Jared and Caleb sat at the candle-lit table complete with their traditionally-embroidered tablecloth, both looking adorable with their new hair-cuts.
Jared’s hair was also slicked back as if he had just washed it. He wore blue, hip-hugging jeans and a white, short-sleeved shirt which was open at the neck exposing a spring of dark hair.
Kirra’s breasts began to tingle and that tell-tale curl of desire rose up again in her belly. He was so virile and handsome. She loved him so much. But would he ever make love to her again after this afternoon’s fiasco? She hoped so.
Caleb had showered and wore flannelette pyjamas with cool skateboarders on them. Her heart pounded beneath her breast. He was such a sweet kid.
Father and son were all smiles and Kirra was magnetically drawn to them.
‘We’ve been waiting for you,’ Caleb accused innocently. ‘We drove for an hour to buy it.’
‘Did you now?’ Kirra said kindly and sat down opposite Caleb. ‘Well, that makes me feel special. Chinese Food is my favourite.’
‘I know, Dad said.’
Jared cleared his throat and took one of Kirra’s and Caleb’s hands in each of his. ‘It’s time for our thumb game.’
Kirra laughed. ’You like this game?’
‘It’s fun,’ Jared and Caleb said in unison. They linked Pinkie fingers and made a wish.
After they’d played a few games of thumb wrestling so everyone had a turn at winning, Jared looked at Kirra. His gaze was soft, his tone serious. ‘Caleb has something he wants to ask you?’
‘Oh yeah!’ Caleb said excitedly, as he pulled a little white box out of his pyjama pocket. ‘Will you marry us?’ He smiled at Kirra and handed over the box.
Kirra looked swiftly towards Jared. Her eyes narrowed in confusion.
‘Take a look,’ Jared said and gave her that heart-melting crooked smile of his. ‘It belonged to my grandmother.’
Kirra opened the box and to her surprise, a sparkling dark green gemstone, surrounded by diamonds was set on an ornate gold band. ‘It’s exquisite. What type of stone is it?’
‘It’s a Sapphire,’ Jared said. ‘Sapphire’s come in many colours. Blue is the most common. My grandfather found this one in the Sapphire Gem-fields near Anakie in Central Queensland.’
Delighted, Kirra smiled and said, ‘Sapphire is my birthstone, according to Elise.’
‘It was also my grandmother’s,’ Jared informed her. ‘She’d have been happy to know you’d wear and appreciate its significance. Grandma Glengarry was a very practical and considerate lady.’
Kirra blushed and stared at the ring. Tears pooled in her eyes. ‘It’s beautiful.’
‘Dad and I had it polished when we went out,’ Caleb informed her. ‘So will you marry us? Dad says we’re a bargain two for the price of one.’
Kirra closed her eyes barely able to handle the emotions that swelled in her heart. After a moment, she breathed deeply and opened her eyes. She gave Caleb a heartfelt smile. His blue eyes were so much like his father’s and so full of hope, she dared not refuse him. ‘Of course, I’ll marry you, Caleb.’
Caleb hopped out of his seat and hugged her.
She hugged him back and said, ‘I love you, sweetheart.’
‘And what about me, Kirra?’ Jared asked in a low tone. ‘Will you marry me?’
‘Maybe, it depends?’ she teased.
‘On what?’ Jared looked taken aback.
Kirra laughed a little. ‘I’ll tell you later.’ She closed the box and placed it on the table.
‘Aren’t you going to try it on?’ Caleb said. ‘Dad says if it doesn’t fit or you don’t like it, we can take to the jewellers to have it resized or remodelled.’
‘In that case, then,’ Kirra’s voice grew hoarse with emotion. ‘I’d better make sure.’
She hesitated and a wayward thought crept into her mind. If she put it on her finger, would Jared take it for granted she’d capitulated and agreed to marry him?
She hadn’t worn any rings on that finger since Zac had died.
It felt strange, but she chose to slip it on. To her surprise, the heirloom ring looked exquisite on her pale fingers and Kirra admired it for a moment before she showed them.
‘It fits perfectly,’ she said in delight. ‘How about that?’ She gave them a courageous smile. Things weren’t quite right between her and Jared, but it was a sweet gesture, especially when she knew now Caleb wanted her to be his mother. ‘I like it the way it is.’
When she put the ring on, a happy and serene feeling came over her. Elise had told her rings carry the energy vibration of their owners and she couldn’t help but wonder if Jared’s grandmother - Caleb’s great grandmother - was also of that nature.
She wore it through dinner, but took it off before she loaded the dishwasher, while Jared read Caleb a story and tucked him into bed.
Once finished, she put the ring back in the box. Carrying it back to her granny flat, she quietly closed the door, deep in thought.
Something was niggling her at the back of her mind, but she didn’t know what. It had stopped her from saying yes to Jared and Caleb’s sweet proposal. She sat on the bed and closed her eyes for a moment. An image of Zac came into her mind and she knew it had something to do with him, but what?
Puzzled, she opened her eyes. To her surprise, she noticed her swimsuit and towel were dried and neatly folded on her chest of drawers. She’d forgotten all about the laundry she’d done earlier in the day.
Jared must have hung them out and bought them inside again.
Zac would never had thought to do that.
Jared was so much more compatible with her - truly sharing a life together - than Zac was. Was she crazy to pass up this opportunity to live happily ever after? If only Jared had told her he loved and trusted her?
But this wasn’t fairytale-land. Nothing in life was rarely perfect, even for a moment. Life was often chaotic and messy. To survive, you had to deal with its ups and downs. That was one thing she had learned from being around Zac.
Living with Jared was totally different. He didn’t want her to be his housekeeper. He wanted her to be his wife in every sense of the word - partners in life.
Kirra grabbed her robe and went into the en suite for a shower. When she stepped under the hot water and lathered soap over her breasts, she closed her eyes and shuddered. The intense memory of their love-making there came back to her like a sensual, ebbing tide.
Oh how she missed him. His masculine scent. The feel of his rock hard body against her. His erotic foreplay. The ride - like wild horses running through the forest. The ecstasy of climaxing in unison. The nuzzling and kissing afterwards.
Kirra moaned in need and want for him. She couldn’t get enough of his touch. It was then that she knew, she couldn’t live without him.
Her heart squeezed in pain. It was suddenly all too much for her. She couldn’t go on not knowing if he loved her or not. If he trusted her with his heart. She didn’t even know if he’d read her article or not. He’d never told her.
She stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around her. Looking in the mirror, she saw the melancholy in her eyes and she decided the only way to get the answers she needed, was to take a journalistic approach and ask direct questions. If he wasn’t willing to answer them, then at least, she’d know where she stood.
She dried herself off and wrapped herself in the robe she’d borrowed from Jared. She laid on her bed for a few moments while composing herself.
A soft knock at the door startled her.
‘Kirra, can I come in?’ Jared’s deep voice could be heard clearly through the door.
‘Just a minute,’ she replied. A quiver of desire sizzled through her blood. Just the sound of his voice made her want him.
Her nipples stood erupt and her feminine core moistened. The desire to be one with him was almost insurmountable to dampen down, but she did her best.
Holding the lapels of her robe together, Kirra padded over to the
door and opened it a little. ‘Yes, what do you want?’ she asked, her tone neutral.
He raked long fingers through his hair. ‘Caleb’s asleep,’ he informed her succinctly. ‘We need to talk.’
‘Yes, we do,’ she husked, emotion making her tone unsteady. ‘That was a pretty low trick you pulled at the dinner table.’
‘Would you like to talk here or in my study?’
Being naked under her robe, Kirra knew if they talked in her granny flat, it might lead to them making love.
Although she hungered for it, for him, she couldn’t quite bring herself to do it without a declaration of his love. ‘The study, I think,’ she decided. ‘I’ll be there in a moment after I get changed.’
Jared nodded and she closed the door. Hurriedly, she slipped on silk underwear, a simple turquoise skirt and an ivory knitted top.
When she entered the study, Jared sat behind his desk, his fingers joined like a teepee and pressed against his teeth. The room was softly lit by several wall-mounted lights. The chandelier remained off.
‘You want to talk about my article I presume?’ Kirra asked, ready for an argument.
He sighed wearily. ‘No, will you please take a seat?’
Thrown, Kirra chose to sit on the long walnut and leather sofa. ‘What do you want to talk about then?’
He raked long fingers through his hair and gave her a bleak look. ‘Are you happy living here?’ he asked. ‘Could you make a life with us?’
Kirra’s heart thudded in her chest. ‘Of course, but -’
‘Ah, there’s always a but!’ he interrupted. ‘I need you to be honest with me.’
Before Kirra answered, Jared put one hand up like a stop sign. ‘Before you say anything, I feel you must know that I chose not to read your article. I do believe you love me and that you wouldn’t write about our personal life,’ he said. ‘Magda told me what she did to test your mettle.’
‘She did?’
‘I have a long working relationship with her,’ he explained slowly, as if it was difficult for him to talk about touchy-feely stuff. ‘I don’t condone what she did, but Magda does things her way and she just wants me to be happy.’
‘And are you happy, Jared?’ Kirra asked, genuine concern in her voice.
‘No, I’ve felt like I’ve been punched in the stomach by a cow’s hoof ever since you’ve arrived.’
‘You think I’m a cow?’ she said, remembering her uncle’s attraction to her aunt.
‘No. It’s a metaphor.’
‘I know.’ Her eyes widened with surprise. ‘But why?’
‘Because, dammit,’ he said quietly, ‘I’m in love with you.’
Kirra’s eyes widened with delight and her heart sang. ‘You are?’
‘I know I’ve been acting like a caveman, but the truth is, I’ve never been in love before.’
‘Not even with Heather?’
He sighed. ‘I loved and cared for her,’ he said, ‘but I never fell head-over-heels in love with her.’
That was all she needed to hear. ‘Come here,’ she said, her arms wide open.
Jared came to her then, slide into her arms, sought her lips and kissed her with an earthy passion.
To him, it felt like the closest thing to bliss and a burning desire to be one with her coursed through his blood.
‘I’ve missed you,’ she murmured against his lips.
‘I’ve been here all the time,’ he chuckled deep in his throat. He cupped the back of her head and pulled back looking into her love-drugged eyes. ‘Will you marry me, Kirra? Caleb loves you too. We can be a family.’
‘Yes,’ she moaned and felt deliriously happy, as she leaned against his hard body. ‘Make love to me on the sofa.’
He groaned. ‘You’re amazing.’
Without hesitation, he slipped off her top and kissed her swollen lips again.
His length, long and hard, pressed against her belly and heat curled in her feminine core.
She undid the buttons of his shirt with her deft fingers and flipped it back over his shoulders. ‘I want to feel your chest hairs on my breasts,’ she murmured, the passion in her rising to fever-pitch. She undid the clasp of her bra and the wisp of silky material rode up releasing her breasts. She arched into him and rubbed her nipples to his chest, the hair gloriously tantalising her senses. A fervent sigh escaped her mouth and he trailed blazing kisses down her long, outstretched neck.
‘Wait!’ he said, breathing heavily. ‘I’ll put on a condom.’
‘No, it’s alright. I would have said before if it wasn’t,’ she said on an impatient sigh. ‘I’m healthy and I want to have your children.’
‘Not just a baby?’
‘No, our children,’ she confirmed gleefully.
‘I’m glad,’ he said, relief evident in his voice. ‘I’m healthy too by the way.’
A quick breath caught in her throat. ‘Good to know,’ she murmured against his mouth.
As their kiss deepened, they shrugged off the rest of their clothes in urgent need of satiation. Jared grabbed a soft cotton rug and threw it over the sofa, before he laid down on it and drew her into him. She straddled him and laved his left nipple with her tongue, then captured his right in with her lips.
He moaned and bucked against her. ‘Kirra -’ he said on a deep, earthy groan in the throes of passion. ‘What you do to me.’
Suddenly, Kirra felt every inch a woman - that she could go wild without retribution.
Knowing that he enjoyed her ministrations only enhanced her enjoyment.
When he cupped her buttocks with his hands and slid his fingers into her moist, feminine core, her mouth dropped open and her back arched instinctively. Her sensitive nub rubbed up against his manhood and she experienced the exquisite sensation of orgasm peak and release. Her fluid of love flowed onto his fingers, as she let out a cry of ecstasy. ‘Oh, Jared!’
He rubbed her feminine flaps and within moments the tide of ecstasy rose again. ‘I need you inside me,’ she panted wantonly and she lifted herself up and guided him home.
Upright, he cupped her breasts and gently flicked her darkened, erect nipples with his tongue. She leaned forward and gripped his solid shoulders as he started to move rhythmically inside her. Her head dropped down, her hair fell forward around her face and she met his passion-filled eyes with her own. They rode together, until they climaxed in a magnificent crescendo of love and desire and unification.
Spent, she slumped on his chest and his arms wrapped around her with the warmth and knowledge of being cherished.
Jared wrapped the rug over her and they slept that way until dawn. At that moment, eternally grateful, he believed he was the luckiest man alive on the planet.
To have a second chance at love was incredible.
The sound of little feet, son and puppy, running down the hallway, woke Jared. He knew full well that Caleb would come looking for them and the study door wasn’t locked.
‘Kirra’, he whispered urgently in her ear, though reluctant to wake her.
Kirra smiled sleepily at him. ‘Jared, I love you.’
He kissed her lightly on the chin. ‘I know you do,’ he muttered, but Caleb’s up and -’
‘Oh, oh, he can’t find us here like this,’ she realised and her eyes widened in horror. ‘Do you think he heard us last night? We were pretty vocal.’
Jared shifted his weight to lie on his side, but kept close against her body. ‘I don’t think so. I sound-proofed this room and the surgery for when I perform the odd operation.’
His length, long and hard, rode up against her body. The curl of desire moisten her loins and she sighed heavily.
Would she ever stop wanting him as long as they lived? She wondered. She didn’t think so, but now, was not the time or place.
With a ready-made family, making love had to happen at night, but she could see with Jared he was ready and willing to take opportunities for ‘quickies’ when they occurred, day or night. She rubbed her nipples one last time into
his soft chest hair and revelled in the erotic sensation it sent sizzling through her veins.
Trouble was, her belly rubbed the tip of his manhood at the same time and he groaned.
‘Wench,’ he whispered in her ear, before he levered off the sofa. ‘Thank you for fulfilling one of my sexual fantasies.’ He quickly pulled on his jocks and jeans in one action.
Kirra sat up and wrapped the rug around her still aroused body. ‘What here, on the sofa?’
‘Uh-ha,’ he said and gave her that heart-warming, crooked smile of his. ‘I’ll start breakfast,’ he added, shrugging on his shirt, ‘if you’d like to take a shower.’
Suddenly what had been bothering her at the back of her mind, came to the fore. ‘Jared,’ she said, a strong urge for closure of her previous life washing over her like a Tidal Wave. ‘I’m sorry. I have to go home. My apartment. My old life.’
His fingers stilled on the button he was doing up on his shirt. ‘There’s no need to leave. I can have a moving company pack up your apartment.’
‘No,’ she said and swallowed hard, ‘there’s something else. Something, I need to do. By myself.’
‘Are you coming back?’ he said, his body rigid.
‘Yes,’ she insisted, ‘but I can’t guarantee when?’
He relaxed then and continued to do up his buttons. ‘I trust you, but why not wait a few more days? The bush dance is tonight. You promised Max a dance, remember?’
‘Oh, yes, a promise is a promise. Your country code of ethics,’ she acknowledged. ‘It’ll also give me time to reassure Caleb. After all, he did ask me to marry him too.’
He laughed a little, deep in his throat, then kissed her forehead when she stood. ‘You truly are an angel. I love you with all I am and all I will become when we share our life together.’
‘They sound like great wedding vows,’ Kirra said brightly, ‘Do you mind if I write them down?’
He smiled and shook his head in disbelief. ‘Ever-the- journalist. I must be mad!’
‘Madly in love!’ Kirra quipped, as he strode out the door.
Kirra had a fun-filled morning of playing games with Caleb and the puppy, while Jared went to check on the calves he’d delivered the other day and their lucky-to-be-alive mothers.
The Outback Cattleman's Hired Wife Page 15