Shayne Smith was a disturbing influence. Cassie could sense his interest, still strong despite her advanced pregnancy. She could feel it herself, visualising the air between them cluttered with jostling pheromones. Even at this distance, his scent was a tangible reminder of what they’d shared. Or maybe it was this room, redolent with leather and hay and something absorbed from his occupation.
They hadn’t had a hope of resisting such an explosive chemical reaction. They’d both been shellshocked after that first time and she’d made no objections when he suggested pooling their resources for the rest of his stay. The hotel hadn’t quibbled at cancelling his room, still juggling late bookings that meant they’d found another taker before he’d put down the phone.
If he was hoping for more, he was out of luck. Her obstetrician had been regretful but firm about sex in the next few months, the final trimester. Too risky. At the time she hadn’t cared, but with the glitter in Shayne’s eyes taunting her with the recollection of how good they’d been, she regretted it.
‘I thought I might spend some time here at Maiden’s Landing. Get to know the town.’ Get to know you. Get to know his family, now she knew he had one. That might be the tough one. Ben seemed easy-going, but Kimberley looked like she had a territorial streak in her makeup. Who could blame her?
He picked up a pen and twirled it around his long fingers. They had surprised her at that first meeting when he’d held out his hand to shake hers. She expected the callouses and the strength, but not the beautiful shape of them. They’d wrapped themselves around hers with such tenderness, she’d melted on the spot. Rasmus had eyed them both with a humorous smile and excused himself. She’d hardly heard him go. A novelty for a man as beautiful and charismatic as the designer.
He looked up, a frown creasing his brow. ‘How did you know where I was?’
They’d shared phone numbers but nothing else, and he didn’t have a personal social media presence. Smith wasn’t exactly rare, until she had a location to narrow down the possibilities. He’d been a little off-putting when she’d rung asking if she could come and speak to him personally. He’d offered to come to Brisbane in a few weeks, but she couldn’t wait that long. The silence when she’d mentioned Maiden’s Landing had said a lot about how he valued his privacy. If he’d had his way, they would never have met again. He’d probably deleted her number from his phone before he left Brisbane.
‘Rasmus mentioned it. To do with your wool, nothing about you. He didn’t realise you weren’t giving out your address.’
There was a flare of something in his eyes, regret, or annoyance. His face didn’t say. ‘Do you have somewhere to stay?’
‘I contacted a real estate agent. She has nothing available right now, but I have a room booked at the Maidens Head Inn.’ She’d grinned at the name, but locals probably saw nothing funny in it, merely an extension of the town’s name. ‘If I can’t get anything locally, I can try Bialga.’
‘Should you be moving so far from the city with your pregnancy?’
‘I have a referral to the local clinic and my obstetrician comes to Bialga one day a fortnight, so I can keep in touch. It will depend on him whether I go back to Brisbane for the delivery or whether I can have it here or in Bialga.’
‘I know the doctor and his wife. A family connection and they were at school around the same time as … as us. Good people.’
‘I’m more concerned about whether they’re good medical staff. But I’ve heard from other sources that the clinic is excellent.’
‘You know people here?’
‘My half-brother is a surgeon. He started work at the clinic recently and does surgery at the hospital. I also have a cousin living here.’
‘Michael Long is your brother?’
‘You know him?’
‘He’s Ben’s doctor. He had to have some minor corrective surgery a few months ago.’
‘Small world. I haven’t seen Michael recently, so I’m hoping to catch up while I’m here.’
The pen dropped to the table and he passed the back of his hand over his mouth. ‘So, it wasn’t only because of your pregnancy.’
‘I wouldn’t be moving here because of Michael. We hardly know each other. His mum broke up with my dad before he met my mother. The last time we spoke properly, before I contacted him to ask about medical facilities here, was at my parents’ funeral over ten years ago. Mostly, it’s just birthday greetings on social media. I see more of my cousin.’
‘Would I know her?’
‘Tess is a Wilkie. Barry and Karen Wilkie are her parents.’
‘Did they have an apple orchard on the north side of town? Recently retired?’
‘That’s them.’
‘I don’t really know the family. They’re more my parents’ age and their daughter wasn’t in any of our classes.’
‘Tess went to boarding school after she finished primary school, anyway.’ She hesitated, half afraid her question might be intrusive. ‘Your brother’s injury. Was it recent? You said he had surgery a few months ago.’
His mouth compressed, and for a moment, she thought he would dismiss the query.
‘The accident was years ago. He was having some problems, and they said they could ease some of the pain by adjusting a tendon or something like that.’
His lack of interest in following up on the connection clearly wasn’t because of his brother. Small hope easily crushed. ‘He’s still in pain?’
‘In more ways than one. But, yes.’
‘I’m sorry to hear it.’
‘Please refrain from mentioning it to my brother. He prefers everyone to ignore it so he can get on with his life.’
‘Of course not. I didn’t want to embarrass him by asking him directly. I’m a stranger, so I need to tread carefully.’ She understood how nosy people could be when your life was upended by tragedy.
‘Kimberley will consider you an intruder. If she’s rude, you don’t have to put up with it. If it’s a problem, talk to me.’
‘I doubt if I’ll see too much of her.’ Which would quite likely suit Kimberley.
‘You’re pregnant with my children. That makes you family, of a sort. You’ll have to meet my parents and I expect you’ll spend time out here if your aim is to familiarise yourself with my life.’
Something jiggled in her chest. ‘You have parents? That’s wonderful.’
‘Yes. I guess I’m lucky. We’re lucky. They moved into town when my father had a health scare. My grandmother is still alive and is in the local nursing home. We have a big extended family, although the pioneer Maiden family are no longer around.’
‘You’re related to the original Maiden’s?’ She’d glanced at the historical website, but she hadn’t had time to delve too deeply. Besides, it felt intrusive.
‘My great-grandfather Smith married the last Maiden daughter of this branch of the family. Her older brothers all died in the war. The other Maiden’s had gone into cattle on the other side of town, but they moved away years ago.’
‘You’re telling me there are no Maiden’s in Maiden’s Landing.’
He grinned, lighting up his usually sombre aspect. ‘Technically speaking, no.’
Heat permeated her chest at this reminiscent touch of how they’d related over those weeks in Brisbane. She’d found him to be mostly a serious person, often standoffish with strangers, but the touches of warmth and humour he’d displayed with her had led her to believe they shared a kinship of mind that was rare.
He glanced at his watch. ‘It’s nearly lunchtime. We start early here, so we eat at midday. Would you like to freshen up first?’
She checked her own watch, astonished at how the time had flown. ‘I would appreciate it.’
He guided her back towards the main part of the house, stopping at a discreet door off the back of the main hall under the staircase. ‘Everything you need should be in there.’
Everything she needed and more in a 1920’s style bathroom with vintage porcelain and timber trims around the green Victorian era reproduction tiles. Shelves held toiletries and linen in well-known brands with a vintage look to the packaging. There was even a compact shower, the room lit by a small round window to the outside. It was high in the wall, but she was tall enough to see through the bottom pane to the outside. There must be an entertainment area somewhere at the back of the house, overlooking the glistening blue of the pool and, beyond it, a tennis court. The old clay court style often found on rural properties. Ant bed from the colour of the surface. It must cost a fortune to maintain. An old-fashioned cement roller was leaning against the fence at one end.
Conscious of Shayne waiting for her, she freshened up, checking her hair and washing her face and hands, drying them on a folded peach-coloured hand towel she found on the shelf beside the basin. She wondered who had been responsible for the decor. His mother, perhaps, unless he had another woman in his life he hadn’t mentioned. Not that it was her business. She wasn’t expecting more than an acknowledgement of the information and some planning about co-parenting in the future.
She found Kimberley hovering near the doorway.
‘Dad had to answer a phone call, so he asked me to show you where to go.’
All very polite. Scrutinising the girl as she followed her along a side passage behind the lounge room they’d used initially, she realised this wasn’t a child. How old was she, sixteen, maybe more? The lean body was misleading, but the height might be the more accurate measure. Shayne must have been barely out of his teens when she was born. Cassie knew he’d been going to turn thirty-seven late last year, courtesy of a wry comment about age when they were discussing favourite childhood movies while chilling with the hotel in-house movies. He’d been old enough to see her favourite, Beauty and the Beast, in the cinema whereas she’d only seen it on DVD.
He’d loved The Lion King but was too old for Toy Story. He had admitted to watching it with his younger siblings, which was endearing. It was odd the things they’d shared while steering clear of more important topics like his parenthood. Kimberley waited by an open door leading into a sunny room overlooking the back of the house. She could see the deck she’d guessed at and the surprisingly large swimming pool.
The room was furnished in what Cassie would call distressed farmhouse, but the real thing not some carefully treated pine dining furniture, with overstuffed couches to one end. This would have been the family room when Kimberley was small, she guessed. There was still a basket of toys in one corner to cater to any children visiting the house.
That twinge of unease about Shayne’s personal life bit into her chest. He had given no details as to his current status. Not even during those two weeks together. He hadn’t acted like a man off the leash. Not that she had a lot of experience with those kinds of men. She’d fended off a few, years ago, when some had seen her newly single status as an invitation, not believing a woman who’d been in a relationship could live without sex. She couldn’t rely on his daughter’s claim that he found his relaxation out of town. He was a man who would be discreet if he wanted to keep things from a teenage daughter, and Bialga wasn’t far away.
The scrubbed pine table was neatly set with placemats and plates and cutlery for four people, leaving a couple of chairs vacant. The question in her mind about the extra place was answered when Ben entered the room from the other end carrying a glass bowl of green salad and another with what looked like coleslaw. He placed them in the middle of the table, where a couple of covered dishes already took up space.
‘Sit down. Make yourself at home.’ The smile on his face didn’t reach his eyes, but there was a suggestion of sly amusement in his expression. Did he find the idea of big brother slipping up amusing? Maybe it would be funny for a younger brother growing up with a sibling a few years older. It was hard to guess Ben’s age with the beard and the weary lines drawn by pain, but she suspected he was closer to her age than Shayne’s.
Kimberley slipped into one of the side chairs and Ben took an end chair with arms matching the other one at the head of the table. It left one place, and Cassie settled into it. She was grateful it wasn’t directly opposite Kimberley, the two empty chairs offsetting the spacing. It was surprising the girl sat nearest her uncle, leaving Cassie the place closest to the empty seat at the head of the table. It brought back the uncertainty of who might be the usual occupant.
The door Ben came through opened, and Cassie’s heart skittered, expecting Shayne. Instead, a middle-aged man came through with a platter, his brown eyes curious as he placed the tray of meat on the table.
Ben did the honours. ‘Parker, this is Cassie Long, visiting from the big smoke. Parker is our treasure, who keeps us all fed and watered.’
‘Go on with you, Ben Smith.’ The man wagged a finger at him with a smile on his round, comfortable face before turning to Cassie. His gaze flicked down to Cassie’s stomach and back up again. ‘I’m pleased to meet you, Ms Long.’
‘It’s good to meet you, too. The food looks delicious.’
The man dismissed the praise. ‘A simple salad. You wait until we have a proper meal for guests. Something to get my teeth into.’
As if he was expecting Cassie to be around for some time. Maybe the rumour mill had already reached the housekeeper. Ben wriggled in his chair and Cassie guessed his source. ‘I appreciate you making extra so I can join the family today.’
‘My pleasure.’ He swooped to take the lids off the other salad dishes and trod briskly from the room.
Cassie watched him go. ‘Doesn’t Parker eat with the family?’
Kimberley shook her head. ‘Jim will be in for lunch, so they’ll eat in their own little nook off the kitchen. Jim is the home farm manager.’
‘You have more than one manager?’
‘Of course. Dad and Ben can’t do everything, and the place is big enough. We have three managers.’
Shayne’s voice sent a shiver down into her belly. ‘I have a manager to assist me with the specialty stock. Ben has one for the merinos and Jim manages the gardens near the house, including the veggies and the chooks. We also have a milker and some pigs, which are Jim’s personal project.’
‘I didn’t realise the farm was so diverse.’
‘We’ve always had the merinos for the wool and meat. After the wool boom faded, my grandfather wanted to diversify to make us more resilient.’
* * *
Shayne pulled himself up. Cassie wouldn’t be interested in the choices his family had made about the farm. She was no doubt being polite.
He handed her the platter and she helped herself to a couple of slices of chicken breast. He found himself studying her face, looking for differences. Were there hollows under her eyes? He remembered Courtney complaining in the late stages of her pregnancy about not being able to get a decent night’s sleep. Between Kimberley kicking her in the ribs and pressing on her bladder, she’d declared babies not worth the effort. Maybe love made the difference, because she’d glowed through her two pregnancies once she’d married Calvin Neilsen. Shayne understood her motivations better now, with maturity. It kept him wary. Until Cassie breeched some of those defences. He wasn’t sure where this surge of protectiveness came from.
Her eyes met his, a mocking gleam lightening the brown, and he dumped the platter back on the table in front of his brother. Ben gave him a knowing look before stacking his plate with meat. Making a fool of himself was the order of the day. He sucked in a breath as his brother leaned forward to address Cassie.
‘How long are you planning to stay?’
She swallowed a mouthful of food. ‘I’m planning on staying indefinitely if I can find accommodation. That might be the hard part.’
‘You should stay here.’
Shayne tried to keep his expression neutral while his heart sped up. Cassie living here?
‘I couldn’t.’ Her rejection came out at the same time as a resounding ‘No’ from Kim.
Shayne caught the query in his brother’s expression. ‘What were you thinking?’
‘We have the annex flat empty. She could move in there for the time being.’
It had occurred to him to offer the small annex attached to the back corner of the house by a short corridor. It had been a kitchen and cook’s quarters at the turn of the last century before the new kitchen within the house had been built post World War I. At one time, it had been used as the housekeepers’ residence and Courtney had stayed there during her pregnancy and the first couple of years after the birth. It had been mostly empty since his grandmother had moved into the nursing home around the same time as his parents shifted into town twelve months ago.
‘I imagine Cassie would prefer to live in town.’
She looked from Ben to him. ‘Not necessarily. What flat?’
Shayne shrugged. ‘We have a small flat out the back. It’s fully self-contained. You could stay there if you don’t mind being out of town.’
‘Why would I mind? It’s close to town if I need to shop or visit. I do have a car.’
‘I don’t imagine you’re used to driving so far.’
‘I take ten minutes to get to the station and forty minutes by train to get into the city centre when I’m working. City dwellers may not cover the same amount of distance in the time, but we’re used to it taking a while to get anywhere, especially in traffic.’
Ben pushed his plate away. ‘That’s settled then. Are you going to show her, or will I?’
‘I will.’ She may be almost a stranger, yet he had a proprietary interest in her. He knew Ben was only stirring him, but he fell for the bait anyway. Cassie was here for him, and they were his children she carried.
Shayne walked slower this time. Not enough to be patronising, but she would have time to orient herself. The corridor was between the kitchen and what used to be storerooms at the opposite end of the house from his office. They’d enclosed the short passageway in the 1970s, cladding it on the outside with fake chamfer board panels. Cassie looked out the glass door halfway along that opened onto the back patio and pool area.
‘Does the pool get used a lot?’
‘All the time. Kim often has friends over for casual pool parties. Ben is more serious about it.’
‘I imagine it would be excellent therapy for his leg.’
‘He reckons it’s even more important to maintain his fitness. He can’t ride because of his hip, so he uses quad bikes around the farm.’
‘I thought most farmers used bikes rather than horses these days.’
‘True. It’s more practical, but I enjoy riding, so I still use horses where I can, and Kim does too when she joins me. Everyone else uses wheels.’
She moved towards him, and he took a couple of steps away, opening the door into the annex. Glancing around the small flat, he tried to see it from Cassie’s eyes. It would have been cleaned a week ago. His cousin Nate had come from his property out west to pick up a horse and stayed over for the night. Next time, he would have to stay in the main house if Cassie were still here. It occurred to him he would prefer Cassie to be the one staying in the main house, but it might be too much too soon.
‘Do you think you could be comfortable here?’
She ran her fingers over the polished timber of the circular dining table. ‘It’s lovely. Are these all antiques from in the house?’
‘When a family has been in one place for this many generations, we accumulate things. We don’t get rid of anything unless it’s not repairable. So much is connected to the history. We have bits and pieces of furniture and crockery stored in the attics and in one of the outside sheds.’ He opened the bedroom door. ‘Some things we donated to the local museum, and we have loaned things for centenary celebrations around the district. It’s more like being a steward than being owners.’
Cassie glided into the bedroom, still graceful despite her bulk, and sat on the double bed. Not as big as his bed upstairs. It was a genuine antique, apart from the modern mattress, moved here when he’d replaced it with something larger for his own comfort.
There was an element of relief in the way she flopped down. Maybe she was tired. It would have been an early start for her to arrive here mid-morning. She smoothed her hand over the bedspread. ‘This is lovely. The floral fabric is gorgeous. Is it original?’
Shayne laughed. ‘I don’t think so. Mum ordered it from this place in England that does reproduction fabrics from previous centuries. She’s responsible for refurbishing the place.’
‘The bathroom under the stairs?’
‘All hers. She’s an artist in her spare time along with being a member of the historical society, so it was a project she could get her teeth into. She did this bathroom in the same style.’ He indicated the door to one side of the bedroom.
‘My cousin Tess is an artist. Maybe they know each other.’
‘You can invite her over. One advantage in having your own space is that you can invite any friends and family to visit without having to worry about checking with Parker. We would expect you to eat with us when you can.’
He didn’t know where that came from, but he was prepared to double down on it. He wanted her to eat with him.
‘I could manage my own cooking.’
‘There’s not much point. Parker always cooks lavishly. Have your breakfast here. Weekdays it’s a scratch lunch because we’re often out all day and Kim’s at school, so you can do what you like. Check with Parker if you’d like him to provide something.’ He indicated the handset on the bedside table. ‘The phones are on an internal network. Press zero for an outside line and the rest of the internal numbers are on the label. Old-fashioned, but saves walking through the entire house if you need to pass on a message. I will expect you to eat with us at night and on the weekend.’
‘I’m not sure if you’re trying to bribe me to stay or scare me away.’
‘Definitely bribe.’ He glanced down at her belly. ‘You shouldn’t be on your feet too much anyway, so this way it ensures you eat well with the minimum of effort.’
‘If you insist.’ She leaned on one arm, shifting on the bed. Her long legs meant her feet touched the ground despite the height of the old-fashioned brass and ceramic bed. ‘I’m looking forward to resting. It’s been a busy few months.’
‘I suppose you had to finish out your contracts.’
‘That wasn’t so difficult. It was transferring my music students to other teachers I found hardest. Some of them I’d taught from the time they were littlies.’
He absorbed the startling information with a jolt to his gut. ‘You’re a music teacher?’
‘Among other things. Most of it was after school, so I had plenty of free time during the day and in the evening.’
‘I didn’t realise.’ Something shifted in his perception, but she’d still been at the fashion show, modelling the designer clothes.
‘We didn’t really talk about ourselves, did we?’
‘No.’ Too busy protecting himself. If he’d asked personal questions, she would have returned the favour, and he hadn’t been willing to reveal his wealth or anything about his own personal life. Only his single status in exchange for her assurances of the same. It had seemed the most important thing at the time.
Her smile beamed out, striking him in the chest. ‘Which is why I’m here. If we’re to co-parent, we need to get to know each other.’
Co-parent. It was a cold and practical solution to the situation. He hated it. ‘I should let you have a rest. Do you have your car keys?’
She rummaged under the flowy scarf thing and dangled a set of keys. ‘Do you need it moved?’
‘I’ll put it in the garage and bring in your luggage while you put your feet up and give the motel a call to cancel your booking.’
‘You’re assuming I’m staying.’
‘I want you to stay.’ It was surprisingly true. Or maybe not so surprising.
She sobered. ‘Thanks. I would appreciate it, so long as it won’t cause problems with the family. If you could bring in the two cases. The boxes aren’t urgent.’
Kimberley, of course. His daughter was nothing if not blunt. ‘It will be difficult for Kim. I haven’t had a woman stay here since she was small.’
‘Her mother?’
Heat swamped his throat. ‘Courtney left when Kim was two. This was someone I met shortly after. It didn’t work out.’
Her dark brows arched high, echoing the downward curve at the end of her wide mouth. ‘You were planning to marry her?’
‘I had vague hopes.’ He carefully straightened his hunched shoulders. ‘We wanted different things.’
‘So, it’s not marriage you’re against.’
‘No. Let’s say I’m wary of being caught for the wrong reasons.’
The long lashes flickered as she examined her stomach. ‘Don’t worry, Shayne Smith. I’m not on the hunt for more than a father for these children. I’m not looking for marriage with anyone.’
There was a determination behind the words that sparked his curiosity. She was an independent woman, apparently financially secure. What would persuade her into a marriage? ‘I’m relieved to hear it. I’ll leave you to your rest. Parker usually puts out some afternoon tea on the weekend. Around four o’clock.’
Her hands moved to clasp in front of her belly. He still couldn’t understand why he hadn’t seen it straight away, even with her carefully draped clothing and the bag clutching. Too distracted by the fact she’d come, maybe.
‘Will I see you then?’
He was tempted to commit to it. ‘I’m not sure. The irrigation is still waiting for me to make some adjustments.’
‘Farm life.’
‘It’s all different from what you’re used to.’
Cassie seemed to hesitate. ‘No. You’re right. I’ll see you whenever.’
For a moment he wanted to send the irrigation to perdition and stay here, but she needed a rest. She was getting paler by the minute. With a curt nod, he left the room. He had plans for Cassie Long. Patience was something he excelled at, and it looked like he had three months to get things sorted. Or two. Suddenly, it didn’t seem all that long.