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I’ll organize a crew of friends and relatives to come down and help.”
    â€œUh-uh. Not until we’ve exhausted local options,” Luke insisted. “I don’t want to perpetuate the ‘them and us’ mentality.”
    His friend gave an exasperated sigh. “I don’t like this, Luke. You’re taking on too much alone. We’re all in this together, remember?”
    â€œYeah, mate, this is temporary.”
    â€œHow many months have you been saying that?”
    â€œI’ll keep you posted,” Luke promised and hung up.
    Christian switched off his mobile and, frowning, looked across his wide veranda toward the blue sky over the flat, golden fields. If the Ferrari was out, then Luke definitely wouldn’t approve of the helicopter.
    He heard his wife’s footsteps on the wooden deck, then she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her cheek against his back.
    â€œYou’re worried about him, aren’t you?”
    Feeling her warmth, some of Christian’s tension dissipated. “Maybe it’s the sensible thing to stay away, but it’s almost as if he doesn’t want us there.”
    One hundred meters down to his left, a duck came to land in the pond, webbed feet skidding across the surface of the water. The golden willows he and Kez had planted around it last autumn barely lent shade to the waterfowl hunkered under it.
    â€œHis reasons are sound, aren’t they?”
    â€œYeah, but…” Staring over their land, Christian tried to articulate his growing sense of disquiet. “He’s working too hard and he’s alone too much. His Auckland visits are getting fewer and they’re all about Triton business or the camp trust. When was the last time he came to stay here? Or the last time he, Jordan and I played pool and talked shit in a bar?” Kezia said nothing, a sure sign she had a theory.
    Christian turned and cupped her face. “Okay, out with it.”
    Her golden-brown eyes widened. “It’s a busy time with the camp, things will settle down.”
    â€œI’m waiting.”
    â€œIsn’t his divorce final this month?”
    â€œMy God, has it been two years already? But what’s that got to do with anything? After what Amanda did to him, he’ll be painting the town red.”
    She pushed a strand of long hair behind her ear. “You and I are playing happy families, Jordan’s about to get married…”
    â€œWhich is exactly why we’ve been trying to fix Luke up lately.”
    â€œI don’t know if you and Jord are the best—Hey!”
    Christian, relieved, had dropped his hands to her sweet ass and squeezed. “It’s not easy,” he admitted. “Luke has some cockeyed notion he’s better off alone.”
    Kez gave him her old schoolteacher look but didn’t remove his hands from her butt. “Huh. Where have I heard that cockeyed notion before?”
    He pulled her closer, nuzzled her soft, dark hair. She smelled of rosemary and redemption. “The most fervent saint is always a reformed sinner.”
    â€œI didn’t reform you,” she protested. “You corrupted me.”
    His hold tightened. “So how about showing me what you learned before Maddie wakes up from her afternoon nap?”
    He expected her to say no, they were in the middle of revising a new business plan for their other baby, the Waterview Hotel, and papers were spread across the dining room.
    Instead she whispered huskily in his ear, “Clear the table.”

CHAPTER SIX
    L IZ’S CANCELLATION annoyed Luke. But his disappointment annoyed him more.
    He hadn’t anticipated her offer of help, but he’d been ridiculously pleased and—okay—relieved when she’d made it. He didn’t like the niggle of doubt he felt every time Liz made an excuse not to visit camp. Luke liked her; he wanted that to be uncomplicated. Because if it was