She took a calming breath, let it out slowly. Her smile was faint, meant to reassure. “Nothing,” she said. “You’re right, of course, there’s nothing else to fear.”
Nathan looked at her oddly, trying to gauge her truthfulness. He wasn’t satisfied that he had it yet, but he had no clear idea of what she was afraid of. He released her hands, took a padded stool from beside her chair, and sat on it. “I’ll make arrangements for you to leave Sydney. You can be on your way to San Francisco in a few days.”
Lydia knew she couldn’t do that. If Nathan had not realized how his own life would be threatened, she did. She couldn’t leave him unprotected. Someone had to watch his back and Lydia nominated herself. “I already said I wouldn’t leave unless our marriage was annulled. Since I doubt Father Colgan will help me do it without your agreement, that means I’m staying here.”
“In Sydney?”
She touched her chin, raising her eyebrows a tad. “I don’t relish the thought of your fist against my arrogant chin. I’ll go to Ballaburn.”
“It will be all right,” he said. “You’ll see. Brig won’t try anything at the house. He’d lose even his right to the strip of land he won if he made a move against you there. There will always be people around.”
“Why doesn’t Irish do something about Brig? Put an end to the wager without waiting out the year?”
“I thought you knew,” Nathan said, puzzled. “Irish doesn’t believe what you told him about Brig.”
Lydia’s head jerked up. She was stunned. “He doesn’t believe me? But he sat in the dining room in this very hotel and listened to every word I said. He never—”
“He listened, Lydia. He also reserved judgment. When he came back to Ballaburn he told me the whole of it. It was clear that he thought you were mistaken in your conclusions.”
“Did you tell him what you thought?”
“He never asked. I didn’t volunteer any information because it wouldn’t have been welcome. Irish doesn’t want to believe that he misjudged Brig so totally and I’m afraid that nothing I say is going to change his mind. It’s more than Irish thinking he’s a good judge of character. At Ballaburn he thinks he’s omnipotent.”
“I’ve noticed,” she said dryly. “It’s one of the reasons we’re generally at loggerheads. He thinks he’s right about most everything and IknowI am.” She sighed, her dark blue eyes clouding over. “It’s just as well, I suppose, that he doesn’t believe me. He doesn’t need this to worry about. The best thing about going back to Ballaburn will be having more time with Irish. I never understood how much pain he’s been in until he visited. The trip must have been horrible for him. I realized then that I couldn’t expect him to come often, perhaps never again.”
“Don’t let him think that you’re returning because of him,” Nathan warned her. “His pride couldn’t stand it.”
“What will we tell him? If it’s not his health, if it’s not concern about Brig, then what story will appease him?”
Nathan cleared his throat slightly and tried to respond casually. “I’ve been giving that a little thought. We might be able to convince him that we’ve really fallen in love. I think he’d accept it.”
Lydia had difficulty catching her breath for a moment. She said carefully, “He’d probably congratulate himself.”
“It seems likely.”
“All right,” she said quietly. “I think I can pretend. You?”
He nodded. “It shouldn’t be too difficult.”
She fell silent, then, “There’s still the problem of our bedroom. I don’t know if—”
“I can sleep on the floor,” he said quickly. “No one will ever know but you. It won’t be much different than sleeping in the bush.”
Lydia was uncertain. She studied Nathan’s impassive face. “Well…if you really wouldn’t mind.”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t mind,” he said. “I only said I could do it.”
“Oh.”
“It’s settled then?”
“It’s settled.” Quite without conscious thought Lydia held out her hand to seal the agreement. Nathan accepted it with equal ease. The bargain struck, they both looked away guiltily as the touch of their hands lingered beyond the moment.
Chapter 14
Somehow it worked. Against the realistic expectations of both participants in the truce, Nathan and Lydia were holding their own. Without ever discussing how they would practice their loving deception on the rest of Ballaburn, they arrived at a plan that helped them avoid difficult explanations and tempting situations.
In spite of the fact that Brigham never arrived at Ballaburn, Nathan made it a point to work within sight of the house. He did not trust Brig not to announce himself suddenly and turn the entire station on its head. He wanted to be close to Lydia when that happened. Lydia had no objections to Nathan stationing himself near the house. She found herself wandering to the windows, searching him out to reassure herself half a dozen times during the day. It was a satisfactory arrangement now, while the sheep were still at pasture, but as spring approached they would have to be mustered for shearing and Nathan would start to travel farther afield. Lydia already knew she would be going out with Nathan on those occasions. If he thought she was afraid to stay at the house without him, he might agree to take her along.
