The Outback Cattleman's Hired Wife (14 page)

‘
I can only imagine,
’
she said
sympathetically,
‘
Tell me, what
’
s Caleb
like to do for fun?
’

‘
He
’
s like most boys his age. He likes to play soccer and
computer games.
’

‘
He
’
s not insecure?
’

He grimaced.
‘
A little.
He relies heavily on Mother, but she
’
s getting
older and less energetic.
’

‘
You
’
re a good father,
’
she pointed out.
‘
You are the
constant in his life.
’

He nodded and his shoulders visibly relaxed.

Kirra lifted her glass.
‘
A toast,
’
she said spontaneously and he lifted his glass to
meet hers.
‘
To Caleb, may he grow up to be just like his Dad?
’

Jared laughed and clinked glasses with her.
‘
To Kirra, a constant source of surprise and wonderment
to me.
’

Kirra
’
s eyes lit up like
diamonds sparkling.
‘
You
’
re serious?
’

‘
Yes.
’
He clinked
glasses with her again.
‘
Once your mind is set, you seem to always carry
through with your plans?
’

Unwanted old fears and doubts resurfaced.
Was he
referring to her coming out here under false pretences? Did he deep-down think
she would still write a story about him?

Kirra bristled and said testily,
‘
I make plans certainly and like to finish what I
start. Is there something wrong with that?
’

Dark eyebrows drew together.
‘
No, I like independence in a woman. I
’
m just wondering if there is anything you can
’
t do on your own?
’

She thought for a moment, then said,
‘
Yes, have children.
’

‘
And would children make you happier, complete, as they
say?
’

‘
Why?
’
she said,
wondering where he was going with this.

‘
It
’
s a simple
question, Kirra. Yes or no?
’

‘
Yes, of course.
’

‘
Good!
’
he said, pleased.
‘
We
’
ll talk about it
over dinner tomorrow night. I
’
m taking you out.
’

What could they possibly have to discuss about her
dream to have children? Surely, he wouldn
’
t consider
being a sperm donor for Artificial Insemination, like the cows were
impregnated?

The absurd thought became apparent, when she recalled
that she
’
d toyed with the idea when she couldn
’
t fall pregnant with Zac. Somehow, it
’
d had seemed so impersonal at the time. Besides, Zac
would never have agreed to raise a child if he wasn
’
t the biological father.

Zac had adamantly refused to have tests for the
Invitro-Fertilisation Program.  It was an impossible situation. ‘It would
be a blow to my ego,’ she remembered he
’
d said, ‘if
I was found to be sterile.’ That
’
s why she
’
d surrendered and found a job.

Anger and frustration with past disappointments burned
at the back of her mind. Somehow, she had to put all that aside and stay in the
present. Jared was a very different man from Zac. She had to give him a chance.
Perhaps, he didn
’
t mean that at all. Maybe, he would graciously make
love to her at the right time in her ovulation cycle. She blinked and visions
of pigs suddenly flew across the back of her eyelids! What an idiot she felt
like at that moment.

In a few days’ time, she would come into her fertile
time. Since they hadn
’
t been using protection, it was a possibility. Though
they hadn
’
t discussed it beforehand, she knew she was healthy.
She
’
d assumed, Jared being a vet and widower for so long,
he would be too. She looked at him then with a sceptical eye, but common sense
told her to hear him out, so she asked,
‘
Where?
Where are you taking me?
’

‘
There
’
s a new German Teahouse Restaurant I
’
ve been wanting to try in Toowoomba.
’

The following evening came around soon enough. She was looking forward
to going out very much. That she was going with Jared on their first date, only
added to its specialness. A story to tell the grandkids, she hoped in some
whimsical part of her brain.

Kirra watched the sun set a vivid orange on the
horizon from the front verandah with Jesse, after she’d spent an age coaxing her
out of the kitchen. Surely, some movement was good for her.

After leading her back into the warm of the kitchen,
Kirra padded into the
en suite
and showered, a little bounce in her
step. She hadn’t seen Jared since this morning and to say she missed him was an
understatement, but she had kept herself busy.

The shower was warm and refreshing. After drying
herself, she slipped into expensive silk lingerie and a long-sleeved,
kingfisher-blue velvet dress. Brushing her hair until it shone like spun gold,
excitement built in every cell of her body, while anticipation almost
threatened to burst through her skin.

There was something thrilling about getting dressed up and going out
with a gorgeous man for dinner. She even put on light make-up and some copper
lipstick
.
Looking into the mirror, she slipped some sparkling drop
earrings into her pierced lobes, then stood back and smiled satisfied with her
appearance.

It shocked her that she glowed like a woman in love
and when she took a moment to think about it, they
’
d been making love almost non-stop the past two days.

After dinner last night, they
’
d cleaned up together and played a game of Chess. She
’
d never realised how erotic playing Chess could be.
She’d always thought it was for cerebral-types. All it took was her to
unconsciously rub the king up and down, up and down between two fingers while
she was contemplating her next move and ...

Jared had lost concentration, sworn and carried her to
his bed, like some medieval knight.

They were so compatible on that score, making love
until dawn. Just thinking about it made her want him again. To dampen her
feelings down, she turned her mind to the adorable puppy that Jared had brought
into her just after dawn.

The puppy had followed her around all morning. When
she
’
d decided to wash some clothes and hang them out
outside, she
’
d taken him with her. She
’
d even put him in her Subaru, when she
’
d cleaned it out, the mud having dried on the driver
’
s side seat.

Jared had been out all day, tending to neighbour
’
s cattle with footrot problems.

Guilt roiled through her. That she
’
d been curled up most of the day on the bed in her
granny flat, finishing off her crime novel with the puppy asleep in her lap, it
seemed too decadent for a dedicated workaholic. Even one on holidays.

‘
Ready?
’
Jared
’
s deep voice held warmth and the promise of a
wonderful night ahead.

‘
Coming.
’
Her pulses
racing, Kirra grabbed her silver clutch purse and matching wrap from the
vanity. She slipped her feet covered in shimmering stockings into strappy
sandals that matched her purse.

When she came out, a soft smile formed on her lips,
the anticipation of a night out with Jared made her feel like Cinderella going
to her first ball at the palace.

From where he stood in the doorway of the granny flat,
Jared looked tired, but incredibly handsome in his navy-blue suit, white shirt
and platinum silk tie.

She went straight to him and kissed him on the mouth.
Her senses went wild at the intoxicating smell of his masculine scent, mixed
with soap and spicy aftershave.

‘
Kirra -
’
he muttered against her lips.
‘
We must go out to dinner now. I
’
ve made a reservation.
’

Kirra looked up at him.
‘
I
’
m sorry. You look so handsome in your suit.
’

She could help herself. Every time she went near him,
the powerful pull of connection was like the north pole of a magnet and he was
her south. She was deeply in love with him, but was he in love with her? He
’
d never said, so she wasn
’
t sure.

He kissed her forehead, then slipped his arm around
her waist and led her to the front door.
‘
I
’
ve brought the Range Rover around the front so we can
go out in style.
’

‘
What about the puppy?
’

‘
He
’
s in his bed in
the laundry fast asleep,
’
he said.
‘
Don
’
t worry. He
’
ll be fine.
I
’
ve locked him in for safe- keeping.
’

‘
Thank you,
’
she said,
putting her arm around his waist.
‘
I would
have worried. Now I can go out and enjoy myself.
’

Jared drove the immaculate car up the winding mountain
road with precision and dexterity, making it a comfortable, yet exhilarating
ride.

He asked her to
choose some music to play which made her heart sing. She chose a Mozart CD and
kicked back, the classical melody of the harpsichord washing over her like a
dreamy cloud.

Jared parked the car in the gravelled car park. The
quaint, white Teahouse was lit up with fairy lights around the eaves and
amongst the lush rainforest gardens. White candles in glass cups lit a cobbled
path that wound into the forest.

‘
It
’
s magical,
’
she said,
‘
like
something out of a fairytale.
’

‘
I
’
m glad you like
it.
’

Once alighted from the car, Jared took her hand in
his, brought it to his mouth and kissed it. She shivered a little. It was
colder on the mountain range on which the country city of Toowoomba was
settled. Even with her shawl wrapped around her, she wasn’t nearly warm enough.

‘Cold?’ he asked.

‘Mm.’

‘Come here,’ he said gently and raised his arm.
Immediately, she smuggled under his armpit and his warmth seeped into her
bones. ‘Better?’

‘You have no
idea!’ she said, her breath making a foggy stream in front of her. ‘I should
have worn jeans and a woolly jumper, boots, an overcoat and maybe, thermals.’

He laughed. ‘I get the picture,’ he said kissing her
forehead. ‘Thank you for dressing up for yourself and for me. It’ll be warmer
inside, I promise.’

Together, they hurried up the garden path, the irony
of it not lost on her.

The white French doors, at the end of the path, were
open and inviting. They hit an enveloping heat from several free-standing gas
heaters strategically-placed in the Teahouse. Eternally grateful, they stepped
inside and were immediately greeted by a friendly Maitre D
’, dressed in a
cute Bavarian costume, who spoke in both German and English
.