She looked at him in the candlelight, aching to fall into his arms but scared beyond reason that he was only toying with her, ready to break her heart when he had her promise of silence. Nell's words came back to her.
"You are just what he needs."
Am I ready to trust him when he hadn't trusted me? Could I ever hope to erase the pain and mistrust he had suffered at the hands of his wife and make a life with him and the child that we had made together?
"I don't know if I can trust you, Magnus," she said in a hushed voice. Turning from him, she gazed at the candles. "I want to, honestly, I do. I'm afraid that you will let me down, and I'm not ready for that. I've just got over feeling shattered about what my father did. I don't want to go through that again."
"What can I do to make you believe me, Kate?" He took a step closer to her.
"I don't know. I really don't have any idea what it will take. I know that when you touch me I lose all reason. There's more to life than sex."
"It's a pretty good place to start." He smiled. "It worked for us so far. Maybe we can start again this time. Let's try making it forever, not a six-month stint."
"You'd do that?"
"What have we got to lose? We get on really well in and out of bed. We've both been hurt deeply. Maybe that will make us a bit more mindful of each other. I can think of worse things to base a life on, can't you?"
"There are things we need to discuss, Magnus. The deal for the water for example. Look how low it is. You've been taking heaps, and I didn't realize how much you allocated until I read the contract."
Magnus smiled and tucked a stray hair behind Kate's ear as he replied. "Did you read the whole thing, or just the first paragraph? The contract states that I can take what I need for the first month to fill my holding tanks and after that there is a limit. I would never leave you without water, Kate. I'm not that nasty."
"No, you aren't, I know that. I'm too quick to jump the gun. Tilly always says so. I saw the water level go down, and I admit that I panicked."
"Is there anything else that needs to be discussed before I feed you dinner?" He took her hand and led her toward the candlelit outdoor dining room he had set up earlier. A carpet with pillows plumped up around a low wooden table sat under the trees. Cutlery was set out with glasses and napkins.
He helped her sit among the pillows. When she was comfortable, Magnus opened the basket. Taking out a bottle of chilled juice, he poured her a glass. She sipped the cool drink while she watched him arrange cold chicken and salad on plates before handing her one.
"All I wanted was to move down here and raise a family," Magnus said as she took her a plate. "I want to bring up my kids to run free on the farm, experience the life that I had growing up staying with my grandparents. I don't need much more. Just you to love me."
Kate nibbled at a piece of meat while she thought about what he'd said. She wanted to trust him; she wanted to reach over and grab his face and run her tongue over his lips and plunder his mouth. He looked so earnest, and she knew that what he was saying was true. He did love her. He had been too scared to admit it. She could hardly blame him with what had happened to him with his wife. That would be enough to scar anyone for life.
"So, all of this is because of something that I said." She looked at the candles and pillows.
"Yes, it is. You said I was missing out on a lot of things, and I know that's true. I worked so hard making money because I had nothing else in my life that I missed out on all the special things in life, like making love in the hay." He put down his plate and gave her a smile that melted her heart. "It took you to show me that and to let me see how easy it is to love someone for themselves alone. There is more to life than working. I don't need to go to the city that much anymore. I can run my business from here. I need to be here, Kate, for you and the baby. Mostly I need to be here for me because this place is where I feel the best and you complete me. Please say you'll give me another chance."
Her heart felt like it was going to burst. Putting her plate aside, she kicked of her shoes and leaned over toward him. Brushing her lips over his mouth, she ran her tongue around his incredible lips, poking gently until he opened for her. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Kate deepened the kiss, pushing him back into the pillows.
"Ever made love under the stars, Magnus?"
The End.
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