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“It’s the nice Mr. Cowboy,” Benni said with delight.
“Oh? How can you tell?”
“I can see his hat. I like his hat.” Benni squirmed to be let down and Kee put her on the floor, but continued to stare out the window. Sure enough, she glimpsed Wazza’s big, brown hat as the vehicle got closer. Other people might well have a similar hat, but it was more than that. The way he held his shoulders back, how his hands gripped the wheel, sure and strong.
Benni was already at the door, waiting for Kee to unbolt it, bouncing up and down on her toes. Benni had certainly taken a liking to Wazza.
They stepped out onto the covered patio just as Wazza pulled the vehicle up in the shade of the acacia tree.
“Wait till he’s turned the car off,” Kee warned, keeping a hand on her child’s shoulder as she tried to surge forward to go and greet Wazza. The car door opened and Wazza stepped out, grinning at them both. “Right, off you go.” Kee watched Benni run to Wazza, her little legs pumping up and down, small puffs of dust rising at each step. She stopped right in front of him and held up something for him to see.
Wazza knelt down, so he was at Benni’s eye level, and she waved a black and red feather in his face, talking excitedly about where she found her treasure. Wazza’s face remained serious as he examined her find. Then he said something in a low voice that Kee couldn’t catch, but Benni smiled as if he’d told her something wonderful.
Kee was spellbound by the tableau before her. Wazza was a big man, tall and rugged. Strength coursed through him; she could feel it whenever he was close. But he had such a gentleness when he was around Benni. It made her heart ache just watching them. She’d made so many stupid decisions in her life. Picked the wrong man to marry. Picked the wrong family to pin her hopes and dreams on. Now the malicious Bruno was hunting her, trying to take her only daughter away. But watching Wazza with her daughter, a little of her faith in men was restored.
Wazza raised his eyes, and his gaze found hers. His eyes were the color of blue stones. He smiled and something fluttered in her chest, and her insides felt liquid. She tamped down on the emotion. Benni’s safety was the only thing that mattered to her right now. Not some man she barely knew who made her insides go to mush. That was a frivolous thought. Lust was a frivolous emotion, and she had no time for frivolous at the moment.
“Hi,” he said, standing and removing his hat.
“Hi,” she replied, unable to tear her gaze away from his. The silence drew out until it became uncomfortable.
“I’ve brought you some supplies.” He reached across the driver’s seat and retrieved a bag. “Some milk, butter, and fresh fruit. I know how much Benni loves an apple.” He grinned down at the girl hovering around his knees. Kee wanted to believe that Wazza was doing this to impress her. Make a show that he was thinking about Benni. Get her on his good side. But she knew that she shouldn’t be so ungracious. She’d become bitter and scarred by her years spent with Jakov. There were still some truly good people in the world, she reminded herself. And Wazza might well be one of those people.
“Thank you.” She strolled toward the car to help him as he grabbed another bag, bursting with foodstuffs. Where had he got all this? Surely, he hadn’t had time to drive into town this morning. She hoped he hadn’t stolen it from this place where he worked. Stormcloud Lodge, he called it.
He handed her the two bags. “Oh, I almost forgot.” His upper body disappeared inside the cab for a second, and when he re-emerged, he had a hat in each hand. “This one is for you, young lady.” Wazza carefully placed the smaller one on Benni’s head. It was a pale blue, and suited Benni’s coloring perfectly. “This was an old one of Skylar’s, I think. It was in the tack shed, underneath a pile of burlap sacks. It’s still in pretty good condition.”
Benni took it off and turned it around in her hands, lips pursed as she considered her gift. “I love it,” she said at last, putting it back on her head, and turned toward Kee.
“It’s very pretty,” Kee said, holding in a smile. A tad too big, but that didn’t matter. It would keep the fierce sun off her face.
“And this one’s for you.” Wazza came forward and placed a tan hat on her head. “It’s supposed to be a snug fit.” He fiddled with the hat, pulling the brim down and working the hat onto her head until he was satisfied. “So they don’t blow off when you’re galloping after a runaway cow,” he added.
Wazza had come through. For both of them. Words suddenly failed her.
“They’re called Akubras by the way,” he said, as if trying to fill the silence.
“I knew that,” Benni piped up.
Kee was pretty sure she hadn’t known that, but she smiled and said, “Come inside, I’ll put the kettle on.”
For some reason, she felt flustered once they got inside. While the house was small, it was cozy and practical, and Kee had quickly gotten used to the layout. But Wazza seemed to fill the room, his presence distracting her, so she was only half-concentrating on emptying the contents of his two bags into the refrigerator. He stood awkwardly by the door before finally taking a seat at the small table. But his gaze never left her, she could feel it, like a laser beam attached to her back, following her around the small kitchen.
Kee sat next to Wazza, placing her hat neatly on the table beside her, exactly like Wazza had done. She’d noticed a container of what looked like homemade cookies in one of the bags, and she put some on a plate on the table. Benni immediately went to reach for one until Kee’s stern gaze stopped her. “Remember your manners, please,” Kee said.
“May I please have a cookie?” Benni said, eyes wide and a look on her face like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.
“Yes, you may.” Kee turned to pour the hot water into the cups, removed the teabags and added milk to both.
“I swiped those while they were still hot from the tray,” Wazza said, as Kee placed the tea in front of him, and a glass of cold water for Benni. “Skylar’s going to kill me when I get back, but it’s worth it. You wait until you taste them. She’s the best cook this side of Brisbane.” His handsome face split into a grin. It was the second time Wazza had mentioned this Skylar today, and Kee’s interest was piqued. “Skylar is the owner’s daughter,” he said in response to Kee’s raised eyebrow. “She’s also the chef at the lodge, does the cooking for all the guests and staff, alike.” “She’s a good friend. You’d like Skylar,” he added quietly.
A good friend, huh? For a second, Kee wondered how far the connection went, before she realized what she was doing and shut that train of thought down. She had absolutely no right to be jealous of this man. He had every right to date whomever he wanted. Hell, he might even be married or in a long-term affair, for all she knew. The subject of his relationship status had never come up. And now that Kee though about it, Wazza might have mentioned that Skylar had a fiancé. He’d mentioned so many names that she was having a hard time keeping track of them all.
“Actually, you’d like everyone at Stormcloud,” he added, almost as an afterthought.
Be that as it may, she was never going to Stormcloud, so that would never happen.
“Have you heard anything about my car?” she asked, changing the subject.
