polar regions would hold more welcome for her!
When she recalled Melanie's spiteful outburst that day, and her assumption that Kade was raring to be off, she felt a little better about things. Melanie, it seemed, was not quite as au fait with Kade's personal life as she had thought she was. She had not known that he owned the farm for one thing, and if she had known him as well as Tanya had once thought she did, then she would have known of his admitted attachment to the farm and his reluctance to go back to city life.
Perhaps it was wishful thinking on Melanie's part, for Tanya knew that she came from Hobart and probably missed the hubbub of city life. It couldn't have been much fun for her stuck out in the country as she was now, not if she preferred the bright lights of the city, where she would no doubt have plenty of willing
escorts for parties. Tanya gave a short sigh on this thought. Plenty of escorts, but not Kade, and it was Kade that she was after, Tanya had learned that much within a few weeks of her return. Working as she had been with the lower grades of office staff it had been impossible for her not to hear the snippets of news passed down the grapevine, particularly since Melanie was not popular with the staff.
When Tanya walked into the secretary's office prepared to face a seething Melanie, she was surprised to find a pretty redhead seated at Melanie's desk and
affording her a welcoming smile. 'Hi ! ' she said cheer-
fully, 'I'm Linda Martin, and you must be Miss Hume.
Kade told me to expect you. I understand you're learning the ropes,' she indicated a desk placed against the wall near the large filing cabinet. 'I haven't had much time to get acclimatised myself as yet,' she confided to the astonished Tanya, 'but I think you'll find most of the files that Kade said you'd want to study in there.'
Tanya followed Linda's gaze to the filing cabinet and then looked back at Linda again, the surprise clearly visible in her wide eyes. She didn't have to ask the question so plainly mirrored in them.
'Er—Melanie's been relieved of her post,' Linda said, with a slight twinkle in her eye.
'But I don't understand,' said Tanya in a puzzled way. 'I don't remember meeting you before, and I thought I'd met all the staff.'
'Well, I expect you did,' replied Linda with an amused inflection in her voice. 'I'm from Kellings, the other side of the valley,' she added. 'You wouldn't remember me, but I used to see you at some of the parties we used to go to when we were children. My father worked for Mr Kelling in those days, he works for Kade
now that he's bought the farm, sort of manager,' she
volunteered cheerfully, 'and I'm the office help. I'm
filling in until Kade can get a replacement for Melanie.'
Tanya frowned. Her childhood seemed a long way away, and she couldn't ever remember seeing Linda before, but judged that she would be several years older than her.
Seeing the frown, Linda confirmed this with an infectious smile. 'You wouldn't remember, you were always too busy dodging out of Connie Dean's watchful eye. I can remember thinking how I'd hate to have someone keep an eye on me like that when I went to parties.' She gave another smile. 'But then I wasn't a land-owner's daughter, and I was mighty thankful, I can tell you.'
Tanya smiled back at her. 'I hope the replacement takes her time,' she said quietly. 'I think we're going to to get on.'
In the days that followed, Tanya's assumption that she and Linda would become firm friends proved correct, and Tanya found herself hoping that no replacement would be found for the secretary's job. From several things that she had heard from Linda about Melanie, Tanya realised that the farms had been in constant touch. Kade would ring up each day from Orchard Farm and issue instructions for consignments or want reports on the inspection of the fruit trees. If he could afford the time, then he would make a visit, but otherwise he would leave matters in the
When she recalled Melanie's spiteful outburst that day, and her assumption that Kade was raring to be off, she felt a little better about things. Melanie, it seemed, was not quite as au fait with Kade's personal life as she had thought she was. She had not known that he owned the farm for one thing, and if she had known him as well as Tanya had once thought she did, then she would have known of his admitted attachment to the farm and his reluctance to go back to city life.
Perhaps it was wishful thinking on Melanie's part, for Tanya knew that she came from Hobart and probably missed the hubbub of city life. It couldn't have been much fun for her stuck out in the country as she was now, not if she preferred the bright lights of the city, where she would no doubt have plenty of willing
escorts for parties. Tanya gave a short sigh on this thought. Plenty of escorts, but not Kade, and it was Kade that she was after, Tanya had learned that much within a few weeks of her return. Working as she had been with the lower grades of office staff it had been impossible for her not to hear the snippets of news passed down the grapevine, particularly since Melanie was not popular with the staff.
When Tanya walked into the secretary's office prepared to face a seething Melanie, she was surprised to find a pretty redhead seated at Melanie's desk and
affording her a welcoming smile. 'Hi ! ' she said cheer-
fully, 'I'm Linda Martin, and you must be Miss Hume.
Kade told me to expect you. I understand you're learning the ropes,' she indicated a desk placed against the wall near the large filing cabinet. 'I haven't had much time to get acclimatised myself as yet,' she confided to the astonished Tanya, 'but I think you'll find most of the files that Kade said you'd want to study in there.'
Tanya followed Linda's gaze to the filing cabinet and then looked back at Linda again, the surprise clearly visible in her wide eyes. She didn't have to ask the question so plainly mirrored in them.
'Er—Melanie's been relieved of her post,' Linda said, with a slight twinkle in her eye.
'But I don't understand,' said Tanya in a puzzled way. 'I don't remember meeting you before, and I thought I'd met all the staff.'
'Well, I expect you did,' replied Linda with an amused inflection in her voice. 'I'm from Kellings, the other side of the valley,' she added. 'You wouldn't remember me, but I used to see you at some of the parties we used to go to when we were children. My father worked for Mr Kelling in those days, he works for Kade
now that he's bought the farm, sort of manager,' she
volunteered cheerfully, 'and I'm the office help. I'm
filling in until Kade can get a replacement for Melanie.'
Tanya frowned. Her childhood seemed a long way away, and she couldn't ever remember seeing Linda before, but judged that she would be several years older than her.
Seeing the frown, Linda confirmed this with an infectious smile. 'You wouldn't remember, you were always too busy dodging out of Connie Dean's watchful eye. I can remember thinking how I'd hate to have someone keep an eye on me like that when I went to parties.' She gave another smile. 'But then I wasn't a land-owner's daughter, and I was mighty thankful, I can tell you.'
Tanya smiled back at her. 'I hope the replacement takes her time,' she said quietly. 'I think we're going to to get on.'
In the days that followed, Tanya's assumption that she and Linda would become firm friends proved correct, and Tanya found herself hoping that no replacement would be found for the secretary's job. From several things that she had heard from Linda about Melanie, Tanya realised that the farms had been in constant touch. Kade would ring up each day from Orchard Farm and issue instructions for consignments or want reports on the inspection of the fruit trees. If he could afford the time, then he would make a visit, but otherwise he would leave matters in the
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