Her Cattleman Boss. Barbara Hannay

could put in her claim for a half-share. He might have done this to frustrate her.’

      Kate gave a helpless shake of her head. ‘You mean Angus didn’t want Liane to inherit half his property? But couldn’t Noah have bought her out?’

      The two men exchanged a silent glance.

      Noah said, ‘Given the drought, the banks aren’t very generous with their loans. I might have been forced to sell up the lot to meet Liane’s claims.’

      ‘Oh.’

      He shrugged. ‘Now, with this new will, whatever happens half of Radnor stays in the family.’ His cool, faintly amused glance flickered over Kate.

      To her dismay, her cheeks grew hot. Irrationally, she found herself remembering how very, very different Noah’s smile had been all those years ago, when she was seventeen… Just before he kissed her.

      But it was feeble to remember that now.

      Angry at her weakness, she spoke too loudly. ‘I’m sorry, but I know nothing about cattle, or running Outback properties in Australia. I’m quite prepared to say that I’m not entitled to a half-share in Radnor. It’s your home, Noah. Not mine.’

      ‘That’s not how it works,’ he said quietly.

      She cast a frantic glance over the pile of papers on Alan Davidson’s desk, at his bookcases filled with expensively bound legal tomes. Surely lawyers knew clever ways to get round this kind of problem?

      She was grateful that her boyfriend was safely tucked away on the other side of the world. As a man of finance, he would be horrified if he knew what she planned to say next. ‘I can hand my half back, can’t I? Give my share to Noah? I’m sure you know a way to devise some sensible arrangement.’

      ‘That is not going to happen.’ Noah spoke with such vehemence that Kate flinched. He scowled at her. ‘You don’t know what you’re saying, Kate.’

      ‘I know exactly what I’m saying.’

      His face was dark, his mouth tight and hard, frighteningly hard. ‘No one hands over half an inheritance like Radnor.’

      ‘I can if I wish.’

      Cursing beneath his breath, Noah leaned forward, eyes blazing. ‘Don’t be a fool. Radnor might have been blighted by drought for the better part of five years, but the property’s still valuable. All it takes is one good wet season. It’s over half a million acres.’

      She gasped. That much? The scope of it was beyond imagining.

      ‘Even if that means nothing to you, Kate, I intend to respect Angus’s wishes. He obviously wanted you to have a half-share.’

      ‘That’s what I don’t understand,’ she said softly. ‘I know I’m his niece, but he looked on you as—as his son.’

      ‘Angus’s mind was perfectly sound.’ Noah spoke now with quiet resignation. ‘He knew exactly what he was doing, and he must have thought very carefully before changing his will.’

      Perhaps it was her tiredness that made Kate angry. She wanted to stamp her feet, to yell at Noah, to urge him to stop being stubborn. How could he give up so easily? He’d worked so hard for Radnor.

      Alan coughed discreetly. ‘If you hand your share over to Noah, Kate, there will be even more for Liane to claim.’

      ‘That’s true,’ said Kate quietly. In other words, she could be of more help to Noah if she retained her share. ‘But if Noah wants to stay on Radnor he must buy Liane out, mustn’t he? That’s what she’ll want, isn’t it—money rather than land?’

      Alan pursed his lips. ‘Noah may not have a big enough share of the Radnor asset to raise the necessary money.’

      ‘Are you saying he’ll still be forced to sell up his share just to settle her claim?’

      Kate was horrified. This was ridiculous. Noah had been born at Radnor. It was his home. His life. The very thought of him wandering about the Outback, looking for another job, starting again from scratch, was ludicrous!

      Impulsively, she said, ‘We have no choice, then. Noah and I will have to form a partnership.’

      Noah stared at Kate as if she’d grown a third ear.

      To her eternal shame, she blushed again. ‘I— I m-mean a b-business partnership, of course. Then the partnership could buy Liane’s share. The banks wouldn’t turn down a proposal like that, would they?’

      ‘That’s generous,’ Noah said quietly. ‘But I won’t accept it.’

      ‘Hey!’ Alan suddenly turned on Noah. ‘Wake up, man. It’s only a business arrangement. Not marriage.’

       Marriage?

      Zap! To Kate’s horror her already hot cheeks turned fiery.

      Noah’s chair scraped on the wooden floor, and he jumped to his feet. ‘What kind of fool comment is that?’

      ‘I was joking, of course,’ Alan quickly back-pedalled. He sent Kate a quick wink. ‘That’s how it would have happened in the good old days, of course. A quick, arranged marriage and, hey presto, everyone’s problems are solved.’

      Kate was dismayed that Noah’s reaction was getting to her. Why did he have to make it so obvious that he was horrified by Alan’s lighthearted suggestion? She’d got the message nine years ago that he had no romantic interest in her.

      To cover the awkwardness, Alan made a business of tidying the papers on his desk, setting them straight inside the folder. ‘You should both take a few days to think about this.’

      Noah had moved to the door, one shoulder leaning on the jamb, his hands thrust deep in his pockets. He looked tired, as tired as Kate felt.

      ‘You’re right,’ he said quietly. ‘We need a few days. You’re jet lagged, Kate. You’re in no condition to be making rash offers. You need to get back to the house and have a good, long sleep. You’ll probably come to your senses in the morning.’