She needed to tell Tyler, to warn him before the show aired. Yes, maybe he’d have a suggestion or two because it was him she thought of when she was alone in bed at night. Nolan was like the annoying brother who kept niggling at her to get a rise, which was why she didn’t understand his selection. Lucy and Jasmine—yes—but her? One of these things was not like the others.
Her.
Still unsettled, she picked up her cell phone and dialed.
“Hello,” a feminine voice said. “This is Tyler’s phone.”
“Oh, can I speak to Tyler please?” Susan asked.
“He’s putting Katey to bed. Are you Tyler’s friend from Auckland? His mystery lady?”
“Maybe,” she said with caution shading her tone.
“I’m Josie, his mother-in-law. Tyler has been very close-mouthed about you. I think he’s worried about hurting our feelings.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, he’s a good boy, and he deserves happiness after— Ah, here comes Tyler now. It was nice to chat to you, Mystery Lady.”
Susan smiled. Tyler had told her about his in-laws and how much they’d done for him and his daughter. The sentiment was obviously returned since love and caring filled Josie’s voice.
She heard Tyler’s husky laugh before he spoke into the phone. “Did Josie grill you?”
“You didn’t take long enough. I think she was winding up to nosy questions.”
“Just a sec,” he said.
The snick of a door sounded and the background noise cut off abruptly.
“I’ve missed you,” he said. “How did today go?”
Frustration filled her at the enforced distance. She wished she could see his face. Maybe she should’ve used the computer, but she’d been impatient to speak with him. “Your brother picked me again, but every time we meet, he goes out of his way to embarrass me. This week he visited Maxwell’s and he dared me to do a pole dance.”
“Damn,” Tyler said. “I would have liked to see that.”
“No doubt you will because Jennifer told me I’m good for ratings. My quick and dirty dance will be on the show for sure.”
“Maybe that’s why Nolan is picking you,” Tyler said.
“I don’t think so,” Susan said. “There’s some other reason.”
“What happens next?”
“I come down to the farm with the other girls to give Nolan an opportunity to get to know us better, then he decides on his favorite two candidates. For the final show, Nolan turns up at his chosen woman’s house. That’s if he picks a woman. He can pick no one if he wants.”
“You’re coming to Clare,” Tyler said.
“Yes, but I don’t know if I’ll have an opportunity to see you.”
“We’ll work out something. I’d like you to meet my daughter and my in-laws.”
“I have to be careful.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll swing something. I’m not missing an opportunity to get my hands on you again. My bed has felt very lonely since I left Auckland. Sexting, emails and phone calls are a poor substitute.”
“Okay.” Susan closed her eyes and, for about the hundredth time, wished she knew what Nolan was up to. “I miss you too.”
Nolan sat at the dinner table, impatience simmering in his gut. He checked his watch. An hour before the show aired. Ring, damn it.
Almost at his silent demand, the phone rang.
“I’ll get it,” he said, springing to his feet.
His mother sniffed with disapproval. “I don’t know who rings at this time of night. We haven’t finished eating. You tell them we’re in the middle of dinner and to ring back in an hour.”
Nolan ignored his mother and strode to the kitchen to answer the phone. He wished the timing had been better and his grandparents weren’t off cruising the world. They would have helped rein in their daughter and acted as a buffer. Yeah, too bad. He missed chatting with them every day. He’d have to make do with the materials at hand.
“Hey, man, it’s me,” his friend Scott said. “How was my timing?”
Nolan grinned. “Perfect. I’ll head out now. Are you already at the pub?”
“Not yet. I’ll be there in ten minutes,” Scott said.
Nolan hung up and returned to the dinner table. He didn’t sit down again. “I’m going to the pub to meet Scott.”
His mother’s gaze narrowed while his father continued eating his beef casserole.
“Aren’t you going to tell us about the show?” his mother demanded, impatience a red tide of color in her lined cheeks. She set her knife and fork on her plate in a soldier-straight line.
“No. I’ve signed a contract stating I won’t divulge the results before each show is aired.”
“But we’re your parents.” The same shade of brown eyes he saw in the mirror each day glared at him.
“I didn’t want to do this show,” Nolan reminded her. “I’m an adult and I don’t have to take your advice.” The blunt speech was long due. His mother had gone behind his back and submitted his name for the reality show because she disapproved of the woman he was seeing. Simple as that.
“You work on the farm your father and I own,” she retorted.
“Don’t make threats,” his father said in a harsh voice. “You’ve already run off one of my sons. I won’t stand for you alienating Nolan too. This farm will belong to him one day.”
Hell, when had it come to this? His parents lived in the same house and barely spoke a civil word. Nolan wasn’t sure of the reasons for their hostility, but the ongoing battle had raged as long as he could remember.
God, one look at his parents’ marriage was enough to keep a sane man single. He didn’t know why his parents remained locked in their loveless union when they were both so unhappy.
“Thanks for dinner,” Nolan said into the strained silence. “Dad, I’ll see you tomorrow morning. I’ll get the ewes in first thing, so we can draft them for the sale.”
“I’ll be there.” His father stood. “I’m going into town for a few hours.”
His mother’s mouth firmed to a hard line, and Nolan decided to retreat before the war flared into violence. Both he and his mother knew exactly where his father was going—to spend a few hours with his friends at the pub. Thank god he lived in a farm hand’s cottage as a haven from the ongoing battle.
Half an hour later, Nolan walked into the pub. The Fox and Hounds was busy for a Thursday night, the feminine shrieks and hilarity coming from the function room indicating a hen’s night was in progress.
Scott sat at the end of the bar and hailed him with a wave. “Want a beer?”
Nolan nodded. “Is anyone using the pool table?”
“There’s a tournament.” Scott slid him a sly glance. “Guess you’ll have to shoot the shit with me instead.”
Nolan rolled his eyes. “God, not you too.”
Scott signaled for the barmaid and placed his order. “Give me a hint. Did you pick the sexy dancer?”
Nolan grinned. “I might have.”
“You did. Damn. Have you seen her dance?”
Nolan’s grin widened to a full-on smirk. “Yeah.”
“Man, do we get to see her dance on the show? I want to see her legs. Imagine her naked with all that long hair flowing over bare skin.” Scott jerked his head in the direction of an empty booth. “Let’s grab that. I want to grill you in private.”
Nolan had already seen the eager eavesdroppers and didn’t argue. He slid into the booth and grimaced at Scott’s eager curiosity. “You need to get laid.”
“Nope,” Scott said. “Been there, done that.”
“You have to swear you won’t discuss what I tell you with anyone,” Nolan said.
“Scout’s honor.”
“You and I both know you were never a scout,” Nolan said.
“I won’t tell anyone,” Scott said, his face settling into earnest lines.
Nolan gave a nod. Fair enough. He’d trust his best friend with his life. “I picked Susan, Jasmine and Lu
cy.”
“What about Yvonne?”
Guilt slapped Nolan. “I’ve talked to Yvonne. She understands about the show.”
“There aren’t many women who would understand.”
“Yeah.” Nolan hoped this show didn’t screw up what they had together. Tyler might be disowned, but Nolan bet his younger brother’s life ran more smoothly.
When Nolan returned home—after watching the show at the pub—he powered up his laptop and logged onto his blog.
The worst part of this entire process is choosing which women to move on to the next stage of the show. All of the women I’ve met are brilliant. Most of them live in the city, and I reckon the men who live there are blind.
The current dating system is broken if men and women need to resort to a reality show to find their life partners.
Nolan paused and reread his words. He started to delete them before he reconsidered. Jennifer’s assistant had told them to write from the heart and not censor. An evil grin spread across his face. His mother read his blog. He knew because she’d made a couple of comments about his grammar. Why not give her something to worry about?
During my last visit to Auckland, I visited all my ladies at their place of work. There is a real variety of jobs and I stopped at a dentist office, a veterinary clinic, a high school, an office, the museum and at Maxwell’s, the night club on K’ Road.
I had fun at each place, picked up a stray pup at the vets and ended up bringing him home. I’ll load up a photo of Charlie at the end of this post. He’s part Border Collie, and I think he’ll make a good farm dog.
To my surprise, I had the most fun at the night club. I watched Susan and the other girls learn a new dance routine. I had no idea what to expect—well, not true. I thought I knew what to expect. Lots of naked girls and a seedy atmosphere. They surprised me. Firstly, if any of you have been curious enough to visit Maxwell’s, you’ll know it’s a class joint. Both men and women frequent the place, and I’m told groups of women go on their own because it’s the kind of atmosphere where they feel comfortable. The club holds both hen and bachelor parties, and the place is high class all the way.
Back to the dancers. Those girls are fit. Julia, who runs the club, asked me if I’d like to join the training session. Since it was a new dance and none of them knew what they were doing, I figured, why not? We’d make mistakes together. They left me in the dust and had the dance moves down after one run through. They’re super flexible and seem to bend themselves into shapes that even fencing wire wouldn’t take. I came away from the club awed at the focus and dedication of the employees.
While the industry has a bad name and collects innuendo, I can see Maxwell’s is run as a family business with an emphasis on customers having a good time in a safe environment. If you haven’t visited Maxwell’s already, you’re missing a great night out. Grab a bunch of friends and go with an open mind. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Nolan read his post and nodded with satisfaction. That would give his judgmental mother something to gnaw on tomorrow.
Chapter Eight
With Christina’s help, Susan had taken a range of sexy pictures with her cell phone. While she was waiting at the domestic air terminal for the flight to Napier, the nearest city to Clare, she picked one at random—a shot of her legs clad in black stockings—added a text message and sent it to Tyler.
Her phone beeped almost immediately.
U expt me 2 concentr8 on cattle when my thohts r on yr sexy legs?
Quick texter. She grinned as their flight was announced. She switched off her phone and followed Jasmine, Lucy and the other passengers onto the plane.
Almost an hour later, nerves danced like marionettes in the pit of her belly, and the anxiety had nothing to do with the plane landing. She wanted to see Tyler so badly, feel his arms wrap around her, but with a cameraman trailing her, arranging a meeting would be tricky.
“I’m so nervous.” Jasmine’s oval face was pale, her blusher standing out in a curving sweep across her cheekbones. Her honey blonde hair lay in casual curls, framing and highlighting her neat features.
Jasmine’s insecurities spread like rumors, and the beginnings of panic stirred in Susan. When she realized her stupidity, she almost laughed aloud. No need for her to worry. She didn’t want Nolan. It was his younger brother she wanted to impress. “You’ll be fine. Think of this as a holiday. Even if things don’t work out with Nolan, this is a change from routine. An adventure, right?”
“I don’t understand you,” Lucy said. “You don’t seem to care. You say the most outrageous things in front of the camera and everyone loves you.”
Susan bit her bottom lip. She didn’t mean to release the brake on her tongue. There was something about Nolan that pushed her buttons and led her into freefall. Luckily, Tyler thought she was funny. He said his in-laws loved her, and the public seemed to like her too. Her blog and forum were popular. Even Jennifer had sent her an email of congratulations and approval. It seemed her notoriety was doing good things for the ratings.
“How about if we tell Nolan to share the naughty questions around?” Susan asked. “I’d be happy. Blushing and freckles is not a good combination.”
Lucy muttered something under her breath. The seat belt sign went out, and Lucy stood abruptly, her blonde ponytail swishing at the surge of motion as she jerked her hand luggage from the overhead locker.
“I really am sorry,” Susan said to Jasmine. “I don’t mean to hog the limelight.”
“Don’t be silly,” Jasmine said. “This is a competition and only one of us can win. I intend to grab every advantage and you should too. Every woman for herself.”
Susan grinned, but traces of guilt crept into her mind. Little did Jasmine know, but it was a two-woman race. Even if things didn’t work out with Tyler, she couldn’t see herself settling with Nolan. They were too different, and Nolan was right. Now that she’d discovered dancing, she couldn’t imagine herself leaving the city. She snorted inwardly. It had taken a reality show to make her see she belonged in the city.
Susan collected her bag with the others. Before she’d left, she’d gone to the art store and purchased the box of pastels she’d seen Tyler drool over plus a selection of water color paints, charcoal and a couple of small sketchpads. She figured he’d use the supplies eventually and it was something he’d really enjoy. She’d also included a soft toy—an owl that Julia said her son loved.
“There’s Nolan,” Lucy said and was off like a show horse, her blonde ponytail waving behind like a flag.
“What did I say?” Jasmine asked.
“Every woman for herself,” Susan said with a grin.
They watched Lucy throw her arms around Nolan and give him a big kiss. The cameraman followed Lucy, filming her exuberant hello.
Susan trailed Jasmine and gave Nolan a quick hug. No kissing for her, thank you very much.
“Nolan, we don’t have much time,” a woman said from behind them.
Nolan nodded. “This is my mother.” He introduced each of the girls by name and they received a chilly nod from his mother. Susan found amusement bubbling to the surface and flashed a grin at the woman. Tyler had told her about his mother and her sternness, the way she’d rejected him when his girlfriend had become pregnant. Even after they’d married, she remained distant. Tyler said he didn’t see her and that his father would pop by to see Katey occasionally, but he never took his daughter to visit the house where he’d grown up. Suddenly Susan was glad she’d received a wakeup call after Maggie and Connor started dating. She never wanted to turn into this woman with her tight held emotions, her mask of disapproval permanently etched into her face.
“Hello,” Susan said, and the woman’s harsh features didn’t budge. “I’m pleased to meet you.”
Nolan cleared his throat, attracting Susan’s attention. “The local school is having a gala day. I’m helping out with the pony rides. Mum has organized you all to help out on stalls.”
“Sounds like fun,” Susan said.
Jasmine and Lucy added their agreement, and they left the airport terminal. “I can only fit two in my truck,” Nolan said, after surveying the luggage.
“One of you will travel with me,” Nolan’s mother said.
“I’ll go with you,” Susan said. “I’d love to hear more about the gala day and the town of Clare.”
Nolan sent her a grateful look, and as she’d suspected, the other two girls didn’t offer an argument.
Susan lifted her bright red bag into the rear and climbed into the passenger seat of a compact orange car.
Mrs. Penrith pulled out of the parking area and turned onto the main road. “I’m not going to let Nolan marry the likes of you,” she said in a frosty voice.
“Isn’t that up to Nolan?” Susan asked, chilled by the malice in the other woman. “Besides, you don’t know me. It’s a bit early to assassinate my character.”
“You work in a night club. You dance and disrobe in front of men.”
“But I don’t sleep with them,” Susan said. “Look, I was surprised when Nolan picked me. Lucy and Jasmine are beautiful and they’re nice girls. I doubt you have a thing to worry about.”
“We’ll see,” Mrs. Penrith said.
Cold silence filled the vehicle. Susan thought about packing the void with bright chatter before deciding to study the scenery instead. It was a gorgeous winter day with a warm sun and a vivid blue sky. There was still a nip in the air from the frost the previous evening, and Susan noticed the patches of white on the grass in places where the sun hadn’t yet reached.
“How big is the school?” Susan asked finally. She might as well learn something about the area.
“We have almost two hundred pupils,” Mrs. Penrith said.
“And is the gala day to raise funds for a particular project?”
“We want to buy more computers and uniforms for our sports teams. We have a hockey team, several netball and rugby teams.”
“Does Nolan play rugby?”
“He used to,” Mrs. Penrith said, noticeably thawing when Susan mentioned her son. “The farm keeps him busy these days. He loves the land.”
Clandestine Lovers (Friendship Chronicles Book 3) Page 10