Brody

by Kate Hoffmann

  “It’s all right. There won’t be any surprises.”

  “Good,” he said. “I mean, not that surprises are always bad, but I’m not sure we’re ready for that.”

  Sam had been obsessed about birth control, insisting that Payton find a method that would protect them both without fail. They’d been engaged and they’d always planned to have children, so Payton wondered why he’d been so adamant. Sam had acted as if an unplanned pregnancy would’ve been a disaster. Why hadn’t she ever questioned him making such a decision about her body?

  “Payton?”

  She blinked, startled from her thoughts. What had brought Sam to mind? She hadn’t thought of him in…days.

  Brody was staring at her, a frown on his face. “What’s wrong?”

  Payton shook her head. “Nothing. We should probably get back outside. The boys will want their beers.”

  Brody levered to his feet, then held out his hand. He patiently helped her dress, patting her backside once she was completely clothed again. But as he turned for the door, Payton noticed a purple mark on his neck.

  “Oh, no,” she said, reaching up for his chin and tipping his head up. “Did I do that?”

  “What?”

  She laughed. “I think I gave you a hickey.”

  “What’s that?” Brody asked.

  She pulled him over to the mirror above his dresser and pointed to the spot on his neck.

  “A love bite,” he said, examining it closely. “I haven’t had one of those since I was a teenager.”

  “Sorry.”

  He shrugged. “I like it. I like knowing I can make you do such things to me.”

  She stared at his reflection in the mirror and smiled. “I think we’re both in trouble,” she said.

  He nodded. “I think you might be right.”

  “B RODY !”

  They both turned to see a horse approaching at a fast gallop. Davey pulled the horse to a stop, nearly running into Brody. “What the hell are you about?” Brody shouted.

  “Callum,” he said, gasping for breath.

  “What’s wrong? Is he all right?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, he’s fine. He needs you back at the house. Right now. He said just you, not Payton. Just you. He made that very clear.”

  Brody frowned. “Well, I’m not going to leave Payton out here on her own,” he said.

  “No, I’m to help her out,” Davey said. “Go ahead. I’ll carry on.”

  Brody regarded the young kid suspiciously. Why was it so important for Payton to stay behind? What the hell was Callum up to? He maneuvered his horse next to Payton’s, then reached out and placed his hand on her cheek. “I’ll be back in a bit.” Brody leaned over and dropped a kiss on her lips. “Don’t let Davey boss you around.”

  She smiled. “I won’t. I’ll see you later.”

  Brody kicked his horse into a gallop and headed toward the house. This had damn well better be an emergency. The ride back to the homestead was almost fifteen minutes. As he rode, Brody’s thoughts rewound over the past few days. He and Payton had settled into a life of sorts.

  She’d managed to charm Davey into working the stables for the day while she worked the station with Brody. They enjoyed the long ride together and Payton had been fascinated with discovering new plants and animals in the outback. She’d nearly fallen off her horse when she’d spotted her first kangaroo.

  He liked having her with him, and Callum hadn’t seemed to mind that they’d paired up. After greasing two of the windmills, they’d eaten some lunch, then set off to ride the fence lines. Payton had quickly learned how to handle herself on a stock pony, eagerly taking tips from Brody when he offered.

  Still, her fascination with station life worried him. Was she happy here or was she just avoiding her real life with Sam Whitman? He needed answers, yet he couldn’t bring himself to ask the question. Was she married? And if she was, did it make a difference anymore? He wasn’t sure that it did for him. Not now.

  Brody had been considering his options, specifically another surgery on his knee. He was still covered under the team’s insurance and he really didn’t have anything to lose, except a month or two off his feet and at least a year spent in rehab. He cursed softly. The more time he spent with Payton, the more confused he became about his future.

  He’d always trusted his gut instinct when it came to any decision, and his gut had never steered him wrong-until the accident. The rain had made the roads slick and he’d already been late for practice, caught up in an argument with Nessa. He hadn’t been paying attention and had taken a turn far too fast. As he went down, his only thought had been that he ought to have trusted his gut and taken the Land Rover to work.

  Right now, every instinct told him that Payton belonged in his life, that he should to do everything in his power to keep her there. So why couldn’t he just say that to her? Why couldn’t he tell her how he felt? Brody had never doubted himself until now. Maybe his feelings weren’t as strong as they seemed. Or maybe, this was something more than just infatuation.

  As he rode past the horse paddock and into the yard, he saw Callum standing on the back porch, pacing nervously. He waited for Brody to come to a stop before jogging down the steps. Brody hopped off, gathering the reins in his hand.

  “Come on,” Callum murmured.

  “What’s up?”

  “Teague is in the house. There’s a private investigator here looking for Payton.”

  “Shit,” Brody muttered. “How did he find her?”

  “You know about him?”

  “Yeah, he was in Bilbarra trying to track her down. I talked to him. I thought I sent him off to Sydney to look for her.”

  “Well, he’s a little bit smarter than you reckoned,” Callum said. “Payton used her credit card at David Jones in Brisbane. And Teague bought something right after her with his card. The clerk mentioned that they were together, so that’s why he’s here. Teague is feeding him some story, but I’m not sure if he’s swallowing it.”

  Brody frowned. Payton had spent time in jail for dining and dashing. Why had she suddenly chosen to use a credit card? Had she wanted to be found? Was she looking for an excuse to leave? Or was she unaware that a detective had been sent to find her? “We have to get her out of here,” Brody muttered.

  “What the hell has she done?” Callum asked.

  “I don’t know.” Brody cursed softly. “She was supposed to get married in April. She ran out on her wedding. And I’d assume her fiancé or her husband wants her back, since he sent someone to fetch her. Bit of a problem there since I don’t want to give her back.”

  “Brody, she’s an adult. She should make these decisions for herself. If she wants to stay, she can just tell the guy to get lost.”

  “And what if she doesn’t?” Brody asks. “What if she decides to leave with him?”

  “Then that’s her choice. You can’t keep her here if she doesn’t want to stay.”

  “She may want to stay,” Brody countered. “Only she isn’t ready to admit it yet. She might need more time.”

  “Did you ever think about asking her straight out?”

  “I’m not going to ask her unless I’m sure she’ll give me the right answer.”

  “Bloody hell, Brody, just talk to the girl.”

  “I will,” Brody promised. “Soon. But right now, I have to get her off the station. I’ll go back and get her and we’ll ride to the airstrip. I need you to go to the bunkhouse and gather up her things and put them in your ute. Teague can meet us out there.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Callum asked.

  The backdoor squeaked and Teague stepped outside. The moment he saw Brody, he grabbed him by the arm and pulled him around the side of the house. “What the hell is going-”

  “Don’t ask,” Brody said. “I’ll explain it all later. Can you get away or is this guy going to follow you wherever you go?”

  “I think I can lose him. Why?”

  “I need you to fly Payto
n and me to Brisbane. I’m going to go and get her and we’ll meet you at the airstrip. Callum is going to put her things in his ute. Whenever you can, get away and meet us there.”

  “All right,” Teague said, nodding. “I better get back in there. He thinks I’m making coffee.”

  Brody jumped on his horse and turned it away from the house. “We’ll be at the airstrip in a half hour,” he said. “Don’t let him follow you.”

  The ride in had taken twice as long as the ride back. He rode as hard and as fast as he’d ever ridden, as if his life depended upon it. In the end, his life did depend upon Payton. He’d grown attached to her and he couldn’t imagine losing her, especially to another man.

  He found them where he’d left them, working on a broken gate that led to the east horse pasture. Davey was holding the gate off the ground while Payton twisted the turnbuckle. They both stopped what they were doing and watched as he approached.

  “Get on your horse,” he told Payton. “Come on, we have to go.”

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “I’ll tell you after we get to the airstrip.”

  “Why are we going to the airstrip?”

  “Payton, don’t ask any questions. Just get on your horse and let’s ride.”

  She studied him for a long moment, then handed Davey the spanner she was holding. Snagging her jacket from where she’d thrown it over the gate, she kept her gaze fixed on him. Then, in an easy motion, she put her foot in the stirrup and swung her leg over the saddle.

  Brody didn’t take the time to explain any further. He simply wheeled his mount around and took off, hoping she’d follow. A few seconds later, she caught up to him and they rode through the scrub, a cloud of dust forming behind them.

  Their horses were winded by the time they reached the airstrip. Brody dismounted and then helped Payton do the same. He slapped both horses on the rump and sent them running, knowing they’d find their way back to the stables on their own.

  “Are you going to explain what we’re doing here?” Payton asked.

  “First, you have to tell me something. And I want you to be completely honest, because I’ll be able to tell if you’re lying to me.”

  “All right,” she said softly.

  Brody grabbed her by the arms and pulled her toward him, his mouth coming down on hers. He softened the kiss immediately, hoping that it would serve as a last attempt to prove his feelings for her. Then he drew back and took a deep breath. “Are you married? Did you go through with your wedding or did you walk out before you said ‘I do’?”

  Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him in utter shock. “How do you know about-”

  “Just answer the question. Are you married?”

  “I…” She paused, as if she wasn’t sure how to answer him. “No. Of course not. If I were married, I’d be with my husband. I certainly wouldn’t be sleeping with you. How did you know about my wedding?”

  “We have the Internet here, too.”

  She took a moment, then shook her head. “You Googled me?”

  “Yes. And a private investigator tracked you here,” he replied. “You used your credit card in Brisbane and he figured out where you were.”

  She groaned, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “I knew I shouldn’t have used the card. I didn’t use it earlier for food. But I thought since I was flying right back to the station, it wouldn’t make a difference. They wouldn’t be able to find me even if they were watching the card.”

  “Turns out Teague bought something at the same time and he used his card. They figured out you two were together.” He rubbed her forearms. “I think you should tell me what’s going on, Payton. Tell me about Sam Whitman.”

  She sucked in a sharp breath and looked at him, her eyes wide. “You know about-But, how-”

  “It doesn’t matter. Just tell me what happened.”

  She drew a deep breath. “I ran out on the wedding before we got to the vows.” She took his hand. “I should have told you. But I wanted to leave that part of my life behind.”

  “Why did you run?”

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure. I just had this feeling that I was making a huge mistake. I honestly can’t say what it was. I’m not an impetuous person, but I had this-” She put her hand on her stomach.

  “Gut feeling?”

  “Yes,” she said, as if his explanation suddenly made perfect sense of her actions.

  “So what does your gut tell you to do now?” Brody asked. “We can ride back to the house and you can talk to this guy. Or we can leave. Teague will fly us to Brisbane and from there we’ll catch a flight to Perth.”

  “Perth?”

  “I have an apartment in Fremantle, just across the river. We can hang out until the investigator leaves.”

  She considered the offer for a long moment. “And then what?” she asked. “I can’t avoid my family forever.”

  “Then we’ll go back to the station right now and you can call them.”

  He waited as she weighed her options, hoping and praying that she’d choose to leave with him. He knew he’d have to let her go sooner or later, but he wasn’t ready. He’d take another day, another week, as much time as he could get.

  “I don’t know what I want,” she said.

  He’d asked her if she was married and he’d gotten the right answer. But the second question had gone unasked. Was she still in love with her fiancé? The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he was afraid of what she might say. Right now, he’d rather not know.

  He reached up and cupped her face in his hands. “Come with me to Fremantle,” he said. Leaning forward, he kissed her again, softly, a silent plea.

  “All right,” she said. “For a little while. We’ll go to Fremantle.”

  Brody released a tightly held breath and yanked her into his arms. He had a few more days, a week even. And this time, he wasn’t going to waste it. He’d savor every second he spent with her. They’d walk on the beach and make love all night and sleep until noon and then do it all over again the next day. And, maybe, she’d decide she never wanted to leave at all.

  B Y THE TIME they landed at the airport in Perth, Payton had filled in the details of her story, from her parents’ high expectations, to her belief that Sam was the man she was supposed to marry. And then she told him about her sudden decision to break free from the path that had been laid out for her. Until that moment, she’d simply deferred to her parents and her fiancé.

  It felt good to pick apart her life, to examine her motives and try to make sense of them. And it almost gave her enough courage to call her parents and apologize for everything that she’d put them through. But after a half day’s work on the station and two separate plane trips, she was exhausted. The thought of making that phone call twisted her stomach into knots.

  “I know what you’re thinking.” She sighed, avoiding his gaze as they walked from the plane.

  He held her hand, his fingers laced through hers. “No, you don’t,” Brody said.

  “You think I’m…naive. Spineless. And maybe I am-or was. But I’m not that way anymore.”

  He pulled her to a stop, forcing her to face him. “Are you under the impression that this has changed the way I feel about you?” Brody asked.

  “It hasn’t?”

  He shook his head. “No. Not at all.”

  They took a cab from the airport to Brody’s apartment. Payton was curious about what she’d find on the other side of the front door. The building was luxurious, with its richly appointed lobby and thickly carpeted hallways. Brody hadn’t told her much about his life off the station. What she knew had come from Teague-a career in football, the accident that had ruined his knee and a retreat back to the station.

  He reached for the front door, then paused. “I don’t remember what it looks like inside,” he said, forcing a smile. “It’s been a while since I’ve been home and I had to let my cleaning lady go.” He shoved the key into the lock. “Maybe I should just check it
out.”

  “It’s all right,” Payton said. “I’ve been working in a stable. Unless you have a dozen horses in there, nothing is going to freak me out.”

  Brody chuckled. “All right.” The door swung open and he stepped aside to let her enter first. She walked inside slowly, taking in the details of the interior.

  It was a beautiful apartment, sleek and modern. A wall of windows overlooked the water and filled the apartment with light. It was furnished sparsely yet fashionably.

  Payton wandered over to the windows and took in the view of a wide river and the city on the other side. “It’s wonderful,” she said. “So different from the station.”

  “One of the guys on the team gave me the name of his decorator. I didn’t pick this stuff out myself. I would have been content with a couch and telly and a bed.”

  She stared up at a painting hanging on the wall above the sofa. “Very nice. So, is this what football buys?”

  Brody smiled. “That’s what football bought. Footy doesn’t buy anything anymore.”

  “It’s difficult to imagine you doing that. Dressed in all that gear.”

  “Aussie rules is not like American football,” he said. “We don’t wear anything but a shirt, shorts and shoes. It’s more like rugby than what you think of as football.” He paused. “So you know how I found out about your wedding. How did you find out about my busted career?”

  “Your brother Teague. He said you were good, but that your motorcycle accident ended your career.”

  Brody nodded. “I was. I was the top scorer on our team. But that doesn’t really matter anymore. Now some other bloke is the top scorer on the team. And I’m just a guy who spends his time working a cattle station in Queensland.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with that,” she said.

  “It’s not the same as being famous.”

  Payton ran her hands through her hair. “I’m still dirty from work. Can I take a shower?”

  Brody took her bag off his shoulder. “The bathroom is through the bedroom,” he said, pointing to a door in the far wall. “I’ll show you.”

  She followed him into the bedroom and he set her bag on the bed, then turned and helped her out of her jacket. He smoothed his hands over her shoulders and nuzzled his nose in her hair. “It’s nice to have you here,” he said. “All to myself.”