Country Roads

by Nicole Hurley-Moore

  Bec narrowed her eyes as she backed away. ‘What’s the matter, Zane? Has Tanya finally come to her senses and left you?’

  He laughed and shook his head. ‘Tanya and I are finished, and we have been for quite a while. Give me a chance to prove myself. I swear I’ll make you happy and this time you can count on me.’

  ‘Goodbye, Zane.’ Bec started to turn away.

  ‘Think about it.’

  ‘What?’ she said as she glanced back over her shoulder.

  ‘Dinner, of course.’

  ‘That’s not going to happen.’

  ‘Coffee then?’

  ‘Um . . . no, that’s not happening either.’

  ‘You hesitated.’ His smile widened. ‘I’m not going to give up, you know. I’m going to win you back so we can be like we were before. No – so we can be better than before.’

  ‘Just let it go, Zane. It was a lie – there’s nothing between us. Not then, not now.’

  ‘You used to love me.’

  Bec yanked open the car door and dropped into the seat. ‘That was a long time ago, back when I didn’t know any better. I do now. Go home, Zane – there’s nothing for you here.’

  Zane swung back up onto Captain’s back. ‘We’ll see – I don’t intend to give up,’ he said before he galloped back towards the gate and his land.

  Bec watched him go. It had taken him four years to come over and apologise for being a total two-timing jackass. And somewhere between apologising and being sorry for what he’d done, he was trying to get her back – the man was unbelievable. Perhaps she might have been swayed if his heartfelt regret had come the night she had discovered him and Tanya, but it hadn’t. And that was it in a nutshell: she doubted that Zane had heartfelt anything – not her or their supposed love and maybe not even poor Tanya.

  Bec turned on the engine and slowly turned the ute towards home. It wasn’t like Tanya was one of her favourite people either. In fact, Tanya had been a bit of a bitch to her ever since that fateful night. It was clear that Tanya had assumed that with the engagement called off, she would eventually marry Zane. She had been vocal about choosing true love over duty, or more to the point, over money. Tanya had told anyone who would listen that she and Zane were really in love. But Bec knew that there were only two things that Zane loved – and they were Cara Downs and himself.

  By the time she reached the house, Bec was convinced that the only reason Zane was trying to get back with her was that he wanted something. He was cooking up a plan and that couldn’t be good. The last thing Bec wanted was to spend time with him, but for self-preservation and peace of mind, she thought she should find out what the hell he was up to.

  ***

  It didn’t take long for the gossip mill of White Gum Creek to crank up to full. In less than twenty-four hours the majority of the town, including some in the outlying areas, knew that the new blow-in, that writer from the city, had stood up to Zane Turner. And apparently – and this was the best bit, most agreed – it was all over Rebecca Duprey. It was the most surprising bit of news for the last six months. Of course, the new revelations brought back the old story of why she’d thrown Zane Turner over in the first place. Some said that he’d been in love with Tanya and had ended it, but others pointed out that if that were the case, why hadn’t he married Tanya?

  The town was abuzz, and held its collective breath to see what would happen next. Bec was blissfully ignorant of the gossip that was circulating until Tash arrived mid-afternoon the next day.

  Bec had been investigating one of the long watering troughs. It was leaking and needed to be filled up twice as often as the others. A frown creased her brow when she saw that it was cracked – there wasn’t any way she could fix that. Her father wouldn’t be pleased when she told him that they’d have to replace it. Bec had her eye on a feed and water trough combination, but they were about three thousand dollars and she doubted her dad would come at that.

  A car approached and she looked up just in time to see Tash’s little green Honda come bumping its way up the long back driveway. Tash waved as she pulled up and turned off the engine.

  ‘Hey, Tash, good to see you.’ Bec smiled as she walked over to her friend.

  Tash scrambled out of the car and then reached back in and grabbed a large paper brown bag with Gumnut Bakery printed on it in white.

  ‘Hi,’ Tash said as she handed Bec the bag. ‘I thought you might like these.’

  Bec looked inside and saw a couple of grainy loaves of bread and another bag resting on top of them.

  ‘Oooh, thanks – what’s in the bag?’

  ‘Sticky apple cinnamon and walnut bun.’

  Bec eyed her with suspicion. ‘Okay, that’s my favourite – what’s wrong?’

  ‘Let’s go and put the kettle on.’

  ‘Oh God, has someone died?’

  ‘No, no, of course not. Wow, talk about jumping to the worst-case scenario. I just want to talk to you and I’d rather do it over coffee and stuffing my face with bun.’

  Bec led the way into the kitchen. ‘So who’s looking after the bakery?’ Tash and her brother owned the Gumnut Bakery. They had inherited it from their mother and their grandmother before her. The Duroz family had settled in White Gum Creek back in the 1890s and taken over the already established bakery. The family had run it ever since.

  ‘I left Alex holding the fort. Hey, he owes me – do you know how many times he’s left me in the lurch so he could gallivant with his women?’

  Bec grinned as she pushed open the door and headed towards the kettle. Tash’s brother was White Gum Creek’s Lothario. The boy was dangerous and that was a fact. There was something about his wicked smile and self-assurance that saw many of the local girls fall under his spell.

  ‘Well, that’s our Alex.’

  ‘Oooh, pretty flowers – are they from someone?’ Tash asked as she gestured to the large bouquet of mixed blooms which were jammed into Bec’s grandmother’s crystal vase in the centre of the table.

  Bec shrugged. ‘I have no idea – they must have come while I was outside.’ She walked over to them but couldn’t see a card anywhere. ‘Maybe Mum picked them up.’

  Tash went and grabbed the breadboard and a knife from the counter. ‘Anyway, getting back to my feckless brother – he said that he can’t help it, it’s just that he hasn’t found the right woman. I told him that at this rate, if he wasn’t careful, he was going to run out of options.’

  Bec laughed as she took a couple of mugs from the cupboard. ‘Oh, come on – it’s not that bad.’

  ‘Well, as little brothers go he’s alright, and he’s a great baker, but let’s face it, he’s a pretty terrible boyfriend.’

  After a few more minutes, Bec and Tash sat down at the table with a mug of coffee and a slice of the apple and walnut bun.

  ‘Okay, so what’s up?’ Bec asked.

  ‘I just thought you’d want to know that there’s a bit of gossip circulating. I figured you needed a heads-up.’

  Bec sat back in her chair. ‘Since when do I give a damn about what people think or say about me?’

  ‘I know that, but I reckon you’ll get a few odd stares and possibly even some straight-out questions – especially from Mrs Hamilton and old Mr Cerville.’

  ‘As I said – like I care.’

  ‘Normally not, but this time . . . well, apparently there was an altercation the other night outside the Black Sheep.’

  Bec shrugged. ‘Like that hasn’t happened before. Two years ago there was an outright brawl.’

  ‘Yes, but this time it was between Matt Harvey and Zane Turner.’

  Despite herself, Bec sat forward. ‘What – how do they even know each other?’

  ‘Well, obviously they do. From all accounts Zane was warning Matt off you.’

  ‘Me?’

  ‘Yep. The upshot was that he told Matt to stay away from you. That you and Zane had a history and Matt would just be wasting his time.’

  Bec sat very still for a m
oment and a flare of anger shot through her. ‘What right has bloody Zane Turner got to talk about me! God, how embarrassing! Wait, what did Matt say? No, I don’t want to know. Oh, damn it . . . yes I do.’ She held her breath, feeling sick at the idea that the two men had been discussing her as though she were incapable of knowing her own mind.

  ‘That it was your business who you saw and how dare Zane try to speak for you. That you were perfectly able to make your own decisions and look after yourself and he would never presume to tell you what to do.’

  Bec blew out a breath. Matt Harvey had just gone up tenfold in her estimation, whereas Zane . . . well, she’d have a few choice words to say to him next time they crossed paths.

  ‘I just can’t believe Zane would have the audacity to do this. I mean, I’ve ignored him for years! He can’t possibly think I might be softening towards him.’

  ‘I guess knowing Zane as we do, this means . . .’

  ‘That he’s up to something, oh yeah,’ Bec said with a nod. ‘He turned up yesterday.’

  ‘Here?’

  ‘Yep, he came waltzing over like he owned the place.’

  ‘What did he want?’

  ‘He said that he wanted my forgiveness for being a dropkick idiot four years ago.’

  ‘Do you believe him?’

  ‘No, not for one minute. I think Zane has cooked up some sort of plan. No doubt it has to do with getting his hands on Bluestone Ridge.’

  ‘You can’t be serious. After all this time, he can’t expect you to fall into his arms and hand the farm over to him. Hey, he did the dirty on you and not the other way around.’

  ‘Well, a normal person wouldn’t expect it, but this is Zane we’re talking about. He always did have an inflated belief in his abilities, not to mention that he’s a spoilt brat.’

  Tash let out a laugh. ‘It’s hard to think of him as a brat, but you’re right. His father always indulged him.’

  ‘I know. I remember when we were kids his mum would always try and get him to do the right thing but more often than not his dad would override her decisions.’

  ‘Can’t really blame her for leaving. From what my mum said, she felt smothered and like she didn’t matter.’

  ‘I can’t help but think that it hurt Zane – it must have; but she did beg him to go with her and he refused. He said that he wanted to stay with his dad and they’ve been thick as thieves ever since.’

  ‘So what are you going to do?’

  ‘Nothing. Zane can plot and plan all he wants but there’s no way he will ever have me or the farm. If he turns up here again I’ll tell him where to go and what to do when he gets there. But I don’t want to do it publically. I meant what I said about not caring what the town whispers behind my back, but let’s not give them any more fuel for the fire. If the matter is ignored, they’ll soon get bored and move on to something else.’

  ‘Well, it sounds like a plan – I just hope you’re right.’

  Bec heard the sound of the front door opening and after a moment Maggie came into the kitchen.

  ‘Oh, hello, Tash. It’s lovely to see you.’

  ‘Hi, Mrs Duprey. I was just saying to Bec, the flowers are lovely.’

  ‘They are, but they’re not mine – they’re Bec’s.’

  ‘I didn’t order any flowers.’

  ‘No, darling, you didn’t.’

  ‘So who are they from?’

  ‘I don’t know – there’s a card over there,’ Maggie said as she pointed to the bench.

  Bec walked over and opened it. She scanned the couple of lines, then screwed it up and chucked the card in the bin.

  ‘Let me guess – Zane?’ said Tash.

  ‘Yep, what a waste of flowers,’ Bec said as she went to take them out of the vase.

  ‘Oh, don’t throw them out, darling,’ Maggie said.

  Bec turned to her mother. ‘You really think I’m going to keep them?’

  ‘No, but it’s not the flowers’ fault they were sent to you by a complete shit. Tash, you take them.’

  Bec turned back to her friend. ‘Would you?’

  ‘Sure, as your mum said, it would be a waste to pitch them into the bin.’

  Chapter 10

  ‘So did you hear what happened the other night outside the pub?’

  Tanya glanced up at Ginny and shook her head. ‘Nope, although I doubt it would be anything interesting – nothing is in this town,’ she said despondently.

  They walked out of the chicken farm and towards the car park. Lansell’s Chicken Farm was about the last place Tanya had ever thought she’d end up working. In fact, nothing in her life was turning out the way she’d once imagined. It was a battle every morning to put on the hairnet and those bloody awful blue coveralls. She knew she had a rocking body, but even that made no difference when she was wearing the shapeless overalls. There was a time when working here hadn’t seemed so bad because she’d known that one day Zane would marry her and she could leave this godforsaken dump behind. But that wasn’t going to happen anymore – after five years Zane had broken it off.

  ‘This time you’d be wrong. Zane had words with that writer who has just moved in.’

  ‘I don’t see why I’d care.’

  ‘Because the words were about Bec Duprey. Uncle Ted and Aunty Mary were just going into the pub and they saw the whole thing.’

  ‘Look, Ginny, I’ve already told you that Zane and I broke up. I don’t care what he’s doing.’

  ‘But that’s just it. He was telling the writer to stay away from Bec. Aunty Mary said that it sounded like Zane and Bec were back together and have been for a while. So if that’s true, he’s been cheating on you the whole time.’

  The irony wasn’t lost on Tanya. To begin with she had been the other woman when Zane and Bec had been engaged. But even back then she had told herself that she was what he wanted. For Zane, Bec had always been a means to an end. But now the situation seemed to be reversed. On some level it might have been funny if it didn’t hurt so bad. Though she wouldn’t admit this to anyone, she loved Zane Turner more than she thought possible and would find a way to get him back. She should have known that bitch Bec was the cause of him breaking it off.

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Yeah, my aunt and uncle heard nearly the entire thing. Besides, if you don’t want to take their word for it, there were at least another dozen people in the Black Sheep at the time.’

  ‘She must have found a way to get to him.’

  ‘You don’t think it’s the other way around? I mean, as far as I know she doesn’t speak to him. Last month I was in the bakery, and Bec was talking to Tash when Zane walked in. Tash served him but it looked as if she didn’t want to and Bec didn’t even say hello. I swear the temperature in the shop dropped ten degrees.’

  Tanya opened her car door and slid into the driver’s seat. ‘Perhaps it started off that way but maybe it’s just an act. No one would believe that they’re back together if she’s pretending to hate him. No wonder I didn’t know what was going on behind my back.’

  Ginny climbed into the passenger seat. ‘I guess that could be true. It’s a pretty clever way to sneak around. I mean, who would guess? Ask anyone in White Gum Creek and they’ll tell you that Bec Duprey hates Zane.’

  Tanya started the car and drove off towards home. The chicken farm was about twenty minutes away from White Gum Creek and normally she and Ginny would chat all the way. But today was different; today she was silent as she negotiated the winding roads. She needed to find out what was happening with Zane and work out a way of getting him back.

  ***

  Later that evening Maggie knocked on Bec’s bedroom door.

  ‘Hey, sweetheart, I was just wondering if we could have a chat for a minute.’

  ‘Of course – what’s up?’

  ‘Well, that’s what I was going ask you. Why is Zane suddenly sending you flowers after all this time?’

  ‘It’s a good question and I’ll tell you when I work out
what he’s up to.’

  Maggie sat down on the edge of Bec’s bed. ‘It’s strange; all of a sudden we keep running into Mick Turner and now Zane’s obviously trying to rebuild his bridges.’

  ‘Whatever he’s up it’s not going to work. I was up at the high paddock the other day and he came over.’

  ‘He did?’

  ‘Yeah, he gave me a half-arsed apology for breaking up the way we did. He kept asking me to forgive him.’

  ‘So what did you say?’

  ‘I said that because so much time had passed and that we were both adults, that I would.’

  ‘Well, that was gracious – I’m not sure I would have.’

  Bec shrugged. ‘I don’t mind being civil. But after I said that, he started talking about getting back to how things used to be. No doubt it’s all to do with some scheme he and his dad are cooking up. He said he wants us to get back together.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘Geez, Mum – as if I’d ever go near him again. He made a fool of me and I will never forget that.’

  Maggie took her hand and gave it a squeeze. ‘You’re wrong, he made a fool of himself and he lost everything. You’ve got nothing to feel embarrassed or sorry for. It was all on Zane. A real person owns their actions as well as their mistakes. If he didn’t want to marry you, then he should have said so, but he didn’t.’

  ‘That’s because he thought he could get our farm by romancing it out from underneath me. He never loved me; I was just a means to an end and that’s all. I was well and truly played.’

  ‘Baby, it was his loss – you deserve so much better.’

  ‘Thanks, Mum.’ Bec squeezed Maggie’s hand back. ‘But the real question at the moment is, why has Zane got Bluestone Ridge back in his sights?’

  ***

  Matt sat in his office staring at the blank screen and the blinking curser. His flow of words had spluttered and died off about half an hour ago, and rereading the first couple of paragraphs to get things flowing again wasn’t working. The majority of the novel was going well and he was happy with how it was shaping up. But this scene was still a killer. He’d rewritten it more times than he liked to admit.