Page 14 of A Chance to Believe

In the meantime, he’d escaped into the paddocks after an early breakfast to check his prize breeders, avoiding Cassie. Now he was in his office doing paperwork that could have waited until tomorrow. It was ridiculous, a grown man avoiding a woman because she affected him too much. His libido had been running full bore. Rather than turning him off, her changed shape intrigued him. If anything, she looked even more beautiful to his eyes. It could be simply the lack of any release over the last months, but he was used to long spells of drought. Conscious of the critical eyes of a teenage daughter, he’d only gone looking when the loneliness got too much for him.

It had been almost a year since he’d hooked up with someone prior to meeting Cassie. Maybe he was getting too old for it, but he’d been left unsatisfied too often to find sex with strangers appealing. Nothing against the women. They’d been good company, but not what he wanted. They left him feeling lonelier than before.

He’d been knocked sideways by Cassie, hardly daring to think she’d be interested in something with a country farmer. When they’d arrived back at her room after eating together the first night, she’d seemed a little shy, despite their earlier intimacy. He’d been nervous, like this time it really mattered. It made little sense with Cassie being as much a stranger as anyone he’d met in the past.

There’d been a moment when he’d almost backed off. Apologised. Wondered if he’d be able to find a room to replace the one he’d given up. She’d reached out, almost tentatively, to touch his wrist, and it had been all over for him. For both of them. They’d clung, mouths devouring, hands exploring. In moments they’d stripped off their clothes, Cassie discarding the flowing top and narrow leggings she’d changed into when she returned the designer suit to the parade organiser.

She wasn’t waif thin like some models, more lean and lithe, her limbs long and muscular and her abs firm with a touch of definition. Her golden skin was stretched firmly over it all, her breasts up-tilted with toffee-coloured nipples standing out, as if seeking his attention. He’d given it to them, biting and suckling, and she’d responded with equal enthusiasm. Their first time hadn’t been perfect. He’d been too needy, their passion too rushed. He’d made it up to her repeatedly over the following days. Maybe it had been that first night they’d made the babies.

He’d almost forgotten protection until she reminded him, something that hadn’t happened before, not since Kimberley was conceived. He’d been drunk that time. This time he’d been sober but drunk on the euphoria of the chemistry between them. But they’d remembered in time, before they’d come together totally, and never missed after that first time.

Now he wanted to see how she’d changed. Her breasts looked heavier, and her rounded stomach would have lost its tone. It had been hard to tell in the disguising outfit, but he suspected her hips might have more definition. She would have had to stop her daily runs once the pregnancy was at risk. She’d miss them. He’d joined her most days, running in the pre-dawn light along the river. She outpaced him but didn’t make it obvious, keeping a steady speed he could match. He hadn’t been surprised when she revealed she took part in a half-marathon earlier in the year.

They’d had enough in common to be comfortable together, yet different enough to be intriguing. The chemistry was a bonus. Or a curse. He wasn’t sure at this point. Sex would not be possible, even if Cassie was interested. A high-risk pregnancy would require her to be careful about a lot more than sex. Something he needed to remind his body of whenever he was in her company.

He glanced at the clock and swore. His family would arrive shortly, and he should make sure Cassie was okay about it. She had the poise to carry anything off, but he wasn’t so sure about his parents. Not sure how his outspoken grandmother was going to respond.

They’d thought Dot Smith was failing when she went into the nursing home with ninety on the horizon. Instead, she’d developed a new lease on life. His mother had decided the older woman had been lonely for people her own age after her husband died. Now she had a dozen male pensioners on her string and a group of cronies to gossip with over the bingo and the art and craft sessions she’d perked up and looked like living to a hundred.

He put an old glass paperweight on the documents he was no longer interested in and ran his fingers over his hair. He’d showered after being in amongst the alpacas and his hair was still damp. Shaking his head, he stalked from his office. Vanity, thy name is a man lusting after a woman he couldn’t have.

Kimberley was in the front lounge on the floor with Barney, fondling his ears. The old dog looked blissful. As he should. ‘Have you seen Cassie?’

‘No. Should I have?’

‘Does she know we’ll be eating in the formal dining room?’

‘How would I know?’

He inspected her outfit. ‘You’ll have to clean up before everyone gets here. Don’t you have a dress or something different to wear?’

‘Last time I wore one of my dresses, you said it was indecent.’

Suppressing a groan, he remembered he’d been supposed to take her into town to buy new clothes after she’d shot up over the Christmas holidays. He’d sorted out school uniforms, but they’d run out of time, and he’d promised to take her in another day. ‘My bad. I promise I’ll sort something out shortly. In the meantime, maybe you could find something not covered in dog hair.’

She rose to her feet and wandered off to the stairs with a smirk. Now she’d probably linger so she could make an entrance once everyone arrived. That would be peak bad behaviour for today because she was anticipating the pool party in the afternoon.

Recalling his own mission, he headed for the annex. He needed to give Cassie some details about his family so she wouldn’t be going in without fair warning. He met her at the outside door, coming in. She took his breath away.

She’d straightened her hair again. It hung in an inky satin fall, almost to her waist. She wore a brightly coloured loose top with giant flowers he thought might be hibiscus in oranges and reds, almost concealing her bump. Her loose trousers were in a pale apricot shade. The outfit brought out the honey tones of her skin and set off her dark eyes and hair.

‘You look good enough to eat.’

She smiled, her mouth even more delectable. Her lipstick matched the trousers, and he could see she’d touched her eyelids with a gold sheen that blended with her skin. ‘Thank you. I’d like to return the compliment.’

He’d dressed up a little more formally in deference to his parents coming, trading in the jeans and moleskins for a pair of taupe chinos and a navy silk shirt. Nothing special, but the appreciation in her eyes skittered over his skin and settled low in his abdomen.

Telling his body to settle down, he fell into step beside her. ‘I couldn’t remember if I’d told you we were eating in the formal dining room. Mum reckons it’s pointless having it unless we use it occasionally, and Parker agrees.’

‘I’m glad you came to show me. I still haven’t quite got my bearing around some parts of the house.’

‘I’ll give you a tour later. You were tired yesterday, and I thought you’d prefer the rest.’

She darted a look at him he couldn’t interpret. Surprise maybe. Or simple gratitude he hadn’t dragged her over the place when she was tired after her trip.

‘I have an ulterior motive in coming to get you. I thought I’d give you the heads up about my parents. Mum is Dawn, Dad is Francis, Nana is Dorothy Smith or Dot. Mum will probably start hinting about what our plans might be. Try to ignore her if you can. She’s still not over me refusing to marry Courtney and blames me for her going off to the US. Dad had a health scare a while back. I’ll be trying not to aggravate him because stress is bad for his blood pressure.’

‘I wonder what discovering he’s about to become a grandfather again, courtesy of a complete stranger, will do for him?’

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