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.Was he recalling the bitter hurt she had inflicted on him? Surely not, after all this time, and when he was now engaged to someone else.‘I was, yes,’ she replied, wondering how much her aunt had told him about her.She was not to be left guessing for long.Wade said, mechanically spreading butter over his toast,‘You were turned out of your home, your aunt was telling me?’Lorna nodded her head.The sunlight, streaming in through the wide window, caught her hair in its flattering golden rays, and Wade swallowed and frowned and lowered his eyes to his plate.‘The house belonged to my brother-in-law.He wanted to sell it, naturally.’‘Naturally!’ It was an unchecked exclamation, impelled by indignation.‘I find it far from natural for anyone to wish to put another person out of her home.’Lorna eyed him curiously.Was that pity she detected in his tone? Pity.The word had a wounding effect.Pity was the very last thing she desired from Wade.It would be too unbearable to live with the knowledge that she had his pity while another girl had his love.‘I’m exceedingly happy with my aunt,’ she assured him, forcing a bright smile.‘We’re good company for one another.I know now it was for the best – my having to give up my home, I mean - because I shall always be on hand if ever Auntie is ill, or when the time comes when she’s unable to look after herself.’Wade’s mouth went tight.He held out a silver dish, silently inviting Lorna to help herself to bacon and eggs.‘You’re resigned to spending your life with her?’ He spoke after a long interval of silence during which he had been lost in thought.‘Yes - yes, I am,’ she replied, adding a thank-you when she had taken what she wanted from the dish.He fell strangely silent then, but surprised her later when on finishing his breakfast he said,‘I’m riding over to one of the bore-troughs; it’s developed a fault and I want to see what’s gone wrong.Would you care to ride with me? It isn’t going to be pleasant for you, staying here on your own.I expect your aunt will be up by the time we get back and then you’ll have company.’The word pity leapt to her mind again and she was instantly conscious of a protective armour enclosing her.But despite this the temptation was too great for her and she scarcely hesitated at all before saying,‘I’d love to, Wade.’‘Come along then, and we’ll have Juno saddled.’His own horse was ready and he took the reins from Simon, who on hearing Wade’s request went off immediately to saddle the mare who, used to Lorna by now, whinneyed on seeing her.A smile broke over Lorna’s features and her eyes shone.‘She knows me,’ she said, looking happily up at Wade.‘She’ll miss you when you go,’ put in Simon, scratching his head in a gesture he had.‘Horses get attached to people - you know that, don’t you, Boss?’Wade nodded but made no reply.Giving Lorna his hand, he helped her up and she thanked him with a smile, her face aglow because of the happiness within her and the fact that Olga was over a hundred miles away and she, Lorna, had Wade’s company all to herself for a precious hour or two.The ascent of the sun gave added colour to the lonely, lovely rangelands which became a polychromic wonder of mauve and gold and vivid shades of green.The waving heads of spinifex grass stretched into infinity, the soils that gave them support having been born of the ancient Mesozoic and Paleozoic sediments which must in those far-off times of pre-history have assumed the aspect of a boundless and terrifying wilderness, hostile and unconquerable.As they rode side by side Lorna cast a glance at the silent man whose face was set and stern, whose figure, upright and carrying not an ounce of unnecessary weight, seemed to be one with the magnificent animal he rode.Despite her determination to regard him merely as someone she had known in the past but who was now no more than a casual friend, Lorna knew a quickening of her pulse and her heart throbbed with the consciousness of her love for him.From the moment of meeting after all that time his attractiveness had remained disturbingly in her thoughts.She had pondered sometimes, during the past couple of weeks, whether his welcome would have been warmer had he not been engaged to someone else.But no, for hadn’t he told Aunt Bertha in his letter that Lorna would not be welcome at Bali Creek? The truth was, Lorna felt sure, that he could never forgive her for the hurt she had caused him.This meant that even had he had no ties he would never have had any desire to begin again with the girl who had sent him away, carrying with him the heartbreaking knowledge that she was shortly to marry another man.It was understandable that he found it impossible to forgive her.‘You’re not getting tired?’ Wade’s question came after they had been jogging along for a while.‘No.I’m enjoying it enormously!’ She stopped abruptly after uttering the exclamation; Wade had seemed to tug at the reins, for his mount reared a little, in surprise.Leaning forward, Wade patted its neck, a gesture of apology, silent, but understood by the horse.Wade turned his head and Lorna knew by his expression that, like her, he had been struck by a matching memory, the memory that had caused her to cut off abruptly after saying she was enjoying it enormously.Long ago, he had crushed her so tightly to him that he had her breathless and, she had felt sure, rather more than a little bruised.‘Beloved,’ he had said contritely, ‘am I hurting you?’‘No,’ had come the eager response, ‘I’m enjoying it enormously!’And he had remembered.after all this time.‘We’ll be in time to join some of the men for smoko,’ he said a little brusquely.‘I expect you could do with a drink?’‘A cup of tea would be nice.’ Her voice caught, so that her accents faltered.Wade returned his gaze to the scene ahead, where his cattle grazed the green slopes and stockriders moved about in their midst.He took a look at the bore-trough first, frowning at the state of the water.‘I’ll get someone along to see to it,’ he told Luke, his head stockman.‘In the meantime, keep the cattle away.’‘Yes, I’ve already given orders regarding that.’ Luke surveyed Lorna with interest.He had seen the couple approaching at a leisurely trot, and had watched them curiously, surprised that the Boss of Bali Creek would take so slow a pace.‘Are you staying for a drink?’‘Of course,’ replied Wade.He tethered Gladiator while Luke secured Juno.‘Have a seat,’ he invited, indicating a small flat- topped boulder
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