"I don't think I should take you up on your offer, however neighbourly."
"Why not?" Cold disappointment replaced the warm feeling in her chest. She clenched her hands on her lap and looked down at them as he kept talking.
"Jemima, you're an international fashion model, driving an Audi, for God's sake. How long will you be happy out in the bush, washing, cooking, and cleaning, and helping my kids with their homework?"
She sat up straight, and her voice was cold. "You disappoint me, Ned. You're the same as everyone else in this town. Assuming that you know what I want." She leaned forward. "What I want is to live in the hometown that I love, do the job that I want-a teacher, like I've wanted to ever since I finished high school." She held out her hand to him and then pulled it back and put it in her lap. "This is the perfect opportunity for me to be seen as a member of this community, which I know I already am. I just need to convince the community that I'm serious about living here and starting a new career. Working here with your kids will prove that I'm serious about staying, and that could translate to a teaching job. I won't give up. I'm here to stay."
He took a breath, and Jemima held hers as he looked at her for a long moment. "You really mean that?" he said.
"Of course I do." She lowered her voice, and this time she reached out and put her hand on his arm. "Ned, it's what I want. And you can help me get it."
"Okay. You've been more than honest with me. This is my dilemma. If I don't get the loan, I can't hire farm help, and we can't stay here on the farm. Like you, I want to stay. I want to bring my kids up out here and spend time with them." He cleared his throat. "So the benefit for me is we can stay here. I guess it sounds the same for you. The one thing that really bothers me is how casual it will be, so I have a condition."
She looked up. His shoulders were square, and his face was unsmiling. Jemima realised he was as nervous as she was.
"A condition?" she parroted.
"I've made a few calls today. There's two things. First, to ensure that the collateral you put up for the loan is accepted by the bank, we need to formalise things."
"With a signed contract? I suppose, if you think that's necessary."
"No. By getting married."
"What?" Jemima gaped at Ned. What did he say? "Did you say ‘get married?'"
"I did." He ran his hand through his hair, and it stood up in tufts. If it hadn't been Ned McCormack sitting across from her, Jemima would have felt it was a bit creepy. But it was Ned, and she was sure he had a good reason for saying what he had.
"Okay, so … Paul Crowe rang from the bank. There are two ways we can do this. As well as giving me gushing congratulations about ‘hooking the catch of the town'-"
"Seriously? How sexist is that!" Jemima stared at Ned. "What else did he say?"
Ned fiddled with the pen on his desk. "He outlined the financial obligations of the rural loan. As my fiancée, you can provide collateral for my loan by going guarantor. The problem there is, if I don't make a go of this and I go broke, you're responsible. You would have to pay the loan back out of your money."
Jemima nodded slowly. "Not a good option. We both know how uncertain the land can be."
Ned sighed, and Jemima felt sorry for him.
"No, I couldn't risk that," he said. "But I've talked to a few more people today."
Jemima frowned. It was okay to be seen as helping out with the kids' schoolwork, but she didn't want the whole town knowing that she was helping Ned out financially.
"Don't worry, I didn't call anyone local. I talked to the head of the branch bank in Sydney-I didn't want Paul to get wind of any more questions-and there is another option. To ensure that the collateral you put up for the loan is accepted by the bank, and the only way you're not liable for any default on the loan, is if we formalise our relationship."
"By getting married?" Jemima stared at Ned. "That's the only way?"
"Yes." He took a deep breath and held her eyes with his. "I didn't mean to blurt it out like that. Sorry. He said if we're married-he asked my intentions about dates, but I fobbed him off-the loan is approved automatically without the risk of you losing any money. It sounds crazy, but that's the way the rural co-op banks work."
"Old fashioned standards, I guess," Jemima said. "Different to the city banks."
"Very." Ned looked glum.
"You said there were two things," she said as she tried to process what he'd outlined.
"Yes. I've taken some more calls this afternoon. I'd forgotten what Spring Downs was like. Very different to the anonymous life you can lead in the city."
"What sort of calls?"
He rolled his eyes. "Two Sykes' calls. Maisey Sykes from the library calling to tell me what a wonderful mother you'll make for the children and how lovely you and Gwennie looked together yesterday. And asking whether the girls were going to be bridesmaids!"
Jemima knew she was gawking. "Oh my goodness."
"Then Mrs. Sykes, the school principal, rang, saying how wonderful it was that the children would have a mother now and did I think you would help out at the school. Maybe volunteer reading and helping out in the tuck-shop." Ned's lips tilted in a smile, and Jemima couldn't help the laugh that began to bubble up from her chest.
"Tuck-shop, really? I haven't heard that word for years." She smiled as the memories came back. "I remember my mum used to help out when I was at primary school. I loved the days she'd serve me and my friends." Her smile disappeared as his words sunk in. "But seriously? Surely there's some sort of confidentiality a bank manager should have?"
Ned shook his head. "Not the bank manager's doing. Jenny Sykes, the bank teller, overheard the whole ‘Gwennie-Mummy' thing and got straight on the phone to the other Sykes women." His expression got serious again. "And it's worse than that. I've already had a call from my parents up on the north coast. Poor Mum was beside herself with happiness. Maisey Sykes is a friend of hers and couldn't wait to ring. Mum was cross at me, but she said she pretended to Maisey that she knew all the details. God knows what she told her."
Jemima folded her hands in her lap. "Well, we do have a situation, don't we?"
"We do. But I've given it a lot of thought. If we draw up a confidential agreement, one that just you and I know about-and we use an out-of-town solicitor-I think we can make this work. But only if you're absolutely comfortable with it, Jemmy."
A number of emotions flitted through Jemima-not least the warmth that settled when he called her Jemmy-and she frowned. "Tell me what you're thinking."
"A marriage in name only, for one year. Of course, as far as we're concerned, but to the outside world, it would be real. I can't afford to jeopardise the loan. You'd move in, and that would free me up days and nights to get the farm working-that way I might be able to get away with only hiring one farmhand-the kids would be happy, and with you being a ‘mum' and ‘wife,' that will show those Sykes' women once and for all that you're here to stay."
"A year?"
Ned nodded slowly. "I think a year will see me on my feet. The other thing is, if you're here all the time … well, I know what the town is like. You've already had experience with what they see as your glamorous reputation, and I think being married would fast track your acceptance back in the community, and you'd be able to get a teaching job when one comes up."
"And then what?"
Ned frowned. "That's the only thing that worries me. At the end of the year, we'd annul the marriage. It might hinder you getting the job you want."
Jemima waved a hand. "We're in the twenty-first century. That can't be used as an excuse these days."
"But this is Spring Downs."
"I'll worry about that when it happens."
Ned's eyes widened. "So you don't think it's a stupid idea?"
Jemima spoke slowly. "I think we could make it work-the business side of things, I mean. The main thing that worries me is your kids. What would you tell them?"
"I know. Kids talk at school, and we don't want the real situation getting out. I'll have to think about that. Kelsey's already been upset about the idea of having a new mum."
Jemima jerked her head up. "You've already told them?"
"Of course not. It was when Gwennie said in the car that our new mum drove past us. Kelsey burred up, but we had a bit of a chat about you helping out. I've let the kids know that I already know you, so they don't wonder."