be excluded. ‘According to my livestock lists you have some fine horses.’
‘They’ll be frisky,’ Gregor warned. ‘They haven’t been ridden since muster.’
‘The friskier the better,’ she told him. ‘I can’t wait.’
And the thing was settled.
‘It’ll take you the best part of the day to get around,’ Doreen added. ‘I’ll put together a picnic for your saddlebags. You have a lovely day for it.’ She beamed. ‘There. That’s settled. You have a lovely ride and see the property and Sam will have fun with us. Isn’t that lovely?’
What was her story?
Jackson watched as Molly helped catch and saddle the horses, and by the time they were mounted he knew she hadn’t spoken lightly when she’d said she could ride. She looked as if she’d been born in the saddle. Her roan mare was skittish as be damned, but she held her as steadily as Jackson held his bay. Then, as Gregor let them go and the mare skittered sideways, she turned a laughing face towards him.
‘They won’t settle until they’ve had a gallop, and the home paddocks are safest. Race you to the far gate.’ Before he knew what she was about she was off, the mare galloping like the wind and Molly riding her with an attitude that spoke of sheer joy at being alive.
Or more. Of release.
It was quite a sight. It took Jackson about ten valuable seconds before he recovered himself enough to turn his attention to his own horse—by which time she had an unassailable lead, and she’d paused and was waiting when he reached her at the far end of the paddock.
‘What kept you?’ she demanded.
‘I thought businesswomen always let their clients win,’ he complained, and received another of her lovely, throaty chuckles.
‘Whoops. But I’m on a sure thing here. If the rest of this property is as good as this then it’ll sell itself.’
She had a point.
