Outback Dreams

by Rachael Johns

  Thankfully, the busy week ahead would leave little time for wallowing. She wished there was someone she could open her heart to, but in the absence of a likely candidate, Daisy would have to do.

  As she led the cow into the milking shed, Faith remembered numerous times when she’d been home from boarding school and come into the shed to find her mum talking to their cow. Cassie had always loved having hens for eggs and growing her own veggies, but the milk cows had been more than animals. They’d become friends. When Daisy’s last calf was taken by a local farmer, Faith had made the heartbreaking decision to give the old a girl a rest, knowing her milk would soon dry up. Her offerings were getting scanter and scanter now, and Faith knew the time would soon arrive when Daisy no longer served a purpose. At least not in her father’s eyes. But Cassie had never turfed a cow simply because it ceased being useful, and Faith didn’t plan on doing so either.

  Saying goodbye to Daisy would be like saying goodbye to her mother all over again.

  ‘What would I do without you?’ she asked as she sat down on the old milking stool and gave the old girl a morning pat. ‘Who would keep me sane then?’

  Looking after Daisy had always been a mixed blessing. On the one hand, needing to milk the cow twice a day tied her down, but on the plus side, it was those times with Daisy when she felt closest to her mother. Right now she needed that connection. If her heart had been in a mess over any other guy, she’d have confided in Monty or his mother, but even Jenni Montgomery was off limits now. And although it appeared she’d found a friend in Ruby, it felt wrong to talk to her about Monty.

  ‘I just wish you could tell me what to do,’ she sniffed at the cow. As she went through the motions of milking, she contemplated the prospect of confessing her feelings to Monty.

  She imagined a number of wonderful scenarios, most of which ended with him taking her in his arms and kissing her madly while confessing his own feelings, but the fear of rejection always overruled them. If he wanted her, he wouldn’t have written off their night together as a mistake.

  She was almost at the end of their milking session when the rusty old door of the shed scraped open. Snapping her mouth shut for fear of Ryan or her father hearing her spilling her heart to Daisy, Faith turned her head and almost went into cardiac arrest at the sight before her.

  Monty. Here.

  She felt her insides twist with longing as he approached. His hair was still damp from the shower, his legs encased in dark jeans, and his impressive upper body hidden beneath a jumper advertising the Bay Bunyips footy team. Nothing knock-your-socks-off about his outfit, yet he didn’t need any dressing up. He was just perfect as he was and she couldn’t believe she’d taken this long to notice.

  But what was he doing here so early in the morning? Had her anxieties conjured him into reality? She wondered how long he’d been lurking and if he’d heard anything she’d said.

  Her toes curled at the thought. Or maybe that was lust.

  As if this early visit was the most normal thing in the world, Monty strode towards her and proffered a packet of caramel Tim Tams.

  She frowned and eyed the packet suspiciously. ‘Biscuits?’

  ‘Not just any old biscuits.’ He tore open the packet, waving it under her nose. She sniffed, meaning to inhale the chocolate, but the sweetness combined with the illicit and delicious scent of him. ‘These are the ones your boyfriend brings, remember?’

  Her heart sank. So, that’s what this was about. She stared at the packet in his large, strong, work-roughened hands, wishing the ball was over. Not because all her hard work would finally come to fruition, but because then Monty would be gone and she could begin to put the pieces of her heart back together. Unfortunately, before that could happen, she had a whole night of pretending to be his girlfriend to survive.

  She turned back to Daisy. Resumed milking.

  ‘You’re not my boyfriend,’ she told him. No matter how much I wish you were.

  ‘But I want to be.’

  ‘What did you say?’ Her hands froze and her head snapped up at his words. She’d chop off her ears if they were playing tricks.

  He looked down at her with a focused and serious gaze. She felt his intensity in every atom in her body, as if tiny matches were being lit beneath her skin.

  ‘I’ve been a complete mess the last few weeks. I’m lost without you. The most honest moments of my life were those two days I pretended to be your boyfriend in front of Tim and Nora. It felt right, Faith. More right than anything has ever felt before.’

  Her mouth fell open as she stared up at him, unable to believe his words—desperately wanting them to be true but scared this was just another one of her torturous dreams.

  ‘Are you going to say something?’

  She refocused on his eyes and saw real fear. It was the kind of fear she’d been feeling these last few weeks—the fear that had stopped her putting her heart on the line as he’d just done. Shooting to a stand, she knocked over the stool. Ignoring it, she reached out for him. It was the next best thing to pinching herself.

  ‘I don’t know what to say.’ Her fingers played over the contours of his arms and she explored smooth, hot skin over taut, sexy muscles—just like she’d done in her dreams. The packet of Tim Tams dropped to the floor.

  ‘You could start by telling me I haven’t just made a fool of myself.’ His voice was gravelly as he stepped closer. ‘You could say you have similar feelings. Or you could tell me I’m an idiot and that’ll you’ll never feel that way. Just say something. Please?’

  ‘Oh, Monty.’ Faith’s eyes watered as she swallowed the emotion rushing to her throat. ‘I feel exactly the same. I think I always have. I was just scared to admit it. And I already felt like I was losing you.’

  ‘I know, I know.’ He captured her hands and brought her fingers to his lips before kissing them. ‘But it suddenly makes so much sense.’

  Before she could reply he made the gap between them even smaller and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss began chaste and sweet but somehow felt more intimate than when they were skin-on-skin in his tent. It felt real, and she couldn’t return it fast enough. If she’d doubted his feelings at all, the way he kissed her now extinguished all such anxieties. She wrapped her arms around his body and their legs entwined as they indulged in the taste of each other. With each brush of his lips, her core body temperature soared and the kiss threatened to go beyond a general viewing rating. Summoning every ounce of willpower she possessed, she pulled back before totally losing control.

  ‘Where to from now?’ she whispered, wanting to whisk him away to her bedroom but knowing it wasn’t a sensible option— not with her father and Ryan at home.

  ‘I want to do this properly,’ he said caressing the tender skin on the inside of her wrists. ‘If you can spare a few hours this morning, I’d like to take you on an official date.’

  The sensations of his thumbs sweeping over her tender pulse points played havoc with her senses and she feared she might have heard him wrong. ‘This morning?’

  He glanced at his watch. ‘Right now would be perfect.’

  She looked back at Daisy and decided they were through with milking. ‘Okay. Just let me change.’

  Monty performed the head-to-toe onceover, unashamedly looking his fill down her body. His smile grew and her nipples tightened as need coiled deep in her belly. ‘What you’re wearing now will be just fine.’

  Momentarily distracted from her desire, she took a peek at the ancient, faded black track pants she’d pulled on when she rolled from bed and the over-sized jumper she’d tugged on top of her sleeping tee. ‘No.’ She shook her head. ‘I need to have a shower. Give me five minutes. Ten max.’

  ‘Okay, but don’t dress up.’

  Faith laughed. ‘It’ll be hard, but I’ll do my best.’

  She all but danced to the shower, desperate to scrub herself clean ready for a brand new, exciting phase of her life. After stripping naked and turning on the water, she pinched her
self just to make sure, and the pain brought immense pleasure.

  To think that in less than twenty-four hours, she could go from rock bottom to feeling as if she could conquer the world. She didn’t know how she’d come to think of Monty as more than the boy next door, but she was now ready to relearn him as a lover—as someone whom she might possibly spend the rest of her life with. A warm glow lit inside her at the thought, ignited by the simple thrill of what lay ahead.

  Monty waited in the lounge room at Forrester’s Rock, trying not to think about Faith in the shower. He thought about joining her and had almost lost the battle of wills when Frank strode into the room.

  He paused and did a double take, his gaze settling on Monty. ‘You’re here early.’

  Monty nodded. ‘Faith and I are heading out.’ He bit his tongue on asking Frank’s permission to date his daughter. He’d always got along with Faith’s dad and respected him as a farmer, but in recent months he’d been unable to condone the way he’d treated her.

  ‘Can I get you a cuppa while you wait?’ Frank asked, nodding towards the kitchen.

  ‘No need, Dad.’ Faith walked into the room, a spring in her step, her wet hair trapped in a ponytail and a wide smile sitting between two rosy cheeks. She’d heeded his directive and wore old jeans, boots and an oversized knit jumper—an outfit only she could make look sexy. ‘I’m ready.’

  Their eyes met. Although she was so familiar on almost every level, at that moment, Faith seemed to him like the last gift in a game of Pass the Parcel. Finally the music had paused on him and he couldn’t wait to take their relationship deeper.

  ‘Good.’ He cleared his throat and stood. ‘I’ll see you later, Frank.’

  ‘You kids have a good day.’

  ‘Geez,’ Faith spluttered as they stepped out onto the verandah. ‘What did you do to my father? He forgot to wear his grumpy pants.’

  Monty took her hand. ‘Who cares? I’m much more interested in you.’

  They walked to his ute and as he opened the passenger door, he mourned the loss of her hand. She peered into the tray at the back, her eyes twinkling as they spotted the fishing gear.

  ‘You’re taking me fishing?’ Excitement shone in her voice. ‘We haven’t been fishing together in an age.’

  ‘I know. Too long.’ While he’d been focused on saving for his farm, so many things had fallen by the wayside. But that was all about to change.

  As they clicked their seatbelts into place, they both seemed overcome with the realisation of what they were doing. ‘Will you laugh if I tell you I’m nervous?’ she asked, glancing over at him.

  ‘It’d be the pot calling the kettle black because I’m petrified. My hands have never been this sweaty.’

  ‘Maybe I didn’t notice because mine are sweaty too.’ She wiped her palms on her jeans. ‘Can I ask you something?’

  ‘Anything.’

  ‘When did you start feeling like this? Thinking that maybe we were meant to be more than friends?’

  He turned the ute out of her drive and onto the road towards town. ‘In hindsight, I think it’s been building for a long time. I’ve never managed a long relationship, because I’d always preferred spending time with you. But that night in the pub—the night you wore that short pink dress—ruined me. I could barely concentrate on anything else. Since then I’ve looked at you differently.’

  Although it felt weird confessing these feelings, it also felt right.

  ‘Wow. I would have paid ten times more for that dress if I’d known it had that kind of power.’

  He chuckled. ‘What about you? If you tell me you’ve known forever, I’ll feel like a dick.’

  ‘Nope.’ She shook her head. ‘I was as blind as you. The alumnae night changed things for me. When push came to shove, I couldn’t make up a boyfriend. I could only think of you.’

  He laughed, recalling how pretending to be her boyfriend for Tim and Nora had amplified the feelings he’d started to have. ‘Thank God for the need to deceive.’

  ‘And for Dutch courage,’ she added. ‘I’d never have had the guts to make a move on you if it weren’t for the drinks. That final glass of port tipped me over the edge. We owe Tim and Nora a lot.’

  ‘Hang on. I was the one who made a move on you.’ He smiled at her, recalling how he’d been unable to resist getting her naked.

  She shrugged. ‘Believe what you like. What I want to know is where do we go from here?’

  ‘Most first dates are about getting to know each other, finding out if a second one is warranted.’

  ‘But I already know you better than you know yourself, and…’

  ‘A second date is non-negotiable.’

  ‘My feelings exactly. Maybe we should just fast forward a few dates and head for the bedroom. Yours or mine? I’m not fussy.’

  He shook his head, amused by her frankness and trying to ignore the ball of desire that tightened low in his belly at her words. As tempting as her offer was, they were almost in town. He could smell the sea and knew if he turned towards his house instead of heading for the jetty, they might never leave. And besides, Monty really did want to spend this time hanging out. He’d missed simply being with her.

  ‘The fishing’s supposed to be brilliant today.’

  She sighed. ‘I can see I’m going to have to work on my technique.’

  At Faith’s words he slammed his foot on the brakes and swerved the car over to the side of the road. He turned, leaned forward and grabbed her face between his hands, drawing her closer until his lips claimed hers. He slipped his hands up into her hair and they kissed like a pair of randy teenagers until his lungs begged for air.

  ‘You have nothing to worry about in terms of technique,’ he promised. ‘The sparks I get when kissing you, I’ve never felt with anyone else.’

  Her red, thoroughly kissed lips twisted up at the edges. ‘Sparks? I thought all that stuff was a load of mumbo-jumbo. Next thing you’ll be getting your tea leaves read.’

  ‘Where kissing’s concerned, I’m a mumbo-jumbo convert, but that doesn’t mean I’ll start believing in numerology and all that stuff mum wastes her time with.’

  She grinned. ‘I wouldn’t expect anything less.’

  Somehow he forced himself to get them back on the road, to head towards the jetty instead of the nearest roadside parking bay hidden by trees and perfect for making more of those sparks. Even though it was winter, there were already walkers on the beach, fishermen on the jetty and a few hopeful surfers taking their chances with the waves. Monty parked and met Faith at the back of the ute to unload their gear. For years she’d kept her pink fishing rod—a joke present he’d given her one Christmas—at his place, because they only ever went fishing together. He couldn’t think of a better activity for their first date.

  Despite being laden with tackle, they managed to hold hands as they headed towards the jetty. ‘I’m going to miss all this,’ Monty said, nodding ahead. ‘The jetty and the fish, the early morning swims…’ In a few months time, the Bunyip Festival and Undies Run would be happening on the beach, and for the first time in years, he wouldn’t be taking part in either.

  ‘But you’ll have plenty of cows,’ Faith replied, her voice light with amusement. ‘Trust me, they can be very good company.’

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  ‘Is there anything you haven’t thought of?’ Faith asked as Monty laid a picnic rug down on a deserted section of the jetty and started to unpack the esky. When he’d said they were going fishing, she hadn’t bargained on breakfast—especially not a breakfast as luscious as this—but when Monty did something, he did it well.

  ‘Nope. I think I’ve got everything covered.’

  ‘Of course you do.’ Faith sat on the rug and let her legs dangle over the edge of the jetty as he poured orange juice into two plastic flutes. She’d remember this moment for the rest of her life.

  ‘Let’s eat before we fish,’ Monty suggested, as he peeled back the lid on a container of fresh fruit sa
lad. There weren’t the plethora of melons and grapes that were available in the hotter seasons, but he’d still managed an impressive selection.

  Faith smiled her approval. In addition to the fruit, he’d brought Danish pastries and blueberry muffins. She suspected Mrs O’Neal might have had a hand in the latter, but she wasn’t going to break the mood with too many questions. ‘Good idea. I’d hate to mix the fish food up with ours and get a mouthful of bait.’

  Monty grimaced, then picked up a glass of orange juice and held it out to her. ‘I know you’re not big on champagne, but I hoped we’d have something to celebrate this morning. Although if you’d turned me down, champagne would have been better to drown my sorrows.’

  ‘No sorrow drowning required.’ She lifted her glass in the air, oblivious to the people strolling along the jetty behind them. ‘To us.’

  ‘Yes. To finally waking up to ourselves.’ Monty clinked his glass with hers, then leaned in and stole another kiss. The brief brush of his mouth against hers held the promise of so much more.

  When he pulled back, Faith licked her lips, wanting to hold onto the taste of him, and immediately wolf whistles and cheers erupted on either side of them. She looked left and right, blushing and smiling at the locals who were applauding their tame show.

  ‘About bloody time,’ called a retired farmer who spent practically every daylight hour attached to a fishing rod.

  ‘Damn straight,’ called another.

  Within half an hour, everyone in Bunyip Bay would know that they were an item. But for once, Faith didn’t mind the local gossip. Were they the only ones who hadn’t been able to see that she and Monty were perfect for each other?

  The locals soon left them alone, even going to the extent of moving along the jetty to give them privacy. Faith appreciated their efforts, but they could have been dancing naked right behind them and she wouldn’t have noticed. Monty consumed her every thought. She’d missed him so much these past few weeks, and although being together like this was weird on one level, it felt so easy and right on all the others. With him, she didn’t have to pretend to be someone she wasn’t. She didn’t have to second-guess her actions, wondering if she was being feminine enough. There was nothing they didn’t know about each other, and no hidden traps that could pop up and derail their future.