Tangled Vines: An Australian Rural Romance Read Online Free PDF Page B

don’t know him that well if you say that. He’s always got a woman on his arm. He’s not alone at all.”
    “Appearances are deceiving. Don’t believe everything you see,” Shey responded quietly, as if she was in pain. That pulled Jordan up short—was Shey wanting Kyle for herself? But if that was the case, why was she playing pseudo matchmaker?
    “Well, I don’t think Kyle will think of me as anything other than an annoying houseguest, let alone a prospective relationship candidate.”
    “It may take him a little to work it out, but he eventually will.”
    Shey spoke with such conviction that her idea of Shey wanting Kyle flew out the window.
    “Why me, Shey? Why me?”
    “Simple, really. You’re a strong, independent woman. You’ve got a voice and you’re not afraid to use it. You convinced Kyle to let you stay, didn’t you? You’re not like the countless airheads he has in those photos you talk about. He needs someone like you. Only he doesn’t know it.”
    “You sound pretty confident about this. So I ask again, why?”
    A long, heavy sigh sounded down the phone. “Kyle is like a brother to me. I can’t tell you everything I know about him; that’s going to be up to Kyle. But let me just say I’ve seen that boy through a wealth of pain. He needs to let go of the pain, but I don’t think he knows how to. I believe you can help him let go and move forward.”
    A voice called out Shey’s name in the background. “Oh, that’s my man. I’ve got to go. Don’t back down, Jordan. You’ve got this.”
    Shey hung up before Jordan could say anything else. Slowly, she replaced the receiver and stumbled over to the nearest chair, convinced she’d entered the twilight zone.

Chapter 6
    The sun beat down on her back. Jordan wiped a trickle of sweat away from her brow. Kyle hadn’t returned, and for that she was grateful. Even though she wasn’t looking to be attractive to him, she certainly didn’t want him to see her as a limp, wet rag after spending the day working on the vines.
    She twisted the wire and sat back on her haunches. Another row completed and the sight of the vines reaching out to grab the sun’s rays filled her with a sense of accomplishment she’d never felt before.
    Jordan looked her watch: time for a shower and then a lie down on the couch before she had to start making dinner. She planned to keep up her end of the bargain she’d made with Kyle. She wasn’t the world’s best cook, but she could hold her own in the kitchen and make decent food.
    “If you’re not careful, you’ll get sunstroke.”
    A shadow descended over her. She enjoyed the brief respite from the sun’s strong rays. Looking up at Kyle as he stood over her, Jordan was convinced that when she closed her eyes to sleep tonight, his bare chest would be the main feature in her mind.
    She scrambled to her feet, feeling at a disadvantage with him towering over her. “I’m wearing a hat and sunscreen.” She bent and picked up the plastic bottle she’d laid under the shade of the vines. “And I have a water bottle. So no chance of me getting sunstroke.”
    “Still, I think you should come inside. It’s too hot to be outside working.”
    He was the one who wanted her out of his hair and now he was worried about her. Talk about a contradiction. Unless, of course, he was worried she’d sue him if she got sick.
    “I have to work outside, Kyle. The vines don’t grow indoors, you know. But I don’t mind the heat. And I was about to head inside anyway.”
    He crossed his arms, the sunlight glinting off the light sheen of moisture on his bulging biceps. “Right.”
    Jordan brushed the sand off her pants. “Well, if it’s okay with you, I am going inside now. I was thinking of taking a shower, but I’m happy to wait if you wanted to go first. I know how the water pressure can drop when both showers are running.”
    “No, it’s fine, you take the first shower.”
    Their conversation was stilted and polite. If