by Emma Lea
“Oh fuck,” Zoë breathed beside him and he turned to look at her.
“Problem?”
She huffed out a sigh. “Just my ex.”
“Tanner? What is he doing here?” She’d told him about Tanner, well, she’d told him her last boyfriend’s name was Tanner and that it didn’t end well, she didn’t go into specifics.
“No, not that ex, thank fuck. That is Ryan, my high school boyfriend. Mum told me he was back in town. I didn’t expect him to be our welcoming committee.”
Ryan waved at them and Zoë growled low under her breath before plastering a smile on her face and opening the door, sliding out of the car before he could get around to help her.
“Ryan, hi,” she said, walking toward him.
Blake opened his own door and got out, stretching his legs before striding to join Zoë on the path to the house. He slipped his arm around her waist and she shot him a surprised look before her face cleared in understanding. If they were going to put on a show about them being a couple, it needed to start right now.
“Zoë! So good to see you,” Ryan said, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. Blake didn’t relinquish his hold on her and when Ryan straightened Blake held out his hand.
“Blake Spencer,” he said, “Zoë’s boyfriend.”
Ryan looked surprised for a moment before grinning. “Good to meet you,” he said, shaking Blake’s hand and squeezing. Blake kept his smile easy and squeezed back.
“Your mother didn’t say you were bringing a guest,” Ryan said, taking his hand back from Blake and sliding it into his pocket.
“It was a last minute change,” she said, looking at Blake with wide eyes.
“I wasn’t sure I was going to make it,” Blake said easily, pulling Zoë closer into his side. “But I couldn’t stand the thought of spending Christmas without my girl.” He looked down at her and she was staring up at him in what he hoped was an adoring way.
Ryan cleared his throat and Zoë looked away. “Where is mum? I was expecting her to be here.”
“Your dad had to go into town for an emergency, she thought he might need her help. She asked me to help you get settled.”
Zoë frowned. “Is everything okay?”
“I think it was one of the Inglas boys. From the gossip I heard in town, they were racing their paddock bashers and had a little mishap.”
“Paddock bashers?” Blake asked.
“Old cars that they use to drive around the farm,” Zoë supplied helpfully. She turned back to Ryan. “Did mum say when they’d be home?”
“No, but she gave me your key,” Ryan replied handing it to Zoë. “She put you in cabin four.”
“We’re not staying at the house?” Zoë asked, her body stiffening.
“Your mum thought it would be better for Cassie and Luke to stay in the house with the baby.”
“Sure, of course,” Zoë said, her body relaxing back against his. “Well, I suppose we should head over to the cabins.”
“Nice to meet you,” Blake said before tangling his fingers with Zoë’s and tugging her back to the car where he opened her door.
He climbed back into the driver’s seat and turned to her. “Where to?”
She pointed down the drive where the road forked. “Take the left,” she said.
He followed her instructions and they came to a large open area. In the centre was a large covered communal area—the pavilion he assumed—and spaced in a large circle around it were an assortment of caravans and cabins.
“Cabin four is that one over there,” she said pointing to a single cabin tucked away from the others down an adjoining track.
He drove the car toward the cabin and parked beside it. The cabins were actually dongas—demountable buildings that were used for offices and accommodation most often on mine sites. This one had a small verandah out the front and a garden surrounding it.
Blake got out of the car and looked around.
“That’s the laundry building over there,” Zoë said, coming to stand beside him and pointing. “And that’s the public showers and toilets.”
“There’s no bathroom in this?” he asked.
“Oh yeah, the cabins are all fully self-contained with bathrooms and kitchenettes. That’s for the caravans that don’t have their own facilities. That big structure in the centre is the camp kitchen. It has cooking and refrigeration facilities. That’s where we’ll eat with the family while we’re here.”
“It’s a pretty sweet setup,” he said.
She shrugged. “Wait until you see inside.”
He followed her up the three steps and on to the verandah. She unlocked the glass sliding door and pushed it open. The air-conditioning was already on and it was nice to step out of the heat. It was small; cosy rather than claustrophobic. There was a combined kitchen, dining and living space and a door through to the bedroom. The single bedroom with only one bed.
He looked at Zoë and she grinned ruefully. “It’s the ‘honeymoon’ suite,” she said.
8
Blake was being a good sport about the sleeping arrangements. He’d offered to sleep on the couch, but she felt bad about making him do that. They’d shelved the discussion for later, after she spoke to her mother.
Julia Farraday had some explaining to do. Zoë hadn’t told her mother that she was bringing Blake. She hadn’t told her family anything about Blake because she’d thought he would pull out of the deal. The last thing she wanted to do was have to explain why her boyfriend had abandoned her over Christmas.
She hadn’t expected Julia to put her in the cabin. What she had expected was to get to Hope Springs, introduce Blake to the family and then have him safely installed in her sister’s bedroom while she slept in her own. Zoë thought for sure Cassie and Luke would want one of the cabins.
Apparently not.
“So what now?” Blake said coming out of the bedroom after taking her bag in.
Zoë huffed out a breath. “It’s time to meet the family, I guess,” she said.
He grinned, his dimple winking at her. “Don’t worry. I give good parent.”
“What?”
He shrugged. “Parents love me,” he said, slinging an arm casually around her shoulders. “Just watch. I’ll have them eating out of my hand in no time.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” she said, sighing and leaning into his hard chest. Just for a moment. Just to borrow his strength and confidence for a minute before facing the hungry wolves.
He turned her so she was facing him and tipped her chin up. “Then what are you worried about?”
“You,” she said. “I’m worried about you. I don’t think you understand the lengths my mother will go to to have me married and pregnant as soon as practically possible.”
He laughed. She backhanded him in the stomach, marvelling at the solid wall of muscle her hand came into contact with. “It’s not funny,” she said. “You are about to enter the lion’s den. You will be given the third degree and by the end of the night you will have spilt all your state secrets.”
He pulled her into his chest and dropped a casual peck on top of her head. “I’ve got this, Slim,” he said. “Trust me.”
“Come on then,” she said, reluctantly pulling away from him. “Let’s get this bloodbath over with.”
He hooked his fingers in hers as they strolled toward the house. Her mother and father had arrived back from town a few minutes earlier and were waiting for them in the kitchen when she led Blake inside.
“Zoë! My baby!” Julia Farraday smothered Zoë in a hug.
“I’m not your baby, mum,” Zoë said. “That’s Trina.”
“You’re all my babies,” she said, turning her eyes to Blake. “And who is this?”
Blake smiled charmingly at her mother and extended his hand. “I’m Blake. Zoë’s boyfriend. She’s told me so much about you.”
“Well, that’s one of us,” Julia replied. “It’s nice to meet you, Blake. You can call me Julia and this is Zoë’s dad, Samuel.”
“Nice to meet you both Dr. and Mrs. Farraday,” he said turning to shake hands with her dad.
Zoë rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to call them that. Julia and Samuel will be fine.”
“Have a seat,” Julia said, bustling into the kitchen. “You must be dying for a cuppa after your long drive.”
“A cold drink would be wonderful,” Blake said, sliding into a chair at the kitchen table. “It’s a lovely place you have here.”
“Thanks,” Samuel said, sitting opposite Blake. Zoë took a seat beside Blake and his hand found her thigh under the table, giving it a supportive squeeze.
“So tell us about yourself,” her dad said, eyeing Blake curiously. “I’m afraid Zoë here has been keeping you a secret.”
Blake smiled easily and moved his hand so he could put his arm around her. “She didn’t want to get your hopes up. I wasn’t sure I could get the time off work in order to be here for Christmas, but I managed to swing it.”
“What do you do?” her dad asked and Zoë’s brain went blank. They’d worked out a cover story on the drive but now she couldn’t remember any of it.
“I work with a company called ‘Lost in Wonderland,’” he said. “We go into children’s hospitals and entertain the kids.”
“Like with games and things?” Julia asked, bringing a plate of homemade shortbread to the table along with a jug of ginger beer. Homemade ginger beer.
Blake nodded. “Yeah, but we also dress up. That’s how Zoë and I met.”
Julia raised her eyebrows at Zoë. “Really?”
“We got stuck in an elevator together,” Zoë blurted out. “He was wearing an elf costume.”
Blake laughed. “I was in Zoë’s building picking up a donation check for ‘Lost in Wonderland,’” he said. “The elevator got stuck with the two of us in it and we’ve been inseparable since.”
“Did she freak out?” her dad asked and Blake’s arm tightened around her shoulder.
“A little bit. She told me about her issue with enclosed spaces.”
A commotion at the front door had them all turning to look as Trina stepped through the door. “I’m home!” she called.
“Yeah and so are we,” came another voice. Her other sister Cassie.
“Bring me my grand baby!” Julia said, jumping to her feet and racing toward the front door.
Zoë shot a look at Blake. “That was the easy part,” she whispered.
Trina stepped into the kitchen and stopped, her boyfriend, Tony, running into her from behind.
“Trina, honey, don’t just stop like that—”
“Well hello there. And who are you?”
Zoë got to her feet and rested her hand on Blake’s shoulder. “This is Blake,” she said. “My boyfriend. Blake this is my baby sister Trina and her boyfriend, Tony.”
Blake stood and held out his hand, but Trina ignored it, instead wrapping him in a hug.
“Welcome to the family,” she said.
The rest of the afternoon was a blur as Zoë’s family members continued to arrive. Blake’s brain was overwhelmed with names and faces. When Zoë said there’d be twenty-five people attending Christmas at her parent’s place, he hadn’t actually imagined what twenty-five people would be like. Thank god they weren’t all squeezed into the house. Zoë was right about the extension out the back of the house, but it still wasn’t big enough to accommodate the never-ending parade of relatives.
He’d escaped the madness for a quick shower before dinner. It was nice to have the cabin to himself for a moment and clear his head. He’d gotten some hard looks from Zoë’s male cousins and her mother had hardly let him out of her sight. Zoë wasn’t wrong about her mother’s campaign to get her married. It was sweet, in an overbearing mother kind of way. If he was honest, he sort of wished his family was as concerned about his love life as Zoë’s were about hers.
Despite the intense scrutiny he was under, he was enjoying himself. It reminded him of his time in a small village in India. He’d never experienced community like it before and seeing Zoë’s family and the way they interacted with each other made him miss the friends he’d made there. His own family couldn’t give a shit about his life unless it involved Austin Industries, a complete disconnect from the extended family of the Farradays.
He stepped out of the shower and tied a towel around his waist. He heard the door slide open and Zoë’s voice.
“Are you in here Blake?”
“Just getting changed,” he said and then looked up to see her standing in the bedroom doorway, staring at him…his chest actually.
“Um…I was…”
Her cheeks went pink as she tore her eyes from where his towel was secured low on his hips and she bit her lip. He groaned internally. He couldn’t help but notice how her nipples peaked against the thin material of her tank top and he felt a corresponding reaction below his towel.
“Zoë,” he said, his voice rough.
“Yeah, right,” she said, turning away from him. “I need a quick shower too. When you’re finished.”
“No problem,” he said waiting for her to close the bedroom door before dropping his towel.
He tipped his face to the ceiling and took a deep breath. Damn but that woman did things to him with just a look. Sharing a cabin with her was probably not the smartest idea, but he didn’t really have a choice.
He dressed quickly and stepped out of the bedroom.
“All yours,” he said.
“Thanks,” she replied quickly before slipping into the bedroom and closing the door.
He heard the shower start and made a hasty retreat. No way could he stick around the cabin and imagine her wet and naked in the shower. He headed for the pavilion where the rest of the family was setting up for dinner.
“Beer?” Luke asked, handing him a bottle from the ice-filled esky.
“Yeah, thanks,” he said, looking down at the unfamiliar bottle in his hand. “What’s this?”
“Craft beer. A local one. One thing you need to know about Zoë’s dad, he likes his boutique beers.”
“Good to know,” Blake said, lifting the bottle to his lips.
“Don’t let them spook you,” Luke said, standing beside him with his own beer. “They’re pretty great once you get past the matchmaking.”
“How long have you and Cassie been together?”
“Married three years in a couple of months,” he said, “but we’ve been together about five. You can imagine what a big deal it was, especially since she’s the eldest. Her mother nearly drove me away with her constant interfering.”
Blake raised his eyebrows. “What happened?”
Luke shrugged. “I love Cassie. I wanted to be with her and if that meant putting up with her crazy family then I was prepared to do it.”
“Many wouldn’t,” Blake said, thinking of his own family and what any woman he brought home would be subjected to.
“No, but when you know it’s right, you’ll do whatever it takes to keep it.”
“Hey,” Zoë said, stepping up beside him and taking his beer from his hand. She took a sip and then blushed when she realised what she’d done.
Luke chuckled. “Tough day Zo?”
“You could say that,” she said, handing the beer back to Blake.
“Keep it,” he said, bending to get another one for himself. “So is this everyone then?” he asked, nodding toward the assembled crowd who sat around in small groups chatting and laughing.
“Everyone but Grandma and Grandpa Jones. They’ll be up tomorrow.”
The sound of people tapping knives and forks against glass made him look at Zoë. “Um? What are they doing?”
Zoë looked toward her mother and then her eyes went wide as she tipped her head up. He followed her gaze to see a scraggly looking plant hanging down above their heads.
“What’s that?” he whispered out of the side of his mouth.
“Mu-m,” Zoë said, exasperated.
“It’s tradition,” Jul
ia called to them.
“What’s going on?” he asked looking down at Zoë.
She pointed to the plant hanging above them. “We’re standing under the mistletoe.”
“What?”
“Mistletoe. They want us to kiss.”
“I didn’t know we even had mistletoe in Australia,” he said looking dubiously up at the plant. “It doesn’t even look like mistletoe.”
“It’s a native mistletoe,” she said with a sigh. “We need to get this over and done with. They won’t leave us alone until we do.”
He grinned. “Don’t sound so excited.”
She rolled her eyes at him and turned to face him. “Lay it on me, Hotshot,” she said.
He dropped his head and brushed his lips across hers. Electricity sparked between them and he reflexively pulled her closer. She went willingly, melting against him and opening her mouth under his. He could taste the bitter hops from her beer on her tongue and groaned as he deepened the kiss. He couldn’t get close enough, couldn’t get enough of her as he explored her mouth, her tongue sliding silkily against his. She moaned, her arms wrapping around his neck and pulled him down. It was everything a first kiss should be…right up until someone ruined it by sliding an ice cube down the back of his shirt.
He jumped back, reality crashing into him as he heard the catcalls and applause of Zoë’s family. He caught Zoë’s look and she seemed just as dazed as he was. He lifted his beer and sipped, hoping to clear his head.
“Nice one,” Luke said, slapping him on the back.
9
Sleeping on the couch had not been the best idea he’d ever had. His legs hung over the end of the two-seater and the wooden strut in the middle dug into his lower back. He’d slept like crap and it was all because of the uncomfortable lounge and nothing to do with the scorching hot kiss that had knocked him on his arse the night before.
He groaned as he straightened, stretching his back out. He was currently sweating like the proverbial pig and standing on the roof of the pavilion while Zoë’s dad handed him strings of fairy lights. They were decorating and after the pavilion was done, they would start on the house. It was going to be a long hot day, but at least he wasn’t the only one sweltering in the summer heat. Luke, Tony, and Zoë’s cousins Braden, Oliver, and Finn had all been forced into service while Samuel, Frank, Zoë’s grandfather, and her two uncles, Greg and James, supervised with beers in hand.