The Wildwood Sisters (32 page)

She turned the ignition off and grabbed the diary out of her handbag, but didn't open the door yet. For a minute she sat with it in her lap, tears starting to make her vision blurry. Blinking them away, she traced her fingers over the writing on the front, her heart aching. Was she doing the right thing by handing it in? She knew she should, that there might be some evidence inside, but part of her didn't want to let it go—it was the very last piece of Scarlet's thoughts and feelings she had left.

Before she could change her mind, Renee carefully placed it back in her handbag before tugging the strap over her shoulder. Then, determinedly, she opened her door and stepped from the car, making sure to blip it locked before she strode towards the station's front doors. They automatically slid open and she stepped through them. Craig was standing at the counter, sorting through paperwork. He looked up and smiled.

‘Hi, Renee, I was wondering if you were going to make it today.'

‘Hi, Craig, yeah, sorry, got waylaid at home helping Nan with a few things.'

Craig leant on the counter with his forearms. ‘So what is it I can help you with?'

Renee stepped forward on shaky legs as she reached into her handbag. ‘Well, I found this the other day—' she placed the diary on the counter in front of him, ‘—and I was wondering if you could have a read through it for me, see if maybe you can pick up on any clues.'

Craig placed his hand on top of it and slid it towards him, his eyes widening as he read the words on the front. ‘Is this—?'

‘Yup, sure is. It's Scarlet's diary.'

Craig picked it up. ‘Have you read it?'

Renee nodded. ‘I have.'

Craig remained staring at the diary in his hands, his expression stern as he slowly shook his head as if in shock. ‘Stupid question really.' He cleared his throat. ‘Anything you want to talk to me about?'

‘Sadly, nothing substantial, but I did find out she was in love with a man other than Billy Burton…'

Craig glanced up at her, his eyes wide. ‘Go on…'

‘…Frustratingly, she didn't name him.'

Craig groaned. ‘That's a bugger. I wonder why she was being so secretive.' He went quiet for a few brief moments before he sighed and spoke again. ‘Have you told anyone about finding it?'

‘Only Dylan.'

Craig's eyebrows scrunched together. ‘Dylan Anderson?'

Renee nodded. ‘He's the one who talked me into bringing it to you.'

‘Well, he's certainly correct in telling you to. This could contain the evidence we've been looking for.' He leafed through the first few pages. ‘I'm gathering your grandparents know you've found it?'

‘Um, no, and I'd prefer it if they didn't know, just until you've had a read through it and seen if there is anything worth investigating. After Nan's recent heart attack I don't want to burden her with any more stress, unless it's completely necessary.'

‘Completely understandable.' Craig turned it over in his hands. ‘We searched everywhere for this thing back when she first went missing.' He placed it on the desk beside him. ‘Where'd you find it?'

‘I was out exploring Wildwood Acres the other day and I found it hidden under the floorboards of the old hunter's shack.'

Craig's eyebrows shot up. ‘Lucky find.'

Renee half laughed. ‘It certainly was.'

The door behind Craig opened and a young copper walked through. ‘Hey boss, sorry I'm a bit late. The missus needed me to drop her at some Tupperware party thingy.'

Craig turned. ‘Hi Jake, no worries mate.'

Turning back to Renee, Craig glanced at his watch. ‘Sorry to cut this short, but I have to be at an appointment. I'll be sure to let you know if anything grabs my interest when I read through it, okay?'

‘Okay, thanks Craig, I really appreciate it.'

‘Don't thank me, it's my job to make sure the bad guys are caught.' He gave her a hurried smile as he gathered his keys from the desk. ‘And don't forget to give me a shout about those photos too.'

‘I certainly will, when I get a spare minute.' Renee gave him a quick wave as she headed back through the sliding doors and into the late-afternoon sunshine.

There, she'd done it, and it felt good to know the diary was now in the hands of the law. Back when it had all happened, Craig had been very diligent in trying to find out who was responsible for Scarlet's disappearance, so she knew he'd do his very best to gather any sort of clues he could from the diary.

The intense glare of the setting sun made it hard to see the unfamiliar road ahead. On either side of the bitumen, endless fields of sugar cane swayed in the late-afternoon breeze, the fluffy pink flowers at the top of each cane reminding Renee of fairy floss.

Her mouth watered with the recollection of sucking on a piece of the cut cane stalk, the delicious raw vanilla flavour that is unique unto its own. She and Scarlet had loved the taste as kids, often riding their pushbikes to a nearby cane farm to nick a piece, and she wondered if she'd still love it just as much now. Only one real way to find out, but not right this minute. She had herself a date with one very sexy man.

And his daughter and mother
—considering she lived next door Renee gathered his mum would join them for the barbecue. Butterflies swarmed her stomach. Holy crap. She had tried not to think about this fact all day, but now she was on her way to Dylan's, it was terrifying. What if the two most important women in his life didn't like her? Her belly did cartwheels with the thought. All she could do was be herself and hope for the best—and hope the little gifts she had brought along for Claire and Annie would help to break the ice.

Not far up ahead the winding blacktop ended, the asphalt appearing to dissolve into red dust. Remembering Dylan's warning to be very careful of the roos at this time of the day—apparently the long dirt road to his place was full of the unpredictable marsupials—Renee slowed down to seventy, even though she was still officially in a hundred zone.

Sitting up at the steering wheel like an old person with bad eyesight, all the while trying to find some shade from the sun visor, she kept a keen eye out for the turn-off to Ironbark Plains. Holding up her hand in a bid to give herself a bit more vision—it would be awful to have to call and cancel because she'd driven into a bloody cane field—she slowed even further as she hit the dirt. Just as she left the asphalt behind, a B-double truck that had been following her made use of the wide unlined road and overtook her, the truckie taking great pleasure in perving at her as he passed. She gave him a friendly wave, understanding it would get quite lonely being out on the roads day in day out with just the radio for company. He tooted his horn as he thundered past, Renee slowing down even further as she was almost swallowed up by the truck's trail of swirling red dust.

Approaching a T-intersection, the GPS she had borrowed from her nan spoke to her in its annoyingly fake accent:
Turn left, then make a sharp right
,
and then you have reached your destination
.

‘Really?' Renee muttered, remaining stationary while glancing about and seeing nothing but a picturesque endless landscape devoid of any houses. After being told to make three U-turns in the middle of town only to end up heading in the original direction she was going before making the U-turns, she had a very strong urge to tell the computerised woman where she could shove her directions. But having become accustomed to using a GPS after living in Melbourne for so many years, she was afraid she'd get completely lost. She'd never been over this side of Opals Ridge before. She'd never had a reason to, until now. She took a gamble and switched it off—how hard could it be to find a couple-of-thousand-acre property?

Turning left, she stole a quick glance at the pecan pie beside her, extremely proud of her efforts. It had turned out beautifully, with the perfect balance of creamy, crunchy, nutty, sweet and sticky. She had wanted to try making one ever since tasting it in Las Vegas at a real estate conference and finding herself completely addicted to the mouth-watering pie with her very first bite, but today had been the first time she'd had a good enough reason. Living alone, she didn't often have the motivation to cook such elaborate things—salads and takeaway were her usual in Melbourne. She'd have to try her hand at making her other American favourite, clam chowder, now she had the cooking bug again. She adored being back in the kitchen, and being able to create culinary delights for those she loved. Living back at Wildwood Acres was giving her so much more time to do the things she adored, the kind of time that made life seem so much more gratifying.

Unexpectedly spotting the landmark Dylan had told her about—a mammoth anthill that would make a six-foot man appear to be a midget—Renee slowed the four-wheel drive down and took a sharp right turn, the beers she'd grabbed from the drive-through in town spilling from the box and rolling across the seat. She reached out to stop them falling onto the floor just as two kangaroos shot out from the scrub and bounded across the road in front of her. Slamming on the brakes, the Land Cruiser slid to a shuddering stop, and, as the irritating woman on the GPS had stated only minutes ago, Renee had reached her destination. As the dust cleared, Ironbark Plains sprawled out before her like a pair of welcoming arms, the countryside green and lush and inviting.

Her pulse rate returning to some form of normalcy after her near miss with two of Australia's icons, she drove through the open front gate and across the teeth-jittering cattle grid. Heading down the long drive, she admired the paddocks peppered with horses and cattle along the way. A windmill spun slowly in the distance as if in tune with the unhurried vibe of the countryside, and just over the rise she could spot the metal roof of the cottage aglow in sunshine. She smiled from within. Just like at Wildwood Acres, something about this vast, rugged, ancient landscape drew her like nothing else. Space, freedom and silence, pleasures she couldn't obtain easily in the city, were in abundance. This, right here, was her kind of paradise—the country girl inside of her now outshining the city girl she thought she had become.

With the charming cottage now in full view, Renee pulled off the drive and parked up beside Dylan's Land Cruiser. A little girl was playing in the front yard with a dog large enough to pass as a pony, her smile as wide as the woman's beside her. It was obviously Dylan's daughter and mother. Annie and Claire acknowledged her arrival with a wave. She waved back, her hand shaking a little. Now she was here, she was shitting herself.

Just calm down
, she whispered to herself as she turned off the ignition and bent down to gather her handbag from the floor, her eyes coming back up to meet Dylan's baby blues as he suddenly appeared beside the driver's window. She fought to stop herself drooling. Wearing a half buttoned up flannelette and butt-hugging denim jeans, along with bare feet and a dazzling smile, he looked smoking hot.

‘Howdy, Renee. Find the place okay?' His smile accentuated his striking dimples.

She wasn't about to own up to the fact she had used a GPS. How embarrassment! ‘Hi, Dylan, sure did, was a cinch…thanks for the great directions. I stopped along the way and dropped the diary off to Craig, too.'

‘That's great. I reckon that was the right thing to do.'

‘Yeah, me too.' She dragged her eyes from where his chest peeked out from his button-up shirt and clambered down from the four-wheel drive. He reached out and touched her arm, sending what felt like lightning reverberating throughout her. She could almost swear her heart stopped for a second from the shock of it.

‘You need a hand with anything?'

His voice was so husky, and God he smelt good. ‘Um, yes please.' She reached back across the seat and grabbed the dessert, acutely aware of his eyes upon her as she did so. She turned and passed it to him, pleased with his reaction as he caught sight of the pie.

‘This looks bloody amazing, Renee.' He licked his lips. ‘What is it?'

‘An American classic—pecan pie. One bite and you'll be addicted.'

‘I already am.' With a quirked brow, he smiled charmingly. ‘Hmm. You're a woman of many talents, Miss Wildwood.'

‘Why thankya, but you haven't tasted it yet.'

‘If it tastes as good as it looks, I'll have died and gone to heaven.'

The way his eyes were drinking her in as he said that made Renee wonder whether he was referring to her or the pie. God, how she wanted to reach out and rip his clothes off right now, to make love to him with reckless abandon. The thought made her feel flushed and she hoped her cheeks weren't as red as they felt. ‘Well, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, as they say.' She rolled her eyes at her stupid choice of words as she reached across the seat once more to retrieve the beers and the shopping bag, relieved to be able to look somewhere other than in his deeply hypnotising eyes. Turning back to him she held up the beer. ‘And I've also brought cold beverages.'

He grinned. ‘You've thought of everything. Thanks.' He pointed to the bag she was now holding. ‘And what goodies are hidden in there?'

‘Oh, just a little something for your mum and Annie. I thought it might help break the ice between us.'

‘Thanks Renee, but you didn't have to do that.' Hidden from any prying eyes by the Land Cruiser, Dylan balanced the pie in one hand and pulled her in by the waist with the other, giving her a kiss on the cheek. ‘Thanks for coming. I hope I haven't thrown you in the deep end by inviting Mum to join us.'

Taken aback by his gesture, but tingling pleasurably from his touch, Renee smiled shyly. ‘To be honest, I'm nervous as hell, but I'll be right.'

‘If it makes you feel any better, I'm a little nervous too.' Dylan chuckled, his deep throaty laughter very sexy. ‘God, look at us. Anyone would think we're bloody teenagers again.'