She should have trusted her original instincts and stayed well clear of this man. Seth was gorgeous, but there were always going to be complications involving his son, and she was the wrong woman for him. She’d known that from the start, and yet she’d gleefully gone out with him and then even more gleefully jumped into bed with him.
Whether she liked it or not, she was involved. And Seth was in trouble. The unfairness of his situation was undeniable, and he’d been awesome in the way he’d almost single-handedly cared for Charlie. The thought that Charlie’s mother might suddenly swan back in and demand her rights was appalling.
How could she not agree to help him?
‘Look, I’ll do this,’ she said. ‘But I can’t promise I won’t be nervous. I’m really not very experienced with little people.’
‘That’s fantastic, Alice.’ He sounded so relieved. ‘I really appreciate it. I know it’s a bluff and a bit underhanded, but it’s the best I can come up with at short notice.’ After a brief pause, Seth said, ‘It might help if you could send me a photo. I’ll show it to Charlie and talk you up.’
‘Right.’ Alice might have laughed at the craziness of this, if she hadn’t known it was deadly serious for Seth. He was scared. She was scared too. ‘What if Joanna wants to push for custody?’
There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. ‘She reckons she won’t do anything like that. And I’m probably overreacting. I just don’t want to take any risks.’
‘Okay. Fair enough. I’ve got your mobile number now, so I can send the photo.’ Alice tried to sound businesslike to cover the nervous flutters in her stomach.
20
Had she really agreed to Seth’s request? Alice couldn’t quite believe it. She was always so cautious and she’d only just met the man, and yet here she was, telling him she’d pose as his intended life partner. And yet, despite the bizarreness of the situation, she found herself preparing for the meeting with Charlie’s mother with the same conscientious care she might have given to an important job interview.
First, she took the promised selfie and forwarded it to Seth’s phone, and then she went through her wardrobe searching for the right clothes. Her natural tendency was towards a slightly hippie-gypsy look, but if she was posing as a potential grazier’s wife – yikes, the very thought caused an unexpected flip in her belly – she needed the conservative, casual chic worn by women in country style magazines.
Eventually, she settled on a dusty pink linen shirt and blue jeans and, for jewellery, a simple gold chain and the diamond stud earrings her grandmother had given her for her twenty-first birthday.
Her shoes were more of a problem.
Alice tended to wear flimsy ballet slippers, or delicate sandals, or velvet boots.
In the end she drove over to Atherton in her lunch break and bought a pair of plain brown leather ankle boots. She told herself it wasn’t a complete waste of money. Now that she lived in the bush there were bound to be other occasions when she could wear these.
On impulse, she added a neat brown leather handbag with a shoulder strap. It matched the boots and would look much more authentic than her usual drawstring velvet.
When it came to choosing a hairstyle, however, Alice decided to leave her curls free and flowing. Seth seemed to like them, and if she was to be part of his ammunition, she needed to make the most of her assets.
The meeting place was rather more than a café. It was set in an attractive garden in a back street of Mareeba and included a tasting section for local coffee varieties, as well as a chocolate shop, and an extensive area filled with gift items as bright and alluring as Aladdin’s cave. A little swing, perfect for Charlie, stood in the shade of a tall bottlebrush tree.
Seth looked surprised when he saw Alice. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and his customary warm smile, but she could see the bemusement in his eyes as he checked her out.
‘What is it?’ she asked nervously. ‘Are my clothes all wrong?’
He grinned. ‘No, of course not. You look great. Just – different.’
‘I tried to dress like a country woman, a wannabe grazier’s wife.’
He smiled crookedly. ‘Well, I guess that makes sense, but I didn’t realise there was a uniform.’
‘Oh, Seth, of course there is. Think about the way your mother dresses.’
He grinned. ‘Okay, point taken, but it’s not compulsory.’ He ran his deliberate blue gaze over her and smiled again. ‘You look fabulous, and you’re sure to impress Joanna.’
‘Well, that’s the main thing.’ Alice might have felt self-conscious if she hadn’t seen the tension in Seth’s eyes. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘All the better for seeing you.’ This time his smile did ridiculous things to her insides. Proximity to this man was dangerous. She had to remember the seriousness of this exercise.
She turned her attention to Charlie, who was looking super-adorable, like a miniature man, in denim shorts, a navy polo shirt with green stripes across his chest and very smart sneakers. The clothes were crisp and clean and looked brand new. No doubt Seth had gone to as much trouble with his son’s wardrobe as she had with hers.
Ignoring the sudden tightness in her chest, Alice kneeled down to Charlie’s height. ‘Hello, Charlie.’
He looked at her with big blue eyes that were so much like his Daddy’s.
‘This is Alice, Charlie,’ said Seth. ‘The lady in the picture on my phone.’
Comprehension dawned in the little fellow’s face. He smiled. ‘Alee!’
‘That’s right,’ she said, returning his smile. ‘My name’s Alee. Clever boy.’ The old fears threatened, but she knew she had to ignore them. There was no room for her hang-ups today; she was doing this for Seth, for a higher cause. ‘Would you like a ride on the swing?’
Charlie grinned and began to toddle towards the play equipment. Alice glanced at Seth, who nodded his approval, before she lifted Charlie into the swing seat with a safety belt for toddlers. As she buckled him in, the little boy giggled with delight and she began to push gently.
She caught Seth’s expression as he stood watching the two of them. Dear heaven, the man was gorgeous. Dangerously so. She concentrated on Charlie, and pushed gently, joining in his excited little squeals.
She was concentrating so carefully on her task that she didn’t notice Seth’s approach until he was right behind her. Then he slipped his arms around her waist and hugged her from behind, drawing her back against his powerful chest and sending rivers of heat over her skin.
‘Just practising,’ he murmured close to her ear. ‘I guess this is how we should behave if we’re madly in love and planning to be married.’
‘Married? Oh, yeah, right,’ she managed breathlessly. ‘I – I guess.’ But the images his words created made her head swim. Marriage. In bed with Seth every night. Waking at his side each morning.
‘Oh, there you are,’ called a very English voice.
Alice turned in Seth’s arms to see a smartly dressed young couple loaded with gift-wrapped parcels. Joanna Fox-Richards was blonde and reed slim, with straight hair to her shoulders and blue eyes that were possibly even more like Charlie’s than Seth’s were. She and her husband were both smiling cautiously.
This was it. Show time.
Alice felt a spurt of pure panic. She only hoped she would be able to give Seth the support he needed.
To her surprise, Seth gave her another quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before he released her. She knew this was for Joanna’s benefit, but when he stepped away, she felt instantly bereft. Good grief, for a moment there, Seth’s hug had seemed incredibly significant.
She realised now that she’d miscalculated when she’d prepared for this event. She’d been focused on her role with Charlie, but if she wasn’t careful, her role as his father’s ‘intended’ could really mess with her head.
It was too late for doubts, though.
As Seth went forward to greet Joanna and Nigel, Alice tried to help Charlie
out of the swing.
Of course, he didn’t want to cooperate.
‘No!’ he yelled, scowling and clinging fiercely to the chain handles.
So not a good start.
‘Come on,’ she pleaded gently. ‘Come and meet Joanna.’
‘No!’
Seth was politely kissing Joanna’s cheek and offering Nigel his hand. Alice kneeled down beside Charlie. ‘Look!’ she whispered. ‘The nice lady’s brought you presents. All the way from England.’
Perhaps Charlie caught the intentional excitement in her voice. Despite a stubbornly protruding bottom lip, he stared with more interest at the strangers.
And now his father was beckoning to him.
Taking advantage of this momentary distraction, Alice slipped her hands beneath Charlie’s armpits and lifted him swiftly out of the swing.
He might have protested, but she hurried to the waiting adults, announcing brightly, ‘Here we are. Here’s Charlie!’
‘Oh!’ Joanna’s voice broke on the single syllable and Alice’s preoccupation with Charlie was suddenly eclipsed by his mother’s stricken face.
Joanna’s facial muscles were working overtime as she struggled not to cry.
‘Oh,’ she said again, and her mouth trembled and her eyes shone as she stood there, trying to smile as she stared at her son.
Seth was also watching Joanna’s face carefully, his expression stern, almost wooden, his shoulders tense. He was clearly braced for a battle, but he remembered to introduce Alice.
‘This is Alice Miller,’ he said, placing a possessive arm around her shoulders.
‘You must be Seth’s girlfriend?’
‘She certainly is.’ There was a hint of triumph in Seth’s voice as he gave Alice a one-armed hug.
‘How – how lovely.’ Joanna sent a swift glance to her husband, as if she were seeking his support.
Nigel Fox-Richards smiled benignly. He was only a little taller than Joanna, and he was stockily built with a round, ruddy face, a slightly crooked nose and a thatch of thick, tawny hair. To Alice he looked like an affable farmer rather than the snooty Lord of the Manor Seth had claimed him to be.
As Alice shook Joanna’s hand, the English girl’s gaze zeroed in on her ring finger, which was, of course, lamentably bare. Alice resisted the temptation to rub at the tell-tale patch of skin.
‘No ring yet?’ Joanna remarked.
Alice gulped and sent a quick glance to Joanna’s ring finger, which was impressively stacked with platinum, sapphires and diamonds. ‘We haven’t had time, have we, Seth?’ she said.
Seth blinked.
‘The engagement ring, sweetie?’
‘Ah, yes. I mean no.’
Alice hoped Joanna didn’t notice that Seth was obviously scrambling to adapt to the sudden elevation of their status.
But then he flashed one of his trademark smiles. ‘We’ve only just made the big decision and we’re waiting till we can get down to the jewellery shops in Cairns.’ He shot Alice a quick glance. ‘We’re looking forward to it, aren’t we, darling?’
Alice nodded. ‘There’s a much better selection in Cairns.’ She managed to keep her smile in place and hoped it didn’t look too strained.
Wisely, Seth quickly changed the subject by scooping Charlie into his arms and settling him comfortably on his hip. ‘And this, of course, is the star of the show.’
Now, as Joanna looked at her son, her mouth twisted again, and Alice couldn’t help feeling sorry for her.
‘Hello, Charlie.’ Joanna’s voice was cracked and squeaky as she clutched at her parcels.
‘Say hello to Joanna,’ Seth prompted.
Charlie smiled shyly. ‘Huwwo.’ And then he buried his face in his father’s shoulder.
Tears shone in Joanna’s eyes and she looked helplessly down at the parcels in her arms.
‘You need to offload.’ Alice pointed to the round picnic table that she and Seth had earmarked. ‘You can put everything here.’
‘That’s great, thanks.’
Tension lingered as Joanna deposited her parcels, then found a tissue in her pocket, wiped at her eyes and blew her nose. Everyone took a seat. There was a high chair for Charlie, and Alice was relieved when Seth took over strapping him in. She would have fumbled for sure. Then Seth asked for their coffee orders and went to the counter to place them.
Alice, alone with the enemy, so to speak, had at least come prepared. Reaching into her new leather handbag, she found the tiny tractor she’d bought and gave it to Charlie to play with. To her relief, he immediately made growly noises and pushed the toy around the tray of his high chair.
‘You obviously know what Charlie likes,’ Joanna said.
Alice smiled. ‘He’s pretty easy to please.’
And now, for the first time, Nigel spoke up. ‘He’s a very handsome little chap.’
‘Yes,’ agreed Alice. She almost added that Charlie looked a lot like Joanna, but somehow it felt disloyal to Seth.
‘How long have you known Seth and Charlie?’ Joanna asked next.
Alice hated lying, but what choice did she have? She could hardly say two weeks. ‘A few months.’ She glanced over to Seth at the counter, willing him to hurry back, but the pretty waitress was laughing at something he’d said and taking her time in giving him his change.
Meanwhile, Charlie sent his tractor over the edge of the high chair’s tray and looked down with amazed delight as it crashed onto the concrete below.
Nigel obligingly reached down and picked it up for him. ‘There you go,’ he said kindly as he set it back on the tray.
Charlie grabbed the toy and, with a chortle of delight, immediately dropped it over the edge again.
Oh, Charlie. Clearly this was a new game.
This time it was Alice who bent down to get the toy, and she was deliberating whether to give it back to Charlie when Seth returned and Joanna took the opportunity to push her presents across the table.
‘They’re all for Charlie, I’m afraid. I couldn’t resist bringing him a few little things.’
At Joanna’s urging, everyone became involved in unwrapping the gifts, and the ‘few little things’ proved to be a mountain of toys – wooden puzzles, a take-apart plane, a giant fire truck, a set of prehistoric animals, even a knife, fork and spoon set.
Joanna kept apologising. ‘I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself.’
Seth’s smile had a fixed quality. ‘Wow, Charlie. Christmas has come early this year.’
Of course, their coffees arrived in the middle of this and, with paper and toys scattered everywhere, the waitress had trouble finding space on the table for their mugs and the platter of pastries Seth had ordered.
Alice collected the paper and found a bin and by the time she returned, Joanna had taken her place beside Charlie and was showing him a dinosaur and making roaring noises.
‘I knew you wouldn’t mind,’ Joanna said, offering Alice a coy smile.
‘No, of course not.’ Alice couldn’t quite bring herself to return the smile though, and as she took the seat next to Nigel that Joanna had vacated and swapped their coffees, she caught Seth’s eye.
He was giving nothing away, but she could tell that he was more tense than ever, as if he was waiting for a time bomb to detonate. She wasn’t surprised when he decided to tackle Nigel.
‘So what are your plans while you’re in Australia?’ he asked.
‘This meeting was pretty much the sole purpose of our visit.’ Nigel nodded towards Charlie and his wife, who were giggling together as Joanna broke a piece of shortbread into small chunks and began to feed them into Charlie’s willing mouth. ‘Joanna was desperate to see Charlie.’
Seth nodded, but he didn’t smile and the muscles in his throat worked as he swallowed. ‘When Joanna left last year, she assured me that she didn’t want Charlie to be any part of her life. I’ve been working on that basis.’
The temperature around the table seemed to drop several degrees, and Alice held her brea
th.
Joanna opened her mouth, but before she could speak, her husband jumped in.
‘We understand that, Seth, and Joanna and I are both very grateful to you for taking such good care of Charlie.’
‘Grateful?’ Seth glared from one to the other. ‘I wasn’t doing it for you two.’
Alice longed to reach out to Seth, to give his hand a reassuring squeeze, but she was now on the far side of the circular table and he wasn’t looking her way.
‘You’ve obviously done a wonderful job,’ Joanna said. ‘Charlie’s so happy and he’s positively glowing with good health.’
‘And Seth’s done it all, almost entirely on his own,’ Alice felt compelled to add. ‘He even built a cottage, so he and Charlie could have their own home.’
Joanna looked suitably impressed and ever-so-slightly stunned. ‘How – how have your parents reacted to Charlie?’ she asked Seth.
‘They love him,’ he told her simply. ‘Mum helps with babysitting. They’ve both been fantastic. Supported me every step of the way. Couldn’t have been better.’
‘Right.’ Joanna nodded and, for the first time, looked a tad uncomfortable.
Seth handed her a plastic mug with a lid for Charlie’s juice, and Alice was surprised by how isolated she felt on the far side of the table. She was supposed to be demonstrating her motherly skills and Joanna had trumped her. As she watched Joanna pour juice into the mug and offer it to Charlie, she felt as if she’d let Seth down.
‘So,’ said Nigel, sounding suddenly important and serious, as if he realised the time had come to talk turkey. ‘I should explain what Joanna and I were hoping.’
Alice held her breath and she saw Seth’s jaw tighten.
‘We would very much like to continue to see Charlie from time to time,’ Nigel said.
Seth frowned. ‘You mean, you want to visit him here?’
Nigel looked to Joanna. ‘We’d be happy to come out to Australia once a year or so, but we thought that perhaps, in time, when Charlie’s older, he might like to visit us in England too.’
Seth didn’t respond at first.
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