by Sarah Barrie
Confused by the tone, Ebony sent her brother a slightly hurt expression. Ally got to her feet.
‘Ah, Cam, help me with a round of drinks?’
Once out of earshot, Ally spun on him. ‘Would you stop?’
‘Stop?’
‘Snapping at everyone because you think they might scare the crazy lady.’
She watched a muscle move in his jaw, saw him force the scowl from his face. ‘You were doing a fair bit of snapping yourself.’
‘I overreact to things – sue me. It doesn’t mean I need everyone censoring their conversation.’
‘Doesn’t it?’
She opened her mouth, closed it, because she knew he had a point. ‘Fine, whatever.’ She stalked to the door and pushed through the entryway with no idea where she was going, other than to get out of there.
Cam was on her heels. ‘Where do you think you’re going?’
‘You’d have a much better time in there without me.’
‘Oh no, you don’t.’ He stepped in front of her. ‘You want me to treat you the same as everyone else? Stop running the hell away every time you don’t like something. You want everyone else to treat you normal? Go back in there and act that way.’
She felt the tears spring to her eyes and calmed herself with difficulty. ‘Okay.’
He lifted an eyebrow. ‘One more thing.’
‘Yes?’
He pulled her into his arms and, ignoring her surprised resistance, kissed her until all the tension seeped completely out of her. Then he stepped back, gestured to the door.
‘After you.’
Dazed, she didn’t move for several seconds. A small smile played around the corners of his mouth, his eyes danced at her blank expression. ‘Let’s get those drinks, Ally.’
She shook her head. ‘Drinks. Right.’
As they made the trip back in companionable silence, Ally thought about it, realising he’d brought her down. She’d been ready to run, panic building at what the others were thinking of her. Instead, he’d sent her emotions spiralling in a completely different direction. By the time he was asking about drinks, she’d completely forgotten anything but him. And he’d done it so easily, it was a little disconcerting. But he was right. If she wanted people to treat her normally, she needed to act like it.
When he pulled up in her drive, she was pleased that he climbed out with her. She opened the door and did a quick sweep of the house.
Before she could head upstairs he stopped her. ‘What are you doing?’
She smiled, a little embarrassed. ‘I’m checking for mass murderers – or maybe ghosts.’
‘Oh, right. Question – if you ever find either, what’s your plan?’
She thought about that and her face twisted into a reluctant grin. ‘Good point. I should start checking with a gun. You using yours?’
‘You’re not having my rifle.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because you’re –’
‘Crazy?’ She folded her arms.
He laughed. ‘I was going to say unlicensed.’
‘Sure you were.’
‘Besides,’ he added, catching her by the hips and pulling her in, ‘you don’t know how to shoot. So if you’re worried, you call me.’
The second his lips met hers a loud crash resounded upstairs. They sprang apart and Cam hit the stairs two at a time. Ally followed. He flung open Mavis’s door, found the room empty, then moved on to the spare. No one was there so she followed the line of his stare to the window. It was smashed. The cat sprang from the bed and leapt out the opening.
Ally shuddered. ‘Well, I guess that’s telling me.’
‘How – there’s no way that cat could have done that.’ Cam moved closer, studied the mess. ‘Maybe the cat pounced at the window. He could have hit the glass and fractured some imperfection …’ He was talking to himself, trying to work it out. The look on his face was perplexed. Not entirely reassuring.
A quiet thump in the roof made them both freeze.
‘Where’s the manhole into the roof?’
‘Sewing room.’
‘Have you got a ladder?’
‘There’s a little stepladder in the laundry. I can get it.’
He nodded, already moving out into the hall. ‘And a torch.’
Cam climbed up the stepladder and pushed the manhole cover aside. He poked his head through. ‘Whoever built this house should be shot. I think some of these holes might have been here from the beginning.’ He replaced the cover and climbed down. ‘All clear. It’s hard to see every nook and cranny. I probably missed some of the rodents, but there can’t be anything bigger than a small possum or two up there.’
He pulled out his phone and called Lee. When he hung up, he looked around with purpose. ‘Lee’s bringing a board for the window.’
‘Thanks.’ She led him downstairs, and nervous, knocked lightly against the hall table. The pig figurine fell off so she picked it up, put it back.
‘What are these?’
‘I keep finding them. Gus said he’s done a few for Mavis from time to time.’
‘You’ve met Gus?’
‘I went out to see if he wanted any of her stuff.’ She smiled. ‘I liked him.’
‘Yeah?’
‘Yeah. Have you ever heard the phrase “Lord, love a duck”? I hadn’t. And I’m not sure it was entirely complimentary, but then, he’s eccentric, makes very little sense, has a flair for clichés – by the way, I think this family has an unnatural interest in donkeys because I’ve heard both him and Rob refer to them in interesting and inappropriate ways. He called me family – gave me a lovely little bird.’
‘And here I was thinking he’d freak you out.’
‘Not everything freaks me out.’
He brushed her hair back from her face and the simple touch – and the look that went with it – sent her body straight into overdrive. She slid a hand along the front of his shirt, felt the hard planes of his chest underneath. It was strange to be able to touch a man like this after so long. Cam’s heartbeat, steady and strong, was comforting, but being in his arms stirred something inside her, and his breath at her ear sent a tremor through her. His arms tightened around her as she lifted her face to his.
His eyes darkened. ‘You’re like a porcelain doll, so tiny and beautiful and fragile. With these huge bright eyes.’
She smiled, but didn’t believe it. ‘I’m not beautiful. Mia’s beautiful, I’m lucky to get away with cute. And I’m fine with that. I’ve grown up with it.’
‘You’re not cute.’
Taken aback by his definite tone, Ally’s brows shot up. ‘I’m not?’
‘No. That’s what Ebony said.’
‘Ebony said I’m not cute?’
It was his turn to grin. ‘No, she said you were.’
Her brow rose even higher. ‘Truly?’
‘Only because she was trying to get me to admit –’ He laughed in frustration. ‘You know what? This conversation’s taking too long.’
His lips took hers in a series of warming, featherlight kisses, and when her lips parted, he probed gently, taking them both deeper. She felt herself sinking, then floating. Her mind went blank, and overtaken by sensation, she shivered pleasantly when his hands slid up her sides, spread out to fan over her back, sliding down again, massaging, caressing, soothing and stirring. The want became a craving, a heat began to burn and she fell into it.
When he lifted his head, hers was still spinning. Was he trembling, or was that all her? Her body didn’t feel like her own.
‘Lee will be here soon.’
She nodded mutely, willing her scrambled senses back together. If he could make her feel like that with a kiss, imagine if they – no, that wasn’t a good track to go down. Her legs were barely supporting her as it was.
CHAPTER
17
Ally arrived at the clinic at ten to twelve. The sign still read Open, but there were no cars in the parking area, meaning Ebony should be right to s
tart stocking the new supply room. Ally entered the waiting room and looked around. ‘Ebony?’
Ebony appeared from out the back and smiled. ‘Hi.’
‘Hi, do you still need some help?’
‘Yep. I’ve got one more consult that should be here any minute, actually … here they are.’
They watched the car swing in and saw Gina and another boxer emerge.
‘You know Gina and the dog is Bruno. The father of the pups.’
And Bruno didn’t like having his claws trimmed. It turned out to be a three-person operation, and by the end everyone was breathing heavily and sweating a little.
‘I’ll do his flea and tick control and he’s done,’ Ebony said with relief. She left the room then reappeared almost immediately with a vial of flea treatment. A man wearing a paramedic’s uniform appeared in the doorway just as she applied it.
‘Hi, ladies. Sorry I’m late.’
Ebony looked up and smiled. ‘It’s okay, Ally’s here so we had enough hands, we’re just about finished. Ally, this is Gina’s husband, Lucas.’
‘Nice to meet you, Ally.’
‘What held you up?’ Gina asked.
‘There was an incident out on Wollar Road. Little Lucy Breton came off her pony.’
Ally went cold and her heart seemed to stop as guilt washed over her. She swallowed it down and tried to read Lucas’s face to see just how bad he thought it was. ‘Is she all right?’
‘Don’t know how much damage she’s done, but she was unconscious. Pony’s run off somewhere.’
‘Lucky the poor little thing’s not dead,’ Gina said. ‘She can’t manage that pony.’
‘Maybe we should go look for the pony,’ Ebony suggested.
‘I think it’d be better off staying lost, at least in the short term. Colin reckons it’s getting a bullet this time,’ Lucas said.
‘Then let’s hope he has time to calm down before it turns up.’
‘Poor Lucy … poor pony …’ Ally couldn’t just stand there making sympathetic noises. This was her fault! Suddenly she couldn’t breathe – she needed air. ‘Excuse me.’
She strode out the back and burst through the door, began furiously pacing Ebony’s neat little lawn. She should have helped. She’d been protecting herself and now the poor kid was in hospital. What was wrong with her? She’d seen the need, had known it was a dangerous situation. Damn it. She’d screwed up – big time.
‘You’re gonna wear a track in Ebs’s lawn. She won’t appreciate it. She fertilises it twice a week.’ Cam was sitting at the table, nursing a beer. She hadn’t even seen him.
‘It’s just grass,’ she muttered. ‘What are you doing, spying?’
He lifted his hands in defence. ‘You were busy with a dog. Thought I’d sit out the back and wait.’
‘Your car’s not out the front.’
‘I’m parked at the hardware.’ He stood and tried to snag her, but she stepped back, resumed pacing. ‘You want to tell me what’s wrong?’
‘Lucy came off her pony. She’s hurt.’
‘Lucy? Oh, right. Of the naughty pony.’
‘She came to see me last week. She’s got some new gear and wanted to show me how much better he was doing. Problem is, without training, gear can only do so much. She asked me to teach her.’
‘I’m guessing you said no.’
‘I was angry with myself about it after, but when she turned up, I freaked out and said no. Then I justified it to myself by thinking that even if I did want to, I don’t have a safe place to teach her. Those two need to do some work in an enclosed space, like a round yard or arena, so she can learn some control in safety.’ She shook her head and laughed at herself. ‘Then I decided I’d probably just freak out halfway through the lesson and do more harm than good. That it was a stupid idea.’
‘Sounds it.’
She sent him an unappreciative glare. ‘Now she’s hurt and her father’s after the pony with a rifle.’
Cam cursed quietly, rubbed the back of his neck. ‘That’s not on you. You didn’t cause it.’
‘I didn’t stop it either.’
He was quiet for a stretch, then said, ‘If you had given her a lesson, even a couple of them, could you guarantee that pony still wouldn’t have taken off on her?’
‘No.’
‘Then I think there’s a good chance it wasn’t your fault.’
She flopped down beside him, put her head in her hands. ‘No. Nothing ever is.’
He sighed heavily, nodded to himself. ‘Okay. Then fix it.’
She jumped up, threw her arms out in frustration. ‘How? I won’t be giving her lessons now. She’s hurt and her father’s putting the pony down. I hardly think an apology for turning her away is going to cut it.’
‘You said it wasn’t the pony’s fault.’
‘It doesn’t matter. It’s not safe.’
‘Can you make it safe?’
‘Maybe. Maybe he’ll never be safe – at least not for her.’
‘But you could try.’
‘I would have. Once upon a time. I just get so frustrated with myself! God, I can’t do this anymore.’
‘So get over it.’
She stared, open-mouthed, then shook herself out of it. ‘Oh, well, okay sure. You really are a genius. Why didn’t that occur to me?’ She wiped her eyes and sniffed, smiled tightly. ‘Just give me a minute or two.’
‘You can try.’
‘You don’t think I have? I should just pack up and go home. I must have been kidding myself.’
‘You’re better than that.’
‘Don’t push me!’
‘Someone has to. Everyone else is so busy tiptoeing around this problem of yours they’ve got you convinced you’re stuck with it. And from what I’ve seen, you’re not. I don’t care how serious this condition of yours is, you can right it – you’re already doing it. Every day you’re doing something else, beating some new barrier, working through some fear or other. You can do this, Ally. If you really want to.’
Ebony appeared through the door. ‘I just rang Colin, thought I’d offer to search, but the pony’s turned up at his place.’
Ally’s stomach dropped. ‘Oh. I hope he doesn’t shoot it.’
Cam stared at her in silence. Waited.
‘No.’
‘Ally …’
‘Stop.’
‘Just –’
‘Don’t – damn it, Cam!’ She turned on her heel, strode past Ebony and right back to her car, then tore off angrily towards home. Cam had no right to look at her like that – imply that she should … He didn’t understand what it was like! It wasn’t her fault she had this damn disorder.
Instead of taking that last turn round the mountain, she headed straight, followed the main road until she found herself at the Breton place. She knew she’d reached it because the pony was still saddled, its bridle hanging on the ground as it grazed in the driveway. It was in a lather, looked a bit battered. It needed a hose off, some TLC.
Colin appeared from a nearby shed, rifle in hand. He hadn’t changed his mind.
Ally tried to think, tried to reason it out. Even if she intervened, what the hell was she supposed to do with the pony? She didn’t have anywhere to train it. The situation hadn’t changed.
He pulled two bullets from his pocket, loaded the rifle.
She might not be able to make the pony safe. She might make everything worse. This wasn’t her problem.
Was that really the best she could come up with?
The pony pricked its ears, headed over to Colin. God, it had no idea what was coming.
Colin lifted the rifle, took aim.
Who had she turned into, that she could sit by and watch this happen? She shoved open the car door.
‘Colin, wait!’
When he dropped the rifle’s scary end to the ground, she jogged over.
‘Yes? Oh – you’re the woman from the show. Mavis’s daughter-in-law.’
‘Yes, that’s right.’
‘Something I can do for you?’
‘I heard what happened to Lucy. How is she?’
‘She’s been better. Bit of a knock on the head, her helmet took the brunt of it, and her wrist is broken but should heal well enough. Doc said she’s lucky. Apparently some idiots in a ute flew past, beeping their horns.’
Bastards. ‘I’m glad to hear she’ll be okay.’
‘Nice of you to ask after her. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got something unpleasant to do.’
‘Ah … just before I go.’ Breathe, focus, relax. ‘I was wondering. What if I – what if I helped her do some training with the horse?’
‘That thing doesn’t train.’
‘I think – I think it might.’
‘I don’t want my daughter back on that horse.’
‘I wouldn’t – I mean, not as he is now, but if he were to get better –’
‘Look, there’s nothing I’d like more than to think she could ride it. She loves the damn thing. But it’s not safe. I can’t sell it – it might hurt some other kid. If I keep it, Lucy’ll end up hurt again. I have to think of my daughter.’
‘But any horse would freak at –’ She pulled herself up. ‘I know. I do. I agree. Of course. Okay. Well, see you.’
She turned on her heel. I tried. I really did try.
Hard enough?
Shit.
She spun again. ‘Sorry, Colin, just one more thing … I could use a horse to keep old Violet company. If you didn’t want it.’
‘You want Coco?’ He let out a long sigh of relief. ‘I’d appreciate it. Just make sure he’s gone before I get back. I don’t want a scene with Lucy when I bring her home.’
‘Thanks.’ Great. How am I going to do that? ‘Ah … can I borrow your horse float?’
‘Don’t see how else you’d get it home – don’t ride it, whatever you do.’
‘Thanks.’
It was only years of practice that helped her swing the car back onto the float to hook it up. If she’d had to think about what she was doing she probably couldn’t have done it.
Maybe he’ll run away. Then I won’t have to do this.
Stop it, wuss. Just do it.
She approached the pony and picked up the reins. ‘Right. Come on then.’ There was a halter in the float so she slipped it on. Coco loaded easily and she closed up the back. All excuses exhausted, she drove home.