New Arrivals: Surprise Baby for Him: The Cattleman's Adopted Family / The Soldier's Homecoming / Marriage for Baby

Regretting that he’d started this line of talk, he sent Amy another shrugging smile. ‘I was better off up here with my uncle.’

‘I can’t believe that.’

‘I didn’t believe it at first, but with the benefit of hindsight I know it was best.’

Amy looked as if she couldn’t possibly agree.

‘Think about it,’ Seth told her. ‘What twelve-year-old boy would choose to live in a low-rent flat in a huge metropolis like Los Angeles, when he could be here, learning to ride horses, to raise cattle, to fish and to skin-dive, to explore deserted islands, and to paddle a kayak?’

‘I guess,’ she said uncertainly.

‘I owe my uncle a great deal.’

As if she needed time to think about this, she picked up the coffee pot. ‘Would you like a refill?’

‘Thanks.’ He held out his cup and he admired the unconscious elegance of her slim wrists and hands as she lifted the teapot and poured.

She was dressed for the tropical heat in a soft blue cotton dress, with loose sleeves that left her smooth, lightly tanned arms free. Her hair, which had dried in natural waves after their swim, was twisted into a loose knot from which wispy curls strayed.

Her citified neatness was beginning to unravel and Seth found the process utterly fascinating. He wasn’t sure which version of Amy he preferred, but one thing was certain—he was finding it close to impossible to remain detached, an aloof observer.

But he had to keep his distance. In a matter of days she was returning to Melbourne. She was a city girl. End of story.

Amy filled her cup and added milk, then settled down to resume their conversation. ‘So did your mother make it big in Hollywood?’

‘She’s had walk-on parts in daytime soap operas, but that’s about it.’

‘Has she made enough money to live on?’

‘I have no idea, but it doesn’t really matter. She remarried,’ Seth said coldly. ‘Found herself a cashed-up Californian.’

‘Has she ever been here?’

‘Once, when she dropped me off,’ he said, unhappily aware that he’d revealed much more than he’d intended. It was time to put a stop to these personal questions. Years ago, he’d learned to live without his mother and he wasn’t going to admit to a tender-hearted woman like Amy Ross that his only contact with her had been letters on his eighteenth and twenty-first birthdays with generous cheques attached.

He drained his coffee cup and stood. ‘I’m afraid I have business to attend to and I’m sure you’d appreciate time to yourself while Bella’s asleep.’

‘I’d like to take photographs of your grounds, if that’s all right.’

‘Be my guest. But keep to the open areas. Don’t go wandering off into the rainforest, or down the track to the beach.’

Amy frowned. ‘Do you think I’ll get lost?’

‘I’m assuming you’d rather not come face to face with an amethystine python, or a salt-water crocodile.’

The colour drained from her face and he winced. In one breath he’d completely ruined her stay.

‘I’m exaggerating the danger,’ he said more gently. ‘People have been living here for decades quite safely. But I’d rather you didn’t go exploring without me.’

‘Yes,’ she acceded, still looking pale. ‘That might be best.’

‘So promise me for now that you won’t go beyond the garden.’

Amy gave him her word.

Chapter Five (#ulink_a372feda-112c-55f7-a7db-8277ad0f0303)

AS SHE watched Seth stride away, Amy almost changed her mind about setting foot outside the house. The spectre of snakes and crocodiles scared her to death and in a panicky rush she ran back to the bedroom to make sure that Bella was still sleeping safely.

The windows and doors to their room were screened, however, and no creepy-crawlies could find their way in, thank God. Bella was fine.

She knew Seth’s claim was true—plenty of people had lived here and avoided being eaten. Rachel had stayed here for six weeks and she’d never mentioned any special dangers. Then again, Rachel had kept quiet about a lot of things in the north.

Including Seth.

But Amy had already tortured herself enough over that man. All morning, she’d driven herself crazy fretting over his relationship with Rachel, his plans for Bella, and her own giddy pulse rate whenever he was near.

Taking several deep breaths, she swore to put him out of her mind, and she set off, camera in hand, to explore his garden.

Which was lovely. Really lovely.

Again she wondered why Rachel had never mentioned how gorgeous this place was. She’d made so few comments, hadn’t shown any pictures. Nothing. Had she saved it all for her book?

Amy didn’t know the names of many of the tropical plants, but as she walked she recognised hibiscus, orchids and bougainvilleas growing lushly amidst ferns and palms. She loved the showiness and variety of the lavishly hued tropical flowers and leaves.

The butterflies and birds were extra bright and beautiful, too. All living things here were wonderfully vivid. Nature at double strength. As she walked down twisting paths, she felt as if her senses were zapped onto high alert.

She was surrounded by fragrances—the scents of frangipani, of ginger and cardamom, mixed with a pervading smell of damp earth and vegetation. There was a constant peep-peep-peeping sound, which, Seth had already explained, came from tiny tree frogs in the nearby forest.

Here in the tropics there was a sense of life teeming and lush, pushing to the max, and she was aware of an indefinable something that stirred her, a constant pulse-raising excitement and restlessness.

Perhaps that was why her thoughts zeroed straight back to Seth.

She couldn’t help it. He was such a fascinating puzzle.

He’d said he was fine about his mother’s defection, but Amy had been watching him closely, and despite his brave words she’d seen dark pain in his eyes and in the tightening set of his mouth.

Her heart ached for him, but his brave stoicism also frightened her. How could they come to an agreement about Bella’s future when his attitude to mothers and motherhood was almost the polar opposite of hers?

Amy adored her mum and she adored caring for Bella, but if Seth had managed so famously in this remote place without any contact with his mother, he might easily assume that Bella would be fine here, too.

And where, Amy wondered, did that leave her?

It was a relief, on rounding a tall clump of pink ginger, to be distracted by an elderly man wearing a wide-brimmed hat of woven cane and happily hacking at palm fronds with a longhandled machete.

‘Hi,’ Amy called, waving to catch his attention.

In no time, she’d introduced herself and learned that he was Hans, who’d grown up in Indonesia, and had worked as a gardener on Serenity for more than twenty years.