The Aristocrat and the Single Mom

by Michelle Douglas

  ‘Kate?’ Felice whispered, stricken.

  ‘Think, Felice, think!’ Kate had a sudden urge to shake the younger girl. ‘Simon told me a little about your childhood and how your parents were rarely there.’ Couldn’t Felice see what she’d done?

  Felice searched Kate’s face, her eyes intent. Danny said, ‘Steady on, Kate,’ but both women ignored him.

  ‘How much did you love him when you were little, how important was he to you?’

  ‘He was…everything.’

  ‘And how much do you think he loves you? How important do you think you are to him?’

  Felice dashed away a tear. ‘But he told me I was irresponsible, rash…that I’d disgrace him and myself.’

  ‘Oh, Felice, why do you think he said those things? Can’t you see he’d do anything—descend to blackmail, threats, anything—to keep you from harm? He knows now how wrong that was.’

  ‘So why did he leave like…that?’ She waved at the now empty doorway.

  ‘Because you excluded him from sharing what should’ve been one of the happiest days of your life. Think of the way your parents treated him, the way they treated you.’ She pulled in a breath. ‘Felice, can’t you see that you’ve just treated him the same way they always did? In a very vital way, you’ve just told him he’s not important to you.’

  Felice covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide with horror—silently begging Kate to tell her what to do to make things right.

  ‘I think,’ Kate started gently, ‘that you need to make him unthink that as soon as possible.’

  Felice shot out of the door before Kate had even finished her sentence.

  The air whistled out between Danny’s teeth. ‘You could’ve gone a bit easier on her, couldn’t you?’

  She folded her arms. ‘I think you and Felice have had things too easy for far too long as it is. I’m sorry, Danny, but the honeymoon’s over. Sit. There are things we need to discuss.’

  Simon and Felice were gone for nearly two hours. In their absence, Kate and Danny tossed a salad and prepared steaks for the barbecue.

  There was work to be done and tonight she didn’t need distractions.

  When Simon and Felice finally walked through the back door, Felice sent Kate a relieved smile before rushing into Danny’s arms. Simon took in the arrangements for the meal and backed up. ‘It’s getting late. I should leave and let you eat.’

  ‘We’ve prepared enough for you too,’ Kate said, her stomach turning over at the sight of him.

  He hesitated.

  ‘I was hoping you’d stay and eat with us.’

  He smiled then, his eyes warm as they rested on her face, making her breath catch. ‘I’d like that.’

  ‘Good. That’s settled, then.’ Lord, did that voice belong to her? She shot a quick glance at Danny and Felice but they were too caught up in each other to notice anything amiss. Thank heavens. Though their single-minded focus on each other, the in jokes and teasing, and the touching—so much touching!—cranked up the tension in Kate until her throat went dry and she thought she might have to groan out loud to stop herself from exploding.

  She gulped. ‘Simon and I will cook the steaks.’ She sent him an apologetic smile. ‘It seems I’m always putting you to work.’

  ‘I don’t mind.’ His grin widened to pure wickedness. ‘I like it when you find…uses for me.’

  ‘And you two can set the table,’ she squeaked as she seized the plate of steaks and beat a hasty retreat to the cool of the back garden.

  ‘Where’s Jesse?’ Simon asked, following her outside.

  ‘He’s already in bed.’ When Simon didn’t say anything she added, ‘He was tired and I thought it might be a good idea to have…adult time this evening.’

  ‘You’re a good mother, Kate. You wanted to shield him from any potential unpleasantness and tension.’

  ‘I did,’ she agreed. ‘But I didn’t want you and Felice, or Danny for that manner, constrained by his presence. There are times and places for things. This evening is for you and Felice.’

  Felice stuck her head outside. ‘Do you want to eat inside or out?’

  ‘Inside,’ Kate called back. Tonight she wanted to see everyone’s face by electric light, not half hidden by the dark.

  ‘Why in?’ Simon asked, laying the first of the steaks on the hotplate. It sizzled and spat, but he didn’t flinch.

  She tried not to notice how lean and sure his fingers were as they lifted the second and then the third steaks from the plate she held. The plate grew lighter. And so did she. ‘Oh, um…’ she tried to roll her eyes ‘…it’ll give them at least five more minutes of privacy if they’re in there and we’re out here.’

  His laugh rumbled out of him, low and full of promise. ‘That means we have five more minutes of privacy too, doesn’t it?’

  Privacy?

  He placed the last steak on the barbecue. She sighed. Such magical fingers. They’d been sure and skilful as they’d explored her stomach and ribs, the undersides of her breasts.

  They didn’t need privacy! She jerked away from him, shocked at the ferocity of need pounding through her. This couldn’t work. They’d discussed it more than once. She wouldn’t indulge in a fling—she was a mother with responsibilities. What if she fell pregnant? How would Simon cope? How would she cope?

  And anything longer-term was out of the question.

  She had a son. He didn’t want children.

  She lived in Dutchman’s Bay. He lived in England.

  Impossible. Utterly impossible.

  So why couldn’t she stop fantasizing about those lean fingers on her body and those firm lips on hers?

  ‘I believe I owe you an apology.’

  His words jerked her back to the present. ‘I doubt that,’ she managed. And if he said anything about the high colour burning in her cheeks, she’d blame the heat from the barbecue.

  ‘I don’t believe I behaved very well when I first found out Felice and Danny had married and I—’

  She reached up, pressing her fingers against his mouth. ‘Don’t apologise. You felt betrayed by all of us. I’d have felt the same.’

  He took her hand, pressing a kiss to its palm, and then released it as if he didn’t trust himself to hold it any longer than that.

  ‘I know now that Felice swore you to secrecy.’

  Kate didn’t say anything. His concern for her felt right all the way down to her bones. It should feel wrong. But, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t make it feel wrong.

  ‘I just want you to know that I don’t hold you responsible for anything Felice has done in the past or anything she will do in the future.’

  ‘Thank you.’ She gave up fighting the rightness. ‘Now turn the steaks, Simon.’ She handed him the tongs. If she didn’t deflect his attention away from her, she’d be in danger of having to kiss him.

  Dinner was fun. They toasted each other—with beer, because they’d forgotten to chill the champagne. Felice rattled on nonstop about the sights she’d seen on her honeymoon—the beaches and reefs, the fabulous snorkelling and surfing. When her chatter finally petered out, Kate kicked Danny’s shin beneath the table.

  He dropped his fork and glared at her before turning his attention to Simon. ‘Kate tells me you’ve plans to turn Holm House into a wedding and convention centre.’

  ‘That’s right.’

  ‘It sounds exciting.’

  Kate listened—and watched—carefully as Danny shot question after question at Simon. Her brother had a degree in business management. Beneath all that shaggy blond hair, he had a good head for business.

  She’d miss it.

  She kicked him again.

  His teeth clenched as if he were biting back a retort and Kate had to choke back a laugh. Obediently, he turned to Felice. ‘You know what, Flick—?’ he used his pet name for her ‘—this venture of Simon’s is really something. Big. I could be talking out of turn here, but…it’s your family home too, isn’t it? And maybe
we should…you know?’ He finished on a less than elegant shrug.

  Kate didn’t bother to berate him about that. From the way Simon stiffened beside her and Felice’s jaw dropped, they had both certainly caught his drift.

  Way to go, Danny! She wanted to high-five him.

  ‘But…but what about Kate and The Merry Dolphin?’ Felice finally managed to say.

  Danny snorted. ‘Believe me, Kate could run six boats, bring up ten kids, all while juggling three chain-saws if she wanted.’

  Did he really think so? She beamed at him. This was going exactly to plan. ‘Just the one boat will do.’ She had no plans to expand. Not now.

  Felice stared at her, then at Danny in dawning horror. ‘But…you’d hate England, Danny. We only have one week of sunshine the whole year. Surf beaches are practically nonexistent.’

  ‘Pooh, Danny does too much surfing as it is.’ Kate wound up for another kick.

  As if he sensed that, Danny quickly added, ‘I could never hate a fellow cricket-playing nation, Flick. And it’s where you come from. I’d love to see it.’

  ‘Then we’ll visit. Of course we’ll visit.’

  ‘But this project of Simon’s…it’s seriously exciting. And it’ll take longer than a visit to organise a wedding, won’t it? Even if Holm House is in the process of gearing up for that kind of thing.’

  ‘Wedding?’ Felice said faintly.

  ‘Too right,’ Danny said.

  He swallowed and if Kate had any doubts before about how much her brother loved Felice she certainly didn’t now.

  ‘We’ll have to renew our vows in front of all your family and friends. We’d want to put on a nice do for everyone. And you’d get to do the whole white dress thing and…everything.’

  From the corner of her eye, Kate could’ve sworn she saw Simon shake his head at Felice.

  ‘I didn’t come to Australia just to get away from Simon, you know, Danny. I…I’m a lady and there’re all these constraints and expectations of me when I’m in England. I hate it. I don’t want to go back.’

  Danny glanced at Kate with a mixture of defeat and panic…and a tiny bit of relief.

  ‘Running away isn’t the answer,’ Kate said in her most bracing tone. She had to find something to say that would convince Felice to return to England. ‘If you hate the constraints so much, challenge them, change the way things are done, blaze a trail and pull tradition into the twenty-first century.’

  Felice stared at her as if she’d grown two heads. It reminded her of the way Simon looked at her sometimes and she wondered if she’d overdone it.

  And then she saw Simon kick Felice beneath the table!

  Kate gaped at him. ‘I saw that!’

  ‘What? You think you’re the one who has the monopoly on kicking people beneath the table?’ he demanded. ‘You’ve kicked Danny twice already. If you don’t stop soon he’ll be black and blue.’

  ‘No, I haven’t.’ She gulped and lifted her chin. Her face started to burn.

  Danny started to laugh. ‘You are such a bad liar, sis.’

  ‘I’m just—’

  ‘Trying to make things right for everyone,’ Simon said. ‘Like you always do.’

  She slumped back in her seat. She brightened a moment later. ‘Danny and Felice, you guys could work part of the year here and part of the year in England. You could have two summers each year. How cool’s that?’

  Simon threw his head back and laughed. ‘Kate, butt out.’

  Her jaw dropped. He reached across and tapped it closed—with those sure, tanned fingers that could send a girl’s blood rushing through her ears.

  ‘I know what you’re doing.’ He smiled and it warmed her to her very toes. ‘And I appreciate it. But Felice and Danny have to make their own decisions now.’

  She opened her mouth, but he cut in before she could speak. ‘Without pressure from you…or me.’

  She knew he was right. But it didn’t mean she wanted him to return to England on his own. She kicked a table leg. ‘Fine,’ she muttered. ‘No butting in.’

  ‘So there you have it.’ Simon spread his hands wide, his smile just as wide, as he addressed Danny and Felice. ‘You can stay here and continue working on The Merry Dolphin, you can come and work on the estate with me, you can flit between the two, or you might decide to become ski instructors in Switzerland. Your call.’

  Felice’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. Kate couldn’t resist winking at her. Something in the way Simon had just said all that, the lack of tension in his body, told her he would be okay with whatever choice Danny and Felice made. And Kate suddenly realised that was all she cared about.

  Felice and Danny disappeared the moment the dishes were done with the excuse that they had a lot to discuss. From the way Simon’s lips twitched, Kate knew he’d come to the same conclusion she had.

  He lifted his mug. ‘Let’s take these outside.’

  Kate hadn’t really wanted coffee, but she hadn’t wanted Simon to leave yet either. She’d offered coffee. He’d accepted.

  She followed him outside although she knew she should call him back, tell him that if he wanted to talk they’d best do that at the kitchen table by the unromantic glow of the electric light. Alone with Simon in her garden in the dancing silver moonlight? They’d done this before. It had led to pulse-jumping kisses, soul-drugging kisses. She set her shoulders, lifted her chin. As long as she wrapped a good thick coat of common sense about herself while they were out here, then maybe she’d…

  He turned. His eyes blazed. Kate trembled and all sense fled.

  ‘I came racing up here this afternoon to tell you something.’

  She remembered the look that had blazed across his face then too. She trembled again.

  He set his coffee down on the table. He reached out and took her mug and set it down beside his. Then he drew her into his arms. She couldn’t stop from lifting her face to his. Her pulse galloped, her breathing grew uncertain and, although she willed her bones to stay strong, they started to melt into him.

  Sadness flashed through her. ‘Don’t kiss me, Simon.’ She pushed a hand against his chest to push him away, but the moment she registered the steady thud of his heart against her palm it melted into him too.

  She closed her eyes and took a breath.

  ‘Kate?’

  ‘You said you wouldn’t hurt me or mine.’ The words left her on a sob. Why hadn’t she stayed in the house? To put themselves through this kind of torture would help no one.

  His hands came up to cup her face. ‘Never,’ he vowed vehemently, his voice reverberating in the dark. ‘I would never do anything to hurt you.’

  Then let me go! But the words wouldn’t come and, although she ordered them to, her legs refused to step away.

  ‘Kate, I—’

  ‘Mummy?’

  Simon stiffened. Kate blinked. Then she wrenched herself out of Simon’s arms. ‘Jesse, baby? Where are you?’

  ‘Here.’

  His voice wobbled and it tore at her heart. She sensed rather than saw his solid shadow. She opened her arms and he ran straight into them. She brushed the hair off his forehead and held him tight. ‘What’s up, chook? Why aren’t you asleep?’

  ‘I had a dream that the Indians came and took me, and you couldn’t find me even though I called really, really loud. They had big spears and bows and arrows. I had to come and find you.’

  ‘Shh, of course you did. But it was just a dream, chook. And I’m here now.’

  He nodded and started to relax against her. ‘Can I sleep in your bed with you tonight?’

  It had been a long time since he’d asked if he could do that. She hesitated before nodding. ‘Okay then, just this once.’ Had he picked up on her tension, her heartache? She closed her eyes and gulped. Jesse was her priority. She had to do everything she could to make his world secure.

  She opened her eyes and met Simon’s silver gaze. ‘It’s getting late,’ she murmured.

  He glanced down at his hands
. ‘I do need to talk to you.’

  Her resolve faltered for a moment. ‘Not tonight,’ she forced herself to say. The night was too dangerous.

  ‘Tomorrow?’

  ‘I’m piloting The Merry Dolphin tomorrow.’ Archie had the day off. ‘The first tour is at ten if you’d like to tag along.’

  ‘I’ll see you then.’ He nodded. ‘Goodnight, Kate. Goodnight, Jesse.’ Then he disappeared into the night.

  Simon arrived at The Merry Dolphin half an hour before the first scheduled tour, but he still didn’t get Kate alone. Pete was already aboard, buffing and shining.

  ‘Need a hand?’ Simon didn’t have much experience at buffing and shining, but he’d buff and shine Kate’s boat till it gleamed if it’d earn him a smile.

  Not that one had to earn Kate’s smiles—she gave them away for free.

  ‘Nah, mate, sit down and tell me why England isn’t doing so crash hot in their one-day series.’

  Simon couldn’t help grinning. England and Australia weren’t playing each other this summer, thank goodness, but it didn’t seem to stop the cricket enthusiasts from pointing out his team’s current poor form…and ribbing him about it.

  Kate rescued him less than five minutes later, leaping on board. ‘Simon, this is Lionel, another member of our crew. Lionel, Simon is—’

  ‘Probably stuck with tea and coffee making duties again,’ he said on a mock sigh, shaking Lionel’s hand.

  Kate handed around takeaway cappuccinos and a bag of doughnuts, seized a clipboard from behind the bar. ‘Okay, the itinerary today…’

  Simon watched and listened and his heart billowed in pride at her strength and professionalism. Things couldn’t have been easy for her when Jesse had come along, especially with her father gone. But she’d made something good of her life.

  Something very good. He glanced around the bay. Everywhere he looked he saw sparkling water, golden sand and pretty beachside villages. Doubt slammed into him then. How could he compete with—