The Outback Cattleman's Hired Wife (28 page)
Read The Outback Cattleman's Hired Wife Online
Authors: Natalia Elder
‘
This is Elise,
’
Kirra
said, a wicked glint in her eye.
‘
Uncle Gus
’
s fiancée.
’
‘
Kirra, I hate that name!
’
Elise bristled.
Kirra chuckled,
‘
I know. I
’
m only teasing you.
’
Elise rolled her eyes.
‘
I suppose I deserve a little payback after what I did,
’
she laughed, then said adamantly, ‘When we get married,
I
’
d like you to call him Uncle Phil.
’
‘
Welcome to the family, Elise,
’
Jared said magnanimously. He took out his wallet and
handed her some money,
‘
Please buy enough for everyone.
’
‘
Thanks,
’
Elise
said. She took the money in one hand and Caleb
’
s hand in the other. She leaned over to Caleb and whispered,
‘
With this amount of money, maybe we can get an
ice-cream too.
’
When they skipped away, Jared sat down beside Kirra on
one of the brightly-coloured individual seats and took both her hands in his.
He looked tired, but happy and she knew their fierce and incredibly wonderful
volume of love-making had had something to do with it.
His eyes narrowed with a seriousness that she
appreciated and trusted. ‘I have a confession to make.’
Kirra sucked on her lower lip.
Was it something
that she wanted to hear? Would it change things between them?
She doubted
it. After spending years with Zac being unpredictable, it was refreshing that
Jared spoke with discernment and always from the heart. She smiled serenely.
‘I’m all ears.’
He squared his
shoulders and closed his eyes briefly, as a smile tugged at the corner of his
mouth. ‘That day when you ran towards the river, I lied. It did feel like déjà
vu. I thought I’d driven you to the same fate as Heather.’
Tears burned at the back of her eyes. Here was this
strong and stoic farmer opening his heart to her. She squeezed his hand in
reassurance, her natural and compassionate, journalistic instincts kicking in.
‘Go on.’
A burst of air flared his nostrils like a horse welcoming
a rub down after a strenuous gallop. ‘Having lived with Heather and her
deteriorating mental health, I was always trying to quick fix it. I should have
asked for more help sooner. Sometimes, the frustration at not knowing what to
do was insurmountable.’
‘You did your best to look after her. It wasn’t your
fault, Heather became mentally ill.’
His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed
deeply. ‘When the detective grilled me about her death, I didn’t handle it very
well. I felt guilty that I’d failed her as a husband and protector, but the
truth was we hadn’t been husband and wife for a long time. The night before
she’d died, Heather had started an argument. Usually, I could calm her down or
I’d walk away, but that time I stood my ground.’
Kirra rubbed his
forearm and watched him close his eyes in anguish, his head tilting towards the
sun that had begun to warm up the day. ‘Is this the suspicious
circumstances one journalist wrote about?’
‘Mm.’ He glanced at her, pain still evident in his
eyes. ‘Heather had accused me of having an affair with Magda and demanded that
I leave. She was totally irrational. Any number of denials and reassurances
fell on deaf ears.’
‘Was there any reason for her to think that it was a
possibility?’ She was being the journalist now.
‘Of course not,’ he said adamantly. ‘I took my vows
seriously. That night though, something snapped and my heart broke,’ he added,
his head dropping forward in defeat. I couldn’t take it anymore and I knew in
the morning I’d have to take her to the hospital even if I had to call her
doctor and demand that she have a Psychiatric Assessment.’
‘Oh Jared, how awful for you.’
‘That’s not the worst of it,’ he rasped harshly. ‘That
night was the first night I’d slept on the sofa in my study. I didn’t hear her
leave.’
‘The sofa where we
made love?’ she recollected, squeezing his arm in compassion. ‘Nobody’s
perfect, Jared. It was an impossible situation.’
He nodded, though his eyes were closed, as if he was
having his own nightmarish flashes of memory. ‘It didn’t matter how much money
I had, there was nothing I could do for her. I worked that out a while ago.’
‘And when you found her, it must have been dreadful.’
‘I knew she was lifeless, so I dragged her body out of
the river and phoned the Police,’ he said quietly, meeting her gaze with trust
and relief. ‘Somehow, the media got wind of it and the circus began.’
Kirra knew all about how News articles were sourced
and she cringed inwardly. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘That was only the start,’ he bit out harshly.
‘Unflattering photos appeared in the newspapers and trashy magazines. I bought
them all. Every word was fabricated from grainy photos. They said that I bumped
off my wife because I was having an affair with a gorgeous, younger woman.’
‘Who?’
‘Magda, of
course.’ His lips pursed together in a grim line. ‘It was as if Heather was
gaining her revenge from the grave. It was doing my head in!’
Kirra had an ah-ha moment. ‘So that’s why Magda
pretended to be your lover at first?’
‘Yes, it’s a joke between us. She helped me see the
funny side of it. The compromising, telephoto shots of us were taken while she
was artificially inseminating one of the cows I was steadying. The angle it was
taken, the cow looked like a rug that we were lying on.’
Kirra gave him a knowingly look. She knew full well
that paparazzi went to extraordinary length to achieve a saleable photo. Though
Jared was a billionaire, he wasn’t famous. ‘Did you sue them for slander or ask
them for a retraction?’
‘No,’ he said matter-of-factly. ‘My lawyer advised
against it. He seemed to think it was better to ignore it, while the detectives
were awaiting the autopsy report.’
‘Sometimes,’ she said thoughtfully, ‘but I believe it’s
better to clear your name.’
‘People believe stories more when there’s photo
evidence. They can make up their minds quickly, if they don’t know you, mud
sticks,’ he bit out.
She rubbed the
middle of his back in consolation. ‘So did your friends and family believe it?’
‘No. They knew Heather wasn’t well because she never
left the house. When they came to visit, they could see she wasn’t quite right
all the time. They were supportive. That’s all that mattered. They knew that I
was doing all I could and that they couldn’t do any better with one of their
own,’ he said, his voice laden with emotion. ‘When the autopsy revealed that an
aneurism had caused her to pass out and fall into the river, the coroner’s
inquest found that she would have had no conscious awareness of wandering off
and there was no foul play surrounding her death.’
‘That was printed in the newspaper,’ she said with
compassion and squeezed his hand again, as she remembered the small article on
page ten. ‘I was also questioned by detectives after Zac died,’ she admitted.
‘Why?’ he said, his brow knitting together. ‘You
weren’t even there.’
‘Exactly, but I had bought the food and drink for the
boat trip,’ she explained, as the horrific memory flashed through her mind,
like a screeching crow in flight.
‘They thought you’d poisoned him?’
‘Yes and no,’ she
said calmly. ‘They were just covering all possible scenarios, but it still hurt
that they would think such a thing.’
‘But they didn’t know you either.’
‘Yeah. Detectives have a tough job, but it’s very
necessary to uncover the truth. Nowadays, they don’t often get it wrong with so
much state-of-the-art, forensic testing available.’
‘You have a tough job too,’ Jared acknowledged and
gently squeezed her hand. ‘I apologise for painting you with the same brush as
those few unscrupulous journalists.’
She gave him a heartfelt smile. ‘Already forgiven.’
He wrapped his arms around her and drew her in close.
‘You’re such a gracious person, Kirra Whitely. I love you with all my heart.’
Kirra’s heart sang, as she snuggled under his warm,
protective arm and knew she was home.
The crowd rose to their feet, yelling, ‘Go! Go! Go!’
and cheered victoriously when a footballer crossed the try line and scored.
When it was announced over the loud speaker that Phil
had scored another try, Kirra abruptly pulled out of
Jared’s
comfortable embrace. She stood up and whooped. ‘Way to go, Phil! Way to go!’
After a few moments, Phil gave her a wave from behind
the try line, while the half-back kicked for goal. She sat down elated, and
smiled broadly at Jared. ‘Phil’s incredible. He’s so fast! Nobody can catch him
when he gets a break. I’m sure he’ll get player of the match.’
‘You really love this game, don’t you?’
‘Yeah, I do!’ Kirra was proud to be a football
supporter. ‘I grew up with it. Every Sunday night, Mum, Dad and I watched the
footy,’ she said proudly. ‘We only had one television so we had to vote on what
shows we watched. But Dad and I always insisted on watching the football,’ she
explained, as she remembered happy times from her childhood. ‘It was even
better when he took us to a live game to experience the atmosphere . . . and
the hotdogs and ice-creams.’
‘Then football will be part of our life,’ Jared
agreed. ‘We’ll grow to love it too.’
‘I think Caleb is already a convert,’ Kirra said, as
she turned and pointed towards Elise and Caleb standing at the fence, close to
the sideline of the field. ‘Look, over there.’
Elise had crouched down and was pointing to all the
players, while Caleb nodded enthusiastically.
Jared followed the
imaginary line from Kirra’s pointed finger. ‘I think you’re right.’
She turned back to him and smiled, deeply in love with
this strong, stoic man who was always willing to meet her half way. She knew
that she could easily and happily spend the rest of her life with him. She
hoped her eyes expressed her deep, abiding love for him and that he could see
it in her soul. ‘I will love watching Caleb play soccer too and anything else
our children want to do.’
Jared’s dark eyebrows rose in surprise.
‘
Are you pregnant, Kirra?
’
he asked again, his tone deeply serious.
It hadn
’
t crossed
her mind, but come to think of it, with the voracious amount of sex they
’
d been having, it was a distinct possibility. After
all, the previous tests on her ovaries had proved to be normal and Jared could
obviously sire children, having fathered Caleb already.
‘
I don
’
t know, maybe,
’
she said wistfully.
‘
My breasts are tingly and I
’
m a day
late. I
’
m never late, but it could be stress.
’
Her heart sang with hope.
Could she really be
pregnant?
She wondered.
Imagine that
!
‘
It
’
s time you met my
family,
’
Jared said, then with a tone that brooked no quarter,
‘
We will be married in a month.
’
‘
Now you are rushing me!
’
she replied on a yelp.
‘
That
’
s not enough time to make arrangements.
’
‘
How much time do you need?
’
he asked frankly.
‘
Do you want
the big fairytale wedding?
’
‘
No, definitely not!
’
she said
adamantly.
‘
I
’
ve had one of
those. I had to do everything. It was such a production, so stressful and so
many things went wrong on the day which led to a disastrous wedding night and,
and -
’
She became all choked up.
He smoothed down her hair and cupped the back of her
head in a calming gesture.
‘
Let
’
s keep it simple, love,
’
he said, then sealed it with a kiss right when the crowd went wild as
another try was scored.
Epilogue
The weather being warmer, Kirra decided on an
off-the-shoulder, three-quarter length gown with a full skirt in ivory silk
with a chiffon overlay and crystals sewn onto the bodice. She teamed it with
gloves and a fashionable pillbox hat with a wisp of tulle attached for a veil.
Matching low-heeled ankle-boots and a delicate green sapphire and diamond necklace
and earrings for jewelry that Jared and Caleb had given her as a wedding
present, completed her ensemble. She
’
d borrowed
Granny
’
s blue sapphire broach and her bouquet was one of red
roses bundled with white baby
’
s breath.
Standing proudly under
a lattice arch covered in roses, Jared looked suave in his black tuxedo. The
red bow tie he wore stood out against the white shirt and to Kirra, it meant he
had a wild, sexy side to him. It gave her a thrill that she was the only one
privy to that information and she looked forward to experiencing it tonight on
their wedding night.
Jared waited patiently beside the marriage celebrant,
glad that Kirra had written down his words to say as part of their vows. Gus,
soon to be officially Uncle Phil, stood beside him as his Best Man.
Both father and son wore gold watches that Kirra had
given them as a wedding present. It took her an eternity to choose something,
but she was glad they liked her practical gifts.
With his heart in his throat, Jared watched his son in
his miniature version of his tuxedo walk down the aisle to the strains of
‘
Here Comes the Bride
’
by a string quartet.
He saw that Caleb walked in measured steps and carried
a silk heart-shaped pillow with two gold wedding bands tied onto it. Jared felt
so proud of him, the way he
’
d taken to Kirra.
He knew Caleb was as happy and contented as he was, and revelled in her genuine
love and compassion.
Elise walked in
front of Kirra and looked rather sexy in a red silk skirt suit. She held a posy
of white roses, but Jared only had eyes for his beautiful, incredibly generous
bride.
Excitement raced through his veins. He savoured the
moment and appreciated the importance of their wedding day, as the beginning of
a long and happy marriage. At least, he hoped so. He knew there were no
guarantees in life, but he was willing to take a risk with Kirra by his side.
With that breathtakingly-handsome crooked smile of his
on his face, he whispered,
‘
You
’
re beautiful. I love you.
’
Kirra smiled. His words filled her heart with joy.
‘Ditto!
I love you too,
’
she
whispered back.
When the celebrant asked,
‘
Who gives this woman to be married?
’
Desmond handed Kirra over to Jared.
‘
No returns,
’
he said
cheekily and Jared chuckled.
Kirra was glad Jared and her father had the same sense
of humour. She
’
d taken Jared and Caleb to Noosa to meet her parents,
the week-end after meeting Granny, Aunt Joyce and Granny
’
s boyfriend, Frank Goodman. Desmond and Kaylene
Whitely were delighted with their news and Jared and Caleb had clicked with
them from the get-go.
After her father had asked Jared the obligatory,
old-fashioned questions about how he
’
d planned
to take care of her, a night of beach fishing had sealed their friendship.
Her father was more than impressed that Jared was
unassumingly loaded. He was amazed that he didn
’
t actually have to work - his inheritance and shrewd investments over
the years had accrued to some unimaginable sum.
To Kirra
’
s surprise,
Jared didn
’
t insist on a prenuptial agreement. She had some money
herself, of course and the apartment in Brisbane was a substantial asset, but
her parent’s values were instilled in her. Love and trust were more important
than money.
‘
As long as we have enough to pay the bills and put
food on the table, I
’
m happy,
’
Kirra had
told Jared on the drive home.
‘I’m glad you’re not marrying for my money,’ he
intoned seriously.
Kirra rolled her
eyes. ‘I didn’t mean that. I meant that love, trust, loyalty and respect, are
more important to me. Of course, money is necessary to sustain a good life.’
Jared agreed, but that didn
’
t stop him planning an extravagant honeymoon on a
cruise ship down the Rhine River from Zurich to Amsterdam. He also paid for
both their parents and Caleb to come along too.
When they
’
d sat down
to do the wedding invitations, they
’
d realised
with family, friends and the townspeople, it had added up to over two hundred
people. Jared had immediately hired a wedding planner and the reception was
held in front of Glengarry Homestead under a large white marquis. No expense
was spared and it turned out to be the big fairytale wedding after all, but
without the stress.
Jared and Kirra had practiced waltzing every night and
they
’
d put on quite a show for the Bridal Waltz. Kirra had
also practiced with Caleb, so she danced with him, after Jared, to the delight
of everyone there.
In his Best Man
’
s speech,
Phil let everyone in on the elaborate plan to get these two people together and
Elise caught the bouquet.
Jared followed with the Scottish tradition of throwing the bride
’
s tartan garter which was deftly caught by Frank
Goodman. Granny was ecstatic.
Jared and Kirra spent their wedding night at a
prestigious hotel on the Gold Coast. Jared carried her over the threshold of
the beautifully-appointed bridal suite, then set her down in front of the
king-size bed.
‘
Are you glad you married me, Mrs Glengarry?
’
he asked, grinning from ear-to-ear.
‘
Yes, I certainly am! Now that I
’
m officially one of the clan,
’
she said with a wicked glint in her eyes,
‘
I
’
m entitled to know
the secret ingredient to the Glengarry Pea and Ham Soup.
’
One dark eyebrow rose.
‘
Is that the only reason you married me?
’
‘
No, I married you because I love you with all my heart
and you
’
re the father of my baby,
’
she said, patting her belly.
‘
Who
’
d have thought I
’
d fall pregnant the first time we did it?
’
Jared gently put his hand over hers on her belly.
‘
Is it alright to make love when you
’
re four months pregnant?
’
‘
I
’
ve read that you
just put a pillow under my buttocks,
’
she said,
then looked perplexed.
‘I know. I’m asking for
your permission,’ he said in earnest.
‘Permission?
Didn
’
t you and Heather
make love when she was pregnant with Caleb?
’
He shook his head and looked suddenly solemn.
‘
No, she was adamant I
’
d hurt the baby. I knew I wouldn
’
t, but -
’
‘
Oh darling,
’
she cut in
and cupped his sad face in her hands. She kissed his mouth.
‘
I didn
’
t mean to upset
you. Rest assured that we will be having lots of children and lots of sex and
not necessarily in that order.
’
He laughed and his face lit up again.
‘
I
’
ll look forward to
it.
’
Jared
’
s lips crashed
down on hers then and slowly, very slowly he removed her wedding attire. His
eyes filled with desire when he saw the red lacy French Knickers she was
wearing.
‘
Mrs Glengarry, you
’
re one very
sexy woman,
’
he groaned and ran his hands over the silk and lace
that covered her buttocks.
‘
And I
’
m all yours,
forever,
’
she said happily and wrapped her arms around his
neck.
He laid her down on the bed and slipped a soft pillow under her
buttocks.
‘
Comfortable?
’
he asked.
‘
Very,
’
she replied, her
need for him sizzling in her blood.
‘
Leave your
bow tie on,
’
she added teasingly.
‘
It makes you look hot. I can pretend you
’
re a Fireman.
’
‘
You and your fantasies,
’
he growled, then grinned.
‘
I love
them. Keep them coming.
’
He stripped down to his bow tie as requested, then set
about kissing every inch of her body to add fuel to the fire.
He tickled inside her belly button with his tongue.
‘
This tastes like nutmeg?
’
he muttered wryly and looked up into her surprised face, radiant with
pregnancy and arousal.
‘
Nutmeg?
’
‘
Yes, it must be in your bloodstream,
’
he said cheekily, then told her,
‘
That
’
s the secret
ingredient of Glengarry soup.
’
‘
Ah yes,
’
she sighed
in relief.
‘
That was the taste!
’
Without another audible word, Jared made
exquisite love to her to cap off her beautiful and memorable wedding
experience.
Five months later, Kirra Glengarry popped newly-born
Penelope Elise Glengarry on her breast to have her first feed.
Exhausted, but elated after a twenty-four hour labour,
without pain-killers or intervention, as per her birth plan, Jared gave her a
hug and a kiss on the forehead.
‘
You
’
re amazing,
wonderful wife of mine!
’
he said lovingly.
‘
But I am
grateful to be a male of the species. No way could I push something the size of
a watermelon out of my -
’
He stopped and looked perplexed.
Kirra laughed and patted his forearm.
‘
Leave the tough stuff to me, darling.
’
‘
Are you truly happy, my love?
’
‘
Of course,
’
she sighed
dreamily,
‘
Penny is the most beautiful baby in the world and a
splendid addition to our family.
’
He sat on the bed and faced her, a worried look on his
rugged face. Do you think you
’
ll get Post Natal
Depression?
’
‘
I
’
ve read in a
couple of days, I
’
ll get Baby Blues due to a drop in hormone levels,
’
she explained in knowledgeable reassurance,
‘
but after that, I
’
m sure I
’
ll be my usual upbeat self. If not, you
’
ve had firsthand experience, so get me to a doctor
sooner rather than later, if I need help.
’
