Oh, damn, I’m doing it again!’ She was getting a bit worried about her new habit of talking to herself. Then she smiled. You could afford to be a bit eccentric if you were self-employed. No need to wear business suits or spend your days in city canyons. And as for arrogant customers, they could go and jump in the Swan River as far as she was concerned. She had never felt so free and happy in her whole life.
When she went back to the kitchen she stepped right inside the walk-in pantry, one of the largest she had ever seen. Perhaps the previous owners had meant to grow and preserve their own food. She might grow a few things, too, easy things, but she wasn’t going to try to be self-sufficient. That would take up too much of her time and energy.
She jumped in shock when a man's voice right behind her said sharply, ‘Excuse me – ’
She swung round, saw who it was and gasped.
‘You!’ Ben Elless seemed as dumbstruck as she was.
Meriel tried to speak but nothing came out. After swallowing hard she managed to say in a shaky voice, ‘I thought you lived in Queensland!’ Only then did she realise how close they were standing and took a step backwards, pressing herself against the coolness of the wall.
‘What are you doing here?’
‘That’s none of your business! Come to that, you're the last person I'd have expected to meet today. What are
you
doing over here in Western Australia?’
Unfortunately, he was looking more attractive than ever, with his summer tan making his eyes seem a brighter blue. His body looked to be in balance and sure of itself, the body of a man who used his muscles. She would really like to sketch that body.
He gave a short scornful laugh. ‘If you remember anything from the short time you were handling my uncle's affairs – and by the way, I consider it highly unprofessional to quit in the middle of a job like that – he owned several country properties near Perth. I came here to look them over.’
‘Is this house one of yours?' she demanded. If it was, she would leave at once.
‘Well, no. I was just – ’
‘Then why are
you
here? If you’ve inherited several places, why would you want another? Or perhaps you’re just sticky-beaking?’ She fumbled in her skirt pocket and jingled a tagged key so close to his nose he jerked his head back. ‘Bill Lansome, the estate agent, gave me a key so that I could look round, so I'm here officially.’
He dragged out a similar key and brandished it at her, saying, ‘Snap!’ but as he stuffed it back into his jeans pocket, he continued to frown. ‘Why would a woman like you be looking at properties out here? Repping told me you'd left the firm, but he didn't say you'd gone into hobby farming.’
‘I haven't. I'm merely looking for a place of my own, one with a bit of land.’ She hated telling people she’d won Lotto and hated just as much exposing her dreams to strangers.
‘A huge place like this?’ He raised his eyebrows in such a supercilious manner that she was glad she hadn’t told him anything else.
‘I didn't know it was so big until I got here and then I couldn't resist exploring.’
‘And watering the garden?’
She could feel her colour rising. She knew it was ridiculous to water a stranger's garden. ‘I don’t like to see plants dying for lack of care. What’s wrong with that?’
‘Nothing.’ His eyes flickered to her ringless fingers. ‘Isn't it a bit risky, coming to places like this alone? I'd have thought you'd have brought your boy friend along to keep you company.’
‘Boy friend? I haven't got a – ’
‘Ah!’ he said softly.
She remembered suddenly that she’d pretended to have a steady guy in her life when she’d refused his invitation to dinner. ‘Oh. I mean – we’ve split up.’
His eyes gleamed down at her. ‘I’m glad to hear that.’
‘I don't know why you should be.’
‘Because we could maybe have that dinner together now. Are you staying in York?’
‘I'm still too busy to accept!’ she said hastily. He was having exactly the same effect on her as before and she didn't like feeling so vulnerable. ‘I don't have dinner with everyone who pesters me for a date! I can manage without men, thank you very much!’
‘You'll need a man if you're going to live in a place like this?’
‘Why? I can change a fuse or hammer in a nail as well as you.’
‘There are other jobs that need doing on a place this size. It doesn't take strength to change a fuse, but it does to put in fences and dig up trees.’
‘It's the twenty-first century, for heaven's sake! There are power tools to give women the strength you big boys have. And if I can't do something myself,’ she jutted her chin out at him, ‘I can always hire a set of muscles to do it for me, can't I?’
He grinned. ‘Ouch! That was a cruel blow.’ Then his smile faded and he looked at her thoughtfully. ‘I wouldn't have thought there was much scope for another accountant in a small town like York.’
‘I'm not setting up as an accountant, here or anywhere else. I've come into a little money, if you must know. Now, if you’ve finished here, perhaps I can get on with my inspection. Otherwise, I’ll wait outside until you’ve done.’
He didn't move but stood staring at her. ‘I hadn't got you picked for a back-to-the-earth type, somehow.’
‘Hadn't you?’ She didn’t intend to argue that point with him.
‘So you're not really interested in buying a place as large as this?’
‘I was given a list of properties to inspect so that I could find out what’s available. I've got several others to see after this one.
If
that's any concern of yours.’
‘Whoops! Sorry!’ He opened his arms wide in a gesture of mock contrition. ‘I've done it again, haven't I? Made you angry. Why do you always bring out the caveman in me, Ms Ingram?’
‘It doesn't take much bringing out.’
‘
Are
you staying in York? You didn't say.’
‘Because,’ she said through gritted teeth, ‘that's none of your business.’
‘Can’t I persuade you to have dinner with me tonight?’
‘No.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Certain.’ Why would he never take no for an answer?
‘Is it me or men in general that you dislike?’
She sucked in oxygen. ‘I'm just – not looking for any entanglements at the moment.’
‘I’ve only asked you to have dinner with me. I wouldn't exactly call that an entanglement.’
It might turn out to be, the way he affected her. ‘The answer is still no. Thank you, but no.’
He shrugged. ‘Pity. Another time, perhaps. I'm not giving up hope. Who knows when Fate may bring us together again? It’s certainly lent a hand today with this amazing coincidence.’
As far as she was concerned, Fate could just butt out again and leave her to manage her own life.
He moved towards the door, pausing to raise one hand in a farewell salute, smiling that pirate's grin that made her toes curl.
‘I'll leave you to do your research, then, Ms Ingram. And to finish watering the lawn. Happy house hunting!’
* * * *
As he walked away, Ben’s smile faded and he growled under his breath, furious with himself. Why did that woman always affect him like this? Fancy pressuring her for a date again! He didn’t allow himself to turn round for a final glimpse of her. Dammit, he should have better control over himself than this! He was thirty-four, not fourteen!
He didn’t stop to look back until he was hidden by some trees. To his surprise she was still standing on the veranda, hands on hips, staring in his direction.
She was just as attractive when angry. He grinned again. And she had a way with words! ‘hire a set of muscles’ indeed! Was that all she thought he was?
He was sure a single woman wouldn’t be interested in a property with this much land, most of it undeveloped bush. If she was house hunting, she’d be looking for an acre or two of land at most. He’d come back later to look round properly, though the land was more important to his plans than the house.
He walked off through the bush to his four-wheel drive, trying to turn his thoughts to other matters.
But they refused to turn.
She was not only gorgeous, but feisty. He didn’t think he’d ever had such a prompt and decisive turn-down, though. He must be getting old, losing his touch – if he’d ever had a touch with women. He’d not been interested in another woman since Sandy.
Until now.
* * * *
Meriel stood on the veranda and watched him stride off up the grassy slope as if he owned it. If he’d parked somewhere else on the block, he must have a four-wheel drive.
But though she listened for a car engine starting, she heard nothing. In the end she decided she’d spent far too much time on Ben Elless and turned round to continue her exploration of the house and grounds.
She couldn’t have left the garden plants to die in the hot spell that was coming, whether she was interested in the house or not, but she was interested, very. By the time she’d found a bucket and carried water to the semi-circle of wilting young trees on the other side of the big shed, the sprinkler needed moving again. ‘The place is far too big for one person,’ she told herself as she watched the arcs of water droplets sparkle in the sunlight.
She shook her head ruefully. She was a fool. She’d fallen in love with it! There was something attractive and special about the green hollow behind the house, with the dam below it and the cluttered bush and scrub on the slope which rose beyond that.
While the rest of the lawn was receiving a good soaking, she cleared an old plastic garden chair of spider webs and went to sit on it in the dappled green shade beneath one of the willow trees, thinking hard. Insects buzzed a counterpoint to her thoughts and the graceful fronds around her made a faint swishing noise as the hot breeze rippled through them. She felt as if she were sitting in the middle of an impressionist painting, all light and shade, and some of the shadows really did look purple.
This would need careful planning. The asking price was higher than she wanted to pay and the house still needed finishing.
After a while she locked up and got into her car, starting up the engine reluctantly, not wanting to disturb the peace and quiet. She’d better go and have a quick look at the rest of the properties on the estate agent’s list. If he found out how much she liked this one, that she hadn't gone to inspect the others, she would lose all her bargaining power.
* * * *
When she got back to Bill Lansome's office that afternoon, Meriel sat and discussed the properties she’d seen.
‘You know,’ he said after a while, ‘from what you’re telling me, Somerlee fits your criteria best. I don’t have a lot of properties that size, so you should give it serious consideration. We have some huge farms for sale sometimes, but they’d not be what you want. Why don’t you go and have another look at it?’
‘We-ell, it’s quite nice, but the house isn’t finished and I’m not into do-it-yourself.’ This was an outright lie, which gave her a brief twinge of conscience, then she reminded herself that he’d tell lies too, if they helped make a sale – or at least, he’d fudge the truth.
‘The main living areas need nothing doing to them.’
‘They’re unpainted and I don’t have the money to finish off the rest of the house properly.’ Another whopping falsehood.
‘But you do like it?’
‘I think so. Only the asking price is way too high. No,’ she picked up her handbag as if making ready to leave, ‘I'd better look for something that wouldn’t entail so much expense, something smaller. Perhaps the estate agent across the road has something. Or I could try another town.’
Bill leaned forward in his chair. ‘Don’t go yet! Before you dismiss Somerlee entirely, let's look at the whole situation. I will admit to you – in the strictest confidence, mind – that the vendors are being rather optimistic in setting such a high price on it. I told them so, but they insisted and well, it’s been on the market for a while. You couldn't have chosen a better time to buy, Miss – er –
Ms
Ingram. You could get yourself a real bargain here.’
She hummed and hawed, but allowed him to continue for a while, then left his office without committing herself. She did, however, agree to let Bill show her round some more properties the next day and to look over Somerlee again with him, so that he could point out its advantages.
She wondered as she walked away if Ben Elless really was interested in the place. No, he couldn’t be. He was based in Queensland. He was probably just looking round it because it was near one of his uncle’s properties, to get some idea of prices. She couldn’t remember where exactly they were, but there had been several in this area.
* * * *
Ria’s mobile phone rang and when she saw it was Bill Lansome, she answered it. They knew each other from way back and he’d helped her a lot since her ex-husband ran off with most of their money.
‘Don’t move to that empty block I told you about yet, Ria. I’ve got a buyer interested. She’s playing it cool, but I can spot genuine interest a mile off.’
With a sigh, Ria switched off her phone and turned to Pete. ‘We can’t move to that place after all. Bill thinks he’s about to sell it.’
‘We still have to be away from here by the end of the week, though, and you know how Big Jim hates living in caravan parks.’
‘So do I.’ She sat down to think. People thought they were crazy, living like a group of hippies in the twenty-first century, but she’d never been as happy. Nor had her kids.
Pete was right. Jim couldn’t cope with people for long. Who’d have thought that service in the Vietnam War would mark a strong man like him for his whole life?
Pete came to sit beside her. ‘There’s a block of land over the hill that might suit us temporarily. As far as I can see, the owners haven’t been near it for years, except for having the fire breaks put in. Want to come and look at it?’
She beamed at him. ‘We’ll all go. Even if we can just stay there for a month or two, it’ll be a help.’
Meriel had come prepared to stay overnight in York, so went to look for a hotel. The old sign painted on the gable of one place: ‘Rooms for Respectable Married Couples' made her chuckle as she passed it in the street, so she went inside.