Outback Dreams

by Rachael Johns

  ‘Yes, sir.’ Faith tipped hers back, trying hard to concentrate on the conversation between herself, Ruby and Constable Noble. She feared the battle a lost cause because she couldn’t seem to stop glancing at Monty talking to Ryan near the barbecue. Their gazes met and she forced herself to smile, even though her insides twisted at the mere sight of him.

  The longer they’d been apart, the more awkward it felt to see him again, although he didn’t seem to suffer the same affliction. He’d never been far from her mind these last few weeks but seeing him now didn’t satisfy a craving, it only made everything worse. For the first time, she felt glad he was moving away. He’d promised to help with the Barking Ball in any way he could in the next week, but in the name of self-preservation, she planned on putting as much distance between them as possible.

  ‘Looks like it’s going to be a good night,’ Drew said. ‘Pity I’m on duty. Adam invited me and I couldn’t resist a quick glimpse of an Aussie party. Really wish I could stick around.’

  ‘We’ll have to have another one when you’re not on duty,’ Ruby said with a coy smile.

  Drew smiled. ‘I’d like that,’ he replied, and then his expression grew serious. He leaned towards them. ‘Tell me. Is it true Adam’s got a sister still filed as missing?’

  Faith blinked, having not expected the question.

  Ruby frowned. ‘I don’t know much about it. It was long before my time. Faith?’

  ‘Yes,’ she answered in a subdued tone, unsure why he was asking, or how much she should tell. ‘She disappeared from the farm twenty years ago. The police suspected foul play, but they never found a trace.’ She looked over to where Adam and Simone lingered at the edge of the party, trying to encourage his mother into conversations.

  ‘Is that his mum he’s with?’ Drew asked.

  ‘Yeah. Esther’s never been the same since. It was awful for the whole town, but I can’t imagine what it must have been like for her.’

  ‘I see.’ Drew sighed deeply and scratched the side of his neck, before standing tall again. ‘I’d best go say hi to Adam and have a look around before I head out on patrol again. You girls have fun.’

  ‘We will,’ Ruby promised with another girly smile.

  ‘Yeah, see you later.’ Faith, wondering if Drew meant he was going to look over the renovated cottage or something more, found it difficult to gather her thoughts. As he turned to go, her phone rang.

  ‘Are you going to get that?’ Ruby asked.

  ‘Oh. Yes. Of course.’ Faith scooped the phone out of her pocket and accepted the call before checking the ID. ‘Hello?’ Moments later she wished she’d taken a second to do so.

  ‘Hi, Faith. Sorry to call on a weekend, but I have some brilliant news.’

  Faith’s heart thudded in her chest. Katarina Lamberusco-Cunningham.

  ‘Yes, Katarina, what is it?’

  ‘I’m coming to the ball! I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure I could swing it, but I’m coming and I cannot wait to meet your man.’

  ‘That’s … um … great!’

  Kat’s singsong tone gave her the impression she knew Faith had lied about having a boyfriend and planned on catching her out. Now she’d have her chance. So distracted was she by the first part of Kat’s announcement, Faith took a second to register the next:

  ‘And I’ll need somewhere to stay. Can I leave that in your capable hands? None of the country hotels have good websites, and I do everything online.’

  Faith gulped. All the accommodation within miles was booked for that night, and Kat wouldn’t appreciate being shoved on a bus to Geraldton.

  ‘Sure, we’ll work something out,’ she said, trying to keep her voice calm while hoping Kat didn’t end up sharing her bedroom.

  ‘Fabulous. I’m leaving here on Saturday morning, so I should be up mid-afternoon to help out with any last minute emergencies.’

  ‘Sounds great,’ Faith managed through gritted teeth. A helpful Kat sounded like an oxymoron.

  ‘I’m so excited. Call you later in the week. Toodle-oo!’

  Kat disconnected and Faith stared at her phone, only just refraining from hurling it into the bonfire. Who even said ‘toodle-oo’ these days? Who’d ever said it?

  ‘I’m taking it that wasn’t a good call?’ A worried expression crossed Ruby’s face as she looked to Faith for explanation.

  ‘Understatement of the century.’

  ‘Why? What’s the matter?’ Ruby rested a concerned hand on Faith’s arm.

  Faith looked to her newfound friend. She’d become closer to Ruby than she’d once imagined possible, yet it embarrassed her to confess this to someone who would never need to make up a boyfriend. ‘That was the coordinator of the alumnae fundraising contest, Katarina Lamberusco-Cunningham.’

  Ruby screwed up her nose, presumably at Kat’s pretentious name.

  ‘She’s coming up next weekend.’

  ‘And that’s a problem because?’

  Faith sighed and spilled her guts about the pathetic lie she’d told Kat and her cronies at the old girls’ dinner.

  ‘I see.’ Ruby appeared to be stifling giggles.

  ‘I’m an idiot. I know I shouldn’t give a damn what Katarina thinks of me…’

  But bottom line, she did. She was sick of being Plain Jane Faith with the dead-end job—if you could even call working for her tyrant dad a job—and no love interest at all. She wanted people to think she was somebody.

  Hell, she wanted to be somebody.

  ‘Relax.’ Ruby upped her pressure on Faith’s arm. ‘This doesn’t have to be a disaster.’

  ‘What doesn’t have to be a disaster?’

  Argh! Just her luck that Monty and Adam chose that moment to return. Close to tears, she lifted her fingers to wipe her eyes, but it was too late. A lone drop escaped and Monty noticed. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close as he’d done on numerous occasions in the past. But this time it only made her feel worse.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Monty pressed.

  ‘Nothing,’ she lied, wishing she could shake him off without making a spectacle of herself.

  Monty, Ruby and Adam raised their eyebrows.

  ‘Kat’s coming to the ball.’ She looked to Monty and saw the exact moment it dawned on him what this meant. ‘Right.’

  Before he or Faith could say another word, Ruby took charge. ‘It’s okay, we can all keep up the façade.’

  ‘What façade?’ Adam asked.

  Getting to be a right old hand at personal humiliation, Faith brought him up to speed.

  ‘So,’ Ruby suggested, ‘Monty will go to the ball as Faith’s date and Katarina need never suspect a thing.’

  Faith expected Monty to object. It would probably be for the best—the last time they’d pretended to be an item, things hadn’t ended well—but he nodded emphatically. ‘Yes, that’s what we’ll do. Happy to help.’

  ‘You don’t have to.’ She didn’t want him to feel obligated. Besides, the thought of struggling through another night of pretending she was only pretending to be in love with him was almost too much to bear.

  ‘I want to.’

  Before Faith allowed herself to look for meaning in those words, she recalled the other matter. ‘She also needs somewhere to stay. Where the hell am I going to put her? Everything’s booked, and I really don’t want her at my place. Not the way Dad’s been lately.’

  They all thought for a moment and then Adam glanced to the cottage. ‘She can stay here. We weren’t sure if it’d be ready in time so we haven’t taken any reservations, but as it happens, we’re all set to rock-n-roll.’

  ‘Great idea,’ Ruby and Monty said in unison.

  ‘Are you sure?’ Faith’s heart lifted again when he nodded.

  ‘Thanks mate. Kat will love this old place.’

  ‘No worries.’ He patted his stomach. ‘Anyway, all this problem-solving is making me hungry. We only came over to tell you that Monty’s got the sangers burnt to perfection. Com
e eat and drink some more.’

  Faith had determined not to drink much tonight, but she feared she might need something strong to get her through next Saturday.

  Monty wasn’t stupid. Faith was definitely avoiding him. She’d sat with Esther Burton and Ruby while she ate, yet made an excuse to get up the moment Monty joined them. He’d helped Adam clean up after the barbecue, and whereas Faith would usually be first to volunteer as well, she’d thrown herself into a game of cards with some of the other blokes. Always up for a game himself, he’d joined in as soon as he could, and that’s when Faith decided she’d had enough. She left the small circle, muttering something about organising dessert. He watched her now as she sat on a crate with Ryan and a couple of other farmers, digging into a plate of pavlova and laughing at something one of the blokes had said. He hated the way she was more at ease in their company than in his.

  ‘You excited about your move?’

  He turned to find Ruby beside him. Resisting the urge to look back to where Faith sat, he forced a grin. ‘Sure. Can’t wait.’

  She raised an eyebrow at his less than enthusiastic tone.

  He couldn’t help himself. ‘You and Faith seem pretty chummy now.’

  Ruby’s brow lifted even higher and a smirk tilted her lips. ‘Yes, because I’m no longer a threat.’

  Lifting a near empty beer bottle to his mouth, Monty tried to decipher her words. ‘Shopping in Gero, giggling at shared secrets. I’d be forgiven for thinking she is your new best friend.’

  ‘And I’d be forgiven for thinking you are jealous.’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ He downed the dregs. ‘I told you that night was a mistake. Anyway, what did the new cop have to say to you two?’

  She laughed. ‘You are so jealous. He caught Faith speeding the other day and was simply checking she’d been more careful since. Oh, and he asked us about Adam’s sister. But seriously, you don’t have to worry about him.’

  ‘I’m not worried. It’s not like that.’ He ripped the label off his empty bottle. ‘I just miss her friendship is all.’

  Glancing at his handiwork, Ruby shook her head. ‘What are you scared of, Monty? It’s pretty obvious that you and Faith are meant to be together. I don’t think I ever stood a chance. I don’t think anyone does. You’re already the best of friends, so you’re more than half way to what most people only ever dream of finding.’

  Her eyes bored into him as she waited for an answer, but all he could think to say was, ‘What if we stuff it up?’

  She shrugged. ‘Then you pick up the pieces and move on like so many others have done before you. But if you don’t risk it, then what? I think that’s the bigger question.’

  Ruby chinked her glass on the side of his bottle, smiled knowingly then walked away. As the partygoers flocked towards the bonfire, Monty found himself frozen. Was Ruby right? Was his failure to commit—failure to find that elusive spark with anyone else—all because the person most suited to him had been right beneath his nose all along?

  Suddenly the idea of socialising felt suffocating. He needed time to think. Knowing he’d already had too many beers to drive home, he set off across Adam’s property to clear his head. With each stride, Ruby’s words played over and over in his mind.

  He walked for what felt like miles, trying to imagine his life without Faith in it, but practically all his memories came back to her.

  He recalled the night he returned to Bunyip Bay after finishing high school. They’d gone down to the jetty and fished until late. When he caught zero fish to her five, she teased him about being out of practice. She said the city had made him soft. Somehow she dared him to skinny-dip in the ocean and, wanting to prove he wasn’t soft, he’d accepted the challenge.

  He chuckled at the thought.

  That was Faith, always up for a laugh. Always ready to offer or accept a dare.

  Walking briskly, he challenged himself to think of five childhood memories that didn’t include her. He’d spent eight years in Perth before coming back to Bunyip Bay; surely five memories would come easy.

  But even when he thought of that time in the city, Faith starred in almost every recollection. Her boarding school had been only a train stop from his house. He’d rushed out of school almost every Friday afternoon and caught the train to meet her. In summer, they’d head down to the beach and swim until it got dark, and in winter they’d trek into the city to catch a movie. She’d spent most weekends at his place, and when she did go back to Forrester’s Rock, nine times out of ten he’d tagged along.

  They hadn’t made any other good friends in the city. He’d never clicked with the boys at his school because Will was also there and most of the other students—not familiar with autism— were scared of him. It was like if they hung with Monty, they might somehow catch Will’s condition. And Faith, totally uninterested in the things most girls her age were—make-up, TV stars, Dolly magazine—hadn’t made more than acquaintances at her posh private school.

  It didn’t bother either of them. They knuckled down, focussed on their studies and, outside of school, they had each other. They didn’t need anybody else. In Bunyip Bay he had more friends. He had almost as much in common with Adam as he did with Faith, and he’d made some good mates working on the boats and in the other jobs he’d done. But Faith was his best friend.

  He stopped walking. Realised his shoes had filled with mud. Didn’t care.

  That’s what he was scared of. Making a balls-up of a relationship and losing the person who meant the most to him. The only person he’d ever needed.

  Faith.

  Ruby’s words resounded in his head: ‘If you don’t risk it, then what?’

  What if he let fear rule his life? What if he didn’t confess his feelings to Faith? Maybe, because of what they’d done, he’d lose her anyway.

  All of a sudden it was obvious. He loved her—he always had— but because they’d been so easy in each other’s company, he’d almost missed one vital thing. He was also hugely attracted to her. He grinned as his mind filled once again with memories from that night in his tent. She’d shared herself with such abandon. Feasting on her had been the most natural thing in the world.

  He couldn’t go another night, another hour, without seeing her. Without finding out if there was any hope of more than friendship between them. He turned and started running, charging towards the cottage.

  By the time he arrived at the house, only a few people lingered. Adam, Simone and a couple of the Burtons’ workers were sitting around the bonfire, but Faith was nowhere to be seen.

  ‘Where’s Faith?’ he asked, interrupting Simone in the middle of joke.

  Adam looked up at him.

  ‘She and Ryan left hours ago,’ he replied. ‘What happened to you? I was just saying we should send out a search party.’

  ‘I was walking.’ Without another word, he turned away. He was almost at his ute when Adam caught up.

  ‘Are you okay? Where’ve you been?’

  ‘Like I said. Walking. Thinking.’

  ‘About Faith?’

  ‘Yeah.’ Monty stopped and leaned against the ute.

  ‘And did you come to any conclusions?’

  ‘I love her.’ His voice broke on the confession. ‘I have no idea if she feels the same way, but I can’t go another night without telling her.’ Momentum building inside him again, he tossed his car keys in the air. ‘Wish me luck.’

  Adam snatched the keys before Monty’s hand could close around them. ‘Mate, I wish you all the luck in the world, but I can’t let you drive tonight.’

  Monty tensed. ‘I’m fine. I haven’t had a beer in a couple of hours.’

  ‘That may be.’ Adam swung the keys around on his finger like this was a big joke. ‘But it’s after midnight. You can’t go barging over to Faith’s place, waking up her whole family, even if you are safe to drive.’

  ‘Midnight?’ Monty dug his phone out of his pocket to check the time. ‘Holy shit. I’ve been out there for ho
urs.’

  Adam patted him on the back. ‘I’ve heard love can do that to a guy—make you lose your mind, forget the time, all sorts of crazy things. Look, why don’t you head into the house and steal a bed for the night. In the morning, when you’ve showered, then you can go over and declare love.’

  Adam’s words were a little slurred and he was speaking much more candidly than usual, but he still spoke sense. Resigned, Monty let his friend lead him towards the cottage. As they walked, a thought struck him. ‘You don’t mind, do you?’

  ‘Mind? About what?’

  ‘About me and Faith,’ Monty explained. ‘If there even is a me and Faith.’

  ‘Why would I mind?’

  Monty shrugged one shoulder. ‘You always liked her.’

  Adam laughed and shook his head. ‘I had a teenage crush. It’s ancient history.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Really,’ Adam echoed. ‘Seeing you get together—my two best mates in the world—would make me very happy.’

  ‘I might be getting ahead of myself. There’s no guarantee she feels the same way.’

  ‘True,’ Adam said, ‘and that’s why first thing tomorrow morning, you’re going to go over there and find out.’

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  At six o’clock the next morning, Faith trudged out to the paddock where Daisy spent her nights ready for the morning milking. Although she’d escaped Adam’s party relatively early, sleep had eluded her. From the moment she’d closed her eyes, she’d been tortured with unrelenting thoughts of Monty. She missed him, but simple friendship seemed a pale substitute for what she really wanted. If the torrid memories of what they’d done together in his tent weren’t confronting enough, he’d disappeared last night just before the bonfire started, and her mind had sailed off on a totally different tangent.

  She had no clue where he’d gone off to and had almost driven herself insane with trying to work out whether any of the other female guests were also missing. Although she couldn’t pinpoint anyone, she’d been unable to get the thought out of her head. The idea of him giving some girl the kind of attention he’d given her only weeks before made Faith heartsick.