Country At Heart

by Mandy Magro

  Cupping her hand around Astrid’s ear, Summer tried to lighten the mood, not wanting Astrid to worry about her. ‘Stick it in your handbag, and then get him to eat it in the bushes – no one will ever know.’

  Astrid’s left eyebrow shot up, an act Summer had tried to master since she was a child, but never could. ‘Brilliant plan.’

  After hiding the sandwich, the two women headed out to join the crowd, the cool evening breeze refreshing Summer’s skin and making her feel tingly. Saying a quick goodbye to Astrid, she made her way through the guests, stopping along the way to say hi to people she knew, but all the while just dying to see Dean. It had only been a few hours since she’d seen him, but she missed him like crazy already. He said he’d text her when he arrived around seven, and now it was seven thirty.

  A pair of hands grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. Summer’s heart skipped a beat, but she found Phillip smiling back at her, looking dapper as ever in a blue suit, his equally handsome boyfriend clinging to his side. She pulled him into a tight hug. ‘Hi, Phillip, it’s great to see you.’ She prayed her dad was hospitable to the pair of them tonight, because he would hear about it from her if he wasn’t. He’d been known to be a little rude to Phillip in the past, but Phillip being Phillip, he just shrugged her father’s bad manners off. Phillip was, and always had been, a very dear friend to her, and her father had to learn to deal with the fact she had a gay friend.

  Phillip returned her embrace and then gave her a kiss smack on the lips. ‘It’s great to see you too, darling. It feels like forever!’ He stepped back and wolf whistled. ‘You’re looking damn sexy tonight! Where’s the lucky man Fiona’s told me all about?’ He grinned wickedly. ‘I want to check him out.’

  Justin smacked him playfully on the arm, his lips pouted. ‘There’ll be no checking out, sweetie, unless it’s of my arse.’ Then, taking Summer by the hand, he kissed it. ‘Lovely to finally meet you, I’ve heard so much about you.’

  Summer couldn’t help but smile broadly, liking Justin’s vibrant energy instantly. ‘It’s great to meet you too, Justin. I hope everything you’ve heard about me has been good.’

  ‘It’s all been wickedly naughty,’ Justin said with a wink.

  ‘I could say the same about you,’ Summer replied cheekily, sending Phillip and Justin into gales of laughter as her phone buzzed in her bag. ‘Excuse me for a sec,’ she said as she grabbed it.

  Please come and save me. I’m on the back verandah with your dad, and I feel like he’s interrogated me to the point of almost removing my fingernails. Dean x

  ‘Oh shit,’ she muttered.

  Phillip touched her arm. ‘Is everything okay, Sums?’

  ‘Not really, Dad has Dean cornered by the sounds of it, and you know what he can be like.’

  Phillip whistled through his teeth. ‘I sure do. You better go save him before your father chews him up and spits him out.’

  ‘Yup, I think I better … Catch you both on the dance floor later, hey?’

  Phillip struck a Saturday Night Fever pose. ‘You sure will.’

  Making a beeline for the verandah, Summer swore under her breath. Her bloody father couldn’t help himself – Dean would’ve only just gotten here and he was already cross-examining the poor bloke. And where in the heck was her mum? Couldn’t she have saved Dean from this embarrassing first impression of her father?

  Summer’s heart almost leapt out of her chest when she spotted Dean backed up against the wrought-iron railings of the verandah, a glass of whiskey in his hand. He looked hot. He’d gone to great effort, even wearing black tie. He glanced over her dad’s shoulder, Dean’s penetrating gaze almost sending her into a mushy heap as he quickly tucked something into his top pocket. She went to his rescue, her heart still somersaulting at the sight of him.

  ‘Hi Dean, Dad. What are you two blokes chatting about over here?’ She turned to glare at her dad, hoping her annoyance was obvious in her wild eyes. ‘Shouldn’t you be mingling with your guests?’

  Donald ignored her question as he took a sip from his Ballantine’s on the rocks. ‘Summer, you look gorgeous, darling. I was just telling Ian here how important it is that you are looked after, and that you marry a man who is very capable of taking care of you financially.’

  ‘Oh really, Dad, how very thoughtful of you …’ Her voice had gone up a few notches, her anger with her father making the pulse in her neck prominent. She knew he was deliberately baiting Dean. Donald never got a person’s name wrong. ‘And his name is Dean, not Ian, by the way.’

  Donald chuckled in a way that made Summer’s blood boil. What was her father playing at? ‘Oh, sorry …’ He looked at Dean. ‘I must have misunderstood your strong ocker accent when you introduced yourself.’ Pushing himself up from the chair, he gave Dean a terse nod. ‘Nice meeting you, Dean, please make sure you think carefully about what I said. Any wise man would. I’ll leave you in the very capable hands of my daughter now.’ And off he strode, his chin held high, as though he’d just won a battle.

  ‘And nice meeting you, too, Donald,’ Dean called after him. Summer could hear the slight aggravation in his voice, and her stomach plummeted. Things had obviously gone very badly. She reached out and touched him on the arm.

  ‘I’m so sorry. My dad is not the easiest of people to get along with, or understand, for that matter. What did he say to you?’

  Dean placed his untouched whiskey on the coffee table, and pulled her into his arms. ‘It doesn’t matter tonight. All I care about is enjoying some quality time with you.’ Pushing her hair from her shoulder, he gently kissed her neck, and then ran his lips all the way up to her ear, leaving her skin ablaze from his touch. ‘God, you look absolutely stunning. What have I done to deserve a woman as beautiful as you?’

  She tilted her head back so she could look into his eyes, eyes that were burning with love for her. ‘Dean, please, if he’s said anything to upset you, tell me.’

  Dean chuckled half-heartedly. ‘Let’s just say I don’t think he believes I’m the right kind of bloke for you. But you know what? He’s got a fight on his hands if he thinks he’s going to scare me away. I’m infatuated, Summer, wild horses couldn’t drag me away from you.’

  Summer smiled softly, her hand resting on Dean’s cheek, her thumb running over his exquisite lips. ‘Thank you for loving me the way you do. I’m infatuated with you too, so he’ll be fighting both of us.’ She shook her head. ‘I’m so very sorry. After the day you’ve had, being bullied by my arrogant father is the last thing you needed.’

  ‘Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.’ Taking her hand, Dean pointed to the dance floor, which was filling up with tipsy guests. ‘Would you care to dance, my fine lady?’ His attempt at a posh accent was terrible, but funny all the same.

  Summer smiled sassily. ‘I would love to, my gorgeous man.’

  With the band playing John Lee Hooker’s ‘Hobo Blues’, Dean surprised Summer by swaying her around the dance floor with pizzazz. She could tell he’d had some kind of dance lessons, the way he tipped her back and spun her around, flowing too effortlessly for a man who hadn’t been taught. And the way he moved his hips in unison with hers, his arms planted firmly around her waist, his eyes piercing, it turned her on beyond belief. How many fascinating layers of this hunk of a man were there to discover?

  Spotting Phillip and Justin tearing up the dance floor, she gave them a wave. Phillip waved back, the smile on his face big enough to light up the night sky. Justin gave her the thumbs up, while rubbernecking at Dean’s butt, earning a light-hearted slap on his own from Phillip. Summer laughed at them before turning her attention back to Dean.

  Lost in the moment while enjoying the sensation of her body pressed up against Dean’s, a brash grunt pulled her attention from Dean’s face to the couple beside her. Marcus leered back at her, the woman with him totally unaware of his wandering attention as she flipped her hair around her face like a go-go dancer. He moved over close enough for her to lip read: ‘I thou
ght you weren’t ready for a relationship.’

  Summer spun back around, trying to pretend he wasn’t there, but Marcus moved in for the kill, leaning into her and Dean’s space, a facetious smirk on his lips. ‘Watch her, she’s a livewire. Been there, done that – and quite recently too.’

  Before Summer had time to react, Dean had Marcus firmly by the shirt, his fist clenched to clout him, the muscles in his face twitching in anger. But he held back, his arm returning to his side as he yanked a pale-faced Marcus towards him until their noses were touching. ‘Don’t you dare talk about Summer like that. Show some fucking respect. You say something like that again and trust me, you’re not gonna be able to walk for months, because I’ll break both your fucking legs.’ He gave Marcus a forceful shake. ‘Got it?’

  Marcus’s tough façade tumbled away like a building crashing to the ground. He tried to puff his chest out but failed miserably, and his lips were trembling as he tried to reply. ‘Get your hands off me before I press charges,’ he said finally.

  Summer gently placed her hands on Dean’s shoulders, relieved to feel him relax beneath her touch. ‘Don’t waste your breath on him, Dean. He’s not worth it.’

  Dean let go of Marcus and turned to face her, his eyes ablaze.

  The band stopped playing as people who’d been happily dancing cautiously stepped back from the commotion, the partygoers hushed as they watched. Phillip had moved in to help stop the fight, and was trying his best to placate Marcus. Placing his hand on Marcus’s chest, he tried to gently push him away from Summer and Dean. Marcus reacted by smacking Phillip’s hand away.

  ‘Get your fucking dirty gay hands off me!’

  Phillip stepped back, throwing his hands in the air, smiling. ‘Well you’ve got legs, haven’t you? So why not get the fuck out of my face if you can’t stand being near a gay man?’

  Spinning on his heel, Marcus bolted from the dance floor, cursing Phillip as he did so.

  Summer spotted her dad storming towards them, fury written across his face, and she quickly grabbed Dean’s hand and led him off the dance floor, ignoring her father’s heated shouts behind them. ‘Come on, let’s get out of here.’

  She knew Donald wouldn’t follow; he’d be too worried about Marcus and his many guests to do that right now. She’d have to face the music with him later. For now, all she cared about was getting Dean as far away from Marcus as possible, before he lost his cool again and did something he might regret. And poor Phillip, he’d only been trying to help them, and had been caught in the crossfire.

  Pulling Dean through the whispering crowd, she bumped into Fiona, who was understandably shaken. Bailey stood beside her, his eyes wide with shock. Summer blew them a kiss as she ran past.

  Fiona called out after her. ‘Is everything okay, Sums?’

  Desperate to get out of there, she called out over her shoulder, ‘Yep, all good, mate, I’ll ring you later.’

  One of the last people Summer saw as she rushed towards the back of the property was her mother. Although Marie was dolled up to the nines, it looked to Summer as if she’d been crying, again. Summer made a mental note to talk with her mum in the morning.

  Thankful to have reached the steps that were lit by the moonlight, Summer dragged Dean along behind her, neither of them having spoken a word. Reaching the sand, she flicked off her shoes, watching helplessly as Dean stormed off towards the ebbing ocean, repeatedly running his hands through his hair. Panic filling her, she ran after him. Had this just ruined everything?

  Finally catching up with him, she grabbed his hands. ‘Dean. Please, talk to me.’

  He jerked away from her, placing his hands in his pockets. ‘Who in the hell was that dickhead and why did he feel it was his place to say something like that? And what the fuck was he on about – quite recently too? Is there something you haven’t told me, Summer?’

  Summer stumbled over her words, her panic increasing as she tried to find a way to explain everything in a split second. ‘Dean, I, um …’

  He exhaled heavily, words continuing to tumble from him as he paced the shoreline. ‘I’m sorry I’ve embarrassed you in front of everyone, Summer, but I’m not just gonna stand back and let some fucking jerk say things like that about you …’ He paused, shaking his head. ‘Have you cheated on me?’

  Summer dropped her head, unable to look at him. ‘No! Dean, I would never cheat on you! I dated him, a long time ago, and he’s never gotten over me. He reckons he still loves me but I don’t think he has any idea what love is. My dad keeps trying to reunite us, but I’m not interested …’ She brought her tear-filled eyes back up to Dean’s, needing him to see how deep her love ran for him. ‘Honestly, I’m not interested in him. I’m in love with you. Nothing has happened between Marcus and I for years.’ God, she prayed Dean wouldn’t see through the last bit. She had always been a terrible liar. But there was no way she would tell Dean the embarrassing truth; she’d rather swim in an ocean full of sharks than do that.

  Dean softened instantly, his hands coming from his pockets as he reached out to hold her. Summer fell into his arms, sobbing with relief. He kissed her on the head, making his way down her cheek, kissing her tears away seductively, before finally meeting her lips. Summer sighed, his touch igniting fires in places she never dreamt possible. Responding to him, she pressed her body against his, the ache inside her to be at one with him tremendous. And Dean must have felt her longing, her desire to give all of herself to him, as he ran his hands gently up her back, tracing her skin so delicately with his fingers it made her quiver. He slowly flicked the thin straps from her shoulders and her silky dress slipped to the sand, leaving her in her bra and lacy G-string. Normally she would have instinctively tried to cover herself up, but here, in front of Dean, his intense eyes drinking all of her in, she felt completely comfortable and desirable.

  He stepped back, his breathing deepening. ‘My God, Summer, you are the most beautiful creature on this earth, and the amazing thing is … you’re mine.’

  Stepping towards him, Summer placed her arms over his shoulders, her hands gripping the back of his neck as she pushed her lips against his, their tongues meeting as she caressed him slowly. Hunger possessed her and she dug her nails into his skin, their kisses perfectly attuned, in sync, like a powerful piece of music.

  And then she felt it, Dean’s longing for her pressing into her through his pants, and she panicked, the whole thing with Marcus smashing down upon her like sledgehammer. Fear travelled through her like a freight train as she stepped back, stumbled, and fell down on the sand. Unable to look Dean in the eyes, she quickly grabbed her dress and slipped it back on, her throat tight with emotion. Tears welled and spilled down her cheeks, all the pain and anger she had pushed down from what Marcus had done to her rising to the surface in gut-wrenching sobs.

  Dean fell to his knees and scrambled towards her then took her by the hands. ‘Summer, I’m so sorry. I thought you were ready to make love to me. I would never push you into doing anything you weren’t ready for. Hell, I’d wait a year, two years, if I had to. I’m just happy being able to spend time with you. Please, forgive me baby.’

  Summer looked up at him, pain stabbing through her heart like a knife when she saw the hurt in his eyes. He had no idea why she was upset, and she had just lied to him about not having slept with Marcus for years, so how could she explain it all now? He’d never trust her again. ‘No, please, don’t apologise. You’ve done nothing wrong. It’s me, I thought I was ready, and I’m not. I’m so sorry.’

  Dean pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. ‘It’s okay, no need to apologise. Let’s just forget it ever happened.’

  Summer sniffled against his chest. ‘Thank you.’

  Dean tilted his head back so he could see Summer’s face, and although his eyes spoke of the profound hurt he was feeling, he smiled softly. ‘How about we just sit here for a while and soak up the sound of the waves, just until midnight, so we can wish each other a happy New Year?’ />
  Summer tried to smile back at him, but her lips were trembling too much. ‘That sounds perfect.’

  Turning, Summer nestled into Dean, the rise and fall of his chest calming her, his arms going around her waist as she entwined his fingers with her own. Resting her head back on his shoulder, she closed her eyes, wishing that they could be in another place, in another time, far, far away from her deep, dark secret.

  CHAPTER

  13

  The sun was only just beginning to rise on New Year’s Day, its rays igniting the dawn with glistening sunlight. Sitting in a meditative pose, her bare feet meeting at the soles and her legs in perfect alignment, Summer smiled dreamily as she gazed out over the liquid gold ocean, her body feeling peaceful after an intense session of yoga. Even though she’d only gotten to bed at one this morning, she still found herself awake at 5.30am, and decided to grab the opportunity for some quiet time on the beach.

  Taking a deep breath, she stretched her arms out wide, welcoming the positive energies of Mother Earth into her heart and soul before exhaling slowly, imagining any negative energies left in her body as a black cloud releasing with her breath. She wanted to be as relaxed as possible when she spoke to her dad. Not that it would make a huge difference to the outcome: she knew there’d be no talking sense to him; Donald Milton was renowned for always being right, no matter what. But she wasn’t going to give into his demands today, or any more for that matter, it was high time she started living her life the way she felt fit, and he was just going to have to deal with it. She was mad with him, and extremely disappointed. The way he’d treated Dean with such disrespect last night and the lengths he’d gone to to make Dean feel unwelcome were uncalled for. She’d known her dad wasn’t going to like the fact Dean wasn’t wealthy or a suit wearer, but those reasons certainly weren’t good enough to cause the intense dislike Donald obviously had of Dean.