Outback Sunset by Lynne Wilding Page A

as their bodies rocked in the frenzy of passion each had unleashed, until, finally, their energies and appetites expended, they lay in each other’s arms and drifted into a light, dreamy sleep.
    That afternoon the barge didn’t make it to the next lock. For the rest of that day and most of the night, Bren and Vanessa remained closeted in the barge’s bedroom … talking quietly to each other, making love, sleeping and making love again until overtaken by exhaustion.
    All too soon their idyllic break came to an end. As they tied up at the dock and offloaded Sandy and the bags, Bren’s sense of regret that their time together had been so brief, deepened. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was in love and Vanessa … He had high hopes that she was learning to care for him too.
    Vanessa sat in Kerri Spanos’s office, listening to her agent talk to a producer in Hollywood. To occupy herself she studied the interior of the office. It was a testimony to Kerri’s success as an agent. Autographed photographs of famous actors, producers and directors covered almost all the available wall space. On her desk was a photo of Kerri’s husband, Yannis, and their son Nick. Yannis had decided years ago that the go-getter, the business head of the family, was his wife. She hadthe acumen and the drive, and he’d been more than happy to become a gentleman farmer in Sussex while Kerri ran her business, the Spanos Artists Management Agency from her London office and lived in their fashionable flat in Knightsbridge. Kerri and thirteen-year-old Nick would motor down to Nutley and their farm most weekends. Most considered it an odd arrangement but it worked for the Spanos — they were a happy family unit.
    A similar arrangement wouldn’t suit her, Vanessa thought. When she married she would want to be with her husband every possible minute. As she thought that, Vanessa sucked in her underlip. That’s why she was here, taking up Kerri’s valuable time. She had an important matter to discuss and she had more than an inkling that her agent, and friend, wasn’t going to like the topic, not at all.
    Finishing the call, Kerri put the phone down. ‘So,’ her dark eyes regarded Vanessa assessingly, noting her radiant expression, how relaxed she looked, but that she seemed nervous about something. She could always tell when Vanny was nervous. ‘What have you come to tell me that’s so important? I cancelled lunch at the Ritz with an important client, so it had better be good.’
    Vanessa took in a breath and the words all came out in a rush. ‘Bren’s asked me to marry him.’
    ‘What?’ It took several seconds for Kerri to recover her aplomb.
    ‘He proposed last night, at the flat. Insisted that I not give him an answer straight away. Bren said I should think about it because there were quite a few matters to consider.’ Vanessa’s eyes widened as shewent on. ‘I didn’t get a wink of sleep thinking about everything, but,’ she smiled again, ‘I phoned him this morning and said … yes.’
    Kerri shook her head, hoping that she hadn’t heard right. ‘Yes. You said yes? Are you out of your mind? You’ve got contracts, commitments for the next two years.’ She stared hard at the actress, disbelief glinting in her expressive eyes. ‘I suppose he wants you to live in some outback shack and to turn your back on your career. Have you any idea what you might be giving up, Vanny?’
    ‘We didn’t get into details but, yes, it’s natural that I’d want to spend a lot of time at Amaroo. I’ll commute back here and elsewhere for roles.’ She added succinctly, ‘Other actors and actresses around the world do so successfully.’
    ‘You’re kidding yourself if you think that will work. In three years, maybe less, backers, producers, directors will forget who Vanessa Forsythe is, and you know there’s a queue of younger actresses panting to step into the shoes you vacate.’ The stare she gave Vanessa was hard-eyed and