The Outback Cattleman's Hired Wife (20 page)

He lifted her off him and onto her feet, then kissed her forehead.
‘
Thank you, my love,
’
he said.
‘
Marry me? I need you in my life.
’
He
’
d even move to the city to be with her
! He thought in a moment of wild abandon.

Kirra
’
s heart sang. He
wanted to marry her.

But could it be that he just needed her for sex? That
wasn
’
t the same as loving her.
She looked at him through golden eyelashes.
‘
No,
’
she said,
‘
not unless Caleb gives us his blessing.
’

‘
You
’
re right, of
course,
’
he replied,
‘
I can
’
t have you all to myself.
’

Jared turned off the shower. They stepped out onto a
soft mat and he reached for a towel. Their gaze locked, as he rubbed her hair
dry with a fluffy towel.

She ran her hands over the moist, soft hairs on his
pectoral muscles.
‘
You
’
re so beautiful.
’

He gave her a heart-warming smile and wrapped the
towel around her back and drew her into him.
‘
So are you?
’

He kissed her until all thought disappeared from
existence. The need for him to be inside her as one - body, mind and spirit
gripped her like a thrilling theme park ride.
‘
I can
’
t seem to get enough of you.
’

‘
Is this what it
’
s like to
be in love?
’
she said, all her senses coming alive as her skin
rubbed up against his and she breathed in his potent masculine scent.

His length hardened again and he buried his face in
her hair. 
‘
I can
’
t even think
straight when I
’
m around you.
’

Couldn
’
t he just say that he loved her?
That annoying little voice whined like a broken record at the back of
her mind.

Her heart lurched and with supreme willpower, she
stepped back out of his embrace.
‘
We
’
d better get dressed,just in case Caleb returns.
’

He grunted.
‘
I
’
ll have a talk with him tonight,
’
he said, before pulling on his clothes.

Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her on the
forehead, before unlocking the door and scooting out.

Kirra dressed slowly and stayed in her granny flat for
the rest of the afternoon. She attempted to read another crime novel by the
same author, having enjoyed the first one to her surprise. However, she didn
’
t get very far.

Her mind continued to replay the incredible lovemaking they
’
d performed in the shower. Zac had never wanted to
hear her fantasies, let alone act them out. It was all about him. Always. But
why was she still thinking about Zac, when Jared had asked her to marry him?

After the first flush of fervent sex, would marriage
be any different with Jared?
She pondered.

Before she could weigh up the answer, Jared had called
her for dinner.

At a loss to work out where the time had gone, Kirra
slipped in her book mark and closed her book.
‘
Coming!
’
she said, her mood lighter, more content. As she
bounced off the bed, she slapped her book on the side table. Pinching her
cheeks to look less pale, she padded out of the granny flat.

Caleb already sat at the dinner table in his pyjamas
and robe, his freshly-washed hair combed. Chocolate lapped milk from a bowl on
the floor beside him, while Jesse watched the puppy with renewed interest.

‘
Hi!
’
Kirra said
brightly, when she entered the kitchen.

Jared gave her a brilliant smile as he spooned soup into bowls.
‘
Hi yourself.
’

‘
Would you like some help?
’
she offered.

‘
No, take a seat,
’
he said,
‘
Caleb
’
s got something he
wants to ask you.
’

‘
You have?
’
Kirra
turned her attention to Caleb.

She walked over and sat down opposite him.

Was he going to ask her to be his mother?
She wondered.
Had Jared already spoken with him?

‘
Would you like to go to Natural Arch tomorrow?
’
Caleb said in a rush.
‘
Dad said he
’
d take us if you agreed.
’

The anticipation ebbed away. He obviously hadn
’
t spoken to him yet, so she said blithely,
‘
Two
’
s company, three
’
s a -
’

‘
Family,
’
Jared finished
for her, as he brought the delicious-smelling soup to the table and sat at the
head of the table.

‘
My old nannies never wanted to go out with me, only
Dad,
’
Caleb said matter-of-factly,
‘
and Granny can
’
t walk
properly on the rocks anymore.
’

Kirra patted Caleb
’
s hand on the table.
‘
Well, I think they were a bit silly to miss out on so
much fun.
’

Jared leaned back in his chair, folded his arms and
smiled.
‘
It
’
s settled then. We
’
ll leave first thing in the morning and take a picnic
lunch.
’

Before they ate
,
Kirra suggested playing a
thumb game she used to play with her parents. They held hands like a real
family and had thumb wrestles.

Afterwards, Jared gave their hands a gentle squeeze
and Kirra
’
s heart seemed like it did a somersault in her chest.
So
this is what it
’
s like to have children,
she thought. Deliriously happy and more content than she
’
d felt in a very long time, a soft smile formed on her
lips.

Caleb talked animatedly through the whole dinner about
how Max had let him milk a cow and how he watched his father vaccinate by
applying a drop on the back of Chocolate
’
s neck to
prevent worms, fleas and ticks.

After dinner, Caleb asked,
‘
Kirra, will you tuck me in and read me a story?
’
He gave her a hopeful look.
‘
I
’
ve got a present
for you too,
’
he said as added incentive.

Kirra was surprised.
‘
I don
’
t need a bribe, Caleb,
’
she replied,
‘
I
’
d love to do it.
’

‘
Take Chocolate with you,
’
Jared said gently.
‘
Remember to hold him with two hands. He’s pretty
strong already.
’

‘
Yes, Dad.
’
Caleb picked
up Chocolate carefully and brought him to his chest. He cradled him with both
hands.

‘
Well done!
’
Jared
praised.

Pleased that Jared had taken her advice, Kirra gave
him a smile, before leading Caleb out of the kitchen, then down the hallway to
his bedroom.

Kirra’s heart sang, as she watched Caleb put Chocolate
in the bed that she
’
d made for him. ‘Good job, Caleb!’ she praised and he
grinned at her, before climbing onto his bed and under the blankets.

Instinctively, Kirra tucked the covers under his chin.

‘
Wait a minute!
’
Caleb sat
up and reached over to his bedside table. He opened the drawer and pulled out a
long shell necklace.
‘
This is for you. Dad and I made it this afternoon.
’

Kirra took it in her hands and her eyes shone with
joy.

‘
Don
’
t you like it?
’
Caleb said worriedly.

Kirra looked at him and smiled.
‘
Of course, I do. No one
’
s given me such a beautiful present before. But I can
’
t accept it. You promised it for your Granny.
’

Caleb reached into the drawer again.
‘
Look, we made one for her too.
’

‘
Then I will accept it.
’
She gave Caleb a kiss and a hug.
‘
Thank you.
Do you want to put it on me?
’

‘
Oh, yes,
’
he said
happily and stood on his feet, lifting it over her head.

‘
Thanks,
’
she said,
patting it down. It was scratchy on the back of her neck, but she didn’t care!
It was the thought that counted! Without delay, she reached for the
Blinky
Bill
story book on top of the side table.
‘
Now, back to bed.
’

Caleb did as he was asked and pulled the bedcovers up
to his chin himself.

‘
How about I listen to you read?
’
she suggested.

‘
Sure. I can read.
’ Excitement flickered in his voice.

Kirra planted herself on the edge of the bed and
listened to him read slowly. She helped him with some of the bigger words and
praised him for his efforts. When he grew tired, she happily finished to the
end of the page.

‘
Caleb,
’
she said gently, after closing the book.
‘
Do you miss your mother?
’

His blue eyes met her compassionate ones.
‘
No, I don
’
t remember
her, but Dad
’
s shown me a few photos so I know what she looked
like.
’

‘
She was pretty.
’

‘
Not as pretty as you,
’
he said with an innocent kind of frankness.
‘
Dad likes you.
’

‘
Did he say that?
’
A tinge of
pink coloured her cheeks.

‘
No, I can tell. He never cooked our special soup for
any of my old nannies,
’
he told her.
‘
Last time, he cooked it was for Granny
’
s sixtieth birthday.
’

‘Really?
Thanks for telling me, Caleb,
’
she said graciously.

‘
I like you too.
’
Spontaneously, he reached up, put his arms around her neck and gave her cheek a
quick kiss.

Kirra felt her heart swell with love.

How could she not want to love and care for his son?
He was such a dear, innocent and affectionate boy.

‘
Good night,
’
she said and stood slowly. Automatically, as she
’
d said countless times to her cousin
’
s children at bedtime,
‘
I
’
ll see you in the morning. Sweet dreams. I love you.
’