The Outback Cattleman's Hired Wife (6 page)

‘
I do, but the Miller boys can
’
t make it to work.
’

‘
Why not?
’
She couldn
’
t hold back her journalistic mind any longer.
’
Are they sick?
’

‘
Yes, their whole family have had the flu,
’
he replied.
‘
They
’
re over the worst of it, but I know the creek in front
their property flooded yesterday.
’

‘
Does that happen often?
’

‘
No. We
’
ve had an
excessive amount of rain this year.
’

‘The La Nina cycle
is probably to blame …
Do you think the
bridge near your place has washed away?
’

‘
Only time will tell,
’
he said, matter-of-factly.
‘
Once the
water has receded, I
’
ll know for sure.
’

‘
Why haven
’
t you
replaced it already?
’
she couldn’t help but wonder.

‘
The river is part of reserve land on the other side.
The Local Council own it. It
’
s sturdy enough,
’
he explained.
‘
But they
won
’
t replace it unless it starts to disintegrate.
’

Kirra nodded.
‘
You
’
ll
need my help then in the morning.
’

His jaw tensed and wall of tension rose between them.

‘Look,
I know I
’
m a novice,
but I
’
m a quick learner,’ she added hastily in the gap.

Finally, he said,
‘
That won
’
t be necessary. I
’
m sure you
’
ll want to have a sleep-in.
’

‘
Nonsense! I must earn my keep, Mr Glengarry. Whatever
you think of me, I
’
m not a freeloader.
’

‘
You can drop the formalities, Kirra. Call me Jared.
Everyone else does. Besides, we may be stranded here indefinitely.
’

‘
Indefinitely?
’
She
exhaled slowly. How could he be so unperturbed about their imposed
togetherness? If she could sprout webbed feet at the moment, she would swim as
far away as possible from him.

Jared eyed her levelly.
‘
You
’
re concerned about the article you need to edit, I
gather?
’

‘
No. . . . Yes.
’
She
’
d forgotten all about it.

‘
You can use my study. I have a computer and internet.
You can email it through before your deadline.
’

Kirra was surprised.
‘
You trust me not to write about you?
’
she said.
‘
I could easily string together a story from what I
’
ve seen already.
’

His eyes narrowed to slits.
‘
Give me your word,
’
he
commanded.
‘
It
’
s our code of
ethics here in the country.
’

She remained silent, not because she planned to write
about him. But because she put her foot in it again and she hadn’t meant to.

Jared stood abruptly and gathered up the dirty dinner
plates. He carried them into the kitchen.

‘
Okay,
’
she said, trying
to make amends and followed him to the sink,
‘
I won
’
t.
’

Jared turned around.
‘
I believe you,
’
he said. His shoulders relaxed somewhat.
‘
I
’
ll load the
dishwasher. You know where my study is.
’

‘
My article can wait until tomorrow. It
’
s not due
‘
til Monday,
’
she said.
‘
I think
I’ll have an early night so I can get up at five.
’

He gave her a piercing look and shook his head.
‘
You obviously don
’
t take no
for an answer.
’

‘
I
’
m a journalist
remember.
’

‘
How could I forget?
’

She folded her arms across her chest.
‘
What
’
s it to be?
’

He let out a frustrated sigh.
‘
Set your alarm for four-thirty.
’

Kirra gave him a brief hug.
‘
Thank you.
’

His body was stiff and unyielding.

‘
What was that for?
’
he said
gruffly.   

‘
It
’
s not a crime,
Jared. Most people like a hug after a trying day,
’
she explained.
‘
You looked like you needed one.
’

‘
Well, I didn
’
t.
’

The rebuff hurt. Tears stung at the back of her eyes.
Kirra held her head high and marched out of the room.

Jared sat in the kitchen for a long time after Kirra
had gone to bed. He
’
d almost forgotten what it was like to be touched by a
woman.

Heather had never given him spontaneous hugs and she
’
d never helped him in the dairy.

He
’
d handled himself
badly. Kirra had felt so soft and giving. He
’
d hurt her.
He knew she was trying to make the best of a difficult situation.

She was getting under his skin, but he didn
’
t know if he could trust his heart to anyone again.

Tomorrow, he
’
d make time
to get to the bottom of this absurd ad. What if she was just stringing him
along to get a story?

But what if she wasn
’
t? What if she really did want to get married again?

To him. . .

IT WAS BARELY dawn when Kirra awoke to the intermittent knocking on the
door of the granny flat. She rolled over lazily onto her back and yawned,
stretching out like a cat after a fitful nap.

Her breasts rode up against the silkiness of her
nightdress and it was then she became aware of where she was.

She was in Jared
’
s homestead
and yesterday
’
s incredible events flooded back to her.

‘
Kirra,
’
Jared
’
s calm, deep voice called out from behind the door.
‘
Are you awake?
’

‘
Yes.
’
Kirra jumped out
of bed. She was aware that the enigmatic man she had known for less than
twenty-four hours was dressed for work and not more than twenty feet away from
her.

Spurred into action, Kirra changed into the clothes she
’
d worn the night before.
‘
I
’
m almost ready,
’
she called out, before ducking into the
en suite
to
freshen up.  The cold water she splashed on her face woke her up good and
proper! She towelled her face dry and applied a light moisturiser. A quick
brush of her locks and a couple of slashes of copper colour across her lips and
she was done.

Determined to put a cheery smile on her face like it
was just a normal start to her day, she headed to the door and flung it open.

Jared
’
s imposing frame
filled the doorway. He was clean-shaven and smelled of soap mingled with a
spicy scent. His green-checked shirt and jeans fitted his body perfectly and
she could help lick her lips.

He gave her a wry smile.
‘
I see you
’
re a
morning person.
’

‘
Yes.
’
Her heart skipped
a beat. ‘Sometimes, I have an early start when I have to cover news
as it
happens
in the middle of the night.’

‘
I
’
ll make you a
hearty country breakfast when we return,
’
he said.
‘
It
’
s my turn. Don
’
t look so surprised.
’
Amusement sparkled in his grey-blue eyes.
‘
I don
’
t mind sharing the
cooking if you enjoy it too.
’

‘
It
’
s just.  . .just Zac -’

‘
Your husband?
’

‘
Yes. He never cooked anything in his life for me. He
would
’
ve had to read a recipe book to know how to boil an
egg! That
’
s if he
’
d bother
reading one. The routine of day-to-day living bored him terribly.
’

His eyes narrowed.
‘
And you,
Kirra, did it bore you?
’

‘
Oh no, I craved for some regularity in our lives,
’
she blurted out, surprised that he was interested in
her life.

He nodded, then turned and strode down the hallway
towards the laundry, his squared shoulder swaying in a purposeful way.

Disconcerted, Kirra followed him, then quickened her
pace to catch up and walk beside him. 
’
Are we
late?
’

‘
No. I have a lot to do today.
’

‘
Like what?
’

‘
I have ten cows with foot-rot. They need treatment,
’
he said matter-of-factly.
‘
If this darn rain doesn
’
t stop soon, there
’
ll be more of them.
’

In the laundry, he handed her the oilskin coat and
gumboots that she
’
d borrowed yesterday and said,
‘
Put these on.
’

She took the protective clothing from his grasp. Their fingers touched
and fire sizzled up her arm. She stepped back. Being near him, touching him
today was going to be torture on her senses. She had to be more careful, if she
was going to concentrate on her task.

‘
I
’
m sorry that I
took your mother
’
s gear yesterday without asking,
’
she said, pulling them on once again.

Jared pulled his own oilskin coat and gumboots.
‘
They belonged to my wife, but she never wore them. She
suffered from Agoraphobia.
’

‘
The fear of the open spaces?
’

‘
Yes. She never left the house after Caleb was born.
’

‘
That must have been hard for you,
’
she said. Her journalistic mind activated once more.

He grunted.
‘
Mother came
to live with us to help her.
’

Before she had a chance to probe further, he opened
the back door and ushered her out into the garage.

When he opened the passenger-side door of the Land
Cruiser for her, it surprised her. She thought chivalry died a long time ago!

Placing her hand on the door and one of her gumboots
on the running board, she attempted to gain some leverage. The board was
slippery and she somehow lost her footing, the weight of the oilskin coat
pulling her backwards.

Large, strong hands cushioned her shoulder blades. A
gasp caught in the back of her throat, as Jared slipped one of his arms under
her knees. But before she could protest, he
’
d lifted
her high up into the cabin.

Dumbstruck by even more chivalrous action, she could
only stare at him. If that had happened at her office, he would be up for
sexual harassment, inappropriate behaviour or something! But she couldn’t
imagine Jared working in a big city office.

Steadily, she exhaled, though her heart was shaking
like a tambourine and clamoured beneath her breast.
‘
I could have managed by myself.
’

‘
Not taking any chances,
’
he replied, his jaw set.
‘
I
’
m liable if you get hurt.
’

‘Work, health and
safety, eh?’ she teased in a vain attempt to dissipate the tension in the air.

‘Something like
that.’
He closed the door and walked around the back of the
Land Cruiser.

Though he didn’t say another word, he was smiling a
little when he climbed into the driver
’
s side seat
and ignited the engine. It looked good on him.

For some unknown reason, Kirra didn
’
t want to get off on the wrong foot today. They had
worked together well for a couple of hours yesterday. Surely, she could make
the effort to do it again? Her arms were still a little sore, but she’d
survive. Her muscles would get used to it. Swallowing her pride, she said,
‘
Thank you. I
’
m not really a morning person. Well, I am. Just not
this early.
’

As the sun rose over the mountains, she turned towards
it and a smile touched her lips. It had been ages since she’d seen the sun
rise. Not since she was a teenager when she used to go with Zac to watch him
surf. Knocking that memory on the head – she definitely didn’t want to think
about Zac today - she told him,
‘
I usually
set the alarm for seven o
’
clock.
’

He nodded, but he didn’t look at her.
‘
You weren
’
t forced to
come, you know?
’

‘I know.
I wanted to, remember,
’
she refuted hotly.
‘
My body clock will
adjust.
’

 
‘
Better belt up
then. The water has gouged out plenty of ditches in the ground.
’
His gentle, low voice caressed her ears and calmed
her heartbeat.

Feeling out-of-sorts by his considerate nature, she
reached up and pulled the seatbelt across her body, before he put the four
wheel drive into gear.

‘
Was your marriage a happy one, Kirra?
’
he asked out-of-the-blue.

Kirra gasped in surprise and the cabin instantly
filled with tension.
Why did he want to know about her?

She swallowed hard.
‘
Of course. Of course, it was,
’
she said in a higher pitch than normal which sounded
unconvincing even to her ears.
‘
I thought we
agreed not to ask any personal questions.
’

‘
You
’
re forbidden to
ask me.
’
He turned his head suddenly and their eyes clashed.
She thought she saw a mischievous glint flare or was it something else? She
wasn’t certain.
‘
Nothing was said about me not asking you.
’

‘
That
’
s not fair, is it?
Not sharing.
’
She knew she sounded childish.

He shook his head, before changing his foot from brake
to accelerator.
‘
You haven
’
t earned my
trust yet.
’

Kirra folded her arms across her chest, not impressed.
‘
Then tell me why I should trust you with my personal
life?
’

He shrugged, then concentrated on steering towards the
milking shed. After a moment, he said,
‘
I get the
feeling that you
’
ve bottled up a lot of emotion for some time and you
need an independent ear to listen. You haven
’
t spoken to
anyone about your marriage, have you?
’

‘
No,
’
she blurted out,
flabbergasted, but her heart was filled with sadness.
‘
It
’
s nobody
’
s business what went on between Zac and me. That
’
s private.
’

‘
Everyone needs a friendly ear to gain perspective in
their lives, Kirra,
’
he said wisely, as the engine whirred and clunked in
time with her heartbeat.
‘
Was Zac good to you? Was he faithful?
’

Kirra whipped her head around towards him and her
mouth dropped open at his incredulous gumption.

Jared’s eyes narrowed and stopped the Land Cruiser at
the milking shed, pulling on the handbrake.
‘
It
’
s okay if you don
’
t want to
tell me.
’

‘
No.
’
Kirra decided to
tell him the truth in the hope that he would eventually trust her.
‘
When we were first married, I believe he was,
’
she said.
‘
After that,
I
’
m not so sure.
’

She looked away then. Emotion throbbed painfully at
her temples. Jared’s hand on her shoulder was comforting and her heartbeat
steadied. Frustrated air whooshed out of her lungs.

‘
Are you okay, Kirra?
’

‘
Yes,’ she admitted, dropping her hands to her
lap.  ‘Some days are harder than others.
’
     

‘
If it
’
s any consolation,
’
he said quietly,
‘
it does get
better with time.
’

Suddenly, Kirra felt as if she was a goldfish swimming
totally alone in a fishbowl, then her owner had finally succumbed to buying her
another fish for company.

But why a barracuda?

She liked to do the interviewing, not the other way
around
.