Riverstone Ridge

by Mandy Magro

  ‘It was so good to see you relax and have fun today,’ he said, with a gentle smile.

  ‘Yeah, it felt good to let my hair down.’ Nina smiled, blinking long dark lashes.

  ‘So you haven’t had any more weird phone calls, or felt like someone’s been watching you?’ He’d been meaning to ask all day, but hadn’t wanted to put a downer on her happy vibe.

  ‘Nope, all good on that front,’ she said, followed by a little hiccup. ‘Thank god.’

  ‘Good to hear.’ He breathed a quiet sigh of relief just as Nina’s phone rang from her clutch bag. She fumbled for it and answered. It was Cassie.

  Thinking about the scruffy-looking bloke in the photo, as he had since Nina had first shown him, Logan’s jaw clenched. It was taking him longer than expected to track down the guy. From what he’d discovered, his name was Grant Johnson, he was sixty-seven years old and had been in and out of prison for the past nineteen years for everything from driving with undue care, causing death, to an armed robbery. Grant had been a free man for the past eighteen months, but with no fixed address he wasn’t an easy one to find. But come hell or high water, Logan would hunt him down and pay him a visit, no matter where he was.

  As the hum of the band faded behind them along with the noisy crowd, he tried to keep his eyes ahead instead of on the mesmerising goddess beside him that he would protect with his life, her perfume making him feel a little giddier than the beers and wines already were. Her mobile phone now pressed to her ear, he listened to Nina giggle as she and Cassie spoke – Cassie had disappeared over an hour ago, and by the sounds of it, had gone home with her apparent friend. Nina had been right – there’d been much more to the friendship than what met the eye.

  Ending her call, the breeze picked up and Nina pressed in closer to him, her touch sending his thoughts back to when he’d found the courage to tell her some home truths about how he felt, just before the horses had leapt from their standing start, turf flying out from their thunderous hooves. As the excited commentary had reverberated through him while he’d urged their chosen horse on, he had fought to respond to the way Nina’s goosebump-covered skin had brushed against his as she’d called out, her fist punching the air and her wide smile knee-buckling.

  They reached the taxi and he opened the door for her. ‘Here we are, Miss Jones.’ He smiled as he gestured for her to slip inside the cab with a wave of his arm. ‘Your carriage awaits.’

  ‘Wow, now that’s service if I’ve ever seen it,’ Nina said with a slow, sexy smile. Her arm resting atop the open door, she held his gaze. ‘Wanna catch a lift home with me?’ She paused, licked her lips ever so slightly, her long lashes fluttering. ‘Seeing as we’re neighbours it makes sense, doesn’t it?’ she quickly added, but the expression in her hypnotic emerald eyes spoke of everything she wanted to do to him right now, if he were game enough to let her.

  And by god, he was more than game.

  The world spun beneath his boots as he remained speechless – something totally foreign to him. How was he meant to resist following through with what he’d already put a match to, the heat between them very capable of overriding his self-control, if he let it? Clearing his throat, he finally found his voice, thankful for the fact he’d stopped drinking almost two hours ago, otherwise he’d possibly have no voice of reason. ‘Nah, all good – I’ll stay a little longer, just to make sure all hell doesn’t break loose.’

  ‘If you haven’t forgotten, you are on holidays, Logan.’

  ‘Yeah, I know, but Vance and his team are short-staffed tonight, and I’d hate for things to get out of hand.’ He stepped back before he stepped forwards and threw her on the back seat and had his wicked way. ‘I’ll just stay for another hour or so, and then head home with Vance when the bar closes.’

  ‘Fair enough.’ Nina’s disappointment was palpable. ‘Once a cop, always a cop, hey?’

  Logan sighed. ‘Yup, pretty much.’

  ‘Okay then, night.’ She seemed to falter between getting into the cab and falling into him.

  As she climbed in, he fought not to follow her. Just a kiss – that’s all he wanted. Although, he knew all too well it would lead to more, way more – it already had.

  CHAPTER

  17

  As the sun began to slip away for another day, the vast country sky evolved from a dazzling blue to soft hues of crimson and molten gold. Beneath Mother Nature’s mesmeric display, the rolling landscape surrounded by the distant mountain ranges was aglow, the silhouettes of horses, cattle and sugarcane backdropped by the imminent dusk. After a three-hour round trip to Cairns to call in on his eighty-two-year-old great-aunt, who, as usual, had baked his favourite caramel tart, and to pick up a part for the tractor along with a few other bits and pieces he needed for the farm, Logan breathed a sigh of relief when he turned off the blacktop and hit the dirt road that would lead him home.

  Breathing in the syrupy scent of the sugar mill, he shifted up the gears as he hit the accelerator, eager to pull through his front gate. It suddenly struck him that this was the first time in a long time he was genuinely happy to be heading towards Willowbrook, instead of away from it. Although unusual, he let the sensation settle deep within, and as he embraced it, he felt some of the emotional weight he’d been carrying since the death of his wife and child lift from his shoulders, and his heart. His vision blurred by an onslaught of unwelcome tears, he did not let them fall – he’d cried a river in the years since they’d passed. As much as he hated to admit it, everyone around him was right – it was time he tried to let go of their ghosts and move on with his life. Jessica, and Violet, would want him to be happy. And Nina, well, she was making him very happy.

  As a rush of guilt came at him with this thought, he exhaled a lungful of air, as if he’d been holding his breath ever since the fatal accident, and then drew in one steady slow breath after another. Was his change of heart because he’d ultimately been forced to have a reprieve from his demanding job, therefore making him face his grief head on? Or was it because just over the fence line, Nina Jones, his kindred soul and childhood sweetheart, was finally back home, and he felt as if he finally had someone he could have a yarn with over a glass of wine? A kind-hearted woman with a keen ear ready to hear about his day, Nina’s company meant the world to him. It could quite possibly be both.

  Oh lord help him, he was in a world of trouble … but he liked it.

  His thumbs tapping the steering wheel in time to the catchy Brad Paisley tune ‘Mud on the Tires’ blaring from the speakers, he floored the accelerator as he took the last corner, his rebellious side getting a thrill from the way the four-wheel drive pitched sideways before regaining control once again. Curled up on the passenger seat, Digger didn’t even bother to open his eyes to the fleeting mayhem – years of bush-bashing had made the dog accustomed to the choppy journey. A spiral of grit and dust flew out behind the LandCruiser, making it impossible to see anything in the rear-vision mirror. Through the cloud of dust, an unfamiliar car passed him, the driver’s face shielded by the haze and the angle of his wide-brimmed hat. The dirt road not being a main thoroughfare, serving only as access for the few properties upon it, Logan couldn’t help himself and squinted into the rear-vision mirror, trying to make out the numberplate. He got all of it just before the old Corolla turned out of sight. He’d always made it his business to know who was around his town, and just because he was on leave that wasn’t going to change.

  Just up ahead was a sight to behold, and his attention snapped back to the here and now. From the driver’s seat, he had a bird’s eye view, and he liked what was blocking his driveway very, very much. How could he not when all he’d been thinking about since saying goodbye last night was making sweet love to her, over and over and over again?

  With the driver’s door open, and her Jeep only halfway off the road, Nina had clearly come to a sudden and very unexpected stop. He enjoyed the fact he was about to come to her rescue. Turning the music down, he squinted into the sunshine
glaring off his windscreen. The heat-infused haze made it a little difficult to decipher her petite silhouette, but he knew who it was without a shadow of a doubt – he’d been lucky enough to kiss almost every inch of her soft skin all those years ago. If only things were different and he had the chance to be skin on skin with her all over again, he’d make damn sure the mesmerising Miss Nina Jones wouldn’t find it so easy to sell Riverstone Ridge and go back to the city. Whatever pulled her back there was beyond him. At first his plot had been to keep her here, for Bea, but now, he had to admit his driving force was completely self-seeking. He didn’t want to have to say goodbye to her. Ever. Maybe Bea knew exactly what she was doing, pushing the pair of them together – he wouldn’t put it past her. God love her.

  Slowing, he looked to where Nina was hunched beneath her bonnet, her body-hugging denim shorts allowing him the slightest peek of her magnificent butt. What he’d give to be able to run his hands up her thighs, to wrap his arms around her waist as he kissed her from behind. He couldn’t help the rush of longing that overcame him, or the sudden tautness of his jeans – damn it, he needed to get a grip. He wanted oh-so-badly to make all of her his, in every single way, and yet, something told him it was a lost cause, a heartache waiting to happen. She’d made it very clear she wasn’t considering sticking around. He needed to find a way to accept it.

  Hearing him approach, Nina plucked her head out and turned to see him pulling to a stop. She didn’t look the least bit impressed with the situation. He flashed her a smile as he grabbed his hat from the dash and tugged it on, and she gave him a sassy smirk back, one that sent his already racing heart into a wild gallop. As his boots hit the gravel, he sucked in a breath, willing his pulse to slow down. She couldn’t see what she did to him without even trying – he had to keep his cool. As he closed the distance between them, his mind flashed back to the come-hither look in her eyes as she’d invited him into the taxi – if he had that time over again, would he jump at the chance? Very possibly.

  ‘Howdy, Nina.’ With a quirked smile, his gaze travelled to the thongs on her feet, travelled up her bare legs to her frayed denim shorts, flittered over her stomach, snagged on the pull of her thin cotton t-shirt across her breasts, and came to an abrupt halt at her eyes.

  ‘Howdy yourself.’ Sighing wearily, Nina wiped her hands on an oily rag. ‘Sorry for blocking your driveway.’

  ‘No worries.’ Grease was smudged up her left cheek, and he fought the urge to reach out and wipe it off. ‘Car troubles?’

  ‘Nah, I just decided to pull over and have a bit of a tinker with the old girl.’ She tossed her head back a little and laughed. ‘Of course I have car trouble.’

  Grinning, Logan arched a brow. ‘You’re a cheeky bugger, you know that?’

  Nina winked. ‘Always.’

  He sidled up beside her and glanced in at the motor, noting the radiator cap was off. ‘Anything I can help with?’

  ‘The damn thing keeps overheating, and the aircon keeps conking out, and I can’t even get the thing to start again – so much for Josh fixing anything.’ She shook her head. ‘He charged me two hundred bucks to do bugger all, by the looks of things.’

  ‘Yeah, he’s shonky as all hell. I honestly don’t know how the man stays in business.’ Leaning in further, he wiped a trickle of grease from the engine bay, wondering whether this was purely car trouble or if someone had deliberately toyed with it – the unfamiliar car he’d spotted moments ago now at the forefront of his mind. ‘Did you see the car that just went past?’ He kept his tone nonchalant – he didn’t want to unnecessarily worry her.

  ‘Nope.’ She looked around. ‘Other than you, nobody has been up or down this road.’

  ‘How long have you been parked here?’

  ‘About fifteen minutes, give or take.’

  Where in the heck did the old car come from then? he wondered. There was only one way in and one way out down this road. It just didn’t make sense. ‘You sure you didn’t see anyone drive past?’

  ‘Positive.’ She frowned. ‘Why are you asking me so many weird questions?’

  He shrugged. ‘Oh, no reason.’ He turned his attention back to the engine. ‘I can tow it back home and take a look at it tomorrow, if you like?’

  Nina considered his offer for a few short moments, but then shook her head. ‘I don’t expect you to have to spend your time off fixing my car.’

  ‘What if I want to?’

  ‘Too bad.’ A smirk tugged at her lips. ‘I’m sure you’ve got lots of other things where you could be putting your hands to good use.’

  She was damn right. Logan had to bite his tongue before he told her where he’d love to put his hands. ‘Come on, Little Miss Stubborn, I’ll give you a lift home.’ He offered her a good-natured grin, while at the same time his mind went into overdrive. The pump, the phone calls, the quad bike, Digger wandering off all the way over to Nina’s place – and now this. It was all too coincidental for his liking.

  Releasing a pent-up breath, she pushed wayward hair from her red, sweaty face. ‘Okay, but you have to let me pay you for your time.’

  Her nudge on his arm felt like old times, and sent a flicker of hope through his soul. He filed his concerns away for later, when her company wouldn’t distract him. ‘No way am I going to accept a penny from you,’ he said with a shake of his head. She huffed, and he chuckled, fighting not to pull her into his arms, toss her onto the bonnet, and kiss her like he damn well meant it. ‘But I will accept you coming over to my place for a ride tomorrow afternoon, followed by a couple of wines, or beer, whichever takes your fancy. I really think we could both use some time just kicking back, what do you reckon?’

  ‘You drive a hard bargain,’ she said playfully. ‘But it’s a deal.’

  ‘Good, that’s settled then.’ He looked to the darkening sky. ‘Come on, let’s get you home.’

  She fell into step beside him, and they walked side by side, perfectly in sync. He risked wrapping his arm around her shoulder as he guided her towards the passenger door, exhilarated that she didn’t flinch or pull away.

  ‘Over you shove, Digger.’ The old dog did as he was told. Climbing in, she sat back, sighing.

  He jumped in the driver’s side and clicked on his seatbelt. Noticing Nina hadn’t done the same, he frowned. ‘Buckle up, buttercup.’

  ‘Why, when we’re only driving down the road?’ She eyed him enquiringly, smirking. ‘Can’t you not be a copper, just for a little while?’

  ‘It doesn’t have anything to do with upholding the law.’ He stopped himself short of lecturing her. He found her comment insensitive, but knowing she wouldn’t have thought about it before she said it, he tried to let it go. ‘Do I really have to spell out why I think it’s important?’ he said, much more calmly.

  A flash of realisation and then embarrassment crossed her face. ‘Oh, yes, right.’ She quickly slipped her belt on. ‘Sorry, Logan, I wasn’t thinking.’

  ‘All good.’ He forced a smile and revved the four-wheel drive to life. The air in the cab felt heavy now, cautious even. Admiring the sight of her red-painted toenails, he tried to divert the conversation to something light. ‘The city has rubbed off on you.’

  She turned from the window to him. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Your toenail polish, you never used to paint them – you told me that was for the city chicks, all that girly stuff.’ He grinned and shook his head. ‘Now look at you.’ He was trying his best to create the banter they used to be so familiar with.

  ‘Of course it has, I’ve been living there for twenty years, for god’s sake,’ Nina snapped, before looking away and out at the passing scenery.

  Just like that. Right here with him a second ago, now whoosh, and she was gone somewhere far, far away.

  A deafening silence roared to life between them; only the crunch of the tyres on the gravel road and the whirr of the air-conditioner echoed. Glancing at her, he watched the play of emotions chase over her features. ‘You okay?’<
br />
  ‘Yup.’ Her reply was terse, icy.

  He gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. ‘It feels like I say the wrong things all the time with you. And it sucks, Neens.’ He tried his very best to deliver this gently.

  She shot him a sideways glance. ‘Oh, for god’s sake, Logan, stop being so …’ Crinkles formed between her furrowed brows and storms flashed in her eyes.

  ‘So what?’ He looked back at the dirt track.

  ‘Sensitive,’ she spat.

  ‘Me? Sensitive?’ He scowled. ‘I think I’m far from it, to be honest.’ His strained voice sat between them, uncomfortably so.

  ‘I’m sorry.’ Nina wriggled in her seat so she was facing out the window even more. ‘It’s not because of anything you’ve done or said,’ she said under her breath.

  A slim vein of relief shot through him. ‘If it’s not me, what is it then?’ A long silence answered him. ‘You know you can tell me anything, right? Your secrets are safe with me.’

  ‘Uh-huh,’ she choked out, sniffling. ‘Some things are best left unsaid, Logan.’ It didn’t take long for the tears she was so clearly blinking back to fall endlessly.

  Seeing tears roll down her cheeks tore his heart to shreds. He reached over and placed a hand on her arm. ‘Neens, please, talk to me. Don’t go through this alone.’ Concern niggled at the back of his mind and scratched the edges of his soul. ‘I’m really worried about you.’