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He knew Amy hoped to return to Serenity with him to take publicity shots, but already he was convinced that even agreeing to this meeting had been a huge mistake.
Amy could feel her heart beating in her throat. It had been such a shock to see Seth and Bella together. She’d never dreamed there could be such a strong likeness between a grown man and a baby girl, and she found it hard to believe that he hadn’t seen the resemblance for himself.
How much time did she have before he began to notice and to ask difficult, searching questions?
She was pretty sure he could see huge holes in her claim that she’d come here solely to gather promotional material for Rachel’s book. She was terrified Seth Reardon might change his mind about allowing her to spend a couple of days on his cattle property, and if that happened she would have no choice but to reveal her real reason for coming north.
But she couldn’t tell him yet.
It was too soon.
To surprise this cold and forbidding cattleman with the news that he’d fathered a daughter was a delicate and difficult exercise. The timing was crucial, and there was no way she wanted to tell him such distressing news now in this strange hotel, miles from anywhere.
This exercise couldn’t be rushed. She needed a chance to get to know Seth Reardon first. She wanted to win his confidence and trust—if that were possible, which right now she seriously doubted. She had hoped that together she and Seth could work out the best way to care for her precious Bella.
Amy forced a shaky smile, uncomfortably conscious that Seth Reardon was an exceptionally good-looking man. Rachel had always had good taste in men, and Seth’s lean, rugged physique and arresting blue eyes were enough to make any young woman forget her mother’s warnings.
Last night, when Amy had arrived here, she’d mentioned his name to the publican’s wife, Marie, and the woman’s reaction had puzzled her.
‘Seth Reardon?’ Her eyes had widened with sudden surprise. ‘Oooh…He’s a quiet one. Doesn’t hang around the pub much. He’s…cold. But there’s something about him though. Eyes that make you wonder.’
‘Wonder what?’ Amy had prompted, hoping to hear a positive comment.
The woman had actually blushed, and then she’d shot a quick glance at Bella, who’d been sitting at the dining table, absorbed in drinking a glass of iced milk with a straw.
‘What?’ Amy had asked again.
‘Oh, I’ve always had a soft spot for a man with blue eyes,’ Marie had said lamely and she’d become very busy clearing dishes while she muttered about needing to get back to the kitchen.
Amy had been left with the impression that Seth Reardon was dangerous.
Even Rachel had admitted that Seth had been cool and distant at first, until she’d got to know him. Not that Amy would allow her mind to dwell on thoughts of Rachel and Seth becoming familiar…
Or intimate.
The very idea…of Seth Reardon making love…was like a close encounter with a lightning bolt.
He sent a frowning glance to the window and Amy saw that it had started to rain rather heavily. ‘When you phoned last week you said you planned to take photographs, but this weather’s going to rule that out. I did try to warn you that this is the wet season.’
‘I suppose I could take photos of the rain. Rachel might have written about the wet season.’
‘I doubt it. She was here in the dry season, in the winter.’
‘Oh, yes, of course.’
Seth frowned at her. ‘Haven’t you read her book?’
‘Actually…no.’
Her friend had been uncharacteristically protective about this story and she’d never offered Amy so much as a peek at the manuscript.
After the accident, Amy hadn’t liked to search through the files on Rachel’s computer. It had felt too much like snooping. She had sat down once to read a section of Rachel’s poetry, but she’d been overcome by grief. It was like hearing Rachel’s voice—and the thoughts expressed had been too intensely personal.
Amy had been in tears as she’d shut down the computer.
She hadn’t opened it again.
Seth’s eyes widened. ‘How do you plan to promote this book, then?’
‘These are early days, and I’m just starting my research. I have the publisher’s back-cover copy, and a picture of the front cover. It’s rather beautiful. Would you like to see it?’
She dug a folder out of her bag, and handed it to him. The book’s cover depicted a balmy tropical beach at sunset with palm trees and white sand. Distant islands floated in the background, and the sun melted into a smooth golden sea.
‘I know it’s not very accurate,’ she admitted, sending another glance out of the window. She’d been dismayed by Tamundra’s rather desolate main street and the drab gum trees beyond it, and red earth that stretched for miles. She was pretty sure the whole of Cape York looked just as bad, so the cover was deceptive to say the least.
Seth Reardon shrugged. ‘There are sections on the eastern edge of Serenity that look exactly like that.’
‘Oh.’ Amy looked again at the idyllic palm trees and golden sand and felt her jaw drop with surprise.
Seth’s blue eyes froze her. ‘You haven’t done your homework, Amy Ross.’
‘I—I’ve done my best,’ she spluttered. ‘I—I told you I’ve only just started. It’s only two months since Rachel died and I—I’ve been busy. With Bella.’
They both looked down at Bella, who was sprawled on the carpet, busy with a scrapbook and fat crayons.
‘My drawing Amy,’ the little girl announced proudly as she made a lopsided circle with a purple crayon. ‘An’ here’s Amy’s eyes.’
Happily, Bella drew small purple squiggles inside the circle.
Amy gave her an encouraging smile. ‘That’s lovely, Bella. Now draw my mouth.’
A small sigh escaped Seth and he lifted his gaze from the child and studied Amy.
She resisted an urge to squirm beneath his scrutiny. It was important to appear calm and in control.
‘I’d like to know more about Rachel’s stay up here,’ she said, hoping to convince Seth that she wasn’t wasting his time. ‘What kind of work was she doing? How did she fit into life on a cattle station?’
To her dismay, his frown deepened. With a long brown finger he tapped the book’s back cover blurb. ‘But the answers to your questions are right here.’
‘They’re generalities,’ she countered, desperately trying to ignore the niggling of her conscience that told her he was right. ‘I’m looking for details.’
His expression was immediately guarded. ‘What kind of details?’
Amy gulped. ‘Nothing too personal.’
His frown deepened and she felt her face redden.
‘I’m looking for anything quirky or interesting,’ she said. ‘Rachel was a city girl. I doubt she’d ever touched a cow before she came here, or cooked on an open fire, or slept in a swag on the ground.’
Abruptly, Seth stood, making his chair scrape on the wooden floor. He strode to the window, where he leaned a shoulder against the wall, looking out into the rain as he thrust his hands into his jeans pockets.
‘I’m afraid you’ve wasted your time.’
‘What do you mean?’ She knew she sounded too scared, but was he going to refuse to take her to Serenity?
Seth’s eyes narrowed. ‘If you’ve come all this way in search of scandal to spice up the promotion, you should leave now,’ he said.
‘Scandal?’ Amy was dumbfounded. ‘Why would I want to tarnish my best friend’s name?’
‘For money? To sell more books? You’re in marketing, aren’t you?’
‘How dare you?’
Seth shrugged again. ‘Whatever. But you haven’t been straight with me.’
Oh, help. Already he was pushing her towards making her confession. But if she told him about his daughter now, he might be so immediately shocked and angry that he stormed back to his cattle station alone, without giving her a chance to really discuss what was best for Bella.
‘Rachel was my best friend,’ Amy told him, softly. ‘And—and I’ve lost her.’
She tried to go on, but suddenly the difficult, grief-filled weeks since Rachel’s death seemed to overwhelm her. It had been a nightmare trying to deal with the horror of her best friend’s death while taking on the responsibility of her little daughter.
She’d been trying so hard to do everything right, including coming all this way.
Now, on the brink of failure, Amy couldn’t look at Seth, didn’t want him to see her tears.
‘Look,’ he said suddenly, clearly uncomfortable with her evident emotion, ‘I’m prepared to take your word.’
Her head snapped up.
Grimly, he said, ‘But if you’re coming to Serenity with me, we’d better get cracking, before this weather really sets in.’
Her jaw dropped, she was so surprised by his sudden hasty about-face.
‘Did you drive here from Cairns?’ he asked brusquely.
Amy blinked. ‘Yes. I hired a car.’
‘A small sedan?’
‘Yes.’
‘With four-wheel-drive capability?’
She shook her head.
‘You’d better travel in my vehicle, then,’ he said quietly and with grim resignation.
Seth was actually offering her a lift. Was it wise to accept? Would he also be willing to drive her back here in two days’ time?
‘Wouldn’t it be simpler if I followed you in my car?’ she said.
‘The road’s too rough and in this rain it’ll be slippery. I don’t want you or your little daughter’s safety on my conscience. But let’s not waste time. It’s a long drive.’
Chapter Two (#ulink_d4dd58ad-828f-5f4e-a061-923bbe0ed83c)
SETH wasn’t exaggerating his desire for a hasty departure.
Fortunately, Bella didn’t kick up a fuss when she was suddenly strapped into a booster seat in the back of his dual-cabin ute. The little girl was mildly puzzled, but she’d lunched on Vegemite and cheese sandwiches, a banana and milk, so she obligingly fell asleep soon after they left Tamundra.
Rain streamed down the windows, making the sky and the trees a grey blur. Amy could see nothing but a small view, cleared by the wipers, of the muddy red track in front of the vehicle.
Apparently it would be dark by the time they got to Seth’s property, but despite the prospect of a long journey he didn’t seem inclined to talk. Whenever Amy stole a glance his way, he looked utterly relaxed and competent, his sun-browned hands resting lightly on the steering wheel as he skilfully negotiated the rough and slippery surface.
Amy supposed he would look equally relaxed and competent on the back of a horse, or driving a tractor.
She was surprised that she wasn’t more worried about heading into the wilderness with a man she hardly knew. Seth Reardon was different from almost any man she’d ever met, and she could totally understand how Rachel had been both attracted to him, and cautious about sharing her life with him.
He was clearly at ease in his own skin, but he had the wary intelligence of a loner—the Outback equivalent of street smarts, she supposed. More than likely, he never allowed anyone to get too close, which meant it wasn’t going to be easy to find the right moment to tell him that Bella was his daughter.
And yet, the weight of her secret loomed large. She would be relieved to finally get it off her chest.
Needing to make conversation, she asked tentatively, ‘Have you lived here on Cape York all your life?’
Seth shook his head. ‘I moved up here when I was twelve.’
Amy waited for him to expand on this and when he didn’t, she dived in with more questions. It was ridiculous to waste this golden opportunity for a getting-to-know-you chat.
‘Where did you live before that?’
‘In Sydney.’
‘Really?’
‘Does that surprise you?’ he asked, sliding a quick glance her way.
‘I was expecting you to say that you moved here from another cattle property in Queensland.’ Bustling, metropolitan Sydney was as alien to this environment as her own home in Melbourne. ‘Coming here must have been a big change for you.’
Seth nodded. ‘I came after my father died, to live with my uncle.’
‘So it was a very big change,’ Amy said quietly, and she was unexpectedly moved by the thought of him as a grieving, lonely boy, on the cusp of adolescence, leaving his friends in the city to live so far away.
She wanted to ask him about his mother. Why hadn’t she been able to look after him when his father died? Why had he been moved into an uncle’s care?
A glance at the set lines in Seth’s face, however, silenced further questions.
The rain continued as they drove on.
The relentless downpour and Seth’s rather grim silence were enough to make Amy feel sorry for herself. It wasn’t her habit to be self-pitying, but the weeks since Rachel’s accident had been rough and she wasn’t quite sure how she’d managed, actually.
