Just Kate: His Only Wife (Bestselling Author Collection) by Linda Lael Miller, Cathy McDavid Page A

boots?”
    Sean recovered them from the ground and handed them to her, rounding the plane as Kate shoved her feet into them.
    He boarded the plane and reached across Kate to close her door, the back of his arm brushing her full breasts. “That’ll keep you satisfied until tonight I hope,” he said.
    “Your arrogance is not to be believed!” Kate fussed.
    Sean grinned broadly and quoted back some of the outrageous things she’d said to him during her climb to the heights.
    “Bastard,” Kate said.
    The plane engines whirred and the propellers began to spin.
    “Have you ever taken off from a place with no runway before?” she asked worriedly, now having something else to think about besides the obnoxious man beside her.
    “Only about fifty thousand times,” Sean answered, reaching for a pair of mirrored sunglasses on the instrument panel and putting them on with a flourish.
    Kate was back to gripping the edges of the seat, although she was so relaxed that it was hard to hold on. She wanted nothing so much as to crawl into some warm, safe bed right there on the ground and sleep for twenty-four hours.
    The plane jolted terribly as Sean increased its speed. Finally, with a rattling mechanical grunt, it flung itself into the air. Kate let go of her seat.
    “I’m getting hungry,” she said.
    “I don’t wonder,” Sean answered, “considering the energy you’ve burned up in the past few minutes.”
    Kate hit him in the shoulder, but she was grinning. She felt too damn good to be angry.
    After another hour in the air, an enormous flock of sheep came into view, shepherded by a man and three dogs. In the distance, Kate could make out a sizable house and a number of rustic outbuildings.
    “Is that your friend?”
    Sean rocked the plane from side to side, and the man below waved a hand. “Yes,” he answered. “That’s Blue. He’s the best mate I ever had.”
    Kate continued to stare at the ground as Sean banked the plane into a wide sweep around the house and buildings and began a descent toward a dirt landing strip below. She could see another plane on the ground, as well as gasoline pumps and a pickup truck with rusty fenders.
    “Does he live here all by himself?” Kate asked, thinking how lonely that would be. This part of Australia was so vast and empty, except for the occasional gum tree and the ever-present brown grass.
    Sean shook his head as the plane nosed downward. “He’s got a wife and kids.”
    “Kids?” Kate echoed. “Out here? Where do they go to school?”
    Sean was busy landing the airplane, so he didn’t look at Kate as they landed. “They don’t. Ellen teaches them herself.”
    Any answer Kate might have made was prevented by the jostling impact of touching down. She breathed a silent prayer of gratitude for a safe landing and unfastened her seat belt.
    Sean stopped Kate before she could open the door and jump out of the plane. “Don’t be trying to put any fancy ideas in Ellen’s head,” he warned. “She likes her life the way it is.”
    While Kate was still thinking what an odd remark that was, Sean shut off the engines and got out himself. He came around to lift Kate to the ground as a slender blond woman came running from the direction of the house, her face alight.
    “Sean!” she cried as she reached him and flung herself into his arms.
    He gave her a hug and a sound kiss on the forehead and set her down. “Ellen,” he said, “meet Kate.”
    Kate greeted the woman with a smile and an outstretched hand, even though she was wondering why Sean hadn’t mentioned that she was Abby’s sister. “Hi,” she said.
    Turquoise eyes sparkled in a suntanned complexion. “Hello, Kate,” Ellen said, accepting Kate’s hand with a strong grip. Momentarily she turned back to Sean. “Did you bring me books and chocolate bars?” she demanded.
    Sean laughed and gestured toward the plane where the gear was stowed. “Enough to last you six months,” he answered.
    Kate heard dogs