by Jennie Jones
‘No,’ Sammy said instantly. ‘But I’d like to know who you think you’ll sell it to.’
‘That bad, huh?’ Property had never moved fast in Swallow’s Fall. ‘I suppose the new estate will take the fancy of any newcomers.’ If he couldn’t sell his mother’s house what chance did he have of selling Piralilla—if that was what he was going to do.
‘People like modern,’ Sammy said. ‘The type who move to the country on half-acre blocks also want their conveniences. Our population has grown because people have moved into the Swallow’s Fall hamlet, but they don’t live in town.’
‘So all this business growth is tentative.’
Sammy nodded. ‘I’m afraid so.’ She put her coffee cup onto the windowsill. ‘But you don’t need to worry about us. We love it here, so we manage. How long are you staying in town?’
‘I’d thought another week but I seem to have more on my plate now than I did before I left.’
Sammy laughed. ‘A toy shop, a house and now a farmhouse.’
‘What is it with that?’ Josh asked her. ‘What do you and Ethan think Grandy was doing?’
She took a deep breath as she considered his question, composing herself, features smiling and bright. ‘Not sure yet, Josh.’
‘Do you think there’s any chance Gem would take the farmhouse? I mean live in it—if I offered it to her rent free or on some low-cost lease agreement.’
Sammy smiled and tilted her head as she looked at him. ‘I think there’s every chance.’
Relief sank its fingers into Josh’s shoulders, massaging the tension that had been there all week. He gave Sammy a nod and a smile, letting her know he was grateful.
‘Although, I doubt she’d want to live in it alone,’ Sammy said, her smile turning to a grin.
‘What do you mean?’ Back to visions of Gem and her boyfriends. Or husband. He wasn’t sure he wanted a husband to have the farmhouse. Not rent free, anyway. ‘Well,’ he said, when Sammy didn’t answer. ‘If I offer and she takes it, maybe I’ll just make it an arrangement for the next two years.’
‘Good idea, Josh. You wouldn’t want to be tied to a lease agreement with Gemma for a lifetime, would you?’
He narrowed his eyes as he peered at the town’s matchmaker. ‘Stop that,’ he told her. ‘Please.’
She shrugged. ‘I don’t need to interfere in your life, Josh. You’re managing to sort it all out by yourself.’
That was too cryptic for him. He frowned at her.
‘Gem is a natural fighter, Josh, but she’s also a bit lost.’
‘How?’
‘She’s fighting herself.’
‘She’s struggling with something?’ Concern for Gem struck him like a hammer to the chest. ‘She’s always hidden her hurts,’ he said, recalling any number of times tough-nut Gem had ridden over any sympathy people might have shown her. Especially when her dad had disgraced himself and his family by leaving them.
‘I shouldn’t mention this, Josh, and I’m only doing so because I trust you.’
‘What is it?’
‘I don’t know that she’ll have whatever it is you’re asking for the shop.’
‘I’m not going to pressure her. I’ll give her time to organise her finances.’
‘She won’t ask for it.’
True. Gem had given him the impression that a week or two more to sort out her finances would be advantageous. But if she was having trouble finding the cash or the backing, she wouldn’t tell Josh. And she’d need more than a couple of weeks. ‘Maybe I’ll tell her I need some time to sort things out my end.’ Which was true, because he had to speak to his trustees and get them to send him more paperwork. Something wasn’t right with the shop and he couldn’t put his finger on what. He also needed time to get hold of the caretaker and work out what had gone wrong with the deal. He was still paying the woman.
‘That would help Gem out enormously,’ Sammy said. ‘And don’t tell her I had this conversation with you.’
‘Of course I won’t. Thanks for the heads-up.’
‘Now why don’t we get our boots out of my frosty vegetable patch and go get a fresh coffee? Hey—why don’t you stay for lunch?’
It was tempting, but so was Gemma—more so than a family meal in a warm, cosy kitchen. ‘Think I’ll head on back to town. Might go see Gem.’
Sammy reached up to kiss his cheek.
‘See you later,’ Josh said. ‘Tell Ethan I’ll come over again soon.’
‘I will.’ She took hold of his jacket sleeve as he turned. ‘Josh.’
‘Yeah?’
She gave him a smile, a loving smile, but there was a rawness in her gaze.
‘What is it?’ he asked.
She shook her head. ‘Nothing. Just wanted another look at you.’
Eleven
‘Taking time off again, eh?’
Gem started at the sound of Josh’s voice, arriving so deep and rich from the closed space where her mind had been. She peered down at him from the second level of her scaffolding. ‘Raphael is—’
‘I’m joking, Gem,’ he interrupted as he climbed the ladder. ‘Nice view from up here.’ The deck of the platform was only two metres long, so Gem had no choice but to suffocate in the glorious smell of him. A subtle aroma of the ocean lay beneath the leather of his bomber jacket. Perhaps masculinity always exuded from his skin. Damn it. He’d probably been a hit with the ladies since birth.
‘What do you need?’ she asked.
He smiled, slowly and way too sexily. ‘I need your books. Oh—and I need that kiss.’
Gem swallowed and turned from him.
‘Hey, I like what you’ve done.’
She followed his gaze to the Rutherford plaque on the wall.
‘Looks like that blip on my mother’s branch is growing. Maybe you’re thinking about painting me a yacht sail.’
‘I suppose you want a compass too.’
‘So long as it’s pointing north, Gem.’
Five days to get over him. ‘Where’ve you been?’ she asked, nodding at his hiking boots, which were slush muddy and frost splashed.
He leaned his backside against the rail and stuck his hands in his pockets. ‘I went to see Sammy. I’ve got something to tell you, and something I want to ask you.’
‘Oh?’
‘Nobody knows yet and I’d prefer to keep it that way for time being but—Grandy left me the farmhouse.’
It took a moment for Gem’s brain to put two and two together. ‘Piralilla?’
‘Yeah. Do you want it?’
‘What?’
‘The farmhouse.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous.’
‘I’ve never been more serious in my life.’ He pushed from the rail. ‘I have no idea why he left it to me, but it’s mine and I don’t need it.’
Because he wasn’t staying.
‘I can’t afford to buy the farmhouse off you.’
‘I’d give it to you.’
‘You’re out of your mind.’
He grinned. ‘Maybe. In fact it’s more than likely.’ His eyes darkened. ‘Shall we kiss on it?’ He waited for her to answer, his grin widening.
‘You’ll have trouble selling it.’
‘I know. I’ve got my mother’s house too. Still can’t find the woman I hired to look after it.’
Gem squinted in thought. ‘I remember seeing a woman in an old car once, as I was on my way to your place on my bike. She passed me on the lane and I wondered where she’d been since the lane only leads to your house.’ She shrugged. ‘Never saw her again though.’
‘She’s been ripping me off, whoever she is. I did get an estate agent to look after it for the first few years, but the company went bust, so I advertised for a caretaker-type person and this woman was the only one who answered. I guess I was so busy getting my life together, I didn’t bother vetting her. I paid her quarterly, a direct debit went straight into her bank account and I forgot about her.’
The way he’d forgotten Gem?
‘Where does she live? Oh, Josh!’ she added in exasperation as he smiled sheepishly. ‘It serves you right.’ For not taking better care, for not caring at all. For only wanting to start again, afresh, someplace else.
‘I suppose it does,’ he admitted, although he didn’t look too perturbed about losing what must amount to a tidy sum. ‘I’m unlikely to sell the place—or the farmhouse. Which is why I thought I’d give it to you.’
She ignored his unrealistic suggestion. ‘Trouble is,’ she said, ‘neither property comes with a going concern. Your house is just a house, way out of town, and Grandy’s place—sorry, your place—well, it’s no longer a working farm since Grandy gave two hundred acres to Ethan and Sammy. I’d buy it if I could though.’
‘I just said I’d give it to you.’
‘You need to get out more, Josh.’
‘And I’ve got the shop too,’ he said, ignoring her jibe. ‘That’s a going concern, isn’t it? I should be thinking about the price I’m asking which will be dependent on the goodwill. Might take me some time to determine the right figure.’
‘Upping the price?’ she asked, aghast. She managed to stem the sudden fear by swallowing it hard. ‘Look, I have to admit something.’ She looked up at him, trying to keep her panic hidden.
‘Go.’
‘I might need a little extra time to get the last … few thousand.’
‘You’ve got it. How long do you need?’
‘Um … not sure unless I call my father again although I’d prefer not to do that.’
Surprise showed in Josh’s eyes and for a split second his features hardened, as though his hackles were rising. ‘What’s he got to do with it?’
‘The only way I can find the remaining capital to buy the shop is by using some of the money Aunt Gert left me. I can’t touch it until I’m thirty, but dad’s my trustee. My profit pays the lease on the shop, but not much more.’ God forbid the all-time shit would let Gem handle anything. He didn’t think any woman capable of handling financials, which is why he’d always insisted on running the books for the shop when her mother had owned it.
‘Gem.’
Josh’s voice returned her to the present.
‘How does it work?’ he asked. ‘From your side. How do you deal with my trustees?’
‘I don’t. My father does all that.’
‘You send your financial reports to him?’
‘All correspondence has to go through him because he’s the one who gave me an amount of money from my inheritance, for start-up costs. So according to him, he’s accountable.’
‘And you never questioned that?’
‘Of course I did but you know what he’s like.’
‘Yeah, I do.’ Josh chewed this over, looking past Gem, his brow furrowed in thought, then his features relaxed and he smiled at her. ‘Okay. I’ve decided I’m staying a bit longer. Probably until the end of the week after this one.’
Twelve days to get over him. The countdown was going backwards.
‘So, that’s business over with. How about that kiss?’ Said so smoothly.
‘I thought you were joking about that.’ Although he didn’t look as though there was a funny thought in his head.
‘I’ve got this chip on my shoulder and I don’t like to be wrong.’
‘I could have told you that.’
‘You did.’ He stepped closer and put his hands to the wall of the stock feeders’, either side of her shoulders. ‘And I want to prove you wrong. You want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you.’
He waited, head tilted.
This was her last chance. Her only chance. So what that she’d be tortured by the memory of it for the next five decades?
‘I suppose you could give it a shot,’ she said. ‘If you have to.’
He took hold of her arms and stepped her backwards to the scaffolding rails. ‘Let’s not make it an event for everyone on Main Street,’ he said when they were out of view. ‘This is a private moment between you and me.’
Oh God, he was going to do it, and she was going to let him.
He seemed to be breathing normally, whereas Gem’s lungs were beating against her ribcage.
‘Are you ready?’
She moistened her lips.
He bent.
‘Wait a sec!’ She bared her teeth. ‘I haven’t got lettuce stuck in my teeth, have I? I just had lunch.’
He leaned a hand on the wall beside her head. ‘What did you have?’
‘A salad sub from Mrs Tam’s.’
‘Sounds good.’
‘It was.’
‘Gem. You’re stalling. You’re scared.’
‘Not me. I’m the one who suggested it, remember?’
‘I thought I did.’
‘You said you wanted to, I said, “No”, you just said, “How about it?” So I said, “You can try if you like …”’
‘So you did. Now shut up because here we go.’
He took hold of her face and Gem’s whole body trembled from his touch. He tipped his head as he aimed his mouth at hers. Gem parted her lips but couldn’t close her eyes. She wanted to see everything. Feel everything. Remember every minuscule moment.
The spice-brown of his hair shone. The tanned skin on his cheekbones and forehead seemed to shimmer. There was a glow around him, like an aura or a halo. She was bathed in his richness. In the warmth of his hands on her face.
His mouth touched hers and she knew this wasn’t going to be a peck. He pressed gently and everything she was made of whirled. She closed her eyes and raised her chin to meet the pressure. His hands held her face more firmly, his long fingers behind her head, his thumbs on her cheeks.
Where had he learned to kiss like this?
He opened her mouth and deepened the kiss, his hands sliding from her face to the back of her neck. He pressed his body hard against hers, hips first—Oh, boy.
She sank into the artistry of his kiss. He was her line and form, flowing and intimate. She was the sky and he was the sun. Or maybe the other way round, she wasn’t thinking straight but she felt subtle and earthy next to his bold, vibrant strength.
Josh Rutherford was her focal point and always would be. She’d love him a lifetime.
He teased her bottom lip with his teeth and a shudder ran through her. She wanted to wind her arms around his neck, but she wasn’t supposed to be letting him know she was enjoying this.
His mouth left hers but still the wonder tingled on her lips. She opened her eyes and stared at him.
‘I win,’ he said, his voice low and breathless, as though he were catching it after running a thousand kilometres. ‘You melted with it. You’re a goner.’
She tightened her jaw in case her chin dropped and hit her knees.
‘You’ve got surprise and wonder all over your face.’
Her skin was flushed with post-kiss pleasure. As far as Gem was concerned, Josh’s mouth was made for hers, but she had to keep him from figuring out what his remarkable kiss had done to her. ‘My only surprise is that I almost peed my pants in disgust.’
He released her, laughing hard. She nearly swooned. She grabbed the scaffold railing to steady herself.
‘Well, you sound convinced,’ he said in a humorous drawl. ‘My mistake. Again.’ He shook his head. ‘When am I going to learn?’ He climbed down the ladder, muttering, ‘One of these days.’
He was leaving! It hadn’t been enough. She needed more than one experimental kiss if the memory was going to see her through the next five decades.
‘I suppose we could try it again—’ she called, stepping backwards so the rail would catch her if she fainted. ‘If you like—Ow!’ Pain like a sharp knife seared through her ankle as her foot slipped between the boards of the scaffolding platform. Stars exploded behind her eyes and everything went black.
‘Gem?’
She collapsed to her knees, unable to hold herself up, and agony moved up her leg again as she wrenched at her trapped foot.
He was back up the ladd
er and kneeling beside her in a flash. ‘I’ve got you. Stay still for a second.’
Where did he think she was going? This was excruciating! ‘Josh, it hurts.’
‘Okay, baby, hang on.’
With his arm around her waist, he levered her, slow and careful, until she was sitting on her bottom, her right leg bent at the knee with her foot stuck between the wood of the platform. One of the boards had splintered.
‘This might hurt a lot. I’m going to have to pull the planks apart.’
‘’Kay,’ she said, and gritted her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut as he did it. ‘Ow,’ she said as quietly as she could through the blinding pain, then opened one eye to look at her ankle.
With her booted foot rested on his hand, Josh lifted the leg of her track pants, his fingertips soft on her skin, but the touch still caused pain.
‘Shit, Gem,’ he said in a growl. He leaned his arm on his thigh and peered at her, scowling. ‘I think you’ve broken it.’
Twelve
‘You two get yourselves into a lot of scrapes, don’t you?’ Jess said.
Gem sighed—a pastime she’d become adept at in the last twenty-four hours—and leaned her elbow on the dining table, her chin in her hands and her fuchsia-pink cast on a cushioned chair.
‘It’s looking that way,’ she said to Jess, then swapped the telephone to her other hand as she bent to stick her finger down the opening of the cast. Her little toe had been driving her insane.
‘Everyone’s talking about it,’ Jess informed her.
‘Great,’ Gem said. Of course everyone was talking about it. ‘What was I thinking with this cast? Is everyone laughing?’
‘Not your leg. They’re talking about the kiss. You broke your ankle while kissing Josh.’
‘Not true!’ Gem said, sitting bolt upright. ‘Where did that story come from?’
‘Somebody saw you. You were kissing him behind Dad’s stock feeders’. Dad said to tell you if he’d known about it he would have sold tickets and put the money towards the new sports stand you’re always going on about.’
‘This is entirely untrue, Jess. Please spread a new rumour.’
‘Why don’t you come to Kookaburra’s and do that yourself? I can come help you down the stairs.’