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

“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.

Four

At six the next morning, Vanessa stood in the doorway of the kitchen and watched Kirk cooking breakfast at the stove. How was she going to stand looking at this every morning? This being one male dressed in a khaki shirt and denim jeans who looked more delicious than the breakfast he was making.

As if he sensed he was being watched, he glimpsed over his shoulder, his gaze flicking down over her white top and black jeans. “Good morning,” he said, his voice telling her nothing, but his eyes had darkened.

Her nipples instantly tingled and she frowned to cover up her fast-beating heart. “What are you doing?” she asked, taking control of the conversation. Lord knew she had to take control of something.

He turned away to crack an egg into the frying pan. “Cooking breakfast.”

“But why are you doing it? I thought that was why I was here.” Pride suddenly made her tense. “I told you before I don’t accept charity.”

His head shot up. “And I didn’t offer it. You’re here to run the household, not only the cooking.”

She let out a slow breath. Okay, so she’d overreacted a little, but was it any wonder when the man in front of her looked as if he’d been lifted from the cover of a women’s magazine.

“You should have left breakfast to me,” she felt obligated to say, glad that at least she was going to be of use around here.

“I thought I’d let you settle in on your first morning here.”

“Thanks, but I rose ahead of time so I could get things ready for you in case Josh woke early, too.”

“No need to do that. I can always wait. Your son can’t.”

Her heart tilted. She was not sure she wanted to see more of the caring side to Kirk Deverill. She wanted to dislike the man. “I would think—”

“Then don’t. If I need to have breakfast early in future and you’re not around, then I’ll make it myself.”

“You shouldn’t have to.”

He slanted her a sardonic glance. “I think I can manage to feed myself occasionally.”

Fine. Who was she to tell him what to do?

“By the way, there’s no need for you to feed Suzi this morning. I’ve already done it. You can start tonight.” He began transferring the bacon onto a plate. “Take a seat. Breakfast is ready.”

She looked across at the bacon and eggs, then up at the man himself. For a moment she was distracted again by the look of him. “I think I hear Josh,” she said, spinning away.

She hurried down the hallway. She hadn’t heard Josh at all, but she needed time to get used to sharing breakfast alone with an attractive man other than her husband.

Of course, she had to remember Mike had often been doing shift work and hadn’t been home for breakfast, though that wasn’t the point. Not being used to intimacy with another man was the main thing here.

Josh was just waking up as she tiptoed over to his crib. She gave him a big good-morning kiss and proceeded to change his diaper and dress him, and by the time she headed back to the kitchen she heard Kirk’s vehicle leaving.

Relieved yet anxious to start with her duties, she nevertheless took her time to have a little breakfast with her son. Now he was one 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.