Outback Affair: An Affair Novel (Entangled Indulgence) (15 page)

And what was the point anyway? Larry had already given the job to someone else.

The mouse hovered over the booking, and she hesitated.

What was she waiting for? Did she really expect him to come knocking on the door and declare his undying love for her?
When would she ever learn? All men were users. The whole damn lot of them.
Her father, her ex fiancé, Larry Bartholomew, and most of all Alex or Alessandro.

God, she didn’t even know who he really was, or what his real name was.

She almost fell off the bed as a light tap sounded through the door. It was so soft she wasn’t even sure it was at her door. Jumping off the bed, she smoothed down her short dress with shaking hands and wound her hair up, clipping it back. She’d wait. If it was her door, they’d knock again.

Tap, tap
.

Then an unfamiliar female voice called her name ‘“Jess? Are you there?”

Slowly, she opened the door and peered around. The woman who’d smiled at her beside the pool and watched the exchange between her and Alex stood there.

“I know you don’t know me.” She tipped her head to the side and smiled. “I’m Tessa. Tessa Richards. Can I come in?”

“Tessa Richards?” Jess opened the door and stepped back.

Deep brown eyes lit up in a smile. “I’m Alex’s mother.”

“Oh.” Jess swallowed and wondered why she was here. “So he is Alex Richards, then.”

“I saw how upset you were when you left my son, and I wanted to check on you.”

It was a long time since anyone apart from Monica had cared about how she was. Her eyes pricked with tears, and she couldn’t hold back the single tear that rolled down her cheek.

“I’m fine.”

Tessa held her arms out. “Oh, sweetheart, you’re not.”

Jess crumpled and burst into tears. “Why does it always happen to me?”

Tessa smoothed her hair as she sobbed into the shoulder of the mother of the man who had broken her heart. It was surreal—a strange woman comforting her in a way her own mother had never done.

After a couple of minutes, she pulled back. “I’m sorry,” she said between hiccoughs. “How embarrassing. You don’t even know me.”

Tessa went over to the small kitchenette and pointed to the kettle. “May I?”

Jess nodded and sat on the side of the bed while Tessa filled the kettle.

“Tea or coffee?”

“Coffee, please.” Jess sat up straight and wiped her eyes, mortified by her show of emotion.

Tessa carried the cups over to the small table by the window with a jug of milk and sugar bowl. Jess shook her head.

“Just black for me, thanks.”

Tessa sat and gestured for her to join her. “I need to tell you a story.”

Jess looked at Alex’s mother. Jet black hair without a single strand of gray was held back with a bright red ribbon. Soft wrinkles around her eyes spoke of years of laughter. She stirred her coffee and set the spoon on the saucer.

“I saw the way my son looked at you, and I knew straight away you were special to him.” Tessa picked up her cup and blew softly on the hot liquid. “Two years ago, I worried if he would ever smile again. Now I have seen him smile, and I know he has found his happiness again.”

Jess frowned, remembering their conversation about something personal that had been the catalyst for Alex giving up law and moving to the Top End.

“Whatever you have given him, you have broken down the wall he erected around himself. He thought he could protect himself and prevent himself from suffering again.”

“What happened?”

“He was engaged to a sweet, sweet girl. He and Emily bought a house in Brisbane, where Alex was about to move from his government job and start with a top law firm. She was killed in a mindless accident by a drugged-out truck driver, and the grief took control of him. I know there is more, but Alex has never shared it, but I suspect it is why he signed the contract to manage this place for two years.”

Jess closed her eyes. She couldn’t imagine what Alex had gone through.

“We’re a very close family despite being scattered over the world. But we lost Alex for two years. The only way to stay with him was for us to come up here, and we have a family pledge that we will share his birthday each year, no matter what we are doing.”

Jess blinked away the tears that were blurring her vision.

“Jess, this year, my Alex is back. He is alive and full of life for the first time since Emily was killed. I saw the way he looked at you.” Tess squeezed her hands. “I beg you to give him a chance.”

Jess pulled her hands back and dropped her head. “I can’t say I have been through the grief Alex has, but I saw him with another woman.” She lifted her gaze to meet Tessa’s and her voice caught. “I can’t take the risk of trusting my heart again.”

“Oh, my dear. Look in the mirror. Look at the expression in your eyes when you talk of him.”

Jess covered her face with her hands, shaking her head. “I don’t know.”

They were quiet for a moment and then the phone rang, breaking the silence. Jess crossed the room and picked it up, her hands shaking.

“Yes?” She listened, disappointment settling deep within her as the voice of the receptionist came over the phone. She listened and nodded, turning away from Tessa’s curious gaze.

“Yes, please. I’ll be ready. I’ll have my bags ready to collect.”

She turned to Alex’s mother and couldn’t stop the tears spilling from her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Tessa. I need time to think this through. I’m getting picked up in half an hour. There’s a spare seat on the last helicopter to Darwin this afternoon.”

Tessa stood. “Well, I’d better let you get packed up then.” She walked to the door. “I understand you have to do what is right for you. And trust me, he has no other woman. It may have been one of his sisters or sisters-in-law you saw him with.”

Jess’s vision blurred as the door closed quietly behind the mother of the first man who had truly captured her heart.

Chapter Eighteen

Jess adjusted the headphones over her ears and listened to the bright and breezy voice of the helicopter pilot.

“Welcome, folks, and I hope you’ve enjoyed your stay at Cockatoo Springs.” She leaned her head on the glass and closed her eyes, blocking out the view of the opalescent water below.

The call had come too quickly. She’d made the instant decision to take the ride out, and she was regretting it. Now she knew she’d been too harsh when she judged Alex. His reason for keeping his privacy had been his decision to make and he was entitled to put up those barriers. If she was honest, she had done the very same thing, changing her name informally back to Trent. The circumstances that had thrown them together had not been entirely of his doing, and she couldn’t blame him for anything that happened since.

In one fleeting moment she knew she could be persuaded. Perhaps she should have listened to what he had to say. Static sounded in her headphones and the pilot spoke.

“The territory is a big place, folks, and if you look below you can see one of the magnificent sandstone escarpments that are a feature of this landscape. Take a good look, you won’t ever see that one from the ground. The land was formed by…”

Jess switched her attention from the commentary to her problem at hand.

She wouldn’t ever see any more of this rugged landscape from the ground or air. Once she was back in New York, she was going to quit her job with Larry and chase all of the freelance articles she could find. Screw Larry Bartholomew and his fixing of jobs. She’d make sure her father couldn’t find out every detail of her life. She was going to have that one out with him as soon as she got back to New York.

The helicopter banked sharply to the right, and she blanked out his voice. Until the helicopter began to lose height and she paid attention.

“…apologize again for the delay. We have to make a quick trip back to Cockatoo Springs. Nothing to worry about. Just a message from management that has to be dealt with.” He turned and grinned at Jess and gave her a thumbs up.

No, it couldn’t be
.

She fought the anticipation curling in her stomach.

The helicopter descended to the helipad, and she kept her eyes tightly shut. She wasn’t going to allow herself to be disappointed. She gripped her hands in her lap and took a deep breath. A light touch on her leg caught her attention, and she slowly opened her eyes.

The pilot pointed to her seat belt as the other three passengers looked on curiously. “The boss wants to see you.”

Jess looked out the window, and the pilot slid the door open.

A tall man with short black hair in a pair of faded denim jeans and a white T-shirt leaned back against a dusty pickup truck. A little brindle dog sat patiently at his feet. Tears pricked her eyes. The pilot took her hand and helped her down the step to the skid. Jess walked slowly over to the truck, her hair blowing across her face in the afternoon breeze.

“Hello, Jess.”

“Hello, Alex.” She reached up and pushed the strands from her face. “Is that what I call you?”

“That’s who I am,” he said looking down. “I called the helicopter back because there was a sad dog here that missed you. He was upset because you didn’t say goodbye.”

Jess looked down at the dog sitting at Alex’s feet. “Hey, Bowser.”

When she said his name, he jumped up and put his front paws on her knees, and she scratched the top of his head. The little staffy stretched his head back and looked at her with adoration in his warm brown eyes. She looked up and warmth filled her from her head to her toes.

“Mine’s not the only heart you’ve captured, Jess,” he said softly.

Lifting her hand, she brushed her fingers against his bare neck. “I like you better with long hair and your piece of string.”

Alex reached up, placed his hand over hers, and held it against his neck.

He lowered his forehead to touch hers. “We have a lot of talking to do. I never meant to hurt you.”

“I know.” His lips hovered over hers while he waited for her to finish speaking. “And I was less than truthful with you.”

His breath whispered over her lips, and she closed her eyes. The warmth of his mouth took hers in a gentle kiss full of unspoken promise.

They both ignored the cold, wet nose that pushed between their legs. Eventually Bowser gave up and ran across to join the rest of the Richards family, who stood outside the gate to Cockatoo Springs.

And there wasn’t a crocodile in sight.

Epilogue

Twelve months later
…

Jess’s computer dinged and a message came up on the screen.

Meeting in my office…now.

She logged off and picked up her cardigan from the back of the chair. She was surprised by how cold these executive offices could get. And if she knew the boss, it could be a long meeting. He didn’t spend much time in his office, but when he did, the meetings went on forever. She opened her office door and smiled at the nameplate on the door.

Jess Trent. Senior Executive. Publicity.

It hadn’t taken quite the years she’d thought it would, but she’d made it.

An office with her name on the door
.

Granted, it was a bit of a detour from where she’d been heading, but the last year had been a stepping stone to bigger things than food journalism. She tapped lightly on the door of the office and was called in. Her boss was sitting in the large leather chair looking out the window at the busy scene below.

“Come in, Jess.” He swung the chair around and looked at her. “I have a problem I hope you can help me with.”

She looked at him without speaking. He rose from the chair and came around to stand beside her.

“I’m getting the offices refurbished and I don’t know what to put on your door.”

She frowned and shook her head looking up at him. “What do you mean?”

“Well, the name plate could be Jessica Trent or Jessica Van Lund.”

Alex dropped to one knee and pulled a small silver box from his pocket. “Or I’d be much happier if it was Jessica Richards.”

Jess gasped and kneeled down beside the man who had given her so much happiness since she had moved to Cockatoo Springs one year ago.

“I think Jessica Richards sounds wonderful.”

Try this tasty dish from the Cockatoo Springs bush tucker school!

The leaves of the Australian native, lemon myrtle have an amazing lemon fragrance, but without the acid of lemon juice.  The leaves can be used fresh, but are also available dried and powdered. It blends wonderfully with seafood.

The leaves, stems and berries of the pepper berry plant have an aromatic peppery taste producing approximately three times the anti-oxidants of blueberries.

Fish fillets with Lemon Myrtle Rocket Pesto served with Pepper Berry Vinaigrette Salad

Ingredients (Serves 4) 

4x175g white fish fillets, de-boned

¼ cup olive oil and extra for cooking

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 lemons, quartered

Lemon Myrtle Rocket Pesto

¼ cup (40g) chopped macadamia nuts, toasted

2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

100g baby rocket

1 teaspoon ground lemon myrtle

2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and cracked black pepper

Method: Make 2-3 diagonal slashes through the skin of each fish fillet. Combine ¼ cup oil and garlic and brush over both sides of fillets. Preheat BBQ or char-grill.

Prepare Lemon Myrtle Rocket Pesto: Puree nuts and garlic in a food processor. Add rocket and lemon myrtle and puree until well mixed. Add lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper, to taste.

(Note: To toast macadamia: Spread nuts on a baking tray lined with baking paper and cook in a moderate oven (180ºC) for 10 minutes or until golden.) Fish fillets may also be marinated in pesto before cooking.

Cook fish on oiled surface over a moderate heat, 3 minutes each side or until just cooked.

Drizzle with pesto.

Serve with baby salad greens, mixed with pepper berry vinaigrette.

Pepper berry vinaigrette

Use good quality vinegar. (White wine, balsamic, red wine, rice wine, or apple cider vinegar) Place 3 tablespoons of 
pepper
berries into a clean sterilized jar or bottle.  Heat 600ml vinegar to just below boiling point, then pour over the pepper berries and cap tightly. The longer it infuses, the better the flavor.