“How did you know I was seventeen when I left?” he asked curiously.
It was her turn to blush. “Your nan was very proud of you. She has lots of photos of you in her house.”
“So she talked about me.”
“Um. Yeah. But I liked it.”
You liked it? Dear Lord, Gigi.
“And anyway, don’t change the subject,” she pressed, even though she was trying to do exactly that.
“Oh, um. Well, when we left my whole life was kind of turned upside down. Even though I hated my dad, I’d always lived here. We’d never even visited the US before and I knew no one. It was a bit of a change. Christ I can’t believe I’m telling you this.”
If anything, his face went redder. He really was embarrassed. She took pity on him. “It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me.”
“No.” He shook his head. “The truth is, I was a bit of a cocky ass back then. I was used to having whatever I wanted. Dad might be an asshole, but he was an asshole who liked to keep up appearances so I had the best of everything. Even with Nan’s help, we didn’t have a lot when we got to California. I had to start from scratch. No friends. Strange place.”
“I’m still not getting it.”
“Well, uh, the one thing I had going for me is that a lot of girls found my accent sexy.”
She stared at him for a long moment. Then she burst into laughter. “Are you serious? That’s why you kept your accent? Because it got you girls?”
He shrugged.
“Even now?”
“Well, not sure I know any other way to talk now.” He grinned.
“That’s so weird.”
He gave her an offended look, but his eyes were dancing with humor. “You think it’s weird that women find me sexy?”
Not at all. Although she wasn’t adding to that giant ego he had. “I think it’s weird they found your accent sexy.”
“I think I’m offended for all Australian males.”
She rolled her eyes and lay back with a grin. That so wasn’t what she thought he was going to tell her. It was cute the way he grew embarrassed about it, though.
“You don’t live in California now, right? You live in Montana?”
“Yep, that’s right. I live on a ranch called Sanctuary. It’s owned by the Jensen family. Clint runs the ranch and Kent is my boss. He runs Jensen Security International.”
“Right. You started working there after you left the Navy?”
“Nan really did like to talk about me,” he said dryly. “I feel at a bit of a disadvantage, knowing very little about you.”
“I’m boring,” she told him.
“Somehow, I very much doubt that.” His gaze was warm, probing.
She ducked her gaze from him, plucking at the blanket over her.
“I wish I could see her. I feel bad, just lying here.”
“Baby, you’re ill. Sh
e would understand. She’d be the first to insist you need to take care of yourself.”