Licence to Dream (27 page)

Ben came up to them. ‘What’s that about native plants?’

Within minutes he had discovered a kindred spirit and the two of them went off to explore Meriel’s bushland together, with Dylan quartering the ground around them.

Tina, who was still wary of going too far away from the house, chose to remain with Meriel, who enjoyed two blessed hours of peace in which she was able to work on her latest book cover.

* * * *

A few days later Ben left for the Eastern States. He was now reconciled to the presence of Ria and her friends, but he punctuated his packing with so many warnings to Meriel about what she should or should not do that in the end they had another row and he left without them really making it up.

Again she felt lost without him. How quickly that had happened!

She rang Rosanna to discuss it and her friend listened intently, then said simply, ‘Nothing is ever perfect, Meriel. But your Ben sounds great.’

‘Do you and Karl ever quarrel?’

Rosanna chuckled. ‘We’ve been known to disagree a time or two. Loudly, usually.’ She hesitated, then asked, ‘Why are you so worried about a little disagreement?’

‘I think Ben’s going to be around for a long time. I don’t want him keeping things to himself.’

‘Hey, I’m glad for you! I’ve got to come and check him out.’

‘Not just yet, if you don’t mind. Not till we’ve sorted all these nasties out. But as soon as it’s safe, I’ll phone you.’

‘You do that. And Meriel . . . Stop worrying. It takes time for two people to settle down together, you know.’

‘Yes. I suppose so.’

That conversation was a great comfort.

* * * *

In the middle of the night, Dylan woke them all up with a fine display of barking and blood-curdling howls. Prompted by this, Tina voiced a few protests of her own. When Meriel went out to investigate, Ria came across to join her. ‘Pete’s gone to check things out.’ She grinned. ‘Native tracker. Him heap quiet, findum white man.’

Meriel couldn’t raise a smile this time.

Ria’s tone of voice changed. ‘It’s getting to you, isn’t it?’

‘Yes.’

‘You’re not on your own now – you’ve got us as well as Ben.’ Ria gave her a hug, then strolled off again, leaving Meriel feeling relieved and comforted.

Pete returned. ‘There was someone snooping around but they had a four-wheel drive parked over the hill. Couldn’t keep up with that on foot. Tomorrow I’ll hunt round and see if I can find any good tyre tracks or footprints, but I don’t hold out much hope. It’s been pretty dry lately and the wind blows the dust around.’

He yawned and patted Meriel’s shoulder. ‘You might as well go back to bed now. You don’t need to worry. Dylan’s an excellent watch dog and he’s really taken to this place.’

She nodded. ‘Thank you.’

She had an excellent night’s sleep and in the morning she looked out of the window at the small camp down the slope and smiled. These people, weirdoes or not, had brought her peace of mind – and Rosanna had made her feel less anxious about her developing relationship.

She’d had such poor role models in her own family, she doubted everything and everyone. Herself particularly.

Ben arrived at Brisbane airport in a grim mood. He hadn’t let any of the family know he was coming because he didn’t want his mother or Sandy’s parents involved. This was between him and Phil. No one else. He had to find out exactly how he stood, then see how much he could retrieve from this mess.

When he turned up at the office, the reception desk was empty but there was the sound of voices coming from the big corner office – Phil and a man.

Ben went into his own office, which was the smaller of the two because he wasn’t here very often. He looked round and frowned. Something was wrong. Then he realised that some of his things had been moved. They’d been put back in roughly the same place and to an outsider it would look just the same. But he knew how he always lined up Sandy’s photo with the edge of the bookcase, and how the piece of sea-sculptured wood always lay with one tip touching the other corner of the same bookcase top. So who else had been in here? Cleaners – or Sandy’s damned cousin?

He looked round again. Not cleaners. The waste paper basket hadn’t been emptied.

He opened a few drawers and found papers disturbed, put back almost as he’d left them, but not quite. Few people had as accurate a memory for spaces and objects as he did. He supposed that was why he enjoyed landscaping. Well, there was nothing for anyone to find here except sketching materials, plant catalogues and diagrams that only he would understand. What the hell had Phil been searching for?

He moved back to the door to hear his partner pleading, ‘Can’t you give me a little longer? We’re expecting the next payment on the project soon. I can let you have that on account. I’m sure Ben will soon give up this crazy idea of staying over in the west. It’s only because he’s met some woman over there that he’s even contemplating it.’

‘You’ve had plenty of time to pay, Hantley, only you didn’t start to pull out of debt, you dug yourself deeper. Your partner may or may not continue working with you, but we want as much of our money as we can get out of you now, so we’re foreclosing while there’s something to foreclose on.
He
still has money, even if you don’t.’

‘You can’t do that. You’re nothing but loan sharks and – ’

The stranger’s voice became very low and menacing. ‘My employers wouldn’t appreciate being called loan sharks. You took out the loans legally enough, you used the business as security and
they
charged you a legal rate of interest. You’ll be hearing from our lawyers. Be very careful how you drive that fancy car of yours from now on. We’d be extremely annoyed if we lost its value.’

Ben listened in shock. The situation must be far worse than he’d expected. He stepped back inside his office and waited until the man had left, then went to see Phil.

His partner jerked in shock at the sight of him. ‘When did
you
get back?’

‘Not long ago. I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation. How much do you owe them?’

‘None of your business.’

‘It is as long as we’re in partnership here and anyway, that man was talking about
my
assets.’

‘I’ll sort it.’

‘Have you asked your father for help?’

Phil shook his head. ‘No. He said last time he wouldn’t pay my debts again.’

‘Well, I’m not getting involved. I’m breaking up our partnership before they try to get at me.’

‘That won’t help you! The debts were incurred while we were still partners, and I said they were for business development purposes, so you’re legally responsible for them as well.’

Ben breathed slowly, willing himself not to let his anger take over, because it wouldn’t help. But Meriel was right. He’d been foolishly trusting. ‘Why did you do that to me?’

Phil shrugged. ‘Because I’m not Mr Nice Guy like you. Because I get bored with all this plant crap.’

There was a long silence then Ben turned on his heel, leaving the business and going straight to his own lawyer’s office to find out his exact situation when it came to debts.

He left his lawyer feeling sick to the soul. Meriel had been right.

He went next to the organisation for whom he was doing the major landscaping project, to check out that nothing had been skimped. While he was there, he asked that the final payments be paid directly into his personal bank account. Not that they’d amount to enough to clear the debts, nothing like, but he hated the idea of Phil gambling them away. And since the business account had been raided, he could only assume that Phil was able to forge his signature.

He felt gutted. If the lawyer was right, there wasn’t much to be salvaged now from the company he and Sandy had started with such bright hopes.

The thing that upset him most was that this would affect him and Meriel. How could it not? He’d be penniless – or worse, bankrupt.

He couldn’t bear things to go so wrong, not when he’d only just found her. She’d said she’d live with him anywhere, but she hadn’t yet committed to marriage and would be even less inclined to do so now, he was sure.

As for them working on his special project together, that was out of the question for a good long time. He could only be glad she’d had enough wit not to sign a contract with him. At least she’d keep her land, whereas he’d probably be losing his. His inheritance from Uncle Johnny was what the loan sharks were after, the only real asset left.

And once that was gone – well, he was the sort for whom love included marriage and who expected to support his wife and family. He wouldn’t like to be dependent on Meriel for everything, even if they were in love.

He didn’t know what he’d do after the dust settled. It’d take years for a new business to start making serious money.

But if he was forced into bankruptcy, would he even be allowed to open a new business? He wasn’t quite sure what was permitted . . . afterwards.

He could blame Phil for a lot of this, but not all of it. He’d known what Sandy’s cousin had done in the past, so he should have kept better control of things.

He didn’t deserve a woman like Meriel.

* * * *

When Ben got back to Somerlee, the first thing he did was pull Meriel into his arms and kiss her. But he didn’t take matters any further, just held her close.

Her voice was quiet, without that crisp edge to it. ‘Something’s wrong. I can sense it. Tell me.’

He hesitated.

‘Ben, you have to tell me.’

So he took her to sit on the sofa and explained what he’d found. ‘I still don’t know exactly what Phil owes, though. I’d guess there will be other debts besides the main one. My lawyer is trying to find out.’

‘Oh, Ben, what a dreadful mess!’

‘I don’t know what to do. I just – can’t see straight about it.’

‘We can’t really do anything till we have more information.’

‘No. I suppose not. I guess I’ll go for a walk. I think better out of doors.’

She didn’t try to stop him but held his hand to her cheek for a minute or two. ‘Don’t be too long. I’ve missed you.’

When he’d gone, she stayed where she was, trying to understand her own feelings. The thought that he was in trouble didn’t make her want to head for the hills. On the contrary, she wanted to help him, comfort him.

She was changing, she knew. He was causing those changes, just by being there. The money side of things seemed to matter less and less. Even if he was bankrupt, he’d still be Ben. Her Ben. Marriage might not matter to her, but being together did. It mattered more than anything else had in her whole life.

And if he had to start up a new business she’d make very sure it was on a sound footing – wherever it was! She wasn’t going to live apart from him.

He was addictive. In the nicest possible way.

* * * *

As the days passed there were no more attacks of any sort – though whether that was because of the presence of their new friends and the watchfulness of the massive hound, or for some other reason altogether, was anyone’s guess.

Then a call from Queensland had Ben tight-lipped and calling for Meriel. She went into his office to find him lining up a plane reservation on the Internet. ‘What’s happened now?’

‘Phil’s creditors have foreclosed. There are other debts, as I thought. The bank is refusing to pay our final bills. I guess this is where I find out if I have anything left from the company at all – and how many of my assets will be seized.’ He let out a long, shuddering sigh. ‘I can just about afford my plane fare.’

She put one hand across the doorway to stop him leaving. ‘Let me come with you this time.’

‘No. That hasn’t changed. I don’t want you involved in the muck-raking and mess.’ He looked at her pleadingly. ‘You will stay with me afterwards, Meriel, won’t you? Whatever happens.’

‘Of course I will, you fool! I’m not a fair weather friend, or a fair-weather lover, either. But I think you’re wrong. I could be a valuable resource. You should use me! Bounce ideas off me at the very least and ask my advice. Let me be beside you for comfort and support, even if I can’t do anything to help. Don’t just clam up on me and then take off into the wide blue yonder.’

He set his hands on her shoulders. ‘Look, darling – in the new project I’ll tell you every detail, I promise, and account for every single paperclip – but I haven’t changed my mind about this. My mess, my responsibility to clear it up. I haven’t told my family about you yet, except for my mother. This is not the time to introduce you.’

She felt hurt by that. ‘I thought you’d have told them by now. After all, you’ve asked me to marry you.’

‘I was going to tell them last time, only Sandy’s uncle was rushed back into hospital – and I was busy with Phil.’

‘I hate being shut out like this and I’m worried. You aren’t the world’s best businessman, you know you aren’t. What you do now, any unfinished ends left over from this, could affect your next project.’ She was too upset to watch what she said. ‘I daren’t put my money into your project unless you can convince me that there’ll be no trailing debts from Elless-Hantley.’

Ben shut his eyes and clenched his fists. ‘It seems to me that what it comes down to is you just don’t trust me. I have consulted a lawyer, you know. I’m not in this on my own.’

There was a dead silence.

He held out his hands in the age-old gesture of appeal. ‘Meriel, you have to let me do this myself.’

She grasped his arm, ‘Ben, I trust
you
, but not them, especially this Phil.
Please
take me with you. Just as your accountant. I’ll stay out of the way the rest of the time and – ’

‘No!
’

She turned round and walked from the room. What if Ben lost every single thing he owned, his uncle’s land as well? However hard the two of them tried, such a setback would affect their relationship, if only because it would hurt him deeply, perhaps scar him for life.

She waited for him to come and say goodbye but he didn’t. When she heard a car start up outside, she ran to the window and watched in disbelief as he drove off down the drive.