Short and Sweet (17 page)

‘Very well.’ Business was business, after all. Money coming in was always welcome.

She showed him to cabin Number Six. It was the prettiest by far, set on the very edge of the lake, looking across to the natural bush reserve on the other side. As she turned to leave, he said casually, ‘I believe you also provide meals? I’d appreciate dinner tonight, if that’s possible.’

She managed to keep her voice calm. ‘Certainly. Meals are served in the veranda dining room. Will seven o’clock suit you?’

‘It’ll be perfect.’

Tacie left him to settle in and walked slowly back to the house, wishing there were other guests staying. It was going to be difficult staying businesslike with her pulse rate accelerating every time Daniel Gregory even brushed against her. She had to remember that he wasn’t on her side. Why was that so hard?

As she prepared the meal, she watched a group of kangaroos hop swiftly through the bush on the far side of the lake, one with a joey poking out of its pouch, and she listened to a kookaburra shrieking with laughter. How would she ever bear living in a town?

Just before seven o’clock there was a knock on the kitchen door. ‘Come in!’ She turned, expecting Daniel Gregory, and saw Matt Harding from the garage instead.

‘Thought you might be lonely tonight.’

He was swaying on his feet and she could smell his beery breath from across the room. ‘Well, I’m not lonely. And I’m busy. Go away!’

‘I’m a ver’ lonely man, Tacie.’

She kept the table in between them, furious. ‘I’m not surprised you’re lonely if you make a habit of getting drunk. Just go home and sleep it off!’

Instead, he shoved the table hard, so that it banged into her thighs and pushed her backwards.

‘Ouch! Stop that!’

He chuckled hoarsely. ‘I c’n give you a good time, Tacie.’ He thrust against the table again. ‘It’s been three years since Richard left. You must be missing it. Don’t you get lonely at nights?’

She picked up the nearest implement, which happened to be a meat tenderizing mallet. ‘If you don’t get out of here, Matt Harding, I’ll whack you over the head!’

Another thrust trapped her between the table and the sink. For the first time, fear crept in behind her anger. ‘I’ll call the police! This is sexual harassment!’

‘Only your word against mine.’

‘Not quite!’ snapped a voice behind him.

Tacie took advantage of Matt’s astonishment to shove the table into him as hard as she could. He yelled as it caught his legs and turned back to her, cursing. She hefted the mallet and started moving round the table, rage filling her.

‘I’ll deal with this.’ Daniel grabbed Matt’s shoulders, spinning him round, away from Tacie and the mallet. When Matt made a flailing attempt to punch him, Daniel countered the blow easily and then twisted Matt’s arm behind his back, frogmarching him to the door.

Tacie put the mallet down, feeling cheated out of a treat.

At the door there was a further scuffle which degenerated into a brief punch-up on the front veranda, then Matt stumbled across to his dusty ute and drove away so hard the canvas that covered the rear tray was flapping madly.

Daniel came back into the kitchen, holding a handkerchief to his face. ‘I’m afraid he got me with one of his wild swings. Do you have any antiseptic?’

‘Sit down.’ She got out the medical kit and dabbed at the cut on his cheek. ‘Thanks for coming to my rescue.’

‘I wasn’t quite sure who I was rescuing.’ He looked at the mallet.

She could feel herself blushing. ‘I wouldn’t have hit him too hard.’

She was so close she could smell his cologne and see each dark eyelash fringing his vivid blue eyes. His chin was smooth and freshly shaven, with a dimple just to the right of his mouth.

He sucked in his breath as she dabbed at the cut.

‘Sorry.’ It was an effort to speak. She wrapped some ice in a tea towel and thrust it towards him. ‘Here. If you hold this against your face, it should stop any swelling.’

‘Thanks.’

As she moved away, reaction hit her and she stumbled. He dropped the package of ice on the table and reached out to steady her. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as he swung her into his arms.

As his arms tightened around her shoulders, she couldn’t speak. When he placed the softest of kisses on her mouth, she sighed and leaned against him.

One fingertip raised her chin slightly and his face hovered a few tantalizing inches away from hers. ‘You taste of honey and you smell like flowers, Tacie Johnson.’ This time his kiss was more insistent. This time, her lips parted under his and his tongue invaded her mouth, making her body melt against him. Before she could stop herself, she was caressing the nape of his neck and pressing herself against him.

When they stopped kissing, they stood close together and let the silence wrap them round. At last she pulled away and he made no move to hold her back. ‘I – wasn’t expecting that,’ she said shakily.

‘Nor I.’ His voice was quiet and his smile gentle. ‘I didn’t mean to take advantage of you being upset, but I must admit I was attracted to you the first time I saw you.’ He picked up the tea towel and held the ice against his cheek, but his eyes, his beautiful eyes, didn’t leave her face for a second.

She was relieved when the timer pinged. ‘There!’ She managed a more normal tone. ‘The meal’s nearly ready, if you’d like to come through into the dining room, Mr Gregory.’

‘Daniel, surely, after that kiss.’ He eyed the table, set for one. ‘Aren’t you eating with me?’

‘Well, I–I . . .’

‘Please join me, Tacie. Can’t we forget business for tonight and just enjoy each other’s company?’

She stood there, as embarrassed as a teenager on her first date. She was afraid to appear to be encouraging more intimacy, and she didn’t want to upset the man who might decide her future. But most of all, she was afraid of missing the opportunity to get to know him better, afraid of never kissing him again. Oh, she was a fool!

‘Whatever is going on between us has no connection with business and I don’t expect you to fall into my bed to get that mortgage.’ His gaze was warm, understanding.

She took a deep breath. ‘Well – I don’t usually eat with guests, but – all right. For you I’ll make an exception.’

After the meal, they lingered at the table, sipping her best cooking port in a companionable silence as they watched the moon rise over the lake. The long enclosed veranda was shadowed, apart from their small oasis, and when he went to switch the light off, she made no protest. She often sat here in the dark in the evenings, enjoying the reflection of the moon in the water.

At his prompting, she told him how she and Richard had set up this small tourist development when her grandfather left her the farm, and how much, how very much she loved living here.

He was, he explained in return, between jobs but financially independent, so was only taking on short-term projects until he could see his way clear.

‘This place is incredibly beautiful,’ he said after a while. ‘Have you ever thought of expanding it into a large-scale operation?’

‘No. I’ve got as much on my plate as I can manage. And, as must be obvious, I don’t have the capital.’

The talk drifted on to travel and the places he’d seen.

‘I’d love to travel. I’ve never been further than Sydney.’

‘You can get tired of living out of suitcases, however exotic the location.’

They even found that they shared similar tastes in books and music. In fact, it was a long time since she’d enjoyed a man’s company this much. Since her marriage broke up, she hadn’t even wanted to date, and anyway, she’d been too busy.

When Daniel left her for the night, he squeezed her shoulder. ‘You will lock up carefully, Tacie?’

She didn’t allow herself to lean towards him. ‘Yes. And, um – just come up to the house for breakfast tomorrow whenever you want.’

As she cleared up, she told herself she was glad he hadn’t kissed her again, but deep down she knew that was a lie.

In the morning she had everything ready by seven o’clock, but he didn’t turn up for breakfast until nine. By that time she was very much on edge, not knowing whether he was now regretting their evening together.

‘Am I too late for breakfast?’

She was furious with herself for blushing. ‘Of course not. What would you like? Cereal? Bacon and eggs? Toast?’

‘Sounds wonderful. I haven’t been this hungry for ages. Must be the country air.’

‘I saw you walking round the lake.’

‘Yes. I couldn’t resist it.’

When he’d eaten, he brought his dishes into the kitchen.

‘I don’t expect guests to clear away.’

‘No trouble. Look, are you busy today, Tacie?’

‘Um—’

‘Would you have time to show me round your property?’

‘Well—’

‘I need to get an insight into its potential, for the bank. Your brochure talks about bush walks.’

‘They’re all clearly signposted.’ She wasn’t going to throw herself at him!

‘I’m sure they are, but it’s always nicer when you have someone to talk to. Please?’

She looked across into his smiling eyes and was lost.

She put up a sign saying ‘Back in an hour’, in case someone came looking for accommodation, and took him along her favourite walks, showing him the tracks of kangaroos and emus, laughing with him at the shrieking squabbles of the cockatoos, and stopping to admire the wild flowers, which were just beginning to bloom. It was one of those early spring days, when the sun lit the world delicately, without its summer harshness, and she was proud that her little kingdom was showing to its best advantage.

‘It’s a far cry from London and Melbourne,’ he said at last.

‘Yes, I suppose it is.’

‘I hadn’t realized how attractive the West Australian bush can be.’ His eyes were on her as he spoke, though, not the scenery.

He helped her over a fallen log, which she could perfectly well have jumped over herself, and she let him, just as she let him keep hold of her hand afterwards.

‘May I kiss you again?’ he asked abruptly, just as she had convinced herself that nothing was going to happen today.

She didn’t know what to say and he smiled. ‘That was silly of me, wasn’t it, Tacie? I should just have taken hold of your shoulders – like this – swung you round to face me – like this – and raised your chin – like this.’

The kiss went on for so long that she panicked and tried to push away from him, but he kept his arms firmly round her.

‘Tacie Johnson, you’re delicious! How can you do this to me when we’ve only just met?’

‘Hey!’ Her voice was shaky. ‘That was my line. It’s you who’s doing it to me!’

His eyes glinted at her in the filtered sunlight beneath the trees. ‘Let’s agree that we do it to each other, then. Will you dine out somewhere with me tonight?’

‘I’d rather dine here.’ She was finding it hard to breathe evenly with him so close. ‘There’s only the hotel in town, and you’ve already tried that.’

He grimaced. ‘Point made. I’ll buy us some good champagne, then.’

She gave a sudden gurgle of laughter. ‘Not in Marybrook, you won’t!’

‘I have to drive into Bunbury this afternoon, on business. I’m sure I’ll find a liquor store there.’

They walked back hand in hand, then at the house she pulled away, suddenly nervous.

‘It’s all right,’ he said softly. ‘I shan’t try to push you into anything.’

What did he mean by that? she wondered, as she watched his car pull away.

The place felt empty without him. It was ridiculous. They’d only just met.

She attacked the housework like a madwoman to keep her mind off him. It didn’t work.

Later, she went to his cabin to take clean towels and clear up. She’d just straightened the corner of his bed, when she noticed a piece of paper on the floor. As she bent to retrieve it, her own name leaped out at her.

She couldn’t resist reading it and what she saw made her sparkling new happiness turn to bitter ashes, and tears well in her eyes.

Daniel didn’t return until six thirty, by which time Tacie had calmed down enough to prepare a meal and set a table for two. You’re going to deal with this in a very mature, businesslike manner, she had told herself. No losing your temper, my girl. Cool disdain. That’s what you’ll radiate as you tell him you know what his little game is.

She was grateful that no one else had turned up wanting accommodation, grateful when Daniel only returned in time to put the champagne in the fridge and greet her briefly, before he went to his cabin to change out of his dark suit.

She forced herself to chat calmly to him as they ate their starters of locally raised yabbies and rice salad.

‘I’ve never eaten these before,’ he said. ‘They’re better than crayfish, sweeter.’

‘They’re a regional speciality. Farmers are starting to breed them commercially in their dams.’ Anger rose suddenly in her that he could pretend to be so open and friendly. If we were standing near a dam at this moment, she thought, I’d push you in, you liar!

‘You’re very quiet,’ he said, as they went on to the tender local beef, pot-roasted with fresh herbs. ‘Is something wrong, Tacie?’

‘I’m a little – er – on edge. You haven’t given me any clues about how the bank has reacted to my request.’

‘Do we have to talk business tonight? I’m not on duty twenty-four hours a day, you know.’

Oh, aren’t you! she thought, and jerked out of her seat to take away their dirty plates before she gave herself away.

It was when she was carrying the desserts in that he said, ‘Will you let me stay and get to know you better, Tacie darling?’ And gave her a loving look as he said it!

That was the final straw. ‘You cheating, scheming worm!’ she yelled, and tipped the bowl of fruit salad over the top of his head. She turned to flee, tears rolling down her face.

Before she could reach the door, he had caught her, his fingers digging hard into her shoulders.

‘Let me go, you . . . you rotten, sneaking . . .’

He swung her round to pin her against the wall. ‘I haven’t the faintest idea what’s upset you, you stupid wild-woman! Just calm down for a moment and tell me!’

She struggled against him and was horrified when the anger faded from his face, to be replaced by something else, and she felt herself soften against him.