He squinted at the phone and angled it slightly, his own hand closing around hers for a moment. ‘You know you have flight mode enabled on this thing?’ He’d heard her asking Juliet about Wi-Fi when she’d arrived and remembered that the first thing she’d done as she stepped out of the car was type into her phone.
Hero nodded. ‘Yes. I know.’
‘But I thought you wanted to be on the Wi-Fi? I mean, when you’re in the house.’
‘I did, but only to send a message to my friend, Anya. She’d asked me to let her know that I’d got here safe.’ She turned to him with a brief, shy smile. ‘She worries about me.’ Hero smiled and shook her head, as if the notion of anyone worrying about her was ridiculous. But just at that moment, Nick realised that he could easily spend a whole lifetime worrying about this woman. And that was exactly why he needed to keep as much distance between them as possible. He’d been pulled into that trap once before, and certainly had no plans to let that happen ever again, and definitely not with this woman. She had danger written all over her.
OK, so maybe she didn’t take as many selfies as he’d supposed. And yes, sometimes, when she thought no one was looking, her beautiful face took on an expression that spoke of such insecurity and loneliness, and it pulled at his heart. None of that changed the fact that she was a world away from real life as most people knew it. Even when he’d bumped in to her at dawn, she already had full make-up on. Who did that in the back of beyond, when they were just hanging around a sheep station all day? There was still far too much coolness about her for his liking. She held herself at a distance – at least from him. And he hadn’t forgotten the hesitation in the action of shaking his hand when she’d arrived, even though he’d just washed them. He guessed she wasn’t really experienced in dealing with people she likely thought of as staff, up there in her ivory tower. Besides, in a couple of days she’d be back in London, with people ready to preen and pamper her at a moment’s notice, and men swarming around her, desperate to be the next one in her bed. His stomach twisted at the last thought. He ignored it, telling himself it meant nothing. Of course he found her attractive. Any bloke who had a real-life supermodel come to stay with them was going to be knocked sideways a little bit. Par for the course. It was just because she was a novelty. The next time she came, it’d be different. And once the wedding was done with tomorrow, she’d be on her way, and things could finally get back to normal.
Later that evening, Nick glanced down the end of the verandah to where the Websters’ visitor sat on a wicker sofa, opposite Joe, playing Scrabble. His parents were in town catching up with friends, and Pete and Juliet were inside finishing off packing for their honeymoon. Nick turned his attention back to the setting sun, watching it sink slowly amidst a riot of warm colours behind a clump of distant trees. The sound of laughter pulled his gaze back; he was almost surprised to discover that it emanated from Hero Scott.
Nick knew the opinion he’d formed of her wasn’t entirely flattering, and nowhere in the description did it include an enticing, carefree laugh. She’d certainly never done that in his company anyway. Was there a chance that he was wrong? What else had he missed? The rest of his family seemed to have taken to her and she to them, though not as unreservedly as she had taken to their Joe.
Joe Carter was the son of Jacob, the Websters’ leading station hand. Jacob and his wife had been resident at Hill Station ever since it had acquired the name. Nick knew that the Carters had been instrumental in helping the station become the success it was today. Jacob and Maria had soon become more than employees, even more than friends. They were as much part of the Webster family as true blood, and so when Maria had finally fallen pregnant, the Websters had been as overjoyed as they were themselves.
Gill had known Maria for years. She’d always been a fragile girl, catching whatever virus passed her way, but rarely complaining. Gill and Jack knew that Jacob, although delighted about the baby, had concerns for his wife. An infection years previously had weakened her immune system, and although the doctors hadn’t entirely ruled out having children, they had voiced their fears for Maria’s own health should she ever fall pregnant. But the petite and fragile frame belied the strength of her will. Years of trying had persuaded her that children were not to be part of her life. Instead she had doted on the Webster boys, and that didn’t change when, to her surprise, she finally became pregnant with her own child.
The young boys had been among the first visitors to see baby Joe and their acceptance and interest in him completed Maria’s happiness. She knew in her heart that she would not be there to watch her boy grow into a man. The labour had been long and arduous, and every hour had taken more and more out of her. Maria had gripped Jacob’s hand with more force than anyone would have credited her with. And then when the baby finally arrived, he was silent, choking on the placenta cord that had become wound tight several times around his neck. The doctors worked swiftly until, suddenly, Maria heard the most blessed sound; the sound of her baby’s first cry.
Maria had taken a chance and although her body had lost, she knew as she looked down into the peaceful, happy face of her son that, given the chance, she would make the same choices. Three weeks after Joe’s birth, Maria passed away.
Now, Nick watched Joe’s animated face as he listened intently to something Hero was saying, smiling at his surrogate younger brother’s concentration. Nick cast his mind back as he sipped his cold beer straight from the bottle, his feet balancing on the rail and his chair tipped back. It had taken a while for anyone to notice anything was different about Joe, but as he began to struggle more and more with his schooling, even Jacob could not ignore the fact that his son seemed to have more trouble with learning than the other children. Tests were run and eventually the doctors said that it was more than likely caused by the lack of oxygen at the time of his birth. If the delivery staff hadn’t worked so quickly, Joe could have been a lot worse. As it was, he was several years behind his contemporaries. The local school was small, understanding, and made allowances, eventually teaching him with pupils who were closer to his mental age, rather than his physical one. There were, naturally, difficult times; Joe was a big lad for his age and being put with younger children only made the difference more exaggerated. But he had one good thing going for him – his nature.
Joe was the angel Maria had promised her husband he would be. His smiling face brought cheer to a room and every time Jacob looked at his son, he saw his beloved wife, and for that he was eternally grateful. He knew that he’d never be able to repay the kindness he had received from the Websters who had adopted both him and his son. The two boys looked upon Joe as their own brother. They’d not only stuck up for him at school, but also taught him how to look after himself, should the need ever arise. Joe had also claimed another unlikely set of allies, thanks largely to his gentle nature: girls. The girls in Joe’s class had been fiercer than even the Webster boys when someone tried to pick on Joe. And that was saying something.
Joe glanced up and saw Nick looking his way. He waved with a huge smile and beckoned to him. Nick pondered, then dropped his legs from the rail, at the same time dropping the chair back onto all four of its legs. He ambled down to where the others were sitting.
‘Hope you’re letting our visitor win, Joe.’
‘This is great! Hero’s teaching me some new words and stuff. Why don’t you play, too, Nick?’
‘Nah, you’re all right, mate.’ He glanced at the space next to Hero, then lowered himself into it. ‘So, what new words have you learned? I hope they’re the kind you can say in polite company.’
Joe chuckled. ‘Of course they are.’ From the corner of his eye, Nick noticed Hero focusing on turning the letter tiles over in the lid of the box. ‘And Hero says she’s going to bring me some books next time!’
Nick