Rags To Riches Collection. Rebecca Winters

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СКАЧАТЬ Nicola had recognised her own mistakes in the relationship. She’d bottled up all her resentment and pain and had never told her mother how she’d really felt. But now...

      Now they were taking it one day at a time. Relationships like theirs didn’t heal overnight, but she had to give her mother credit for trying. Yes, she still occasionally nagged Nicola, but she’d also become incredibly supportive.

      Cade had been right—we did teach others how to treat us.

      ‘Are you sure you’re happy going to this wretched wedding? Nobody would blame you if you changed your mind, you know?’

      ‘I’m fine, Mum, honestly. The truth is, Diane did me a favour.’

      A fact confirmed the first time she’d clapped eyes on the couple when she’d returned to Melbourne. In fact, with Cade so fresh in her mind, Brad had seemed pale and lacking in dynamism...a touch inadequate even. She couldn’t believe she’d almost married him.

      At the thought of Cade, a cloud drifted across the brightness of the day. Unlike Brad, his influence had not waned with time.

      ‘You know, Nicola Ann, I’m not sure I ever really did like Brad.’

      She had to smile at that.

      ‘But I still don’t like what Diane did. She was supposed to be your friend.’

      ‘I guess these things happen, Mum.’

      She’d accepted that her friendship with Diane had irrevocably changed. There were days she missed their old closeness, but she also enjoyed a new sense of freedom and independence. She’d joined a riding club and she’d started taking singing lessons. She enjoyed her work at the primary school.

      But none of it had been able to drive Cade from her mind. None of it had lessened her yearning for him. Without fail, every week she and Ella had a Skype session. But not once had Cade popped his head into view to say hello and ask her how she was doing. And yet, every week she kept her fingers crossed that he would.

      She’d tried her best to get over him. She’d had three dates since she’d returned home. Two had ended in a goodnight kiss at the front door. There hadn’t been a single spark or flutter or firework. After her last date she’d had to accept what had been staring her in the face for four long months—she’d fallen in love with Cade. She’d fallen in love with him properly, truly and without agenda.

      ‘So why do you look as if the sky is about to fall in?’

      She shook herself. She was about to lie and say nothing was the matter, but she knew her mother would see through the lie and be hurt by it. Their newfound understanding was too new to risk damaging with casual deceit. ‘That has nothing to do with Diane or Brad.’

      ‘I know,’ Angela said softly. ‘You only started looking like that once you returned from that cattle station of yours.’

      Her mother had noticed? Tears pricked the back of her eyes. ‘I’m fine, Mum.’

      ‘I know, but I can’t help worrying about you.’

      The doorbell rang.

      ‘That’ll be your cab. Put on your shoes and powder your nose one last time while I answer the door.’

      Nicola did as her mother bid. She stared in the mirror, pressed the powder puff to her nose...then she put it away and hitched up her chin. Falling in love with Cade was unfortunate, yes, but not insurmountable. At least, she hoped not. Eventually his memory would fade. When it did she would date again. One thing was for sure, though—she didn’t regret turning down his offer of marriage. Not for a moment. Not even in a weak moment.

      She collected her clutch and wrap and with a deep breath headed for the living room.

      ‘Nicola, this gentleman says he knows you. He claims he’s your date for the evening.’

      Nicola glanced up as she walked into the living room, to find Cade’s bulk framed in the doorway. Wind rushed past her ears, drowning out the rest of her mother’s words. She reached out a hand to steady herself on the back of a chair. Cade stood there—in her living room in Melbourne—dressed in a tuxedo, and all she could do was stare...and stare...and stare some more. She blinked but he didn’t disappear. She gripped the back of the chair more tightly to prevent herself from doing something stupid like racing over to him and hurling herself into his arms.

      He shrugged. He didn’t smile. ‘We had a deal. Did you think I’d forget?’

      * * *

      Cade suspected he might be about to make the biggest fool of himself, but he wasn’t sure he cared. Not when it meant seeing Nicola in the flesh and drawing her unique strawberry jam scent into his lungs. He stared at her and something inside him that had stopped and seized the day her plane had taken off from Waminda, started to unfurl, to relax...to tick with anticipation.

      He ached to take the three strides that would bring him right up against her, wrap an arm around her waist and pull her hard up against him and kiss her until neither one of them could think.

      But she deserved a whole lot more finesse than that. Besides, it might help slake the need pounding through him, but it was her need that counted.

      She stared at him with those amazing eyes, but she didn’t smile. Her tongue snaked out to moisten her lips. ‘I...um...’

      She had! She’d thought he’d forgotten their deal. It took an effort of will not to rock back on his heels. He resisted the urge to run a finger around the collar of his shirt as it tightened about his throat. ‘Did you organise another date?’ His voice scraped out of his throat, but he couldn’t help it, couldn’t modulate it. He tried to swallow.

      Was someone else taking his Cinderella to the ball? His hands clenched about the bunch of flowers he held. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if she said yes.

      The older woman who’d answered the door nudged Nicola. ‘Darling?’

      Nicola jumped. Colour flooded her cheeks. ‘I really didn’t think you’d... I mean, I never really thought that you were serious.’

      Of course she hadn’t. She thought him a lowlife—the kind of man who’d propose a loveless marriage. He had done that and it did make him a lowlife. His hands clenched tightly. If he was lucky he might be able to redeem himself a little this evening. The stems of the flowers dug into his hands.

      ‘You...’ Her voice trembled. She swallowed. ‘You never mentioned it again.’

      ‘I always keep my word.’

      ‘How...’ Her tongue moistened her lips and need clenched through him. ‘How did you know when it was on?’

      ‘You told Ella. You showed her your dress.’ He wondered if he would ever be able to unclench his hand from around the flowers. ‘In one of your Skype sessions. I listened in to them all.’

      ‘You never once said hello.’

      He could see now what a mistake that had been.

      Her hands twisted together. ‘I wish you hadn’t gone to so much trouble.’

      It СКАЧАТЬ