Susan forced her legs to function and joined Lucy and Jasmine who stood beside a beaming Nolan.
“Congratulations, ladies,” Hailee said. “You’ll join Nolan at his farm in Clare for two weeks. This will give Nolan a chance to get to know you better while you’ll receive a taste of life on the farm.”
Susan lifted a hand to massage away the ache at her temple and wandered into the kitchen to grab tablets for her headache. Thank goodness Christina was out, running one of her makeup and clothing evenings for teenage girls. Susan needed this time alone to tamp down her apprehension.
For the life of her, she didn’t understand why Nolan had chosen her in the final three. After the filming, Jennifer’s assistant had given her an envelope detailing travel arrangements and the filming format during her farm visit.
She needed to tell Tyler, to warn him before the show aired. Yes, maybe he’d have a suggestion or two because it was him she thought of when she was alone in bed at night. Nolan was like the annoying brother who kept niggling at her to get a rise, which was why she didn’t understand his selection. Lucy and Jasmine—yes—but her? One of these things was not like the others.
Her.
Still unsettled, she picked up her cell phone and dialed.
“Hello,” a feminine voice said. “This is Tyler’s phone.”
“Oh, can I speak to Tyler please?” Susan asked.
“He’s putting Katey to bed. Are you Tyler’s friend from Auckland? His mystery lady?”
“Maybe,” she said with caution shading her tone.
“I’m Josie, his mother-in-law. Tyler has been very close-mouthed about you. I think he’s worried about hurting our feelings.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, he’s a good boy, and he deserves happiness after— Ah, here comes Tyler now. It was nice to chat to you, Mystery Lady.”
Susan smiled. Tyler had told her about his in-laws and how much they’d done for him and his daughter. The sentiment was obviously returned since love and caring filled Josie’s voice.
She heard Tyler’s husky laugh before he spoke into the phone. “Did Josie grill you?”
“You didn’t take long enough. I think she was winding up to nosy questions.”
“Just a sec,” he said.
The snick of a door sounded and the background noise cut off abruptly.
“I’ve missed you,” he said. “How did today go?”
Frustration filled her at the enforced distance. She wished she could see his face. Maybe she should’ve used the computer, but she’d been impatient to speak with him. “Your brother picked me again, but every time we meet, he goes out of his way to embarrass me. This week he visitedMaxwell’sand he dared me to do a pole dance.”
“Damn,” Tyler said. “I would have liked to see that.”
“No doubt you will because Jennifer told me I’m good for ratings. My quick and dirty dance will be on the show for sure.”
“Maybe that’s why Nolan is picking you,” Tyler said.
“I don’t think so,” Susan said. “There’s some other reason.”
“What happens next?”
“I come down to the farm with the other girls to give Nolan an opportunity to get to know us better, then he decides on his favorite two candidates. For the final show, Nolan turns up at his chosen woman’s house. That’s if he picks a woman. He can pick no one if he wants.”
“You’re coming to Clare,” Tyler said.
“Yes, but I don’t know if I’ll have an opportunity to see you.”
“We’ll work out something. I’d like you to meet my daughter and my in-laws.”
