Page 9 of A Chance to Believe

‘He reckons it’s even more important to maintain his fitness. He can’t ride because of his hip, so he uses quad bikes around the farm.’

‘I thought most farmers used bikes rather than horses these days.’

‘True. It’s more practical, but I enjoy riding, so I still use horses where I can, and Kim does too when she joins me. Everyone else uses wheels.’

She moved towards him, and he took a couple of steps away, opening the door into the annex. Glancing around the small flat, he tried to see it from Cassie’s eyes. It would have been cleaned a week ago. His cousin Nate had come from his property out west to pick up a horse and stayed over for the night. Next time, he would have to stay in the main house if Cassie were still here. It occurred to him he would prefer Cassie to be the one staying in the main house, but it might be too much too soon.

‘Do you think you could be comfortable here?’

She ran her fingers over the polished timber of the circular dining table. ‘It’s lovely. Are these all antiques from in the house?’

‘When a family has been in one place for this many generations, we accumulate things. We don’t get rid of anything unless it’s not repairable. So much is connected to the history. We have bits and pieces of furniture and crockery stored in the attics and in one of the outside sheds.’ He opened the bedroom door. ‘Some things we donated to the local museum, and we have loaned things for centenary celebrations around the district. It’s more like being a steward than being owners.’

Cassie glided into the bedroom, still graceful despite her bulk, and sat on the double bed. Not as big as his bed upstairs. It was a genuine antique, apart from the modern mattress, moved here when he’d replaced it with something larger for his own comfort.

There was an element of relief in the way she flopped down. Maybe she was tired. It would have been an early start for her to arrive here mid-morning. She smoothed her hand over the bedspread. ‘This is lovely. The floral fabric is gorgeous. Is it original?’

Shayne laughed. ‘I don’t think so. Mum ordered it from this place in England that does reproduction fabrics from previous centuries. She’s responsible for refurbishing the place.’

‘The bathroom under the stairs?’

‘All hers. She’s an artist in her spare time along with being a member of the historical society, so it was a project she could get her teeth into. She did this bathroom in the same style.’ He indicated the door to one side of the bedroom.

‘My cousin Tess is an artist. Maybe they know each other.’

‘You can invite her over. One advantage in having your own space is that you can invite any friends and family to visit without having to worry about checking with Parker. We would expect you to eat with us when you can.’

He didn’t know where that came from, but he was prepared to double down on it. He wanted her to eat with him.

‘I could manage my own cooking.’

‘There’s not much point. Parker always cooks lavishly. Have your breakfast here. Weekdays it’s a scratch lunch because we’re often out all day and Kim’s at school, so you can do what you like. Check with Parker if you’d like him to provide something.’ He indicated the handset on the bedside table. ‘The phones are on an internal network. Press zero for an outside line and the rest of the internal numbers are on the label. Old-fashioned, but saves walking through the entire house if you need to pass on a message. I will expect you to eat with us at night and on the weekend.’

‘I’m not sure if you’re trying to bribe me to stay or scare me away.’

‘Definitely bribe.’ He glanced down at her belly. ‘You shouldn’t be on your feet too much anyway, so this way it ensures you eat well with the minimum of effort.’

‘If you insist.’ She leaned on one arm, shifting on the bed. Her long legs meant her feet touched the ground despite the height of the old-fashioned brass and ceramic bed. ‘I’m looking forward to resting. It’s been a busy few months.’

‘I suppose you had to finish out your contracts.’

‘That wasn’t so difficult. It was transferring my music students to other teachers I found hardest. Some of them I’d taught from the time they were littlies.’

He absorbed the startling information with a jolt to his gut. ‘You’re a music teacher?’

‘Among other things. Most of it was after school, so I had plenty of free time during the day and in the evening.’

‘I didn’t realise.’ Something shifted in his perception, but she’d still been at the fashion show, modelling the designer clothes.

‘We didn’t really talk about ourselves, did we?’

‘No.’ Too busy protecting himself. If he’d asked personal questions, she would have returned the favour, and he hadn’t been willing to reveal his wealth or anything about his own personal life. Only his single status in exchange for her assurances of the same. It had seemed the most important thing at the time.

Her smile beamed out, striking him in the chest. ‘Which is why I’m here. If we’re to co-parent, we need to get to know each other.’

Co-parent. It was a cold and practical solution to the situation. He hated it. ‘I should let you have a rest. Do you have your car keys?’

She rummaged under the flowy scarf thing and dangled a set of keys. ‘Do you need it moved?’

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