His Outback Temptation (Pickle Creek)

by Annie Seaton

  “Hey, I dumped my family stuff on you. I’m happy to listen.”

  “Thank you. We’re a good pair. I’ll miss having someone to dump on when you go to England.” Sebastian grinned.

  “There’s always email,” she said.

  “That would be nice.”

  “Now what’s this job you mentioned before we got serious?”

  “It’s an easy one, and it could be fun. If I’m going out in the wilds on weekends with my camera, I need a photographic assistant. How would you like to help me out?”

  …

  After he’d dropped Isabella back in town, Sebastian rode home with a smile on his face. She’d agreed to come out and help him when he went away for the weekends, as long as she had enough time to get the catering organised. They probably wouldn’t get a chance to go out till the wedding was over, but at least he’d see her when she was at the farm working on that. There were a couple of other reasons that made delaying the shoots more attractive. He could take his time telling Liam about the contract and work extra hard to help him get up-to-date with the farm work, and it also gave him more time to research some tips on night photography. It was a new area for him, and one he was excited about.

  In the end, they’d agreed to go out the weekend after next.

  The cattle grate rattled beneath the bike as he turned onto the driveway to the farmhouse, and he realised he was a lot more excited about learning how to take night photos than learning about the wheat harvest or how to fatten cattle.

  But most of all, he was looking forward to going bush with Isabella. The next couple of months were going to be busy, but it was going to be fun.

  What bothered him was the time after Isabella left to go to her new job, and he’d fulfilled the photography contract. He could see the years ahead on the farm stretching in front of him, and that prospect didn’t appeal at all. It was too far to get on his bike and head to the city every weekend. By the time he got there, it’d be time to turn around and come home again.

  Sebastian put his motorbike away in the shed, checked on Daisy and the pups, and then headed for the house. He’d enjoyed the time with Isabella by the river. She made him laugh with her sense of humour.

  As he walked into the kitchen, the flashing light on the answering machine next to the phone caught his attention. He pressed the play button and the robotic voice told him, there was one new message.

  “Sebastian. It’s Gran. We’re on our way home. I tried to call Liam but he didn’t answer. Come to Narrabri Airport tomorrow at lunchtime to collect us. Please.”

  Sebastian tried not to roll his eyes. At least she’d added a “please” to the royal command. He walked across to the large kitchen window that overlooked the paddocks.

  The thought of living in a house with his grandparents was not one that sat comfortably with him.

  I wonder if I could find a nice block of land out there and build my own place?

  He shivered. That seemed way too permanent.

  Chapter Ten

  Sebastian was still in his boxers and drinking his second coffee when Liam arrived on horseback just after light the next morning. He’d slept well, but he’d had crazy dreams about Isabella. They’d been taking photographs together in Italy, but he’d lost her in a vineyard and had spent most of the dream trying to find her. Rose bushes with gigantic blooms had kept snagging him and he couldn’t find her. He’d slept through the first alarm and woken with a start when the wind had sent something crashing against the side of the house.

  “Enough left in the pot for me?” Liam asked with a wide yawn as he came through the back door.

  “Sure. Help yourself, I’ll go and get dressed.”

  “We’ll be on horseback most of the day, and that wind’s cold. It’s turned to the south, so you’ll need a jacket.”

  “Yeah, I heard it hit about an hour ago.” Sebastian crossed to the window. Grey heavy clouds were building from the south, forecasting a wet and cold day.

  He grimaced.

  Yuk. A wet day on horseback.

  Not his first choice for a way to spend a day.

  “Won’t be all day for one of us,” he said hopefully.

  “Why, what else is on?” Liam looked up from pouring his coffee.

  “Gran rang last night. They’re flying in to Narrabri at lunchtime and want to be collected.”

  “Do you want to go?” Liam’s look was intense. “Or would you rather I did?”

  Sebastian shrugged, not wanting Liam to think he wasn’t up to spending the day working. What he would have preferred was to boot up his laptop, load the pictures he took last night, and layer some of the raw images. “We could both go. You wanted to look for those tractor parts, didn’t you? Probably more chance of getting them in Narrabri than in town here.”

  “Yeah, that makes sense.” Liam carried his coffee over to the table and pulled out a chair. “Get your skates on because I want to cut out the cattle in the back paddock. We should just have time before we go.”

  “Yes, sir.” Sebastian shot him a grin and headed for the bathroom. A quick shower would wake him up.

  Old Sam was Sebastian’s favourite mount; the old white horse whickered a welcome as they walked across to the horse paddock, and Sebastian took a deep breath of the fresh country air as he stroked his nose.

  “Did you miss me, Sam?”

  It wasn’t so bad once they were out in the paddocks and the cattle were cooperative. The rain held off, and once they started work, Sebastian shed his coat.

  After the cattle were secured in the new paddock, they rode the eastern boundary fence together. Liam had noticed some cattle from the property next door on their land the other day and wanted to find where they’d broken through the fence.

  “That old bloke Ferguson does nothing to keep the fences in good order. Pop’s been complaining about him since we were kids.” Liam shook his head.

  “I remember that.” Sebastian looked around. They were on a slight rise and could see to the horizon in all directions. “Now that Jemima’s over at Daniela, and Lucy’s with Garth at the McKenzie farm, most of the land we can see is part of the family holding, apart from the Ferguson farm.”

  “Yeah.” Liam pulled his horse to a stop. “I want to talk to you about that. I reckon we should make Ferguson an offer for his place. He’s got no kids, and he’s getting a bit long in the tooth to be worrying about a property that size. He hasn’t had a wheat crop in for the last few years, and it’s prime land.”

  Sebastian swivelled around in the saddle. “How are we going to afford that?”

  “We could do it with a loan. Do you have a problem with us expanding?”

  “Haven’t we got more land now than we can handle?” He bit his tongue before he could add that there were only so many working days in a week.

  “It’s manageable and the extra land to plant wheat would double our income in five years or so. The loan wouldn’t be an issue.”

  Five years. Will I still be here doing this every day in five years? A heavy feeling settled in Sebastian’s gut, but he didn’t say anything.

  “Sounds like something we should give serious thought to,” he said, injecting enthusiasm that he didn’t feel into his voice. “Let’s sit down with Pop and see what he thinks once they’ve been home a few days.” Maybe he hadn’t put quite enough enthusiasm into his tone because Liam shot him a curious look.

  “If we do go ahead, it’ll mean working seven days a week until we get the harvest over. You up for that?”

  “This year’s harvest?” Sebastian settled a bit; that wouldn’t be too bad.

  “No, the first harvest from any wheat we plant on Ferguson’s place, if we do buy it. It’ll be a year or two before we harvest over there.”

  The heavy feeling in Sebastian’s stomach solidified into a rock. “Okay. We’ll talk about it with Pop.”

  They didn’t speak again until they were almost to the house paddock, and Sebastian reined in his horse.

  �
��Oh damn. Will you look at that!”

  Liam pulled up his horse beside him. “I know. It’s about time we got it fixed. But until the feed prices come down, we’ll just have to put up with it.”

  Sebastian looked at him with a frown. “Put up with what?”

  “The old pump. What were you looking at?” Liam put his hand up to his eyes and squinted. The sun was bright and reflecting off the iron roof of the hayshed.

  Sebastian nudged old Sam and he took off at a canter as the lush house paddock came into sight.

  “Yeah, the pump. Shame about that,” he said to Liam when he caught up to them.

  Sebastian was quiet as they took care of the horses. He hadn’t even noticed the damn pump. If he’d told Liam he was looking at the rainbow that had framed the wheat perfectly as it arced above the irrigation spray, and cursing that he wasn’t holding his camera, he knew he would have gotten a disgusted look.

  He bit back the sigh that threatened as they headed back to the house for smoko.

  …

  Isabella woke up, determined to put a bright spin on the day, no matter what her father said. Nothing had changed with her dad, and nothing would change, unless she could convince him to sell or shut up shop and go back to Mum in Italy. At least last night had been fun and being with Sebastian had lightened her mood.

  She pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and wandered down the stairs. A busy day stretched ahead: finalising the menu for the wedding, and making calls to suppliers, although both Angie and Jemima had asked her to source as much as possible from the local IGA supermarket.

  “Too many businesses are closing; we need to shop local as much as we can,” Jemima had said.

  “Yes, I noticed the street had changed a lot since we left school. I don’t know how Dad keeps the milk bar running.”

  As she pushed open the plastic strips that divided the back of the kitchen to the stairway, the buzz of conversation met her.

  “Good girl,” her father said with a huge grin as he rang up a sale. “I was about to call you. Shirley and I can’t keep up.”

  Isabella widened her eyes. The crowd waiting to be served at the counter was three deep, and every table inside the café was full. She stood on her toes and looked over the crowded café. The tables outside were all occupied, too.

  She rolled up her long-sleeved T-shirt. “Okay, tell me what to do.”

  “Do you remember how to work the coffee machine?’

  “I do.”

  “Thanks, sweetheart, make a start there. There’s about ten orders backed up.”

  Isabella shook her head, surprised at how busy the milk bar was. The first few coffees were collected by Shirley, the waitress, and then when they caught up, Isabella delivered them to the tables.

  “Are you Con’s daughter?” an older lady asked as she placed the coffee on the table.

  “I am.”

  “I could tell,” she said. “You look like your father. He’s a fine-looking man.”

  Isabella bit back a giggle.

  Maybe once, but there isn’t much of a resemblance between us these days. Dad was bald, and his tummy was quite large. She watched as Dad talked to the patrons at the tables. His voice boomed out, his eyes bright as he turned on the charm and had the group of elderly ladies at the back hanging off his every word.

  An hour later, the last group walked out and Isabella drew a breath. “How often does that happen?”

  “Not as often as I’d like,” Dad said as he filled the sink with hot water. “It was the annual general meeting of the CWA.”

  “Ah, so a one-off.”

  “At least I knew they were coming, and Shirley cooked up a few cakes for us, didn’t you, Shirl?” He looked around with a shrug. “Where did she go?”

  “Last I saw she was heading for the back alley with a cigarette.”

  Her father shook his head. “Thanks for the help anyway. It’s a shame—”

  “No Dad. Don’t start. I’m in a good mood. I was happy to help out, but now I’ve got a lot to do. I’ve picked up a second job for while I’m here so I have to get this wedding organised.”

  “Another job? I won’t see you if you work too much. What’s this second job?”

  “I’ll be helping Sebastian with a photo shoot.”

  Isabella refused to let the look of crafty satisfaction on his face get to her. If Dad wanted to think she might hang around here and not go to England because she’d fall for a local guy, and use her to make coffee in the milk bar when he was busy, that was his problem, not hers. She wasn’t going to let it put her in a bad mood again.

  But it’s hard.

  She headed back upstairs and picked up her to-do list for the day. Biting her lip, she looked at her phone sitting next to the computer, and before she could change her mind, she picked it up and hit speed dial.

  He answered immediately. “Bella, hi. What are you up to?”

  “Hi Sebastian, can I arrange a time to come out and have another look at the kitchen and ovens at the farm?”

  “Sure.”

  “When would suit you best?” Isabella twirled her hair around her finger as she waited for his reply.

  “Listen, why don’t you come tonight? We’re having a bit of a get-together. Just the family. And everyone will be here to answer any questions you might have about the wedding.”

  “Um. Are you sure that would be okay?”

  “It’ll be perfect.”

  “Okay as long as you’re sure. What time and what can I bring?”

  “About six thirty.” The laughter in his voice was clear. “Roses and champagne?”

  Isabella smiled but she injected a prim tone into her voice. “This is a working visit, not a date.”

  “Damn, I thought it was worth a try.”

  “You’re mad, you know that?”

  “So they tell me. And hey, thanks for the company last night.” His voice was soft. “I really enjoyed myself.”

  “Me, too,” she said.

  “Bella?” She loved the deep husky tone when he lowered his voice.

  “Bring your dad with you. Gran and Pop are home. Maybe he’d like a night out, too.”

  “Thank you. I’ll bring my specialty, too.”

  As Isabella set off to the IGA store with her menu and list, she still had a smile on her face.

  Chapter Eleven

  The trip to Narrabri had been successful. They’d come home with the tractor parts, Gran and Pop, and a load of luggage.

  “I swear we buy a new suitcase in every city we visit.” Pop had shaken his head as Liam and Sebastian squeezed the four large suitcases into the boot at the airport.

  Everyone was at the farm, and the welcome-home celebration was in full swing.

  “Well, we’re home for a while now, so you don’t have to worry.” Gran’s smile was satisfied. She patted Sebastian’s shoulder as she walked back into the house. “Thanks for getting us today, love.”

  Sebastian stayed out on the verandah with Garth and Liam. Liam had tried to talk farm with Pop but Pop put up his hand, much to Sebastian’s relief.

  “No, Liam, we’ll do that in the office tomorrow. This is a party.” Pop lifted his beer and took a swig. “There is nothing in the world that beats a good cold Aussie beer.”

  Gran came back out of the kitchen wiping her hands on her apron. It was as though she’d never been away. “Don’t you go drinking too much beer, Harry Peterkin.”

  She looked at Sebastian and winked. “You make sure your grandfather behaves, won’t you, Seb? He overdid it in the German beer halls, and I almost had to carry him back to the hotel myself.”

  “That, I’d like to see,” Liam said with a chuckle.

  “And who’s going to make sure I behave?” Sebastian asked, sharing a conspiratorial look with Pop. There hadn’t been a cross word since Gran had got off the plane at lunchtime and hugged him close.

  Maybe she truly was happy now that he was back at the farm.

  Maybe I’ve grown up
a bit, too. Learned a bit of patience and tolerance since I was last here.

  “Isabella will,” Liam said, nudging Sebastian with his shoulder. “I think our Seb’s a bit smitten by the Italian beauty.”

  “Isabella? Is that the girl who’s helping out at the wedding?” Gran asked. “Con’s daughter?”

  “Yes, she’s coming over in a while. I thought it would be nice for you to meet her, seeing as she’ll be taking over the kitchen in a couple of weeks. I invited Con, too.”

  Gran and Liam shared a smile.

  “Here’s Bella!” Ned and Jemima’s Gwennie ran down the steps and waited until the bright yellow Citroën was parked before she ran over to open the door.

  “Bella’s won quite a few hearts out here already,” Liam said drily.

  Sebastian put his beer down on the table and headed towards the steps. Even though Gran lowered her voice, he still heard every word clearly.

  “Maybe that’s what our Seb needs. A love interest to convince him to stay here.”

  He clenched his hands as he walked down the steps. That’d be right. Gran didn’t think he had the staying power unless there was an enticement.

  Nothing has changed.

  …

  “Do you want me to help you get the things out of the boot?” her father asked as he climbed out of the driver’s side. The trip from town had been interesting, to say the least. Isabella’s legs were still like jelly. Dad had overtaken cattle trucks and semitrailers without a care in the world.

  It’s a wonder we’re still alive.

  “No, I’ll get them. You go over and say hello.” She walked around to the back of the car and opened the boot. “And I’ll drive home so you can have a wine or two.” She grinned back at him as he gave her the thumbs-up. He’d been like a kid at Christmas since she’d passed on Sebastian’s invitation.