“I made my bed. Delilah said I can because I’m bigger than I thought.”
He nodded his head. “True. That’s pretty clever of you. And what has Delilah been doing?”
She placed a bowl of soup in front of him, then stood with her hands resting on the table. Blake reached for a sandwich and took a bite, waiting for her to talk.
“I started on dinner and then thought I’d have a go with that manuscript I told you about. You know, the one my manager didn’t want me to write?” She smiled down at him. “It’s working for me and I feel so much better doing what I want, and not what the studio asked me to do.”
“Does that mean you’ll be writing the next series or not?”
A lump of dread formed in his throat, but he swallowed it down. There was nothing he would like more than to convince her to stay and give them a chance. The thought of her leaving when he was only getting used to her played on his mind. The children liked her. Royce might be a little slower letting his guard down, but that was how he was. He would warm up soon enough. Lilly obviously adored her—that was plain to see. They would miss her—something that hadn’t happened with any of the other nannies before.
Bluey found her more than interesting; a fact he had pointed out more than once when they were busy working. He chortled over her city ways and made remarks about teaching her how to become a real country chick. Blake wondered if he could go back to the dull life he had before she came to stay. Things were somehow brighter now Delilah was there. She had made so much difference to their lives since he’d brought her home. His initial doubts to Sue’s idea melted away, little by little. It was a joy to come back to the house for lunch with her waiting for them.
“I really don’t know. I don’t want to write it anymore, that I do know. But getting out of my contract might not be that easy.” She gave a bitter laugh and his heart went out to her. “I might have to get a lawyer onto it and tell me my options. I want to know what my legal rights are before I mention it to Kim.”
“She’s your manager?”
“Yes.”
“Well, not knowing the situation that well, it would seem to me that she would make more money if you keep writing the series, compared to you publishing a book. Am I right?”
Delilah tilted her head and looked down at him, a frown on her forehead. Slowly her mouth dropped open and her eyes registered sudden comprehension. “I never thought of it that way. How silly of me.” She moved to sit across from him, her eyes open in wonder. “That could make things a little bit difficult. I’ve let her run the business side of things for the last six years so I can concentrate on my writing.”
“I can recommend someone if you want to keep it on the very quiet and not involve anyone in the industry, if you like.” He took a sip of the warm soup, feeling the heat all the way down to his stomach.
“Yeah, that might be a good idea.”
“What’s cooking?” Bluey walked in, slapping his hat against his thigh and Delilah hobbled over to the stove to get his lunch. Royce skipped up the stairs a couple of minutes later. He kicked off his boots and walked in, taking a seat next to his father. Delilah gave him a smile. Blake watched her, wondering if she knew just how much her face showed her thought process. Her eyes lit up and a smile curved her mouth. Good, he’d made her think about what she’d achieved. How far she’d come using her talent rather than her manager’s business skills. If only he could get her to react that way to him. To be able to make her smile like that would make his day. Blake stopped his train of thought, surprised his mind had gone that way. He wanted to protect her against those who would make her life difficult, and if all it took was a phone call to his brother-in-law, he would do it.
Bluey sat down, grinning when she placed the hot soup in front of him and then returned to the stove to get a bowl for Royce. “Now that’s what I like for lunch.” He liberally dosed his soup with salt and pepper and lifted the spoon to his mouth, slurping loudly. “See you managed to get dinner on. What are we having tonight?”
“Um, chicken.” Delilah paled.
“You alright?” Blake was on his feet in seconds ready to catch her if she was feeling faint.
“Yes, I’m fine.” Her cheeks blushed pink against the pale tone of her skin. “I didn’t realise you did your own and it made me just a teensy bit squeamish.” She laughed, putting her hand over her mouth. “I’m not used to anything that doesn’t come in a package.”
“Sheesh, you’d be no good around freezer filling time then, would you?” Bluey shook his head and reached for a toasted sandwich, dunking it in his soup before taking a bite. He talked while chewing, “Pity you aren’t staying longer. We could knock off some of those fine edges and make you into a real country girl.”
Blake watched the look in her eyes at his mate’s words. She was squeamish, but he could see the wheels turning in her mind. She glanced down at him, and found him looking at her. “Well, we can’t all be strong and…um…good
