She beamed a welcome as Riley climbed from the plane, but her eyes were already on Jenna and Karli.
‘It’s true,’ she breathed as Riley hauled open the passenger door so they could climb out after him. ‘The radio’s been full of gossip about these two. You have them safe.’ She smiled at both of them and her smile was a caress all on its own. ‘Oh, you poor lambs. The fuss… And Riley found you in that heat. Riley, you should have brought them home straight away.’
‘I couldn’t,’ he said shortly. ‘The cattle were dying.’
Maggie looked at him then-really looked at him-and Jenna saw her shock as she registered the exhaustion and the strain and the fierce containment. The woman drew in her breath, made to say something-and then seemed to change her mind. She gave him a long, searching look and then turned back to the visitors.
‘Come into the house,’ she told Jenna. She smiled down at Karli. ‘You must be Karli. You know there hasn’t been a little girl here for a very long time. You’re very welcome.’
‘Would you like to see my rock?’ Karli asked, and Maggie beamed.
‘Of course I would.’
‘Is Max free to take these two straight on to Adelaide?’ Riley’s question was brusque, and Jenna froze. She looked across at Riley.
‘I thought…’
‘Aren’t you taking us?’ Karli asked.
‘I have work to do,’ he told her. ‘Max is my overseer-he’s Maggie’s husband. He has his pilot’s licence.’ Then, as Karli looked dubious, he smiled at her. ‘You’ll like Max. He likes kids and I bet he’ll like your rock.’
But Maggie was staring at him, seemingly astounded. Seemingly confused.
‘Riley, what are you talking about? Max isn’t taking anyone to Adelaide tonight.’
‘Why not? He can stay overnight and come back tomorrow.’
‘He can’t.’
‘Maggie-’
‘There’s not enough light,’ she said flatly. ‘You know he hates flying blind.’
‘Oh, come on, Maggie. It’s a great night. A full moon and no clouds.’
‘He’s not doing it.’
‘Why the hell not?’ He caught himself and cast a glance at Karli, who was gazing straight at him. ‘I mean…he’ll be fine. He’s flown the plane in a lot worse conditions than tonight.’
‘Not unless he has to, and tonight he doesn’t have to. He’s my husband and I say he’s not doing it.’ Maggie drew herself up to her full five feet two inches and she glared. ‘I don’t often put my foot down, Riley Jackson, but I’m putting it down now. You let these two mites sleep here for the night. They look almost as tired as you and that’s saying something. I’ll talk to Max and maybe he can fly them south in the morning.’
‘I employ Max,’ Riley growled, and Maggie gave him a long, thoughtful look.
‘So you do. Just like you employ me. But you won’t employ either of us if we quit, which we just might do if you make him do that.’
‘Hey,’ Jenna said. Things were starting to sound crazy. ‘I don’t…it doesn’t matter.’
Maggie put her hands on her hips and planted her feet apart, pugnaciously standing her ground. ‘It does matter,’ she retorted. ‘Riley’s being ridiculous.’ She turned to face him again. ‘You go in and get yourself clean and dressed and ready for dinner and cut it out with this nonsense. Dinner’ll be on the table in half an hour.’
‘I’ll eat with the men.’
‘What the…?’
‘Feed Jenna and Karli, Maggie,’ he told her, and he turned away as if weariness had suddenly overtaken him completely. ‘Give them a bed for the night. Max can take them on in the morning.’
It was the start of a really strained evening.
Maggie took them through to a guest bedroom that normally would have had Jenna exclaiming in delight. Twin beds with mosquito-net canopies, luxurious bedding, a vast overhead fan that wafted the warm air gently around the big room, French windows leading out to the veranda and to the pool beyond. It was truly magnificent, but Jenna hardly saw it.
Maggie seemed distracted. She fussed over them a little, but left as soon as she could so they could shower and change. They used the en suite bathroom, which was lovely-but both of them missed their pump. Even clean hair gave minimal pleasure.
Karli was back to being quiet again. She hardly spoke as they dressed and went through to dinner.
The little girl grew even quieter when she realised their dinner was to be taken in solitary splendour-in a dining room that was beautiful but overpoweringly formal and more suited for twelve people than for two.
Maggie flew in and out with their dinner-magnificent steak and fresh salad and a lemon tart that would normally have made both their mouths water. Maggie looked at them with worry in her eyes but she, too, hardly spoke. Her bubbly personality seemed to have disappeared.
We should have caught the train, Jenna thought drearily. This was well nigh unbearable.
After dinner there was no one around at all. The house seemed deserted. They carried their plates through to the big farmhouse kitchen, but even Maggie had now disappeared.
They drifted back to their bedroom, feeling lost.
Jenna put Karli to bed.
‘Riley doesn’t like us any more,’ Karli whispered, and Jenna hugged her and told her of course he did, he was just tired.
She didn’t believe it. She comforted Karli, but she needed comfort herself.
With Karli finally asleep she went outside to sit on the veranda. Here at least she could look up into the same sky she’d looked at for the last few days. Tomorrow she’d be back in the city and this would be over.
The night was beautiful. Munyering was beautiful, she thought. It was the loveliest place she’d ever been in-a magic mix of outback dreaming and delicious comfort.
Why on earth had Riley’s wife ever walked from this?
Where was everyone? The place seemed almost ghostly.
A dog appeared from the shadows, a three-quarter-grown collie. Jenna clicked her fingers and the pup wriggled in delight and slunk forward to have his ears scratched. Any company was welcome. She could go nuts, she thought. Where was Riley?
This was hardly a hospitable end to their stay. Maybe she should be angry. But then, she had foisted herself onto him, she conceded. He’d already done more than he’d had to in helping her. He’d fed her and housed her and he was organising a flight to Adelaide. How could she ask more of him than that?
How could she not?
‘Does he talk to you?’ she asked the pup.
‘No.’ The woman’s voice came out of the shadows and she turned to find Maggie watching her from behind the gnarled wisteria trunk. ‘Riley talk to a dog?’ she said bitterly. ‘He might get attached and that would never do.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Jenna started to rise, but Maggie signalled her to stay where she was.
‘Don’t get up. I need to talk to you.’
‘I didn’t want to disturb you.’
‘You’re not disturbing me,’ Maggie told her. ‘You’re disturbing Riley and that’s what I want to talk to you about.’
‘Well, if you want me to apologise for that…’
Maggie managed a worried smile. ‘No. Of course I don’t want you to apologise. The opposite, in fact. Riley hasn’t been disturbed for a very long time and this is way overdue.’
‘What’s overdue?’
‘Falling in love.’
‘Um…’ Jenna stared at Maggie, stunned.
Maggie gazed right back.
Jenna broke the look first, turning to gaze out over the swimming pool. There were tiny insects just above water-level and swallows were swooping in and out of the light to snatch their evening meal. A mass of roses grew almost wild on the other side of the pool. A huge overhead sprinkler sent water drifting across the garden in a long, lazy, arcing spray, and the smell of the damp roses was everywhere.
‘Who said anything about falling in love?’ Jenna whispered.
‘Ar
e you in love with him?’ Maggie asked.
‘I might be.’ What was the use of denying it?
‘Well, he’s sure as eggs in love with you.’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘Have you seen his face?’
‘I…’
‘Of course. You don’t know enough of him to realise.’ Maggie took a deep breath and plumped herself down on the bench beside Jenna. ‘I’m sorry, Jenna. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going. From the minute he got off that plane and I saw his face… I haven’t seen that look since his father died and it made me feel ill.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Well, maybe you ought,’ Maggie said resolutely. ‘You can’t fight without weapons, is what I always say. I’ve been talking to my Max and he says I should butt out of what’s not my business, but when have I ever? Did you know Riley’s mother walked out on him?’
Jenna was having trouble keeping up. ‘No, I-’
‘When he was four,’ she said, turning to watch the swallows herself. ‘Riley’s dad was hopelessly in love with her, but she was a spoiled little princess. She came here and he gave her the world, but it wasn’t enough. They had three kids-two girls who were older than Riley. Then she met some millionaire at a race meet and she walked away without a backward glance. She broke his father’s heart and, as far as I know, Riley never saw her again.’
‘Oh, no.’
‘Yeah, but that was just the beginning,’ Maggie said grimly. ‘The girls were just as bad. Riley’s sisters. Sure, their mother had walked out on them, but they were older and she’d taught them to be just like her. They didn’t like the School of the Air we have here, so they went to boarding-school. They came home when they had to, but they hated the place. By the time Riley was eight they were gone completely. Leaving heartache behind. Riley’s father tried hard to keep them together, but it didn’t work. So Riley was left with his father, who was just bereft. He died when Riley was eleven.’
Jenna didn’t respond. She couldn’t. But Maggie looked across at her face in the moonlight and appeared to find what she saw there satisfactory. She gave a decisive little nod and went on regardless.
‘It was hell for him,’ Maggie said bluntly. ‘No one came near him. Not his mother. Not his sisters. Max and I were here, of course, and we made sure they were contacted when his father died, but the only thing they wanted to know was how much they’d inherit. They got enough, but the farm was left to Riley. After all, the farm was all Riley had. Max and I had to apply to be appointed his guardians as there was no one else for him.’
‘Oh, Maggie.’
Maggie’s hand came across and covered hers, sensing that Jenna was too shocked to say anything else. ‘I’ll make this fast,’ she said. ‘Riley kept himself to himself. He’s worked and worked. He’s learned to play the stock market and he’s made this place fantastic. He’s one of the wealthiest farmers in Australia now-one of our few millionaires. But six years ago he met Lisa. He met her at a stock sale in Adelaide. She was the daughter of a stock agent, she was gorgeous, she was funny, he married her. But I reckon one of the reasons he chose her was that she was self-contained. Self-containment…it’s the one thing he’s learned to value above everything. He doesn’t trust loving and why should he? Anyway, Lisa didn’t help one bit. She left with one of the few men Riley counted as his friend, and she bled him dry in the process. And that’s it. Since Lisa left he’s refused to even get attached to a dog.’
There was a moment’s silence as Maggie reached over to fondle the pup’s ears. Then she gave a sniff that was decidedly watery. ‘He’s worked himself into the ground,’ she said. ‘He cares for the farm and nothing else. He’s committed himself to nobody. And then you came.’
‘I…’
‘Tonight he’s looking like he did the night his father died,’ Maggie said. ‘You can’t leave.’
‘Do you think I want to?’
‘No,’ Maggie said softly. She thought about it for a minute and then corrected herself. ‘Oh, I did. I took one look at his face and I thought he’d fallen for someone else who didn’t need him. That was why…that was why I left you alone at dinner. I was so upset. But it was also why I refused to let Max take you to Adelaide tonight. I had to figure things out. I had to see.’
‘So now you see?’
‘Of course I see. I’ve been talking to him.’
‘You’re kidding,’ Jenna said. ‘Riley doesn’t let people speak to him.’
Maggie managed a shaky smile. ‘No, but if provoked he gives you information. And I’ve done some provoking. I told him that I was sorry I objected to Max taking you on to Adelaide tonight. I told him I’ve been listening to gossip over the radio and it seems you’re a spoiled little tart who’s just as scatty as your mother. Then I stood back and watched.’ Her smile grew a trifle rueful. ‘He gave me the reaction I wanted. I think if I was a man I would have been slugged.’
‘So…’ Jenna took a deep breath and tried to focus. ‘So what?’
‘So he’s in love with you. And you’re in love with him.’ Maggie’s smile grew a little more secure. ‘I’m not sure what magic happened over the last four days. But was it? Was it magic?’
‘It was,’ Jenna conceded and Maggie’s smile grew broader.
‘There. If you think four days at Barinya Downs is magic, then you’re perfect for him. Compared to Barinya Downs, this place is a palace.’
‘This place is certainly a palace.’
‘Then you can stay here for ever.’
‘Oh, right. As if he’ll let that happen.’
‘Go to him,’ Maggie urged. ‘I’ve fought hard for an extra night for you. Make it work. He’s over in the hangar giving the plane the once-over for the morning. Go and talk to him.’
‘I can’t.’
‘He’s not worth fighting for?’
‘Maggie, I threw myself at him last night,’ she admitted. ‘I can hardly humiliate myself any more.’
‘I’m not asking you to humiliate yourself. I’m simply asking that you go and talk to him. I don’t know…thank him for the stay or something. Provoke him. Push him. Chances are he’ll disappear before daylight tomorrow and you won’t get a chance to see him then. Just…just try. What have you got to lose?’
Her pride, Jenna thought. But then…did she have one speck of pride left?
‘I could do that,’ she whispered.
‘Well, what are you sitting here for, girl?’ Maggie retorted. She grabbed the pup, who was sitting on Jenna’s feet. ‘Clear the way, pup. The lady has a mission.’ She squeezed Jenna’s hand. ‘Good luck, my dear. Oh, good luck.’
It wasn’t going to work.
Jenna walked into the hangar and Riley turned to see who was approaching and his face shut down just like that.
She didn’t have a hope.
‘I thought you’d be in bed,’ he said shortly and she winced.
‘I came to thank you for your hospitality.’
‘You’re welcome.’ He turned back to his engine and she stared at him in dismay. And in building anger.
‘I’m not,’ she said at last, and he turned again.
‘Pardon?’
‘I’m not the least bit welcome. You can’t wait to be shot of me.’
‘I didn’t say that.’
‘You didn’t have to.’ Then, as his face closed even more she felt herself snap. Damn losing more pride. He needed to be kicked! ‘You’re being a selfish, unmitigated bore. I have no idea why I even thought I could possibly be in love with you.’
There was a moment’s silence. He carefully wiped oil from his hands with a rag, and then put the rag down as if he were afraid it might break.
‘An unmitigated bore?’
‘Yes.’ She stood her ground and flashed fire. ‘And you’ve upset Karli. She doesn’t have a clue why you’re being so mean.’
‘I’m not being mean. I brought you here. I’m arranging for you to be taken to Adelaide.’
‘
I thought that,’ she said. ‘I told myself that you’re being good to us and I shouldn’t complain. But then I figured that you’re only giving us things that anyone with money could throw at us. Nicole used to put us up in five-star hotels and provide us with babysitters, too. No one ended up loving Nicole. Not even her daughters.’
‘What are you saying?’
‘That you’re rejecting our love.’ How about that for a bald statement? It was true, though, so why not say it?
‘I don’t want anyone to love me,’ he told her, and her anger increased.
‘Of course you do. You just won’t admit it because you’ve been hurt in the past. Well, you’re looking at an expert at being hurt, and yet here I am throwing my heart stupidly, wantonly at some selfish oaf of a man who won’t even take a day off to fly us to Adelaide.’
‘Stop it, Jenna.’
‘Why should I stop it?’ She was past caring, she thought dully. She’d not meant to say any of this, but he stared at her with eyes that were blank, as if he was trying to shut her out, and she couldn’t bear it. She could see behind that blankness. He thought that if he let himself love her, then she’d hurt him-just as all those people had done in the past.
‘Coward,’ she whispered.
‘I’m not a coward. I’m a realist.’
‘You think what’s between us has to end?’
‘Of course it has to end.’
‘Of course it does,’ she said cordially. ‘’Til death do us part. See, I even know the relevant vow. Death happens to everyone, but I’m banking on fifty years in the interim.’
‘You’re saying you want to marry me?’ he demanded, startled.
They were twenty feet from each other, with the concrete hangar floor stretching out between them. Overhead was a glaring fluorescent light, harsh and almost surreal in the echoing hangar. Hardly the place for a proposal of marriage.
‘I’m saying how I feel about you,’ she told him. ‘That’s how I feel. Why not be honest? Marriage or not, you’re a part of me. But you haven’t the courage to see it.’
Rescued By A Millionaire Page 15
