He smiled at that, white teeth flashing in his suntanned face. ‘OK. You’ve twisted my arm.’
‘And your favourite dish is?’
‘How about fish and chips?’
‘You’re joking,’ Jess said, but almost straight away she could see that he wasn’t. And it made sense, actually. A man who’d eaten so much beef all his life would hunger for something simple but totally coastal, like fish and chips.
‘Well, it won’t be any old fish and chips,’ she promised, and, true to her word, she cooked coral trout in beer batter with the very best crunchy, salty, potato chips, and sides of wilted greens, slices of lemon and tartare sauce. She hoped it was a straightforward, man-pleasing meal.
And this man did seem to be mightily pleased with it.
There was only one problem. Cooking in the kitchen, preparing a meal they would share, and having Rosie nearby, getting under her feet—was all too familiar. It was like being back in the homestead kitchen, as if they’d returned to a time when they were both ridiculously happy.
Throughout the meal, Reece extravagantly complimented Jess’s cooking, but she was aware of underlying pain.
His pain and hers.
And the separation that was now looming so close.
She should have listened to Reece when he said this dinner wasn’t a good idea. She could see now that it created a false scenario that was painful for both of them.
They had to pretend they were nothing more than friends. She had to act as if this gorgeous man opposite her hadn’t once asked her to marry him, and that she hadn’t turned him down for very good reasons. It was so hard to know that he’d misinterpreted those reasons and she hadn’t been able to set him straight.
All in all, the night was a terrible ordeal.
By the time they reached after-dinner coffee, Rosie was asleep, but the baby had been a helpful distraction and now Jess could feel the tension between herself and Reece magnifying tenfold.
It was totally understandable that he left early, and Jess knew she shouldn’t be miserable as they said goodnight at the doorway to her apartment. She should be walking on air, pumped up with relief and gratitude and big plans for her future.
Not a chance.
‘That was a memorable meal,’ Reece said politely.
‘I’m glad you liked it. As you know, it was an important occasion for me.’ Good grief. That sounded so stiff.
Her face was almost wooden. ‘I’m going to miss you and Rosie.’ His voice sounded rough.
‘We’ll miss you.’ A sob threatened as she said this.
Reece turned to leave.
This was it. The final goodbye.
In the hallway now, almost gone, Reece turned back to her. ‘Before I go,’ he said sternly. ‘There’s one thing I’d really like to know.’ His dark eyes were so direct, they burned her.
‘What’s that?’
‘Did you knock me back because of your debt?’
Jess was suddenly shaking as a month’s worth of regrets and useless wishes welled inside her. But when she tried to speak, her throat was too full. She nodded, blinking tears. ‘Yes,’ she sobbed. ‘It was only about the money. Never about you.’
In a heartbeat, Reece was back inside her apartment, closing the door behind him, leaning back against it, staring at her with hope and a hint of happiness shining in his eyes.
‘I’m sorry,’ Jess managed to say. ‘You’ve ended up with my debt anyway.’
‘You think I care?’
She swiped at her tears. ‘I felt so bad. I knew you thought I’d left because I didn’t like living at Warringa. And that’s so wrong. I love it, Reece. I love the house, the paddocks, the people I’ve met. I didn’t even mind your cow—’
He silenced her with a finger against her lips. ‘That’s all I need to know.’
He kissed her then, and, oh, my God, how wonderful it was. Jess’s blood was singing as his lips sealed with hers, as she leaned in to the hard, solid strength of him, and felt at last his arms around her, holding her, binding her close against his thudding heart.
When at last, too soon, he loosened the hug, he reached for her hands instead. ‘OK. I’m going to try again, Jess, because I love you. So much.’
He looked suddenly terrified. ‘I’m very much hoping you’ll marry me.’
To her horror, Jess burst into tears. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she sobbed, swiping at her eyes with the heels of her hands. ‘I’m not unhappy.’
Not surprisingly, Reece still looked uncertain.
‘I’m deliriously happy.’ Tears and all, she slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
‘I’ve missed you so much,’ she told him and she kissed him again. Kissed his jaw, his throat, his lips. ‘I love you, Reece. And it’s been agony not telling you.’
He touched a trembling hand to the side of her face. ‘I’ve missed you so much. Life’s not much fun without you and your cute little daughter.’
‘I’ve been so miserable without you.’
This time when they kissed again she could feel the relief and happiness flowing through them both. At last they had reached the emotional honesty they’d both craved. At last they were free to love.
* * *
They lay in bed, pleasantly tired and aching and sated, the shutters open to the sea breeze and the moonlight.
‘Give me your hand,’ Jess said, and she placed her hand against Reece’s, palm to palm. ‘I could marry you just for your hands, you know. I love how big and rough and manly they are.’
He chuckled. ‘And I’m crazy about yours. They’re so small and pale and girly. How do you keep them smooth like that when you work in a kitchen?’
‘Industrial-strength hand cream.’
‘It works.’
‘I’ll bring a gallon of the stuff to Warringa.’ Jess pressed kisses to his hand, relishing the luxury of having him close, to kiss and to touch whenever and wherever she wanted. She didn’t want to close her eyes in case he disappeared. ‘You know one thing that amazes me, Reece?’
‘What’s that?’
‘You’re such a kind and generous person even though you’ve had all kinds of reasons to be bitter and resentful.’
‘I could say the same about you.’
She thought about this, about her mum and her serial lovers, about Reece’s mother remaining in bitter silence in Sydney. ‘I really, really want to be a good mother.’
‘You will be, Jess. I know it. Rosie’s a lucky girl.’
‘Her luck began with you. It’s all thanks to you.’
‘Hey, enough with the gratitude. I get to keep the two of you. I’m the winner here, OK?’
‘OK.’ Jess was smiling into the darkness as she snuggled against Reece while he gently sifted strands of her hair.
She was almost drifting off to sleep when he said, ‘I have the best idea for our honeymoon.’
‘Wow, I hadn’t even thought about honeymoons. Where would you like to go?’
‘New York.’
‘Really?’
‘Why not? We’ve talked about it and I’ve always wanted to go there. It’s one of the most exciting cities in the world and it’s good to get a total change from the bush.’
‘Would Rosie come too?’
‘Of course. We could hire a nanny to help.’
‘Reece, that would be amazing. There’s so much to do there.’
‘I know, and we’ll do it all. All the sights, the shows. And while we’re there, we could try to find your father.’
Thud. Jess had been thinking about Richard Travere from the moment New York was mentioned, but she hadn’t expected Reece to remember.
‘I don’t know if that’s a good idea,’ she said. ‘He doesn’t even know I exist.’
‘Well, it’s worth a thought. It doesn’t seem right to me—a father who doesn’t know he has a daughter as fabulous as you are. And you never know, he might be the one grandparent Rosie can grow close to.’
‘That’s—that’s a nice
thought.’ Amazing, actually.
Reece kissed her ear lobe. ‘Sleep on it.’
‘I will. Thanks for the thought, Reece. I love you, you know.’
‘I know.’
EPILOGUE
THE restaurant was magnificent, an expansive space, with beautiful arched windows and high ceilings, as well as an outside terrace that overlooked a snowy, but bustling, Upper East Side street. Jess decided the place was trendy, cosy and romantic without overdoing it. She was glowing with approval as she and Reece removed their coats and were shown to their table.
Since arriving in New York with Rosie and a nanny, they’d enjoyed all the usual tourist treats. Museums and art galleries, shows on Broadway, sightseeing bus rides and ferry rides. It was all fascinating and exciting. Busy, busy, busy. Cosmopolitan. Energetic.
Wonderful.
New York, New York.
They’d walked the famous avenues and they’d spent hours and hours exploring Central Park. They’d eaten hotdogs with mustard on a sidewalk, and they’d breakfasted on scrambled eggs and lox in a diner. And they’d shopped till they dropped.
This evening, Jess was wearing the most divine black and silver twenties-flapper-style dress. Reece had insisted on buying it the instant he saw her in it, and, of course, he’d then had to buy a superb Italian suit to match her fine style. Tonight they felt like film stars. This dinner was to be the highlight of their trip.
‘You look stunning,’ Reece whispered.
‘You too.’
Their excitement was fizzing as exquisitely as the French champagne they sipped while they studied the menu. They finally settled on lamb spare ribs and tuna tartare, and when the meals arrived they were mouth-wateringly delicious.
‘So you approve?’ Reece asked. ‘You reckon the chef knows how to throw a meal together?’
Jess smiled archly. ‘I’ll admit he’s not bad.’
They were talking about Richard Travere, of course, the man she believed to be her father, who was both head chef and owner of this fine establishment. They’d discovered during their Internet searches that he usually made an appearance during the evening, and the chance to see him, even from a distance, had been too huge for Jess to resist.
‘I won’t actually talk to him,’ she’d insisted nervously. ‘I’ll be happy just to see him from the far side of the room.’
They were eating dessert—chocolate semifreddo for Reece and a hazelnut praline for Jess—when the low buzz of conversation in the restaurant dimmed and eyes turned towards the kitchen.
A tall man in chef’s whites strolled through the doorway and Jess held her breath. This was the man whose upwardly spiralling career she’d followed from afar. She knew that he’d worked in Brisbane, then Sydney and finally in New York. He was the man she’d wondered about for so long.
Reece reached across the table and his hand on hers was warm and reassuring. Her heart was galloping, but her husband’s touch helped to calm her, momentarily.
Richard Travere was impressive with a tanned, longish, slightly arrogant face and steel-grey hair swept back from a high brow. The arrogance disappeared when he smiled, Jess noted, as she watched him pause to chat with diners.
‘Looks like he’s talking to everyone,’ she hissed in a sudden panic.
‘That’s what we want,’ Reece assured her. ‘It’s better than coming here and missing out on seeing him.’
She took a deep breath and then another. Seemed there were plenty of chef groupies among the diners tonight. Plenty of beaming smiles as people talked to the famous RT.
He was getting closer. In an attempt to look casual, she lifted her spoon, but she was shaking so badly it clattered against her dessert plate and she had to set it down again, quickly, just as the big man greeted them.
‘Good evening,’ he said smoothly in a broad Aussie drawl. ‘I’m Richard. How’s the meal? I hope everything’s OK.’
‘It’s fabulous,’ Reece assured him.
‘Amazing,’ managed Jess.
‘Hey, you’re Australians.’ The chef’s eyebrows lifted in obvious delight. ‘What part of Oz are you from?’
‘North Queensland,’ Reece volunteered because Jess’s throat was no longer working.
‘Nice part of the world. I was there for a time.’
He smiled directly at Jess and she saw that his eyes were the same shade of green as hers. Her heart was almost leaping out of her chest and she was terrified she might cry.
With a supreme effort she forced herself to speak. ‘This dessert is truly delicious.’ She gestured to the cinnamon gelato, the espresso gelée and the tiny toasted meringue that accompanied her praline. ‘All the flavours are so perfectly balanced and complement each other beautifully.’
‘Thank you,’ he said graciously, clearly pleased. ‘Are you a chef?’
‘I am, actually.’
He looked at her again, and his smile froze for a split second. He frowned and something stirred in his gaze, but almost immediately his face cleared, and he gave a small, smiling bow and moved on.
Across the table, Reece was grinning at Jess as he reached for her hand again. ‘How was that?’
‘Scary.’
‘You shouldn’t be scared. He seems friendly enough.’
‘Yes.’
‘Are you still determined you won’t tell him who you are?’
She nodded. ‘It’s best like this. I’ve seen him. That’s enough.’
‘Are you sure?’ Reece’s gorgeous face was full of sympathy and understanding. And concern.
Jess knew that look well, and she loved him for caring, but this father business was too iffy. ‘I feel better leaving it like this. After all, you have next to no contact with your mother. We have each other and Rosie, and that means everything to me.’
‘Well, yes. It means everything to me.’
They shared a smile brimming with all the reasons they loved each other.
‘However,’ Reece said, looking serious again. ‘The big thing I’ve learnt from you, my sweet Jess, is that it’s worth taking emotional risks. I die a thousand deaths every time I remember how I almost lost you. I was almost too scared to try that second proposal.’
‘Oh, Reece.’ Every time he told her about this, her love for him deepened, widened. Exploded. She blinked away tears before they wrecked her mascara. ‘So you really think I should say something?’
‘I do.’
‘We’d have to get his attention again.’
‘Or maybe not,’ Reece said, looking over her shoulder.
She turned, stunned to see Richard Travere coming back to their table.
‘Excuse me,’ he said with an awkward, lopsided smile. ‘I know this might sound strange, but I was wondering if you might possibly know someone I used to know in North Queensland.’
* * *
It was the early hours of the next morning when Reece and Jess walked arm in arm down Madison Avenue. They’d had the most amazing evening. Richard had taken them to his private apartment on a floor above the restaurant and the three of them had talked for hours, making up for all the years, all the silences, all the mistakes.
They’d wept and laughed and hugged.
Now, snow was falling lightly. People still lingered on the sidewalks. Yellow taxi cabs streamed past, and steam rose through vents in the middle of the road. True to its reputation, this city had no intention of going to sleep.
And on this exciting, unforgettable night, neither did Reece or Jess. They had a future to plan.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt of The Cowboy Comes Home by Patricia Thayer!
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CHAPTER ONE
WILLIE NELSON’S “On the Road Again” poured out of the open windows of Johnny Jameson’s truck as he drove along the country road. It was January in Texas, but he was energized by the cold air, knowing the temperature would rise to triple digits soon enough come spring. No matter what the weather, he’d much rather be outside than cooped up indoors.
He always liked to keep on the move. Never felt the need to stay at any one place too long. More times than he could count, he had lived out of his vehicle.
He’d been lucky lately. The jobs came to him, and he could pick and choose what he wanted to take on. That was the reason he was coming to Larkville. He’d been intrigued when he’d heard the job description. Also because Clay Calhoun and his prize quarter horses were legendary in Texas. But before he got too excited, he wanted to assess the situation before he made any promises to the man, or to the job. If there still was a job, since the offer had been made months ago.
He’d been delayed by a stubborn colt, but after he’d finished training it, the thoroughbred was worth what the owner had paid. When he’d called Calhoun to let him know he’d be delayed with previous commitments, he’d ended up talking to Clay’s son Holt, who’d explained that his father was ill, but assured him that the job would be there whenever he arrived at the ranch. Johnny had said to expect him around the first of the year.
As it turned out it was the first of the year, and he was finally headed for the Double Bar C Ranch. He glanced in the rearview mirror at his trailer, and his precious cargo, Risky Business, his three-year-old roan stallion.
His attention focused back ahead and on the southeast Texas landscape of rolling hills and pastures that had the yellow hue of winter. He looked toward a group of bare trees and a cattle water trough nestled at the base. There was also a visitor, one beautiful black stallion. The animal reared up, fighting to get loose from his lead rope that seemed to be caught on something.
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