by Magro, Mandy
Sarah wriggled free of her swag – she might as well go look for Johnny’s clothes for him before the rest of the party-goers woke. ‘Hey mate, where’s the horse you were riding last night?’
Johnny blushed slightly. ‘Oh, man, I must have looked like a right tool. The guys bet me a hundred bucks to do it, and you know me – I love a challenge.’
‘Where do reckon your clothes are?’
Johnny shook his head, making sure to keep his hat in place. ‘Your guess is as good as mine, mate.’
‘Well, I’ll have a look for them. Can’t leave you naked all day, Johnny. Your arse will get sunburnt!’
Johnny smiled. ‘Thanks, Sarah.’
Sarah eventually found Johnny’s clothes inside the Sugar Shack under a sleeping body. Johnny breathed a sigh of relief when she came back and handed them to him.
‘Oh, thank Christ for that. I was afraid I’d have to go home without any bloody clothes on.’ He stuck his hand in the pocket of his jeans and proudly pulled out a hundred-dollar note, grinning. ‘And they even put the money in there for me. What great mates I have!’
Sarah laughed, looking away so Johnny could get dressed. ‘Yeah, great mates, Johnny. Ones that send you riding an imaginary horse through a crowd of people at a party, singing out “giddy up” at the top of your lungs!’
‘Did I make you laugh?’ Johnny did his best to get dressed while still holding onto his hat.
‘You sure did.’
‘Good. That’s what life’s all about. Having a laugh.’ Johnny smiled, a lot more relaxed now he had his jocks on.
‘You’re right about that, Johnny! I was in desperate need of a laugh, and you larrikins certainly made sure of that. I didn’t realise until now how much I missed Mareeba and everyone here. I’m so happy to be home.’
Johnny put his arm around Sarah’s shoulder. ‘Well, we’re chuffed to have you back, Sarah. You know how to let your hair down and have a good time, and from what I remember last night you certainly did that!’
Sarah nodded and grinned. She felt in high spirits, despite her massive hangover, and knew in her heart that it was time to get on with her life. Matt was part of her past now and she had to let him go – it was time to look forward to her future. She had so much to be grateful for, like fantastic mates and a loving family. She was home, and like the saying goes, home is where the heart is.
Chapter Twenty-Six
THE Clarke family sat in their cosy lounge room, wrapping paper covering the floor, while ‘Jingle Bells’ sang out from the radio station. Sarah leant over and gave Jack a kiss on the cheek, handing him his gift. ‘Last one, Dad. Merry Christmas!’
Jack gave her a smile as he took the present, eagerly unwrapping it. His eyes lit up when he saw what it was. ‘Thanks, love! This is just what I needed.’ Jack happily held up the handmade sign that read Clarke’s Farm for everyone to see. ’Bout time I changed the one out the front, Sarah. You can barely read it now.’
Sarah grinned, glad Jack was impressed by the sign.
‘Now all the gifts are unwrapped, who’s up for brunch?’ Maggie asked.
Sarah tidied up the lounge room as Maggie went into the kitchen to prepare brunch. Daniel and Jack went outside to hang up the sign. Since Jimmy’s party she’d been feeling better, but even though she was smiling on the outside, her heart was still aching for Matt. She’d tried her best to distract herself, helping out on the farm and going shopping for Christmas presents, but he was still on her mind. She found herself wondering what he was doing for the day, and got a sudden urge to call the Walsh family. She could easily avoid talking to Matt – she’d just ask for Judy. Sarah hadn’t spoken to her since she’d made it safely back to Mareeba.
She stuck her head into the kitchen. ‘Hey, Mum. Do I have time to make a phone call before we all sit down to eat?’
‘Of course, love. I’ll let you know when it’s ready,’ Maggie called from the sink.
Sarah picked up the hallway phone and noticed that her hands were shaking. She placed the receiver back down and took a huge breath. She was so afraid that Matt was going to answer the phone, but part of her desperately wanted him to. What would she say to him? She reasoned that Judy would be the one to answer, since she was the one who was always pottering about the house. She picked the phone up again and dialled the Walshs’ number, her heart racing. It rang three times and then Matt’s husky voice spoke into the receiver. ‘Rosalee Station, merry Christmas!’
Sarah felt her whole body go into shock. She wanted to hang up but she was frozen solid. She stood, holding her breath, praying that the Walsh family didn’t have caller ID, wondering if she should hang up or take the plunge and speak.
‘Hello, anyone there?’ Matt called into the phone. ‘Hello?’
Sarah knew she couldn’t hang up. She had to find the strength to speak. She cleared her throat nervously. ‘M–merry Christmas, Matt.’ Her voice was quivering, and she felt as though her heart was going to bash its way out of her chest.
There was a short silence before Matt answered. ‘Sarah, is that you?’
‘Yeah. It’s me. Long time no hear, hey?’
It was Matt’s turn to clear his throat. ‘Um, merry Christmas, Sarah. How – how are you?’
‘Oh, I’m okay. How’s everyone?’
Mum’s in the kitchen cooking up a storm as usual, and Georgia and Dad are fighting over the remote for the telly as we speak.’
Sarah couldn’t help but smile, picturing the family in her mind. She missed them so much it hurt. She realised that Matt hadn’t mentioned Brooke and her heart fluttered a little. ‘How’s Brooke?’
‘Oh,’ Matt said, and paused for a long moment. ‘We broke up, Sarah. I thought you would have heard about it through the grapevine … I found out she was sleeping with Chris. She and Chris left the day after you did.’
Sarah was lost for words. A new lease of life had entered her body, and she felt like singing and dancing with exhilaration. She had to swallow hard to contain herself. ‘Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that, Matt.’ She was sorry for him, but she could barely believe it. She rummaged around in her mind to find another subject. A brief silence ensued, and Sarah blurted out the first thing that came to her. ‘I miss you, Matt. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I left. I wish we could see each other for Christmas.’
The line went quiet again and Sarah kicked herself. Why had she said that? He wouldn’t want to see her anyway, regardless of whether he was with Brooke or not.
Matt exhaled deeply. ‘I miss you too, Sarah. There’s so much I never got a chance to say to you. I thought you wouldn’t want to speak to me again after the way I left you lying there after we kissed. I just, um, I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want you to think I was a man who would cheat. I would never normally do that, Sarah, you have to believe me, but you - you’re different. I have feelings for you that I’ve never had before.’
Sarah couldn’t believe what she was hearing. ‘Oh, Matt. I thought you weren’t talking to me. I thought you regretted it and wouldn’t want me around Rosalee any more. The kiss was incredible – I felt so much there. I was confused when you reacted the way you did.’
‘Can I come and see you when I get some time off, Sarah?’ Matt asked.
‘I’d love that. The sooner the better. Oh, you have made me so happy!’
‘And you’ve made my Christmas the best one ever. I wish you weren’t so far away – I would grab you and kiss you under the mistletoe right now if I could,’ Matt said with a sexy undertone.
‘Don’t tease me – not while you’re not here next to me,’ Sarah pleaded.
‘I promise I won’t be far away for long,’ Matt said. ‘Would you like to wish Mum a merry Christmas?’
Sarah was reluctant to let him off the phone, but she had rung to talk to Judy. She could have sat and listened to Matt all day, basking in the sexiness of his voice. ‘Yes, please. Can she pull herself away from the kitchen for a minute?’
‘I
’m sure she’d love to if she knows you’re on the blower. I’ll talk to you again soon, hey?’
Sarah wanted to reach through the phone and grab him, tell him that she loved him, but she wanted to say it when she was looking into his beautiful brown eyes.
Sarah heard Judy squeal in the background. She could just picture Judy wiping her hands on her apron before grabbing the phone.
‘Sarah, love! It’s so nice to hear from you!’
Sarah smiled into the phone. ‘Hi, Judy! It’s great to be talking to you too.’
Matt hadn’t needed much more of an invitation to visit Sarah. Since she’d left things hadn’t been the same at Rosalee. He knew in his heart that he had fallen deeply in love with her. He’d never felt this way about a woman before, but after Sarah had taken off back home without even saying goodbye, he’d been convinced she never wanted to see him again. Now he knew that wasn’t the case – she’d been open and honest with him on the phone, telling him everything he’d been dying to hear. He wanted to leave right now, throw his bag in the truck and hit the road. He might be able to see Sarah by daybreak tomorrow morning if he was lucky. He was filled with a craving that wouldn’t be satisfied until he could see her, smell her, touch her, kiss her. He knew what he had to do.
Once Christmas brunch was done, he found Judy in the kitchen and put his arm around her shoulders. ‘Mum, what do you reckon about the idea of me getting in the truck right now and driving to see Sarah for Christmas?’
Judy put the tea towel down and looked deep into her son’s eyes. She smiled tenderly. ‘I think it would be the best darn Christmas present you could give her, Matt. And the best one you could give yourself, too. You’ve been moping around the place ever since she left. Love does crazy things to people. Go son, go and get your girl!’
Matt smiled at Judy incredulously. ‘How do you know these things?’
Judy tapped her nose. ‘I’m a mum, Matt. Mothers know everything. Now go, and drive safely. Call me when you get there, okay?’
Minutes later, Matt was throwing his bag on the passenger seat of the truck and checking his watch. He had a sixteen-hour drive ahead of him, but it would feel like nothing. He pushed play on the CD player and smiled as Garth Brooks sang out of the speakers. He was going to win Sarah back, and this time he wasn’t going to let her go.
Duke was barking like a maniac. Sarah rolled over and looked at the time on her clock beside the bed. It was four in the morning, and she was annoyed at being woken up at such an ungodly hour. She could tell Duke knew whoever it was that had pulled up from the way he was barking. She pulled on her robe and shuffled her way down the steps, narrowly missing Harry, who was sleeping in the middle of the stairs as usual.
Sarah opened the door and Matt’s chocolate-brown eyes met hers. Before she could speak he reached out and pulled her close to him. She felt her legs go weak as his lips met hers and she felt a sudden heat rush through her body like a freight train. She fell into him and wrapped her arms around his broad, muscular shoulders. Their tongues explored each other, teasing and caressing. Matt ran his hands down her back and lifted her tenderly up off the ground.
‘Hello, my beautiful lady,’ he whispered in a husky tone.
Sarah gasped, trying to figure out if she was dreaming. ‘How – when – oh my goodness, I’m so glad you’re here, Matt!’
He looked so handsome. The dimple on his chin showed from the devilish smile he was wearing. ‘I needed to come as soon as I could. I wanted to hold you and tell you how much I love you.’
Sarah met his penetrating gaze. ‘I love you too, Matt.’ She gently touched his face. ‘You must be exhausted after such a long drive. Come inside.’
‘Your wish is my command.’
Sarah led the way quietly up the stairs and into her room, hoping her parents didn’t wake up. Matt gently placed her on the bed and lay down beside her, holding her close to him as stroked her hair. God, he had missed her. They fell asleep in each other’s arms; content to finally be able to hold each other.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
SARAH smiled as she opened her eyes and felt Matt lying beside her. The fan was above her twirling madly, doing its typical wobbly routine, and the electrician still hadn’t been to fix the air conditioner, but Sarah didn’t care. She was so happy that nothing could faze her.
She rolled over and watched Matt sleeping for a while, his tanned chest rising and falling with each breath. Then she leant over and kissed him softly on his delicious lips. He blinked his eyes open and gave her a wide grin, before rolling over quick as a flash and pinning her down. Once he started tickling her she begged for mercy. As they were wrestling together, they accidentally rolled off the bed and landed on the timber floor with a loud thud, giggling like a pair of schoolkids. ‘Shit, Mum and Dad are going to wonder what in the hell I’m up to. They don’t even know you’re here!’ Sarah giggled.
‘Well, in that case, I better spruce up a bit then go down and introduce myself,’ Matt replied, kissing Sarah fair on the lips.
When Sarah and Daniel were kids, the smell of Maggie’s cooking had always magically drawn them out of their rooms and down to the kitchen in the mornings. A hot breakfast had been Maggie’s secret way of getting the kids fed and off to school on time, and it still worked wonders. Sarah and Matt found themselves drawn to the kitchen by tempting aromas, and saw Daniel and Lily emerging from their bedroom at the same time. The shock on Lily and Daniel’s faces when they spotted Matt was priceless.
‘Holy shit! When did you rub the magic lamp and make him appear, Sarah?’ Lily squealed.
Sarah put her finger up to her lips. ‘Shh, Lil, Mum and Dad don’t know Matt’s here yet and I want to surprise them.’
Daniel gave Matt a friendly handshake. ‘Good to see you, mate. Sarah hasn’t shut up about you since she got back.’
Sarah slapped him lightly on the arm. ‘You don’t have to tell all my little secrets, Dan!’
Matt beamed as he looked at Sarah. ‘Is that so?’
Sarah tiptoed into the kitchen, holding Matt’s hand. Jack and Maggie had their backs to them at the kitchen sink. Sarah cleared her throat loudly and they turned around.
‘Dad, Mum, this is Matt.’
Maggie’s face lit up and she smiled knowingly. ‘Hi Matt, nice to meet you, love.’
Jack grinned, wiped his wet hands on his stubbies and held one out for Matt. ‘Welcome to our home, Matt. Great to finally meet you – I feel like I know you already since I’ve heard so much about you.’
‘It’s fantastic to finally meet you guys too,’ Matt said, smiling.
Maggie cooked a feast fit for a king. By the end of it, there wasn’t a single bite left.
‘That was fantastic, Mum, thanks,’ Sarah said, licking the last of the sauce from her lips.
‘You’re welcome, love. Glad you enjoyed it.’
‘Matt, would you like to come out with me for the morning and I’ll show you around the farm? I have some odd jobs I have to get done, so I thought you might like to tag along with me,’ Jack asked.
Maggie turned to Jack before Matt had time to answer. ‘What a great idea! It might be nice if me, Sarah and Lily went out for the day.’ She looked at Matt. ‘That’s if you don’t mind hanging out with the old bugger, of course.’
‘That sounds fantastic. I’d love to check out the farm.’ Matt beamed.
‘Excellent. We better make a move, then,’ Jack said, draining the last of his third cup of coffee. He gave Maggie a quick kiss on the cheek. ‘Now you girls behave yourselves and don’t go too mad with the credit card.’
Maggie rolled her eyes at Jack. ‘We don’t even have a credit card, love.’
‘I know, but isn’t that what you say when a group of women hit the shops? Just trying to be hip.’
‘Oh, Dad, you’re so corny sometimes!’ Sarah said, laughing.
Matt gave Sarah a quick kiss before heading out the door with Daniel and Jack.
Maggie fondly watched Matt
leave before turning back to Sarah. ‘You seem so happy, Sarah. Matt is absolutely genuine, and you can tell he loves you to bits. Blind Freddy could see it.’
Lily nodded her head in agreement. ‘Yeah, I like him too. He’s a true gentleman, and easy on the eyes.’ She winked at Sarah.
Sarah blushed a little. ‘It makes me really happy to hear that. I think it’s safe to say I’m pretty well madly in love.’
‘I thought maybe things were moving too fast – after all, it wasn’t too long ago that you were with Brad, and in a serious relationship – but I can see that I was wrong now I’ve met him,’ Maggie said. ‘I think it’s a match made in heaven, really!’
‘So what are we going to do today, girls?’ Sarah asked, desperate to change the topic to save herself from blushing even more.
‘Um … Well, firstly I think I need to go to the toilet!’ Lily said suddenly, abruptly standing up from the table, her chair toppling over behind her, and heading in the direction of the bathroom as quickly as she could, her hand clutched over her mouth.
Maggie screwed her face up. ‘Poor bugger. I wonder what’s up? Hope it wasn’t my cooking.’
Sarah could hear Lily throwing up in the toilet, and knew she should help, even though the sound of someone riding the porcelain bus always made her feel sick herself. ‘I better take her a glass of water or something. She sounds like she’s having a hard time in there. Maybe we should take her to the doctor’s?’
‘Wait a sec,’ said Maggie, getting up to rummage in a cupboard. ‘Give her some of these tablets. They’ll help soothe her belly. And ask her if she’d like me to call the doctor.’ Maggie passed Sarah a packet of tablets.
Sarah made her way to the toilet and knocked on the dunny door. ‘You right, mate?’
‘Yeah, I think so. I feel really ill, big time, and it just came out of nowhere.’ Lily’s face appeared in the crack of the toilet door, looking pale. ‘I think you two better go without me today. I need to lie down. I’m just not feeling good at all. Sorry, mate.’