man she didn’t mind sharing breakfast with. Afterward she took him to see the puppies.
Back inside, she started on the housework, carrying him around with her wherever she went and letting him play on the floor where she could keep an eye on him. Eventually she could no longer put off going into Kirk’s bedroom. The scent in the air was pleasant and she felt odd entering this masculine domain, as if she were stepping closer to the man himself.
She didn’t linger. He was fairly tidy, so she had to only make his bed and straighten up the bathroom. She was actually quite amused to see the damp towel on the bathroom floor. It made him appear more human somehow.
Midmorning she heard a vehicle drive up and when she looked it was Kirk. She was thankful she hadn’t still been cleaning his room. In some way it would have made it seem more personal.
“Would you like some cake and coffee?” she asked as he came through the door.
“No, I’ve just had some.” He didn’t say where but she figured it was with his men. “Is Josh still awake?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I’ve got to check something and I thought I’d give you a small tour of the place at the same time.”
She hid her surprise. He wasn’t being overly friendly but all the same she was glad he’d thought to ask her. “That would be lovely.”
“It won’t be the full tour but we could still be a couple of hours by the time we visit the cattle yards. You might want to bring along whatever you need for Josh, and something cold for us to drink in case we’re longer than I plan.” He headed for his study. “I’ve got to make a few calls first. Let me know when you’re ready.”
It wasn’t too long before they were all off and driving in his Range Rover. The windows were tinted for protection from the sun and the air-conditioning inside the cabin made it a comfortable ride as he drove along a well-worn gravel road. It took Josh a nanosecond to fall asleep in the child’s seat in the back.
A few miles farther and he turned off onto a smaller road. The drought was obvious out here, the area sun-baked and parched, with only the gum trees and their gray-green leaves giving any hint of color.
“Where are we going?” she asked, when it looked as if they were just driving for the sake of driving, though she knew that wasn’t the case.
“I want to check one of the fences.”
In the distance ahead, heat ribboned across the road. “How large is the cattle station?”
“Let’s just say it would take us a couple of hours to drive around the boundary.”
She was impressed. “That’s pretty big.”
“My great-grandfather settled out here a long time ago. Deverills have been breeding cattle here ever since,” he said with a touch of pride in his voice.
She stole a look at his profile, so strong and dynamic like the man himself. Then he sent her a fleeting look and she quickly focused back on the road ahead. “I can see how easy it would be to become lost out here.”
“If you stick to the roads it will lead you somewhere eventually.”
She gave a delicate snort. “The roads? You mean these dirt tracks?”
He actually smiled. “Around here, if you drive on it, then it’s a road.”
She smiled back and she saw his eyes drop to her mouth. The air thickened between them. Then he returned to his driving and she returned to looking out the window, her heart thumping. She knew his look hadn’t been deliberate and that made it all the more unsettling.
Farther on they came to a gate across the road and Kirk slowed the vehicle then stopped in front of it, letting the engine run. Vanessa sat there, too, wondering what he was going to do next. Perhaps it was automated?
He turned his head to face her. “It’s the passenger’s job to hop out and open the gate.”
She was startled. “It is?”
“It’s customary, yes.”
Oh, yes, she remembered hearing about the outback custom now, but had never experienced it.
“It’s easy enough to do,” he said. “Just unhook the chain and you can swing the gate open.”
“Okay.” She did as he said, aware he was watching her. Those eyes sent a trickle of sweat running down between her breasts but she ignored it as she hopped back in the vehicle.
He drove forward and stopped. “Now you have to close it,” he said, his lips twitching.
She didn’t find it funny. “Why didn’t you say so before?”
“You didn’t ask.”
She shot him a withering glance, then got out of the vehicle, closed the gate, then got back in. She had no problem with opening and shutting the gate, but the rest of it was an unnecessary effort. He could have at least told her instead of letting her look a fool.
“Lighten up, Vanessa,” he said, after they’d been driving a minute or so.
“Me lighten up? You’re the one who—”
“Bloody hell!” Unexpectedly he turned the wheel and drove off the road and onto the dried grass. It became clear he was heading for a portion of a broken fence. “I knew it. Brady was supposed to fix this yesterday.” He didn’t look pleased as he stopped the vehicle beneath a tree. “He’ll have to go.”
She was relieved she wasn’t the object of his anger but she felt a little sorry for this Brady. “Perhaps he didn’t have enough time?”
“Then he could bloody well make time,” he snapped, then expelled a breath. “This isn’t the first time he hasn’t followed orders. He was given a second chance and now he’s lied to my farm manager. That’s it as far as I’m concerned.”
She could understand that, but still she couldn’t help but feel sorry for the other man. Kirk would be a hard taskmaster. He didn’t like being let down. She knew that more than anyone.
He opened his door and climbed out of the vehicle. “You can get out and stretch your legs, if you like.” Then he peeked over the back at a sleeping Josh. “It’s going to get hot in here with the engine off, but I can’t keep the air-con running for too long even with the engine on. It’ll be best if you open all the doors to give him some breeze. I’ll try not to be too long, but let me know if he starts stressing and we’ll head back.”
Vanessa did as suggested and opened all the doors while he retrieved a toolbox from the back. He may be hard on others but she couldn’t fault his thoughtfulness in regards to her son. He certainly showed a very human side when it came to Josh.
Unlike the side he showed her.
No, she wouldn’t think that right now. Kirk was kind enough to bring her on this outing when he’d had no need, especially as he didn’t want her as his housekeeper in the first place.
It
