The Midwife and the Millionaire

Five days later

‘I DON’T know how you talked me into this.’ Sophie glared at her brother.

Smiley kept his eyes on the road. ‘You’ve been twitchy all week.’

‘And you’ve been moonstruck like a big old cow.’

Smiley turned to look at her briefly but didn’t say anything.

It was disappointing. A bit of a spat might have taken her mind off the nerves that were building ridiculously at the thought of meeting the brooding rich man again. She was even avoiding his name in her thoughts. How ridiculous.

Unable to get a rise out of Smiley she turned to watch the scenery flash by. The overhanging escarpment of the Cockburn ranges in the distance ran along the right side of the vehicle and the stumpy gums and dry grass covered the plains to the left before they soared into more ochre-red cliffs that tinged purple as the sun set.

Sophie knew the darkening gorges hid pockets of tangled rainforest and deep cold pools like the dread she could feel at meeting him again.

But the stands of thick and thin trees made her smile. She’d missed the pot bellies of the grey-trunked boabs the most while she’d been in Perth.

‘Why don’t you like Odette?’ Smiley was stewing. Something in his voice warned her not to be flippant.

‘Who wouldn’t like Odette?’ she said carefully. ‘She seems lovely. I just don’t want you hurt when she flies back to Sydney.’

Smiley frowned at the road ahead and Sophie winced at his displeasure. Now that was something she’d very rarely encountered and she didn’t like it. ‘I’m sorry, Smiley. I have no right to judge your friends. I think Odette’s great. I just can’t see her as an outback girl and I can’t see you in the city. But it’s none of my business.’

‘Thank you.’ His voice was dry and the two words were a statement. Thanking her for agreeing it was none of her business.

Oops. She really had upset her brother and that was something she’d never consciously do. Since her parents had died she’d become used to bossing Smiley around, giving her opinion, and he’d never seemed to mind.

Obviously she’d crossed the line with Odette. She’d just have to button her lip and trust Smiley’s instincts.

It would’ve been easier if she’d sent him to Xanadu on his own though. She had the feeling her trepidation for Smiley was tied up in the trepidation she held for herself with Odette’s mysterious brother.

Smiley turned off the main dirt road onto the red dust of the track through the scrub. They splashed through several watercourses and wound through the ochre-coloured hills until they turned into the Private Property, No Entry sign that hid the homestead.

‘Welcoming,’ she mumbled, and Smiley glanced at her.

‘You’ve met the brother?’

‘Briefly.’ She could be just as taciturn. She didn’t expand her explanation and Smiley didn’t ask again. Then the homestead came into view.

Xanadu Homestead was a long low building, and she’d been too young to remember visiting in her grandparents’ day. Apparently now it had been divided up into luxury suites, if what Sophie had heard was right, perched on the edge of the escarpment above the river that flowed beneath it.

The main building faced into the sunset which glowed deep red as it faded. Nice place to holiday if you had the platinum or even a black credit card, but not when you were eight months pregnant. Why would Odette and her brother come here now?

At least the thought gave her something else to concentrate on as they drew up at the house. She wondered what the other guests would think of outsiders being invited to invade their sanctuary. What month was this? April. The resort would only just have opened for the season anyway.

Odette swayed onto the main entrance portico in a muslin caftan that must have cost a bomb, and Sophie wondered how she could still be graceful when she was supposed to be awkward in the last month of pregnancy. Sophie glanced at Smiley and judging by his face he’d just seen the Holy Grail.

Sophie sighed and felt for the handle to climb out of the truck when her door moved away from her grasp.

‘Welcome to Xanadu.’ Levi held out his hand and Sophie wasn’t sure if he wanted to shake hers or help her from the vehicle. Where’d he come from? She’d been hoping to see him from a distance and get her face straight.

She resisted the urge to snap her hand back to her side and forced herself to let him take her fingers. Initially cool, the strength in his fingers surprised her, but not as much as the feeling of insidious connection, a frisson of ridiculous warmth that passed between them and echoed the impact of his eyes. There was something she’d deny with her last breath.

No. She hadn’t felt a thing. So why rub her hand surreptitiously behind her back? And why did he look down at her with one enigmatic eyebrow raised as if he’d been surprised as well?

Then Odette was dancing around the car like an elegant puppy as she looked adoringly up at Smiley, and Levi left her to shake Smiley’s hand.

‘It’s so good to see you, William.’ Odette flashed a smile at Sophie before she looked back at Smiley and captured his hand. Odette tugged his fingers to make him follow her. ‘This is my brother, Levi,’ she said dismissively. ‘Now, come and see the place.’

‘William’ looked back at Sophie, who managed a tiny smiling shrug that said she’d be fine.

‘My sister can be impetuous,’ Levi said grimly.

‘My brother can’t.’ She watched Smiley leap up the stairs after Odette. ‘Or I didn’t think he could.’

Levi lifted one eyebrow sardonically. ‘Welcome to Xanadu. I’ll send someone for the bags when we get inside.’

Sophie glanced in the back of the truck. ‘Actually, we’re used to carrying our own.’

He inclined his head. ‘But I’d be offended. Please come in.’

The bags weren’t worth standing out here with him so she turned resolutely towards the entrance. He went on. ‘The resort’s not technically opened for the season and we have the run of the place.’

‘Well, that’s very nice.’ But she couldn’t help thinking, How the heck did you do that? They must know the owners extremely well or have unlimited funds. Best not go there. ‘When does it open?’

He glanced at the sky. ‘Depends on the weather and the state of the roads, though apparently next week, if all continues well.’

She slanted a look across at him. ‘I guess you and Odette will be gone by then.’

Another enigmatic brow rose. ‘Trying to get rid of us?’

They crossed the gravel drive to the stairs and she paused. ‘You did say you were passing through. A week ago,’ she said calmly.

‘I lied.’ Straightfaced, no remorse.

Sophie blinked. She’d known he was dangerous. Like sniffying the briny scent before a storm. Her instincts had been right. He was trouble. She started walking again, faster now, but he kept pace. ‘People don’t tend to do that up here.’ Liar like Brad.

His eyes narrowed as if he sensed some history there. ‘Necessity can make liars out of us all.’

She could feel her lip curl. ‘So some people say.’

He looked across at her and no doubt he could see her distaste. She hoped so. ‘Had a bad experience with a man, have you?’

‘I think I’ll look for my brother.’ She turned away but before she could take a step he caught her hand again and she pulled up short to look back at him with raised eyebrows, actually astounded that he would invade her intimate space.

Maybe he didn’t know that people from the bush—used to wide-open spaces and few people—didn’t do space invasion well. Smiley tended to wave at people rather than shake their hands. Not like those from the city, who were used to people brushing up against them in elevators and on city streets.

He let go. This time she didn’t hide that she rubbed her hand.