Читать книгу His Ring, Her Baby / His Bride for the Taking - Сандра Хьятт, Maxine Sullivan - Страница 11

Vanessa had a very restless night, so the next morning the last thing she wanted to hear when she picked up the office telephone was her mother-in-law’s voice on the other end of the line. Guilt immediately washed over her. She’d been married to this woman’s son—and she’d kissed another man last night.

“How is my little Joshua doing?”

Vanessa shuddered. The thrice-weekly phone calls were getting too much. And he wasn’t her Joshua at all.

“He’s fine, Grace,” she said, keeping her tone neutral.

“We miss him.”

“I know you do.” They could at least agree on that.

“Did you receive the parcel of special baby cereal I sent for him? I know you like feeding him that cheap brand but I’m told this one is the most nutritional for a child his age.”

Vanessa held back a wince. The baby cereal she fed Josh was a good brand off the supermarket shelf. And it wasn’t too cheap either. “Yes, it arrived. Thank you.”

“And did the clothes fit him? I bought them from one of the best stores in the city. I don’t want him looking like nobody cares about him.”

Vanessa swallowed back a retort at the dig. “The clothes fit just fine, Grace.” They were expensive and nice for going out, but not for everyday use.

“Good.”

All at once Vanessa was aware of Linda in the reception area. They knew each other so well and it was hard keeping anything from her cousin. Linda had already mentioned how she’d seen Kirk leave the party with her last night, and how he hadn’t come back, but there had been no insinuation in the comment, despite her curiosity. Linda knew she didn’t bed-hop.

“We have some exciting news,” Grace’s voice cut across her thoughts. “Nadine is pregnant.”

“Really?” She was genuinely happy for her sister-in-law. “That’s wonderful. You must be pleased.”

“We are.” Then Grace gave a shaky sigh. “If only Michael was here. He’d be over the moon for his sister.”

Vanessa took a breath. “Yes.” Mike had loved his sister.

How close was Kirk to his own sister? she wondered, then forced herself to dismiss her thoughts. What Kirk Deverill and his family were to each other didn’t matter to her. She just hoped he checked out of his room and went home soon. It put her on edge knowing he was here in the motel somewhere.

“Grace, I must go now.” She listened further. “Yes, I’ll give Josh a big hug from you and Rupert.” She hung up and took a deep breath to steady herself. Her in-laws always made her uneasy.

Linda came to the doorway. “She never asks how you’re doing, does she? It’s always about Josh.”

Vanessa shrugged. “She knows I’m okay.”

“You’re too generous.”

Vanessa rather thought Grace would say she wasn’t generous enough, especially where Josh was concerned. The older couple would take him from her in a heartbeat.

“Generous or not, I’d better get back to cleaning those motel rooms. It was a full house last night and—”

“I’ve got it!” Linda said, springing forward into the office. “Oh, why didn’t I think of this before?” She broke into a big smile. “You’re coming with us to Queensland, sweetie.”

Vanessa came around the desk. “What?”

“I can’t let you and Josh go back to your in-laws. We’ll find you an apartment close to us and I’ll look after Josh if you need to get a job.”

Vanessa’s heart thudded for a moment before reality set in. “Thanks for thinking of me, Linda, but it wouldn’t be fair on either you or Hugh. Or Toby. You’re starting a new life. You’ll have responsibilities that go with Hugh’s new job as caretaker. You don’t need me adding to the mix.”

Linda made a dismissive gesture. “You wouldn’t be adding to anything.”

“And what if you’re pregnant?You told me you had terrible morning sickness with Toby. Can you imagine looking after two infants as well as feeling nauseated and off-color?” Vanessa shook her head. “No, it’s a lovely offer but I can’t accept.”

Her cousin’s face began to fall. “Well, perhaps you could put Josh in day care. I know it’s not ideal but—”

“I don’t think I can afford an apartment as well as day care,” Vanessa said gently, hating to shoot her cousin down.

Just then there was a noise at the doorway and they both looked around to see Kirk and Hugh entering the office.

“You two look serious,” Hugh said, a question in his eyes, but it was the flat look in Kirk’s eyes that made Vanessa’s gaze dart away. Their kiss last night should not have happened.

“We’ve been discussing Vanessa’s situation.”

Vanessa could feel her cheeks warm. The last thing she wanted was to discuss this in front of Kirk. “Linda, please, I’ll sort things out.”

Her cousin sighed. “I wish you could at least stay here.”

“I doubt the new owner would want me living in his motel without paying the full rate.”

“We could ask him to give you a job.”

“I can’t see that happening. You said yourself he’d be making cutbacks.”

Linda’s shoulders sagged. “But I can’t stand the thought of you going back to those awful in-laws of yours.”

Vanessa shifted a look at Kirk and saw his eyes sharpen. She groaned inwardly. “They’re not that bad,” she managed to joke.

“Aren’t they?”

Vanessa forced a smile at both Linda and Hugh. “Something will turn up. I’m sure of it.”

And if it didn’t, then perhaps it was best that she did return to Sydney. And soon for Linda’s sake. And she would find a way to stop her parents-in-law from smothering Josh.

She would.

“Honestly, there’s no need to worry about me. We still have a month to sort things out.” Then a thought occurred to her and she grabbed at it for the moment. “I might even be able to find a job somewhere in the area. It doesn’t have to be at the motel. I’m pretty good at waiting on tables and I’m not bad at cooking and cleaning, either.” She smiled at her cousin with more confidence than she felt.

Linda’s brows pulled together. “But where would you live?”

“I’ll advertise. Someone might even have a spare room where I can board. It doesn’t have to be in Jackaroo Plains.” She really liked the town but it wouldn’t be a good idea with Kirk close by. “There’s plenty of other places on the map, you know.”

“Hey, that’s a good idea, Vanessa,” Hugh agreed.

Vanessa smiled. “Thanks.”

“I guess that’s a possibility,” Linda was saying, as if to herself.

“Sure it is,” Vanessa added, trying to be enthusiastic. “I’m sure lots of people would welcome not only the company but the extra income as well.” She realized Kirk was watching them with a frown and she smiled at him, hoping he’d help put Linda’s mind at rest. “Isn’t that right, Kirk? There would be plenty of people looking for someone to share with, don’t you think?”

He seemed to stiffen before speaking. “Yes, I suppose there would be.”

Linda looked at her cousin with restrained enthusiasm. “We’d have to find someone good and decent. I don’t want you staying with just anyone.”

Vanessa could relax for a while now. “I wouldn’t, I promise. I’d make sure I checked it out thoroughly before accepting any offer.”

“Good idea. And Hugh and Kirk have a lot of connections. They might know of someone who can take you in.” She looked at the men. “Isn’t that right, guys?” She turned back to Vanessa. “We’ll make sure you and Josh.” Unexpectedly her words trailed away and an odd light entered her eyes.

Vanessa suspected some problem had occurred to Linda, but for now she’d had enough. “Great.” She leaned up and kissed her cousin’s cheek, touched by her concern. “Now I’d better go finish those rooms so they’ll be ready for tonight.”

Giving them all a sweeping smile, she headed for the door, making her escape without incident but surprised by the hard look in Kirk’s eyes as she passed him.

It was almost as if she’d done something wrong.

Kirk watched Vanessa walk away. He should have known what she was planning the minute he stepped inside the room. She didn’t want to return to Sydney and she needed somewhere to live, so she had no compunction in using him. He’d watched her work Linda like an expert, with all that talk about being good at cooking and cleaning and how she’d be looking to share a house with someone in the area.

Him.

It was clear she was angling for his housekeeper job and had no problem using her cousin to get it.

Women! Were they all the same? Jillian. Samantha. Now Vanessa. He’d expected more from her for some reason. He’d thought she’d have the integrity not to use a man for her own purposes, whether those purposes were for a valid reason or not. How could he have read her so wrong?

“Oh, my God, I’ve just realized something.”

Kirk stiffened. Here it comes, he thought. Linda had fallen for it hook, line and sinker, piecing it together as if it was all her idea. Exactly as Vanessa had known she would.

Linda’s eyes were lit with excitement. “Oh, God, Kirk, Vanessa would be perfect to replace Martha, don’t you think? Heavens, I can’t believe I’m only thinking of it now. Phyllis told me last night at the party that Martha left yesterday to stay with her sister for six months. I should have thought of it then.”

His jaw clenched. “Sorry, but that’s not a good idea.”

Linda blinked at him. “Wh-what?”

He hated to disappoint her but he didn’t want Vanessa living in his house. She was too much temptation. And too much trouble. Nothing good would come of them being stuck together in an isolated house for six months. Not now he knew she was a widow.

“I’m sorry, Linda,” he said, encompassing Hugh in his words. “I know she’s your cousin but I don’t think it would work out.”

A frown marred Linda’s forehead. “I don’t understand. Why not? She’s a wonderful person and a good worker. I can vouch for her. So can Hugh. Can’t you, Hugh?” She paused but not enough to give her husband time to respond. “If it’s because of Josh, he’s not a problem. He’s a good little boy.”

Kirk ignored a jolt. He’d never told his friends about his condition. It was just something so private … so personal. “I’m sure he is.”

“You don’t understand how important this is. I’m worried about her. I don’t think she’s ready to go back to Sydney. She’s been here less than a month and that’s not enough time for Josh’s grandparents to cut the apron strings. Grace is still phoning here every couple of days. And it’s always about Josh, never Vanessa.”

Kirk didn’t like the sound of that, but perhaps Linda was overreacting. Surely Vanessa’s in-laws couldn’t be that bad?

And if they were, it still wasn’t up to him to sort out Vanessa’s family problems. If Vanessa came to live with him—correction, to live in his house—she’d have more problems than her in-laws. Despite the attraction between them, she wasn’t ready for a physical relationship.

And that was all he wanted.

Hugh put his hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Darling, Kirk might already have someone else in mind.”

She shook her head. “You don’t, Kirk, do you? You told Phyllis you would have to look for someone.” All at once her eyes riveted on him. “I know there’s something going on between the two of you. It’s as plain as the freckles on my nose. But you’ve got to look beyond that. You’re her only hope. Don’t turn your back on her now.”

Silence rent the air, then Hugh growled, “Linda, shut up.”

Kirk heard him but knew nothing would shut Linda up when she was protecting one of her own. “That’s a low blow, Linda.” She must know not too many people would get away with saying something like that to him.

She held his gaze. “I know, but this is too important to me. And to Vanessa and Josh.”

He lifted a brow. “Are you sure you’re not trying to ease your own guilt?”

She sucked in a sharp breath. “You certainly know how to give as good as you get.” Then she recovered quickly with a challenge in her eyes that reminded him of Vanessa. “So, what’s the verdict?”

Kirk looked at his friends. He loved Linda like a sister but even sisters were women who liked to manipulate men. And he knew Hugh would support his wife in this, even if he didn’t agree with her.

All this for one woman.

Vanessa looked up from making the bed and caught her breath. Kirk stood leaning against the doorjamb of the vacant motel room.

“Well done, Vanessa,” he said with a cynical twist to his lips and a hard look in his eyes that shocked her.

She frowned as she straightened. “What do you mean?”

“You must know I need a housekeeper.”

She nodded. “I know your housekeeper’s sister is sick.”

“And yesterday Martha took six months off and flew to Adelaide to look after her.” He gave an eloquent pause. “As I told Phyllis last night.”

She was puzzled. “I don’t understand. What’s that got to do with me?”

“Everything.”

She blinked. “I don’t get what you’re saying.”

He pushed away from the door and came a few steps into the room. “Last night I asked you what you were going to do about your situation and you said you were working on something. That was after you heard the news about Martha, no doubt.” He gave a harsh laugh. “Of course, I didn’t know you meant you were working on me.”

She felt her eyes go wide. “Wh-what? I wasn’t.”

“And just now with Linda, you were perfect. All that talk about cooking and cleaning and about someone with a spare room where you can board, then asking me what I thought.”

“But I didn’t mean anything by that. I was just trying to—”

“I know what you were trying to do. And it worked, as you knew it would. Linda thinks it’s the perfect solution for you to be my housekeeper for six months.”

“What!” This was ridiculous. How could Linda think such a thing? Or him?

There was something else they needed to take into account, too. “What about my son?”

“He won’t be a problem,” he said, his expression closed.

She swallowed hard. He had to know that being his housekeeper was the last thing she would want. Working for him would bring him too close. She wouldn’t—couldn’t—live under the same roof as him.

“Just forget what Linda said then.”

“I can’t forget it. She and Hugh mean a lot to me. I won’t lose their friendship because of you.”

She winced inwardly. Why was she suddenly the scum of the earth? “They wouldn’t hold it against you.”

“Really? Linda loves you like a sister. If you go anywhere else and things don’t work out, then it’s going to wreck our friendship. You know it and so do I.” His features set with absolute determination. “I won’t allow that to happen.”

The breath caught in her throat. She understood him wanting to protect his friendship with Linda and Hugh, but this wasn’t her fault. How could things get so muddled so quickly?

“I need you to start as soon as possible,” he said in clipped tones, dragging her back to the moment. “I’ll give you a couple of days to wrap up things here. I’m sure Linda will understand,” he added, his lip curling.

She hated his derision. And his unfounded accusations. She had done nothing wrong and that made angry bile rise in her throat.

She lifted her chin. “No, thanks. You can keep your job. I don’t accept charity. And I certainly don’t accept anything that’s begrudgingly given.”

A hint of something that could be admiration flickered in his eyes before vanishing. “So you’re going to tell Linda that you refused my offer then.”

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.

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 see you brought your luggage inside.”

She lifted her shoulder. “I needed to unpack.”

A few seconds ticked by.

“I’ll go shower and clean up before dinner then.”

“It’ll be ready when you are.”

He exited through the kitchen and she concentrated on not thinking about Kirk naked in the shower, water spewing off his shoulders and waist. But the image wouldn’t budge and the parfaits were well and truly covered with chocolate by the time Josh started to fidget in the high chair.

Her cheeks hot, she lifted her son and carried him down the hallway to put him in his crib. Josh generally settled straight away to sleep and she hoped he would this evening. Her first night here, she didn’t want him being too demanding.

She’d already set the table for Kirk in the informal dining room, taking a chance that was where he ate his meals. If he wanted to be served in the more formal dining room then she’d do it his way in the future.

He came to the door as she was checking on the casserole. She caught a glimpse of him dressed in cargo pants and a navy polo shirt. Her pulse skipped a beat.

“Josh gone to bed?”

She closed the door to the wall oven. “Yes. It was a big day for him.”

A moment’s silence, then, “Where are we eating?”

We?

She looked up and saw him frowning at the table in the far corner of the kitchen where she’d set a place for herself. Surely he didn’t want to eat in here with her?

She jerked her head toward the informal dining room. “You’re eating in there.”

His eyes slammed into hers. “You’ll be eating with me, of course.”

She stiffened. “I’m the housekeeper. I’ll eat in here.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

She didn’t think she was being ridiculous at all. She was just being … cautious.

She lifted her eyebrow. “Did Martha eat her meals with you?”

“No, but I didn’t dance with her and kiss her, either.”

She gasped. “I don’t believe you said that!”

His mouth tightened. “Don’t argue, Vanessa. You eat in there with me from now on, or I eat in here with you. Take your pick.”

“But … but … this is crazy. You don’t even want me working here. Why would you want to eat with me?”

He looked inflexible. “I’m not going to sit in the living room and eat by myself while you sit in here and eat. You and Josh are to join me. End of argument.”

He was including Josh in this?

All at once she wondered something. Kirk obviously had plenty of friends in town, and he had plenty of staff on the cattle station, and by the look of his study he was a very busy man there as well. But despite appearances, was he lonely living here in this big house by himself? Did he miss his family? She didn’t want to be a family substitute for a man, not even inadvertently. Her own family had already been decimated by the loss of her husband. She couldn’t do this again.

Then she looked at the unforgiving look in Kirk’s eyes and realized she’d gotten it wrong. This man didn’t need her company. He had a full life. He was just determined to make it difficult for her.

Her chin rose as her anger reached its limit. “If you think I’m going to be your whipping boy for the next six months then you have another think coming, Mr. Deverill. You either treat me with the respect you afford any employee or I leave tomorrow and I don’t care what Linda’s reaction will be.”

He appeared a little taken aback.

Then he slowly inclined his head with a look of grudging admiration. “You have my word I’ll treat you with respect.”

She released a breath. “Thank you,” she said, recognizing he hadn’t forgiven her for thinking she’d used him. He wouldn’t forgive her that, but at least now he wouldn’t be in her face all the time. “Okay. Now please go in there and I’ll bring in the food.”

He made a point of grabbing the knife and fork she’d set out for herself. “I’ll take these in for you, shall I?”

She nodded. As she watched him leave, she was wondering how she was going to cope eating her meals with him. Her emotions were already being tossed around like clothes in a dryer. Feelings she wanted tucked away nice and neatly in a drawer where no one could see or touch them.

Definitely not Kirk.

Taking a deep breath, she gave him a generous serving of casserole and herself a smaller portion, then took off her apron and smoothed her hands down her skirt. She was glad now that she’d changed into something more formal than jeans.

She groaned inwardly when she saw where she was expected to sit. Kirk had placed her next to him on his right. She’d half hoped he’d put the length of the table between them.

“Everything fine with your rooms?” Kirk said, after she got settled.

“Yes, thank you.” She remembered the extra items and she softened toward him. “And thank you for arranging all that baby furniture for Josh. I can’t pay you back in one lump sum, but please give me the total amount and I’ll make some arrangement to pay by installments.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“But I don’t expect you to supply baby furniture for my son.”

“It’ll get plenty of use in future,” he dismissed, and began eating.

She grasped what he meant. “Oh, of course. If you marry you might use them again.”

His face hardened as he swallowed his food before speaking. “No, I meant they can be passed on to someone else in the family eventually.”

She picked up her fork. “Oh, I see.”

Obviously his future wife wouldn’t want secondhand things used by the housekeeper. Grace certainly would never have used anything secondhand, and Nadine would certainly never have to worry about using secondhand furniture, either. Grace wouldn’t let her.

“Is there anything else you need?”

“No, the list Martha left was very thorough.”

After that they ate their way through dinner while Kirk explained about his routine and more about her duties. At all times his tone was courteous but detached.

Then she brought out the parfaits and tried not to blush at the reason for so many chocolate sprinkles. She had gone a bit crazy with them while she’d been thinking about Kirk in the shower.

“You’re a good cook,” he said after he’d finished eating and placed his spoon in the empty parfait glass.

“I really only made the dessert,” she said, hoping any blush in her cheeks would be put down to the compliment and not her wayward thoughts.

“Then I look forward to future meals.”

She looked at him to see if he was being sarcastic but his features were calm and controlled.

“By the way, your duties may be more extensive than you thought.”

She tensed. Was he going to want bed as well as breakfast?

With a knowing look in his eyes, he placed his napkin on the table and stood up. “Leave the cleaning up for now. I have a surprise for you in the barn.”

That got her attention.

She looked up at him suspiciously. “What sort of surprise?”

“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you,” he drawled.

She went with him out the kitchen door and along the path that led to a large barn. She’d seen a couple of horses in the fenced paddock connected to the back of it earlier today, but she was wary of horses and had decided she wouldn’t be going near them any time soon.

Just like she was wary of Kirk, she reminded herself, not relaxing until she stepped inside the barn and saw the puppies. They were playing in an area cordoned off so that they couldn’t escape.

“Ooh, aren’t they’re gorgeous?” she said, instinctively falling to her knees to pat their soft fur, forgetting to be guarded with Kirk. “How old are they?”

“About six weeks.”

She laughed as the puppies surrounded her and a mediumsize dog came trotting up and sniffed her hand. “Is this their mother? Is she some sort of sheep dog?”

A wry smile coated his mouth. “She thinks she is, but no, little Suzi’s what we call a ‘bitza.’ A bit of this and a bit of that.” He crouched down and patted the dog’s head. “I suspect that’s why someone dumped her.”

Her heart saddened. “They dumped her? Out here?”

He nodded. “She turned up here one day a few years back, starving and her paws bleeding. She’s been with me ever since.”

Her assessment of the man went up. She stood and brushed the dirt from her knees. “I guess you need someone to take care of them.”

He got to his feet. “If you want to.”

“I’d love to,” she said sincerely.

He looked almost surprised by her response. “Good. One of my men has been looking after them while I’ve been away but I’m sure he’ll be happy to pass the job to you.”

They were standing close and instantly she felt all tingly and aware of his strength. “Er.” She stepped back. “Well, I’d better go clean up the dinner things.”

She hurried away without waiting for a response, aware of him watching her. Lord, the attraction was still there between them and if she thought eating together was going to be hard, then how was she going to cope with moments like these?

Right now she didn’t have the answer.

Ten minutes later, he walked through the kitchen. “I’ll be in the study,” he said tersely.

She was relieved. “Do you need anything else?”

His eyes flickered but all he said was, “No. Nothing.”

He was remote again and that was fine by her. She wanted it to stay this way. Please God.

She finished cleaning up, then went to her room and watched television before showering and falling into bed. It had been a long day for Josh, but it had been an even longer day for his mother.