His Outback Nanny (Prickle Creek)(16)

Jemima frowned.

He'd been pleasant but distant.

But today, Ned had been different. The barrier that was usually there  was gone. He'd been warm and friendly. And he'd smiled a lot more.

Much more relaxed.

Much easier to talk to.

This was a different Ned she was going to have to get used to.  Especially, since tonight when they got back to Prickle Creek, she'd be  taking most of her things across to Ned's farm. It had to look real; it  had to look as though she was going there for good. It was no use just  packing a suitcase as though she was only going for a visit.

Gwennie didn't miss a trick, and the last thing they wanted was for her  to blab at school that Jemima wasn't really married to her dad.

Jemima stared through the car window as they turned onto the highway and  headed back towards home. The afternoon was fading, and the lowering  sun was bathing the ghost gum trees in a soft orange light. The usually  white trunks were a soft apricot. Smoke haze lingered in the treetops  from a fire west of town, and the clouds were tinged with golden hues.

"It's going to be a pretty sunset." Ned's words echoed her thoughts.

"We should be home before dark." Jemima turned to look at him. One hand  was on the steering wheel and the other was tapping on his thigh in time  with the music playing softly on the radio.

"You look … relaxed."

Ned turned with a smile. "I am. It was good to get that out of the way. And having lunch with the McGillicuddys was fun."

Jemima swallowed.

Out of the way.

Just as well she had no emotional investment in this marriage or that  comment would have stung. She sat up straight in the seat, ignoring the  little kernel of hurt that lodged in her stomach.

"Yes." Her voice was firm. "That's out of the way. Now only twelve months to go, and it will be done and dusted."

Ned's glance was curious. "You sound like you can't wait for the time to go."

Jemima waved a casual hand to cover up the funny ache in her chest. "No,  not at all. It's going to be fun looking after the children."

And it would be. Jemima couldn't think of anything she'd rather be doing for the next year.

Apart from getting a full-time teaching job.

 …

Prickle Creek Farm was lit up like a Christmas tree when Ned pulled the  ute up near the house gate just after sunset. When he turned off the  engine, voices and laughter drifted out of the house on the still  evening air. He opened the door and went around and opened Jemima's  door.         

     



 

As he waited, she reached down for the posy of flowers that she had held  during the ceremony. She leaned forward, and a loose strand of hair  slipped from the clip, and before he could think, he reached over and  tucked it behind her ear. Jemima stilled as she moved back with the  flowers, and his hand froze.

"Sorry, habit with the kids."

"I'll put these flowers in a jar of water. They're so pretty it would be a shame to see them wither."

"Jemmy?" Ned kept his voice soft.

She swung her legs out of the car and looked up at him as he held his hand out. "Yes?"

"Look, I know it wasn't a real wedding, but I want to tell you how  lovely you looked today." He rushed on, feeling like a bit of an idiot  as a slight pink rose in her cheeks. God, how many people would tell her  in a working day how beautiful she was?

She was a model, for goodness sake, you jerk.

But Jemima squeezed his hand as she took it, and he helped her down from  the high seat of the ute. "Thank you. Even though it wasn't a real  wedding, I did have fun."

"That's a good start for the rest of the year, then," he said. She held his gaze and nodded.

"Daddy, Daddy." The front screen door burst open, and Ryan ran out, closely followed by the two girls, and the moment was gone.

Just as well. It wasn't the right thing to do, get all soppy about a  business arrangement. He dropped Jemmy's hand and closed the door behind  her as they walked over to the steps together.

"Looks like you're all ready to go home. Have you been good for Liam and  Angie?" Ned asked as Ryan tried to climb up his legs. He bent down and  swung his little boy up into his arms. His hair was wet, and his face  was scrubbed clean. "Mmm, you smell like … apples?"

Kelsey folded her arms as she waited on the top of the steps. "Angie took us to feed the pigs, and Ryan fell in the mud."

Jemima caught Ned's eye, and they shared a smile. "That doesn't sound like Ryan."

"Oh yes it does, Jemmy," Gwennie piped up. "He's always getting in the dirt."

"I've noticed," Jemima replied as she reached out for Gwennie's hand.  Ned watched as his little girl took it without hesitation. Over the past  month, both of the girls had accepted Jemima.

"Come on, you pair." Kelsey tapped her foot at the top of the stairs. "We have a surprise."

"We have bwekfast," Ryan squealed and bounced up and down in Ned's arms.

"Ryan! Don't spoil it!" Gwennie said.

"Breakfast?" Ned asked. "It's teatime."

The door opened again. "Come inside, everyone." Angie held the door open as Gwennie and Kelsey hurried inside.

She glanced at Ned, and her smile was half apologetic. "I'm sorry, I  know you're probably in a hurry to get back home, but the girls really  wanted to do this." Angie held her arms out to Ryan, and he almost  jumped out of Ned's hold. "We'll go first and"-she glanced at  Jemima-"you pair, wait a minute and then come in when we call you."

She disappeared inside with Ryan on her hip, and he glanced over at Jemima with his eyebrows raised.

"What do you suppose they're up to?" she asked.

Ned chuckled. "Honestly? With those girls, you never know."

As they waited, the soft strains of orchestral music drifted out through  the door, followed by Kelsey calling, "You can come in now."

Ned shrugged. He held open the door for Jemima and followed but bumped  into her as she stopped dead in the doorway to the kitchen. "Here Comes  the Bride" played from a phone propped up on the table.

His three children and Liam and Angie were sitting at the table.

A table that had been decorated with more flowers than he'd seen for a  long time and in the middle sat a huge cake. Ned swallowed as he looked  at his children. Their faces were beaming, and his chest tightened. They  looked happy.

All the doubts he'd had about this business arrangement fled, and he  reached down for Jemima's hand. He felt her tense as he took it.

"This is bwekfast, Daddy. At night. And we get cake, too!" Ryan's voice was the usual high-pitched squeal.

"A wedding breakfast," Gwennie added.

"Come and sit down," Angie said. "We have champagne and cake."

 …

Ned lead Jemima across to the table, and he kept hold of her hand as  they stood there, looking at the yellow and red roses that were  scattered on the white damask cloth. Little frissons of nerves kept  tingling up her arm and down into her chest as he smiled at his  children.         

     



 

"We made a wedding breakfast for you and Jemmy, Daddy," Gwennie said.

"And we cooked the cake," Kelsey said. "Liam helped us follow the recipe  while Angie showed Ryan the pigs. Liam won a ribbon for cooking cakes  at the show, you know."

"I heard that Liam knows how to cook cakes." Jemima shot a grateful grin  at her brother, pleased that Liam and Angie were supporting them to  make this marriage the real thing in front of the kids.

"Never thought I'd help make a wedding cake for my little sister, though." Liam winked at the girls, and they both giggled.

Ned held the chair out for her, and she sat down as Liam popped the cork  from a champagne bottle. Angie opened a bottle of lemonade for the  children and cut the cake into slices.

Once he'd filled the glasses, Liam held up his. "To Ned and Jemmy. May … may your marriage be all that you want."

Jemima jumped as Ned reached for her hand beneath the table and squeezed it.

"Thank you all," he said. "Thank you for a lovely celebration. It's been a good day, hasn't it, Jemmy?"

Jemmy bit her lip, unable to believe that she felt like crying. A warm  happy feeling filled her chest, and for a minute, she could almost  believe this was real. "It's been a lovely day." She picked up her glass  and frowned as the bubbles tickled her nose. The last time she'd had  champagne was in New York. It seemed like a million miles away from this  farmhouse.

"Hurry up and eat your cake, kids." Ned let go of her hand. "It's time we went home."

Home. Jemima took a deep breath. Home for them and a temporary workplace for her.

All they had to do was keep the charade up until Ned was back on his feet and the farm was in the black again.

She stood and pushed her chair back. "I'll go and get my things."

The big smiles on the girls' faces pushed her doubts away a little as she headed for her room.





Chapter Eleven


Even though it was only a five-minute drive, Ryan nodded off to sleep in the ute on the way across to the farm.