by Alison Kelly
‘Is that a fact?’
She nodded, ‘See if you can read the play on this one,’ she said cheekily as her fingers moved to release the top button of his shirt.
Desire sparked in his eyes and he lowered her slowly to the ground.
‘I’ll give it my best shot,’ he promised.
The glow from the fire danced over the angles of his face and Alessandra watched mesmerised as she snuggled closer to his naked warmth. They’d decided to stay the night, since she’d packed everything they’d need, although personally she knew that if she never had anything but Bart’s love she’d have more than enough.
‘We’re having a boy you know,’ she stated, and saw his scepticism. ‘It’s true. Don’t ask me how I know; I just know.’
He smiled at her and she felt herself drenched in love.
‘Is he going to be as spirited as his mother?’
She shrugged his question aside and rolled on to her back to search the stars.
‘I just feel beautiful knowing you love me. I can’t even begin to explain the powerful effect your love has on me.’
He chuckled. ‘Oh I think you showed it very adequately just a little while ago.’
‘No, I mean spiritually and mentally, not physically or sexually. Knowing you love me makes me whole…at peace with myself.’ She sighed and turned to him. ‘I’m not making any sense, am I?’ He sat up and placed his arm around her shoulders.
‘You’re making perfect sense.’ He caught her chin between his fingers. ‘I know because I feel it too—despite your appalling taste in music and your volatile temper.’ He groaned as she elbowed him in objection. ‘We might have been raised on opposite sides of the Pacific, but the fact that we found one another regardless proves we were born to be each other’s destiny.’
‘Bart Cameron! For a cowboy, you sure do turn a mean hand at poetry.’ She laughed, throwing herself at him and sending him sprawling on to his back.
‘Aw, shucks,’ he drawled. ‘It ain’t nothin’.’
‘I love you,’ she said simply.
‘And you’ll marry me?’
She nodded and accepted his hungry kiss joyfully.
‘Bart, I know that I’m a bit rough about the edges, but I’ll do my best to change—’
‘Whoa!’ he interrupted. ‘Change what?’
‘Well, become more ladylike, cut back on my swearing, stop drinking from cans and-—’
‘And stop taking rubbish and acting like an idiot!’ Using his weight, he rolled over, pinning her beneath him. ‘Listen to me; I love you just as you are and I don’t want you to change one little thing.’ He grinned. ‘I admit you threw me the first time I saw you drinking beer from a can, but I also found it as sexy as all get out.’
‘Really?’
‘Really. And as for your occasional cussing, well, it’s usually provoked—more often than not by me of late.’ He smiled at her nodding affirmation. ‘But you provoke some pretty strong language yourself.’ He placed his mouth close to her ear and told her what he was going to do to her in very explicit terms.
She felt herself blush all over.
‘So what do you think about that?’ he asked, sliding his hand along her thigh.
‘I think it sounds wonderful.’ She grinned. ‘Which just goes to show I’m a loose woman, not a lady.’
‘On the contrary, honey,’ he whispered as his hands skimmed the length of her. ‘You are one hundred per cent woman and a fair dinkum lady…’
EPILOGUE
STEPHEN JAMES CAMERON arrived three weeks early, putting his parents through a gruelling nine hours of labour. But as Alessandra watched Bart gently hand the tightly wrapped bundle to Lisa, her heart swelled with love for him and the pain became a dim memory. He’d been there with her through every step of the labour, talking to her, encouraging her and loving her. Then at the last minute he’d asked her if Lisa could be present for the delivery. The request had moved Alessandra to tears, for it had signified his determination to unite them completely as one family.
Lisa too had cried, overwhelmed by the invitation, recognising that Alessandra didn’t want her to feel the baby would be a threat to Bart’s love for his first-born. Now, watching Lisa cradling her little brother, Alessandra was swamped with a new maternal love for the teenager. It both surprised and delighted her.
When Bart and Alessandra had told her they were getting married, Lisa had decided to postpone college in the US for twelve months. Just yesterday she’d announced she’d changed her mind about going to UCLA and wanted to remain in Australia and attend the University of New England.
Alessandra realised that being surrounded by a whole family was something Lisa had probably craved all her life.
‘Forgive the interruption, but how are you feeling, Mrs Cameron?’ the midwife asked when she entered the room unexpectedly and found Alessandra being thoroughly kissed by Bart.
Alessandra blushed and reached for Bart’s hand.
‘Great.’
‘Fine. The doctor sees no reason why you and the baby can’t go home as long as you take care to bathe those stitches in salt water to help them heal.’
‘I’d like to apologise for the way I carried on during the labour,’ Alessandra said sheepishly. ‘I’m sorry if my swearing and abuse upset you…’
The midwife laughed heartily.
‘Mrs Cameron, I’ve been delivering babies for nearly thirty-five years and, believe me, I’ve heard worse than anything you said. Natural childbirth is a great leveller for women. It doesn’t matter how much money a woman has or how impressive her pedigree is—at some point they all turn the air blue. It made a change to hear it done with a sense of humour!’
‘Thank you,’ Alessandra said. Then as the woman was about to leave the room she called her back. ‘Umm…about the stitches…How long do I have to wait before…?’
‘Having sex? Four to six weeks is advis——’
‘Not that,’ Alessandra interrupted over Lisa’s giggles and Bart’s gasp. ‘How long before I can get back on a horse?’
The rotund midwife gave Bart a stunned look.
‘Hey,’ he gave a helpless shrug. ‘She’s my best stockman.’
‘Which explains the dozen rodeo refugees waiting outside to see her,’ she said drily before once again adopting her brisk tone. ‘As for riding, give the stitches a couple of weeks before throwing a leg over.’ She walked to the door, then stopped and looked back at Bart. ‘And the same goes for you!’
Alessandra burst out laughing at the embarrassment on Bart’s face.
‘You find that funny, do you?’ he asked, and when she nodded, still shaking with laughter, he pulled a hundred-dollar bill from his wallet and waved it.
‘Want to bet that you’ll be climbing the walls in frustration before I am?’
She pretended to consider the bet, but already his lopsided grin was melting her insides.
‘OK, you win,’ she conceded, reaching out to clasp his neck. ‘Now kiss me before I die from wanting you.’
‘Lady, I love you so much,’ he whispered as she dragged his head to hers.
She gave him a radiant smile. ‘I know,’ she said, but as she opened her mouth to his kiss they both burst out laughing as Lisa’s resigned voice carried to their ears.
‘Get used to it, Stevie,’ she told her baby brother. ‘They go on at home like this all the time!’
eISBN 978-14592-6901-9
IRRESISTIBLE ATTRACTION
First North American Publication 1997.
Copyright © 1994 by Alison Kelly.
All rights reserved. Except for use In any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or In any Information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario. Canada M3B 3K9.
<
br /> All characters in this book have no existence outside the Imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any Individual known or unknown to the author, and all Incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books SA
® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered In the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
Printed In U.S.A.