The Outback Cattleman’s Hired Wife
Natalia Elder
Published by Elderrat Publishers 2016
ABN 19789677583
Copyright Natalia Elder
The right of Natalia Elder to be identified as the author has been asserted under the Copyright Amendment (Morals Act) Act 2000.
This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part shall be reproduced by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of Australia.
Book Cover Design by Mitch Mottley
Formatting by Tim Edler
First Edition 2016
Publisher’s Address:
Elderrat Publishers
P.O. Box 3385
Loganholme Queensland 4129
Author Contacts:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.nataliaelder.com
ISBN: (pbk) 978 – 0 – 9925554 – 2 - 9
(ebk) 978 – 0 – 9925554 – 3 -6
Contents
Dear Lovely Reader
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Dear Lovely Reader
I’m delighted to bring you my first romance novel set in the majestic, rural Darling Downs located on the western side of the Great Dividing Range which amazingly runs down the entire eastern side of Australia.
After watching many seasons of an Australian Television Show, A Farmer Wants a Wife and often seeing many countrymen fail to attract someone into making a life with them on their farms, I began to think what would it take for a woman to stay long enough to fall in love with these hunky farmers?
Having had many farm stays in the lush countryside west of Toowoomba, the City of Flowers, I figured she would need to be burnt-out and had her heart broken. She’d need to slow down and have the three ingredients for a happy life – something to do, someone to love and something to hope for. Along came Kirra who was in need of those things but she’d become a workaholic and needed to learn to trust again after a hapless marriage.
Jared is patient and kind and also heartbroken. He is doing his best to look after his aging mother and young son after his wife died in dubious circumstances. He is so used to doing everything, so he’s had no time to think about himself.
With the help of well-meaning friends, family and the tempest of Mother Nature, these two fiercely-independent people learn to rely on each other. When sparks fly and chemistry between them becomes concentrated by isolation, these two have no choice but to work through their demons and learn to love again.
I hope you enjoy Jared and Kirra love story as much as I did writing it. Please feel free to leave a book review on Amazon.com and I would love to hear from my lovely readers on Twitter or my website: www.nataliaelder.com.
Until next time,
Happy reading!
Love Natx
Dedication
To my husband, Shane for being my lover, friend and champion sharing this wonderful life of ours. It isn’t easy living with a writer whose head is often in the clouds. I’m so glad you love tinkering in your man cave!
Acknowledgements
This book has been a long time coming. A finalist in the RWA 5 Day Intensive, I was lucky enough to spend five glorious days at Griffith University home and work commitment free to concentrate on polishing The Outback Cattleman’s Hired Wife to publishing standard for reader’s enjoyment. My huge thanks goes to Marion Lennox, my Script Editor who brought more depth to my stoic hero and upgraded my dairy farm knowledge, having been raised on one herself. My 5DI Writer’s Group, most of whom are now famous romance authors, also deserve an honourable mention for their support and encouragement in this solitary profession.
I’d also like to acknowledge my Gold Coast Writer’s Groups with their generous patron, Helen Bianchin who taught all of us the craft of romance writing and more importantly, the art of re-writing! ‘10%Talent/ 90% Perseverance,’ was one of her many mantras. Thanks for decades of friendship and support, amazing ladies.
To my fabulous Script Editors, Roger Dunn and Luke Valais for their continuous fine editing skills and insight into heroic behaviour.
To my wonderful Beta readers, Penny Wilson, Luke Valais and Vanessa South for their generous amounts of time, wise counsel and ability to pick a plot hole a mile away when I was too close to the story.
To the talented team at Elderrat Publishers, thanks heaps - Mitch Mottley (Graphic Designer) and Tim Edler (Software Engineer).
To my long-time friends, The Pocock Family for opening their home and dairy farm for many enjoyable Farm Stays and for the inspiration you provided in this book, especially the wonderful singalongs around the Pianola.
Last but not least, I like to thank my awesome family. Without their constant support, this book would not have been possible. Thanks, Shane, Timothy, Joel and dog, Penny for all that you do. I love you all.
Prologue
‘HEY KIRRA!’ ELISE, Kirra Whitely’s best friend and colleague chortled as she bounced with excitement on her chair across the aisle of the Brisbane Bulletin newsroom.
‘I don’t want to know,’ Kirra snapped, focused intently on the climax of her controversial article about High-Rise Property Investments impinging on Brisbane suburbia. ‘I’m busy!’
Elise ignored her protest as always. ‘Another one of those outrageous personal ads just came in,’ she prattled on. ‘I think he might be the one for you.’
The bombshell dropped and landed on her exhausted mind. ‘Huh?’
‘He’s a Capricorn. You’re a Virgo. They get on famously and the sex is amazing!’
The explosion came and she was forced to tear her eyes away from her computer screen. ‘What are you talking about?’
Elise’s eager face brightened. ‘I knew sex would grab your attention. You’ve buried yourself for too long in your work. I think it’s time you met a new man.’
Kirra rocked back on her swivel chair and gave her piercing stare. ‘Do you now? Zac’s only been gone a year and a half. I’m not through the grieving process yet.’
Elise dropped her shoulders. ‘Oh come on, just listen. It can’t hurt.’
Old excuses ran through her head. How many times had Elise tried to set her up on a blind date? Well-meaning, of course, but unwanted. She sighed wearily. Nothing fresh came to mind that she hadn’t said a dozen times before. She reluctantly gave Elise her undivided attention.
‘Great!’ Elise grinned. ‘Here goes . . . Capricorn gentleman, thirty-five, tall, dark and handsome with young son requires attractive, intelligent lady, twenty-seven to thirty-three for wife and mother. Must want to settle down on a farm. Genuine ladies only need call for interview. Phone - And I’ve just checked out the number. It’s Jared Glengarry! You know how rich that guy is? Why’s he advertising for a wife? Even if you’re not interested, it’s the story of a lifetime!’
Kirra laughed. ‘Oh come on, Elise. He can’t be serious. Who advertises for a wife and mother in a
newspaper like it’s a job?’
A cheeky glint lit up Elise’s eyes. ‘Why don’t you find out?’
Kirra’s investigative mind stirred. ‘I might just do that. Give me the ad.’
Chapter One
‘YOU’RE DOING BEAUTIFULLY, girl,’ Jared soothed, as he gently pressed his boot on the tractor’s accelerator. ‘I’ll soon have your calf delivered safely.’
The standing cow’s girth shuddered in the throes of another contraction and she lowed tiredly and in obvious pain.
Jared’s heart went out to her. The cow had been in labour for several hours. Earlier in the day, he was glad he’d made the decision to steer her into the barn out of the now-torrential rain which beat like a thousand hens tapping out a River Dance on the tin roof.
Jared kept one eye on the cow and the other on the ropes that were tied around the hind hooves of the larger-than-normal calf. A difficult birth, the calf in breach position was hard enough, but to manage alone took all of his Veterinarian skills. A C-Section was out-of-the-question, using the tractor was his only option now to
pull the calf out and save them both.
Wrenching on the handbrake, Jared jumped down and edged slowly towards the rear end of the cow. The back of the calf’s head was crowning. He slid his hands into the birth canal and eased the head and ears out. Taking the weight of the calf in his arms, the fore hooves were ejected from the cow on one last contraction along with the after-birth.
Laying the calf down on hay, he scooped the fluid out of its mouth and removed the sac around it. Relieved, he breathed in deeply and massaged the black and white heifer, while he quietly muttered, ‘She’s alright, girl. Come see.’ And with that, he stood back and gave the mother some privacy to clean and nurture her newborn.
Birth was always miraculous to Jared and he grinned to himself as he boarded the tractor and drove to the far end of the barn where he parked it. It was only then that he registered the hunger pangs gurgling in his stomach. With his two farm hands off sick today, he’d had his work cut out for him since dawn and he vaguely remembered feeding Jesse and grabbing a crust of bread on his way out of the homestead.
He was glad of the solitude. Glad that his mother and son had gone to the beach for the last week of the school holidays. He’d miss them of course, but having some down time would give him a chance to reflect on the best way forward for him and his small family.
Maybe it was time for him to marry again. The
nagging thought at the back of his mind had taken shape ever since his friend, Harry had mentioned it at the last barn dance. But he’d been out of the dating game for so long, he didn’t even know where to begin. And then, an even deeper thought surfaced. Did he actually deserve a second chance at love after what had happened to Heather?
Clearing his mind, Jared washed his hands thoroughly in the sink inside the barn. After slipping on his oilskin coat, he jammed on his leather hat. Once he’d seen to the calf and mother, food was his next priority.
Grabbing the leather reins, he swung up easily into the saddle of his grey stallion. He cursed himself for not taking out the utility truck this morning. From the look of the murky water seeping into the edges of the barn there was quite the possibility of snakes swimming about. Still if he stuck to the gravelled road, slightly higher than the pastures, he should make it back to the homestead alright.
Licking his lips and lost in the thought of a big and very late continental breakfast - eggs, bacon, grilled tomato, sausage, tea, toast and maybe a little marmalade - he rounded the back of the barn and spied an unfamiliar car parked out the front of the homestead.
Who’d be silly enough to come out here in this weather? The thought hammered on his weary mind. Without another thought, he clicked his tongue quickly
to encourage his horse to pick up speed. Well whoever it was, he’d hoped they’d eaten because he wasn’t about to share his meal. He’d get rid of them quick smart, he decided and down his meal-for-one before the cows wandered in for the evening milking session.
‘Where is the cattleman?’
Kirra Whitely sighed with impatience even though staying power and tenacity made her the most head-hunted journalist in South-East Queensland.
She glanced at her watch for the third time in so many minutes. Jared Glengarry was already an hour late for his interview. Honestly, how did he expect anyone to take his ad for a wife and a mother for his son seriously if he couldn’t even be bothered turning up?
A vet-cum-dairy farmer, he belonged to the Billionaire’s Club through shrewd investments on the short-term money market. Oh she’d done her research. He was a widower of two years. There was an eight year old son, Caleb and controversy over his wife’s death by drowning. He’d made the newspapers then.
She’d had the notion that she could offer him empathy, as she’d lost her husband not that long ago. Guilt continued to torture her. Could she have done something - anything to prevent his death? Maybe, Glengarry also had a tortured soul.
Her leather ankle-length boot tapped out a rapid
tattoo on the varnished, timber verandah where she sat on a white wicker chair out front of the sprawling Queensland colonial-style homestead.
The Australian, rural area of the Darling Downs was majestic. Green pastures and crops were spread across the landscape, vibrant against the purple hue of the Great Dividing Mountain Range. Normally it would have a calming effect on Kirra, but today, her nerves were on edge. If he didn’t show up soon. . .
What a goose she felt leaving her mobile phone on the charger this morning! She wanted to ring her editor and share her annoyance, but instead she’d have to wait two hours to give him ‘what-for’.
It was spitting before, but now the rain was bucketing down. She didn’t relish the thought of driving back to Brisbane especially on the winding roads through the mountains.
How could the events of last Thursday have landed her in this impossible position?
When Kirra had rung the house, she hadn’t even spoken with the man! It was his mother who had answered and told her that he was out tending the cattle. His mother had painted her son to be a wonderful father. She’d been intrigued as to why a wealthy man hadn’t remarried and was working on the land but couldn’t bring herself to ask her. She knew she needed to find out first hand. In the end, Glengarry’s mother had offered her
a two-week stay to see if she’d like living on a farm and give them time to get to know each other. ‘I’ll be here,’ she’d said. ‘You can be my guest.’
Her editor had said, ‘Go for it!’ He’d practically ordered her out the door. She’d packed a couple of suitcases. But wisely, she’d left them in the boot of her Subaru four-wheel-drive when she’d arrived.
What a complete waste of her time! She was about to leave when she spotted movement. The vision appeared almost like a movie scene, expert rider and courageous steed galloping towards her parting the mist that rolled down from the mountains in billowing great clouds.
It was winter in sub-tropical Queensland. Cooler than expected, a breeze chilled her to the bone. Her linen skirt suit and silk blouse weren’t anywhere near warm enough and shivers coursed down her spine like someone had just walked over her grave. An ominous feeling gripped her and she shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Maybe, jeans and a t-shirt would have been a better choice of clothing and she kicked herself for not taking her jacket out of her suitcase before leaving Brisbane. It was definitely warmer on the coast, but she couldn’t worry about that now she was here and he was almost on the doorstep.
Her keen eyes widened at the man whom she’d assumed was Glengarry, but looked like a colonial
bushranger. Clad in oil-skin coat, leather hat and boots, he looked more intent on storming the homestead than someone about to conduct an interview.
Water splashed under the hooves of the huge, grey horse that galloped at lightning speed, expertly controlled.
Stone-faced, Jared reined the horse into an abrupt halt under the rolled aluminum awning.
If today wasn’t testing enough, now he had to deal with this unexpected visitor. He really needed to treat the several cows with foot-rotted hooves he’d noticed this morning.
The evening milking was about to start. In this weather, how on earth he was going to get three hundred cows milked in under three hours with the Miller boys off sick?
Somehow, he’d manage.
He swallowed hard and tightened his grip on the reins. In one smooth action, he levered his body off the horse and landed on the ground, muddy water splashing his knee-high boots.
Kirra took in the narrowed, steely-blue eyes, the ruggedly-handsome, tanned face and the determined set of his jaw. His leather hat was jammed tightly on collar-length dark hair. He certainly wasn’t going to win any hearts if his temperament was grim.
She stood and strode over to the wooden railing. Her eyes were drawn to his large, leather-gloved hands
as he tethered the horse to one of the vertical posts.
The breeze strengthened as he straightened and turned towards her. His coat flapped open to reveal a blue-checked shirt and well-worn, hip-hugging jeans. His jeans fitted his strong, solid body with a snugness that accelerated her heartbeat and started an unwanted curl of heat in her belly. Sexy Capricorn! Dammit Elise …
Kirra folded her arms across her chest to brace herself against the cold and to unconsciously prepare her for the widower in question she was about to meet.
‘Hi! I’m Kirra Whitely,’ Kirra said, with a confidence of being well-rehearsed in meeting strangers. ‘I’m here for the interview. It was for two o’clock and I’ve -’ she stopped when his eyes met hers with a sceptical stare.
To her surprise, he bounded up the steps, removed the soft leather glove from his right hand and held it out.
Kirra thrust out her hand and saw it disappear in his firm, but brief handshake. She pulled her hand away as if it had been scorched and a spark of sexual awareness feathered through her blood.
Kirra blinked, the shock of her body’s traitorous reaction warred with her sensibilities. Her mouth went dry and her tongue felt swollen. Desperately trying to calm her thoughts, she eyed him levelly and waited for his introduction.
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