‘We’d love Charlie to come to England,’ Joanna added anxiously. ‘We’d look after him beautifully, Seth.’ She fixed him with huge, beseeching blue eyes. ‘What do you think?’
‘I don’t know,’ Seth said stubbornly. ‘You wouldn’t start pushing for him to stay with you full-time, to go to school over there?’
Joanna gave a slow, sad shake of her head. ‘Not if you didn’t want it.’
‘He’s an Australian,’ Seth said. ‘He goes to school here.’
‘All right.’
Seth still looked doubtful.
‘I never dreamed I’d miss him so badly,’ said Joanna.
This brought a rolling of the eyes from Seth. ‘I did try to warn you, but you were dead-set certain you could leave him behind.’
‘I know.’ Tears gleamed in her eyes as she stroked Charlie’s soft, golden hair. ‘But I couldn’t help missing him. I’m his mother.’
‘Jesus.’ A low groan broke from Seth and his hands tensed into fists.
‘Joanna,’ Alice jumped in quickly, desperate to try to help Seth. ‘I don’t think you realise what a truly huge effort Seth’s put into caring for Charlie.’
‘Yes, I’m sure –’
‘Sorry,’ Alice interrupted hotly. ‘But I suspect you don’t have a bloody clue. You dumped your baby and swanned off to England, knowing full well that Seth was on his own with a whole cattle property to run –’
Seth held up his hand. ‘Alice, it’s okay,’ he said, just as she was getting a full head of steam.
‘No, it’s not, Seth. Not if –’
She saw the warning in Seth’s eyes and stopped, but she didn’t appreciate being cut short when she was only trying to stick up for him.
Nigel turned to her with a sympathetic smile. ‘We do understand, Alice. I’m not sure I could have coped anywhere near as well as Seth has.’
‘But it’s not just a matter of coping.’ Alice could feel her own emotions churning. She hated to think how Seth must feel. ‘Seth’s poured his heart into fathering Charlie.’
‘I know!’ cried Joanna. ‘I do understand.’ Now her tears spilled, making tracks down her cheeks.
Alice looked again to Charlie, wondering how long it would be before he started to fidget.
‘Just tell us what you want,’ Joanna said to Seth.
‘What I most definitely do not want is a custody battle somewhere down the track.’
‘That won’t happen,’ intervened Nigel. ‘I give you my word on that.’
‘Right,’ Seth said carefully.
‘But it might be worth drawing up a proper legal agreement, just so everyone’s clear,’ Nigel added.
Alice let out the breath she’d been holding. This sounded fair, but she could see that Seth was taking his time, letting this new proposal sink in and no doubt trying to look at it from every angle.
The tense silence that hovered over the group as they waited for him to speak was suddenly broken by Charlie.
‘Swing!’ he demanded, struggling to be free of the seatbelt that held him into his high chair. ‘Swing, Ali, swing!’
Seth shot a scant smile to Alice. ‘Sounds like he’s learned a new word. Would you do the honours?’
‘Yes, of course.’ Standing quickly, she hurried to Charlie’s side. Conscious of Joanna watching her with sharp-eyed attention, she was grateful that she managed to undo the high chair’s seatbelt without too much fumbling.
Once free, Charlie almost leaped into Alice’s arms, which was rather gratifying, but then she caught a whiff of an ominous smell. ‘I think Charlie needs changing.’ She tried not to sound too despairing.
Joanna jumped to her feet. ‘I’ll come and help you.’
Alice quaked. Was she about to be revealed as a fraud? She’d never changed a nappy, not even on a helpless little baby, let alone a squirming, vigorous toddler.
Seth jumped to his feet as well and held his arms out for his son. ‘I’d hate you to spoil your afternoon tea. I’ll take care of this.’
Alice longed to hand the boy over, but she was supposed to be Charlie’s intended stepmother. Wasn’t this her supreme test?
‘We’ll be right, thanks,’ she told Seth bravely. And then to Joanna, ‘Charlie’s very wriggly. It might be worth bringing a couple of toys to distract him.’
Seth looked a tad worried as he handed Alice a small knapsack. ‘You should find everything you need in there.’
‘Thanks.’ She tried for a smile and couldn’t quite manage it.
Joanna’s smile was wry as they left with Charlie for the parents’ room. ‘Seth’s such a together chap. You’ve done well.’
‘Yes,’ Alice said faintly.
21
Seth frowned as he watched the two women leave. Hell. He had no idea how Alice would handle this challenge, especially with Joanna hovering over her. He shouldn’t have let Alice try to do this. He should have insisted, should have taken charge.
‘I know this is tough for you.’
Seth blinked. Joanna’s husband was offering him a sympathetic smile. ‘Thanks,’ he said tightly.
‘I must admit I wasn’t looking forward to this meeting,’ Nigel added. ‘It was rather a daunting prospect to be here with my wife, sitting next to my wife’s former lover, and with her son being brought up on the far side of the planet.’
Seth was in no mood to sympathise. He gave an offhand shrug. ‘It was Joanna’s call.’
‘I know that, Seth. And the poor girl’s poured her heart out to me. She’s full of guilt about this. She even admitted that she was the one who hit on you, not the other way round.’
This was a surprise. Carefully, Seth asked, ‘Did Joanna also tell you that she left Charlie here because she was scared you’d reject him?’
‘Yes.’ Nigel sighed. ‘She shouldn’t have felt that way. I’m in no position to point the finger. For those eighteen months, when we went our separate ways, we agreed we were both free agents.’ He shrugged and his mouth tilted in a rueful smile. ‘It seemed like a good idea at the time.’
He dropped his gaze to his coffee cup and his ears reddened. ‘The thing is, I love her, Seth. I really do.’
This certainly took the wind out of Seth’s sails. He’d been braced for a patronising aristocrat, even a bully, but Nigel Fox-Richards was quiet and well-meaning. A regular bloke. Sincere, too.
To Seth’s surprise, he liked the man.
‘Look – if I were in your shoes,’ Nigel went on, ‘I’d probably have a barrage of lawyers and a barbwire fence around Charlie.’ He reached out his hand to Seth. ‘I swear we’re not going to try to take him away from you.’
‘Thanks.’ Seth felt as if a brick had lodged in his throat as he clasped Nigel’s hand firmly. ‘I must admit I was pretty fired up about this.’
‘That’s perfectly understandable.’
They looked each other in the eye.
‘I can tell just by looking at you, you’re a man of your word,’ Seth said.
Nigel’s eyebrows rose. ‘How?’
‘You’ve got a rugby broken nose, mate.’
They laughed together then, a clear declaration of peace, and they might have settled into a discussion about rugby if the girls hadn’t reappeared.
Seth wondered how Alice had managed. At least she looked quite relaxed, and Charlie seemed happy enough as he hurried ahead of them.
‘All good?’ he asked as they arrived.
‘Fine.’ Alice smiled as she caught his eye. ‘Charlie’s mum did the honours.’
‘Ah,’ Seth said with a knowing grin.
It was time to say goodbye. Joanna bade Charlie a tearful farewell, but the little fellow submitted dutifully to her hugs.
‘Obviously she’s really going to miss him,’ Nigel said as they walked to their hire car. ‘I don’t suppose you two would consider coming to England?’
‘Well –’ Seth glanced towards Alice, who was studiously avoiding his gaze. ‘We’ll certainly think about it,’ he said. ‘Won’
t we, Alice?’
‘Sure,’ she muttered.
‘I’ve only travelled in Asia,’ Seth added. ‘So it’s probably time I broadened my horizons.’
‘And perhaps we could set up Skype?’ said Joanna, when she’d finished wiping her eyes.
‘Yes, sure.’
There were more goodbyes, Charlie waved with gratifying enthusiasm, and the Fox-Richards drove off, heading for Kuranda. Joanna lowered her window, shot out a slim arm jangling with silver bracelets and waved. The car disappeared around the corner and Seth felt a huge weight roll from his shoulders.
The rendezvous had gone a hell of a lot better than he’d expected. They’d reached the best possible outcome.
Such a relief.
He got to keep his son. Charlie would grow up knowing his mother and developing an ongoing relationship with her, and Nigel’s lawyer would draw up an agreement that could only be finalised when everyone involved, including Seth’s lawyer, Brad Woods, was happy with the terms.
It was also good to know he’d been wrong about Joanna. He could see now that she’d been more confused and scared than cold and heartless, and she’d made the mistake of not trusting the man she loved to stand by her.
He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly, only now realising how very tense he’d been. All week.
Alice took Charlie over for a final swing and he thought how great she was, even going to the trouble of dressing for the part and then sticking up for him. He could have kissed her. Hell, he longed to kiss her now, to tell her how much it had meant to have her at his side.
Damn pity they’d been lying about their relationship.
It wasn’t a big lie, but he’d asked a lot of a girl he’d only dated once. Yet they’d worked as a team and it had felt right. Unexpectedly so.
As if she knew he was watching her now, Alice turned from her task at the swing and sent him a smile. ‘You must be so relieved to have that behind you. I thought it went well.’
‘Yeah, couldn’t have been better.’ He walked over to her. ‘Thanks for your help. I’m sorry I put you through all that, but you were wonderful.’
She didn’t look so sure. ‘I stuffed up when I threw that in about being engaged. Sorry. Joanna was staring at my ring finger and I said the first thing that jumped into my head.’
Seth couldn’t believe she was still stewing over that. ‘You’re not still worrying about it, are you?’
‘Aren’t you? Joanna and Nigel will be expecting an engagement announcement. A wedding.’
Seth shrugged. ‘It’s not really any of their business.’ Then he offered what he hoped was a reassuring smile. ‘Anyway, we’ve got plenty of time before we see them again.’
‘But don’t they want to Skype almost as soon as they get back?’
‘To talk to Charlie. Not to grill us about our relationship.’ If Seth hadn’t been feeling so relieved and upbeat, Alice’s panicked expression might have bruised his ego. But of course, he knew this particular girl had issues. She’d hinted at them last time they’d been together, but he didn’t want to open that can of worms now. He’d already had enough tension for one day.
It was late afternoon. Almost all the patrons and tourists had left the café and the gift shop and Seth was looking forward to heading for home, getting Charlie sorted for the evening and unwinding over a beer.
There was only one thing that could improve on that scenario.
‘Why don’t you come back to my place?’ he said. ‘I’ll cook you dinner to say thank you.’
Alice hesitated, which was no real surprise to Seth. So far, this girl had treated every step of their acquaintance with caution. Except when it came to sex, and then she’d been terrifically spontaneous.
He found the contrast between her carefulness and her passion intriguing. And incredibly addictive.
‘Come on,’ he urged gently, glad that he had his own place now. A man nudging thirty shouldn’t be still living at home, but it had taken Charlie’s arrival to kick him into action. ‘You’ve got an hour’s drive back to your place and then you’d to have start cooking. Give yourself a night off.’
Alice definitely looked interested, but she didn’t say yes.
‘I cook a mean steak.’
This time she grinned and she was more gorgeous than ever.
‘All right. You’ve won me. Thanks.’
__________
As Alice drove west, following Seth’s ute, she wrestled with her usual second thoughts about the wisdom of her decision. Going home with Seth would be totally appropriate if she really was his girlfriend, but their relationship was supposed to be ultra-casual. Absolutely no strings.
But then, she knew how huge this day had been for him. After a week of tension and worry, he was probably experiencing a sense of anticlimax, especially at the thought of going home alone, tending to Charlie, and then sitting down to his dinner on his own. This should be a night for celebration and it was only natural that he might want a little company.
Given her involvement in the day’s minor coup, she was the logical person to invite.
Okay, she told herself. So turn off the stress-o-meter. Relax. Enjoy.
They veered away from the main road and onto the dirt track that led to the homestead. The sun was a dazzling orb in Alice’s line of vision and she lowered the visor against its glare, following at some distance behind the dust thrown up by Seth’s ute. When she reached the cattle grid, she slowed down carefully, remembering the other time she’d come here, when she’d been so flustered by meeting Seth.
He still had a brain-melting effect on her, she reminded herself as she pulled up beside his ute under a big old tree. Common sense and self-restraint were needed this evening. Which meant she certainly wasn’t going to stay the night, not with his parents living so close.
Ralph the blue cattle dog rushed forward to greet them, tail wagging madly.
‘I think he remembers you,’ Seth said. ‘He likes you.’
‘How do you know?’
‘He didn’t bark.’
Alice was surprised by how much this pleased her. She could almost imagine she was becoming a proper country woman.
Seth unbuckled Charlie, who was tired and grumbling, and slumped with his head on his father’s shoulder as they went into the cottage.
‘He fell asleep on the way home, so I need to get him fed and into bed quickly before he gets his second wind,’ Seth said.
‘Sure. What can I do to help?’
He flashed her a grateful grin. ‘Would you mind scrambling an egg while I give him a quick bath?’
‘Not at all. With toast?’
‘Yeah. Toast fingers with a little Vegemite.’
‘Yum. Lucky Charlie.’
‘And grab yourself a beer from the fridge.’
Alice wasn’t really a beer drinker and she still had to drive home, so she made do with a glass of tonic water before finding an egg, milk and butter and settling to her task.
Seth’s place was simple, with an L-shaped area for the kitchen, dining and lounge, then two bedrooms and a bathroom. Uncurtained sliding glass doors opened onto a small deck that overlooked the gum-tree-shaded creek.
It was all rather pleasant and homely with Charlie’s toys in a basket on the floor beside a brightly coloured beanbag. These items looked new and modern, but the rest of the furniture was clearly second-hand. Alice supposed they were pieces from the homestead. She couldn’t imagine that Seth shared her favourite pastime of scouring second-hand shops.
To her surprise, everything seemed to be dust and clutter free. Even more surprisingly, the fridge and the cupboards, although not immaculate, were in pretty good order. It made a nice change from the bachelor pads she’d encountered in Brisbane, where sinks overflowed with a week’s worth of dirty dishes and the coffee tables were littered with empty beer stubbies. But then, those guys hadn’t had a baby to care for.
Seth’s baby.
Alice’s breathing faltered, but she fought o
ff the flutters of fear. Everything had gone extremely well today. She’d managed fine in her small role with Charlie and now he was safely back in his father’s care.
Relax.
As she whisked egg and milk and added it to a little melted butter in a saucepan, she could hear laughter and splashing from the bathroom. Cosy and comforting sounds as the daylight outside turned to the purple of gathering dusk.
She allowed herself to let go, to shrug aside any fears of catastrophe – Charlie wasn’t going to drown in the bath, or slip and smash his head. She even found herself fantasising about living here with Seth and his child. For a heady moment, it felt ever so remotely possible.
There was something very steadying and reassuring about Seth. Perhaps it came from growing up in the bush. Alice suspected that cattlemen had to be capable and resourceful, managing the land and their stock, as well as maintaining structures like fences and buildings, and keeping an eye on the business side of things. Seth was probably good at most things he turned his hand to.
He was blissfully good in bed.
With that breath-robbing thought, she gave the egg mixture an extra stir and took it off the heat, and she was cutting a slice of toast into fingers when there was a knock at the door.
Alice hadn’t heard anyone arrive on the verandah, but there was a man on the deck. Tall and broad-shouldered like Seth, he was older, with a pleasantly lined face, silver-grey hair and dark eyes.
‘Hey there,’ he said, sliding the screen door open. ‘I’m Hugh, Seth’s father.’
Before Alice could answer, Seth came out of the bathroom with Charlie in his arms.
The little boy, damp and glowing and wrapped in a towel, gave an excited squeal. ‘Pum-pa!’
‘Dad,’ Seth said. ‘Thought I heard your voice.’
There was an embarrassed tilt to his father’s smile and the glance he sent Alice was almost apologetic. ‘I saw the extra ute outside and thought it was Jim Lang’s. I wanted to speak to him about rigging up some extra lighting for this damn party next week.’
Seth shook his head. ‘I haven’t seen Jim in ages. I think he’s working out at the mines these days, but if he’s in town, I’m sure he’d be happy to help you.’ Then he nodded to Alice. ‘This is Alice Miller. She fixed up that sideboard mirror for Mum.’
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