Riley’s Billionaire (8 page)

When he awoke, she was gone.

Riley didn’t think it possible the night before, but not long after Jack left her in tears, she cried herself to sleep, hugging her pillows. If she dreamed, she remembered nothing, but once daylight caressed her cheeks through the slivers of sun that peeked past the balcony draperies, she felt re-energised and ready to continue her plans. She would see the vineyards where she would work.

She chose not to wear any of her new clothes, instead choosing jeans, tee-shirt and sneakers. Back at her apartment, she’d packed a kit containing supplies that would later help her test soil. Might do for her to get started on the one job Jack hired her for that she knew she could do well.

James met her in the hall outside her bedroom. He carried a tray with two cups, two tumblers, a carafe of orange juice, and a pot of coffee.

‘I’m sorry, Mrs Beauchamp. I tried getting these to you early. The cook is preparing your breakfast. Would you rather be served in bed?’

In reply, Riley lifted a tumbler, poured herself some juice, downed the juice in one gulp, and shook her head. She couldn’t bring herself to say the words
my husband,
so she simply said, ‘He’s asleep. Might wait a bit, but thanks.’

She indicated the coffee. ‘Could I have a cup of that to take with me?’

James had stiffened at being told not to disturb Jack. For all Riley knew, this was the morning norm and she was upsetting everybody’s schedule, but the last thing she wanted was for Jack to accompany her on her first visit to her new workplace.

The butler murmured. ‘Of course.’ Then he poured her a steaming cup of what she hoped was caffeinated coffee and handed it to her.

Smiling brightly, confident that she’d escaped a confrontation with Jack, she said thanks and continued on her way outside, stopping in the kitchen to meet Janet, who Jack said was the primary cook. The heavy-set woman seemed surprised anyone would come into her kitchen. She was even more shocked when Riley told her she was just looking for some bread to take with her.

‘You need breakfast. I’ll serve you in the dining room.’

Riley shook her head. ‘I’m not that hungry.’

The large woman placed her hands on her hips. ‘I cook. You eat.’

There seemed no getting out of it, so Riley acquiesced. ‘But only if I might eat in here. I’d like to get to know you better.’

The cook’s mouth dropped open momentarily, but she pointed to a small table at a bay window. ‘This is where the staff eats.’

With this much food for breakfast, they must not have morning tea.
Riley was amazed at the stacks of apple pancakes with maple butter syrup, the heaped scoop of scrambled eggs, and sausages.

Janet set the plate before her, handed her flatware, and sat across from her, folded her arms and looked at Riley expectantly.

Planning on only having a few bites, enough to satisfy the cook, Riley launched into questions about the vineyards.

‘You need to talk to Samuel — he’s probably in the greenhouse at this time.’ Janet pointed out the window. ‘See? Over there.’

Before she knew it, Riley had eaten nearly the entire plate of food. She’d taken notes as Janet told her about the last year’s vintage, problems they’d had with mould, and concerns her employers seemed to have about the upcoming planting. Janet didn’t know much, but her offerings were enough to jumpstart Riley’s curiosity and enthusiasm.

Janet took Riley’s ceramic mug and found a stainless steel mug for the refill. Then she sent Riley on her way with a couple of breakfast scones, the coffee and a bottle of water. ‘Tea is at nine thirty, Missy.’

Riley had to stifle a laugh. Okay, obviously she was expected back within a couple of hours, and the look on Janet’s face told her she’d better not be late.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was rising in a cloudless ocean of blue sky, colourful lorikeets screeched at one another in a thicket of palm trees, and a couple of magpies ventured onto the terrace. Riley knew better than to talk to them, much less feed them. If she did, they’d come back and bring their friends, and the mess they’d leave would hardly endear Riley to the Fitzgeralds.

Cadigal Valley was only a few miles from the Pacific Ocean, and even though she saw no clouds, Riley could sense rain coming from the easterly trade winds that were picking up. It wouldn’t be long before storms brewed, heralding the coming of spring. If they were lucky, they’d have a decent planting season before the hard rains came in summer.

She stuffed the scones into her backpack, alongside the kit and water bottle, and with only her coffee mug in hand, she began her descent from the house to the vineyards.

Jack finally found her. She’d missed tea, which didn’t please cook. She’d been missing for hours, and if it hadn’t been for Samuel telling him where she’d gone, Riley might have walked all the way back to Sydney for all Jack knew.

He rounded the cabin, having not seen her out back, and there she was, perched on the stone bench facing the east, sipping something. She was picture perfect, like something out of a magazine, staring into the distance with a dreamy look on her face. He felt guilty for disturbing her, but she’d given him several hours of worry.

‘Don’t you carry your cell phone with you?’ He tried keeping the gruffness from his voice, but even to his own ears he sounded angry.

Riley turned to him, surprise flooding her features. ‘I didn’t think I needed it here.’

‘Well, you do. This isn’t the Outback, but a stranger to the land is still in danger of getting lost until they get the lay of the land.’

She patted a place beside her. ‘Come, sit. I’ve had the most marvellous morning. Don’t spoil it for me.’

What? One would think she wasn’t in danger of becoming lost, that she was not only comfortable but confident in her surroundings.

Jack sat straddling the bench, facing her. ‘I was worried.’

‘You shouldn’t have been. I’ve been taking care of myself for over twenty years.’

‘You haven’t done that here.’ He indicated her drink. ‘Okay if I have a sip?’

She handed him the bottle. Her gaze seemed to follow the path of a trickle of water that escaped his lips and slid from mouth to chin to throat. ‘About last night, Jack...’

Jack shook his head. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘No, let me finish. I’m the one who is sorry. Well, you’re right. You should be sorry. I’m not normally that selfish, but I sort of lost track of time, and before I could do anything, you finished and jumped out of bed like you didn’t want anything more to do with me.’

He craned his neck.
What?
‘Riley, that wasn’t it at all.’

She wasn’t having any excuses. ‘I realise I should’ve been more responsive or something, should have reciprocated, but damn, man. Give a girl a chance. Don’t just leave her there with egg on her face.’

‘You said you didn’t want to get pregnant.’

She fired back by imitating his posture on the bench, swung one of her legs over, nearly kicking him in the face, and leaned forward herself. ‘There are such things as prophylactics, aren’t there?’ As if he didn’t understand her, she continued.
‘Condoms?’

While he processed what she’d said, she kept ranting. ‘I thought you didn’t want me, that you’d only
serviced
me or something to keep me from feeling like I was alone in bed. I swear to God, if you keep making me feel like a filly in a race and treating me like I’m an animal with no feelings — they do have them, you know? Animals. They’re more empathetic than we are.’ She brushed a strand of hair from her face. ‘If you weren’t that into it, you shouldn’t have started it. If you didn’t want me, all you had to do was say so!’

Jack knew his next move probably conveyed teasing, which was the worst thing he could do when a woman was tearing him a new arsehole. He laughed — but he couldn’t help it. And the angrier Riley became, the more ridiculous her notion that he wasn’t attracted to her.

Was there no end to the surprises this woman contained?

Jack set her water bottle at his feet, grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her gently. ‘Riley, you are impossible.’ He kissed her full on the mouth. Hard. ‘Not want you? Seriously?’

She pushed against his chest. ‘Let me go. I’m humiliated enough without your attempts to make me feel better.’

‘But you’re wrong!’

She gave a saccharine smile. ‘About you? I don’t think so. You spelled out the terms of our arrangement clearly. I just didn’t pay attention. You want a wife and maybe a child, but you don’t want a marriage unless it’s convenient for you, which this one is.’

‘And you want a vineyard.’

She bristled. ‘Like that’s a comparison?’

He thought she would cry, but instead she shook her head and tried ending the subject. She flattened her palms as if pushing air away from her,or shoving him aside, and continued with her tirade.

‘I’m sorry that for a few moments last night I forgot about our bargain. I let down my guard, and you rejected me. That’s how I see it. But it’s done, and if it’s okay with you — and even if it’s not — I’d like to get back to where we were.

This misguided little witch certainly knew how to jerk the wind from his sails. Never would he have believed that’s how she took his absence last night, and he had only himself to blame.

Jack took a deep breath and thought. He could persuade her. He knew he could. But later she’d discover why he’d married her in the first place. He’d told her it was to secure his position, but he hadn’t told her she might be a Fitzgerald. Once that came to light, Riley would never believe he was attracted to her, not her inheritance and how she might help him. She’d hate him.

He was screwed.

He’d already spoken to Amelia that morning. Now he had to get back to the house before she dragged out that box of photos, thinking the two of them were going to confront Riley with their expectations and ask her to take a DNA test.

Could this day get any worse?

Jack groaned. Of course it could. Patrick already knew Riley might be his cousin. Nothing could un-ring that bell. And even if Jack had told Riley he didn’t want her alone with Patrick, there was nothing he could do if Patrick decided to have a tête-à-tête with Riley on his own when Jack wasn’t around. As easily as the two potential cousins had gotten along, was he willing to risk that encounter?

No.

‘Riley, you must believe me, when I left last night, it was out of self-preservation. If I’d stayed, I couldn’t have stopped myself — I wanted you so much. I had no idea you’d be willing to...make love.’

She snorted. ‘Really? I was that undemonstrative?’

I’m only making this worse, not better.
He tried again. ‘Do you remember when I told you I wanted to find Amelia, that she had something that might make you feel better? You told me not to go. But I warned you I couldn’t touch you for fear I’d be selfish and take what I wanted rather than give you what you needed.’

She looked confused, but at least part of her anger had dissipated. ‘What does Amelia have to do with this?’

Bite the damn bullet, mate.
Jack took her hands in his and brought them to his lips. Then before Riley could say another word, he blurted it out. ‘You might be one of Amelia’s lost grandchildren. They were taken over twenty years ago, presumed dead, but she’s held on to the hope that they’re still alive.’

Riley tugged to free her hands, but Jack held on, forcing her to look him in the eye. ‘Riley, I’m not joking.’

Her bottom lip trembled slightly, and tears pooled in her eyes. ‘You have to be. I’ve searched for years and haven’t come up with a shred of proof that my family even exists.’

‘Remember when she fainted upon seeing you?’

Riley nodded, and her eyes grew wider. ‘I assumed she was fatigued, that the spell could be blamed on her age or her health, or that she was tired anticipating our homecoming.’

‘You look like her daughter-in-law. By all accounts, the woman was a beauty.’

Riley’s composure changed, and she was once again the vulnerable woman in his arms she’d been the night before. ‘How old was I?’

‘Three.’

She had another question. ‘When did you first suspect this?’

Jack avoided answering. The time wasn’t right to tell her he’d spoken with Patrick, and Patrick had told him how Riley got her scar.

He pulled her close and let her lay her head against his chest. All he could do was stroke her hair and back, alternately kissing the top of her head and murmuring to her in French, words she wouldn’t have known that came naturally to him. He told her everything would be alright, even though he doubted he could keep that promise. He called her sweet, told her he would protect her. All things she wouldn’t be able to understand, but it felt better holding her, as if reassuring her would somehow make him feel better.

He prayed he could be the man she needed.

‘Does Amelia know?’ Riley mumbled against his chest then lifted her head. ‘I’m sorry. Of course she does. She’s probably the one who told you.’

Jack held his breath a moment, feeling a reprieve he didn’t deserve, and he didn’t correct her. Was that a question in her eyes, even though her words sounded like a statement? If only Riley wasn’t so damned cute. If only those emerald green eyes didn’t mesmerise him.

‘Riley...’ He couldn’t finish his sentence. Once spoken, he could never take back the words that would put more distance between them.

He could do that, let Riley believe it was a coincidence he’d brought a bride back to Cadigal Valley who happened to belong there. Who could refute him? Not even Patrick. Not Amelia. Not the private investigators he’d hired to help him find Amelia’s grandchildren.

He was safe as long as he let Riley believe all of this came about through simple coincidence.

But could he live with himself?

Riley was gritty and needed a shower. She’d spent a wonderful day gathering soil samples and snippets of vines, and Jack had unlocked the door then shown her the inside of the cabin where she might set up microscopes, vials for testing, and pots for replanting. The inside of her workplace was small but efficient, with everything she’d need. There was even a refrigerator, sink, stove, and microwave in the galley kitchen. A small loo was to the rear.