She’d taken a day out to go to Bourke with him. That day she’d kept spirits up, put in calls to other regional bakers and her secretary. He marvelled at her strength.
He ran a hand through his hair. ‘Many docs to go?’
‘I’m on the last one.’
Her eyes, etched with tiredness, were the bluest he’d ever seen them.
Without another word he sat beside her and nudged her shoulder in a playful way hoping to elicit a smile. ‘Don’t mind me, I’m just the prop. You carry on.’
Rachael gave him a long wide open grin—a first. He held his breath.
She laughed at him. ‘I don’t know if I can. You’re such a distraction.’
‘Oh no, we don’t want that.’ He shook his head, chuffed by her admission. ‘Well, no, that’s not right. I’m glad I’m a distraction.’
He grinned at her. ‘Rach, forget me,’ and pointed to the documents that lay in her lap. ‘Concentrate on those while I think of an excuse to have a sickie tomorrow. I’m sure I’m going to need one.’
After a few minutes she relaxed against his side. Her soft body fitted snug and warm against his. The hair on the top of her head just reached his chin, lightly tickling him. He brushed it aside and caught the faint scent of apple.
Rach moved to turn a page and her breasts brushed briefly against his arms. His thoughts turned to bed and being naked and all the other things he’d rather be doing with her. All the things they would be doing if he hadn’t been so precious and pulled the plug after their kiss.
She poked him in the ribs. He glanced down at her, her knowing smile surprising him. Was there anything he could get past this delightful woman? She was nice and sweet and far too accommodating for the corporate world, despite the kick in the rear she’d given him earlier.
She finished an hour later. How she managed to rally and do her part amazed him.
Her stomach rumbled, its sound echoing in the empty space. She grinned at him as she rubbed her belly.
‘The one time I’m starving and there’s no fresh bread at the bakery.’
He kissed her on the top of her head.
‘Stay put; I’ll pack these.’
In fifteen minutes he was opening his front door with Rach beside him.
He didn’t know what he was doing bringing her back to his place. The Henderson home was only a five-minute walk from the bakery. But the flow between them was going so well he didn’t want to break it.
Inside, he switched on the lights, checked on Molly still asleep in the laundry room, and directed Rach to sit on the stool at the end of his kitchen island.
Switching on the kettle, he grinned at her. ‘I hope you don’t mind an English breakfast; it’ll be pork sausages, scrambled eggs, bacon and mushrooms. Okay?’
Her bright smile stilled him—that’s distraction.
‘That sounds wonderful. Shar won’t believe me when I tell her. She thinks I’m still addicted to a morning cup of black coffee.’
He flung open his fridge door and began searching to see what he had. He tossed the bacon and sausages on the bench.
‘And are you?’
‘Oh, I’m known to have the odd bowl of muesli with it.’
He was conscious of her eyes on him while he prepared the eggs and prayed he didn’t make a mess of things.
‘What’s Caitlyn like?’ she asked, then immediately threw up her hands. Her sudden movement almost caused him to spill the bowl of stirred eggs.
‘Sorry, I can’t believe I asked you that. I swore I would leave your personal life alone.’
He kept his head down and stirred the eggs. Caitlyn’s existence had to be faced. ‘Ask away. I don’t mind. It’s the biggest regret of my life that I don’t know her.’ He shot her a quick glance. ‘Are your parents still alive?’
She shook her head. ‘My parents died many years ago.’
He kept an eye on his sausages and an eye on Rachael. ‘You were lucky; the Hendersons have quite the reputation around here.’
‘Nancy and Bert were great. I was hopeless with fractions and Bert would spend hours every night going over them with me. It must have driven him crazy.’
‘Here you go,’ he said as he handed her a plate of food.
Rachael took in a deep breath. ‘Yum, that smells delicious. Thank you.’ He wasn’t sure if it was to smell the bacon, or relief that question time was over.
As a sportsman he knew the importance of timing, and the timing of their lives was way off beam. He was never sorrier about that than now. She was successful, ambitious, driven—and lovely.
The thought of a fling ballooned large in his mind. It would have been nice, but not for him. His gut was right from the moment he saw her. She was the girl you married, the girl you respected, and the girl you never let go.
He wanted a wife, someone to create a history with.
‘What made you decide to be a solicitor? I’m sure you could have been anything you wanted.’
She eyed him, and he sensed a shift. ‘You really want to know?’
‘I do. I don’t want the blarney about changing the world. Somebody beat us to that one.’
He could tell she was considering her answer. Something about the expression on her face made him sit up.
‘I did it so nobody could have one over me. Before I moved here I grew up feeling no one was in my corner looking out for me. As a lawyer I don’t need anyone to look out for me. I can do it myself.’
His stomach dropped at the hard practical reasoning behind the decision. The slight edge to her voice caused his jaw to tighten. He could remember well his dream to study architecture. It was a pleasure, it was his interest, and he loved it.
‘I was lucky,’ she continued. ‘I got a scholarship to work at one of the big law firms in the city. They specialised for the big corporate companies and I got caught up in their world and their culture. I stayed.’
He digested that piece of information, but the picture of the little girl forming in his head worried him. There had been so much sacrifice. He could imagine the hours she worked to gain that scholarship.
He bit into his now tasteless breakfast. ‘Why do you put yourself through it? Does it mean that much to you to be a partner?’
She blushed a light shade of pink.
‘It gives me power, which I’ve never had, and security in every aspect of my life.’
‘Power?’
Her ever-ready smile didn’t reach her eyes.
‘You’ve never felt powerless? Or been so angry you couldn’t sleep night after night at the injustice of what had happened to you?’
He pushed his plate aside. He remembered as a kid falling asleep the minute his head hit the pillow, but that sort of peace was long ago.
‘What about the bakery?’ he asked. ‘You’ve got some wonderful ideas for it.’
She stiffened, and he held up his hands.
‘Hear me out here. You had a great say in the changes, you’ve started those changes and that’s huge around here. People are talking about it. It shows that you have faith that things will turn.’
She frowned. ‘Those small changes to the bakery?’
‘Rach, I know that’s small bickies to you and your work mates, but up here not so. What you’re doing has a huge impact.’
He caught her gaze, surprised her eyes were moist. She smiled. ‘That’s nice to hear, but it has a way to go yet.’
‘Why did you do it? You could have gone the other way and suggested they close it. I don’t think you’d have had much opposition to that.’
Her eyes widened. ‘They’re family and I don’t want to see them go under. It’s my small way of protecting them.’
He turned on the coffee maker. ‘You’re investing a lot of time into it.’
She twisted in her chair to face him. ‘Not into the bakery, into them. I’m doing it for them.’
‘I’m glad you told me. I’m hearing all sorts of stories about your treats; I haven’t noticed Shar doing any experimenta
l baking. You’re enjoying this.’
‘She has a young family.’
He plonked down two clean mugs on the bench.
‘Why don’t you admit you like baking?’
She glared at him. He got the warning, so swift and sudden it surprised him. He wasn’t having any of it.
‘You’re pushing me here, Mike. Why?’
He slipped back onto the stool opposite her.
‘Apart from the money and the power I don’t get why you want to be a partner. I’ve been there, remember. I lost touch with Caitlyn and my family. Oh, I made weekly calls and emails, but as for actually doing anything for any of them, it didn’t happen.’
She let out a soft sigh. ‘That’s part of the price.’
‘The price? One year I got my secretary to do my Christmas shopping. How pathetic is that?’
‘It happens.’
He moved closer. ‘It shouldn’t. I know your work means everything to you, so, let’s see what we can do to make it easier for you.’
Her eyes brightened a little, with a whisper of a smile playing across her pale face. ‘Why? You have plenty going on as well.’
‘It matters because I like you. I like you a lot, Rach.’ He grimaced. ‘There, it’s out there. Make of it what you will.’
What have I done?
He didn’t mean to go so far. Common sense was screaming at him to walk away—clear the bench, make some coffee, make a noise—to do something, anything. This girl was not for him, she was seeking something else. His treacherous body was incapable of common sense, and refused to move. His eyes studied her like a hawk zeroing in on its prey. Her face remained impassive and a little part of him quaked.
‘Sorry, Rach, I didn’t mean to land that on you; you’re tired, I’m tired and I’m just fishing to see if there was a chance you’d stick around.’
‘You like me?’ she cut in. Her eyes were on his face, watchful, thoughtful.
He smiled at her. ‘Yes, the poor sod that I am likes you.’
He saw a slight flicker of something behind her lovely eyes and a tremor in her bottom lip.
‘You are a poor sod. You don’t know anything about me.’
His body ached to walk around the counter and take her in his arms. ‘I know what my gut’s telling me.’
‘We’ve had different pasts.’
He reached out to take her hand, but she didn’t move, didn’t touch him.
‘I’m sorry, Rach, if I could change it for you I would.’
‘I know you would. You’re that type of guy, but I’m giving you an out here.’
Her whispered words swirled about him. They gutted him, but he understood her fears.
He let out a soft laugh.
‘I don’t want a way out. I’m looking for a way in.’
The words popped out. How far was he prepared to go? He’d already drawn a line to having a fling.
He turned, collected their dishes and took them across to the sink in order to avoid her eyes. It gave him a minute to collect his thoughts given he’d exposed so much about himself.
‘I’m sorry, Mike. My future is in Sydney and I’m focused on that.’
He faced her. ‘I understand. We made a pact and we’ll stick to it.’
For a split second her gaze faltered, and he wondered if he should press his point, but decided against it.
‘Coffee?’
She shook her head.
‘I should go,’ she said grabbing her bag off the floor.
‘Stay.’
As soon as the word was out he wanted to take it back. He should not be encouraging her to stay, not when she clearly wanted to flee. And not when there was a fair chance he’d lose his heart.
She cocked her head to one side, her eyes gliding to his.
‘Mike, I think we both know how this is going to end.’
He sucked in his breath and tamped down his desire to shake her.
‘Well, as a solicitor you hate untidy endings, and a deal is a deal. We still have some rooms to paint. I know you wouldn’t welch on a deal.’
She bit her bottom lip and he knew she was at a tipping point; he could see the hesitation in her beautiful eyes.
In two strides he leaned against the bench.
‘Just stay, Rach. Spend the day here. I’m not asking you to do anything, you can sleep all day if you want, read, I don’t know, whatever you want, but don’t go. I leave for work in an hour.’
All I’m asking for is a chance.
Chapter 13
Her eyes flew open at the unusual sound and wider still at the unfamiliar surroundings. Mike’s bed. She stretched out and luxuriated in the big soft bed. It was a definite upgrade from her old bed at the Hendersons’. Rolling over to her side she watched Mike chop wood at the far end of his backyard through the glass sliding doors. His suggestion to have a hot shower and then sleep had worked a treat.
Pulling away her unruly hair she glanced at the clock radio. It had just gone three in the afternoon, so, why was he home so early?
Feeling indulgent she continued to watch him. In the silent home, with only the soft tick of the clock and the hum of the fridge as background noise, her body eased deeper into the bed and her thoughts strayed. Her work life—no, scotch that—her life was timed to the minute and she fought hard to remind herself that it was what she wanted. Treacherous thoughts about her life gripped her.
Don’t go there.
Agitated, she sat up. She reached out to the clothes Mike had left for her on his corner chair and pulled on the jeans, rolled up the cuffs and slipped on the t-shirt and hoodie. She padded across his wooden floorboards all the way to the kitchen.
Five minutes later she was standing on his back verandah in the late afternoon sun with two cups of coffee.
‘Want a break?’ she called out.
Mike dropped his mattock and her lips quivered into a smile, as his smile broadened the closer he got to her.
She was fast learning that when it came to people he cared about, he was incapable of keeping his distance no matter the cost. It was both endearing and frightening at the same time.
And you agreed to stay the day.
Grinning like a Cheshire cat he pulled up a chair and sat alongside her, his enthusiasm infectious.
‘Good sleep?’
She let out a contented sigh. ‘One of the best. What are your plans for the garden?’
‘A chicken pen at the back and alongside them a vegie patch.’
‘Oh, the chooks will love that.’
He laughed. ‘Maybe their proximity might fertilise the vegies. No, this is for Caitlyn; it’ll give her something to care for and love.’
She stared at him and then shook her head.
‘Let Caitlyn decide that, not you,’ she said drily. ‘Let her come out here and decide what she likes. She might want a horse and couldn’t give a fig about chooks. Let her discover what she’ll like in this country, not you.’
‘I’ll think about that,’ he muttered.
She walked around to him.
‘Stop with the thinking. Do it. Don’t paint her bedroom until she comes out. Shop for her furniture with her, make her part of it.’
A wry smile curved his lips.
‘This is not good, not good at all.’ He downed the last of his coffee. ‘I wanted everything to be ready for her.’
‘I get that, but you have one chance to get this right.’ She waved her arms about. ‘Having this house is a big change for you. Share it with her, let her initiate some of those changes.’
He lifted his head slowly and he gave her a wicked wink. Her heart rate went into freefall.
‘What about we take a night off from the painting? Let’s have a bottle of wine, a pizza and chill out? I’ll take you home whenever you like. But right now, I’ll have a quick shower.’
A night off. To do what?
She nodded, liking the idea. ‘That sounds really nice. I haven’t had a night off since I got here.’
Her
eyes travelled over his well-toned body as he made his way to his bathroom. A minute later the sound of the shower echoed throughout the house. She heard the splashes and her thoughts strayed to their kiss. The more she thought about it the more she craved it.
Stop it. She wondered if he expected her to rush in and join him. Stop it.
Molly waddled up to her and settled at her feet.
Abruptly the sound of the shower ceased and an unfamiliar sensation hit her. It held the promise of expectation and so much more. The delicious sensation intensified as she heard Mike move about in his bedroom.
When he strolled out onto the verandah with a chilled bottle of wine, dressed in jeans and a blue shirt that highlighted his light tan she knew she was in trouble.
Her eyes feasted on him as he poured her a glass of wine. ‘This is lovely, do you do it often?’
‘Not often enough. Let’s christen my new verandah. I finished it last month.’
She raised her glass.
‘To Mike’s new verandah.’
She meant it. The work he’d done inside was phenomenal. He’d brought to life an old home with more add-ons than a mortgage loan, turning it into a sleek contemporary home.
She eyed him, curious. ‘Did you get an early mark from work?’
He shook his head. ‘No, I asked for a month’s leave for family reasons. I want to get this place finished, no more excuses. Caitlyn is coming out. If there’s an emergency at work they know where I am.’
With her hands gripping the cold class, she faced him. ‘You’ve spoken with her?’
Her compassion grew at the wry grin he shot her.
He sat beside her. ‘I took your advice. I called her and asked questions and she actually answered them. It beats the “yes” and “no” answers I’ve had in the past.’
Relief surged within her. ‘That’s great. What did you learn?’
‘That she likes elephants. I thought about getting an elephant print for a bedspread, with matching curtains?’
She screwed up her nose. ‘Stop right there. How old is she?’
‘Thirteen.’
Abruptly, she put down her wine. What was it with men? They were too practical for their own good.
‘It has to be something really special, something she’ll treasure and something from you.’
A Reason To Stay Page 13