Guy found himself smiling. The bad weather and her smart city clothes hadn’t stopped her wading around in the mud to sort out that bull today either. She was quite something, this woman. It was just such a shame that they were so far apart. Chalk and cheese. Loner and socialite. Silence and noise. City and country. Wild country at that.
Releasing a deep breath in a heartfelt sigh, Guy turned his attention back to the present. He had to decide what he was going to say because it had to be more than an hour since Jennifer had stormed out. A glance at his watch confirmed it was closer to two hours and his brow creased in a frown.
Had she stuck to the roadside for her walk or headed for the hills? Maybe she wasn’t a complete townie but she didn’t know this part of the country. She could have got herself lost among the ridges and valleys. She could have slipped on rocky ground, still wet from the morning’s rain, and injured herself. She was pregnant, for heaven’s sake. With his baby!
With another sigh Guy levered himself to his feet. He’d have to go looking for her and if she wasn’t on the road, there was no point in relying on the comfort of the Toyota.
‘Come on, guys.’ He clicked his fingers unnecessarily to alert the dogs of impending action. ‘Let’s take Charlie out for a run.’
Jennifer’s feet hadn’t been this wet and cold and uncomfortable since…since she’d trailed after Guy in their walk down the mountain. They weren’t blistered again, thank goodness, but they poked out from the ends of her jeans like two big mud balls.
The despair that had propelled her to take to the hills had made her oblivious to where she’d walked, and even a small stream and ankle-deep mud hadn’t done more than slow her temporarily. Whatever she’d been hoping to find was elusive until fatigue forced her to take a rest. She sat on a slab of rock near another stream and watched several tiny lizards scuttle out of the now warm late afternoon sunshine and disappear down a crack. A pair of rabbits gave her a startled glance before bounding away further uphill, and then it was just Jennifer and the vast surroundings of the Central Otago landscape.
Huge fluffy clouds scudded over the mountains, some with peaks still laden with snow. She could see the expanse of Lake Wanaka in the distance and the closer ribbon of the Matukituki river. Rocky hills flowed in every direction and obscured any sign of human existence like roads or houses.
Idly Jennifer began picking the buttercups growing beside her as she sat and absorbed the stillness and peace. This was what she had needed. Time out. Time to come to terms with the fact she was now bonded for ever through a child to a man who didn’t want her. A man she was desperately in love with.
The persistently strong feelings she had grown accustomed to over the last few weeks had nothing to do with any post-traumatic stress syndrome or even the hormonal turbulence of pregnancy. The real reason for her apparent obsession with Guy had been blindingly obvious as soon as she’d seen him again, and the truth had become inescapable the moment she’d caught his expression when he’d watched Phil and Ellie and the baby together for the first time.
All the things she had been striving for in her life had just lost a great deal of their significance, and Jennifer felt utterly lost. Maybe she’d always been heading in the wrong direction. Ever since…
The glow of the bright petals she held distracted Jennifer. Almost mesmerised her. The last time she had picked buttercups had been to present a bouquet to her mother on one of their frequent wanders through the farm paddocks. Their special time together when the rest of the world had been forgotten and Jennifer had been the most important person in existence.
The blur of her tears made it difficult to ascertain what it was she saw appearing over the ridge of the next hill. Jennifer blinked and then stared. And then she laughed through her tears. She was still laughing and the tears had been brushed away by the time the apparition neared her rock.
‘What’s so funny?’
‘You’re a Knight,’ Jennifer pointed out, ‘and you’ve just ridden up on a white charger.’
Guy’s grin lit up his sombre features. ‘Charlie’s hardly a charger. I was lucky to get a good canter out of him. He’s just a retired farm hack but, hey! If you need rescuing then I’m your man.’
He slid off the large white horse and held out a hand. Jennifer grasped it and scrambled to her feet. The two dogs, who had hurled themselves into the stream to cool off, emerged to shake themselves vigorously and shower Jennifer with water.
‘Get on behind,’ Guy growled. The dogs grinned back, still panting hard.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Jennifer assured him. ‘I’m filthy anyway. Just look at my feet!’
‘Charlie won’t mind. I can brush the mud off later.’
‘You don’t think I’m going to ride back, do you? I haven’t even been on a pony since I was a kid, and he’s huge!’
‘You’ll be as safe as houses,’ Guy promised. ‘Have you any idea how far you’ve walked? It would be nearly dark by the time you got back.’ He eyed her feet. ‘I’ll bet they’re cold and you don’t want to get a new set of blisters, do you? Besides,’ he added firmly, ‘there’s a session at the Glenfalloch pub tonight to wet young Isaac Guy Henderson’s head, and you’re expected to attend as the guest of honour.’
‘But I haven’t got anything to wear!’
Guy raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m sure we can come to some arrangement. How ’bout I tell Maureen to leave the doilies in the cupboard and you can go…naked.’
‘Yeah, right!’
The change in the atmosphere at the very notion of Jennifer being naked was marked. Having Guy vault onto Charlie’s bare back after boosting her on board cranked it up to an electrifying level. When they started moving, with Guy holding Jennifer securely against his body, the rocking motion created a physical contact that was almost unbearably exciting.
‘Do you really want to keep those?’ Guy’s hand touched the one of Jennifer’s that wasn’t gripping a handful of shaggy mane.
She looked at the wilting bunch of buttercups and smiled. ‘Yes,’ she said firmly. ‘I do.’
When they reached flatter ground, Guy asked whether Jennifer wanted to try a faster pace. She agreed, partly because the sooner the exquisite torture of being held so closely by Guy was over the sooner she could try and get her head straight again, and partly because she felt so safe and secure in his arms that she was ready to try anything.
Charlie’s steady canter felt like flying, and Jennifer laughed aloud at the sheer pleasure of it. The ride was over all too soon, however, and Guy slid down and then held up his arms to catch Jennifer as she dismounted. Suddenly she was on the ground, still in Guy’s arms and grinning like an idiot. With her face upturned, she was about to find a way to express her appreciation but the look on Guy’s face made any words die on her lips.
He wanted to kiss her. Jennifer’s lips parted, more than ready to welcome and return the contact, but as her gaze locked with his she could see the flash of alarm and almost feel the gathering of resolve. He might want to kiss her—maybe even as much as she wanted him to—but he wasn’t going succumb to physical desire. Whatever it was that made her unacceptable was way too powerful.
Guy turned away, dropping his hands from Jennifer’s waist. ‘You go ahead and get changed,’ he said gruffly. ‘I’ll take care of Charlie.’ He didn’t turn his head as he led the horse away. ‘It really doesn’t matter what you wear,’ he added wearily. ‘People want to see you, not your clothes.’
There was no chance for any kind of personal conversation before heading out to the local gathering, but Jennifer was quite happy to wait for Guy’s verdict. The more time they spent together, the more chance she had for more than a rank dismissal from his life.
A crowd of nearly a hundred people packed the large public bar of the Glenfalloch pub, milling around tables that groaned with the weight of the community’s culinary offerings. The animated buzz of happy conversation died as Guy and Jennifer stepped through the door. Phil Henderson, a tall gla
ss of beer in one hand, had spotted them and was tapping on his glass with a spoon to attract everyone’s attention.
‘Here they are!’ he cried. ‘Not one but two knights in shining armour. Without these two heroes I might not have my wife, let alone the most beautiful baby in the world.’
The cheer that went up, along with the handclapping, was embarrassing enough, but Jennifer wished a hole in the floor would open up and swallow her as one young man’s ribald shout was heard above the general approval.
‘You’d better marry her now, Doc, and turn her into a real Knight!’
A woman standing near the door smiled at Jennifer. ‘Take no notice of Nathan, love. We’ve all been letting off a bit of steam, that’s all. This is a celebration we’ve all been looking forward to.’
‘I’m Lillian,’ the woman introduced herself. ‘This is my husband, Dave. We’re the closest neighbours to the Hendersons so I expect I’ll get to see a lot of wee Isaac. Is it true he’s quite OK?’
‘As far as we know, he’s absolutely fine,’ Jennifer confirmed.
People were gathering around her and she could see that Guy was being slapped on the back and congratulated as he made his way closer to the bar. Introductions were coming at her from all directions. Hands needed shaking and all sorts of questions about Isaac’s arrival had to be fielded but, to her surprise, Jennifer found herself enjoying the attention. When had she ever felt this much appreciation and respect from the relatives and friends of patients she’d treated? Mind you, she’d never had the time or inclination to spend any kind of social time with them.
A glass of sparkling wine found its way into Jennifer’s hand but she abandoned it discreetly as she was edged towards the tables.
‘You must be starving, dear. Grab a plate. There’s plenty!’
Indeed there was. When she got close enough to the tables to see what was on them, a lump the size of a golf ball lodged itself in Jennifer’s throat. It was like a time warp. These tables could have been at any country gathering in her own childhood. Steaming plates of sausage rolls and small potato-topped savouries stood by plastic bottles of tomato sauce. Asparagus rolls were doing their best to unfurl and there were even lamingtons, with cream oozing out from their coconut-drenched chocolate or strawberry coating.
Jennifer was sure she recognised two of the women she’d overheard talking in the hospital corridor the day she’d finally hauled herself out of bed. One of them eyed her with great interest.
‘We certainly didn’t expect to see you back in our neck of the woods.’
‘I just popped back to visit Guy.’
‘Hmm.’ The two women exchanged a glance. ‘You must have got to know each other quite well on that wee tramp in the mountains.’
‘You could say that.’ Guy leaned over from a conversation in a neighbouring knot of people, flashing Jennifer just the ghost of a wink. Was he also thinking of just how well they had got to know each other?
‘And you’ve come back. How long will you stay this time?’
Jennifer was trying to will herself not to blush. ‘Not long, but I’m sure it won’t be my last visit.’ Guy may have returned to his own conversation but she was sure he was listening to her words. ‘This part of the country has changed my life. I think part of me belongs here now.’
Guy confirmed that he’d been listening by turning towards the women again. ‘Jennifer has to get home tomorrow. She’s about to become the head honcho for the emergency department in her Auckland hospital.’
‘Well, it’s just lucky you happened to visit today, then, isn’t it?’ The women nodded happily and then one drained her glass of wine.
‘So you’re staying with Guy, then?’
No arrangements had been made for the night, but Jennifer had no idea how long this celebration was likely to last. If it finished late, he was hardly likely to send her off looking for a hotel, was he? She hoped it would finish late and she simply smiled at the women without answering the question.
‘Those savouries look delicious. Where can I find a plate?’
Maureen, the pub manager, was only too happy to replace Jennifer’s missing glass when she approached the bar some time later. Guy was drinking orange juice, she’d noted, but she was hardly likely to become involved in any further critical cases tonight, was she? Just a sip or two of wine wouldn’t hurt. It might even chase away the knot of misery lodged deep within Jennifer. Maureen must have noticed the direction her glance had strayed in.
‘He’s a wonderful man.’
‘Yes, he is.’ Jennifer had no argument with that.
‘We’re so lucky he decided to come back here to live. He could have had a high-flying career in the city, too, if he’d wanted.’
‘I’m sure he could.’
‘He hated the city.’
‘Yes.’ Jennifer wished Maureen would pour the wine a little faster, but she was dribbling it down the side of the glass, making sure the bubbles didn’t escape into foam.
‘He was married once, you know.’
‘I did know that.’ Jennifer was sure he wouldn’t want it being discussed over the bar, but something in Maureen’s glance made her actually lean a little closer.
‘She didn’t fit in,’ the older woman confided. ‘She was always dressed to the nines and looking down her nose at us all.’
Jennifer was suddenly very pleased she was wearing her jeans with the hems still damp from where she had sponged off the mud.
‘He deserved better.’ Maureen handed Jennifer her glass and smiled. ‘He still does.’
Jennifer stared down at the glass in her hand. ‘I don’t think he’s very interested in getting involved again. Once bitten and all that.’
Maureen just smiled. ‘What about you, love?’ she asked softly. ‘I couldn’t help noticing the way you look at him. You’re interested, aren’t you?’
Jennifer simply returned the faintly knowing smile. Let them all gossip, she decided happily. She had a funny feeling that they might support her side of the situation, and that couldn’t hurt, could it?
Music from a live band that included fiddlers started up and it wasn’t very long before Jennifer found herself dancing. With the ancient and bearded Mack, of all people, in a fairly riotous square dance. When she apologised for her lack of expertise, his considered response of ‘You’ll do’ made her feel ridiculously pleased with herself.
At some point much later in the evening, Jennifer was balancing a plate laden with a chocolate éclair and a raspberry slice when she found herself back in a group of local women who had clearly taken advantage of the celebratory drinks Phil had supplied.
‘Such a shame Digger isn’t here,’ one said sadly. ‘He did love a good knees-up. Especially here, in his pub.’
‘I thought Guy’s mother used to own this place.’ Even the small amount of wine, in conjunction with that interchange with Maureen, had dulled quite a lot of Jennifer’s aversion to gossip. Besides, they were discussing one of the few people Jennifer actually knew about in this gathering.
‘It was Digger that really ran it.’ The speaker lowered her voice to let Jennifer know she was about to receive confidential information. ‘For years and years. The further Diana Knight slid into the bottle, the more he took over.’
‘Lucky for Guy that he did.’ Another nodded. ‘That boy would have ended up in prison otherwise.’
‘Or dead.’
‘He was a real father to him. Only one he ever had.’
Jennifer took another sip of her wine. ‘He…was fond of Guy’s mother, wasn’t he?’
‘Worshipped the ground she walked on.’ The speaker sniffed eloquently. ‘He was never going to be good enough for the likes of Diana, though. She had her sights set on some flash job in the city. Finding herself a millionaire. She hated this place.’
‘Why did she stay, then?’ Jennifer asked.
‘Had no choice really. She got herself into trouble and headed home.’
‘As they do,’ another woman sa
id knowledgeably.
Do they? Jennifer wondered. With her mouth full of éclair there was no need for her to respond, but she found herself thinking about the comment as the gathering finally dispersed.
Was that what she was doing? Heading back to her roots, having got herself ‘into trouble’?
‘Let’s go home.’ Guy appeared by her side and Jennifer knew that home with Guy was exactly where she wanted to go.
It was raining again quite heavily by the time they returned to Guy’s cottage.
‘You’d better stay,’ he told her. ‘It’s too late to be hunting down a motel, and this weather’s getting worse.’
‘Thanks.’ Jennifer accepted the offer happily. She also accepted the offer of a cup of tea in front of the fire before heading off to the guest room. She relaxed on one side of the couch with the dogs at her feet. ‘This is great,’ she told Guy. ‘And I really enjoyed tonight as well.’
‘Really?’ Guy sounded sceptical.
‘Really.’ Jennifer nodded. She curled her legs beneath her and took a deep breath. ‘I’d forgotten what it was like. I have memories of evenings like that from when I was a teenager, and I thought it would be my worst nightmare to go to another one.’
‘Because of the food?’
Jennifer smiled, shaking her head. ‘Because of everyone knowing everyone else’s business, and it coming across like they wanted to interfere. I didn’t have a mother and every second woman wanted to step into that breach. I wasn’t having any of it.’
‘I’ll bet.’ Guy was smiling now but he was staring ahead into the fire rather than at Jennifer.
‘They only wanted to help, though. I can see that now. They cared and I just pushed them all away. I couldn’t wait to escape.’ She hesitated only briefly. ‘Bit like your mother, I suppose. Or your ex-wife.’
‘Yeah.’ Guy still wasn’t making eye contact.
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