foot.
‘Well…’ Liz said a little helplessly
‘Like mother like daughter,’ Cam Hillier murmured, causing Liz to swing round in surprise.
‘I didn’t know you were here!’
He straightened from where he’d propped his wide shoulders against the playroom doorframe. ‘Just arrived.I drove up. So she’s got a temper and a mind of her own, young Scout?’
Liz grimaced. ‘Apparently. I’ve never seen her react like that before.’ She turned back. ‘Scout, you mustn’t do that. Archie, are you all right?’
Daisy took over at this point. ‘You’ll be fine, won’t you, Archie? And we’ll all be friends now. I know—let’s go and see Wenonah and her puppy.’
Liz and Cam watched the three of them head off towards the stables, peace and contentment restored, although Liz felt somewhat guilty.
‘Thank heavens for Wenonah and her puppy—look, I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘They usually get along like a house on fire.’
He shrugged. ‘It probably won’t do Archie any harm to learn from an early age that the female sex can be unpredictable.’
Liz opened her mouth, closed it, then chuckled. ‘But you must admit I don’t go around pushing people over. Or screaming at them,’ she said humorously.
He glanced down at her quizzically as they walked side by side into the kitchen.
Liz clicked her tongue. ‘Well, maybe I
did
threaten you once—but under extreme provocation, and I would never have carried it out! I didn’t scream either.’ She stopped and had to laugh. ‘I would have loved to, though.’
‘Oh, good. There are some things I did want to speak to you about. When would you like to have a tour?’
‘I think I’m going to hit the sack after this. How about tomorrow morning?’
‘Fine.’ But she said it slowly and looked at him rather narrowly.
‘What?’ he queried.
‘Are you feeling OK? I only ask,’ she added hastily, ‘because I’ve never seen you less than…well, full of energy.’
Cam Hillier drummed his fingers on the table, then raked a hand through his hair and rubbed the blue shadows on his jaw. He wondered what she would say if he told her the truth.
That he was growingly plagued by thoughts of her. That when he allowed himself to step into his imagination he could picture himself exploring the pale, satiny, secret places of her slim elegant body. He could visualise himself, with the lightest touch, bringing her to the incandescence he’d seen in her once or twice—but much more than that, more personal, more physical, more joyful.
He could see her, in his mind’s eye, breathless, beaded with sweat, and achingly beautiful as she responded to his ardour with her own…
How would she react if she knew that to see her apparently blooming when he was going through all this was actually annoying the hell out of him?
That, and something else. He was the one who had visualised a family unit. He was the one who’d dug into his subconscious and realised his business life had taken over his whole life—to its detriment—but he didn’t seem to be able to change gears and slow down. It had been
his
somewhat shadowy intention to see howLiz fitted into Yewarra, and therefore by extension his life, to make it work better for him—for both of them.
Yes, he’d kept his distance for the last month, to give her time to settle in and because he’d made her a promise, but it had become an increasing hardship. What he hadn’t expected was to find that the family circle had been well and truly forged—Liz, Scout and Archie—and
he
now felt like an outsider in his own home.
Was there any softening in her attitude towards men, and towards him in particular? he wondered, and was on the point of simply asking her outright. Take it easy, he advised himself instead. Don’t go crashing around like a bull in a china shop. But he grimaced. He knew himself well enough to know that he would bring the subject up sooner or later…
‘I’m OK,’ he said at length. ‘Thank you
‘Well…’ Liz said a little helplessly
‘Like mother like daughter,’ Cam Hillier murmured, causing Liz to swing round in surprise.
‘I didn’t know you were here!’
He straightened from where he’d propped his wide shoulders against the playroom doorframe. ‘Just arrived.I drove up. So she’s got a temper and a mind of her own, young Scout?’
Liz grimaced. ‘Apparently. I’ve never seen her react like that before.’ She turned back. ‘Scout, you mustn’t do that. Archie, are you all right?’
Daisy took over at this point. ‘You’ll be fine, won’t you, Archie? And we’ll all be friends now. I know—let’s go and see Wenonah and her puppy.’
Liz and Cam watched the three of them head off towards the stables, peace and contentment restored, although Liz felt somewhat guilty.
‘Thank heavens for Wenonah and her puppy—look, I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘They usually get along like a house on fire.’
He shrugged. ‘It probably won’t do Archie any harm to learn from an early age that the female sex can be unpredictable.’
Liz opened her mouth, closed it, then chuckled. ‘But you must admit I don’t go around pushing people over. Or screaming at them,’ she said humorously.
He glanced down at her quizzically as they walked side by side into the kitchen.
Liz clicked her tongue. ‘Well, maybe I
did
threaten you once—but under extreme provocation, and I would never have carried it out! I didn’t scream either.’ She stopped and had to laugh. ‘I would have loved to, though.’
‘Oh, good. There are some things I did want to speak to you about. When would you like to have a tour?’
‘I think I’m going to hit the sack after this. How about tomorrow morning?’
‘Fine.’ But she said it slowly and looked at him rather narrowly.
‘What?’ he queried.
‘Are you feeling OK? I only ask,’ she added hastily, ‘because I’ve never seen you less than…well, full of energy.’
Cam Hillier drummed his fingers on the table, then raked a hand through his hair and rubbed the blue shadows on his jaw. He wondered what she would say if he told her the truth.
That he was growingly plagued by thoughts of her. That when he allowed himself to step into his imagination he could picture himself exploring the pale, satiny, secret places of her slim elegant body. He could visualise himself, with the lightest touch, bringing her to the incandescence he’d seen in her once or twice—but much more than that, more personal, more physical, more joyful.
He could see her, in his mind’s eye, breathless, beaded with sweat, and achingly beautiful as she responded to his ardour with her own…
How would she react if she knew that to see her apparently blooming when he was going through all this was actually annoying the hell out of him?
That, and something else. He was the one who had visualised a family unit. He was the one who’d dug into his subconscious and realised his business life had taken over his whole life—to its detriment—but he didn’t seem to be able to change gears and slow down. It had been
his
somewhat shadowy intention to see howLiz fitted into Yewarra, and therefore by extension his life, to make it work better for him—for both of them.
Yes, he’d kept his distance for the last month, to give her time to settle in and because he’d made her a promise, but it had become an increasing hardship. What he hadn’t expected was to find that the family circle had been well and truly forged—Liz, Scout and Archie—and
he
now felt like an outsider in his own home.
Was there any softening in her attitude towards men, and towards him in particular? he wondered, and was on the point of simply asking her outright. Take it easy, he advised himself instead. Don’t go crashing around like a bull in a china shop. But he grimaced. He knew himself well enough to know that he would bring the subject up sooner or later…
‘I’m OK,’ he said at length. ‘Thank you
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