Mr Right Now

by Karly Lane

  He knew he was feeling sorry for himself, and he tried his best to keep it from everyone else. Once he got home, though, he figured he could be any damn way he wanted to be and so he let himself wallow in pity until even he couldn’t stand himself any more. When was it going to get better?

  Olivia had left a gaping hole in his life and it touched everything. He couldn’t go into the pub without picturing her at a table, chatting to locals. He couldn’t sleep in his bed at night without smelling her scent. He’d close his eyes and imagine her beside him, only to open them and feel the punch to his gut when he realised she wasn’t there. He couldn’t even talk to Ollie without thinking of her, and over the last few months he’d become a recluse, so much so that his friends and family were concerned. He knew they were only trying to help, but he couldn’t stand their relentless attempts to cheer him up and take his mind off Olivia. It was slowly sending him crazy.

  Dragging himself out of the shower, Griff pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, before heading to the kitchen to see what his mother had left him for dinner. The sound of tyres on gravel made him straighten from the open fridge. He headed to the front door just as a soft knock sounded. He swore, if this was Ashley from the pub on another mercy visit, he’d lose his shit. He opened the door with more force than was warranted and found himself glaring down at a startled face. But it wasn’t Ashley. It was Olivia.

  Okay, so he’d obviously moved on to hallucinating.

  ‘Hello, Griff.’

  It sounded like Olivia: that soft, gentle voice that could go from princess to vixen in the blink of an eye.

  ‘I, um, know I should have called first,’ she was saying and he noticed that she was twisting her fingers together.

  ‘Olivia?’ Of course it was her. ‘What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in London.’

  ‘I was. I came back.’

  ‘For how long?’

  ‘My contract gave me three months to see if I was working out okay and then a flight home to pack up my stuff to take back to London.’

  His stomach dropped to his feet. ‘Oh. Right. Wow, three months. That went fast.’ He was lying—it had felt like three years since she’d left, but he’d be buggered if he was going to admit that aloud.

  ‘Really? I thought it felt like forever.’

  He glanced up at her tone and frowned.

  ‘I was angry at you for pushing me to leave the way you did … but the truth is, I’m not sure I would have been brave enough to make the decision on my own.’ She lowered her head and Griff felt bad.

  He may be heartbroken, but he hated seeing her miserable too. ‘You would have. Maybe not now, but you’d decided to go before your parents came back, so you would have gone one day,’ he said after a few moments.

  His breath got stuck in his chest as she looked up at him. He saw the first tear tumble from her eyelash onto her cheek and automatically his arms went around her.

  ‘I’m so sorry I hurt you, Griff. I didn’t want to.’

  ‘I know,’ he said, resting his chin on top of her head. Christ, she still smelled the same—a mix of vanilla and citrus that instantly sent a ping of longing for times when everything had been right in his life. He’d missed her so damn much and wished countless times he could hold her again, but now that she was here, in his arms, he realised that the pain of having to let her go again would outweigh this joy.

  She eased back and looked up at him and he had to fight to keep the devastation from showing on his face.

  ‘You were right, I needed to go,’ she said, and he felt the burn of threatening tears. ‘But I’ve decided not to stay on. I’ve applied for a different job, more in line with the original one, where I can work from pretty much anywhere.’

  For a long moment he could only stare at her, his chest frozen, feeling like he’d been thumped in the solar plexus.

  ‘I’m not going back … I’m home … for good,’ she said, making sure he’d heard her.

  Still he could only blink at her. He was fairly sure she was speaking English, but for the life of him he couldn’t get his head around the words. ‘What?’

  ‘I don’t expect us to go back to where we left off—I get that my leaving really hurt you,’ she rushed on. ‘Although in my defence, I had turned the job down before you and my parents ambushed me—’

  ‘Liv,’ he said, cutting her off, her words starting to sink in now, ‘it was an amazing opportunity, and I would have felt guilty if I’d let you turn it down to stay here with me. I do understand.’

  ‘You do?’

  ‘I may be just a farmer, but I’m not completely stupid. I don’t hold it against you that you took an amazing opportunity.’

  ‘You’re not just a farmer, Griff. You’re so much more than that, and I have never thought of what you do as any less important than what I do.’

  ‘Yeah, well, you know … wait. What? Go back a bit. Did you say you weren’t going back?’

  A small smile tugged at her mouth and he was momentarily distracted by how badly he wanted to kiss her. ‘I’m not going back.’

  ‘Why?’

  She gave a small grimace. ‘Lots of reasons. In the end I realised that the idea of something completely new and different was more exciting than the reality.’ She took a step away and leaned against the railing. ‘I’m proud of myself for trying, but I know now that it’s not what I want. I missed my family. I missed you,’ she said, looking up at him. ‘I know everyone must get homesick, but it was more than that, I just didn’t feel … like I was where I belonged.’

  ‘So where do you feel like you belong?’ he asked softly.

  He saw her eyes darken as they fastened on him steadily.

  ‘With you.’

  The words floated to his ears and he closed his eyes briefly as he savoured the sweet sound, before opening them again and looking at her.

  ‘You have every right not to trust me. I know I must seem like a flight risk after all this, but I’ve learned a few things about myself from this experience, and for the first time in a long time I’m sure of myself. I’m happy with who I am and I’m ready to face my future without any lingering regrets or doubts.’

  His mind was spinning. She wasn’t going back to London. It still didn’t seem real.

  ‘I know this is a lot to dump on you, but if there’s any chance we could try again, I’m willing to stay. Here, I mean.’

  His heart was already reaching out and screaming yes, but his head was playing this a lot more cautiously. His silence slowly stole her optimism and she nodded silently.

  ‘I’m going to be home for a few days with Mum and Dad. I need to make a decision about where to base myself. I can work from anywhere with this new job, and fly back to the city for anything important, but if there’s no reason for me to stay, I’ll head back to Sydney,’ she said, taking a deep breath before rushing on. ‘It’s not an ultimatum. I just want you to think about it.’

  Griffin swallowed hard over the lump that had formed in his throat and managed a nod.

  Maybe on paper her track record of breaking his heart didn’t look very good, but the first time she’d broken up with him to make sure he stuck out ag college. Without it he could have still farmed, but he wouldn’t have had the knowledge to make sure the farm worked as a business. She’d done that for him. And leaving this time? Too right it had hurt to watch her walk away, but he’d pushed her towards it, given her his bloody blessing for Christ’s sake … He’d repaid the favour by allowing her a shot at her dream.

  She chose to come back. The thought spun around in his head. She was choosing him. The sound of a car door opening snapped him back to the present and he found himself taking the front steps of his house two at a time and racing down the path.

  ‘Liv, wait,’ he called and saw her pause and look back at him cautiously. ‘Don’t go,’ he said, feeling breathless and knowing it had nothing to do with the run to her car and everything to do with the fact he was making the biggest decision of his l
ife.

  ‘I told Mum I’d be back for dinner,’ she started.

  ‘No, I mean, don’t go back to Sydney.’

  Her face softened and instantly he saw tears welling in her eyes.

  ‘I won’t lie, it almost killed me to watch you leave, and I honestly didn’t think I’d see you again.’

  ‘I know we left things a little … unfinished. I don’t know if we can pick up where we left off, but if you can forgive me for doing this to us, I’d really like to try again.’

  ‘There’s nothing to forgive, Liv. You did what you had to do.’

  ‘Does that mean you want to start again?’

  ‘No,’ he said, holding her gaze and seeing her optimism fade. ‘I don’t need to start over. I never stopped loving you.’ A wave of relief washed over her face and he felt his lips twist a little as he stepped closer.

  ‘Me neither,’ she said with a flash of a sad smile. ‘I’m sorry I put us through all this only to work out it wasn’t what I wanted after all.’

  ‘We never did have the whole timing thing down pat.’

  ‘I think we will from now on.’

  His arms slipped around her waist and her body fitted perfectly against his own, like that one final piece of a jigsaw puzzle locking into place to complete the picture. Griff let out a long breath and closed his eyes, breathing her in. She was home.

  Epilogue

  Christmas music played over the stereo as Olivia finished hanging tinsel over the window frame. It was the first of December and decorations had to be up today. It was tradition.

  She looked over her shoulder as Griffin muttered under his breath, wrestling the fake tree into position. ‘Since when did it become necessary to have an engineering degree to assemble a Christmas tree?’

  ‘It’s seriously not that hard,’ she said drolly.

  ‘Well, tree’s up. Come and decorate it.’

  ‘Listen to you, full of Christmas spirit.’

  ‘Other than the stupid tree being a pain to put up, I like Christmas,’ he protested.

  Olivia climbed down off the ladder and crossed to his side, digging through the box of her Christmas decorations that had arrived with the rest of her belongings a few weeks ago. She’d officially moved in with Griffin and life was good. The paddock-to-plate business was doing well—her parents were in their element and the bookings had been slowly building. This time when Griffin had broached the subject of moving in together, Olivia hadn’t hesitated. It had taken a move to the other side of the world to make her realise what she truly wanted. She wanted Griffin and a life together right here.

  It wasn’t often they could find time to be alone like this, especially at this time of the year with Christmas fast approaching. Linc and Cash would be arriving in a few weeks and the thought didn’t cause the distress that the last visit had. She was looking forward to seeing Cash again. The two women had grown closer since Olivia’s move overseas. Cash had become a good friend and they’d been keeping in touch ever since. The baby was due in March, so it was going to be a bit of an uncomfortable time for Cash in the heat. The excitement in the Callahan household over the upcoming addition to the family was at fever pitch. She could only imagine what it was going to be like once the baby was actually born. Of course, there was still a bit of a dark cloud hovering in the form of Harmony, and how Hadley would deal with that. They were still sworn to silence on the matter and Olivia and Griffin both worried about the wisdom of keeping Hadley’s secret, especially from her parents.

  Olivia pushed aside the thoughts that threatened to ruin her festive mood and hung a few of her rose-gold baubles, eyeing the distance between them critically. ‘Do they look even to you?’ she asked Griff, tilting her head slightly.

  ‘Looks fine,’ Griff said, reaching over to place a green Christmas ball on a branch nearby. Green. ‘It’s a gold theme this year,’ Olivia said calmly as she removed the offending bauble and handed him an appropriately coloured one to hang.

  ‘What difference does it make?’

  Olivia sent him a mock horrified look. ‘You have to have a theme. You can’t just go throwing on any colour you want, willy-nilly.’

  ‘Then you better put this one up. I wouldn’t want to put it in the wrong place,’ he said dryly, handing her a box.

  She took it, distracted by his complete lack of colour coordination, then she looked at it. Her chest constricted. She glanced at his face, serious now, and her hands began to shake.

  ‘Open it,’ he urged as she stared down at the small box dumbfounded.

  Slowly she eased it open, swallowing painfully as a glittering diamond solitaire stared back up at her.

  ‘I was going to give it to you on Christmas Day, but I couldn’t wait that long,’ he said quietly.

  ‘Griff … it’s beautiful.’

  ‘Will you marry me, Liv?’ he asked and she dragged her gaze from the sparkling diamond to search his patient gaze.

  She opened her mouth to speak, but instead nodded quickly, not trusting her voice.

  ‘Yes?’ he confirmed, sliding his hands to her waist and pulling her close.

  ‘Yes,’ she said, brushing at sudden unexpected tears and smiling up at him. ‘I’ll marry you.’

  The kiss that followed stole what was left of her breath, and when they pulled apart, Olivia realised she was clutching the box tightly in her hand. Griff took it from her and placed the ring on her finger, gazing at her with a look that both melted her heart and made her knees shake.

  ‘I love you, Olivia Dawson.’

  ‘I love you, Griffin Callahan.’

  ‘Even if I do this?’ he asked with mischief glittering in his eye. He leaned down, picked up the bright green bauble and placed it in the centre of the tree.

  She let out a slow breath. ‘Even if you do that,’ she said, and right at the moment she didn’t care about anything other than being here in his arms, feeling safe and loved. She’d loved him when she was a kid and she loved him even more now.

  As he walked her backwards towards their bedroom, she glanced over his shoulder at the annoying out-of-place bauble, messing up her perfect colour-coordinated design. She gave a small chuckle of defeat. Maybe she’d leave it there after all. Sometimes it was good to add a dash of crazy to perfection, just for balance.

  She had a feeling the next chapter of their life was going to contain a lot of crazy. But that was okay. As long as they were together, she knew they’d be able to handle whatever came their way.

  Acknowledgements

  I’d like to say a huge thank you to Brent Parsons for being there to answer all my annoying questions. As book three also centres around a farmer, I’m sorry to say there’s probably going to be a lot more coming, Brent!

  While the characters are mostly fictional, the towns are real and they’re located in some of the most gorgeous land in our country. If you’ve never ventured out into the Riverina region of New South Wales, then you really owe it to yourself to head out and explore it. The people are welcoming and the countryside is amazing. I am thinking particularly of the communities of Rankins Springs, Carrathool, Griffith and Goolgowi who hosted me when I was an Australia Day Ambassador in 2017.

  A big thank you to some people who helped me along the way: Len Klumpp, Becc Boland, Jessica Blakemore, Ruth Beaver and awesome fellow A&U rural author, Michael Trant, who gave me lots of inspiration for how to ruin a farmer’s day with mishaps!

  Also to my brainstorming extraordinaire gang: Kristie, Nicci, Sharon, Kimmy, Bec and Debbie. And my emergency helpline crew who came to my rescue with information: Dr Edwina Guard, Gigi Robertson, Glenda Grey, Raelene Hall and Ellen Watson.

  Also a big thank you to the Australia Day committee, without whom I would never have been invited out to Rankins Springs and this whole series may never have come to be. It has been an absolute honour to be an Ambassador for the past two years in a row and I thank you for the opportunity.

  COMING IN DECEMBER 2019

  Return to Stringybark
Creek

  KARLY LANE

  Book 3 of THE CALLAHANS OF STRINGYBARK CREEK series

  When top-flight journalists Hadley Callahan and Mitch Samuals married two years ago, theirs had been declared the celebrity wedding of the year. But, now, Hadley unexpectedly returns to Stringybark Creek alone to tell her parents one major piece of news while determinedly hiding another even more explosive secret.

  Hadley’s big society wedding had killed any hopes that Oliver Dawson, the Callahans’ neighbour and Griff Callahan’s best friend, had nurtured since his teenage years when Hadley was his best friend’s little sister and thus out-of-bounds.

  With Mitch putting pressure on Hadley to keep quiet, and the secret she’s keeping causing her great anguish, Hadley’s new feelings for Ollie take her by surprise. But her life is so messed up at the moment—what future could they possibly have together?

  Return to Stringybark Creek concludes the Callahan family trilogy with a delightfully irresistible story of loyalty, hope and the importance of staying true to yourself.

  ISBN 978 1 76052 923 9

  One

  Hadley felt the weariness of the long hours in the car fade away and a sense of homecoming fill her. Stringybark Station. It was good to be home. She pulled the car up in the driveway and climbed out, stretching her cramped legs and aching shoulders. There was nothing quite like the smell of wide-open spaces—and nothing as peaceful as the stillness and quiet of simply stopping and allowing yourself to listen to … nothing. She closed her eyes and tipped her head back, feeling the warmth of the sun on her face and allowing herself to enjoy the instant serenity that always came with being home.