Annie watched him with hooded eyes, wishing he wasn’t so freaking gorgeous. With or without the hat, he took her breath way.
“Don’t you think your father’s gift was sort of special?” Hunter asked. “If the Bulletin was where he started, it had to have some sentimental value to him.”
“Maybe. But that wasn’t the point of all my hard work, was it? I didn’t want him handing me my future on a silver platter. I wanted to earn it, the same way he did.”
“I can understand that.”
“Yeah, well, my dad didn’t. Apparently he’d invited a ton of press to the party and he’d planned some grand announcement about me following in his footsteps. My refusal to accept the gift screwed up his moment in the sun.”
Hunter looked at her once more, but this time she didn’t complain about his lack of attention on where they were going. Instead she met his gaze, touched by the compassion she found in his deep-green eyes.
“My dad died of a massive heart attack when Dylan and I were fourteen. We had to find our footing fast. Luckily we had Mum. She’s a tough bloody bugger and a force to be reckoned with. She guided us, taught us how to run Farpoint, but she also let us find our own way with it, let us make it our own. She never told us we had to do things a certain way because that’s how Dad did it.”
“Your mom sounds awesome.”
The cutest crinkles appeared by Hunter’s eyes. When he smiled, his whole face expressed happiness. “She’s all right. I guess what I’m saying is no one ever told me who to be or how to live my life. If I fuck up, the blame’s all mine, but at least I had the chance to make the mistake in the first place.”
He did understand. Completely.
“That’s what I want, to have the chance to succeed or fail. My dad doesn’t agree. He says he’s worked hard all his life so I won’t have to.”
“I can understand wanting to take care of your kids, but you’re an adult now. I mean at, what, twenty-three, twenty-four, you’re ready to stand on your own two feet.”
He was fishing for her age, so she gave it to him. “I’m twenty-eight.”
“Ah, only a couple years behind me and Dylan. So what happened after you turned down the gift?”
“My dad wasn’t happy about it, but eventually he accepted my decision. Unfortunately, I didn’t understand exactly how hard it was going to be to cut ties to my family’s name. I managed to land a job at a small, independent magazine my dad doesn’t own, but now my boss, Mr. Lennon, seems to think I’m just slumming it. I sort of suspect the editor-in-chief pressured him to hire me as a favor to my dad or maybe as a feather in her cap, but I have no proof of that. Mr. Lennon has zero expectation that I’ll stick it out because, as he says, ‘It’s not like I need the money.’”
“Wow, what a wanker.”
“Plus, I sort of failed at the living-on-my-own thing too. I found an apartment in Brooklyn I could afford on my salary, but it didn’t have the best security and tabloid reporters broke in a few times and stole some personal stuff. The third time, I came home in the midst of the robbery. The guy freaked out about being caught red-handed. He shoved me down trying to get away and I ended up with a concussion when my head hit an end table.”
Hunter’s expression was thunderous. “Bloody hell! Hope they caught the fucker.”
Annie nodded. “They did, but my dad put his foot down after that and insisted I move somewhere safer.”
“Good for him.”
Annie’s heart warmed at how intently he listened. She genuinely liked Hunter Sullivan. He reminded her a bit of his brother, but she sensed there were some definite differences in their personalities too. Hunter’s sense of humor seemed slower to come and more sarcastic, where Dylan was clearly a fun-loving guy who was quick to laugh and joke. Hunter also had a bit of a bad-boy edge Annie had never seen in Dylan. His easy acceptance of a kiss from a strange woman in the airport and the way he’d turned her friendly buss into pure lip sex proclaimed that loud and clear.
“Now I live in a high-rise Manhattan apartment with top-notch security that my dad pays for. It makes it hard for my colleagues and Mr. Lennon to accept my assertions that I want to be self-sufficient.”
“The old damned if you do, damned if you don’t scenario, eh?”
“Yeah. Something like that.” She yawned. The helicopter was surprisingly comfortable. She felt like she was in a cozy cocoon. Hunter had offered her a blanket prior to takeoff.
“Here.” Hunter reached behind his seat for a pillow. “Close your eyes. You’ve already had a long trip and we’ve got more than a few kilometers to go before we get to Farpoint. Try to get some sleep.”
“I wanted to keep you company, so you don’t get tired.” Even as she spoke, her head was sinking into his proffered pillow.
“I’d planned to make this return trip alone, remember? Besides, I had a good night’s sleep in my own bed last night. I’m fine.”
She’d barely scraped a few hours of restless sleep on the plane. She felt like she should resist the temptation. God knew if she weren’t so fatigued she’d never be able to fall asleep in the helicopter. Exhaustion was winning over fear.
She closed her eyes and the last thing she heard was Hunter saying, “Sweet dreams.”
* * * *
When she woke up much later, it was dark. “What time is it?”
“G’day, love. I was about to check your pulse to make sure you were still breathing. It’s nearly nine.”
“How long did I sleep?”
“About three hours. I think you might have managed a bit more, but my fiddling with the controls probably woke you up. I’m getting ready to land.”
“Now? We’re here? At Farpoint?” Annie gripped the door handle and tried to calm her suddenly racing heart. She wished she’d managed to remain unconscious through this part. Takeoffs and landings were always the worst for her.
“Yep. Home sweet home. I’m sorry we’re not landing in the daytime. I would have woken you earlier so you could see the spread. Now it’s just a whole lotta black and the homestead in the middle of it. The station’s fairly large; in addition to the helicopter pad, we have a landing strip. A plane arrives once a week to deliver mail and supplies. If you want, I’ll take you up again in a couple days and let you get a feel for the land.”
The idea of spending any more time in the air was as appealing as a trip to the gynecologist, but she held her peace. Hunter appeared to be concentrating on bringing the chopper down. If she weren’t already so terrified, her anxiety would have exploded at the idea of landing in a place so isolated, they had to bring stuff in by air and only got mail once a week. As it was, she was at maximum capacity on the freak-out scale, so Hunter’s latest revelation barely made a blip on her radar.
For the next half hour, neither of them spoke as Hunter radioed someone at the cattle station and she silently prayed not to die in a fiery crash. She tried to make out the ground, but everything around her was pitch black. Darkness didn’t really exist in New York City. Even at night, it tended to be fairly light. Right now, it felt like she’d been sucked into a giant black hole.
The egg-shaped helicopter reminded her of the old Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme and the “had a great fall” line played over and over in her mind. She couldn’t let go of the idea she was definitely spiraling out of control.
As the helicopter landed in the middle of a field, Annie took her first peaceful breath since waking, grateful to still be alive. She looked around but couldn’t see much of the ranch in the darkness.
The same thought she’d had at the airport returned.
How the hell did I get here?
She wasn’t sure what had possessed her to convince Hunter—a virtual stranger—to agree to take her over four hundred miles away from the airport and easy access to a return flight home. Clearly she had snapped.
“You can let go of that door handle.” Hunter grinned. More dimples. He’d been very sweet earlier, distracting her with talk about family while tryi
ng to take her mind off the fact she was hovering far too high above the ground with nothing but propellers keeping her there. Her white-knuckle grip on the door hadn’t relaxed since she’d woken up and heard they were about to land.
“I don’t think I can.” She wasn’t joking, but Hunter chuckled just the same. He leaned over her, a whiff of his far-too-sexy cologne wafting in the air.
“Here.” He gently pried each of her fingers away from the handle. Once her hand was free, he rubbed her palm, the massage easing the tingles there while creating some new ones in her girlie parts.
The breath she’d recovered upon landing was sucked away again. Hunter’s face was close to hers and she recalled the kiss he’d given her at the airport. She wasn’t sure she’d ever been the recipient of such a passionate, all-in sort of embrace. Hunter hadn’t held back anything.
She moved an inch closer and licked her lips.
Hunter’s gaze flew to her mouth. Did he know what she wanted? He moved the slightest bit nearer and she could smell peppermint on his breath. He’d offered her one at the beginning of the flight, claiming it calmed nervous stomachs. She could use a bit of that cure now. Their close proximity had her tummy doing major flip-flops. Maybe she could steal some of the flavor from him. She closed the distance between them even more.
Hunter still held her hand and his grip tightened slightly. Her eyes drifted shut, waiting, wishing, praying for his kiss.
Instead, Hunter sighed. “Fuck.”
Her gaze lifted to his, confused.
“You’re Dylan’s girl, Annie. You’re here for him.”
She winced with the realization. She’d flown halfway around the world because of Dylan’s friendship, his kindness, his sweet flirting. Didn’t she owe it to him not to throw herself at his brother?
“I’m sorry. I’ve been traveling for two days and I’m not thinking straight. Nothing’s gone the way I expected. I just…”
Hunter lifted her hand and placed a soft kiss on her palm. “No worries, love. We’ll get a cup of hot tea and some supper in you. That cures everything.”
“Food sounds nice.”
Hunter unfastened her seatbelt. “I called ahead while you were sleeping. Told Mum you were with me. She’s out of her head with excitement about meeting you.”
“She is?” His words eased her initial anxiety about inconveniencing Mrs. Sullivan.
“She tried to convince Dylan to invite you here to begin with, but Dylan said there was no way he could subject you to that long trip.”
Annie laughed. “Bless Dylan for trying.”
Hunter hopped out of the helicopter then came over to lift her out. She figured it was her pent-up sexual need that made her believe his hands lingered on her waist a second longer than necessary. Suddenly she was glad she’d thought to pack her vibrator. Something told her she was going to need it.
Hunter grabbed her luggage and led her from the landing pad to a jeep parked nearby. “The house is about a kilometer away.”
“Damn metric system. I suppose that means it’s close?”
Hunter chuckled. “Very close. Come on.”
They rode the rest of the way to the Sullivan ranch house in silence. It was a dry, hot night and an odd smell—eucalyptus maybe?—hung in the air. She felt sticky beneath her long-sleeve sweater and jeans. She was dressed for late autumn in New York, not summer in Oz.
The jeep didn’t have a top and the wind whipped through Annie’s hair. She didn’t even want to know what she looked like right now. So much for making a good impression on Hunter’s mom.
When Hunter parked the jeep in front of the house, Annie tried to hastily finger-comb the mass of brown waves into submission, with little success. Hunter came around to her side of the vehicle.
“You look fine,” he said.
“Dylan didn’t tell me about your propensity for lying.”
Hunter reached up and pushed a stray lock away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Then he picked up where she’d left off on the grooming, running his fingers through her shoulder-length tresses. She didn’t resist since he had the added benefit of actually seeing what he was doing.
“Mum will no doubt talk your ear off all through dinner. Maybe we should work out a signal. You can stomp on my foot or wink or something when you get too tired. I’ll step in and insist you need a shower. I’ll strong-arm you away from her and show you to the guest room, where you can take a long, hot bath and relax in silence. Sound like a plan?”
Annie nodded.
“Good girl. Come on.”
As they walked up the steps toward the front door, Annie nervously wiped her palms on her jeans.
Hunter reached over and took her hand. “There’s nothing to be worried about.”
He suspected that was true. While Hunter had talked his mouth dry trying to convince Dylan he was making a mistake flying to New York, their mother had proclaimed just the opposite. It was Mum who’d talked Dylan into signing up for the online dating service to begin with. In fact, she’d tried to convince both of them to try it, but Hunter had shot down the idea immediately.
Hunter’s mother despaired of her sons ever finding a “good woman” to settle down with. Hazel Sullivan had regretfully come to the conclusion several years earlier that there were no neighboring women who were the right age or had the correct disposition for her boys.
Undeterred, she’d broadened her search. She had even gone so far once as to fly in potential candidates under the guise of hiring someone to work in the kitchen. Hunter had withstood the sexual advances of no less than six so-called station cooks before he cottoned on to his mother’s game. The women had been nieces or daughters of dear friends; one was his mum’s hairdresser’s niece’s best friend. Only one of them could actually fix anything mildly edible.
Finally, Hunter put his foot down and hired a cook himself. Bruce Hernan had been feeding the hands successfully for nearly a year now.
Hunter opened the front door and there stood Mum with Dylan’s dog, Mutt.
Hazel behaved just as Hunter knew she would—the moment Annie crossed the threshold, his mother embraced her like she was some long-lost beloved daughter. Then she proceeded to tell her every embarrassing secret about Hunter and Dylan’s childhood she could remember. Hazel took her on a tour of the living room, pointing out all the framed pictures of him and Dylan during various stages of growing up.
His mother was in fine form tonight. Poor Annie.
“And I’ve heard all about you,” Annie said, bending down and petting Mutt. The dog was part dingo, part mythological beast. Hunter had protested the dog—even as a puppy—was too big to be a house pet, but when it became apparent the huge creature wouldn’t part from Dylan’s side, even at bedtime, the battle had been lost. Now it looked like Mutt had found a surrogate to guard during Dylan’s absence, as the dog planted himself at Annie’s feet.
Hazel watched Annie and the dog appraisingly. Annie had been nothing but courteous thus far, but Hunter could see his mother taking stock of the American. Hazel was one of the strongest women he’d ever known but her personality could be overwhelming for strangers. She was far too opinionated, spoke her mind and never minced words. While Annie was clearly tough in her own right, Hunter had spent more than a few minutes of today’s long, quiet flight wondering what Hazel would think of her.
He told himself his concern was on Dylan’s behalf. If his brother was serious about Annie, he’d obviously want their mother’s approval. That was a lie though. Hunter wanted the New Yorker and his mum to get along because he genuinely liked Annie.
After forty-five minutes of conversation and two cups of tea, he decided to throw her a lifeboat.
“Mum, I’m sure Annie’s knackered and hungry. She’s been traveling for nearly two days straight.”
“Oh my goodness. Where are my manners?” Hazel rose quickly. “Dinner is in the oven and probably just about finished. Let me go check. I’ll call you both in when it’s on the table.”
“I think she’s wonderful. She sure does love her sons.”
Hunter grinned. “She loves us a bit too much.”
Annie tried to stifle a yawn. The dark circles under her eyes told him exactly how exhausted she was.
“You more hungry or tired? You don’t have to eat now if you’d rather get some sleep. I’m sure Mum won’t mind if you come down later for a midnight bite to eat.”
“Oh no,” Annie said. “She’s taken special pains to make the meal for me. I’m okay. I’d rather hang in there as long as possible. Figure it’s the best way to get myself acclimated to this time zone.”
He could see the reason in that, especially if she was serious about following around tomorrow as he did his chores. “I should warn you. The days start bloody early here on Farpoint. You still gung-ho on shadowing a stockman?”
She turned to face him, her knee brushing against his upper thigh. The light contact spurred a strong reaction. He’d been far too busy with work and too celibate lately. He needed to get laid…and soon, or he was bound to do something he’d regret. Like Annie.
“You’re not going to get rid of me that easy. This is the first big assignment Mr. Lennon has given me. I’m not about to give up.”
“I’d say that’s pretty obvious, given the fact you got in a helicopter with a man you’ve never met and let him fly you to his home in the middle of nowhere.”
Annie laughed and Hunter relished the sound. He tried to tell himself it was only attractive because there weren’t a lot of available women his age at Farpoint, but he knew better. She had a nice laugh. And a pretty smile. And a gorgeous face.
Fuck.
“You have a very good point,” she said. “I have no doubt my father will kill me when he hears where I am.”
“Your dad doesn’t know you’re here?”
Annie shook her head. “As you pointed out, it was a pretty impulsive trip. I left a message with his secretary that I was traveling on assignment the morning I flew out, knowing he was in meetings all day.”
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