His Ring, Her Baby / His Bride for the Taking: His Ring, Her Baby / His Bride for the Taking

He frowned. “You’re getting cold. Come on, I’ll help you out of there.” All action now, he went and picked up her towel from the chair.

Her heartbeat started to skip. “No, it’s okay. I’m fine. I’ll just swim around some more then go back to my apartment. No need for you to wait around.”

His frown deepened. “I’m not leaving you here alone, Vanessa. You could get a cramp.”

“I won’t.” She hoped she didn’t sound as desperate as she felt, but suspected she did. “You really should be going back to the party.”

A very masculine look suddenly entered his eyes. “I should?” He paused. “Why?”

She drew an unsteady breath. “Er … why?” Her throat closed up. Her mind froze. She couldn’t think of a thing to say that didn’t give away how much he was affecting her.

Then a mask came down over his face. “Come on, Vanessa. Get out of the pool.” Clearly remote now, he opened the towel and held it up for her.

She wavered.

“Vanessa?”

She stared at him, then told herself he was only concerned for her welfare, nothing else. It was either that or she’d never get out of the pool.

She dared not look at him as she concentrated on moving through the water toward him. Her foot found the first step and she began to rise out of the pool. She could feel his eyes on her as the water sluiced down over her swimsuit, each step up exposing every inch of her body to him.

She reached the top step and looked up.

Their eyes locked.

The air stilled between them.

He moved closer. “Let me,” he murmured, standing in front of her, slipping it around her shoulders.

Her heart slammed against her ribs. “Um … you might get wet.”

“I don’t mind.” He pulled the edges of the towel tight at the column of her throat, bringing her closer, against him.

Their bodies touched.

Sizzled.

She felt him all the way down to her toes.

Suddenly she saw tiny flames in his eyes and an ache that had been growing all night throbbed through her veins. She wanted to touch the full curve of his mouth with her own just once, to taste its warmth, its strength.

He lowered his head and she trembled, and with a silent sigh, closed her eyes as his mouth covered hers. Her lips met his and he kissed her … and kissed her more … long and slow. Oddly enough her lips felt as if they were welcoming him home. He tasted both familiar yet unsettling, firm yet gentle. A heady mixture of the known and unknown.

He drew her closer, cupping the back of her head and deepening the kiss. Then groaning a low sound that seemed to wrench from deep inside him, he pulled her hips tightly against his arousal, letting her know what he wanted. She leaned into him, reveling in the sexual heat which spread like bushfire from his body to hers. She decided then and there that he felt as good as he looked. And she moved closer still. Need was everything. She needed more than the taste of his mouth. More than the feel of her breasts against his hard chest. She needed to feel him inside her. For the first time ever she understood why they called it consummation.

She wanted to be consumed by him.

Without warning, he broke away, breathing heavily, his eyes smoldering for her. A pulse leaped along the hard line of his jaw. “Vanessa, go,” he rasped.

She swallowed over the lump in her throat. “I—”

“Go.”

She didn’t need to be told a second time. Whirling around, she ran back to her apartment as fast as her legs would take her. When she finally closed the door behind her, she sank to her knees and brought her hand to her mouth. Dear God, what had she done? Everything she’d believed about herself and the type of woman she was had just been proven wrong.

She had betrayed Mike.

Worse. She’d kissed another man and found something in that kiss she’d never found in the two years of loving her husband.

Lust.

She had wanted to melt in Kirk’s arms and have him carry her off to bed and a night of whirlwind passion and blessed satiation. Except that Kirk hadn’t given her the chance, had he? No thanks to her, she thought with self-deprecation.

So shouldn’t that make her happy?

Yes.

Why, then, did she have an inexplicable feeling of emptiness? As if she’d lost something important she’d never really had.

Kirk had a raw feeling in his gut as he let himself into his motel room. The party was over for him in more ways than one. The woman he was so attracted to … the woman he’d wanted to make his own … was not only a grieving widow but a mother as well.

Why the friggin’ hell hadn’t someone thought to mention it yesterday? He wouldn’t have come here tonight. He wouldn’t have gotten involved. Now he had the taste of Vanessa Hamilton in his mouth.

And the imprint of her body on his clothes.

Dammit, the last thing he wanted to see right now was his reflection in the mirror. He was wet all the way from his blazer and shirt down to the front of his trousers, the dampness touching his skin through the material. His pulse quickened. Just looking at himself reminded him what she’d felt like in his arms. Soft and willowy, her curves flush against him.

Not that he’d forget in any hurry.

Just like he wouldn’t forget she was a young widow with a small child. No question now why she’d been fighting his advances. She was still getting over the death of her husband. And he intended to leave her to it.

Of course all that begged the question.

If she hadn’t felt anything for him, what exactly had she been fighting?

Three

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.