Christmas Holiday Husband by Kris Pearson Page B

brimmed straw sunhat with a blue floral band.
    Ellie nodded her thanks. “What else do we need to take on this mad expedition?” she asked.
    “A couple of garden trowels I daresay. And some plastic bags to bring home the famous fossils? I’ll put them in the hamper. I think Robbie’s trying to recapture his lost youth.”
    In more ways than one.
    She still couldn’t think of him as Robbie—he’d always be Tony to her.
    She sighed. “My son would enjoy this more than the girls will, I suspect.”
    “You must bring him out to see the farm sometime soon,” Ginny said. “Remember that folding bed in your wardrobe. It’ll make it very easy. He’ll be missing you.”
    “And I’m missing him,” Ellie agreed. “We’ll have to see what we can arrange,” she added, playing for time. “But it’s a busy time of year, and I need to do plenty for the girls before Christmas arrives.”
    She pictured Cal’s dark hair and laughing eyes, and her heart contracted. She knew her mother would be spoiling him rotten, but she was already bereft without him. How would she endure the long weeks of her contract without his engaging company and unquestioning love? She wouldn’t be inviting him to the farm. Tony would recognise him instantly.
    xxx
    After breakfast the twins scampered away and Ellie helped Ginny clear the table.
    “It’s good to have a proper teacher for them,” Ginny said. “Julia...well, she was unhappy, and it made her impatient with them, and then we found out why she was sick...” She turned to retrieve the tablecloth. “And I was too occupied looking after Julia in the last little while to be much use to the girls. They’re good kids—they’re biddable enough. And very good at asking questions.”
    “So...you keep house here now?” Ellie asked with caution. She was still unsure quite where the boundaries lay.
    “Chief cook and bottle-washer,” Ginny said, starting to fold the tablecloth. “Robbie has jokingly titled me his Domestic Director, which is kind. One of the men’s wives helps me with the cleaning, but we won’t intrude into your room unless you want us to. Will that suit you?”
    Ellie murmured her agreement. It suited her very well indeed not to have Ginny’s lively eyes spotting Cal’s photo and putting two and two together.
    xxx
    The distant thudding of the helicopter warned her of his return. The noise grew deafening as the gleaming black machine settled earthward and disappeared behind the farm buildings. Ellie stacked her teaching aids away, sighed with exasperation, and followed the girls down the stairs.
    Her breathing stilled as he approached her. The farmer in work shorts and the labourer in denim and boots were wiped from her mind in an instant. This man was in charge of whatever he desired. The tailored dark suit sat impressively on his tall frame. A snowy shirt and muted blue tie added authority and elegance. He carried a slim black briefcase, and his eyes were invisible behind aviator sunglasses. The tough haircut and arrogant bearing completed a man who did not invite trouble.
    Every hair on Ellie’s body lifted away from her skin. Her response was unexpected, uncontrollable. He’d broken through her defences despite all her firm intentions to keep him at a safe distance. He’d made the connection with none of his body on show, and with his enticing eyes hidden.
    She had no way of divining the expression in them. Resentment for her rebuff the previous evening? A flicker of interest and a renewal of his invitation? Absolute neutrality as though the rooftop scene had never happened?
    She’d never imagined him like this...never expected to see him in business tycoon’s camouflage. She knew she shouldn’t feel so attracted, but he looked beautiful, powerful, irresistible. Her pulse cranked up another notch as she tried to subdue her racing blood.
    He stopped very close in front of her and removed the sunglasses. “My other life,” he said. “Forestry’s an