Page 9 of Singing For His Kiss

“Can you teach me to ride a horse?” The little girl’s eyes grew wide and round.

Elizabeth shuffled on her seat, knowing she’d never see Madeline again. There was no way she’d be back here. She didn’t fit, that was for sure.

“Maybe one day.”

“How long were you working there?”

Her attention carried back to James. He lounged back in his chair, swirling the stem of the wine glass between long, blunt-nailed fingers. His gaze was riveted on her.

It was far too intense. As though he was looking right into her soul. She sipped more wine. It was altogether too good. She already felt the effects. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, arranging her thoughts. She’d tell him the truth. It couldn’t hurt. Just not all the truth.

“About six months. I liked it there. It’s peaceful. Being in the open land with nothing between you and the next person but a few bushes and lots of cattle.”

“You were a jackaroo?”

She nodded. “And a wood chopper, clothes washer and sheep wrangler.” The list of chores had been never ending, but she’d lost herself in that. It had brought her peace until she’d had to move on. If she had a choice, she’d still be there. She wondered if she’d ever find a place she loved as much as the Wanderers Homestead.

“What did you do before then?”

She sipped her wine, noticing she’d drunk half the glass already. She hadn’t had any alcohol for a long time, and the resulting kick was quick. Her mind was getting cloudy.

“I worked in Queensland. At a resort in Noosa. Gardening. Cleaning. Sort of a handy man...woman.”

Madeline was watching her in awe. “What about before then?”

Elizabeth shrugged. Her numerous jobs blurred. “Lots of things. Waitress. Administrator. Shop assistant.” She waved her hand through the air. “You name it, I’ve done it.” Putting her jobs in a list like that made it sound as though she didn’t last at anything. Pretty much the truth. She picked up the glass, but it was empty. When had she drunk a whole glass?

She pointed the rim at James, feeling suddenly bold. He’d questioned her; now it was her turn to question him. Anyway, what did it matter? She wouldn’t see him after tonight, and it didn’t matter how drunk she’d allowed herself to get or how loose she’d let her tongue unravel.

“What about you? I mean, this house…it’s a mansion. What do people do to afford something like this? Kill unicorns in the land of Fae?”

James’s lips twitched, and amusement lit his face. “I’m a builder and have been for many years. Nothing as interesting as you, I’m afraid.”

Mrs. D’llessio removed Elizabeth’s bowl. She went to thank her and hiccupped. She put her hand to her mouth, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. She really shouldn’t have drunk the entire glass of wine. It was muddling her thoughts and loosening her tongue. She resolutely pushed the empty glass away.

“Daddy makes really big buildings. Lots of people help him, and they build it all together. It’s called Rhyder Scurties," Madeline said.

“Rhyder Securities,” James deciphered.

“I don’t think I’ve heard of it.” That sounded awkward. And naïve.

James smiled. Fine lines crinkled at the corners of his eyes, and she detected a hint of interest about her ignorance, or maybe he wasn’t. Maybe she was reading into things because she was a little drunk. After all, why would someone like him possibly be interested in someone like her? Under normal circumstances, she’d never be in the same realm as him.

She really needed to get a grip on her romantic heart. To be loved. Cherished. Wanted. What rubbish– and why was she even thinking about it? On the other hand, it was a really nice fantasy to indulge in for a few hours.

“I don’t think the outback has a lot of need for a builder like me. I specialise in larger buildings. More for cities.”

“Mansions like this?”

“Larger.”

“Daddy builds hotels and buildings that touch the clouds round A’stalia,” Madeline said.

James chuckled, the sound flowing through her like a bubbling brook. “Not that high, but high enough. And I don’t build them myself. I just manage the people who build them.”

Whatever he did must involve lots of people and lots of money. It’d certainly paid off for him if he had a house like this to live in. She didn’t just suspect. She knew for sure. He was totally out of her league. Her little fantasy was laughable.

“Can you teach me to rope a cow?” Madeline asked. The fork in her hand was wilting as much as her eyes were. She struggled to keep them open.

“I think you’ve done quite a bit for today and it’s just about bedtime for little girls,” James said.

“But what about the cows?” Madeline protested.

“We’ll talk about cows in the morning.” James scooped up the child, and with a happy squeal she tucked her body into his chest.

Madeline held her hand out to Elizabeth. “Can you come up and say goodnight?”

With that simple action, another piece of the wall around her heart melted. She couldn’t let that happen anymore than it was though. She needed all the protection she could get.

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