Page 82 of Bride Under Contract

‘I’m trying to find a Stetson for my mother?’

‘Excuse me?’

‘She’s taken up line dancing, apparently...’ Grace gave a small laugh. ‘I need to find a sparkly shirt and a hat for her. Oh, and I’m working on that data Arif gave me.’

‘You don’t have to do any of that.’

‘I like doing it,’ Grace admitted. ‘There are reams of information about the conservation work being undertaken. I don’t see that Benedict stands a chance if it’s taken to court.’

‘Careful,’ he warned, ‘you might put yourself out of a job. I need a wife so I can inherit the property.’

But then his voice changed and he was serious.

‘Look, I agree. If it goes to court, we’ll eventually win—“eventually” being the operative word. However, there is damage being done now.’

‘I know.’

She went quiet, aching to admit just how very nice it was to hear from him. And to tell him that from her digging around in his past she knew the anniversary of his family’s deaths was fast approaching. She wondered if it was on his mind. It had to be, she decided, even while knowing the phone wasn’t the place to bring up something so deeply personal.

Still, she took a breath. ‘It will be nice to go back there.’

‘If the talks with Jonathon go well, and the contracts get signed, we soon shall be.’

‘For how long?’

‘Just for the wedding—one night.’

‘We could stay for a bit longer...’

‘The point of this marriage is to end my obligations, so I can spend as little time there as possible.’

‘I know.’ Grace sighed. ‘But that doesn’t mean I can’t go by myself.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘You’ve said yourself you’ll be away nearly all the time, and I’m enjoying collating the data. I don’t mind going.’

‘It’s data entry,’ he snapped. ‘You can do that remotely.’

‘I like it there, though.’ She looked at the meticulous notes spread before her. ‘I wouldn’t mind getting more involved.’

‘You’re supposed to be acting as my wife for a year,’ he said, pulling rank. ‘If I’d wanted Jane Goodall I’d have asked her to marry me. Or Felicity...’

The sound of Grace’s laughter down the line actually brought a reluctant smile to his lips.

‘I’m not suggesting throwing darts at wildlife and tagging them,’ she said.

‘Good.’

But despite his smile, he could hear her interest ramping up. A couple of weeks away from the jungle and already she was longing to return. It was all too familiar. His grandfather had never left, and his parents had been drawn back over and over again...

Carter got it.

For all it had taken from him, the place, and the people, the jungle still held a certain allure.

And now Grace was becoming ensnared...

‘That type of work is best left to the experts—that’s what I’m trying to secure.’

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