The Outback Cattleman's Hired Wife (17 page)

A few minutes later, a silver sedan approached the
house and Kirra’s heart pounded beneath her breast.
What if Caleb didn’t
like her?
She couldn’t bear that. Kirra watched wide-eyed as a dark-haired
boy opened the passenger side door and jumped out. He slammed the door and
Kirra jerked upright, taking the puppy with her.

Her eyes widened in shock, when the driver hopped out
of the car. It was Phil, Elise
’
s fiancé.
What
was he doing here?

Gob-smacked, she watched him collect a backpack from
the backseat, before he came up to the homestead with Caleb.

‘
Phil, what are you doing here?
’
she said, her journalistic mind kicking in.

Caleb stopped on the verandah.
‘
That
’
s Uncle Gus. He
drove me home. Where
’
s Dad?
’

‘
He
’
s in the bathroom
taking a shower,
’
Kirra informed him.
‘
He
’
ll be out shortly. Come and sit down. I
’
ve got someone waiting to meet you.
’

Caleb
’
s blue eyes
widened. When she held out the puppy, he ran over to her.
‘
Awesome!
’

‘
He
’
s only little,
’
she said softly,
‘
so sit down
please and you can hold him in your lap.
’

Caleb did as he was beckoned and Kirra smiled at him,
as she placed the puppy gently in his hands.

‘
Bridie sent him over for you, but he needs a name.
Your Dad says you
’
re good with naming animals.
’

Caleb stroked him gently and thought long and hard.
‘
I think I
’
ll call
him, Chocolate because he
’
s nearly dark brown all over.
’

‘
Chocolate, it is then,
’
she said, smiling at him.

Phil put Caleb
’
s backpack
on the verandah and gave Kirra a sheepish look.
‘
Ah, I have to get back.
’

‘
Not so fast, Phil,
’
Kirra said and gave him a piercing stare.
‘
Are you related to Caleb?
’

‘
Not exactly.
’

‘
What does that mean?
’

Jared appeared in the doorway.
‘
Thanks for bringing Caleb home, Gus,
’
he said, then looked from one to the other.
‘
Do you two know each other?
’

Kirra
’
s hands fisted her
hips.
‘
This is Phil, Elise
’
s fiancé.
He works in the print room at the
Brisbane Bulletin.
’

‘
What
’
s this all about,
Gus?
’
Jared
’
s voice demanded
the truth.

‘
Alright!
’
Phil said,
putting up his hand and took a tentative glance at Kirra.
‘
My name is Augustus Phillip Haynes. Elise hates Gus.
She thinks it makes me sound like a horse or something so she calls me by my
middle name.
’

‘
So are you related or not?
’
Kirra said, impatiently.

‘
Yes, I guess. Jared
’
s aunt
adopted me when she and her husband couldn
’
t have kids
of their own.
’

‘
Gus is my cousin,
’
Jared
informed her flatly.

Putting two and two together, Kirra glared at Phil.
‘
Did you print up a fake ad for Jared wanting a wife
and mother?
’

Phil
’
s shoulders
slumped.
‘
I
’
m no good at
lying. I told Elise this would be a mistake me driving Caleb home.
’

‘
Elise is behind this?
’
Kirra said, keeping her voice low.
‘
Wait until
I see her.
’

Jared intervened and his blue-grey eyes softening with
amusement.
‘
Tell Elise, it was the best mistake she
’
d ever made.
’

Kirra
’
s mouth dropped
open.
‘
What?
’

‘
Really, Jared?
’
Phil said,
relief evident in his voice.

‘
Yes, really,
’
he
replied.
‘
I
’
ll calm Kirra
down. You
’
d better go. She looks like she wants to throttle you.
’

Phil grinned.
‘
Bye, Kirra.
Bye, Caleb.
’

‘
Bye, Uncle Gus,
’
Caleb
said, waving.
‘
See you at the football game.
’

‘Yeah, mate!’ Phil said, as he hot-tailed it out of
there.

Jared took hold of Kirra
’
s shoulders with a gentleness that almost made her weep.
‘
Look at me.
’

Kirra met his eyes with an angry flash and her spine stiffened.

‘
Does it really matter how we met?
’
he said and hugged her to him.
‘
Be grateful someone cares enough about us to go to
such lengths.
’

Kirra let out a breath that she hadn
’
t realised she
’
d been
holding.

How good it felt to be in his arms again!
Her mind swirled in delighted circles.

‘
Everything will be okay,
’
Jared whispered in her ear.
‘
Come and
meet my son, Caleb.
’

JARED SLIPPED HIS arm around Kirra
’
s waist.
She relaxed a little as he walked with her over to Caleb.

‘
Son,
’
he said quietly,
hunkering down on his haunches.

Caleb looked up at him immediately.
‘
Dad!
’
he said with
barely contained excitement,
‘
Look what this
nice lady gave me.
’

‘
This nice lady is my friend, Kirra. I told you on the
phone she’d be here, remember?
’
Jared glanced at
Kirra to gauge her reaction. She seemed to have a puzzled look on her face. But
what else could he call her? He couldn
’
t tell his
seven year old son that she was his lover. It would be too much of a shock.

Kirra was the best thing that had ever happened to
him. She was kind and generous. He
’
d seen that
when she
’
d cared for the puppy until Caleb returned home, and
when she did some of the domestic duties of her own volition. He hadn
’
t expected that. Kirra just being such a passionate
and whole-hearted lover was enough for him. And she loved him!
What more
could any red-blooded man want?
He mentally kicked himself.

Heather had only wanted to have sex one way, in bed,
missionary position. And she
’
d certainly never
told him about any of her sexual fantasies. That
’
s if she
’
d ever had any. She was never the one to initiate sex.
After Caleb was born, there was no sex at all. Jared had been celibate for so
many years, he
’
d lost count. He
’
d told
himself that he could live without it. He wasn
’
t superhuman however, and when the tension became too great, he would
release in the shower. When Heather died, the celibacy continued - grieving,
caring for Caleb and his mother to some extent, and the veterinary and farm
commitments zapped him of sexual impulses. He really did believe Kirra was an
angel delivered to him on his doorstep.

And if he didn
’
t make things right between them soon, he knew that she would be taken
away from him for good!

‘
Say, hello to Kirra,
’
Jared said to Caleb in an encouraging tone, as he straightened and
stood beside Kirra.

‘
Hi Kirra,
’
Caleb
said.
‘
Are you my new nanny?
’

Kirra
’
s
spine stiffened again, as she felt Jared
’
s large, supportive hand on her back.
‘
No, I
’
m . . . I’m. . .
’
She gave Jared a piercing stare. It was the first
time she
’
d ever been lost for words.
‘
Help me out here.
’

Jared smiled his reassuring, crooked smile, then
looked towards Caleb.
‘
Kirra
’
s a journalist.
She
’
s having a two week holiday with us. She wants to see
what it
’
s like living in the country.
’

‘
Are you going to stay after that?
’
The little boy stroked the puppy faster and gave her
a painful look, as if he was already preparing for a rebuff.

‘
I hope so,
’
Kirra
said, warmly.
‘
But that will be a decision your father and I will
make.
’

In the end, it had to be a mutual agreement, Kirra
realised. Even if she and Caleb made friends, ultimately, she also had a say in
the matter.

But she could see now why Jared was concerned for
Caleb
’
s feelings. He seemed a sensitive boy and he
’
d been abandoned many times by women, leaving him
insecure.

She knew that could affect his relationships later in
life if he couldn
’
t count on a woman being honest, loyal and respectful
of his feelings.

Jared slid his arm around Kirra
’
s waist and gave a gentle squeeze.
‘
I couldn
’
t agree more,
’
he said, giving her a brief smile, before turning his
gaze to Caleb.
‘
How about you take your puppy inside for a nap while we have lunch,
’
he suggested, a genuine cheerfulness in his tone.

‘
Okay, Dad.
’

Kirra stepped forward away from Jared
’
s embrace.
‘
I
’
ll show you where his bed is.
’

Caleb stood with the puppy close to his chest and
Jared bent down on one knee.

‘
Come here, Tiger,
’
Jared
said,
‘
and let your Dad give you a big hug.
’
Caleb walked forward and he swept his son and puppy
up into a heartfelt, bear hug.
‘
I
’
ve missed you so much. Did you have a good time at the
beach?
’

‘
Oh, yes,
’
Caleb
replied, all excited again.
‘
Granny and I
collected lots of shells. They
’
re in my backpack.
’
He pointed to it on the verandah.
‘
Granny wants me to make her a shell necklace. She said
that you
’
d be able to help with drilling little holes in the
shells and you might have some fishing line in the barn to string them on.
’

‘
We
’
ll see.
’
Jared carried him inside, picking up the backpack on
the way.
‘
How
about I make us all some ham, cheese and tomato toasted sandwiches?
’

‘
Then can we work on the necklace?
’
Caleb asked, as Jared set him down on his feet.

Jared ruffled Caleb
’
s hair with
his fingers.
‘
Sure thing, Tiger,
’
he said,
reassuringly.
‘
Maybe, Kirra would like to make one too.
’

Kirra was used to playing games with her cousin
’
s children so she was delighted to be included.
‘
Yes, that would be lovely. Come on, off to the
laundry, Caleb.
’

With the puppy, held tightly to his chest, Caleb
walked down the hallway, while his father headed to the kitchen.

Kirra kept pace beside Caleb.
‘
If your father agrees,
’
she said calmly,
‘
Chocolate may be able to sleep in your room.
’

‘
Wow!
’
he said,
‘
That
’
d be cool.
’

They entered the laundry and Kirra placed the puppy
gently on his bed.
‘
Come,
’
she whispered,
‘
we
’
ll wash our hands
in the bathroom sink so as not to wake him.
’

He nodded and followed her out.
‘
Puppies need a lot of sleep,
’
he whispered to her.

‘
I know,
’
she
whispered back.

When they entered the kitchen, Jared was pouring hot
water from the kettle into the teapot. There was a red and white checked
tablecloth covering the table, on top of which sat a large plate of toasted
sandwiches and a glass of milk for Caleb.

‘
Good timing,
’
Jared
said, giving Kirra a grateful smile.

They all sat down at the table and Kirra felt a pang
of envy. How lucky was Jared to have a child? Something she
’
d yearned for, but had never been blessed with.
Sitting simply together, sharing a meal, a warm feeling washed over her.

If this is what being a family was like, she was all
for it.

‘
Help yourself,
’
Jared
said, pouring a cup of tea for Kirra and himself.

Caleb sipped his milk, then asked excitedly,
‘
Dad, can Chocolate sleep in my room?
’

‘
Chocolate?
’
Jared said
in puzzlement.

‘
That
’
s what I named the puppy,
’
Caleb said
proudly.            

‘
After I give him his vaccination and put something on
him to prevent fleas, ticks and worms this afternoon,
’
Jared said,
‘
It
’
s okay.
’

While they ate, Kirra told them some funny things she
’
d come across in her work as a journalist like
interviewing a man who kept forty-four snakes on his property as pets and a
rubbery-faced man who could pull his bottom lip over his nose and eyes.

‘
You sound like you love your work,
’
Jared said, his eyes hooded.
‘
Never a dull moment.
’

‘
There
’
s a lot of routine
things and down time waiting for a story to break,
’
she said,
‘
like most
jobs.
’

‘
Is that what you want to do all your life?
’
Jared looked up, his grey-blue gaze intense.

Kirra shivered under the scrutiny. She knew that he
was fishing to see whether she could leave it behind to make a life in the
country.

After some thought, she said,
‘
I
’
ll always want to
write in some capacity and have a family.
’
Then she
added, as if to test his mettle.
‘
Do you
still hope to study endangered animals?
’

Jared
’
s
eyes widened in astonishment.
‘
No, not now. My life is full enough as it is, but I
read about their progress when I can.
’

Kirra then turned to Caleb and asked him about his
soccer and computer games.

Jared seemed surprised that she knew so much about
both topics and that Caleb had never talked so much at the table.

After lunch, Jared took them both out in the Land
Cruiser to the barn to feed the heifers. With three pair of hands, feeding was
accomplished quickly and enjoyably.

Jared hunted around and found a small hand drill and a
reel of fishing line at the back of the barn. He held them up and said, ‘This
do?’

‘Yeah, Dad!’ Caleb said, jumping up and down punching
his hands in the air. Kirra patted the corralled heifers near the entrance with
Caleb, when suddenly their attention was caught by the crunching sound of a
tractor coming towards the barn.

 
‘
Max!
’
Caleb shouted and when Max stopped the machine just
outside the entrance, Caleb clambered up on it.

‘
Hi, kiddo,
’
Max said, putting his hat on Caleb
’
s head.
‘
I
’
m glad you
’
re back.
’
He gave Kirra a split-watermelon grin.

Kirra smiled back, remembering him when he dropped off
the puppy yesterday. He was about eighteen, she guessed, fresh-faced, tall and
athletic.
‘
Hi Max, Caleb has named the puppy, Chocolate.
’

‘
Sweet,
’
Max replied.
‘
Are you going to the Bush Dance on Saturday night,
Kirra?
’