Some Girls Do (Outback Heat Book 1) (21 page)

*     *     *

Later that afternoon,
Lacey walked into Jumbuck Springs primary school and headed to Connie’s grade seven class to pick her up. Ethan had been called to an emergency on one of the outlying properties and had rung JJ to fetch Connie. He usually did the drop off and pick up—one of the advantages of being the police chief in a small town—but when things cropped up, JJ was his plan B.

Lacey had offered to go in JJ’s stead. She hadn’t seen as much of her niece as she’d thought she would, given her initial plan to be living at home had bombed so spectacularly, and she planned on making up for that. She’d take Connie to Mo’s for an ice-cream sundae, and maybe to Mrs Hoff’s to pick out some material for a dress or shorts or whatever Connie might like.

Connie’s eyes lit up and she waved excitedly as she spotted Lacey waiting for her just outside the classroom. The bell went a minute later and Connie was the first one out the door.

“Lacey,” she grinned, throwing her arms around Lacey’s waist.

“Hey,” Lacey smiled, hugging back. “Dad had a thing out of town so you got me. Wanna go get some ice-cream?”

Connie looked at her like that was probably the dumbest question ever asked in the history of dumb questions. “Is the Pope Catholic?”

Lacey laughed. Uncle Marcus had a lot to answer for!

Connie’s teacher, Julia Munro, approached as Connie was collecting her bag from the nearby racks. Lacey had met her during the Octopus’s Garden Parade and liked her. She was only a year older than Lacey, but had come all the way from Cairns to Jumbuck Springs to score her first-ever teaching job. She had one of the prettiest faces Lacey had ever seen. She looked angelic. And Connie adored her.

“I heard all about your spectacular wedding save on the weekend,” Julia said.

“Oh yes,” Lacey laughed. Word had certainly gotten around. Everywhere she went people were talking about it. “It was a bit of a challenge.”

“A miracle, I heard.”

Lacey blushed. “I guess those years at design school paid off.”

“I was wondering if you were interested in making a gown for me? For the B&S ball in two weeks’ time?”

Bachelor and Spinster balls were a huge part of outback life and the highlight of the calendar for those singles in the district. They were wild affairs for the hard-working men and women of the bush, who rarely got to let their hair down and do some dancing and romancing.

“It’s impossible to find something that fits me properly,” Julia continued, sliding hands over her Rubenesque hips, “and buying off the internet is just as frustrating. Those sizing charts always get it wrong. I thought you might be able to design a one-off that doesn’t make me look like I’m wearing a giant Santa sack. I’ll pay you, of course.”

Having studied the fashion industry for the last three-plus years, Lacey knew how little good stuff was being designed for plus-sized women. “Okay … sure … have you got something in mind?”

Julia nodded. “Yeah, sort of.”

“All right. How about you come to The Stockman later this afternoon and we’ll go from there?”

“Thank you,” Julia said, pressing her hand to her ample chest as she gave a relieved sigh. “You’re a life saver.”

“Ready,” Connie said, interrupting the conversation as she bumped into Lacey while trying to walk, watch an aeroplane overhead and shrug into her backpack at the same time.

Lacey laughed and helped her. “Okay. Let’s go to Mo’s.”

“See you Miss Munro,” Connie said, smiling at her teacher.

Julia smiled. “See you tomorrow, Connie. And I’ll see you,” she added, looking at Lacey, “about four-thirty?”

Lacey nodded, already looking forward to it. Already formulating patterns and an idea for a brand new business in her head.

*     *     *

By Thursday afternoon
Lacey had created a gorgeous Betty Boop-inspired outfit in leopard print for Julia and, thanks to Caroline’s mother, had done an interview for the popular district newspaper about the Great Wedding Dress Rescue. The article came out on Friday and by the end of the day she had orders for three other Lacey Weston one-offs for B&S customers.

Lacey was excited and thrilled at the response. So much of the time at college she’d felt restricted by convention, but here she had free rein with her clients to deliver the product
they
wanted.

And make money out of it!

Coop had also put the finishing touches on her car that day so the pair of them had celebrated long into the night with a marathon mattress session. There was an edge of desperation about it as they feasted on each other’s bodies. They both knew their time was almost up but neither wanted to mention it.

Lacey wasn’t sure how that was all going to go down and she didn’t want to think about it. She figured she’d face it when Alec was back, and until then she’d just hold onto Coop and revel in their intimacy and his body as he was revelling in hers. Keep the bliss alive for as long as possible.

Because it sure as hell wasn’t going to be the same around here without Coop.

In the end, though, it all went down in a way Lacey had never imagined and it all started with
Stylish Woman
hitting the shelves on Monday morning.

*     *     *

Mrs Durrum was
one of the first people through the doors of the pub, looking more like sixteen than eighty, brandishing the magazine with a great big smile. “You’re famous, Lacey.
Famous
! I always knew you would be one day, my dear girl. You and Selena both.”

Lacey blinked. “What are you talking about, Mrs Durrum?”

Selena had just been promoted to regional reporter with channel four, her face often gracing the six o’clock news. She was the most famous person that had ever hailed from Jumbuck Springs.

Lacey prepared a shandy for the over-excited woman and implored her to sit down. The way she was bouncing from foot to foot Lacey was worried she was going to break a hip.

“Here,” Mrs Durrum said slapping the magazine face down on the bar as she sat. “Page ten. I’ve marked it already.”

Lacey glanced at JJ who shrugged. She picked it up, noticing for the first time it was
Stylish Woman
. “Oh,” she smiled, glancing at Mrs Durrum. “Is it Caroline’s wedding?”

“Yes.” Mrs Durrum nodded vigorously as she sucked beer and lemonade through her straw. “There’s
six
pages!”

Lacey turned to the dog-eared page and smiled. Caroline looked simply breathtaking. And the wedding dress … well, it looked spectacular even if she did say so herself. The handkerchief bustle looked particularly stunning, although no doubt the professional photography helped.

“
Lacey
,” JJ said in something akin to a reverential whisper. “It’s beautiful.”

“You’re along further,” Mrs Durrum said, apparently impatient to get to the reason for her visit.

Lacey looked at the older woman with startled eyes. “Me?”

“There’s a section about how you rescued the dress.”

Lacey frowned.
What the?
She flicked quickly through the array of gorgeous pics and sure enough there was the picture the photographer had taken of her and Caroline after the ceremony and another of the dress as it lay in ruins on the floor. A couple of brief paragraphs followed, telling how one Lacey Weston, ‘sister of Jumbuck Spring police chief, and design student’ had come to the rescue.

“Famous, I tell you!” Mrs Durrum beamed.

Lacey laughed. She’d have to go and buy herself a copy and include it in her portfolio for when she was out there in the highly competitive field of fashion trying to get a job.

*     *     *

And that was
how the rest of the day panned out. Phone calls and texts from around the district, and people dropping into the pub to congratulate her. By the end of the day she was a minor celebrity in Jumbuck Springs and everyone wanted to shake her hand.

“Best day’s takings we’ve had in a long time,” JJ grinned when the well-wishers seemed to trickle to a stop around mid-afternoon. “You’ll have to get famous more often.”

Coop was equally thrilled for her, buying a bottle of champagne from JJ on his way up to the room and insisting they toast to her success before throwing her on the bed and tipping dribbles of it all over her body, thoroughly removing it with his tongue as he went. It was cold and sticky and ran
everywhere
.

But Lacey suffered through Coop’s exceedingly diligent attempts to chase every last drop. As she did the next morning when he decided it was his duty to remove any sticky residue in the shower. Lacey did not object as he took his sweet time lathering up her body. Nor did she object when water had sluiced off the last of the soap and he sank to his knees and put his mouth to where she was already hot and slick and needy.

He ripped an orgasm from her so quickly and so absolutely she could barely stay upright in the aftermath.

He smiled at her as she lolled against the tiles, half out of it, panting for air. “I’ll put the jug on,” he murmured, kissing her mouth and leaving her to recover.

Lacey vaguely heard her mobile ringing a minute later as she stood under the spray.

“Lacey,” Coop said, entering the bathroom, her phone in his hand. “Some chick called Anouska Dali says you’ll want to take her call.”

Lacey frowned. Anouska Dali? The only Anouska she knew was Anouska Dahl, one of the hottest new designers on the Australian fashion scene. And she didn’t exactly
know
her. Just
of
her.

Lacey’s senses obviously still had her in a fog as she asked the question anyway. “Anouska Dahl?”

“Could be,” Coop nodded.

What the?
Lacey reached for the taps and shut them off.
Anouska Dahl
was ringing her? Coop held up a towel and she stepped into it, quickly wrapping it around her body and securing it.

She took the phone as Coop handed her another towel for her hair. Lacey dried with one hand while she held the phone with the other. “Ms Dahl?” she said, her voice tremulous as she walked out of the bathroom.

She could smell coffee and toast and Coop’s deodorant as a husky female voice said, “Please call me Anouska.”

Lacey blinked. “O-kay?”