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To her dismay, her cheeks grew hot. Irrationally, she found herself remembering how very, very different Noah’s smile had been all those years ago, when she was seventeen… Just before he kissed her.
But it was feeble to remember that now.
Angry at her weakness, she spoke too loudly. ‘I’m sorry, but I know nothing about cattle, or running Outback properties in Australia. I’m quite prepared to say that I’m not entitled to a half-share in Radnor. It’s your home, Noah. Not mine.’
‘That’s not how it works,’ he said quietly.
She cast a frantic glance over the pile of papers on Alan Davidson’s desk, at his bookcases filled with expensively bound legal tomes. Surely lawyers knew clever ways to get round this kind of problem?
She was grateful that her boyfriend was safely tucked away on the other side of the world. As a man of finance, he would be horrified if he knew what she planned to say next. ‘I can hand my half back, can’t I? Give my share to Noah? I’m sure you know a way to devise some sensible arrangement.’
‘That is not going to happen.’ Noah spoke with such vehemence that Kate flinched. He scowled at her. ‘You don’t know what you’re saying, Kate.’
‘I know exactly what I’m saying.’
His face was dark, his mouth tight and hard, frighteningly hard. ‘No one hands over half an inheritance like Radnor.’
‘I can if I wish.’
Cursing beneath his breath, Noah leaned forward, eyes blazing. ‘Don’t be a fool. Radnor might have been blighted by drought for the better part of five years, but the property’s still valuable. All it takes is one good wet season. It’s over half a million acres.’
She gasped. That much? The scope of it was beyond imagining.
‘Even if that means nothing to you, Kate, I intend to respect Angus’s wishes. He obviously wanted you to have a half-share.’
‘That’s what I don’t understand,’ she said softly. ‘I know I’m his niece, but he looked on you as—as his son.’
‘Angus’s mind was perfectly sound.’ Noah spoke now with quiet resignation. ‘He knew exactly what he was doing, and he must have thought very carefully before changing his will.’
Perhaps it was her tiredness that made Kate angry. She wanted to stamp her feet, to yell at Noah, to urge him to stop being stubborn. How could he give up so easily? He’d worked so hard for Radnor.
Alan coughed discreetly. ‘If you hand your share over to Noah, Kate, there will be even more for Liane to claim.’
‘That’s true,’ said Kate quietly. In other words, she could be of more help to Noah if she retained her share. ‘But if Noah wants to stay on Radnor he must buy Liane out, mustn’t he? That’s what she’ll want, isn’t it—money rather than land?’
Alan pursed his lips. ‘Noah may not have a big enough share of the Radnor asset to raise the necessary money.’
‘Are you saying he’ll still be forced to sell up his share just to settle her claim?’
Kate was horrified. This was ridiculous. Noah had been born at Radnor. It was his home. His life. The very thought of him wandering about the Outback, looking for another job, starting again from scratch, was ludicrous!
Impulsively, she said, ‘We have no choice, then. Noah and I will have to form a partnership.’
Noah stared at Kate as if she’d grown a third ear.
To her eternal shame, she blushed again. ‘I— I m-mean a b-business partnership, of course. Then the partnership could buy Liane’s share. The banks wouldn’t turn down a proposal like that, would they?’
‘That’s generous,’ Noah said quietly. ‘But I won’t accept it.’
‘Hey!’ Alan suddenly turned on Noah. ‘Wake up, man. It’s only a business arrangement. Not marriage.’
Marriage?
Zap! To Kate’s horror her already hot cheeks turned fiery.
Noah’s chair scraped on the wooden floor, and he jumped to his feet. ‘What kind of fool comment is that?’
‘I was joking, of course,’ Alan quickly back-pedalled. He sent Kate a quick wink. ‘That’s how it would have happened in the good old days, of course. A quick, arranged marriage and, hey presto, everyone’s problems are solved.’
Kate was dismayed that Noah’s reaction was getting to her. Why did he have to make it so obvious that he was horrified by Alan’s lighthearted suggestion? She’d got the message nine years ago that he had no romantic interest in her.
To cover the awkwardness, Alan made a business of tidying the papers on his desk, setting them straight inside the folder. ‘You should both take a few days to think about this.’
Noah had moved to the door, one shoulder leaning on the jamb, his hands thrust deep in his pockets. He looked tired, as tired as Kate felt.
‘You’re right,’ he said quietly. ‘We need a few days. You’re jet lagged, Kate. You’re in no condition to be making rash offers. You need to get back to the house and have a good, long sleep. You’ll probably come to your senses in the morning.’
CHAPTER THREE
FROM habit Noah woke just before dawn.
He’d slept soundly, which was a surprise, as he’d been troubled by bad dreams ever since he’d found Angus slumped at his desk, ashen- faced and unconscious.
Now, grey dawn light seeped into his bedroom. Familiar details of the room came to life: the timber-framed window, the roll-top desk in the corner, the faded photo of his parents, the old pine chest of drawers…
Then he remembered.
He was going to lose all of this. He was going to lose his home. Lose Radnor.
He sat up quickly, fighting hot panic—caused not by a nightmare this time but by sickening reality.
With a groan, he threw his bedclothes aside, strode naked to the window and looked out at the flat, treeless landscape spreading endlessly, as far as the eye could see.
A terrible sense of loss flooded him. He was twenty-nine years old and he’d been born here. Not counting the years he’d spent at boarding school, this was the only home he’d ever known. He’d travelled, of course. He’d covered most of Australia and he’d seen prettier places—grander landscapes…richer country…
But a soul-deep love of these sparse, flat plains flowed in his veins. This country might be subject to drought, but its strength lay in its ability to rejuvenate. The rain would come eventually, and tenacity to weather the drought was part of the strength of the people who lived here.
Noah had that strength, that patience. And Angus had known it, damn it. But the old fox had tied up his will so that half of this property went to an English girl who’d been here once, almost a decade ago, for a brief holiday.
Noah jerked his gaze from the view and went through to his small adjoining bathroom.
Any normal guy would harbour resentment, he told himself as he palmed lather onto his jaw. He should be thinking about Kate Brodie with animosity and bitterness.
Not with hot-blooded lust.
He shouldn’t be remembering the last time she’d been here, the way he’d kissed her, and the way she’d responded. Hell, if he hadn’t had Angus’s warning ringing in his head, who knew what might have happened back then?
Angus had started bellowing orders even before Kate had arrived. At the time, it had nearly killed Noah to ignore Kate. He’d been completely smitten by her flashing green eyes, perfect skin and all that shiny red-gold hair. And her smile.
He’d broken down once and given into his need to taste Kate’s smiling lips, to touch her soft, warm, milk-white skin.
One kiss, despite Angus Harrington’s warning…
‘Hands off her, do you hear me? If you lay so much as a finger on my sister’s daughter, I’ll never forgive you, son.’
Son. For as long as Noah could remember, Angus had called him that. He’d been four at the time of his parents’ accident, and could barely remember them. His only memory was based on the photo on his dresser. His father, long-legged and dark, and no doubt smelling of dust and cigarettes, was leaning against the stock rails and grinning at his mother. She had a soft, heart-shaped face and pretty, pale-brown hair. Like Olivia’s.
Olivia. Noah grimaced and picked up the razor. He couldn’t afford to think about Olivia now, on top of everything else. Losing her, losing Radnor. Hell, any minute he’d start bawling.
He began to scrape with the razor, making dark tracks over his jaw through the white foam. But his thoughts winged straight back to Kate Brodie.
She’d changed a great deal. Matured was the word to use, he supposed. She had grown quieter. More serious.
Even more attractive and womanly.
Last night on the way home from Jindabilla she’d slept, which should have been fine. Noah had been grateful that she hadn’t wanted to carry on about Angus’s will. But she’d been so sleepy she’d ended up with her head on his shoulder, which meant he’d driven all those miles with the fragrance of her freshly shampooed hair filling his nostrils, with the warm pressure of her soft cheek against his shoulder, and the gentle hush of her breath on his neck.
And, when they’d reached the homestead, Kate had been so out of it that he’d had to help her inside. She’d leaned sleepily against him as they’d negotiated the stairs, with his arm about her slender waist, and he’d been super-conscious of her curves above and below.
Once Kate had changed and was ready for bed, he’d taken her hot cocoa, just as he might have done for Olivia.
Big mistake. Huge. How could he have been such an idiot? He’d found Kate in bed in a silky nightdress of skimpy cream silk with lace trims and thin straps, hair sleep-tumbled, eyelashes drooping. She’d blushed profusely and muttered apologies as she accepted the cocoa.
Remembering how she’d looked made him…
Damn. He nicked his jaw.
It was too long since he’d been with a woman.
But Kate Brodie was not the solution to that particular problem, Noah decided as he jutted his jaw and dabbed at the nick with the corner of a towel.
Why on earth had Alan Davidson let fly yesterday with that crazy comment about a marriage of convenience? He must have known that Noah couldn’t contemplate any kind of marriage after the messy divorce he’d just been through. Hell. Maybe Alan had been running every option through his bloody legal brain—but did he have to voice the crazy ones?
As for Kate’s suggestion that they form a business partnership, she’d been talking off the top of her head without really thinking it through. Very soon she’d come to her senses and realise that the last thing she wanted was to have her life tied up in a cattle station on the other side of the world.
The sooner she went back to England, the better.
He’d work out a way to solve his own problems, without getting tangled up with Angus’s niece. She’d been trouble enough last time she’d come to Radnor.
Kate tossed and turned. She’d been awake for what felt like ages, her body clock disoriented and her mind churning over the events of yesterday. The questions buzzed in her head like maddened flies. Why had Angus Harrington made such an unexpected bequest? What did he want from her? What was he hoping?
It was such an astonishing legacy. Bewildering.
She found herself wondering if Alan Davidson had been right when he’d suggested that Angus had left her half of Radnor to protect his property from Noah’s divorced wife. And, if that was so, what had he hoped Kate would do about it now?
Could he possibly expect her to live here, to run Radnor with Noah?
Poor Angus. He wouldn’t have made such a mistake if he’d known their history. If only she’d had the courage to confide in her uncle. Over the years, she’d sent him letters, but she’d only ever told Angus about her fascination for Australia, for his cattle property and his lifestyle. Not a word about Noah.
If Angus Harrington had known how silly she’d been, he might not have pushed them into this awkward partnership.
Wincing as her mind came back to this dead end for the hundredth time, Kate leapt out of bed. She checked her mobile, but there were no messages.
It would be early evening in England. She tried phoning her mother, but she was out, so she left a message that she’d arrived safely and all was well. Kate didn’t mention her surprise inheritance. She needed to speak to her mother in person about that. She dialled again and got through to Derek’s mobile.
She kept her voice low so that she didn’t wake Noah. ‘Hi there, Derek, it’s Kate.’
‘Oh, really? Where are you?’
‘In Australia.’ What a strange question. Where else would she be? She wished Derek didn’t sound so put out. ‘I just wanted to let you know I made it here safely.’
‘Sorry. Can you speak up?’
She could hear laughter and music in the background.
‘How long do you think you’ll be in Australia?’ Derek asked, raising his voice to reach her over the noise.
Wishing she’d gone outside to make this call, Kate spoke as loudly as she dared. ‘I’m still not sure. Not very long, I guess, but there have been complications.’
It would be good to tell Derek about her inheritance. His experience in the banking world could be helpful, and he’d be sure to offer great advice about business partnerships. But if Derek was at a party…
‘Can I hear people speaking in German?’ she asked.
‘What? Oh, can you hear that? Yes, there’s a table of Germans close by.’
‘Are you down at the pub?’
This was met by a marked hesitation on the other end of the line, more than the normal time lapse on an international call. ‘No.’ Derek sounded uneasy. ‘I’m in—eh—Birmingham. It’s a business thing—I’m with clients.’
It was a clear dismissal. Derek was busy and didn’t want to chat, and Kate tried hard not to mind. ‘I’d better not keep you, then.’
They said goodbye and she disconnected, and knew she was silly to feel dissatisfied. If Derek was busy with clients she could hardly expect a romantic chat. Anyway, sweet talk had never been his style.
Just the same…
She sighed. Perhaps Derek was stressed. He often got stressed about his job, and it was probably tension rather than impatience that she’d heard in his voice. A yawn escaped her, and she realised she hadn’t had nearly enough sleep. But there was no point in going back to bed. Noah would be up and about soon. What she needed was a shower to freshen her up.
She was sorting through her things, trying to choose suitable clothes for a hot, sticky day in the Outback, when footsteps sounded on the veranda outside her room and then there was a knock at the French doors. Kate opened them a chink.
‘Morning, Kate.’
Noah’s dark hair was damp, his rugged jaw clean and smooth as if he’d just shaved, and there was a nick just below his ear. Kate could smell the tang of his aftershave, and she had to clutch the door frame for support when he gave her a slow smile.
‘Is it too early for you for breakfast?’ he asked.
‘Not at all.’ She was annoyed by how suddenly breathless she sounded. ‘I can be ready in a jiffy. I’ll come and help you.’
He shrugged. ‘No need to rush. But you didn’t eat last night, so I’m thinking you’ll need the works—a full cooked breakfast.’
