The Outback Cattleman's Hired Wife (5 page)

Kirra jumped in and did it easily.

‘
Good.’ He sounded surprised. ‘Make sure the cows get
off the platform okay. Just watch them and let me know if there
’
s a problem.
’

‘
I can do that!
’ she said, a little thrill of competency
zipping through her blood.

‘
It
’
ll save me time,’
he muttered, before he switched on the platform rotating mechanism again. ‘I
can speed up the platform.
’

They worked together in companionable silence for a
good hour or so it seemed. Feeling useful and appreciated, Kirra’s heart sang.
She enjoyed the physical work. It was far different from her office job where
doing butt-squeezes and mouse-clicking all day were her main forms of exercise.

Occasionally, she snatched glances at Jared. He was
busy checking teats, hooking and unhooking cups from them. His dexterity and
efficiency amazed her.

Though she wanted to do more, she soon realised that
milking this many cows took a phenomenal amount of experience and expertise. It
was all about timing and rhythm.

Later, she found herself humming to the cows. It kept
them calm and a strange feeling came over her. She imagined all the cows were
her children. One of her uncles had worked at a dairy, she suddenly remembered.
He’d told her Aunt that he thought the cows had beautiful faces and that she
did too. He’d added that that’s why he fell in love with her, so she couldn’t
be too mad at him for comparing to a cow. She wondered if Jared felt the same
way.

When Jared had hooked up the last cow, he came over to
her.

The smell of his potent masculine scent mingled with
sweat made her stomach curl with heat and she suddenly forgot all about the
cows.

‘
We
’
ve made good time,
’
he said, his tone tired, but filled with relief and
gratitude.
‘
I
’
ll finish up here.
’

‘No,’ she said,
adamantly,
I
’
ll wait
‘
til these cows are done.
’

‘
It’s not necessary,
’
he
countered,
‘
you’ve done enough. I still have to clean everything
down for tomorrow
’
s milking.
’

‘
I can help with that too.
’

‘
Thanks, but no. It
’
s more
hygienic if one person does it,’ he explained. ‘Go back to the house. Make
yourself something to eat. You must be hungry by now.
’

‘
Yes, I am.’ Physical work certainly brought on a keen
appetite. ‘Do you want me to make something for you?
’
she said, offering her usual consideration.

His steely-blue eyes flashed at her then.
‘
I don
’
t need a wife,
Kirra. I
’
m chief cook and bottle washer around here.
’

Perplexed, Kirra frowned.
‘
What about your mother?
’

‘
She used to cook, but she gets tired and forgets
things sometimes. It
’
s a fire risk if she leaves something on,
’
he said without animosity.
‘
I took over a while ago.
’

‘
I
’
m sorry to hear
that.
’

She had an urge to touch his shoulder in comfort, but
instincts told her that it would be unwelcome.

‘
Such is life.
’
He
shrugged.
‘
One has to be adaptable and resilient to survive in
the country.
’

He had so many responsibilities. It suddenly dawned on
her, it was little wonder that he had time to find a wife with whom to share
his life.

An uneasy silence walled up between them.
   

‘
Go,
’
he said.
‘
I need to finish this task before midnight. I have to
be up at five tomorrow morning to do it all again.
’

Kirra knew when she wasn
’
t wanted. She went into the side room and exchanged
her overalls for her coat. Bidding a hasty retreat out of the dairy, she headed
back to the homestead.

What an enigma he was!
Every moment she spent
with him, only pressed more questions into her mercurial mind.

Nearing the homestead, she noticed there were two
spare parking bays in the four-car garage at the back. She drove her Subaru in
and parked beside an immaculate, white Range Rover. It looked somehow out of
place like it had never been driven.

Hopping out of her car, Kirra left the driver
’
s side window down so that the interior had a chance
to dry.

A sensor light came on over the back steps and she
made her way over to the rear door of the homestead. To her surprise, the door
was unlocked. She went inside glad to get out of the awful weather and into the
warm cosiness of the house.

She entered straight into the laundry, returning her
borrowed oilskin coat to its hook and slipping off her gumboots. They stood
tall beside the washing machine and she padded into the hallway.

Suddenly famished,
she strode to the kitchen. After giving Jesse a long pat, she washed her hands.
‘Your master will be home soon,’ she murmured to the sleepy dog.

Jared had told her to make herself at home so she had
no qualms about checking out the food supply.

In the large upright freezer, she found some frozen
chicken breasts. There was enough in the pack for two or three people so she
decided to thaw them out in the microwave.

With all ingredients found, she set about making her
favourite Lemon Chicken, vegetables and rice.

It seemed inconceivable with so much food made that
she wouldn
’
t dish out a serving for Jared. Though he denied the
need for her to make dinner for him, surely he would appreciate not having to
cook for himself after such a long, arduous day.

Her mother had always said that the way to a man
’
s heart was through his stomach.

Zac had always liked her cooking.
Zac.
It only
seemed like yesterday that he was so full of life, she sighed.

Kirra set the
table in the main dining room just off from the kitchen. She had discovered a
beautifully-embroidered tablecloth when she rummaged through drawers to find
utensils. It had a map of Australia on it with the striking floral emblems of
each State within their borders. It even had famous landmarks like the Great
Barrier Reef and the Sydney Opera House.

While she placed the cutlery upon it, she heard the
back door creak open. It had to be Jared and a shiver of anticipation skidded
down her spine.

Would he be pleased with her efforts? 

Zac had always bragged about her cooking to his mates
and he would often bring home one or two of them to share dinner without
informing her. Luckily, her mother had taught her how to make meals stretch
further by adding more vegetables or rice.

Tonight wasn
’
t such a
night. She knew that she and Jared were effectively cut off from civilisation.
They would be dining alone unless he chose not to eat with her. She
’
d eaten most nights of the past year and a half alone,
so she hoped not.

Kirra carried the dinner plates filled with the
delicious, homemade meal and placed them on the table.

Sitting down, she
waited in hope that the smell of it would draw him to her.

Within moments, Jared stood in the archway to the
dining room. Divested of his coat, hat and boots, he looked every inch a virile
man. His broad shoulders and toned body were obvious under his working clothes.

Kirra drank in the sight of him and couldn
’
t suppress the delicious heat that coiled through her
body.

‘
It
’
s late. I didn
’
t expect you to make dinner,
’
he said. He raked weathered fingers through his hair.

All her excitement died in an instant.
‘
I suppose you think this is another ploy to loosen
your tongue.
’

‘
Is it?
’
One eyebrow rose.

‘
No, of course not!
’
Her chin
lifted with indignation.
‘
All the meat in the freezer is grouped in meals for
more than one person. It takes the same time to cook a meal for one as for two,
’
she said.
‘
I thought
you
’
d be starving when you came home.
’

‘
I am. I usually settle for a toasted sandwich, but
whatever you
’
ve made smells fantastic.
’

Kirra relaxed a little. She hadn
’
t realised just how tense her shoulder muscles were.
‘
Come and eat then,
’
she
ordered quietly.
‘
I won
’
t bite.
’

‘
I
’
m afraid my odour of milk and manure mightn
’
t be acceptable at the dinner table.
’

‘
Nonsense! You
’
re
starving. Eat,
’
she said, ever-the-practical person that she was.
‘
As a journalist, I
’
ve had to
gather stories from rubbish tips, backyards and alleyways. They smelled ten
times worse!
’

‘
Thanks, that makes me feel so much better,
’
he said wryly. But he gave her a grateful smile as he
sat down adjacent to her.
           

She couldn
’
t ignore
the chemistry between them. When he smiled at her, her heart melted. He looked
weary. He
’
d obviously had a demanding day and all she wanted to
do was take him in her arms and hug him. Comfort him. 

Instinctively she lowered her eyelashes to hide her
feelings. He hardly knew her and certainly didn
’
t trust her, after she
’
d landed on his
doorstep without prior warning. He
’
d thought
she was a nanny applicant!

Jared rested his hands on the table and smoothed it
out the tablecloth.

‘
Where did you find this? It hasn
’
t been used since Heather died.
’

‘
Your wife?
’

His lips compressed into a thin, white line.
‘
Mm.
’

She
’
d unwittingly
crossed the line. She really wanted to know how his wife had drowned and if he
had come to terms with it, but it was too soon and she didn
’
t want him to clam up completely.

She met his eyes with warmth in her heart and said
with sincerity,
‘
It was the only one I came across while preparing
dinner.
’

He seemed to relax a little then.

Unsettled by the attraction and compassion for him
clamouring in her heart, she picked up her fork and began to eat.

Jared picked up his fork and ate too. Hungrily!

‘
This is as delicious as it looks,
’
he said after several mouthfuls.

Kirra smiled.
‘
Thank you.
It’s my favourite. I love Chinese Food!
’
 

He cleared his throat.
‘
Thank you for your help tonight at the milking shed,
’
he said, giving her that crooked smile of his. It
sounded like he meant it.

‘
I thought I was more of a hindrance than a help.
’

‘
No, it would have taken me a lot longer than three
hours to milk them alone.

‘
Why don
’
t you employ farm hands?
’