Read Online The Outback Cattleman's Hired Wife by Natalia Elder - Free Book Online Page B

then she noticed that there were purple shadows
under his eyes. Was he also sleep-deprived? Could that be affecting his
demeanour?
    ‘ I … I’m sorry for assuming the worst where your wife
was concerned, ’ she found herself apologising. ‘ Youseemed to think my husband was having an
affair, but I had no right - ’
    ‘ Exactly, ’ he cut in,
as the toast popped. He pulled them out and buttered them on the plate.
    She waited for an apology from him, but none was
forthcoming.
    Couldn ’ t he at least meet her halfway?
    She shoved her spoon into the bowl of cereal, then
poured milk from the jug onto the crispy flakes. Spooning some into her mouth,
she crunched noisily to release her frustration.
    When he brought the hot meal to the table, she was
feeling more even-tempered. ‘ Thank you. This
smells wonderful. ’
    His steel-blue eyes softened to grey, as he sat down
adjacent to her. ‘ You ’ re welcome. ’
    He ate hungrily. As he forked bacon into his mouth,
Kirra ’ s eyes were drawn to his hands. They were large and
she remember how it felt to be caught by them in the milking shed. She found
herself wanting to be held in his arms again and she didn ’ t trust herself to speak.
    ‘ After breakfast, I ’ ll take ‘ Blinky ’ out for some
exercise to check the state of the bridge. That should give you some peace and
quiet to rewrite your article. ’
    ‘ Ah. . . ’ Kirra
paused for a moment. She couldn ’ t tell him that it
was all a ruse by Elise. He would only think less of them both, so instead she
asked, ‘ Whose ‘ Blinky ’ ? ’
    ‘ My horse. Never ask a four year old to name your
animals. ’
    ‘ I don ’ t think so,’ she refuted. ‘It ’ s a cute name. ’
    He grunted. ‘ Don ’ t let Caleb hear that. ’
    Kirra swallowed some of the delicious egg. ‘ And why not? Children like to hear that their fathers
approve of their choices. It gives them self-worth. ’
    ‘ How come you know so much about children? ’ He forked more bacon into his mouth.
    ‘ My cousin has three little darlings under six. I used
to baby-sit them often to give Gabi and Kyle some couple time. ’
    ‘ On the weekends? ’
    ‘ Yes. ’
    ‘ How convenient? Sounds like an excuse to side-step
your martial problems to me. ’
    ‘ My marital problems? ’ Her temper flared. ’ I didn ’ t let Zac down or avoid him if that ’ s what you mean … No, yes I did! I didn ’ t try hard enough to fit in with his lifestyle. ’
    ‘ Now we ’ re getting
somewhere. ’
    The back of her mouth dry all at once, Kirra swallowed
down a gulp of juice. ‘ That was an underhanded trick! You ’ re really determined to find out about Zac and me,
aren ’ t you? Yet you won ’ t tell me
anything about you and Heather. ’ She stood, tears
burning at the back of her eyes. ‘ If you must
know, I failed at marriage. Failed miserably. I drove Zac away because I wanted
a family straight away. I hope your curiosity is satisfied. Now, I ’ ve lost my appetite so it looks like you have an added
bonus, doesn ’ t it? ’
    Kirra veered around the table, but wasn ’ t quick enough to dodge his large hand that gripped
hers, halting her in her tracks.
    His touch set her pulses racing. She wanted to pull
away, but he gently rubbed the inside of her wrist with his thumb, as if trying
to calm her.
    ‘ I didn ’ t force you to tell
me, Kirra, ’ he said soothingly. ‘ Don ’ t be so hard on yourself. Marriage is a two-way
street. From what you ’ ve told me about Zac, he wasn ’ t putting much effort into the marriage. Maybe, you
were simply incompatible. ’
    Kirra ’ s shoulder dropped
and she sighed. Elise had told her that. According to her, Virgo and Aries
weren ’ t the most compatible of astrological signs. A
mother-and-son type relationship.
    Kirra cringed inwardly and somehow, she knew that
Jared sensed it. His chair scraped on the timber floor, as she watched him,
stunned in the headlights like a kangaroo at dusk on a