“But it’s not—”
“Yeah, I know. Dumb hey? I lost my wife over it. She’d had enough one day, after yet another argument, and drove off in a bad mood to have some time to herself. She mustn’t have looked as she drove out onto the main road. The truck driver couldn’t stop and she died knowing I was angry with her.” He coughed to clear his throat, relieved he had finally said the words out loud and eased back into his chair now the tension was leaving his body. “So you see…I’ve caused enough grief to my family over this. I’m not sure I can cope with anymore.”
Delilah walked over to his chair and dropped down to her knees in front of him, reaching to hold his hand. “I’m sorry I had to be the one to make you relive this but, for Lilly’s sake, it had to be done. I can take her into town myself and get an eye test done. I promise not to let her out of my sight, Blake. She will be back before you know it.”
He grasped her hands between his. “I know what you say is right and I’m being irrational. It’s just that, after everything that happened, I had to dispute it.” He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “What I don’t understand is why I let down my guard and told you all of this. I’ve not said a word to anyone before.”
“Must be as you say then, we do mean something to each other. And I’m glad you told me.”
She lifted a hand and ran a finger across the square line of his jaw. Holding his breath, Blake leaned into her touch and placed his lips on hers. When she moved with him, he pulled her closer, and Delilah rested her head on his shoulder as his arms held her tight. The comfort that brought him almost made up for the angst he’d gone through.
Chapter 12
Since the conversation the night before, things had changed between the two of them. It was like an unspoken truce, a coming together of lost souls.
He reached down and dropped a soft kiss on Delilah's head before grabbing his hat and heading outside. She looked up to see Bluey watching over his breakfast plate and the heat raced up her cheeks.
“Like that, is it? Well, I guess he knows what he's doing. About time he remembered he's human.”
Bluey nodded his head and Del waited for another lecture about hurting him, but nothing came. She watched him walk out with a grin on his face as he stomped down the stairs, and left her and Lilly alone in the kitchen.
“Just you and me, kiddo. Want to give me a hand?”
Big brown eyes watched her and the child nodded her head.
It didn’t take long to put something on for dinner. Lamb chops and gravy with vegetables on the side to cook later. They tidied the lounge room and made the beds, putting away toys and clothes as they went. When the house was clean and in order, Del looked up the phone number for the hospital and called the eye clinic, made an appointment, and wrote it down on the calendar.
Deciding it was almost lunch time, she headed back to the kitchen. “What do you want for lunch, Lilly?” She stood with the door to the fridge open, scanning its contents. Preferring salad herself, she knew that wouldn’t be enough for the men and pondered what else she was capable of making.
“Soup or sandwiches. Crackers too.” She jammed the thumb back into her mouth.
“They must be getting sick of that by now, but I guess beggars can’t be choosers. How about we make something and then go and tell the guys it's ready?”
Lilly nodded her head, her curls bouncing with each movement.
Delilah took cold meat from the fridge along with salad and set about making a large plate of sandwiches. She covered them with a cloth and turned to Lilly. “Let's go and see how they’re doing.”
A cloud of dust coming from the yards and the sound of dogs yapping as they herded the sheep into the pens, reached their ears. They could hear the bleating of the sheep mixed with the yapping of the dogs. By the time they got down to the fence, Blake was shutting the gate behind the last animal and he looked hot and dusty. He took his hat off and wiped his brow before putting it back on again. When he saw her, a smile broke out on his face.
“Are you okay?”
“I'm fine, really. I thought we would come down and tell you we made lunch.”
“Well, that was well timed. I'm starving.” He turned and called out to Royce and Bluey. “The girls made lunch. Let's go wash up and eat. We can finish up here later on.”
With his hand on the fence, he vaulted over the top to land in front of her.
“Show off.” She grinned when he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. The smell of sweat and sheep mingled with his own scent and Delilah breathed it in deeply. The stubble on his chin was dark and sexy, and if they were anywhere else and in any other time she would have swiped her tongue over it.
The lusty gleam in his eyes told her all she wanted to know, and her knees went weak. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. Damned if she was going to risk missing out on what he had to offer because she was only here for a short time. Her hormones won out over her indecision and her heart soared. After last night’s confessions,
