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“Don’t,” she spat, dark eyes flashing. Then she turned and said in a saccharine voice, “Don’t worry, bunny, you go back to your apples.”
Turning back to face him, Kee shot daggers at him, crossing her arms over her pert breasts. “Don’t you dare involve my daughter in this.”
Wazza stared at her thoughtfully. She certainly was protective when it came to Benni. Overprotective, even. But enough was enough. “Perhaps I should call the police,” he said quietly. “They can sort out this mess you’ve gotten yourself into.”
“No!” Her voice was like the clang of a bell in the quiet desert.
“No? Why not?” He knew he probably wasn’t being completely fair, but she wasn’t leaving him with many choices. He was hot and thirsty—they’d drunk his last two bottles of water—and this stalemate needed to come to some sort of resolution.
Suddenly, all the fight seemed to drain right out of her. Her hands fell to her sides, and she hung her head. “Fine, I’ll tell you. But please keep your voice down. I don’t want Benni to hear.”
She looked so pathetic, he wanted to reach out and touch her, but she’d only flinch away, so he merely stood, watching her carefully.
“My ex-husband and his family are trying to take Benni away from me.”
“What? Why?”
“It’s complicated. But the reason I don’t want you to call the police is that my ex is…was a cop. He has contacts everywhere in the force. If they report my whereabouts… Then he’ll find me.”
“Wow. Okay.” Wazza digested her story, turning it over in his head. This felt like she was telling the truth, for once, but it was a hell of a story, if it were true. He could also feel there was more, but it seemed like all he was going to get out of her for now. One thing was for sure; he suddenly understood her overprotectiveness of her child. Hell, he suddenly felt just as overprotective. “So, you’re what…? On the run after a messy divorce? And he wants the child?” He closed his mouth with a snap. Those were a whole shitpile of questions, but only one was really important right now, and that was getting Kee and her daughter somewhere safe and out of this heat. He could find out the full truth later.
“Like I said, it’s complicated.” She stared up at him, eyes almost as beseeching as her daughter’s had been. “I just need to get somewhere where he can’t find me for a little while. Then I can fight this ridiculous custody battle. But they were going to take Benni away from me. And I couldn’t…” She stumbled to a halt, her lower lip trembling. God, he was such a sucker for dark-brown eyes. And hers were as deep and beguiling as warm chocolate. Add to that a woman on the verge of tears, and he was a definite goner.
He held up a hand to forestall any more speech. “Let me think for a second.”
Could he take her back to Stormcloud? Daniella wouldn't be happy with him bringing in a stray woman and her child. But she also wouldn’t turn them away. Daniella might run the lodge with a resolute hand, but even she would only need to take one look at that little girl for her heart to melt. But that’d involve having to make up a story to keep Kee and her daughter safe. And Daniella had a knack for finagling out the truth of things.
Where else could he take her? If he took her to the motel in Dimbulah, even if she kept a low profile and never went out, word would get around. People in small country towns always knew everything that was going on.
Daniella’s daughter, and head chef at the lodge, Skylar, and her fiancé, Nash, owned a property halfway between Dimbulah and Stormcloud. They had plenty of room in their rambling, colonial home. So much space that her half-sister Julie and new boyfriend Aaron were renting out one of the larger old barns until they could afford a place of their own. But Nash was the local senior constable, and if Kee’s story was true about not wanting to get other cops involved, then he couldn’t ask them to hide her.
Then a thought struck him. He turned it over and over, dissecting the pros and cons. It wasn’t the best idea, but it was all he could come up with right now.
“I know a place you can stay for a few days. Come on, bring your belongings, and hop in my car.”
“Really? Where?” she asked suspiciously.
“The boss’s stepson, Dale, has a fiancée, Daisy, who lives out in a small outstation a few miles down the road from Stormcloud lodge. She’s over in Perth visiting her family for a few weeks. Dale’s going to move in with her when they get married in December, but for now, he still lives at the lodge. So, the place will be empty.” He’d just have to hope that Daisy hadn’t asked Dale to pop over and check on her place while she was away. It was a busy time of the year, with another late-season muster being planned for a few weeks’ time. So hopefully Dale would have his hands too full to worry about Daisy’s place.
“Are you sure? When is this Daisy due back? And won’t she know someone’s been staying in her house? I’m not sure I’d like a stranger gate-crashing my house without my knowledge.”
“It’s all I’ve got.” Wazza held up his hands in defeat. “If you have a better plan, I’d love to hear it. And no, you can’t stay out here,” he added, as the light of rebellion entered her eyes, and she opened her mouth to speak. “So, come and help me pack up your stuff.”
Kee stood, frozen, biting her bottom lip. What the hell? He was trying to help her. Offering her a sanctuary for the next few days. Why was she waiting? Kee turned to study her daughter, who was noisily sucking on the apple core and playing with her doll, and he suddenly understood her hesitancy. It wasn’t just her she had to think about. It was her child’s welfare that was utmost in her mind. What would he do in her situation? Would he trust a stranger with the safety of his child? His mind flicked back to his imagined images of little Ava. He knew what he’d do if it came down to protecting his daughter. Anything that it took. But she wasn’t real. She only existed in his mind. It was easy to make a decision when the stakes weren’t tangible.
Kee finally lifted her wretched gaze to his. “I’m not sure why you’re doing this. Helping me, that is. But I guess I have no choice. And I guess I owe you a debt of gratitude.”
“You don’t owe me anything.” He waved away her concern. Was that what she was afraid of? Of owing him something? Well, he wasn’t that sort of guy. He’d never ask for anything in return. He was doing this as much for the little girl as he was for the mother. Even if there was something about Kee. An air of fragility. A sensuality that affected him like few other women had. Let alone that the graceful tilt of her long neck, or the way she walked, the hedonistic sway of her hips, lit off sparks deep in his belly.
He tried to tell himself he would’ve done the same for anyone he’d found stranded out here.
It didn’t take them long to dismantle the makeshift tent. Wazza folded the sheet and towels, while Kee grabbed a few things scattered throughout the car and rammed them into two small bags she’d kept in the trunk. Then she unfastened the child’s booster seat and took it to the rear of his car. He helped transfer everything to the back seat of his Land Cruiser, but she waved him away when he offered to help her install the booster. Which was probably a good thing, he had no idea where to start with one of those. That thought set his heart to aching before he could rein in his thoughts. If Ava had been born, he’d be all over installing child seats. No point in mulling over things that’d never happened. Instead, he started the engine to get the air conditioning going, while Kee went back to make sure she hadn’t left anything behind. Benni stood by, not asking questions, as some children might, but content to watch everything they did with an eagle eye, holding her doll tightly to her chest.
At last, she asked, “Are we going with the cowboy man, Mummy?”
“Yes. He’s taking us to a friend’s place. We can stay there for a little while.” She hunkered down in front of Benni. “Is that okay?”
“Oh, yes,” she answered with delight. “I don’t like it here. It’s too hot.”
