RIC was leaning against the hood of the hire car, arms folded in a posture of relaxed patience. He’d left his suitcoat and tie in the plane. His shirt collar was open, sleeves rolled up his forearms.
Lara paused in her rush to the car. Seeing him like this, at a slight distance, she realised he had a more powerfully built physique than Gary. His arms were very muscular and his shoulders were still broad without any clever tailoring to make them seem so. He’d filled out quite a lot from the boy she remembered.
She’d never thought of a photographer as leading a hard physical life, but of course it could hardly have been a picnic in war zones. And if Ric had also worked on an Outback sheep station…
Though how had he come to Gundamurra in the first place?
An odd choice for a city boy.
He might be very wealthy now but he was certainly a different breed to the men she knew. That hadn’t changed about Ric Donato. He was different and she still liked the difference. She’d never been afraid of it. It was attractive, exciting. But more than that, she knew instinctively he would never knowingly hurt her.
Was that because of seeing his mother hurt and hating it?
Even as a teenager he’d treated her as though she were some precious being to be handled with care, given every courtesy. Like a princess…
Well, she was little more than a beggar maid now, and what’s more, she never wanted to be viewed as a princess again. She resumed walking, happy with the clothes she’d bought. No artifice about them. No stylish elegance. Now that she was free of Gary, she was going to be a person, not a clothes horse to be shown off as a man’s possession.
Ric caught sight of her and snapped upright, ready to move. Action man, she thought with almost giddy joy, still amazed at how he had so personally effected her escape, even to flying her away in a private plane. Though they hadn’t yet arrived at their final destination, she hastily reminded herself. Even so, she no longer cared where it was or what it was. Ric said it would be safe there and she believed him.
She believed him even more as they approached the landing strip at Gundamurra. The Australian expression—out the back of Bourke—took on real meaning as she gazed down at a vast flat landscape, seemingly endless inland plains, far from civilisation.
‘How big is Gundamurra?’ she asked.
‘A hundred and sixty thousand acres,’ came the mind-boggling reply. ‘Patrick runs forty thousand sheep on it.’
Lara did the maths. ‘You mean each sheep gets four acres to itself?’
He nodded. ‘The feed can get very sparse out here.’
‘How does Patrick get around such a huge property?’
‘Plane, truck, horse, motorbike. Depends on what has to be done.’
‘The buildings…it looks like a little village down there.’
‘Homestead, overseer’s house, jackeroos’ quarters, the mess and the cook’s house, shearing shed, maintenance sheds, station office, school. There’s usually a staff of twelve. With families, there are about thirty people living on the station. You’ll have ready company, though not what you’re used to, and it is isolated. Mail comes and goes once a week. By plane.’
Like an island, sufficient unto itself, she thought, except it was surrounded by land, not water. ‘What brought you to Gundamurra, Ric?’ How had he even heard of it?
He shrugged. ‘When I was convicted of stealing the Porsche, the judge gave me a choice—time in a juvenile detention centre or working on an Outback station.’
So that was what had happened to him!
‘Patrick had set up the work program as an alternative for kids who were prepared to give it a go,’ Ric went on. ‘At our first meeting he told us that Gundamurra meant “Good day” in the Aboriginal language, and he hoped we would always remember our arrival there as a good day in our lives.’
‘And it was for you?’
‘Very much so.’
She sighed in rueful memory of the night the police had caught them in the Porsche. Ric had cleared her of any complicity in the theft and her father…’My parents shuttled me straight off to boarding school and watched over me like a hawk after we were caught.’
He threw her a sardonic look. ‘No more undesirable connections?’
‘None without the proper connections,’ she mocked right back. ‘Every school vacation I was taken to a fashionable resort, away from any chance of meeting up with you. Or someone like you.’
‘I did write to you from Gundamurra. Several letters.’
His voice was flat, non-judgmental, but she sensed the deep disappointment he would have felt at no reply. ‘I didn’t receive them, Ric.’
‘No. I guessed not.’
‘I’m sorry. My parents must have kept them from me. Destroyed them.’
‘You were only fifteen, Lara,’ he said wryly. ‘I was no good for you then.’
‘Yes, you were.’ The words came out with such fierce emphasis, it drew a quizzical glance from him. ‘I don’t mean about the car,’ she hastily explained, flustered by her own outburst. ‘I really liked being with you, Ric.’
His mouth softened into a smile. His eyes softened, too…dark caressing velvet. ‘I liked being with you, too,’ he murmured, then switched his gaze back to the dirt airstrip where he had to land the plane.
She lapsed into silence, shaken by the strength of feeling that had so swiftly seized her. How could she want any man after her experience with Gary? Utter madness. Ric was her safe passage away from an abusive and destructive marriage. Being grateful to him, appreciating the fantastic effectiveness of his resources and the generosity behind his every act on her behalf…that was warranted. But wanting him…?
No. She was emotionally overwrought, off-balance. More likely she wanted to be cocooned by his protective strength. The clawing desire to feel safe was attached to him. But she had to detach it now. They were landing at Gundamurra. It was to be her safe haven, not Ric Donato. Somehow she had to regain at least some sense of who she was before she could even consider forming any relationship at all.
Gary’s superficial charm had wooed her into marriage. Her parents’ overwhelming approval of the match had also had its influence. Immense wealth had promised security and all the good things in life. But all those shining promises had been false and she had swallowed them. What did that say about her?
Time to take stock.
And this place certainly gave her the opportunity to do it.
Focus on Patrick Maguire, she sternly told herself. He was the constant around which her life on Gundamurra would revolve. A father figure to Ric. Maybe a benevolent father figure to her, too. She could do with a lot of benevolence.
He was waiting for them, a big man—huge—a giant of a man, standing by a four-wheel drive Land Rover as Ric taxied the plane back down the runway. ‘Is he expecting me? Have you told him?’ Lara suddenly thought to ask, the reality of actually being here rushing in on her, putting her nerves on edge.
‘Yes. While you were shopping.’ He gave her a reassuring smile. ‘It’s okay, Lara. You’re welcome.’
She took a deep, calming breath. Ric had taken care of it, just as he’d taken care of everything else. She realised her mind had been in a fog of unreality all the way from Vaucluse to Bourke, not quite believing in what was happening, more letting it happen, taking the ride—any ride, as long as it was away from Gary.
Now she had to think, to act on her own behalf, to hopefully make a good impression on the man who was granting her space in his home until she could legally free herself from her disastrous marriage—a man whose protection she could count on, Ric had said—protection given to a woman he didn’t even know. It was a gift she hadn’t done anything to deserve. Maybe she could do some useful work here, at least earn it.
Her mind was a whirl of wild anxiety again by the time she and Ric emerged from the plane, both of them carrying her shopping bags. Did it look as though she’d bought too much? Been too extravagant? She was horribly conscious of the designer outfit she was wearing, wishing she’d thought to change into the more appropriate clothes in the bags.
Patrick Maguire lifted the hatch at the back of the Land Rover so they could load the bags straight into the vehicle. ‘Lara had to leave with nothing. We bought this stuff in Bourke,’ Ric explained.
The old man nodded, making no comment. He had to be in his sixties or seventies, though he wore his age well. The shock of white hair was still thick. There were deep lines in his face, particularly the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes, but there wasn’t much loose skin. Strong bones, sharply delineated, though well-fleshed. Nothing scrawny or weak about this man of the land. His eyes were a steely grey and Lara could feel her insides quailing under their patient observation.
Ric closed the hatch door and made a formal introduction. ‘Lara, this is Patrick Maguire. Patrick, Lara Chappel.’
‘You’re very welcome, Lara,’ he said in a deep quiet voice, offering his hand.
‘Thank you for…for taking me in.’
A slight frown drew his brows together and she realised her sunglasses made eye contact with her impossible. Worried that he might think her rude, she whipped them off.
‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to…’ Hot embarrassment flooded up her neck and burned her cheeks as his eyes narrowed at the damage the glasses had hidden. She grimaced. ‘I’m a bit of a mess. Please forgive the glasses.’ She shoved them back on in an agony of self-consciousness.
He gently squeezed her hand, imparting a comforting warmth. ‘Don’t worry about it, Lara. You’ll mend,’ he said simply.
‘I don’t want to be a free-loader, Patrick,’ she rushed out. ‘I’ll do whatever I can to earn my keep here.’
He nodded, giving her the sense he approved, though his reply was a measured one. ‘Time for that when you find your feet. No need for you to feel anxious.’
‘I just think…it would be good to be busy with something.’
Again he nodded. ‘We’ll talk about it after you’ve settled in. Okay?’
‘Yes,’ she quickly agreed, not wanting to seem demanding. This was such unfamiliar territory, she didn’t know how to act.
Patrick released her hand, but he didn’t move to usher her into his vehicle. He regarded them both with a distinct air of challenge, then stated, ‘You should both know there have already been aggressive moves made to find you.’
Tension screamed through Lara. Aggressive meant…she could feel the blood starting to drain from her face, beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead as fear clamped its chilling grip on her heart.
‘How do you know?’ Ric asked.
‘Mitch called earlier this afternoon, asking me if I’d heard from you. I hadn’t and told him so.’
‘Mitch…’ Lara clutched at the name, trying to steady herself. ‘The barrister Ric knows?’
Patrick nodded.
‘Why would he call here?’ Ric asked sharply.
‘He wanted to make contact with you and thought you might be heading to Gundamurra. He said no more at that point. After your call from Bourke, I realised there had to be trouble—maybe at your Sydney office—so I got in touch with Mitch and discussed the situation with him.’
‘Oh God!’ Lara groaned, turning anguished eyes to the man who’d put himself at risk for her. ‘I did tell you. Gary won’t let go, Ric. He’s…he’s…’
‘I know what he is,’ he flashed at her, his gaze returning to Patrick. ‘What trouble?’
‘No, you don’t know,’ she cried, plucking at his arm in frantic urgency. ‘You haven’t lived with him. I haven’t told you. It won’t stop, Ric. He’ll go after you if he can’t get at me. I shouldn’t have let you do this. I shouldn’t have…’ She shook her head, realising she’d blinded herself to consequences for Ric in her need to believe escape was possible. ‘I have to go back.’
‘No!’
It was a violent negative, and she ached to give in to it, hide behind him as long as she could, but it wasn’t fair. ‘I don’t want you to suffer because of me,’ she shot back at him just as violently. ‘It’s all my fault for…for being such a fool to marry Gary in the first place.’
His dark eyes burned with the unshakeable purpose he’d shown before. ‘I won’t let you be his victim again, Lara.’
‘You don’t understand. He’ll victimise you and your people. If he’s already been to your office…’
‘Kathryn must have gone to Mitch.’ His gaze jerked back to Patrick. ‘How was it handled?’
‘Kathryn kept the situation contained. That will probably last until tomorrow. But to keep Lara safely hidden here, you’ll have to leave, Ric, lay a trail elsewhere and let yourself be the target for pursuit.’
‘No…no…’ Lara protested, tortured by the trouble she was causing him.
Patrick kept on speaking, punching out the current problem. ‘That will give Kathryn a legitimate line for her to take, to halt any further harassment at the Sydney office. Mitch will call tonight. He wants to speak to both of you. I’m telling you this now to give you time to prepare for what’s coming.’
‘It’s not right,’ she pleaded with Patrick, wanting him to see how wrong it was. ‘I got myself into this.’
‘Lara…’ The steely grey eyes locked onto hers and while she saw compassion for her anguish, they also reflected the same steadfast purpose in Ric’s. ‘There is no going back,’ he stated quietly. ‘Ric has chosen his course. And I agree with it.’
‘But…I didn’t mean to…to…’
He smiled at her, and it was like a warm blanket of approval enfolding her, welcoming her into his world. ‘You’re a woman who cares for others. Which is right and good. But understand there are times when a man must act according to his sense of rightness. In the end, we all have to live with ourselves.’
Even the chaotic mess in her mind cleared enough to recognise the truth he had spoken.
It was an inarguable argument.
The decision was made.
Come what might, there was no going back.