Outback Angel

“Aye, aye, Captain!” She laughed as excitement set in. “Or is it ‘Roger?’ I have to catch up on the terminology. Anyway, I can’t wait.” She looked down, trying to gather in her kaleidoscope of thoughts and impressions. “Obviously it’s all paid off, being a desert chieftain,” she enthused. “The homestead looks huge!” And the setting was fantastic! “Who would ever have thought of building a mansion in the middle of the Never-Never?”

“We are a way out of town,” he agreed dryly. “Do you think you can possibly sit quietly?”

“Just watch me.” She gave him a cheerful smile, proceeding to sit as solidly as an Easter Island statue. Honey caught more flies than vinegar. Hadn’t her mother told her?

They were greeted by a station hand the moment they arrived. When the young man was introduced to Angelica he muttered a, “Pleased to meet you,” without lifting his head. Indeed he seemed dead-set on digging the toe of his riding boot into the baked earth.

“Shy,” Angelica commented kindly when she and McCord had disposed themselves in the waiting Jeep.

“Why not?” McCord gave her a sidelong glance. “Noah was brought up in the bush. He’s never seen a woman like you in his life.”

“Aw shucks!” she pretended to simper. “You’ll be telling me you had me pegged for a high-class callgirl in two ticks.”

“You have to admit we started badly.”

“You being so judgmental. The fact of the matter is you owe me an apology.” She lifted her chin as she spoke. It had a shallow dimple he really loved. Not that he was about to tell her that.

“I’ll apologise if I have to when I know the true story,” he assured her. “Huntley had several girlfriends and a mistress at the time. Carly knew for a fact at least one was a very glamorous brunette. That doesn’t exactly clear you.”

“It doesn’t condemn me, either,” she said tartly. “I don’t want to insult you but you sound a real prude.”

“Your opinion, Miss De Campo, doesn’t concern me at all. I know what I saw in that study. People were milling about. You could have screamed. You could have appealed to me for help. Had you needed it. I would have enjoyed knocking dear Trevor flat.”

“I regret to say I was too ashamed and mortified,” Angelica confessed, appalled to hear her excuse sound so weak. “Seconds elapsed from the moment he got me into that study to when he all but threw me on the sofa.”

He made no attempt to hide a snort of derision. “You’re not exactly a featherweight. Come to think of it, my recollection of you is a lot of woman.”

“A lot?” she burst out wrathfully. “Don’t be ridiculous. I was a comfortable size twelve.”

“Are you sure?” He did his best to look sceptical. “Not that I know much about women’s dress sizes, but being in the cattle business I’m a good judge of weight. I’d say you were a good stone heavier then.”

“Well, perhaps,” she conceded, pulling a face. How did he know so much when he’d only see her for such a short time? “These days I go to the gym. And I watch my diet. I’ve actually worked out quite a care program. Especially now I’m on the TV. I know I’m a big girl.”

“Big is beautiful,” he returned, a sardonic gleam in his amber gold-speckled eyes. “There’s hardly a thing to choose between you and a supermodel.”

When they stepped into the splendid entrance hall of Coori homestead a cute young woman around five-two, with fair hair and sky-blue eyes, dressed in cotton jeans and a T-shirt, rushed down the central staircase to greet them. “Oh, you’re here! That’s lovely!” she cried enthusiastically, directly addressing Angelica and waggling her fingers at her half brother as though he’d pulled off a great coup. “Isobel didn’t exaggerate. You’re beautiful!”

It sure beat her half brother’s reception, Angelica thought, immediately warming to Gillian. This girl fitted Isobel’s description. Gillian was just possibly half a foot, maybe more, shorter, but what the heck! Angelica was comforted by such a welcome. “How nice of you to say so.” She held out her hand, returning the beaming smile.

McCord’s young half sister was a mixture of shyness and appealing vulnerability. She bore no resemblance whatsoever to her half brother. “You’re Gillian, of course.”

“Gilly, please.” Gillian took the hand extended to her, staring up at Angelica with the kind of heroine worship one usually saw reserved for school captain. “Mum will be here in a moment,” she explained. “This is the second time she’s changed her dress. Isobel told us you’ve got great style.”

“You should have seen some of my fashion disasters,” Angelica confided, refusing to look in McCord’s direction, in case he was still critically examining her denim mini.

“I’m sure you’d look wonderful in anything,” Gillian said so sincerely Angelica wanted to hug her.

“Listen, why don’t we let Miss De Campo settle in,” McCord suggested, his tone an unexpected combination of gentleness and wry impatience.

Gillian blushed. “Sorry, Jake.”

“No worries, Gilly.” He lightly touched her shoulder. “Has anything happened while I’ve been gone? Any messages?”

“Oh.” Gilly made an apologetic little sound. “I nearly forgot. The vet can make it this afternoon, after all. He’ll be here around three-thirty. He’s cadged a ride with Brodie. Brodie brings the mail and supplies,” she explained to Angelica in an aside.

“A bit of good news. Anything else?” McCord prompted patiently. Angelica got the feeling he did that often.

“Dinah rang.” Gillian started to gnaw at one of her fingernails. “She’s flying over Friday afternoon. She thought she might stay the weekend. Invited herself really.” She slumped as though the high-handed Dinah was already there. “She says she can’t wait to meet Angelica.”

“And Dinah is?” Angelica neatly questioned, more than halfway to knowing she was one of McCord’s girlfriends. No revelation a man like that would have a huge following and she couldn’t now overlook herself.

“Friend of the family,” he clipped off, obviously not wanting to be pushed into any discussion. “Now I’ve a few things to do before I show you around, Angelica.” He gave her a smile of such lazy sensuality Angelica almost swooned. “Meanwhile, Gilly can help you settle in. Your luggage will be at your door. The day will be over before I get out there but I’m leaving you in good hands.”

“Thanks, Jake!” Gillian smiled happily.

“See you in about an hour.” He gave Angelica another one of those looks that sizzled.

She had a mad desire to call after him, “Have fun now,” but wisely thought better of it. McCord was obviously a man to be reckoned with. He probably spent all his days giving orders and being obeyed. It was too bad about this Dinah. Then again, she reminded herself, he wasn’t engaged. Not surprising when he had described himself as a committed bachelor, but she had the feeling that was a big hint for her. Not exactly a propitious beginning for both of them, but she refused to allow it to dampen her buoyant spirits. She had only set foot on Coori and already she was in love with its wild beauty, its history and romance. All right! The master of Coori wasn’t too bad, either.

The mistress of that great station—one of the shyest people Angel had met, even more startling considering the power and influence of the family—gazed at Angelica a minute or two, then gave her an unreserved welcome that was as warm and informal as that of her daughter’s.

“Oh, I’m so glad it’s you,” she confided sometime later, as they relaxed over iced tea. “Isobel is a dear woman—she’s been very kind to me—but she’s so confident in every way she makes me feel a desperate failure. You and I are going to get on well.”

That shook Angelica a little. She took the frosted mint-scented glass from her mouth. “You think I’m going to make lots of mistakes?”

“Oh, no, dear, I’m sure you won’t.” Stacy was astonished at Angelica’s quite logical interpretation. “You have that unmistakable touch of class, and laughter in your eyes. An ease of manner I find very soothing. I know you won’t make me feel nervous. Beautiful women have made me nervous all my life.”

“Maybe you haven’t noticed I’m oversize.” Angelica smiled.

“That’s the surprising thing,” Stacy said artlessly. “It looks just right on you. I, on the other hand, have always struggled to attain any sort of stature.” She looked vaguely around the lovely sitting room furnished with a mixture of contemporary and antique pieces. “I was never right as mistress of Coori station, for instance. I’m sure you’ve already heard that from Isobel. Why Clive picked on humble little me remains a puzzle in the McCord family. He should have kept looking. Jake is very tolerant of my lack of organisational skills. He’s been my champion since he was a little boy. Not that it did him any good. Clive couldn’t tolerate the way Jake stood up to him. I think he found it threatening, even allowing for the hard man that he was. Jake can be tough when he has to be, but he has heart. My late husband was a heartless perfectionist.”

Angelica had heard that, as well, but still felt shocked. “That must have been hard to live up to?”

“Oh, it runs in the family,” Stacy sighed. “Thank the Lord, Jake is different. His father was from the school of biting sarcasm. It was easy to make him explode. No matter how much I tried to please him, I couldn’t. The irony is, it was my only ambition.”

Angelica shook her head in sympathy, nevertheless surprised by Stacy’s disclosures so early in their acquaintance. She tinked the rim of her crystal glass against her white teeth. What a life it must have been, to be constantly belittled. She believed her own mother, wife, earthmother, restauranteur, superstar, would have put Clive McCord right. Men seemed to pick their mark. On the face of it Stacy McCord seemed like a natural-born victim. There wasn’t going to be any small talk, either. Stacy had major traumas to unload with seemingly not a minute to lose.

“Of course in my youthful ignorance I thought loving him was enough,” Stacy continued in that soft reminiscent voice. It wasn’t often she found herself with a captive audience, consequently she found it difficult not to keep going. “Clive was everything I dreamed about. I thought I was in for a life of married bliss, a home of my own where I could be in charge for a change. And my parents were over the moon with such a splendid match. The McCords are an old pioneering family.”

“And rich?” That upped anyone’s eligibility, Angel thought.

“There’s always something about money,” Stacy agreed. “It made my mother so happy. She was proud of me for once. But the money didn’t mean anything to me. I loved him. He was such a striking-looking man and I was little more than a silly schoolgirl. I didn’t have a glimmer of an idea he’d bought me like he’d buy a pedigreed little heifer. I was young and pretty, if you can believe it. I was soft, and by the way I mean soft in the head, as well. I had no instinct for trouble. I didn’t even notice Clive wasn’t a bit of fun.”

By this time Angelica herself didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I doubt many people have it all together at eighteen,” she consoled. I mean, did she? The answer was a resounding no. “It takes time to understand human emotions and passions. If we ever do. Anyway there’s nothing like getting married to bring out the best and worst in people.”

Stacy, to her credit, gave vent to a surprisingly hearty laugh. “Why is it I think I’ve known you forever?”

“It happens like that.” Angelica smiled.