Raven Falls: Australian Rural Romantic Suspense

by Suzanne Brandyn

  ‘Why don’t we clear out the main bedroom? You could use it. Make it your own. It’s been sitting untouched for years. We have to get in and clear it out one day. I’ll paint it a different colour, change the mood and it will be yours.’

  Samantha shook her head. ‘I’m not sure. I wouldn’t know where to start. I don’t think I can. I couldn’t handle it.’

  ‘Leave it up to me. I’m sure us boys can clear it out in no time.’

  ‘I’d like to be there...to do her personal drawer, and to see if there’s anything I want to keep. What about you? Stephen and Christopher might also like to keep a few things.’

  ‘How about Sunday arvo?’

  ‘Sounds good.’

  Cameron looped an arm over her shoulder, and tugged her tight. ‘Cheer up. Things could be worse.’

  Sam sighed. ‘So what’s this new guy’s story?’

  Cameron stood, walked to the railing, turned and leant back on the top rail. ‘Now don’t go firing off on all cylinders.’

  ‘What now?’ She let out an exasperated breath.

  ‘The new guy’s coming to assess the place to install an irrigation system. Run it from the Falls.’

  ‘A what? An irrigation system. That’ll cost a fortune. We can’t afford something as costly as that. Here we are trying to save money, and I even stayed in a caravan park on the coast to cut costs and you’re talking about an irrigation system.’

  ‘It was your choice. You used your own money.’

  Samantha shrugged.

  ‘We need more input. More information about what we can do to survive. It’s not going to cost anything to let the guy look about, evaluate the place and see what Raven Falls is all about.’ Cameron crossed his arms.

  ‘I guess not. How do we pay him?’

  ‘He said he’d come here, spend a bit of time and let us know the outcome. He’s giving us a quote, nothing more. Although if it’s a go ahead he won’t be working for nothing. If we accept his proposal, we’ll sort something out.’

  ‘Where’s he from?’

  ‘He runs an irrigation company. You can ask him as many questions as you like after he settles in.’

  ‘Why didn’t you ask more questions?’

  ‘We can’t give the guy the third degree up front. I didn’t want to scare him off.’

  Samantha pushed to her feet, walked over and stood next to Cameron, looking out toward the mountains.

  ‘It is serene here, isn’t it? I did enjoy the city and the beach was divine, but there’s no place like home. I feel as though I’ve grown from the ground up. I sprang up with roots growing out of my boots.’ She sighed and turned.

  ‘The land does that to a person. I bet my roots go deeper.’ He chuckled. 'Take a bit of time out over the next few days. Things will work out.’

  ‘Phone for you Cam,’ Steven called from the back door. ‘Said it’s important.’

  ‘Okay. Thanks.' He turned back to Samantha. 'I should get that.’

  Cameron returned indoors, while Samantha steadied her emotions. She should have known that falling for some guy on a holiday was the worst possible thing she could do. Usually summer flings didn’t eventuate into anything more, and besides, they were from different worlds and he’d broken his promise. It was about time she ditched that photograph under her pillow. About time she got over him and the shadow of his smile that lit up her dreams each night.

  Swinging her hands by her sides, she walked toward the back door, almost colliding with Cameron.

  Irritation marked his face. ‘You can scrap the assessor. He won’t be coming anytime soon.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘He’s had an accident or his family has. Something like that.’

  ‘Why don’t they send someone else?’

  ‘He’s the only one that can do it. Apparently if it’s a go ahead we were to pay for the cost of materials, nothing else. He was going to give us a good deal.’

  ‘Oh. Okay then. It’s probably for the best. We don’t need any outsiders interfering in Raven Falls. I was thinking.’

  ‘Oh, here we go.’

  ‘Seriously.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘We could change the name of the place to Tear Drop Mountain, or Raven’s Tears.’

  ‘What in the hell for?’

  ‘The Falls...they aren’t really falls any more. They’re more like a drip. Here and there, sometimes less, sometimes more, but the Falls are like tears. Perhaps it’s Mum’s tears. Perhaps she’s crying, knowing that she can’t be with us anymore.’

  ‘Oh hell, Sam. Where do you get your ideas from?’

  Chapter Two

  ‘I heard from the irrigation company.’

  Samantha glanced up upon hearing Cameron’s words. ‘After all this time?’

  ‘He’ll be out tomorrow morning, early.’

  ‘I wonder if he’ll make a show, or have some lame excuse this time.’

  ‘Sam.’

  ‘Well, he’s not reliable. Almost a year and now he wants to turn up.’

  ‘Has it been that long?’

  ‘Yes. If you remember correctly he was supposed to arrive two weeks after I returned from my holiday.’

  ‘His company is busier than ever now, especially with the drought in full swing.’

  The surrounding properties were struggling. Wheat crops weren’t the best of any golden crop of late. Come harvest time, there hadn’t been many rewards to reap. The parched land opened with deep furrows and it was growing worse. Still, this was home. A place her parents had set up for them.

  They had water, but not enough to sustain the number of cattle they had for much longer or to produce any wheat. She couldn’t remember the last time she inhaled the fresh scent of rain, or heard the wondrous hammering over the tin roof. Out here things were such a contrast to the city.

  Even having a hospital was a luxury. The nearest hospital in Tamworth was over an hour’s drive by car, although there was a doctor living in Raven, a twenty-minute drive. Talk a while back that Dr Dan Potter was thinking of moving on stirred up the community. They all rallied together, begging him to stay, stating that the population of five hundred people of Raven and the surrounding properties needed him.

  After her brothers had left for the day, Samantha wandered toward the stairs. She reached out, gripped the timber balustrade and pulled herself upwards. She stripped four beds, and remade them before piling the sheets at the top of the stairs, and returned to her bedroom. The room that was once her parents’ was repainted in lemon, and white lace curtains she’d made one Sunday now hung over a large window.

  She eased the curtain aside, allowing an open view of the undulating hills, sweeping toward the mountains. She should be out there in the sunshine and fresh air, not cooped up indoors six days a week. Knowing she shouldn’t be idly standing about, she dropped the curtain and grabbed the pile of sheets before heading to the laundry. Making sure she did her bit to conserve water, she washed only when necessary. Having tanks that were half-full was a godsend but no one knew when the next lot of rains would arrive.

  After finishing a few domestic chores, Samantha needed to inhale some of that fresh air, get under those eucalypt trees and recharge her batteries. She strolled down toward the stables to saddle up Raven, her mother’s horse. His big round eyes checked her out as she ran a hand over his belly.

  ‘You going out for a ride?’

  She glanced up and spotted Mike approaching. ‘Yeah. I want to get out of the house. I’ve been cooped up for long enough.’

  ‘It’s not Sunday.’

  ‘That I know. I need some air.’

  ‘I imagine the boys keep you busy inside the house.’

  ‘Something like that. Where are they this morning?’

  ‘Steve and Cam are down at the far end of the ridge.’

  ‘I might see if I can catch them.’

  ‘Seems to me that the boys are giving you a hard time.’

  His face showed signs of spending lon
g days out in the hot summer’s sun and wrinkles appeared on either side of his pale grey eyes, but for a man of fifty he carried his weight. ‘The work’s a bit much. But if Mum did it, so can I.’

  Her mother spoke highly of gentle Mike. She’d often come down to the stables to chat.

  ‘You’ve been working here for a while now. How long’s it been?’

  He rubbed the stubble on his chin. ‘About twenty years.’

  Samantha smiled. ‘You must love what you do.’

  ‘Yeah, that I do. It gives me a certain amount of satisfaction working with horses. Not that I mind cattle.’

  ‘Give me a horse over a cow any day.’

  He chuckled. ‘Do you want me to saddle up Raven?’

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘Your mother had Angela to help out. Don’t you remember?’

  ‘I remember. She moved up north after they died. We’re trying to save money for a rainy day.’

  ‘It’s tough Sam, although I suspect your parents would be proud of you guys. You know that, don’t you?’

  ‘I’m not sure. We’ve done okay, but not as well as Mum and Dad. This drought isn’t something I’d wish upon my worst enemy.’

  ‘It’ll break. Everything goes in cycles...you wait and see. It’s just another cycle.’

  ‘I hope you’re right.’

  ‘Did you see that new fella this morning?’

  ‘New fella? He isn’t supposed to arrive until tomorrow morning. Are you sure?’

  ‘Sure as the drought hanging ‘bout us.’

  ‘I didn’t see his car, or hear him arrive.’

  ‘Don’t expect you did. He sneaked in early. It was about five this morning. He parked out back. Should see his fancy vehicle, got all the modern cons... the best spotties I’ve seen in a while.’

  ‘Thanks. I’ll keep an eye out for him. Um… did you get to meet the guy?’

  ‘Nope. He hooked up with Cam and Steve and they rode off.’

  Samantha shook her head and prayed that this newcomer-with-heaps-of-qualifications guy knew how to ride. They didn’t need some city guy injured, lying about the place after an accident.

  ‘I know it isn’t my business, but why the new guy?’

  ‘I’m still trying to figure that one out. Cam organised him to be here.’ She shrugged. ‘It’s something about assessing the place for an irrigation system.’ Samantha wandered out to the front of the stables. ‘It hasn’t changed, has it?’

  ‘What’s that?’

  She raised her voice. ‘This place. It hasn’t changed much since Mum and Dad were alive... except for the drought.’

  ‘Why change when things are still reasonable?’

  ‘That’s exactly how I feel Mike. We’re surviving.’

  Mike led Raven toward her. ‘There you go. It’ll do him good to get a ride in today, although Adam takes him out a few times a week.’

  ‘He’d push him pretty hard, wouldn’t he?’

  ‘Raven can take it. He’s a great horse. Adam might be young, but he keeps on his toes and knows what he’s doing. Your dad said he was a good worker, a good bloke.’

  ‘Thanks.’ She took the reins and ran a hand over Raven’s forehead.

  ‘Your mother’s favourite horse this one. Watch him though. I s’pose you know all about that.’

  ‘He’s a bit frisky.’ A grin edged to her lips. ‘I will...Oh and thanks for everything you do about the place.’

  He waved a hand in the air. ‘No need for that. Go on will ya.’

  Samantha swung up onto the saddle. She directed the horse en route to the cattle yards some distance away.

  ‘Easy going Raven. You’re doing well.’ The horse in a slow trot suited Samantha fine. She wasn’t in any hurry to confront the assessor.

  From the top of the rise, the blue sky stretched as far as the eye could see, and with the midmorning sun beating down over the gum trees, pleasant cooling shadows tripped over the land, helping to lessen the intense heat.

  In the corner of her eye, she spotted men dismounting. Suspecting it was Cameron and Steven with the new so-called ‘newcomer-with-heaps-of-qualifications guy’, she guided Raven in their direction.

  ‘Come on boy, not far now.’ Raven began a steady canter, and slowed when she approached the men. They stood under the shade of a gum tree, and Cameron pointed in the direction of the Falls.

  Samantha dismounted, and tethered Raven to a stump.

  ‘Hello sis,’ Cameron called.

  Steven shot a hand into the air and gave her a wave. ‘Sis.’

  As she approached, the assessor turned.

  It was as though someone had whacked her in the chest with a closed fist. She choked on a breath as she tried to inhale, leaving her coughing several times.

  ‘Sam. This is Bradley Harper. Brad this is Sam, my sister. Remember, I told you about her.’

  A grin tugged on his lips.

  ‘Sam. Or is it Samantha?’

  His deep voice, edged with self-esteem, shook her off guard. She tried to take a step forward but her boots compressed into the soil underfoot. Her lips parted with disbelief. She squinted. God, he looked different. Faded denim jeans clung to his legs, and a long-sleeved cheesecloth shirt rolled up to his elbows covered a muscular chest. Even the brown Akubra he wore camouflaged the city guy she’d once met. Her entire anatomy thrummed with nerves as her gaze steadied over him.

  He dipped his eyes below the brim of his hat. Oh my God. He had the type of eyes that made you look twice. Eyes that were devastatingly wicked, and could make any woman’s knees tremble. She dragged in a slow breath, trying to avoid that previous gag in her throat and looked again to make sure she wasn’t imagining him. Impossible. No, it wasn’t impossible, that she knew. He’d been walking in and out of her dreams for almost a year, although something dark and smouldering now shrouded his eyes.

  Her stomach muscles tensed, and her body rocked with awareness. Seconds slid by and she adjusted her footing, fearing her legs would give way.

  ‘It’s Sam out this way.’

  ‘So, do you two know each other?’ Steven enquired.

  Samantha flicked a look at Steven, and noticed the inquisitiveness ride across his eyes.

  ‘Yes, we’ve met. I think it was over a year ago, wasn’t it Sam?’

  Samantha’s insides burnt. Oh God. Three sets of eyes bored right through her. Her brothers perked up with interest, and with Brad’s look, it was as though he could read her mind.

  ‘Yes, it’s something like that. I haven’t kept track of time. Hello Brad.’

  Realising his hand was lingering in mid-air in front of her; she dragged a foot forward and lifted a hand. For the briefest of moments, their hands touched and she withdrew her tingling fingertips.

  Keeping her gaze lowered was the best possible option. Her brothers were like crows to dead meat. Her stomach rolled with dread. She recalled Cameron saying he’d beat the guy to a pulp if he hurt her. Oh, my god. Brad had hurt her bad, but she didn’t intend for her brothers to find that out.

  ‘Where did you guys meet?’

  ‘It was brief, Cam. So brief I hardly recall the incident.’ She didn’t mean for her voice to sound so curt.

  ‘We’re showing Brad the property. Well, what he can see in a few hours. It’d take days to cover this place.’ Cameron let out a chuckle.

  Samantha nodded. ‘I see. Okay. So, you have everything sorted.’

  ‘You don’t need to check up on us sis. We’re okay.’

  ‘I can see that. And yes, I do. Mum used to all the time.’

  ‘We need you to take over tomorrow Sam, to show Brad around the Falls.’

  Samantha stilled, and glared at Cameron. ‘Wh...at?’ All the blood in her body slowed.

  ‘Sunup tomorrow. Steve and I have to head into Raven to pick up some supplies. We were going to ask you to go, but it’s a two-man job. It’s heavy.’

  She couldn’t refuse. It’d open a channel of questions she wasn’t prepared to answer.
>
  ‘I have to get back to the house if that’s the case. Do a day and a half’s work in one afternoon.’

  ‘Surely the chores can wait.’

  ‘That they can.’ She flicked her dark lashes upwards toward Brad. ‘Nice meeting you...again. See you later...I guess.’

  Turning on shaky legs, Samantha forced each step with care. What in the hell was he doing at Raven Falls? He didn’t know anything about irrigation, or did he? Brad had told her he owned a few companies somewhere...she couldn’t remember much of the short time she’d spent with him at present. His presence shook her senseless. Mounting seemed difficult, and she was pleased she didn’t make a fool of herself.

  ‘Come on Raven.’ He galloped away, leaving her praying that she’d reach the rise without any hiccups. The moment she was over the ridge, she brought Raven back to a canter and slowed to a stop under a gum tree. Dismounting, well sliding off, was the best she could manage, until she sat on the ground feeling a buzz of emotions hijacking her body.

  She checked the surrounding area to ensure there weren’t any predators close by, especially the red belly black and brown snakes. Contented with her inspection, she briefly closed her eyes, and settled her head on her knees.

  Surely Cameron and Steven noticed the change in her disposition, the awkwardness in her voice and her uncoordinated movements. She dreaded the inquisition she’d receive that night at suppertime, although she didn’t intend anyone to know about her interlude with a man that broke a promise as though there had never been one to keep. She’d given herself wholly to this man, only to be discarded as though she didn’t exist. It wasn’t a good way to start a relationship. Now he made a show without even acknowledging what had happened between them. Her insides were a mess. The hurt coursing through her had no right to be there, especially after such a long time, so what was the matter with her?

  Brad seemed chummy with her brothers and she wondered if they had known each other before that day. She released a shaky breath. She had to concentrate on the property, and the real reason he was here and apparently befriending her family.

  ***

  Samantha prepared a stew for dinner that night and left it to simmer on the stove.

  ‘Want a hand sis?’