Maybe Casey had a point. Maybe she didn’t have to live in Masons Flat if she decided to stay. Still, why stay in California at all if she wasn’t going to live here? Something about the upcoming wedding niggled at the edges of her memory. ‘Summer’s wedding is in a small town, isn’t it?’
‘Yeah, Willows—north of the city. Why?’
‘What’s it like?’
‘I haven’t been up there, but Taylor said it’s a cute town … quaint.’
‘I wonder what Summer thinks of living in a small town.’
‘She grew up in woop woop somewhere, so it probably doesn’t feel small to her. But seriously, you don’t have to live in Masons Flat. The question is, do you want to live in California, or do you want to come back to Melbourne?’
And that was exactly the question—one she couldn’t answer yet. She liked what she’d seen of Masons Flat so far, and the people all seemed nice even though she only knew most of them casually. Well, perhaps some a bit more than casually, but did she want to stay? ‘I think I need to sleep on it—weigh up the alternatives.’
‘Yeah, that makes sense. Think on it. Anyway, I watered your plants the other day, and I’ve gone through your mail. There’s nothing urgent on this end. Come home for the wedding, and see how you feel. If you decide not to go back I’m sure the accountant and lawyer would be happy to handle everything. You know Taylor and I will support whatever you decide. Sleep on it, and give me a call in a few days. In the end, you really need to do what’s right for you.’
After they ended the call, Alex poured a glass of wine and curled up on the sofa to watch the last of an old movie. Could she see herself living here, doing this every night? Or did she only want to stay because she could see herself sitting on Travis’ sofa, snuggled up with both him and Annie?
~~*~~
After a long run, Alex spent the morning continuing to go through her uncle’s files. By two-thirty she had more numbers spinning around in her head than she’d ever dreamed she’d have to worry about.
She had a quick shower then gave Denver a call, and they made plans to meet at the vacant shop.
He pulled out the plans, and walked her through the drawings that were now complete with the refrigeration units.
‘Everything looks great to me, Denver. Let’s do it.’
‘Great. I should be able to get all the work done while you’re away, so you can open up as soon as you’re back. By the way … you didn’t change your mind about telling Annie about your trip, did you?’
‘No, I still want to leave it until right before I go. Why?’
‘Oh, it’s nothing, really … just she and Travis both seemed a bit down this morning. I thought you must have changed your mind and told them.’
‘No, not yet.’
‘Must have been something else then. Or maybe it’s just me finding it hard to keep a secret,’ he said while giving her a crooked grin.
‘I’ll only be gone for two weeks. Perhaps I should go ahead and tell her.’
‘No, stick to what you originally thought. If you tell her now it’ll feel like you’re gone twice as long.’ He smacked his hand to his forehead. ‘Gees, I just realised, she’ll probably pester me to play tennis with her while you’re away.’
Alex raised an eyebrow. ‘Is that a problem? My guess would be you’d be good at any sport you turned your mind toward.’
Denver winked. ‘Maybe. Anyway, I’ll go ahead and order everything, and get started as soon as I can.’
She thought for a moment, wondering if she should hold off to make certain she even wanted to return after the trip, but the shop was the right answer for the town even if she didn’t run it herself.
‘That’d be great, thanks Denver.’
‘Are you giving Annie another lesson tomorrow?’
‘Yes, unless I hear otherwise.’
‘Guess I’ll probably see you tomorrow then.’
As she drove home, Alex couldn’t help but wonder if the moodiness Denver had witnessed was her fault. Maybe Travis had wanted her to stay last night. Maybe, if she’d given him a bit of encouragement, he would have suggested it. Then again, maybe his mood had nothing to do with her.
She pulled into the driveway, got out and stood staring at the beautiful home. There were a lot of things to like about Masons Flat, but maybe it would be best for everyone if she were to wrap things up here and head back home, for good.
Chapter 28
When Alex gave Annie her lesson the following day, Travis was nowhere to be seen. She knew he must be around the property somewhere as Denver’s truck was gone, and she knew Travis wouldn’t leave Annie there on her own.
But he never surfaced.
Nor did she see him any of the other times she gave Annie lessons over the following week.
Then again, it wasn’t helped by the fact that the moment she and Annie finished each lesson Alex found an excuse to dash off. Between the works going on in town, the meetings with the bookkeeper and the estate agents, and the mountain of files in her uncle’s study that she still hadn’t completely waded through, there was always something to attend to.
But that’s all any of those things were; excuses—reasons to avoid Travis.
And on the days that she didn’t see Annie, she kept busy by being a tourist. She spent a full day in San Francisco, lunching at the famous Fisherman’s Wharf and taking an excursion out to Alcatraz, a full day at an outlet mall, and another full day exploring a few of the Napa Valley wineries. There was plenty to see in California that didn’t involve Travis Gold.
But as busy as she kept herself, she didn’t stop thinking about him. Nor did she stop wondering if he was doing the same thing—finding excuses to be busy because it was far easier to avoid her than to deal with complications.
~~*~~
Two days before the saloon was to re-open, Alex met with Darleen Clarke, the assistant manager. Alex liked her the moment she set eyes on her. In her mid-fifties, with auburn hair and green eyes not dissimilar to her own, Darleen commanded respect with both her height and demeanour, and Alex left their first meeting entirely comfortable that Darleen would be capable of managing the saloon in her absence.
On the night of the opening, Darleen stood beside her at the door. They greeted people as they entered, ensuring everyone got to meet the new owner, and taking the opportunity to let everyone know beer was on-the-house until eight.
A few minutes after eight, Alex had abandoned the front door, and had nearly given up hope that Travis would appear when she heard his voice. She turned, and there he was, standing at the front door beside Denver. When he caught her eye and nodded, Alex’s heart thumped wildly.
Denver raised a hand and yelled out to her. ‘Hey, Alex, looking good!’
She put on a smile as he approached with outstretched arms.
‘Place looks terrific; and the locals don’t look too upset about having their watering-hole back,’ he said as he gave her a hug and then stepped back.
‘Yes, I’m over the moon with the turnout, and with getting to meet so many new people. This isn’t the normal sort of numbers for a weeknight, is it?’ She did her best to speak normally, but it was hard with a thumping heart.
Denver scanned the room. ‘You might have close to this many on a Saturday night … maybe half on a weekday.’
Travis walked up, stopping a few feet from Alex. ‘Congratulations on getting the place open in good time. Looks great—love the floors.’
‘Thanks, Travis. It’s all come together quite well hasn’t it? Mind you, I couldn’t have done it without Denver’s help. Now, can I get you both a drink? My shout.’
‘Sounds like a great idea—I’ll go get them.’ Denver patted Travis on the back before excusing himself to head to the bar.
Alex could feel the heat in her face as she stood there, staring down at Travis’ boots
, struggling for something to say. Finally, he broke the silence. ‘So, how’ve you been? Busy, I take it.’
She looked up into his eyes, trying to read them. He appeared to be sincere; she’d detected no hint of sarcasm. ‘Yes, well, you know … trying to get the fruit and veggie shop organised as well as this place … and going through all my uncle’s papers. Everything seems to take longer than you think it will.’
‘Yes, I know the feeling.’ He looked toward the bar, and she followed his gaze to see that Denver still had his back to them, waiting to be served. They wouldn’t be saved by his presence in a hurry.
‘And you? You’ve been busy? I haven’t seen you when I’ve been over for Annie’s lessons.’
He raised an eyebrow and shrugged. To a stranger his gesture might have appeared the epitome of nonchalance, but she wasn’t necessarily buying it.
‘Yeah, I’ve been trying to bring that injured filly back into some gentle work—she’s healing up quicker than we’d hoped. And you know it never ends with horses. Selling a few of the young ones at the rodeo was great, but there are a dozen more coming up to replace them, plus my stallion always needs work.’
She smiled, mostly because both his voice and his words betrayed him—he was nervous, and discovering that calmed her a bit.
‘Well, at least you love what you do. Makes a difference, doesn’t it? I loved working at the tennis club. I never minded the long hours and extra weekend work.’
Now he grinned and his edges softened. ‘I’m lucky that way—I get tired, physically, but I always love what I’m doing, even when I’m exhausted.’
Denver came up then, with a beer in each hand. ‘Sorry, Alex, didn’t even think to ask if you wanted anything.’
‘Oh, I’m right—I’m on my best behaviour tonight, being the new owner and everything. I’m glad you could make it, but I suppose I should get back to mingling.’
Travis nodded. ‘It was good seeing you, Alex. I’m glad this is working out so well for you.’
As she walked off, Denver gave her a big cheeky smile and a wink. Travis smiled, but his was laced with something else; regret perhaps? But regret that he’d been avoiding her, or regret that it was her re-opening the saloon, and not him and Denver? She hoped it was the former, but it was impossible to say for sure.
She shook off her thoughts and made her way over to the bar while Denver and Travis headed toward the pool table.
She kept one eye on Travis for the rest of the night, but didn’t speak to him again other than a mouthed goodbye from a distance when she spotted him and Denver leaving. Even so, she was glad he’d come. She was grateful she’d had the chance to speak to him casually and had survived the encounter—if only on the surface.
~~*~~
Tuesday was the final lesson with Annie before she was to leave for Melbourne, so this time Alex allowed Annie to coax her into the kitchen for a cool drink, thinking it might be easier to tell her while they were chatting at the kitchen table.
Once seated, she dove in. ‘Annie, remember how we talked about my family all being in Australia?’ She took a sip of the tea, giving Annie a moment to reply.
‘Sure, I remember.’
‘Well, one of my sister’s, actually my step-sister, is getting married.’
Annie took a drink, her face suggesting she was thinking hard. ‘That’s nice.’
‘And I’ve been invited to her wedding.’
Annie set her glass back down on the table and clapped her hands excitedly. ‘Oh, that’ll be fun. Will she wear a long dress and have lots of flowers?’
Alex whooshed out a loud breath, pleased with Annie’s reaction. ‘That’s a good question. I assume she’ll wear a long dress and carry flowers, but some weddings are very different so I can’t say for sure. What I can do is take some photos to show you. Would you like that?’
‘Cool.’ Annie’s face puckered up as she chewed her lower lip. ‘Is the wedding in Australia?’
‘Yes, it is.’
Now she frowned. ‘Will you be gone long?’
‘About two weeks? Is that long?’
Annie tilted her head, and then shrugged. ‘I guess not, although I will miss my lessons. I’ll just have to play with Daddy. Or maybe Uncle Denver, if I promise not to thrash him.’
When Annie giggled Alex let out a loud sigh, wishing she hadn’t waited so long to tell her. Annie was taking it far better than she’d expected. She gave Annie a conspiratorial wink. ‘He’s that bad, is he? Should I pretend I don’t know?’
‘No, he’s better than Daddy, I just like to tease him.’ She giggled again and slapped her hand over her mouth so as not to laugh too hard.
‘What are you two laughing about?’
Alex hadn’t heard him approach, but Travis now stood in the open doorway smiling at his daughter. When Alex met his gaze, his eyes were dark and questioning.
‘I was telling Alex that I can only talk Uncle Denver into playing tennis with me if I promise not to thrash him.’
Travis turned to Alex. ‘That sounds about right.’
Alex stood, shrugged her shoulders and made a feeble excuse about having to leave to get home to water the garden.
Annie glared at her. ‘You should stay and have dinner with us. You can water when you get home.’ Annie stood too, then grabbed Alex’s hand and tugged her out the back door, making her sit at the outdoor table. ‘I’ll get you some more iced-tea. Daddy’s going to cook hamburgers on the barbeque tonight.’
Alex looked up toward Travis, who had followed them out. ‘Only if I’m not intruding?’
Annie grinned, and Travis smiled. ‘You’re definitely not intruding. Hamburgers it is. Guess I better make a start.’
Travis turned and went back inside, followed by Annie. By the time Annie returned with the iced-tea Alex could hear Travis banging away in the kitchen.
Over dinner, Annie told Alex all about the filly she’d started riding—the one who’d been injured. Annie was allowed to ride her in the arena, so long as she kept her at the walk. ‘I can ride her every day if you want me to, Daddy. With Alex away, I won’t be able to play as much tennis after all.’
He turned and looked at her questioningly. ‘You’re going away?’
‘Yes. My step-sister’s getting married.’
He frowned, his dark eyes growing even darker. ‘When are you leaving?’
‘I fly out Thursday evening.’
Annie looked back and forth between them for a moment before speaking up. ‘It takes a whole day to get there, Dad. It’s a long flight.’
‘Yes, Annie, I remember Alex saying that.’ Then he turned to her, the frown still present. ‘But you’re coming back?’
She smiled as she gave a slight nod. ‘Yes, I’m just going for two weeks. I’d forgotten about the wedding when I made the arrangements to come here or I might have waited until after.’
His frown eased a little. ‘Do you need a lift to the airport? I could take you.’
His offer surprised her, but then she decided he was probably just being polite. ‘Thank you, but I wouldn’t want to put you out like that. I’ve got everything organised.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes, but thanks for offering.’
‘Okay. So … Thursday.’ He nodded, the deep furrows returning.
‘I leave here on Thursday but I don’t actually arrive until Saturday morning their time. It’s that pesky International Date Line. Anyway, that gives me a couple of days to hang out with my sisters and catch up with some friends. And I need to do some shopping. I don’t have anything suitable to wear to the wedding—and I’ll need to find a gift if I don’t find anything in Sacramento.’ She was rambling; even she could hear the nervous twang in her voice.
She was desperate to ease her nerves, so she turned and gave Annie a silly wide-eyed look. Annie giggled and ro
lled her eyes. She hated that she was nervous around him. After all, he couldn’t possibly care. Sure, she’d been avoiding him, but he’d made it easy by never being around. He was probably glad she was going so he didn’t have to pretend to be so busy all the time.
He stood and took their plates into the kitchen. When he returned, he brought out three bowls of orange sorbet.
‘Hope you like sherbet.’ He set a bowl down in front of her, making eye contact as he did.
‘It’s my favourite,’ Annie said as she dug into hers. ‘If you don’t like it I could always finish it for you.’
Twenty minutes later, Annie returned from having gone to brush her teeth and get ready for bed. Both Alex and Travis stood, and Annie went up first to give her father a big hug and kiss, then came over and did the same with Alex.
‘Don’t forget I want to see the wedding. Here’s our email address … so you can send me some photos.’ She set a bit of paper on the table, covered with her childish writing. The email address was Golds Ranch.
Alex smiled. ‘I won’t forget. Goodnight, Annie,’ she said as Annie sulked off to bed.
Now alone on the back porch, they stood facing each other. Travis looked as uncomfortable as Alex felt. Annie had been a fabulous buffer and her absence changed everything.
Travis finally spoke. ‘So … you’re going home.’
‘Yes, well … for a little while.’ She stopped short of saying what was in her heart—that she’d been questioning whether going back to Melbourne was actually going home. After all, this was where she was born. ‘It’ll be nice to see my family.’
‘I’m sure you’ve missed them. And the excitement of living in a big city. Masons Flat isn’t exactly a cultural mecca, now is it?’
She nodded, feeling a slight frown pull at her temples. ‘No, but I’m not someone who needs to go to the opera or ballet every weekend, either. Although a real pizza from time to time is sure nice.’ Her attempt at humour lightened the mood, but it was only temporary.
They were both silent after that, and Alex was about to start walking, but then he cleared his throat.
Discovering Gold Page 20