In Bed With...Collection

He set the bag down and turned around, a curious, assessing look on his face as though wondering how she would react to it. “Our family has a long history of driving serpents out of Eden, Miranda,” he said, eerily conjuring up the thought she’d had about Eden on her journey here.

“In the old days, there was no law in these parts, except what we instigated and practised ourselves,” Nathan went on. “For any isolated community like a cattle station to work well, a harmony had to be maintained on all levels. That remains true. Always will.”

She nodded. “It’s true of this resort, too, maintaining a good morale amongst the staff. I appreciate how important it is, Nathan.”

“Critical to holding the right balance,” he agreed. “The outback strips us of easy escapes. We have to live with what’s here. And from the beginning, the Kings forged a close connection to the local tribe of Aborigines. It was of mutual benefit. They were always assured of food and shelter, and having a natural affinity to the land, they were by far the best stockmen we could have working the cattle.”

“This is Albert’s tribe you’re talking about?”

“Yes. Twenty-seven years ago, Albert’s father was the foreman at the station, a highly respected tribal elder whom my father trusted to carry through any task. A drifter arrived one day, asking for a job, said he was a trained mechanic. My father set him to work repairing machinery. A few weeks later, when the men were out at the stock-camps, he broke into the supply store, stole a bottle of whisky, got himself drunk, then bashed and raped Albert’s mother.”

“Oh, no!” Miranda groaned, hating the thought of any woman being so brutally victimised.

“Albert, who was eight at the time, helped her up to the homestead. My mother took her in, and sent both Albert and me out riding for my father. All the men came in because justice had to be seen to be done, especially when it involved a white man against a black woman. The rapist displayed the attitude that any abuse against Aborigines was acceptable and shouldn’t be punished.”

“How can people think like that?” Miranda cried.

“It was not how any of us thought on the station and if a strong stand wasn’t taken on it, there would have been a very serious breach of trust amongst our people. I hope you can see that, Miranda, because King’s Eden runs on the understanding—forged through generations—that the Kings look after their people.”

She gave a wry smile. “Since I’ve just benefited from that principle, I’m hardly likely to criticise it, Nathan.”

He returned her smile. “Well, just remember what I’m telling you happened almost thirty years ago, and the justice meted out was for the ultimate good of the community.”

“You’re warning me it was harsh?”

“More…primitive. But then the outback is primitive.”

“Go on,” she urged.

“To teach the man respect for the race he belittled, my father ordered that he be taken out to the most barren section of the King Leopold Range in the middle of the Kimberly, where he was to be left to survive on his own, as the Aborigines had for thousands of years.”

“Did he survive?”

Nathan shrugged. “The story goes he’s still wandering around the wilderness. There have been sightings of a feral white man over the years.”

“Cast out of Eden,” Miranda murmured.

“He’d destroyed his right to stay. There’s a lot of greys we can accommodate, but once the line of respect is abused, appropriate action has to be taken.”

“So that’s Lachlan’s law.”

“And mine,” he said quietly.

“I know. And Tommy’s. And Jared’s. Your father passed it on to all of you, didn’t he?”

“As it was passed to him.”

Family lore…survival built on support and integrity.

“It’s good, Nathan,” she said in a burst of heartfelt belief. “I like your world.”

His face lit with a smile that grew in warmth as he crossed her sitting area to where she still stood by the door. “I like…everything about you, Miranda Wade.” He lifted a hand and stroked his finger down the slight cleft in her chin. “Do you feel okay about Hewson now?”

“Yes. He can’t win. He won’t want to invite more defeat.”

“So you feel safe again.”

“Very safe.”

“I’d better go and let you get on with your work.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll call you tonight.”

“Please.”

“I hope you keep liking my world, Miranda.”

How could she not with him in it? But he kissed her before she could speak, kissed her with slow, beguiling sensuality, with the simmering promise of much more to come…for both of them.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN (#ud535c0fb-8216-5cc4-a273-7d8e9771b73f)

“A WEDDING!” Elizabeth King repeated, trying to contain the delight swelling her heart.

“Yes. Seven weeks from now,” Nathan instructed. “The weekend after the resort closes. Will you do it? I know Miranda wouldn’t ask but I want it for her. The whole big production…a marquee on the lawn by the river…”

“Nathan, I haven’t even heard of an engagement yet. Have you asked Miranda to marry you?”

“Not in so many words. I’ve been waiting on the ring. Jared brought it with him today.”

“You’re sure of her answer?”

“Absolutely.”

His eyes flashed with an indomitable arrogance that was pure Lachlan, and for a moment Elizabeth was transported back to the night when her husband-to-be told her she was his woman, and not to give him any runaround about it because that would just be wasting time better spent together.

“I want you to stand in for her mother, since Miranda no longer has one,” Nathan went on. “Do all the wedding arrangements, take her to buy the dress, make her feel like a bride planning her big day. She’s had none of the family support we take for granted. I want you to offer it to her tonight, convince her it’s what you want, too.”

“It is!” Elizabeth laughed in a burst of elation. She’d got it right…bringing Miranda into Nathan’s life. It had worked! “My first daughter-in-law…”

“So you’ll do it?” Nathan pressed.

“Of course. Any dream Miranda has I’ll do my best to fulfil.” Because she will fulfil mine.

“Good!” Nathan’s face lit with satisfaction. “Then what I plan is this…”

Miranda felt increasingly nervous as she drove over to the station homestead for dinner with the King family. She hadn’t seen Elizabeth or Jared since the night early in May, when she’d revealed her own lack of family. That was five months ago…five months of learning everything about King’s Eden, and loving every minute of it.