Brody

by Kate Hoffmann

  “Yes, well, thank you,” the man said. “That’s the most I’ve found to go on. She didn’t say anything about where she might be staying or whether she met up with any friends?”

  Brody pretended to ponder the question for a moment, then shook his head. “Nope. She just wanted to get out of town.”

  The investigator threw a wad of cash onto the table, then held out his hand. “Your lunch is on me,” he said. “Thanks for the information.”

  “No worries,” Brody said. “I hope you find her.” He watched as the man walked out the front door then went back to his spot at the counter. When Shelly returned with his meat pies, he pointed to the empty booth. “He’s buying me lunch.”

  “Well, there’s a clever boy. What did you tell him?”

  Brody scooped up the pies wrapped in paper, and took a big bite out of one of them. “Not much,” he said as he chewed. “But I got a free lunch out of it.” He headed toward the door.

  “Where are you going?” Shelly asked, disappointment tingeing her tone. “I just rang my husband to stop by. Arnie’s got himself mixed up in some silly football scheme with the boys over at the Spotted Dog and he needs advice on his footy picks. He’s been losing twenty dollars a week to those fools.”

  “I’m out of the game,” Brody said, pointing to his knee. “I’m trying my best to forget footy.”

  “You were one of the best, Brody Quinn,” Shelly called.

  As Brody strode down the street, he inhaled the two meat pies. He was tempted to stop by the Spotted Dog for a beer to wash them down, then realized he’d been banished from the place until further notice. Instead, he decided to stop at the local library. A quick Internet search might turn up a few clues on Payton and her past…and maybe even outline her crimes.

  The public library was attached to the small school in Bilbarra. Though nearly all of the children who lived on cattle and sheep stations took their classes by computer, those who lived within a short drive of Bilbarra attended a regular school. Some of the advanced classes were still taught online, but there were two teachers that guided the thirty or forty students through their studies, and the town librarian to see to their literary needs.

  When he walked into the library, a trio of young boys gathered at a large table. One of the boys recognized him immediately and quickly informed his friends. The librarian, Mrs. Willey, looked up at the commotion, then smiled. “See there,” she said. “Everyone uses the library, even football legends.”

  Brody grinned. “She’s right, you know. The library is one of my favorite spots in all the world. Read more books!” He stopped at the counter. “There,” he muttered. “I’ve done my duty as a role model, ma’am. Now, I was wondering if I could use a computer with Internet access.”

  “Certainly,” Mrs. Willey said. “Use any one of those three along the wall. But I’ll have you know, accessing adult material is prohibited and will result in the suspension of your privileges.”

  He caught her teasing smile and chuckled. “There’ll be none of that,” he said. “I’m here to look up some recipes.”

  He sat down and keyed in his favorite search engine then typed Payton’s first and last name. Brody paused before he hit Enter, wondering what he’d find. Maybe it would be something he didn’t like, something he’d rather not know. And shouldn’t he wait for Payton to tell him about her past? Real relationships were supposed to be about trust.

  He had to know all the facts before he could protect her, Brody rationalized. If she was in trouble, he’d do everything in his power to help her. “So I have to know,” he said as he hit the keys.

  “Payton Harwell,” he read. “Over one thousand hits?” Brody clicked on the first one and found her name mentioned as the winner of a horse show. But right below that was a startling headline: Payton Harwell to Wed Heir to Whitman Fortune.

  He clicked on the article and an instant later, a photo of Payton and her fiancé appeared. He scanned through the text beneath it and stopped at the wedding date. “The couple will be married on the island of Fiji in late April with close friends and relatives in attendance. The bride will wear a gown by designer Sophia Carone.”

  Late April? If Payton had been married in late April and he’d met her the first of June, then her marriage hadn’t lasted more than a month. “Oh, shit,” Brody muttered. Had he been having a naughty on a nightly basis with a married woman?

  There weren’t many rules in Brody’s book when it came to sex, but not bedding another man’s wife was one of them. After witnessing the problems in his parents’ marriage, he’d vowed never to be involved in breaking up a family. Besides, there had always been plenty of single women willing to jump into bed with him, he’d had no need to do it with the married sort.

  He leaned back in his chair and studied the photo. They looked happy, their arms wrapped around each other, smiling for the photographer. Worse, they looked as if they belonged together, living in some fancy mansion in New York with servants to tend to their every need.

  Well, at least she wasn’t a criminal, Brody mused. She was simply a runaway wife. He paused. Or maybe a runaway bride. There was no proof that she’d ever gone through with the wedding. Maybe she’d arrived in Fiji and decided marriage just wasn’t for her.

  “Is there anything I can help you with?”

  Brody quickly clicked back to the search engine, then glanced over his shoulder at Mrs. Willey. “No. Nothing. Just catching up on a few of my old friends.” He stood, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Thanks. I’m in a bit of a hurry right now, but I’ll stop by soon and pick up some books.”

  “You do that,” she said with a wide smile. “Be sure to come on a school day if you can. I’m sure the students would love to talk to you.”

  Brody strode out the front door of the library into the midday sun. He headed back to the Land Rover, parked near the coffeeshop. He’d have to decide just how to discuss his discovery with Payton. Though his rule regarding married women still stood, it seemed rather pointless to avoid sex now that that horse was already out of the barn.

  Hell, the only way to avoid wanting her was to leave Queensland altogether. He could no more control his desire for Payton Harwell than he could stop breathing.

  T HE PLANE TOUCHED DOWN as the afternoon sun hovered near the western horizon. Payton peered out the window, catching sight of one of the station’s utes, the name she’d learned to call the pick-up trucks that nearly everyone drove. She saw Callum leaning against the truck as the plane taxied to the near end of the runway, but Brody was nowhere to be seen.

  When Teague had turned off the single engine, Callum approached and opened the door. He helped Payton out, grabbing shopping bags as she jumped lightly from the plane. He then turned back to wrap his hands around Gemma’s waist. Payton watched as their gazes met and he gave her a quick kiss.

  Though Gemma hadn’t said anything about her relationship with the eldest Quinn, it was clear to everyone that something was going on. Callum didn’t smile much, but he always seemed to be smiling when Gemma was present.

  Callum helped Teague secure the plane before all four of them hopped into the truck and headed toward the house. Payton had hoped to find Brody standing on the porch or lounging on her bunk, but she was disappointed.

  “He took off about a half hour ago,” Callum said. “On horseback, toward the west. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

  Payton forced a smile. She’d been looking forward to seeing Brody all day. She’d bought a sexy new swimsuit for the hot tub and some lacy underwear that she was certain he’d appreciate. Her nails and toes looked perfect and her hair smelled like fruit. In short, she was almost irresistible.

  She set her bags inside the door of the bunkhouse then turned and jogged down the front steps. “I’m going to ride out and meet him,” she said.

  “It’s getting dark,” Callum warned.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t go far. I can see the lights of the station from pretty far away.” />
  She ran to the stables and found a gentle mount, then quickly saddled the horse. She tied a bedroll on the back in case she and Brody decided to make a stop at the swimming hole again. Then, after swinging her leg over the saddle, she steered the horse out of the stable and into the waning light.

  Though she’d ridden to the pond with Brody the other night, this was the first time she’d been on a horse alone since her fall nine years before. “Like riding a bike,” she said, settling into the rhythm.

  She urged the horse into a relaxed gallop, letting the wind whip her hair into a riot of curls. It was still easy to see where she was going, the last rays of the sun shining on the red dirt of the outback.

  As she rode, her thoughts wandered to Brody, to spending the evening alone with him. Brisbane had been so busy and exciting that she’d wished he’d been there to share it with her. Maybe next weekend they could go together, as he’d suggested. They could spend some time at the beach or find a comfy hotel room and revel in absolute privacy.

  As the sun dropped lower, the air became chilly and Payton drew her horse to a stop. She scanned the landscape for Brody, but it was difficult to see. Tugging gently on the reins, she turned the horse around. Her breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t see the station anymore.

  Rubbing her eyes, she squinted into the distance, searching for the lights that would guide her back. Slowly, she realized she’d ridden too far, lost in her thoughts and unaware of the passing time. Everything looked the same. Starting off in the direction she’d come from, Payton kicked the horse into a gallop again. But a moment later, the horse stumbled in an unseen gully and she found herself thrown forward.

  Payton hit the ground with a hard thud, knocking the wind out of her. Groaning, she lay back in the dirt and took a quick inventory. Her limbs were still intact, no broken bones, just wounded pride. Levering to her feet, she brushed the dirt off her jeans and remounted, but as soon as she spurred the horse forward, she could feel the animal favor its right foreleg.

  Sliding off again, she bent down and ran her hands over his leg. “What happened?” she cooed. There was no swelling and no broken bones. She’s seen enough stumbles in her show-jumping career to suspect that it was probably just a bruise. Though riding was possible, there was no need to put the horse under any more stress. She mentally calculated the distance and figured she probably had at least an hour’s walk.

  Payton stared up at the stars, trying to remember what she’d seen in the night sky. The last traces of the day were visible on the horizon, so she grasped the reins and began to walk the opposite way, east, toward the station.

  The outback looked deceptively flat, yet as she walked, she realized that a gentle rise could easily hide things in the distance. She tried to keep moving in a straight line, finding a cluster of stars to keep over her right shoulder. But it was difficult to maintain her bearings in the dark. In the end, she decided to give her horse its head. He knew how to get home better than she did.

  But, to her surprise, the horse didn’t lead her back to the station. Instead, she found herself standing at a low iron gate. She hadn’t come through any fence on her way out, but the horse seemed to know what it was doing. “Do I trust the horse or do I trust myself?”

  In the end, she opened the gate and led the horse through. A few seconds later, she noticed the outline of a small building, just barely visible in the growing moonlight. Obviously, the horse had been to the spot in the recent past. “What is this?”

  The front door was unlocked, but she could see nothing in the black interior. Closing her eyes, she felt around with her hands, stumbling over what felt like beds along the walls. She wandered back to the porch, then noticed a lantern hanging beside the door and a tin box of matches nailed below it.

  The match flared and she lit the lantern, then walked back into the small shack. It was obvious it was some kind of remote bunkhouse, though it seemed to be awfully close to Kerry Creek to be of much use. She found a couple more lanterns and, after lighting them, took the first one out onto the porch to serve as a sign that she was there.

  Someone would come looking for her sooner or later. And if they didn’t come tonight, she’d simply wait until the morning and then head toward the sunrise. Payton walked over to her horse and took off his saddle, dropping it onto the front steps of the shack.

  She folded the saddle blanket and threw it on top. Then she carefully tethered the horse to a hitching rail in front of the cabin before stepping inside.

  The interior of the cabin was cozy and almost as comfortable as the bunkhouse, though a bit dustier. From what she could tell, the place had been used recently. There was a stack of firewood next to the cast-iron stove and canned food in the small cupboard above the dry sink. She picked through the assortment and found a can of nuts.

  A shelf of paperback novels, mostly mysteries, caught Payton’s attention and she chose one and sat down at the small wooden table. Though it was hard to read in the flickering light, she managed to finish a few pages before her eyes grew tired. With a frustrated sigh, she laid her head down on the table and closed her eyes.

  She wasn’t sure whether she’d fallen asleep or not, but a loud crash brought her upright. She saw a shadow in the doorway and screamed. But a moment later, Brody stepped into the light.

  He crossed the room in a few long strides, grabbed her arms and yanked her into his embrace. “What the hell were you thinking?” he muttered. “I got back to the station and they said you’d left on horseback.”

  “I was just going to ride out to meet you and then my horse came up lame. I thought he’d lead me back to the stable, but he came here.”

  “You’re on Fraser land,” Brody said. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and then took a deep breath. “Do you know how dangerous it is out here? You can walk for a day and not see anything familiar.”

  “That’s why I decided to stay here.”

  “The first smart move you made all day.” He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, his mouth harsh and demanding, as if he was exacting punishment for what she’d done.

  But he didn’t stop there. He tore off his jacket and tossed it aside, then began to work at the buttons of her shirt. When he wasn’t removing her clothes, he was stripping out of his, and within a minute, they were both naked.

  Payton wasn’t sure what to say. She knew he was angry and maybe a bit shaken, but he seemed to need reassurance that she was safe. He buried his face in the curve of her neck, his hands skimming over her body as if to prove to himself she was unhurt.

  Brody turned her around in his arms. Payton knew what was coming, but she wasn’t prepared for the intensity of his need. “I don’t have protection,” he murmured.

  “It’s all right,” Payton said, arching against him. She’d taken care of birth control a long time ago, choosing a method that was both constant and convenient. She wanted to experience him without any barriers, to feel just him inside her.

  He buried himself deep in a single thrust, then held her, drawing a deep breath. She wriggled against him, silently pleading for him to move, but he held her still until he regained control.

  He began slowly at first, with a delicious rhythm that she couldn’t deny. Her mind whirled with a maelstrom of sensation and she felt herself losing touch with reality. Every stroke brought her closer to completion.

  Payton moved with him, sending him even deeper. Every movement felt like perfection, as though their bodies were made to do just this. His fingers grasped her hips as she urged him on, so close to release that she was afraid they might both collapse onto the floor before they were through.

  Brody moaned and she knew he was close. But then, suddenly he stopped. “Say it,” he murmured. “Tell me you’ll never leave me.”

  At first, she wasn’t sure what he meant. Did he just want to hear the words, or was he demanding the promise behind them. In the end, Payton didn’t really care. If he wanted her to stay, she would, for as long as this p
assion lasted. “I won’t,” she said. “I promise.”

  “Promise me,” he said, his voice raw as he moved again.

  “I promise.”

  Satisfied, he brought them both closer and closer. And then, in a blinding instant, Payton cried out and dissolved into powerful spasms of pleasure. He was there with her, his body shuddering with every stroke.

  Brody sighed as he kissed her nape, his teeth grazing her skin. When he stumbled, Payton steadied them both, their bodies still joined. “I think we should sit down,” she said.

  “No,” he murmured. “I want to stay just like this.”

  “All right,” she said, reaching back to wrap her arm around his neck. She shifted and he groaned, slipping out of her.

  Brody moved over to one of the bunks and gently lowered her onto the rough wool blanket. Then he stretched out beside her. Goose bumps prickled her skin and she pulled the edges of the blanket up around them both. “It’s not as comfy as your bed,” she said. “But it will do.”

  “We’re trespassing. Considering the feud between the Frasers and the Quinns, we might end up shot, or in jail.”

  “It was worth it,” she teased.

  “No more adventures in the outback for you.”

  “I’ll just take you with me.” She closed her eyes and snuggled against him. At that moment, Payton couldn’t imagine ever doing without this passion. Or without this man. What that meant, she wasn’t sure. But it did mean something.

  “T EAGUE ?”

  Brody awoke to the sound of a woman’s voice. The door creaked and he pushed up on his elbow, squinting against the sunlight that shone through the door, Payton still sound asleep beside him. “Brody,” he said.

  He heard hurried footsteps on the front steps, then carefully rolled out of bed and tugged his jeans on. When he got outside, Brody found Hayley Fraser mounting her horse.

  “Wait,” he called, raking his hand through his tousled hair.