Time to Trust

by Rosemary Badger

  'Well, don't expect him another time.' He looked from Kate to the fence. 'I'll have a six-foot fence erected,' His eyes swung back to her astonished face. 'That should be enough to keep him in and you out!'

  'A six-foot fence!'

  'That's what I said,' he drawled, obviously satisfied with his decision. 'But don't worry, I won't be expecting you to help towards the cost. I'll take care of it myself.'

  'Indeed you won't!' snapped Kate, placing her hands on her hips and jutting out her chin. 'There will be no six-foot fence put up here!'

  He smiled down at her. 'I wasn't asking your permission, Miss Chalmers. There will be a fence, a proper fence, whether you like it or not.'

  'I know my rights,' she told him. 'You can't put up a fence without your neighbour's permission.'

  His smile deepened. 'Can't I?' he growled. 'Watch me!'

  He turned and hopped over the low picket fence. His eyes roamed across her garden before settling on her hot, flushed little face. 'I can't say I'll miss this jungle.'

  Kate placed her hands on the fence and leaned over it, giving him the full benefit of her glare. 'You're a mean, spiteful man!' she shouted angrily. 'That monstrosity you call a house blocks out half my view and all the breezes. I can hardly sleep at night. A six-foot fence will trap the heat in both our gardens. The plants will die. You don't need a fence!'

  'What I need, Miss Chalmers, is not for you to decide.'

  Fearful he would disappear into his house before this matter was resolved, Kate decided a more gentle approach was necessary. With great difficulty she forced a smile.

  'Please, Mr Hunter,' she said softly, 'we're neighbours. Can't we at least try to see eye to eye on things?' She had his full attention now and a thrill of excitement shot down her spine. Perhaps she would get the best of him yet. 'Mrs Abbott has already vouched for me. You said so yourself that she thought I was a marvellous person and -'

  'Wonderful.'

  Kate blinked. 'What?'

  'Mrs Abbott said you were wonderful, not marvellous.'

  Kate's cheeks flamed with fresh colour.

  'Kind of you to correct me,' she murmured, hating the look of smug arrogance on his handsome face. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. 'I love children,' she continued. 'My brother has two little boys and since they moved to Western Australia, I really miss their company.' She was earnest now. 'Matthew would be quite safe with me. I would never let him come to any harm,'

  He looked at her thoughtfully for a long moment and Kate held her breath, knowing he was making a decision, not only about the fence but his son as well.

  'Have you made any plans for tonight?' he surprised her by asking.

  'Tonight?' Kate shook her head. 'Why, no, I -'

  'Then perhaps you'd like to come over for a drink? Would eight o' clock suit?'

  Kate was dumbfounded. 'You're inviting me over to your place?'

  A sardonic smile twisted the handsome line of his mouth. 'Come now, Miss Chalmers. Surely a beautiful girl such as yourself is well used to such invitations?'

  'Well, yes—I mean . . . no,' Kate bit her tongue. She was stammering like an awkward schoolgirl. 'It's just that I never expected such an invitation from you, Mr Hunter.' Her smile was gracious. 'I can't begin to tell you how much pleasure it gives me to accept!'

  His own smile was challenging. 'Eight o'clock, then?'

  She nodded. 'Eight o'clock.'

  'And let's cut the formality, shall we? Call me Gerard.'

  'I'm Kate.'

  Kate felt she had won a major victory. Tonight she would charm the pants off Mr Gerard Hunter and by the end of the evening they would be great friends. Hadn't she managed to receive an invitation for drinks when only minutes earlier he had told her never to come to his home again? Ah, Kate, you're a wonder woman, she told herself with great relish.

  She picked up Mr Kit-Kat's dishes and placed them in the sink. There was no need to check her wardrobe because she knew she hadn't brought anything suitable. Her holidays at Bargara were simple and pleasant, swimming and beachcombing being her major entertainments. After her hectic lifestyle in Brisbane with a job that kept her hopping from morning until night it was peace she was after, not dining and dancing until the wee hours of the morning. Therefore her wardrobe consisted of bikinis, shorts and tops, one or two dresses suitable for shopping, a pair of cotton slacks, a track suit and one pair of stretch denim jeans. Ten minutes later she was in her Corona and backing it out of the driveway on her way to Bundaberg to shop for a dress.

  The short drive into town was pleasant, the winding road through Bargara giving her glimpses of the ocean as she passed by the golf course and the various holiday units before she was in the midst of swaying green sugar cane, the cane fields giving the area its name, Sugar Coast.

  Bundaberg was a pretty country town, the pace slow and leisurely with plenty of tree-lined streets. Kate parked her car under a giant fig tree and stepped into a smart-looking boutique. An hour later she stepped out again carrying a flat white box under her arm. Feeling enormously pleased with her purchase, she decided she would get something for Matthew as well. A teddy bear caught her eye in one of the toy shops and minutes later she had added another bundle to her arms before heading back to the beach. The rest of the day was spent in getting ready.

  She fixed herself a small salad for her evening meal, and ate it on the front veranda facing the ocean while she watched the tide come in. The tides were getting bigger each day and by Christmas the king tides would be in. She wondered if Gerard would teach his son to use a surfboard. Kate grinned to herself. She wondered about them a lot.

  'It's the reporter in me' she said aloud. 'I can't help wondering where they're from and why they're here.' I guess they must be from Melbourne, she continued, thinking silently. Mrs Abbott had said the letter he had handed her was from people living in Melbourne. Her fine brows drew together in a frown. But why here? How did Gerard Hunter ever find this beautiful but relatively unknown beach? Had this place been recommended to him by . . . what were their names? The Boyntons? Perhaps they had described it in glowing terms and Gerard had decided it would be the ideal place to bring up his son. She would find out all about him tonight over drinks.

  Kate was in the garden feeding the rosellas when Mrs Abbott's ancient Fiat pulled up at the edge of the driveway. She looked tired, her face drawn into wrinkles Kate hadn't noticed before.

  'I won't be stopping,' Mrs Abbott said, as Kate started to open the car door for her. 'It's been a day,' she added tiredly. 'First Matthew running off and then Mr Hunter informing me he'd invited you to his home.' She peered anxiously at Kate. 'I hope you know what you're doing.'

  Kate's eyes were filled with sympathy for her friend. 'He only invited me to be neighbourly. He wanted to put up a fence to keep Matthew in and we're going to discuss it.' Kate didn't add that the fence was also to keep her out.

  'Well, I don't know what kind of an evening you're in for. Matthew has been impossible, and Mr Hunter has been locked in his office all afternoon.'

  'Poor Abbey,' Kate sighed, using her childhood name for the woman, 'you do look tired.'

  Mrs Abbott smiled and brightened. 'I'll be fine after a good night's sleep.' She adjusted the gears of the car. 'Well, I'm off. Take care tonight. I'm not so old that I can't remember what it's like to be with a good-looking man like Mr Hunter.' She gave Kate a knowing wink. 'And don't think you can fool me by saying your interest is strictly professional!'

  Kate laughed good-naturedly as the old Fiat carried Mrs Abbott down the road to her small farm a few kilometres away, staying to wave until the car was out of sight.

  She dressed with care for the evening, starting her preparations with a leisurely bath sprinkled with sweet-smelling bath salts and ended by standing in front of her bedroom mirror surveying the final results. The dress was more than she had hoped for, of a creamy white silk which clung to her slender curves in a daringly provocative manner. The neckline was just low enough
to offer a tantalising glimpse of cleavage, the soft swell of her breasts rising and falling against the feather-soft material. A touch of expertly applied make-up added drama and depth to her beautiful hazel eyes and brought out the colour of a full, slightly pouting mouth. Kate bent her head forward and brushed her hair until her scalp tingled, tossing it back to let her hair fall wherever it would. The results were a copper-coloured cloud softly framing the perfect oval. She was truly amazed with herself. She couldn't remember ever looking this good before. What would her friends and colleagues in Brisbane say if she ever told them how much time and trouble she had gone to, to discuss a fence with a neighbour over a drink? But of course she wouldn't tell them. She hardly believed it herself.

  Kate decided against taking the teddy bear. Matthew would be asleep by now and she wanted to see the expression on his face when he received his gift.

  She went the front way to the Hunter mansion, the soft powdery sand cool under her bare feet. The fresh sea air lifted her hair and fanned her warm cheeks. Overhead, a black sky played host to a trillion twinkling stars while the rhythmic pounding of the waves played the background music to which they danced.

  The patio was well lit. Kate stopped on the flagstone steps leading up to it and slipped into her high-heeled sandals. Gerard Hunter opened the huge front door just as she was about to bang the brass knocker. His inky blue eyes swept over her, widening at her appearance. Kate felt her blood stir and spread rapidly to parts of her body she had never been aware of before. The waves crashing on the beach grew in volume, or so it seemed to her, as a loud roaring filled her ears. It came as a shock suddenly to realise she had outwitted herself. She had dressed for the man, hoping to soften his attitude towards her.

  But now she realised Gerard Hunter was devouring her with his eyes. She felt like Little Red Riding Hood who had just delivered herself to the wolf. His eyes had darkened in colour as they lingered on her bare shoulders, moving slowly across to the swell of firm high breasts down to the trim waist and the gently rounded hips.

  The seductive journey had taken mere seconds, but it was enough to strip Kate of her defences. She stood motionless in front of him. Her body felt on fire. It was a powerfully intoxicating experience and she trembled from the force of such an electrifying encounter.

  He was speaking to her. Kate roused herself to take in what he was saying.

  'You're spot on time.'

  Her bemused eyes settled on his own wickedly cruel ones, the gleam in their depths mocking her. Snap out of it, an impatient voice inside her head rebuked her. She ran a trembling hand through her windswept hair, leaving it there while she slowly returned to earth and to precious sanity. Her voice was thick and very low and it sounded strange to her ears.

  'Y-yes.' She took a deep breath in an attempt to clear the potent vapours from her head. 'You did say eight o'clock.'

  He nodded and reached for her hand, his strong brown fingers closing over hers as he led her in and shut the door. She looked down at the hand holding hers, noting how much deeper his tan was, how much bigger and stronger. She was conscious of a sudden desire to lift that hand and press it to her breast. She pulled abruptly away. Her eyes appeared almost totally green as they swept helplessly up to his face.

  Long lashes partially veiled his eyes, hiding his expression, and for this Kate was grateful. Once again she had behaved like a schoolgirl, and what an idiot this man must think her. Thank goodness those lashes were so thick, so long; they hid the laughter which surely lurked behind.

  He had dressed for the occasion as well. His dark hair brushed the edge of a crisp white shirt, the wine-coloured jacket unbuttoned, giving a casual elegance to broad shoulders and tapered waist. Cream-coloured trousers hugged well-muscled thighs while a pair of soft leather shoes completed the picture. His aftershave was a familiar scent by now and her delicate nostrils twitched as she breathed it in. She wondered if drops of it became lost in the deep cleft of his strong jaw, making the scent remain long after it should have gone. She wondered what it would feel like to touch that cleft.

  Kate shook her head. Stop this madness! she told herself as he placed a strong hand on the small of her back and led her into the lounge.

  'I'll be with you in a minute,' he said, bending his head close to her own, his breath fanning her cheek. 'I was in the process of getting Matthew to bed.' He glanced at his watch. 'A process which has been going on for almost two hours now,' and Kate smiled at the helpless tone in his voice and the look of complete exasperation in his dark blue eyes.

  'Would you like me to help?' she suggested hopefully.

  Matthew appeared as though on cue, and Kate's eyes melted at the sight of him. He was wearing red pyjamas and his black hair was rumpled. There was also a look of sheer defiance in his eyes. Kate could appreciate the look of exasperation in his father's eyes and the weariness in Mrs Abbott's!

  Suddenly her view broadened, encompassing not only the small figure of Matthew and the much larger one of his father but of the whole room. The room was huge and could have been beautiful. Instead it seemed a lonely place, sparse, the expensive leather furnishings cold and rigid. A lovely stone fireplace dominated the room, but the hearth was bare, the yawning, gaping hole begging for a grate and a few pieces of wood. Beside the fireplace was a stack of framed pictures resting on the highly polished floor instead of where they belonged and her eyes swept over the bare, richly panelled walls. Somewhere from another part of the house there came the sound of a telephone. Gerard Hunter looked from Kate to his son.

  'You can give it a try, but no more nonsense from you, young man,' he warned as he passed Matthew on his way towards the persistent sounds of the telephone. 'He's still on medication. It's on his bedside table,' he flung over his broad shoulder to Kate. 'The instructions are on the label.' His voice was brusque, businesslike and the rich baritone echoed in the still room as Kate and Matthew silently studied each other.

  'Come on, then,' smiled Kate, reaching for Matthew's hand. 'Show me the way.'

  Matthew silently led her up the winding staircase and down a long wide corridor. There was the same feeling of bleakness up here as there was below. Matthew's bedroom was like a dormitory and not at all like the gaily decorated rooms of Kate's little nephews. He sat on the edge of his bed and silently accepted his medicine, swallowing it dutifully. She tucked him in and smoothed back his hair, thinking how small and lonely he looked in this huge bare room. She bent and kissed his cheek and he sighed and closed his eyes.

  'Sleep soundly, little Matthew,' she whispered gently before getting up and tiptoeing softly towards the door.

  'That old Mr Kit-Kat is a nice cat, isn't he, Kate?'

  Kate stopped in her tracks before spinning wildly around. Her eyes were huge in her face as she stared at the child.

  'Matthew!' she gasped. 'You spoke! You can talk!'

  ' 'Course I can talk,' he muttered in disgust. 'What did you think? That I'm a baby?'

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Kate sat on the edge of Matthew's bed, her mind a whirl of confusion. Matthew lay back on his pillow, arms folded behind his dark head, a sad smile on his tortured little face.

  'I had you fooled, huh?' he said in a small voice. 'You thought I couldn't talk.'

  'I haven't known what to think,' Kate replied slowly, 'but I do know speech is a very precious thing.' She watched him closely. 'Why haven't you spoken to me before?'

  Tears filled his eyes. 'I was afraid to.'

  'Afraid?' Kate's smile was gentle. 'But you're not any more?'

  'N-no,' he sniffed. 'You . . . you're my friend.'

  'That's right,' Kate agreed softly. 'I'm your friend, Mrs Abbott is your friend and so is your daddy.'

  'No!' Matthew shot up in his bed, his eyes wild. 'Just you, Kate. No one else!'

  'Oh, Matthew,' Kate murmured, gathering his little body into her arms and gently rocking him. His arms crept round her neck while he sobbed out his misery and it was all Kate could do to keep from crying he
rself. Gradually the sobs subsided and he lay spent and exhausted in her arms. She lowered him back on to his pillow and wiped his face with tissues from his bedside table. Her movements were slow and gentle, her manner calm. She thought of the teddy bear and wished she had brought it. Matthew was in desperate need of being cuddled and to cuddle.

  He had been deeply hurt! Kate could see that now. She could see it and she had felt it. The same applied to his father. They were both hurting and neither knew how to handle it. Matthew's escape had been his silence; Gerard's his bitterness. A strangled sob tore from the child's throat and went straight to her heart.

  She stayed with him until he drifted into sleep. Her eyes were filled with concern as she gazed tenderly down at him. He had spoken to her, he considered her to be his friend. She touched his cheek, stroked the soft warm skin and smoothed back his hair before she finally left him.

  Kate stood outside Matthew's room, her back pressed against the door. How was she going to tell Gerard that his son had spoken to her? Would he be glad the silence had finally broken or would he resent the fact that his son had chosen her as his confidante? If the latter, then his bitterness would grow and this would be bad for Matthew, for himself and for her.

  She sighed heavily and made her way down the long corridor. The mingling odours of fresh paint, plaster and wood filled her nostrils. Everything was so new, so cold and damp-feeling. Why would Gerard build such an enormous house? she couldn't help but wonder, as she passed several doors, some of them open leading to bare rooms, a few closed. The overhead chandeliers cast a cold glare on the bare walls and floors. No wonder Matthew had found it easy maintaining his role of silence in such a coldly forbidding place!

  She paused on the landing of the circular staircase. The staircase swept through the centre of this huge mansion and on either side, separated by another wide corridor below, were the other rooms. From where Kate stood she could see into the lounge, the dining room and several other rooms which were as yet unfurnished. Lights were on or off at random as though nobody much cared one way or the other. A shaft of light appeared from under one of the closed doors and when she got closer she was amazed to hear the sounds of office machinery coming from behind it. She tapped softly and then opened the door.