She nodded as she lay beside him on his bedroll. “The stars are different here.”

He pointed into the darkness. “There’s the Southern Cross. And the Milky Way.”

“No Big Dipper. Or Orion.”

“We have Orion,” he said. “In the summer. Orion is upside down here. Standing on his head.” He rolled onto his side to face her. “It’s not much, but it’s all the station has to offer for entertainment.”

“The swim and the sunset and the stars were perfect,” Payton said softly.

“Better than all those balls and cotillions you used to go to?”

“Much better,” she said, turning to face him. “And I didn’t go to that many balls. Well, maybe I did. But my mother was into those kinds of things. High society and all that. Her one goal in life was to find me a good husband.”

“And now you’re here in low society with me.”

She shook her head. “I’m exactly where I want to be.”

“And how long will you be here?” Brody asked, twirling a strand of her hair around his finger.

“I hadn’t thought about it. I came in on a tourist visa, so I have three months.” She shook her head. “I like it here. I’m not leaving anytime soon.”

He drew a deep breath. “Don’t you think about going home? To your family and friends?”

She turned her attention back to the stars and Brody sensed she was avoiding his question. She seemed to be reluctant to talk about what had brought her to Oz. He suspected she wasn’t just a student touring the country. If she came from a wealthy family, what was she doing working for slave wages on a cattle station? And why had she run out of money so quickly?

“You don’t belong here,” he said.

“I don’t have anyplace else to be right now,” Payton replied.

“I don’t believe that. What are you running away from, Payton?”

“Nothing,” she said. She glanced over at him. “Really. Nothing.”

“Talk to me,” Brody said, suddenly desperate to know more. Sooner or later, the sex wouldn’t be enough. And if there was nothing else to hold her here, to keep her in Australia, she’d leave.

“There’s nothing to say,” she insisted. “And what difference does it make, anyway?”

He’d always been realistic about his relationships with women. He’d been an enthusiastic lover, romantic when the time called for it, and supportive if required. But he’d never surrendered his heart, never allowed himself to get too close.

Yet the intimacies he’d shared with Payton made him want more. He needed to know who she was and where she came from. He longed to know how she felt about him. Why was she here and how long would she stay? “Fine,” he muttered. “And I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised if I wake up one day and you’ve just moved on.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” she said. “I’d say goodbye.”

“Well, that’s nice to know.” Brody couldn’t keep the sarcasm from his tone. He pushed to his feet and walked over to the edge of the pond, the moonlight gleaming on the water. He grabbed a small pebble and threw it into the pond, hearing the plunk before the ripples glimmered in the dark.

He closed his eyes when he felt her hand on his back. “I don’t understand what you want,” she said.

“I don’t know what I want.” He turned and pulled her into his embrace. How could he answer that? All he knew was he didn’t want to hold anything back. He wanted honesty and openness and complete surrender. But then, he hadn’t been honest with her. Perhaps that’s where it would have to start.

The problem with his story was it really didn’t make him look good. He hadn’t planned well for his future, he’d bet everything on a successful football career. And then, in one incredible act of stupidity, he’d blown it all.

“We should go back,” he said. “It’s starting to get really cold and I don’t want to you catch a chill.”

He rolled up his swag and retied it onto the back of his saddle, then took her hand and led her over to his horse.

She looked up at him and forced a smile. “Thank you for bringing me here. It was fun.”

Grasping her waist, Brody helped her up into the saddle. After he mounted, he turned the horse toward the house. Payton leaned back against him and he turned his face into her damp hair, inhaling her scent.

“Stay with me,” he said.

“I’m not going to leave.”

“I mean tonight. Stay with me tonight.”

“Not tonight,” she said.

“I want you with me,” he said. “I don’t like sneaking around. We’re not doing anything wrong, why do you act as if we are?”

“Because it’s just between us right now,” she said. “Nothing can mess it up if it’s just us. I’ve known you for three days, Brody. We should at least try to take a few things slowly, don’t you think?”

This was exactly why he couldn’t be friends with a woman. He didn’t understand the reasoning. It was all right to have sex in the stable, but not in his bed. Everyone on the station knew what was going on between them, but pretending that nothing was happening made more sense.

Arguing with her wouldn’t help, he mused. If he wanted more from her, then he’d just have to wait until she was ready to give him more. When they reached the bunkhouse, he helped her down and gave her a quick kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he murmured.

She nodded. “Tomorrow.”

He turned away and led his horse toward the stable. As he passed by the house, he saw Callum sitting on the back porch, a beer in his hand, his feet kicked up on the railing. “Where were you?” Callum asked.

“I went for a swim with Payton,” Brody said. He swung off his horse and wrapped the reins around the post at the bottom of the steps. “Do you have another one of those?”

Callum reached down and picked up a bottle. “You have to go fetch the next round,” he said.

Brody twisted off the cap, then sat down in the chair beside Callum’s. He took a long drink of the beer and belched.

“Nice,” Callum said. “A bit more choke and you would have started.”

“Thank you,” Brody muttered.

“Funny how you’re on your best behavior around Payton and then you revert to typical Brody.”

“And you don’t put on airs when you’re with Gemma?” He paused. “And why aren’t you with Gemma? How come you’re all alone here, crying into your beer?”

“She’s shut herself in the library. I can’t understand what’s taking her all this time. It’s not like we’re royalty. But she’s going over every single journal and account book in there.”

“What does that have to do with our family history?”

“Don’t ask me,” Callum said.

“She’s pretty. Not as pretty as Payton, but pretty.”

“I beg to differ,” Callum said. “Gemma is much prettier.”

“Payton told me she spoke with Teague today. He was talking like he’d started things up with Hayley Fraser again. And he took off in the middle of the night last night on horseback.”

“Shit,” Callum said. “When I heard she was back, I wondered if he was going to see her again. What do you think she’s up to?”

“You never liked her, did you?”

Callum shrugged. “She put Teague through hell the first time they were together. He has a blind spot when it comes to her.”

“Maybe that’s our problem,” Brody mused. “We’ve never had a blind spot when it comes to a woman. Maybe we’re missing out on something.”

Callum took a drink of his beer. “Maybe.” He pulled his feet off the railing and stood. “I’m going to go check on Gemma. See if she might need some help.” He stepped over Brody’s outstretched legs and walked back inside the house.

Brody glanced over at the light shining from the window of the bunkhouse. If Gemma was in the library then that meant Payton was alone in the bunkhouse. He drank the last of his beer as he wandered off the porch toward the light.

When he rapped on the door, there was no answer from inside, but he heard the sound of running water and walked around the corner of the bunkhouse to the rough wooden shower. He pulled the door open and stepped inside, slipping his hands around Payton’s waist.

She screamed, but he stopped the sound with his kiss, his tongue delving into her damp mouth until her surprise was subdued.

She brushed her soapy hair from her eyes and looked at him. “Your clothes are getting all wet,” she said.

His fingers skimmed over her naked body, deliberately tempting her. “I just wanted to say good-night.” He leaned forward, his lips barely touching hers.

“I thought you did that already,” Payton said.

“I wanted to leave you with something a bit more memorable,” he said. His hands slid around to cup her backside and he pulled her hips against his, making his desire completely evident.

Brody’s mouth found Payton’s again and he felt her melt against him. “If you want more, I’m in the first room at the top of the stairs.” With that, Brody stepped out of the shower. “Good night, Payton. Sleep tight.”

She didn’t return the courtesy. He imagined that she was considering his offer. But Brody really didn’t expect her to follow through. Not tonight. But maybe tomorrow night. A grin curved the corners of his mouth. He could be bloody persuasive when he wanted.

THOUGH SHE WAS EXHAUSTED, Payton couldn’t sleep. Her head spun with thoughts of Brody. She wanted to go to him, to crawl into his bed and into his arms and just fall asleep with him beside her. The need was so acute it had become an ache.

Cursing softly, she tossed aside the bedcovers and swung her legs off the edge of the bunk. Gemma had come in an hour before and Payton had assumed she was asleep, but then she spoke.

“Can’t sleep?” she called from across the room.

“No. You can’t, either?”

“No.”

A moment later, the light on Gemma’s headboard came on. She sat up, crossing her legs in front of her, then ran her hand through her thick auburn hair. “Would you care to talk?” she asked. “I’m a good listener. All my friends tell me so.”