by Margaret Way
Ally glanced at her watch, was about to move back to her car when she saw Rebecca walking down the road, a shopping bag in each hand. She looked as elegant as ever but Ally saw with concern she looked positively breakable.
“Rebecca!” Ally called brightly, waving a hand. She hurried forward to help with the parcels.
Rebecca came to a complete standstill, unexpected pleasure pouring into her. Ally was so emotionally strong. So vivid. “I thought you were away on your TV series?”
“All over.” Ally flashed the radiant smile so well-known to her public. “Here, let me take one of those.”
“Is everything okay?” Rebecca began, her face in the lamplight suddenly very pale.
“Lord, I’ve gone and frightened you,” Ally said with quick understanding. “Everything’s fine or as fine as it will be until you and I have a little talk. Tell you what, why don’t you and I unload these and have a bite to eat somewhere. There must be dozens of restaurants around here.”
“Why don’t you let me make dinner,” Rebecca offered. “I have a chicken, smoked salmon, all the ingredients for a salad. Fresh rolls. Even a good bottle of wine.”
“Lovely!” Ally said cheerfully. “I haven’t had time for a bite to eat since breakfast. And I make a mean salad dressing. Paul Newman eat your heart out.”
It was amazingly companionable. The best time Rebecca had had after the worst of times. Ally encouraged her to eat. “We’re in no rush. I’ve nothing on.” Her glance moved over Rebecca’s petite frame. “You’ve turned positively fragile.”
“Take a look at yourself then.” Rebecca smiled.
“I eat all right—” Ally confirmed it by reheaping her plate “—but I’m on the run all the time. I haven’t asked how the book is going?”
“I’m proud of it, Ally.” Rebecca raised her eyes to Brod’s sister’s stunning face. So much like him. Except for the eyes, so perfectly like Fee’s. “I know Fee is going to be very pleased with how it’s turned out.”
“We all will be,” Ally corrected with a smile.
They cleared away first before they had coffee, taking it to the comfortable seating area in the combined living-dining room.
“You’re a puzzle aren’t you, Rebecca?” Ally said. “A puzzle I’m determined to solve. I adore my brother. When I came home for Dad’s funeral I saw he was in love with you. I saw you returned his deep feelings.”
“I love him,” Rebecca admitted freely, “but there are so many things…”
“What things?” Ally set down her coffee cup. “Go on, explain. You can’t close yourself in like a tomb. I’m here to help you, Rebecca. I’m not only Brod’s sister, I’m your friend.”
“I need one, Ally.” Rebecca was very close to tears.
“Talk to me, girl.” Ally leaned closer, her green gaze compelling. “Tell me about that ex-husband you were forced to leave.”
After about an hour the flood tide of words simply ran out.
“My God!” Ally breathed, rising to her feet and going to the balcony as if to get some fresh air. “What a monster!”
Rebecca caught her long hair and dragged it to the back of her head. “I thought I could never get over it until I met Brod.”
“Brod!” Ally threw up her arms. “Brod could never behave like that to a woman. Never in a million light years.” She shuddered at the very thought. “Why the man needs denouncing. And he had the hide to come after you. To set foot on Kimbara. I think Brod would kill him if he knew. No wonder you’ve found it so terribly difficult to speak. It must have been dreadful for you, Rebecca.”
“Yes.” Rebecca simply nodded, feeling strangely at peace and unburdened. “But I got away.” She looked across the coffee table as Ally resumed her seat. “I think the image I wanted to present to the world was borne out of pain. Shame, too, I suppose.”
Ally’s vivid face looked saddened again. “And you didn’t tell Brod because you thought he would think less of you. As though your husband’s brutality had somehow infected you.”
“That’s it, exactly, Ally. Once I actually liked it when a male colleague told me I was like a white camellia. Untouchable. That was the image I wanted to project. Not a woman who had once crumpled under a man’s hitting hands.”
Ally’s expression was very serious, even sombre. “But you’ve won through, Rebecca. You’ve earned respect on all sides. It’s that brute you were married to who was the coward. What you’ve told me makes my skin crawl.”
“You wouldn’t have put up with it, Ally.”
Ally took a deep breath. “I had a family to call on, Rebecca. A very powerful family. Whatever my father’s sins of omission he would never had stood by had I become involved in a disastrous marriage like that. Brod, well Brod, I wouldn’t have liked to be the fella.”
Rebecca nodded. “That’s why I didn’t tell him that night. I just couldn’t start a terrible fight even if I did want Martyn thrown off the property.”
“But you have to tell him now, Rebecca. You know that.”
“I can’t say to him what I’ve said to you, Ally. We’re women. From what Fee told me Brod has already taken some action. Martyn’s no longer with Matthesons.”
“Great!” Ally applauded with a clap of her hands. “I think he might try another state. Western Australia wouldn’t be far enough! Clear across the continent. Look, you’ve been working too hard. That’s very clear to me. You need time off. A friend of mine has a gem of a beach house at Coff’s Harbour. We could drive down tomorrow night. Spend a few days. What do you say?”
“To friendship.” Rebecca raised her empty coffee cup, her eyes lighting up. “But what about you. You must have lots of things lined up?”
“I have, too, but I’d much rather go with you. You’re going to come through this, Rebecca, or my name isn’t Ally Kinross.”
The weather was perfect. Glorious blue skies, marvellous surf. Ally’s friend’s little gem of a beach house was big and fantastically beautiful, consisting of a series of pavilions, some open air filled with wonderful Thai furniture from Bangkok. Perched on the hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean, it had breathtakingly beautiful views and a long flight of steps that led down to the white sandy beach. Even the sheltered front garden was filled with beautiful things: palms, ferns, orchids, water lilies and giant pots that lent a wonderfully exotic touch.
In such an environment with Ally’s company and the healing powers of the blue sea and golden sun, Rebecca began to relax. Ally was such a good and generous person Rebecca felt a deep gratitude for all her help. Serious conversations punctuated the relaxation. Ally’s own love story came tumbling out. It was a warm, close time. A time of getting to know each other properly. By day they went for long walks along the beach, swam, did a little sun-baking, explored the beautiful coastline by car, visited all the little galleries and craft shops, had al fresco lunches that turned into hours. They stayed home at night making a meal, watching television, listening to music, before turning in, calm and quiet.
It was on the Tuesday afternoon as Rebecca was relaxing in the open-air pavilion covered with its dark timbered roof, Ally, looking marvellous in white shorts that showed off her beautiful long legs and a little yellow top that left her golden midriff bare, came up the stairs from the garden.
“Rebecca, love, we have a visitor,” she called, a decided lilt in her lovely voice.
“Really?” Rebecca swung her feet to the ground, expecting to see the owner of this marvellous place. Like Ally she was wearing beach clothes only her outfit was a beautiful sari she had bought at one of the local boutiques, its silky black background covered in brilliantly coloured tropical birds and flowers.
She waited a few seconds, receptive to whatever came, hearing the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs.
“My big surprise!” Ally announced as their visitor appeared, lifting herself up onto her toes to kiss her brother’s lean, handsome cheek.
“Brod!” Rebecca drew in a sharp breath, the book she had been
reading falling to the floor.
“Now I’m going to leave you two alone,” Ally laughed. “I know you’ve got lots to talk about. I’m going down to the village. If Brod’s going to stay we’ll need more of everything.” She turned jauntily, gave them a little wave. “Back in a hour or so you two.”
While Rebecca stood rooted like some exotic flower, Brod walked towards her, taking his time, a quiet approach but his eyes were blazing over her.
“Hi!”
“Hi, yourself.” It came out like a whisper and all because she was ecstatic to see him again. “Tell me how you got here?”
He put out his two hands and cupped her face. “Ally and I have the same friends.”
“Oh!”
“By the way, you look beautiful.”
“So do you.”
“That’s hard to believe.”
They stood for a moment silent while Ally’s BMW tore off accompanied by a loud honk of the horn.
“The only question is did you miss me?” He brought her close to him and kissed her mouth. Tenderness and passion, the sweetest of wild honey.
Sensation swallowed her so she took a while to answer. “Never!” She shook her head at the same time, flashing him a luminous glance.
“The same for me,” he teased. “I never thought of you once.”
“You say the nicest things.” There was an explosive excitement beneath the banter. He touched a little fold of material at her breast, indulging his senses in the satiny feel of her skin. “Well hardly at all,” he amended, “except for the hours between one dawn and another. Night was the worst.”
A feeling of intense joy rose in her. “For me, too. It’s been a torture.”
“When I think of what you had to suffer!” His voice was low and impassioned.
“Hush, it’s all over.” She raised herself on tiptoe, putting gentle fingers against his mouth, delighting in his little nipping kisses. “Ally told you?”
“Isn’t that what sisters are for?” he asked gratefully. “Ally is amazingly intelligent and perceptive.”
“You don’t blame me?” She gazed intently into his eyes.
“Rebecca!” He held her questing glance for a long highly charged moment, the great surge of protectiveness he had experienced at the first sight of her, her femininity, her vulnerability, alchemising into pure passion. This was the woman he wanted with all his heart and soul. Nothing would have stopped him coming after her. With or without Ally. Abruptly he lowered his head covering her upturned face with kisses, then as her head fell back, the length of her neck. “You were right not to tell me about Osborne that night at the house. I think I might have gone crazy had I known what he did to you. I can easily see now how you built up your defences and why. What we have to do now is burn them down.”
“When I’m already engulfed in fire.” An answering moan of desire rose in her chest. “I love you, Brod. I adore you.”
He felt an enormous surge of elation. “Are you absolutely sure of it?” He stared down into a pair of liquid diamond eyes.
“I’m going to die if you leave me,” she said.
“My precious Rebecca!” He gathered her closely to him. “You deserve so much. I want to give it to you. Marry me.”
Totally at peace, he began to kiss her again, moving his tongue against hers, exploring her mouth deeply, while sensation after sensation shot through Rebecca like little jolts of electricity. Down the length of her body, her limbs, her spine, between her legs.
“When is it Ally gets home?” he groaned against her mouth.
She whispered fluttery little endearments back. “An hour. Make it two. You know Ally.”
“I do.” He thought for a moment, then swept her up into his arms, causing another wave of sexual pleasure.
“Then we’ll take it very…very…slowly,” he said.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-8201-2
A WIFE AT KIMBARA
First North American Publication 2000.
Copyright © 2000 by Margaret Way, Pty, Ltd.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
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