by Annie Seaton
Quietly, she helped him pack up the truck and throw sand on the glowing embers of the fire. As Jess walked to the truck and opened the door, she looked around. She would always hold this campsite in the middle of the outback close to her heart.
…
When Jess had chewed her lip and looked up at him with those wide green eyes, remorse had spiked Alex’s chest. Unfamiliar warmth that had nothing to do with sex stole over him, and he knew he didn’t want to hurt this woman. There was only one way this could end if she found out who he was. She’d assume he’d been lying to her about everything and slaked his sexual need with the ‘easy Yank,’ as she’d called herself. Someone had obviously done a number on her. Underneath her confidence, he could see how sensitive she was—and easy to hurt.
Shit. He was going to be so bloody careful when they reached Cockatoo Springs. As well as not wanting to reveal who he was to a freelance journalist, he didn’t want to hurt her, either.
He turned the truck onto the road and glanced across at Jess. Bowser was curled up on her lap, and she was staring thoughtfully out the window.
Easy Yank. Nothing could be further from the truth, and he felt guilty that she thought that. He wanted her on that helicopter and out of here before she could mess up his life and get herself hurt in the process. He’d been more than content, happy with the way things were, before she’d arrived on the scene.
Mitch had been taken aback when he’d told him he was bringing in a guest, and more so when he’d asked him to say there were no rooms available. In reality, the resort was half-empty, but he didn’t want her anywhere near it, snooping around without him nearby. It would get busier in a couple of days when Clayton ran his first course and the international chefs arrived on the helicopter from Darwin. If she still insisted on staying with him he would have to keep her close by. And that was going to be hard because the CEO of the luxury travel company was there for their meeting. Mitch said he’d flown in early, and if he didn’t see him straight away, the deal was at risk. It was the last big deal he had to finalize before his contract came to an end, so he’d have to book Jess on a tour tomorrow, if she stayed, while he got himself cleaned up and into a business meeting.
And my family is about to hit the resort too. Alex ran his hand though his hair.
“Worried?”
“Huh?”
“You look worried,” she said. “Are you worried about the rain coming?”
“No, we’ll be fine. Mitch said it’s clear over on the coast.” He straightened his shoulders and smiled at her. “It’s only about a two hour drive from here. I’ll bet you’re wishing you took the helicopter in? The flight from Darwin only takes twenty minutes.”
“I’ve seen the true outback.” She lifted her hands and her brow wrinkled in a frown. “But a manicure will be nice.”
“So you’re going to stay for a day or so?”
She glanced across at him from beneath her lashes. “More if the mood takes me. It all depends on what happens when we get there.”
Shit. He would have to put a plan in place fast. He wasn’t used to this sort of double dealing. Using Alessandro Ricardo for the business promotion had never been a problem before. Mitch handled the staff, and he’d always had the business meetings with clients in Darwin. Because of the isolation of the resort, the staff changed over frequently, and they rarely stayed more than a few months. Those who knew him knew him as simply Alex the fisherman.
But he had a feeling his life was about to get very complicated.
Chapter Twelve
Alex held the door open and gestured for her to enter the small cabin. Jess had been expecting a fishing cabin like the one at Daly River where he’d picked up the boat, but this cabin beside the resort was quite luxurious.
“Is this yours?” She turned to him curiously as he followed her inside.
“Ah…sort of.” He bent down and picked up Bowser, carried him across to the sink in the small utility room, and turned the tap on to fill the tub. “I…er…rent it from the resort and use it as a base most if the time I’m up here.” Alex looked away and busied himself with Bowser, lifting him into the tub and sponging the red dust of his coat. “Let me clean up this little guy, and then I’ll show you around.”
Jess wandered across to the window past a white leather sofa. Soft flokati rugs were scattered across the polished timber floor. The whole place screamed money, and she could see why Bowser was having a wash before he was allowed inside.
A water sprinkler spun lazily in the early afternoon sun, throwing rainbows across the lush grass at the front of the cabin. Across the road, a gleaming expanse of white sand shimmered in the midday sun, and in the far distance a couple strolled along the beach hand in hand.
Alex walked across to the window, toweling the dog with a large white cloth.
“So we’re close to the resort?” she asked.
“Yes.” He put the dog down and Bowser’s claws tapped on the timber floor as he ran across to Jess and put his paws up on her knees.
Alex stood close, and she could feel the heat of his body. She closed her eyes, fighting the need to lean into him.
“Yes, it’s just through that high hedge over there. See that wall? There’s a gate a short way along.” He moved away, and Jess opened her eyes as he opened a door leading out to the small front balcony. She followed him and he pointed to the north when she heard a helicopter.
“There’s the early afternoon helicopter. It comes in twice a day. Few people come here by road. The boat comes in twice a week and brings a lot of the supplies in.” He leaned back on the timber railing and stared at her intently. “Do you want me to see if I can get you onto the helicopter tomorrow morning?”
Jess clenched her jaw and gripped the railing. “Alex, just come straight to the point.” She didn’t look at him and kept her eyes on the dark blue helicopter that was swooping low over the beach. “I appreciate that you got me here, but if you don’t want me to stay here, just come out and say it. I told you I didn’t come all this way to get here and give up.”
Alex didn’t speak until the helicopter disappeared and the only sound was the wind rustling the palm trees on the sandy beach in front of them. He put his hand over hers on the railing, and she held her breath waiting for his reply.
“I just don’t want you disappointed.” He gazed out to the water. “It’s going to be boring for you. You won’t be able to go to the resort. They…I mean…Mitch…is really strict about that. The facilities are only for guests.” He slapped his free hand on his hip and turned to her. “I know what I can try for you. I will ask Mitch if you can go on one of the tours while you are here. There’s probably a bush tucker tour tomorrow. What do you reckon?”
“What do I reckon?” She grinned at him, mimicking his Australian drawl. “I reckon that sounds just the sort of thing that would help me find out a bit more about Ricardo’s chef school.”
Hope filled her. Maybe she could go on the bush tucker tour, get to spend more time with Alex, and get material for her article at the same time.
“As long as I have a bed.” Heat filled her cheeks as she thought of sharing a real bed with him. “I’ll do the tour and stay a couple of days.” She looked at him as determination filled her. “I’m not sure about what to do yet. I might check out the restaurant before I go looking for Ricardo. If you’ve any friends in the kitchen, perhaps you could ask if there are any kitchen hands needed? I could do some hands on research.”
“Okay.” He lifted his hand from hers. “Come on. I’ll show you your room and get your bags out of the truck. While you get yourself settled, I’ll see Mitch about…the fish. So I’ll ask around for you.”
Alex showed her a small bedroom off the living room and pointed out the adjacent bathroom before he went to the truck and brought her bags to the back porch. He set them down and went into the utility room, and came back out with a handful of cloths.
“Sorry. It’s got a bit dusty, and I think the oil from the
outboard has leaked into one of your bags. There’s a washing machine in the cupboard if you want to wash anything while I’m gone.”
“Thanks.” Jess took the cloths from him and began to wipe the red dust from her large suitcase.
“Make yourself at home.” Alex reached around the doorway and flicked a switch.
“That’ll cool the place down a bit for you.” Alex walked over to the truck and opened the door. “There’s coffee in here, but no food. I’ll be gone a while, but I’ll sort dinner out. I’ll leave the cooler here in case you get hungry, and Jess, be careful. Don’t go wandering around. The resort is fenced in, but this cabin is out in the open, and there could be salties around.”
“Great,” she muttered to herself as the truck drove off. “Don’t worry. I won’t be going anywhere.”
She’d been stuck with him in a pickup for the last forty-eight hours. What was one more day stuck in his cabin?
…
Jess unpacked and rinsed the red dirt from her clothes, putting anything that wasn’t made of silk in the small clothes drier. Alex had her so spooked about crocodiles slithering through the garden she wasn’t brave enough to go to the small clothesline outside on the grass, so she draped her silk shirts and wraps over the living room furniture. She took a quick shower in the bathroom, surprised at the luxury of Italian tiles in a worker’s cabin.
Wandering into the bedroom where Alex had put her other bags, Jess hitched up the towel tied around her chest. It was a large white bath towel monogrammed with the letters ‘CS’—the resort obviously looked after this cabin. Alex said he’d be a while, and she was waiting for her things to dry. Jess reached up and twirled her wet hair into a knot and dug into her bag for a clip, and her fingers brushed against her phone.
“Shit, Monica.”
Grabbing it, she turned it on and sighed with relief when five high bars indicated full service. She hadn’t given Monica a thought all day, and her friend was probably panicking wondering what the hell had happened to her.
Yep, eight missed calls.
Every hour, on the hour, until a couple of hours ago.
Jess pressed the return call button and held her wet hair back with one hand, waiting for the greeting she knew would come.
“Jessica Trent!”
She let Monica speak for a full minute before she interrupted. “Calm down, Mon. I’m okay.”
“Where the hell have you been? Is there no phone service in the outback? That had better be the case, Jessica, because I am fit to kill you. Even Gareth was worried when you didn’t call.”
“I’m okay. I’ve just arrived at the Cockatoo Springs…sort of.”
“Where have you been? Did you get the interview yet? What do you mean sort of?”
“No, no interview yet. I had a bit of a detour. I’ll tell you all about it when I get home.”
“So what’s the deal with Ricardo? Can you get an appointment with him?”
Jess sighed. “I’ll tell you all about it when I come home. I’m back in civilization now. I’ll email if I have any news and let you know when I’m flying out. I don’t even know if Ricardo is here; he is such a recluse.”
“He is there,” Monica said.
Jess dropped her wet hair and sat forward on the edge of the bed. It fell to her shoulder. Cool water trickled down between her breasts, and she took a quick breath as Monica continued.
“There’s a big deal going down. Gareth was reading the Wall Street Journal to me this morning and commented on how great your timing was.”
“What sort of deal?”
“Larry Bartholomew, your boss, is over there with one of his other companies, Worldwide Luxury Tours. Apparently he’s at Cockatoo Springs negotiating with Ricardo as we speak.”
Jess jumped up and did a happy dance, punching the air as Monica continued. “All you have to do is wander around the resort until you bump into him, and voila, one look at Jess Trent, the beautiful journalist, and you will have no trouble getting Ricardo to talk to you.”
Ricardo was here. First problem solved. But getting him to talk to her was going to be a bit harder than what Monica thought. She was going to have to approach this very carefully, especially with Larry in the picture.
“It’s going to be a little bit tougher than that, I think. I can’t believe Larry’s over here. And I can’t just wander around, I’m not even—” Jess cut off her words so she didn’t have to explain it all to Monica and flopped back down on the bed. She dropped her head into one hand.
Wander around the resort? How the hell was she going to do that?
“Mon, do me a favor?”
“What?” Monica’s voice was suspicious. “I know your favors.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. All I want is the phone number for Cockatoo Springs.”
“Why? Just look at the stuff in your room. They always have it all over the pens and books next to the bed.”
Jessica took a deep breath. “Sweets, just look up the number for me, and I’ll explain when I get back.”
“Okay, give me one minute. I’ll Google it.”
Opening the sliding glass door to the small veranda off her room, Jess stood looking across at the high brick wall covered with tropical vines as Monica looked for the number. So close…
“Here it is.”
She hurried back inside, grabbed a pen, and wrote the number on the back of her business card.
“You’re a lifesaver. I’ll email you as soon as I get my computer hooked up to the Wi-Fi.”
“Jess, what’s happening over there? I know when you’re up to something. Just keep safe, okay?”
“Don’t stress. I’m having a fabulous break, and I’ve got lots to tell you.” She ended the call and threw her phone onto the bed before hurrying into the bathroom to dry her hair and put some make-up on. If all went to plan, she was going to brave the crocodiles, get over to the resort, and get her interview after all.
Chapter Thirteen
“Bloody hell, Alex.” Mitch, his assistant manager and long-time friend, slapped a hand to his forehead and shook his head. “Look at you. The most important business meeting you’ve had all year and you look like the wild man of Borneo.”
“Yeah, I know, I know. I have to get a haircut and clean up.”
“Have a shower, find a suit, and I’ll send one of the girls from the beauty salon over to the villa to give you a haircut.”
“No. I’m over in the cabin…and you can’t send anyone over there.”
“Has this got something to do with that phone call about not having any empty rooms?”
“Yeah, we have—or I have—a problem. I have a journalist over there determined to interview Ricardo.”
“And you found her in the middle of the outback?” Mitch shook his head and held his hands up, an incredulous expression on his face. “No, don’t explain, we haven’t got time. Bartholomew was furious when you weren’t here this morning.”
“Stuff him; that’s his problem.” Alex walked around the desk and sat in the chair. “I’ll see him when I’m ready. He needs us more than we need him, from what I’ve been reading. He can wait.”
“Sometimes I think I worry more about the success of this place than you do. You’re never really happy unless you are out in the wilds.” Mitch sat on the chair opposite Alex and ran his hand through his short-cropped hair.
“I’ve only got to worry about it till next week. Contract’s up, and I’m out of here.”
“So you’ve paid your dues?” Mitch said quietly. He was the only one Alex had confided in, and it had helped Mitch respect his request to stay private.
“Yes, the Emily Young School of Bush Tucker has made its mark in the food world, and I can move on.”
“So tell me about this journalist? How did you hook up with her?”
“She’s beautiful, brave, and I think…no, I know, I’m in trouble here, mate.” He stared past Mitch and didn’t speak for a moment. When he looked back at his manager, he was the subject o
f a very intense gaze. “I can’t get her out of my head. For the first time in a long time I’ve let a woman get under my skin.”
“So, what’s the problem? Tell her who you are, make her sign a confidentiality agreement, and a no-reveal clause of your identity in her newspaper. Move her into the villa, have a fling, and send her on her way.”
“She doesn’t work for a newspaper. She works for Larry Bartholomew’s media company.”
“That’s a bit suss. Do you think he sent her? Was she scoping you out?”
“No, she doesn’t know I’m Alessandro.”
“Are you sure? It seems a bit coincidental she’s over here the same time as her boss. Does it really matter to you that she doesn’t find out who you are?”
Alex shrugged. “When I came up here after Emily died, I promised her family I’d get the place started. You saw how messed up I was. It suited me then, and it suits me now to finish up when the contracted time is up. I don’t want my photos plastered over a magazine and all my life laid out for public consumption. Alessandro Ricardo can disappear gracefully.” He stood and wandered over to the wall and looked at the awards of recognition they’d received over the years. “You’ve done a great job as the front man, Mitch, and I’ve appreciated being able to stay behind the scenes. It was such a stupid idea, the idea of having a mysterious owner, although it did get us a lot of international press. I’m ready to move on.”
Mitch followed him over and clapped him on the shoulder. “Maybe it’s time to say it is Alex Richards running the show?”
Alex looked out across the resort, past the high brick fence in the direction of the cabin. “No, there’s no need now. I’ll get Jess in the kitchen. She can get some information for her article, and then we’ll go our separate ways. I don’t need any more complications in my life. I’m keeping it simple.”
…
Before he went back to the kitchens to meet the new chef, Alex made a quick detour to his own large villa at the beach side of the resort. He pulled out his suit and hung it in on the door to air for his meeting tomorrow. Glancing around the walls at the photographs of his family, he smiled. They’d all descend on Cockatoo Springs for his birthday next weekend, and he was looking forward to seeing them. Which reminded him—he’d forgotten to organize to keep her busy tomorrow. He picked up the phone and dialed Mitch’s extension.