by Diana Fraser
Susie dragged the dinghy off the sands and into the sea. Once it was beyond the small breakers she switched on the motor and she was soon out of her bay and around the headland. The day was glorious, a warm breeze and only tufts of white clouds scooting high overhead. The cold sea splashed over her warm skin as she bounced across the current and followed the coastline around to the more remote part of the island where the land was still covered in bush and cut off by plunging gullies. She slowed as she rounded the headland into the bay. As the beach came into sight she sat back as if pushed and just stared.
Where once there’d been an unbroken line of bush and pohutukawa trees, now the old homestead stood, clearly visible from the square widow’s walk at the top, down to the full-length verandahs that ran across the front on both the first and ground floor. All of it covered with scaffolding. To one side the stream emerged and ran down to the beach, fanning into tributaries on the low tide. Red-billed sandpipers delicately picked their way over the sands.
She cut the engine and drifted up to the jetty, throwing a loop of rope around the end. She pulled the boat around and climbed up the steps.
There was no sound other than the birds and throbbing cicadas in the bush and the breaking of the lively waves on the shore. His boat was here but there was no sign of James. Then suddenly she heard him. The regular back and forth of a saw on wood, coming from inside the house.
She could hardly believe it had only been a few short weeks since she’d been there with Tom… with James. She’d been aware of a sense of completeness then and she felt it again now as she listened to the rhythmic sawing. She smiled as she remembered how he’d loved to work on the tree house, on fences, on anything with his hands, much to the consternation of his mother, who had no intention of allowing any of her sons to become carpenters.
Piles of equipment and timber had been dragged up to the beach and stored in orderly stacks under tarpaulin. Scaffolding had been erected around the house on all sides. She stopped in front of the wide sweep of steps that led to the front door. She’d always entered by the back door, as they’d done before because the front had been covered with creepers and trees. Now she could see just how beautiful a home it was… and could be.
She was suddenly aware of a silence. The sawing had stopped. She walked up to the steps and onto the verandah, her gaze sweeping to the ceiling, which was in the process of being repaired.
“Don’t move!” Shocked, she turned around. James was carefully picking his way towards her.
“Why not?”
“Because.” He reached her and took her hand in both of his, caressing it tenderly. “I haven’t finished working on this yet. There are still some rotten boards need sorting out.” He smiled. “Place your feet where I put mine and watch where you’re going.” Susie looked down and saw the rotten and missing floor boards she’d failed to see when she’d been too busy looking up and around. But, more than that, she felt the heat of his hand encasing hers as he led her to safety.
Once off the verandah, he didn’t drop her hand, but led her to the back step. There he had a comfortable chair, a small gas stove, chilly bin and other evidence that he might be working on the house, but he certainly wasn’t going to be uncomfortable while he did it. “Have a seat. Would you like a drink? Kettle’s just boiled.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Sure. A cup of Earl Grey tea please. Any lemon?”
“Can do the tea, but no lemon, I’m afraid.”
“Your standards are slipping.”
“I wasn’t expecting the pleasure of your company. Not yet anyway.”
There was a silence where they just looked at each other. She felt her resolve begin to disintegrate. She breathed in sharply and looked around. “You’ve bought it from Pete then?”
“Yes. He’s sold me the house and a good bit of land around it.”
“I had no idea.”
“It all happened quickly. Pete was more than happy because he knew what I planned. He’d been fighting off investors for years who wanted to develop the area for housing, farming whatever. This way it reverts to what it was like originally.”
She raised her eyebrows in surprise as she accepted the cup of tea from him and sat down. “Originally? How do you mean? This is for the new lodge, right?”
James shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. I’ll decide after I’ve discussed the matter with my executive team.”
“Who?”
“You. There’s no need to decide immediately. My team of builders won’t arrive for a few months yet.”
“But you’ve made a start by yourself?”
“Yes. For now, it’s me. I wanted to make a start myself. I needed to.”
She nodded, unable to take her eyes off him. His usually immaculate hair had traces of sawdust through it and his hands were roughened and scratched. His clothes were splashed with paint and his work boots were new. But the dark circles had all but disappeared and his eyes were less restless, his smile when it settled on her was relaxed and content. “You’re having fun, here aren’t you?”
“Sure am. I used to try to get involved with the company’s property developments but there were always other things I needed to do to keep things running, keep the money coming in.”
“I guess you don’t have to worry about money any more.”
“I’ve more than enough with the business interests I’ve retained.” He looked up at the house, his hand smoothing down some weatherboards that had just been sanded. “I can run them from here.”
“You’re going to make your home here, then?” She asked cautiously.
He grinned. “You only just got that?”
“I wanted to hear it from you.”
“Yes. My home’s here all right. I’ve never felt more sure of anything.” He glanced at her. “Or nearly anything.”
She knew he meant her and she breathed in deeply as she allowed her remaining defenses to crumble completely. She stood up. “I’m surprised you’re not camping here.”
“Are you? I might have made a massive lifestyle change but I haven’t completely lost my mind.”
“Oh, I thought you enjoyed camping with me and Tom.”
He walked up behind her and slipped his arms around her shoulders. “You know I did. But that was all about the company, not sleeping on hard ground.”
She stilled and closed her eyes at his touch but she didn’t move away. She sighed and turned in his arms. “So, you’ve bought a house, you’re doing it up, you think I should trust you now?”
He looked surprised. “No, I’ve only been here a few days. I don’t expect anything from you just because I’ve committed to a house, to a place… to a woman, forever.”
The word “forever” stuck in her mind. Forever was a long time. You could trust someone if they were with you forever. “Good.” She slipped her hands up to his chest and smoothed them over the soft fabric of his t-shirt. “Because I can’t imagine what ‘forever’ means.”
“You don’t have to. You just have to live it. Day by day.”
“One step at a time then?” She lifted her face to his and he reached down and kissed her softly on the lips. She sighed and laid her cheek against his chest and breathed him in.
“One step at a time.”
EPILOGUE
Six months later
Susie waved at the departing launch and smiled to see Guy putting his arm protectively around a very pregnant Lucia.
James came up beside her and pulled a cork from a bottle of wine and sniffed it. “It’s going to be a good year.”
“Not least for Lucia.” Susie smiled at the recollection of just how happy Lucia had been.
James followed Susie’s gaze at the launch as it passed out of the bay and around the corner, waving at the departing figures. “She deserves it, they both deserve it. But twins? Good luck to them.”
“They’ll be brilliant. It’s a dream come true for them both.”
She took the glass of wine from him and looked up at the im
maculately restored verandah, its fresh white paint gleaming in the cool winter sunshine. The sound of a tune being picked out on the piano drifted out to them through open windows.
“And what about your dreams, Susie? Have they come true?”
“Are you kidding? Listen to that.” They both listened as Tom continued to play the piano, his musicality and sense of enjoyment obvious, despite the simplicity of the piece. The music suddenly stopped and Tom came running out, his eyes bright with excitement.
“I got to the end! Did you hear me?”
“We heard!” they both exclaimed in unison. James ruffled the boy’s hair and Tom returned inside.
“He’s so happy.”
“And are you, Suse? When you sit at the top of the cliff and look out at the sky, what do you dream of?”
“Nothing in particular. It’s the feeling I get from sitting there, that I like. With the wind on my face and the birds flying just out of reach, it’s as if I’m flying too. Flying free, no restrictions.”
“You don’t like restrictions, then.” He sighed and she turned to him, surprised at his doleful tone. “And there I was about to ask you if you’d have my babies.”
She nearly choked on her wine. “James! But—” she spluttered.
“I’d hoped,” he continued calmly as if she hadn’t just split her wine on the newly painted floorboards. “That the last six months had been enough.”
“Enough to…?”
“To convince you that, like it or not, I’m never leaving you.” He pulled her into his arms and she wriggled against him.
“I like it.”
He caressed her face and the look he gave her made her melt. “Yes, I can see that in your eyes.”
She wriggled closer into his embrace. “You can read me so easily, hey?”
“Sure.”
“What am I thinking now?”
He shrugged and drew in a considered breath. “You’re wondering where I went yesterday.”
“No, I wasn’t. Well, maybe, just a bit. I was waiting for you to tell me.”
“And I was waiting until we were alone.” He pulled back and watched her carefully. “I went to see the doctor.”
“What about?”
“I asked him what the chances were of reversing the operation.”
“The vasectomy?”
“Yeah.”
“And?”
“He can do the operation all right. But there are no guarantees that it will work.”
A slow smile spread over Susie’s face. “I thought you’d given up any idea of having children.”
“No, you just assumed I had.”
“So… do you want children?”
“Put it this way, I think I want to try. A lot.”
She slid her arm around his body. “Is that right?” She reached up and kissed him.
“But I won’t do it if it’s too difficult for you to deal with. I don’t want you to get your hopes up for nothing.”
“James, whatever happens will be a bonus, it’ll be something I never anticipated. I want to be with you, period. I think we should marry.”
He swallowed and tried to hide his emotions behind a wry grin. He brushed her hair from her face. “I’ve been waiting to hear that. You know I’d have proposed on day one but I needed it to come from you.”
“I want to be with you, by your side, taking the good and bad.”
“Bad? You think I’m going to let anything bad happen to you?”
“No, I don’t.” Her voice was muffled against his neck. “I trust you.”
“Good.” He pulled away and they walked down the steps to the beach. “Because I reckon if it works out, we should have a big family.”
“A lot of kids? They’re hard work, you know.”
“I’m up for it. How does seven sound?”
“James! You’re crazy. It sounds way too many. What about two?”
“Two? We’d have an odd number then. Tom plus two. No. But we could go with five.”
“Five! No way. Three?”
They reached the water’s edge and James turned her in his arms and they both looked up at the house, with Tom’s music spilling outside onto the beach. They stopped there and James held Susie’s face in his hands as if it were the most precious thing on earth.
“I love you, Suse.” He pressed his lips to hers briefly before settling a small kiss on the indentation of her top lip. “But…” He pressed another kiss to the corner of her smiling lips. “Five…” Another to the other side. “It…” And one in the bottom curve of her lips. “Is…”
THE END
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Books by Diana Fraser
—The Mackenzies—
The PA’s Revenge (Book 1)
The Marriage Trap (Book 2)
The Playboy’s Redemption (Book 3)
—Desert Kings—
The Sheikh’s Bargain Bride
Lucy and the Sheikh
King Tariq of Ma’in—coming soon
—Italian Lovers—
The Italian’s Perfect Lover
Seduced by the Italian
The Passionate Italian
***
The PA’s Revenge (Book 1)
Cassandra Lee is determined to exact revenge on the man she believes to be responsible for the death of her father and son. She studies his business and becomes his PA with the aim of sabotaging his fortune. But one thing she’s not prepared for is to be seduced by the powerful and sexy Dallas Mackenzie. She just hopes that his interest—and her resistance—will hold out long enough to ruin him...
Excerpt
“Come in!” The low growl penetrated the thick oak door effortlessly.
It was an order. It was without finesse. It was exactly what Cassandra had expected.
Even so, her hand trembled slightly as she tugged at her straightened hair, pulling a stubborn curl firmly behind her ear. She had to have everything under control if she was going to succeed.
She opened the heavy door, allowing it to swing wide before she made her entrance. It had to be a good one; she would have only one chance.
With a quick glance she scanned the dark office registering the minimal decor, clear desk, single light pooled over a closed laptop, before her eyes rested on the man whose image haunted her every waking moment—Dallas Mackenzie.
He stood in shadow with his back to her, hands thrust in pockets, staring out over the lights of Wellington.
“What do you want?”
He hadn’t even bothered to turn to face her.
Fear flickered in her gut.
“I’ve come to be interviewed for the PA position.”
“I’m not interviewing today. Come back tomorrow with the others.”
She swallowed. “I can’t. It has to be today. The agency rang and arranged the appointment with your receptionist for 5.30.” Her first lie. It had been easier than she’d thought.
“You’re late then.”
He still hadn’t turned around.
“I’m not late, I’ve been waiting over an hour.”
Cassandra walked slowly towards him and stopped in the middle of the room, suddenly confronted with her own image clearly visible in the window against the darkening sky. It was an image she didn’t recognize—sleekly groomed and in control.
He grunted but still didn’t move, simply continued to stare across the darkening harbor towards the Rimutaka ranges, glowing orange in the setting sun.
She had to admit the view was incredible. No wonder the man felt invincible. He had the city at his feet. Just a pity that he chose to abuse his power. But that was where she came in, wasn’t i
t?
The Marriage Trap (Book 2)
“A shepherd’s hut, twenty-four hours, a stranger…” It’s not the perfect start to Gemma Winters’ new life but when she finds herself isolated with a handsome stranger, the demands of her body take over. Callum Mackenzie's only real love affair is with his land. But the night of passion he shares with Gemma has shattering consequences—marriage, and two people forced to face their worst fears...
Excerpt
“So, how long will this last—the storm, that is?”
“Hard to tell. Twelve to twenty-four hours. We’ll be here for a night at least.”
“Right.” She eyed the lone double bed warily.
He’d followed her gaze. “Uncomfortable with that?”
“Well, I just wondered... what the sleeping arrangements were going to be. Where should I sleep?”
He nodded to the bed. “In there.”
“But…what about you? Where will you sleep?”
“In there—with you.”
“Well, hang on a minute. I don’t know what you take me for but I’m not in the habit of sleeping with strangers.”
A smile flickered on his lips. “Perhaps you mistook my meaning. It wasn’t an invitation for sex, just sleep.”
“Er, right. Of course.” She guessed it wasn’t too late to learn that there were men out there not like Paul, men who saved her from disaster and who didn’t expect sex in return.