Outback Man Seeks Wife by Margaret Way

Author:Margaret Way [Way, Margaret]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2006-08-04T20:00:00+00:00

Carrie stayed to have a bite of lunch with Paddy and afterwards walked down to the local super market—to stock up on a few items for which her mother had given her a list. It was as she was leaving the huge barn, pushing a laden trolley—why was it one always bought so much more than was on the list?—that she ran in to Clay.

‘Hi, I’ll take that.’

Her heartbeat stumbled, then staggered on. She watched as he took charge of the trolley. She hadn’t spoken to him—neither of them had made contact—since that day on Jimboorie when they had gone into each other’s arms. Ecstatic, then, afterwards trying to push away.

‘How’s Harper?’ he asked, following her lead to the parking bay.

‘Stable when I rang this morning.’

‘And Natasha, my wayward cousin?’

‘She’ll be coming home. I pray to God they’ll both be coming home soon.’

‘So how do you feel about it?’ he asked, starting to load the provisions into her 4WD.

‘I’m just thankful they’re alive, Clay. Other than that I feel like a complete fool.’

Clay paused in what he was doing to look down at her. There were faint shadows beneath her beautiful eyes as though she’d slept badly. ‘You haven’t heard yet what he has to say? I take it at this point you’re not unengaged?’

‘It’s a difficult moment to announce the wedding’s off,’ she countered. ‘The town has decided to pretend Natasha’s presence in Scott’s SUV was quite innocent. She was accompanying him on some journey out to Campbell’s Creek a well-known beauty spot for lovers. And at night!’

‘You don’t buy the innocent story?’

She looked away from him, a pressure building up behind her rib cage. ‘My mother told me not long after it happened it wasn’t. She’s dreadfully upset. So is my father. Both of them were thrilled when I got engaged to Scott.’

‘In God’s name, why?’ There was a lick of anger in his brilliant blue eyes. ‘It sounds to me like you were almost railroaded into it.’

She raised a delicate shoulder in a shrug. Let it drop. She realized now there was more than a grain of truth in it. ‘Not anymore,’ she said. ‘When Scott is fit enough I’m going to tell him—’

‘For the second time—’

‘Our engagement is over.’ She was wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat, protection against the hot rays of the sun but now a strong gust of wind blew it from her head.

Clay caught it, twirling it in his hand. ‘Pretty!’ he said, feeling both happy and sad. Something about wide-brimmed straw hats and lovely little faces beneath them made him want to laugh and cry if ever a man was allowed to cry. His mother with a redhead’s porcelain complexion, had always worn big shady hats in the sun.

‘If he wants to be with Natasha he’s welcome to her,’ Carrie was saying, sensitive to the changing expressions on his face. What was he thinking about?

Clay handed her hat back to her. ‘Put it back on. You have the most beautiful skin. I’d say Scott will probably take the line Natasha came onto him.

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