The Outback Cattleman's Hired Wife (19 page)

‘
Harry,
’
he said, taking
the chair opposite him at the table.
‘
Did I tell
you that Kirra is my fiancée?
’

Harry scratched his head.
‘
I don
’
t see a ring on
that gorgeous finger of hers.
’

‘
It
’
s coming.
’
His eyes darted to Kirra
’
s face.

Was she delighted or annoyed by his announcement
without asking her officially?
He couldn
’
t tell.

‘
I thought as much,
’
Harry
looked from one to the other.
‘
You
’
re a lucky man, Jared,
’
he said,
‘
Kirra makes me want to settle down myself.
’

Kirra smiled at the compliment and the tension between
her shoulder blades eased a little. She knew Jared had made a commitment in his
heart and if it took her receiving the attentions of another bachelor so be it.

She remembered then, an old friend from the university
had landed her first job in Charter
’
s Towers in
Queensland
’
s outback. She
’
d written
long emails about her life in the country.

When she
’
d hopped off the bus, she
’
d been surrounded by two dozen single men, young and
old, vying for her attention. She
’
d thought it was strange that the first man to reach
her asked her to marry her straight away
.

Is that why Jared committed? Was it only to be first
in line?

Did he actually think Harry had a chance with her after
the intimacies they
’
d shared?

Her friend had also written that everyone knows each
other
’
s business and that she often had to drive a few hours
to buy specialty items in Townsville, the closest city.

But later, when she
’
d married
the older brother of the first man who asked her to marry him and she
’
d bore four children, she
’
d appreciated the close-knit community. Everyone
helped each other out in times of need and she
’
d always looked forward to the regular social events. Her friend had
settled there and was very content with country living.

Could she be as well?
She began to wonder.

After all, the nearest city to Glengarry Homestead was
Toowoomba, only an hour or so away. Queensland’s Capital City, Brisbane was
another three hours after that, so she could still see her friends and catch
the occasional football match on the Gold Coast.

Kirra
’
s thoughts swam
around in her head like fish darting to and fro with an ocean
’
s undercurrents. If she was truly honest with herself,
it wouldn
’
t have mattered if Jared lived in Antarctica or
Zimbabwe, she
’
d still want to live there with him. Coming to that
realisation, she knew that she had to let Jared know as soon as possible.

She excused herself then.
‘
I
’
ll leave you two
gentlemen to your business,
’
she said. She needed
time to mull over what had just happened and although she knew the packaged
veal at the supermarket was the meat from young bulls, she didn
’
t want a hand in the negotiations.

Kirra caught Jared’s eye when she strode out of the
room. He looked worried as if he thought she was going to pack her bags and
leave. Good, she thought but when he didn’t come after her, she wondered if
she’d done the right thing. Harry was Jared’s friend after all.

Jared rocked back on the chair, his fingers raking
urgently through his hair. ‘I’ve stuffed it up, haven’t I?’

Harry gave him a knowing look.
‘
Let her be, mate,
’
he said.
‘
She
’
ll come around.
Buy her the biggest diamond you can find.
’

Jared shook his head.
‘
That would be the worst thing I could do. Love can
’
t be bought, Harry. Least of all, Kirra’s.
’

‘You know her
pretty well, then.’

Kirra walked into the
en suite
and stared into
the mirror.

Let him sweat
, she thought, as she had, when she
’
d declared
her love. And he still hadn
’
t said he loved
her, she realised. He hadn
’
t even asked her
to marry him properly.

A few minutes later, she heard a car leave and she
came out to investigate.

As she turned the door knob on her granny flat door,
the sound of boiling water distracted her. She padded into the kitchen instead.

To her surprise, Jared had a knife in one hand and was
peeling onions at the sink. He turned and gave her that heart-warming, crooked
smile of his.
‘
Hello, Kirra.
’

Her heartbeat accelerated and a flare of desire fired
in her belly.
‘
Jared, I -
’

‘
Are you okay?
’
he said, concerned.
‘
You look pale.
’

‘
No, I
‘
m fine, she said.
She
’
d expected either an apology or confirmation that he
wanted to marry her, not a query about her health.

Tears fell from his eyes that were screwed up tightly.

‘
If you peel those under running water, your eyes will
be grateful for it,
’
she pointed out, ripping off a soft paper towel from
the wall dispenser. She handed it to him.

‘
Thanks.
’
He took
the paper towel in one hand and wiped his eyes.

‘
What are you making anyway?
’
She checked the large pot on the stove. It was filled
with a conglomeration of water, vegetables and meat.
‘
It smells like bacon.
’

‘
Ha! I
’
ll have you know,
this is an old pea and ham soup recipe handed down the Glengarry clan for
generations. The ingredients are tattooed on my heart.
’

Kirra pulled a spoon from the cutlery drawer and had a
little taste.
’
Oh, what’s that flavouring? It
’
s wonderful.
’

‘
An ancient ingredient that only we Glengarries know.
’

‘
Won
’
t you tell me?
’

‘
Sorry, I
’
m under blood oath.
’

Her lips curved slowly into a mischievous smile.
‘
I
’
ll ask Caleb when
he gets back then,
’
she said.

‘
No use,
’
he
replied, smiling smugly, as he deftly chopped the onions on a cutting board.
‘
He won
’
t tell.
’

‘
Even if I tickle him?
’

‘
Might work.
’
He scraped
the onions into the pot and stirred them in.
‘
How about trying me first?
’
He washed
his hands, then faced her. Fisting his hands on his hips, he left his arm-pits
open to the challenge he
’
d laid down.

‘
Alright, you
’
re on!
’
Kirra charged at him, slipping her hands down, then
up, scoring a hit on the target.

He laughed.
‘
I see you
’
re very experienced at this,
’
he said and wrapped her in a light embrace.

Kirra stilled, all her senses coming alive. It felt so
good to be in his arms again, to touch him, to feel her body molded against
his, firm and strong. She registered the desire in his eyes, as they darkened
to midnight and the firm length of his manhood pressed against her belly. It
had only been a day since her self-imposed abstinence, but she missed him terribly.

Would it always be like this?
She wondered.

A delicious heat
stirred in her loins and she leaned into him.

Jared
’
s lips found hers
and ground out an urgent need to be one with her again. It was a primitive
need, as old as time itself. Like his caveman DNA had reawakened, an
all-encompassing need embraced him to carry her off to his cave to make mad,
passionate love to her.

Get a grip!
He told himself.
What was happening to him?
He was far from being
a prehistoric Neanderthal man. He was a professional, a civilised man. What was
it about Kirra that erased all knowledge of decorum from his mind?

Kirra came up for air and breathed against his mouth.
With an urgency that she couldn
’
t control, she ran
splayed fingers through his long hair.
‘
Make love
to me on the kitchen table.
’

He groaned and leaned against the sink, sealing her
mouth with a potent, drugging kiss. The heat in her loins drove him wild, as
the softness of her thighs slipped either side of his leg. Somewhere at the
back of his mind, he knew Caleb was in the milking shed and though he
’
d be there for another hour or so, there was an
off-chance that he might see them through the window.

‘
Not here,
’
he
murmured against her lips, feeling himself losing control.

Their lips still
locked, he picked her up and carried her towards the stove. He tore his lips
away. He could hear her panting for air, as he quickly turned the knob down to
simmer the soup and popped a vented lid on top.

‘
Your room or mine?
’
he said,
nipping at her lower lip.

‘
Mine,
’
she said on a
sigh and he kissed her again, as he carried her out of the kitchen and into the
granny flat.

He set her down and locked the door. They stripped
hurriedly and Kirra drew him into the shower.

‘
In here?
’
he asked,
excitement and fire pulsing through his blood.

‘
Uh - ha,
’
she said,
turning on the water and bending down on her knees.

‘
What are you doing?
’
he
muttered, the warm water jetting on his back, as the warm, moistness of her mouth
sucked on his length. He groaned and her hands cupped and felt the weight of
his seed sacs and it almost undid him.

Taking her mouth away for a moment, she said,
‘
I
’
m pleasuring you.
’

He groaned several
times. This was a new experience for him and his blood zinged through his body
with the thrill of it.

After a few moments, he muttered and massaged his
fingers through her hair.
‘
If you keep that
up, I
’
ll be done before you
’
re even started.
’

He pulled her up and lifted her off her feet.

Her coltish legs wrapped instinctively around him.
‘
I
’
m ready for you,
’
she breathed and kissed him long and hard. The tip of
her tongue darted in and out of his mouth.

So much for her conviction? But where Jared was
concerned, she couldn
’
t seem to keep her
hands off him!

In every cell of her body, she wanted to believe that
he was committed to her.

Hands on her hips, he eased her down. Her passage was
moist and hot, and they rode together in a wild frenzy of passion until their
panting became louder, faster and all was lost in the ecstasy of the moment of
simultaneous orgasm.
I
’
m a goner!
He realised. No
question about it!