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'Robyn gave it,' she said and saw the flicker of annoyance on his face. 'She is a part-owner of Champion Holdings, isn't she?'

'You know damned well she is. I wouldn't be surprised if you could quote me the par value of her shares. I recall you take more than a passing interest in such matters.'

She clenched and unclenched her fists at her sides. So time hadn't mellowed his attitude towards her. He still thought her only
interest was
in the Champion money. 'If that's what you think, I can't help it, but the truth is I came here because Robyn asked me to. After losing her old nurse, she needed a friend, especially after the upheaval of Rick getting married.'

His eyes narrowed. 'Don't you mean
when
Rick gets married?'

Apprehension rippled through her. 'Isn't he married yet?'

His lip curled into a sneer. 'No, he isn't. The marriage was to have been held last weekend, but Persia's grandmother had a stroke and Persia flew to Darwin to take care of her. The wedding was postponed for a month.'

Despairingly, she shook her head. 'I didn't know. I thought it would be over by now.'

'I'll bet you did.'

His body was aligned in a posture of contempt for her. The jutting hip and folded arms shut out any defence she could have offered against his accusations. Body language did speak louder than words, and his pose announced what he thought of her in no uncertain terms.

Still, she had to try to make him understand. 'You're wrong,' she said with all the dignity she could muster. 'I've been out in the field for a week, I didn't know the wedding had been postponed, or I wouldn't have come.'

'So you didn't know that I was giving Rick the deeds to Casuarina as a wedding present?'

'I read about it in the newspapers, but it has nothing to do with me.'

' You didn't come here hoping for a second chance with Rick?'

'No!' The protest was wrung from her with such sincerity that even Ben looked uncertain for a moment. Then his eyes hardened.

'I can't take a chance on trusting you, I'm afraid.'

Was he going to order her off his land? 'You can tell me to leave and I'll go, but Robyn is the one you'll be hurting,' she said. 'She's already looking forward to our reunion.'

'You're despicable,' he ground out. 'To think you would use someone in Robyn's situation to get your own way. What you did to Rick was bad enough, but this is too much.'

She let his words rain around her, trying not to let them penetrate the armour she had built around herself since she left Kinga Downs. Then she had vowed never to let Ben get close enough to hurt her again. Already it was proving to be much harder than she had anticipated.

While she still had some defences left, she turned away from him, meaning to pack her things and leave. But as she started up the slope, he swung her around, his hard-fingers biting into the tender flesh of her upper arm. 'Where are you going?'

'Anywhere as long as it's away from here,' she said, not looking at him.

He cupped her chin in one hand and brought her head up until their eyes met. 'Running away again?' he taunted.

She shrugged. 'You don't give me much choice.'

The sensuously curving mouth she had once imagined on hers tautened into an implacable line. 'You haven't heard me out yet.'

Hope flared briefly inside her then was crushed as she caught sight of the diamond-bright glint in his eyes. Whatever choice she was to be offered, she didn't think she would like it.

'You're right about Robyn needing you,' he said shortly. 'I know how unhappy she's been since her carer left. It wouldn't be good for her if I sent you away, now she knows that you're coming.'

'So what are you going to do?'

'I'm going to make sure you don't cause trouble between Rick and Persia, while you keep your promise to Robyn.'

Some
of her own spirit flared and she jerked her arm free, rubbing it so that he would see that he had bruised her. 'How do you propose to do that—keep me on a leash by your side?'

His mouth twitched. 'In a way. The leash I have in mind is an engagement ring.'

Unable
to believe her ears, she stared at him. 'I don't want to be engaged to you.'

'I didn't say you had to want it. You just have to do it.'

'But why? What good will it do?'

Ben braced his back against a tree trunk and rested his rifle beside him. 'If Rick thinks you're my property, he'll keep his eyes on Persia where they belong. You can't be so naive that you haven't heard about his exploits while you've been counting crocodiles?'

'I've heard.' She didn't add that for months after she left Kinga Downs she had devoured every scrap of published information about the Champion family. Most of the stories had been about Rick, who seemed to be working his way through the social register and a good slice of the family fortune, judging by the lavish parties and chartered air tours she read about.

When Ben was mentioned it was usually in a business connection. Once or twice she had seen his name linked with some local beauty, but mostly it appeared that he devoted his time to running Champion Holdings.

When she didn't elaborate, Ben went on. 'Then you know he hasn't exactly settled down since Dad died. Persia Redshaw is the first woman he's taken a
serious interest in, and I don't want anything to interfere with this marriage.'

'I know you don't believe me, but I didn't come back to interfere. Before I left, I told you how I felt about Rick, and my feelings haven't changed.'

'None of your feelings?' he asked tensely.

Stealing a glance at him, she was astonished to find him regarding her almost warmly. She must be imagining it, she told herself. His dislike of her was as strong as ever, judging by the preposterous condition he was setting on her staying here.

'None of my feelings,' she said firmly and let him make of it what he would. Once before, she had made the mistake of baring her soul to him and he had flung it in her face. She wasn't about to give him such a chance again.

All the same, she was disturbingly aware of how her nerve-endings quivered in response to his presence. She told herself it was only tension but her body persisted in bending towards him like a sapling in the wind.

'In that case my proposition should solve the problem,' he continued.

'No, it's ridiculous. I don't know why I'm even discussing it with you.'

'Maybe you find some attraction in the idea,' he suggested. 'I could make it worth your while.'

He thought she was angling for payment for her co-operation, she realised, and the idea drenched her like a cold shower. About to contradict him, she stopped. If she let him think so, it would be easier to keep her distance while she was with Robyn. 'Who would believe we had decided to get married out of
the blue?' she asked with apparent wariness.

'It wouldn't have to be out
of the blue
if I had been courting you secretly,' he pointed out. 'I spend a lot of time in Darwin on business. I could have been seeing you at the same time."

She tugged a hand through her hair, spilling curls around her face in a protective curtain. 'But you weren't, were you?'

Unexpectedly, he reached out and touched the shining curls with the back of one finger. 'How do you know I wasn't? I know you've been catching crocodiles in Darwin Harbour and dating that Greek millionaire.'

Her eyes met his, dark with confusion. Could he have been watching her? The idea set her pulses racing until common sense reasserted itself. 'You read those things in Darwin newspapers, didn't you?' Seeing her name in print had shaken her at the time, but she had told herself it would soon be forgotten. Apparently not by Ben.

He nodded. 'As it happens, I did. But it does provide a sound background for our courtship, so an engagement won't come as a complete surprise.'

'Except to Robyn,' she reminded him. 'She'll wonder why I haven't mentioned seeing you in my letters.'

'Then she'll have to wonder,' he said smoothly. 'Even best friends are entitled to their secrets.'

To her amazement, she
found she
was actually considering his proposition. Just in time she remembered why he was so insistent. 'The answer is still no,' she said, recovering some of her composure. 'If I'm to stay, you'll have to take my
word that I won't came between Rick and Persia.'

Instantly he was businesslike again, ,'I've seen what your word is worth, remember? I can't take the chance. But since you won't agree to my condition for seeing Robyn, you can plan on visiting her in hospital.'

She lifted shocked eyes to him. 'What?'

'Her doctor says if she doesn't recover her strength soon, she'll need a spell in hospital so they can build her up.'

'You bastard,' she seethed. 'You know I'd never let that happen if I could prevent it.'

He was indifferent to her anger. 'Suit yourself,' he said coolly.

'You've made sure that I can't suit myself,' she retorted. 'I'll have to play it your way or Robyn will be the one to suffer.'

'Then you agree?'

'I agree.' Her capitulation came out sullenly, but she was also conscious of a spark of energy inside her which hadn't been there moments before. It was as if his challenge had ignited a fuse within her. She tried to quiet the tremulous feelings by reminding herself that he only wanted to keep her on his idea of a leash so that she wouldn't spoil Rick's chance at a settled life with Persia Redshaw.

Ben's next words confirmed it. 'Naturally, you'll come and stay at Kinga Downs.'

Her eyelashes flicked back, exposing her wide- eyed gaze to him. 'I didn't agree to move in with you.'

'But you will, for Robyn's sake. She'll think it strange if you don't stay at the homestead with us.'

'Where you can keep an eye on me,' she finished his thought. When he didn't contradict her, she added, 'What about my work?

'You can drive back here as often as necessary, or one of my men can bring you.'

'That's big of you,' she said sarcastically. 'How long is this charade supposed to go on?'

He met her challenging look impassively. 'A month ought to be enough to see Rick safely married.'

'A month? In that case I'd better arrange to take some leave so that I can give you my undivided attention,' she said in a tone which dripped sarcasm.

Instead of the anger she had intended to provoke, he reacted with enthusiasm. 'An excellent suggestion. If you get bored, you can always continue your survey here. I'm sure the Conservation Commission won't mind if you offer to work during your leave.'

'They might as well join the bandwagon and have my services for free,' she rejoined.

His brows drew together ominously. 'I haven't asked you to do anything for free. I'm well aware of the high price you put on yourself.'

She gave a theatrical sigh. 'When will you believe that I'm not after the Champion fortune? I wasn't before and I'm not this time.'

He patted his hands together in soundless applause. 'Keep it up and I'll end up believing you.'

No, he wouldn't, she thought miserably. He saw only what he wanted to see. He would be astonished if he knew that Rick couldn't marry Persia Redshaw fast enough for Keri's liking.

While Ben stood by, she contacted the leader of her group and arranged to take some leave. She had several weeks owing to her, and her boss sounded pleased when he heard that she finally wanted some time off. At Ben's insistence, she allowed him to speak to her boss. When he thumbed the receiver off, he looked satisfied. 'It's all set,' he informed her. 'They're happy for you to continue the survey in your own time, but I'm instructed not to let you work too hard. Your boss has quite a high opinion of you.'

'Which is more than some people have,' she retorted. When he didn't respond she set about breaking camp, packing up her supplies and equipment in thoughtful silence. She was aware of Ben working alongside her and every time their bodies touched in passing, she felt a jolt like an electric current arc along her veins. Fighting the response, she reminded herself that she was doing this for Robyn's sake, not to revive a teenage infatuation with Ben which had already hurt her enough for a lifetime.

'Is that the lot?'

She marshalled her whirling thoughts. 'Yes, that's everything.'

'Then let's go.' He climbed into the driver's seat of her Conservation Commission vehicle.

'What about your car?'

'I'll send one of the men for it later.'

Rather than endure a trip to Kinga Downs at his side, she debated whether to insist that they drove both cars in convoy. But the sooner she satisfied herself that she was Ben-proof, the better. Without an argument, she climbed into the passenger seat.

The four-wheel-drive vehicle was soon jolting along the rutted road to Kinga Downs homestead. In an attempt to avoid thinking too much about the man beside her, she concentrated on the jungle-like terrain which covered most of the Champion properties. Altogether they encompassed well over a million acres of land. Kinga Downs was two thousand square miles in area and Casuarina was smaller but still sizeable at five hundred square miles.

Crocodile Creek, an offshoot of the vast South Alligator River system, divided the two properties and watered the grazing lands on which roved the shorthorns and polls of the Champion cattle herds. The rest of the land was the province of the buffalo, brumby, dingo and crocodile and the remnants of the Myall aborigines whose traditional homeland adjoined the Champion empire. To the stockmen, this was Dreamtime Country and the Myalls were the Stone Men of myth and legend.

She shifted her gaze sideways. Ben was a stone man, but of a different kind, flint-hard and unreachable. She let her eyes rest on his hands which were work-roughened and tanned to a deep mahogany and thought of his feather-light touch against her hair. It must have been a momentary lapse. She couldn't believe that those hands could be soft and caressing. 'Why were you going to shoot that crocodile?' she asked suddenly, not caring to think too far along those lines.