The Cattleman's Proposal

by Helen Lacey

  “How far away is the house?” she asked as she buckled up.

  “About twenty minutes west. You may have spotted it from the air.”

  She nodded. “Not in much detail though. And Mike is your foreman?”

  “That’s right,” Nate replied as he started the engine. “His wife Rachel is the housekeeper at Gwendonna.”

  “And the boy?”

  “His nephew Justin,” he explained about the teenager who’d tagged along behind Mike. “He lives with them and helps out around the place. Rachel home schools him.”

  “And you mentioned you had another full time hand?”

  “Yes, Sticks.”

  “Sticks?”

  Nate shifted gears and headed off down the dirt road. “You’ll see why when you meet him.”

  She twisted her hands in her lap. “So, there’s Mike, Rachel, Justin and—”

  “Relax Joley,” Nate said and grinned. “I’m not going to test you on this stuff.”

  She looked across for a moment. “What have you told them?” she asked. “I mean, about me…about us?”

  Nate shrugged. “That I had a friend coming to stay for a while. Mike and Rachel have been part of Gwendonna for over twenty years. But they work for me, Joley, and are not about to approve or disapprove of you. So chill out.”

  “Easy for you to say,” she muttered.

  Nate almost laughed out loud. “You think so?”

  She glanced at him and then returned her gaze to the road. “Probably not. This isn’t exactly normal. I’m not sure what to call it or us.”

  “Do we have to label it?”

  She shrugged. “It makes it less complicated.”

  “If you’re a control freak.”

  “One of my many flaws,” she said and looked straight ahead. “Incidentally, I have plenty. A quick temper included. You’ll see for yourself soon enough since we’ll be living together.”

  Nate heard the way she quickly sucked in a breath. Put like that it smacked of intimacy. Except real intimacy would usually include sex…and sex was out of the question. She’d made that clear enough.

  When she spoke again her voice cracked. “I meant that I’ll be staying at your home.”

  “That’s kinda the same thing.”

  Joley had no intention of agreeing with him. Being beside Nate was an instant reminder of her attraction for him. In dark jeans and sky blue chambray shirt he looked so good Joley could barely sit still in the seat. She thought she’d prepared herself for the way her body reacted to him. She thought she had enough willpower to not think about the very real fact that they would be spending long days and nights together. Lots of nights. And with her announcement that she wasn’t about to jump into bed with him still fresh in her memory, Joley couldn’t help thinking she’d made a colossal mistake.

  Business or not, she suddenly doubted her ability to stay focused.

  “I’ll take you into Mulhany Crossing tomorrow,” Nate said as he took a left down another dirt road. “It’s the closest town, just over an hour and a half away from Gwendonna. I usually go once a fortnight, but we can make the trip weekly if you’d prefer.”

  Joley had no clue what she preferred. “Sure,” she said quietly and continued looking out the window.

  “And your horse arrives on Wednesday.”

  “Yes,” she replied. “Thank you for arranging his transport. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem. I’m happy to accommodate your conditions.”

  Joley’s temperature spiked. Suddenly she knew they weren’t talking about Red.

  “Like I said, I appreciate your agreement.”

  “Whatever it takes,” he said and Joley wondered why his casual response irked her just a little too much. Because it did. He hadn’t so much as skipped a syllable when she told him she had no intention of complicating things by including sex in her decision to stay.

  Thankfully, he steered the vehicle through a set of tall white gates with the name of Gwendonna Downs, etched in coiled letters overhead and all thoughts of sex, for the moment, were forgotten.

  “Where did the name come from?” she asked as they passed grazing cattle on both sides of the road.

  “My great grandparents had twin daughters who died of scarlet fever when they were two years old. They named the place after them both.”

  “And you’re the fifth generation to live here?”

  “That’s right.”

  As they drove down the long gravel road and the big house came into view, Joley immediately understood why there was a strong whiff of pride in his voice. The single level home was huge and sprawled the ground in an unusual ‘L’ shape. The sandstone façade had wide French styled doors and a bull nose verandah swept the entire length of the house. The gardens were modest but neat and the driveway circled around a large iron sculpture of a man on a horse.

  There were stables, yards, and a large sand arena about a hundred meters from the house. It was a horse lover’s paradise. Excitement bubbled under her skin.

  “It’s incredible,” she breathed and once the truck pulled up Joley quickly opened the door. She was out before he spoke and jumped down from the cab on her booted heels. A pair of Border Collie’s bounded towards her and she patted them in turn.

  “Butch and Sundance,” Nate said with a grin as he retrieved her bags. “They’re working dogs so don’t spoil them. Come inside and get settled. Then I’ll show you around.”

  She followed and climbed the stone steps up to the wide verandah. The double doors opened before they reached the top. A small, thin woman in her fifties with a beaming smile greeted them. Once they crossed the threshold, Nate made the introductions.

  Rachel O’Sullivan had kind brown eyes and a warm handshake. Joley liked her immediately. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise. I’ll take those,” Rachel said and tugged the bags from Nate’s hands. “I’ve fresh coffee brewing in the kitchen. I’ll just make sure Joley’s set up in her room.”

  He hesitated for a moment, but once Nate disappeared down the short hallway, Joley followed Rachel in the opposite direction.

  “This is where most of the guest rooms are,” Rachel explained as they walked through a large sitting room and into a spacious bedroom. “The family rooms are at the other end of the house. I thought you might like this room. Those doors lead to the patio and pool. And of course the spa.”

  Of course. The place was incredible and Joley felt a little out of her league. Compared to her modest suburban brick and tile, Gwendonna reeked of a kind of understated opulence. “Thank you. I’m sure I’ll be very comfortable.”

  Rachel nodded. “Well, I’ll let you settle in. Head for the kitchen when you’re done. It’s in the middle of the house so you won’t miss it.”

  When the other woman left, Joley dropped onto the huge bed. The room was tastefully decorated in muted tones of lavender and white. There was an ensuite bathroom and enough robe space to hang her clothes ten times over. She knew Nate was wealthy, but the house, with its warm timber floors and subtle luxuries, was the kind of place she’d seen in magazines and certainly hadn’t ever been a part of her modest life.

  Wouldn’t Ella just love this?

  When she’d told her mother of her intentions, Ella had almost busted a blood vessel. And Patrick had made his disapproval the hot topic of the week. But a week after calling Nate she was well and truly in his home. And in his life.

  And she had absolutely no idea what she was doing.

  Chapter Seven

  Ten minutes later Joley found the kitchen and Nate. Just as Rachel had said, the big room took center stage in the house. The redwood cabinets and dark granite tops ran along three walls. In the center, a long island had an assortment of pots hanging overhead from the ceiling. A huge refrigerator and stainless steel appliances finished off what was a chef’s kitchen. At the very least a cook’s kitchen. Of which she was neither.

  “Coffee?” Nate asked when she walked across the room.<
br />
  Joley stood behind a chair at the big scrubbed table. “Great, thanks.”

  “All settled in?”

  “Yep,” she replied and gripped the chair. “You have a lovely home. And big.”

  Nate came around the bench and placed two mugs on the table. “Too big for one, you mean?”

  “I was only…that’s not what I meant.”

  He scraped a chair back and sat. “You’d be right,” he said easily and motioned her to sit down. “It is a big house. And it should be filled with lots of people. It should have a family in it.”

  Joley’s insides crunched. It would be easy to imagine it. Way easy.

  “Rachel and Mike don’t live here?” She sat down and grabbed her mug.

  “No,” he replied. “The caretaker’s house is behind the tennis court. And Sticks has a room in the stables.”

  Tennis court? Jeepers. Joley took a sip of coffee. “So, everyone has a job.” She clicked her tongue to the roof of her mouth. “What am I going to be doing?”

  He shrugged. “Whatever you like. You’re my guest—you can do as little or as much as you want.”

  “That’s just the point, isn’t it? As much of what? I have no intention of sitting around like a spare part. If there’s work to be done I’d like to help out. No, correction, I insist on helping out. So, what can I do?”

  He grinned just a little. “I don’t know, what can you do?”

  Joley tried not to smile. “I can help with the horses. And the cattle. I can drive a truck…I think. Well, I can fly a plane, so I’m sure a truck will be a walk in the park.”

  “Anything else?”

  “As you know I can’t cook but I can clean up, so domestic duties aren’t out of the question.”

  “And get under Rachel’s feet?” He shook his head slightly. “I don’t think so.”

  “Okay, so outside only. Although I will be looking after my own room and I insist on paying for my board.”

  His gaze leveled with hers. “No chance.”

  “I intend writing you a check every week.”

  “You can write as many checks as you like. I won’t take them.”

  Joley sucked in a breath. Damn maddening man. “Do you always get what you want?”

  “Always?” His eyes darkened and Joley’s stomach did that silly flipping thing she couldn’t quite seem to control when around him. “No. And although I understand that you might want to be, shall we say, independent while you’re here, I have no intention of treating you like a boarder.”

  With her nerves suddenly stretched, and the huge kitchen seeming way too small for all the energy and heat that had somehow swept into the room, Joley’s head was reeling with questions. One big question in particular. Like, how exactly did Nate intend treating her.

  “So…friends then?” she heard herself ask. “But I want to work.”

  “Sure.”

  “And no girly jobs either,” she said and took a long gulp of coffee. “I’m sturdy. And not exactly a lightweight. I can handle myself.”

  Nate was sure of that. He also heard a touch of self-depreciation in her voice and wondered why she’d think of herself as anything other than the sexiest woman on the planet. He knew enough about women to recognize even unspoken body size issues. She had curves, sure. But he’d never been attracted to pencil thin women. He liked Joley’s curves. And her hair and amazing mouth. She possessed a kind of scorching sensuality that affected him right down to the soles of his feet.

  “Shall I show you around?” he asked as a way of taking his mind off her mouth and every other part of her body. “Maybe I can come up with a list of chores for you to do.”

  She smiled. “Lead the way.”

  Nate gave her a quick tour of the house, including his bedroom way down the back. Light years, he thought, from the purple room he knew she would occupy.

  “Impressive,” she said as she ducked her head around the doorway. “Your bedroom is about as big as my entire house. I’m certain to get lost down these hallways.”

  Thinking about her wandering through the halls and ending up in his bedroom wasn’t doing his libido any favours. Nate shook off the image and ushered her outside as quickly as he could.

  “How many horses do you have here at the moment?” she asked when they reached the round yards. Mike was there, long reining a three-year old sorrel filly.

  “Seven I’m training. Three of those are youngsters and headed for the show circuit. The other four are re-education. There are ten station mounts. Mostly stock horse bred.”

  “And cattle?”

  “Close to a thousand head at the moment. We’ll muster in a week and ship the steers to market.”

  “You said you use a helicopter to muster?”

  “That’s right. We do some on horseback too. The terrain is rocky in parts so motorcycles aren’t really an option. Mike and I pushed them towards the Bluff a couple of days ago. Where there’s a decent watering hole and enough feed to hold them until we drive them home and into the yards. I’m a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to getting the cattle in. Basically, it’s a whole lot more fun on the back of a horse, and I use the exercise as part of their schooling when I get the chance.”

  She leant against the fence. “I look forward to helping out with the muster.”

  Nate watched her. “On that big goofy looking Thoroughbred of yours? I don’t think so.”

  She pushed herself straight up. “He’s not—”

  “Suitable for a day long trek in these conditions. You can ride one of the stock horses if you’re interested. Your spoiled baby stays here.”

  Her eyes flashed brightly. “He can handle it. We both can.”

  “My horses are bred for endurance,” Nate explained quietly and pointed to a pair of bay geldings grazing in an adjoining paddock. “Your Thoroughbred is designed for the track or the show ring, not mustering cattle.”

  “And that puts me in my place, is that what you’re saying?”

  Nate could feel her annoyance but wasn’t about to sugar coat the realities of what living on a property like Gwendonna Downs meant. “You have to follow the rules here, Joley. You don’t ride out alone and you don’t wander past the perimeter of the house at night unless I’m with you. And those are my conditions.”

  The flash in her eyes increased. She didn’t like being told what to do. Didn’t like rules. At least, she didn’t like someone else’s rules. Her own, he figured, she’d pretty much lived by for most of her life. Always in control. Only allowing people to see what she wanted them to. But she was on his turf now.

  “Okay,” she said quietly, belying the flare of annoyance on her face. “I work for my keep and I don’t wander out alone at night. Got it. So, let’s get to work.”

  Nate half smiled. “It’s Sunday. And lunch time. You can start work tomorrow.”

  Joley begrudgingly agreed. She wasn’t about to start making demands when she’d only been in residence an hour or so. There was time for her bossy nature to show itself. Although she suspected she may have met her match in the I-Am-The-Lord-Of-All-That-I-Survey department.

  “Lunch? Sure,” she said agreeably, then spun on her heels and headed back to the house.

  She discovered that Rachel was a marvelous cook. One bowl of pasta smeared in a creamy sauce with tender beef and a green salad later, Joley barely had room for the crunchy herb bread she was determined to eat because the aroma was so good.

  “If I have any more I’m going to have a carb attack,” she announced and patted her belly. “Do you eat like this every lunch time?”

  “Not as a rule. I usually knock something together myself on the weekends. But Rachel insisted on something special today. Although I did say we’d clean up.”

  “I’ll do it,” she said and smiled sweetly as she stood and collected plates. “No time like the present to start working for my keep.”

  Nate pushed back his chair. “Are we going to do everything the hard way?”

  Joley w
alked towards the sink. “Probably. I never said I was agreeable, Nate. Loads of flaws, remember.”

  “And being in control is important, right?”

  Joley stilled. “It stops me making the wrong choices. Usually.”

  Nate grabbed the rest of the dishes and brought them around to the sink. “The man,” he said quietly as he came to stand beside her. “The one you mentioned who nearly ruined your life, what did he do to you?”

  Joley’s feet turned into cement. Talking about Dale wasn’t part of her plan. “Does it matter?”

  “I think so. Honesty is integral to a successful relationship, don’t you think?”

  She wanted to bang dishes and ignore the heavy beating of her heart. Instead, Joley turned towards him, rested her hip against the counter and crossed her arms. “I was a fool over a man,” she said as she drew in a breath. “Not a unique story, I guess. I was young and gullible and believed he cared about me.”

  “How young?”

  “Seventeen.”

  “And he was what?”

  “Thirty-three,” Joley admitted. And married. She shuddered as she always did when she thought about it. “He was my flight instructor. Tall, good looking, successful—and exactly the kind of man to turn the head of a frumpy, naive girl looking for love.”

  “He broke your heart?”

  And my spirit. “Yes.”

  “And made you distrust all men?”

  She shook her head and swayed a little. Swayed towards him, she thought. “Not all men.”

  “All men except Patrick?”

  Was he actually jealous of her relationship with Patrick? No, stupid. How could he be? Jealousy intimated feelings. And Nate had made his intentions crystal clear. He wasn’t looking for an emotional attachment. This was about logic. About two people with an obvious attraction for one another. She wasn’t here to fall in love. She was here to get her business back. And she knew that Nate wasn’t the fall in love type either. Marriage and children were on his agenda. Getting her business back was on hers. Love was out of the equation.