‘But you do work?That’s why you have the backpackers stay?’
‘Sure.Board meetings are monthly, but I don’t do the day-to-day dull stuff.I won’t—not after my father died behind a desk—that’s what the executives are for.If they need me, I can take a call or fly in.But I don’t live for that world anymore.’He huffed as if to calm himself down.‘Questions?’
She just blinked at him a few times.‘Not right now.’Not after that little bombshell.‘What did you want to show me?’
‘This way…’
She followed Stone’s sexy swagger in those blue jeans, down the path that ran along the far side of the garden bed with a great view of the pond.
Stone unlocked a door and flicked on the lights.‘It’s been a while since I opened this room.’
The room was empty.
‘What is this room for?’
‘An office.But I hate offices, and paperwork, and anything to do with files.’
‘Because of your dad?’
He nodded.‘I’ll read emails and reports on a screen, but not on paper.And certainly not at any desk.’
‘You have a desk at the Stock Squad.’
‘Only so I can put my feet up on that desk to annoy the Duchess.’He chuckled.‘Mostly we’re out in the field, or we’ll sit at the round table.Amara and Finn are full-time.Craig and I are like consultants, who have a life away from the job, until Finn calls us in.’
‘What do you and Craig do when you’re not pretending to play police?’
His confident grin matched the shine of his eyes, highly amused.‘Craig is a stock inspector, branching into farming with his lawyer wife, Izzy, the beekeeper.And I play with cuddly little crocodiles in between the odd conference call for the company.And I can see Finn having a quiet word with Big Daddy—’
‘Who?’
‘AndrewDrewBannon.He’s this fancy Federal Agricultural Commissioner, who gets the funding for Finn.I can bet you and your drones will be added to the budget of the consulting team.If you want?’
‘Really?’She hadn’t had a chance to assess the damage to her equipment yet, while still in that space between anger, frustration and annoyance with Stone—while fearful of his job.
Stone pulled on the cord to raise a series of wooden blinds, allowing the sunshine to stream inside.‘This room has plenty of natural light and airflow.’
‘Why are you showing me this room?’It was so big.
He grabbed one of her small hands and placed three keys in the centre of her palm.‘Those keys are for the front door to the house, the four-wheel drive I have out the side, and for this room.’
‘Why?’
‘I want you to use this space as your film studio.You can charge all your video equipment as you store it here…’ He pushed open the cupboard doors in a concertina fashion exposing huge shelving space and lots of power points.Plenty of room to store all her camera equipment, and more.
‘And on this wall,’ he said, crossing to the other side of the room, ‘you can create your storyboard.Or whatever it is you guys do when planning documentaries.’He then opened a smaller door.‘We can renovate this area and fill it up with soundproofing panels to make a sound studio, too.’
Stone then approached Romy with that studious expression that was sinfully sexy on the guy.‘What do you think?’
She was too stunned to think, as her fingers curled around the three keys to a car, a studio, and the house that was a part of paradise.‘Why are you doing this?’
‘I think you’ve been filming life from the edges for so long now,’ he said with his voice steady but gentle, ‘it’s like you have one foot out the door, ready to take off but to only follow other people and their visions.And I think you’re old enough now to move out of your parents’ house.’He grinned.
She frowned.
‘Plus, I figured if you had a real space to work—somewhere safe and yours—maybe you’d stay and take a shot at filming what you believe in, by doing it your way.Because I think the world deserves to see your vision.Hey, you could submit something for that same grant as Julian.You have a week-ish?’
She blinked up at him.‘That’s impossible.’
