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.
It was just a dream now, of course. Mike was gone, and Grace and Rupert didn’t exactly fit the image of the extended family she had in her mind. They didn’t want to share her life. They wanted to control it.
Just thinking about her parents-in-law made her uneasy as she carried her things inside and unpacked. She’d telephoned them this morning determined to tell them about her new job, but in the end she hadn’t been able to bring herself to mention it. She would have to do it eventually, but right now she didn’t need the recriminations or emotional blackmail Grace would inflict on her.
She sighed. At best, if she called them three times a week, she’d probably have some vital time to herself before needing to come clean. Only if they called the motel and someone other than Linda or Hugh answered the phone would they learn the truth. Her cousin and Hugh certainly wouldn’t tell them.
Kirk didn’t arrive back until seven. She heard the Range Rover drive around the side of the house, and he came into the kitchen looking ruggedly handsome, his face bronzed by the sun’s rays. He was enough to make any woman catch her breath.
For a moment he just stood there looking at her, his eyes dark and hooded, until she could feel a blush start in her neck. Thankfully his gaze moved to Josh sitting in the high chair before sliding back to her.
“Settled in okay?”
“Yes, thank you,” she said, trying to look busy as she opened a jar of chocolate sprinkles to put on top of the dessert she’d made.
“I
