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She frowned. ‘How do you owe him?’
He looked at the bottom of his coffee, then up at her, steadily holding her gaze. ‘He gave me a job when no one else would take me on. No one else would give me a chance. He opened a bank account in my name. It was a savings account—I couldn’t withdraw the money even if I wanted to and it meant my father couldn’t make me. Colin kept out only enough for me to get basic groceries. He arranged work for me all over the place and saw I was paid in kind by the farmers. Half a beast in the freezer, potatoes, whatever. But no money for Dad to spend on drink. Colin hooked me into a network of support I’d never have been able to break into without his backing. But there were strings. The work was all dependent on my school grades. So long as the grades were good, I got the work. He was a hard man but he was fair and he taught me a lot when I worked directly for him—in the company and on the farm. Thanks to him not only did I survive but I got an education and I grew ambition.’
Amanda’s eyes filled. She’d had no idea.
‘So now do you understand?’ Jared suddenly said roughly. ‘I could hardly repay the guy by bedding his precious young granddaughter, could I? No matter how much I wanted to.’
Chapter Eleven
AMANDA blinked rapidly. ‘You wanted to?’
‘You nearly killed me that night, Amanda.’
Sudden warmth exploded in her chest and she smiled. He’d wanted her.
He frowned. ‘I was a kid. A beautiful young woman is in my bed dressed like some wild fantasy. How could I not have wanted you? I wouldn’t have been normal if I hadn’t.’
Her happiness bubble burst. Oh, so it was just hormones. Any beautiful young woman would have done it for him—it wasn’t just because it was her.
‘If I can help him now, in any way, then I’m going to,’ Jared said. ‘And you’re not going to stop me. This is between me and him. Not you.’
She sat back in her chair. Coffee cold and forgotten. Stunned by what he’d revealed.
‘You really didn’t know?’ Jared asked softly.
‘No, I had no idea the extent of it.’ She shook her head. ‘I mean, I knew you used to clean Mrs Chalk’s car in the weekends and she had a sandwich for lunch for you but—’
‘Yeah.’ He grinned. ‘She was in on it. The old dragon. But I’m grateful to her. She knew I could do it. Knew how badly I wanted to get out of there.’
Amanda felt troubled. ‘But if he did so much for you, how come you didn’t stay in touch with him?’
Jared fiddled with the spoon. She didn’t know the rest of it, then. Colin had come to see him, working at the woolshed, the day after that hell of a night before.
‘Thank you for bringing her home. She’s young. Headstrong.’ The old guy coughed. ‘Girls. They get these crushes.’
Jared nodded.
‘You’re a good bloke, Jared. But you’re not the bloke for her.’
And never would be. He didn’t say it but he didn’t have to.
‘You’ve finished school.’ They both knew this. ‘Have you heard back about the scholarship yet?’
Jared shook his head. ‘Not for another couple of weeks.’ He’d applied for a full scholarship to university in Auckland.
‘Go anyway, Jared.’ To Jared’s intense discomfort, Colin held out a cheque. ‘You deserve it. You’ve worked hard for it.’
Jared looked the man right in his eyes. This wasn’t about him getting his education and they both knew it. ‘I’ll go but I’m not taking your money.’
Colin frowned.
‘It’s time to go anyway.’
Colin waited a moment longer and then put the cheque back in his pocket. ‘I’ll do your references. Recommendations. Anything.’
Jared shrugged. His work record would speak for itself. When he left this town that was it. He was never coming back.
Colin knew, perhaps, just how close he’d come. He must have seen the way he’d looked at her. Couldn’t have failed to notice her swollen mouth. Jared’s too had felt puffy. He’d kissed her so hard his teeth had grazed the inside of his lips—heaven knew what he’d done to hers.
‘Thank you, Jared,’ the older man said softly. ‘Good luck.’
He left town the next day.
He worked hard to forget that night. It was easy during the day, when he had work and study to focus on. Harder at night when his mind relaxed as sleep neared. The dreams—oh, the dreams, the way his hand had slid over the delicate shape of her bottom, sliding smoothly over the silk of that killer negligee. And then he’d curved his fingers right around, into the intimate curve of her—unable to stop himself. Discovering her lack of knickers, feeling her fresh, damp desire.
