by Annie Seaton
“Garth.” A sweet smile spread over Lucy’s face. “We were an item at high school but we both moved away. I came back when Pop had his knee operation, and I fell in love. It’s a story to hear over a glass of wine one night.”
“I look forward to it.” Angie looked up as Con, the milk bar owner, came out with an order pad.
“What’ll it be, ladies?”
After they’d ordered a coffee for Angie and a malted milkshake for Lucy, Lucy turned back to Angie. “Now, tell me all about you. Where you grew up, why you chose the Pilliga and all about living in London. I am so jealous of that,” she babbled on as Angie looked at her in surprise. “I guess I’ll—”
Angie widened her eyes. Lucy knows I lived in London?
“Oh.” Lucy stopped mid-sentence. “You look surprised. Liam told me you lived in London. And look, if we are going to be friends I need to be honest with you. I do know,” she lowered her voice, “that you and Liam were together for a while.”
Angie took a deep breath. Before she could speak, Lucy continued. “But now tell me all about your boyfriend.”
“I didn’t realise I’d be the subject of conversation.” Angie’s voice shook and she felt bad when Lucy’s expression clouded. She hadn’t meant to sound short with her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be nosy.” Lucy cleared her throat and then waited as Con put their drinks on the table. “Liam and I are really close. He mentioned your name to me. It was a while back when he was giving me some good advice when I was moving back to the city. He was upset when I put two and two together. I won’t say anything. Even Garth doesn’t know.”
“Two and two?” Angie asked slowly. Lucy was moving too fast for her. “When?”
Lucy waved her hand. “I recognised your name when you called in last week and Liam introduced you. Liam hadn’t said a word, so don’t think badly of him. He’s a sweetie, even though we do fight.” She reached for her milkshake and sipped it. “Now tell me all about this new man of yours. He must be pretty good, if you picked him over Liam.” She smiled apologetically. “I can say that because he is my cousin and I do love him.”
Angie opened her mouth and then closed it. She reached for her coffee as she wondered what to say. Lucy was not a part of this. It was unfair to lie to her.
Why had life suddenly become so complicated? All she’d wanted was to come to this part of the outback, have her practice, and live happily. Her nose tickled as a sneeze threatened and Angie put her coffee cup down before she dug in her pocket for a tissue. Her fingers closed over the piece of paper she’d put there earlier and she bit her lip. Confidence and independence. She’d stood in front of the fridge this morning and repeated the words over and over, but the affirmation hadn’t worked yet. It was going to take a few days—or weeks. And now that Liam was part of the alliance, it could be months. So add determination to the mix. She pursed her lips.
“Angie, you’ve got the funniest look on your face. What on earth are you thinking about?”
Angie propped her hand beneath her chin and sighed. “I really hope we can still be friends.” She meant it. Lucy had a lightness about her, and a sense of fun, and that was just what Angie needed.
“Why, what’s wrong? Come on, it can’t be that bad.” Lucy put her milkshake down and reached over to take Angie’s hand. “Come on, you can tell Aunty Lucy.”
“I know you’re Liam’s cousin, and your first loyalty is to him, but I can’t lie to you. If I ask you to keep something to yourself, will you? I need to tell Liam myself.”
Lucy squeezed her hand. “Of course I will. Anything that upsets you so much stays between us. Even if you’ve broken the law. As long as it’s not murder.” She smiled and Angie knew it was an attempt to cheer her up. “I probably can’t condone that.”
She groaned and then shook her head. “It’s nothing as bad as that. I let Liam keep thinking something that’s not true. He made an assumption and I’ve sort of lied by not correcting him. I kept meaning to but every time I try, something’s happened. Now it’s got complicated and I have to tell him, but I don’t want to, because he might think I’m telling him I want him still.” The words came out in a rush and she sat back with a sigh. “Gosh, if you can understand that, you’re doing well.”
“Whoa, slow down.” Lucy leaned forward. “This sounds complicated. You can trust me not to spill, girlfriend. It will be our secret.”
“Okay,” she said slowly. “So Liam told you there’s a new man in my life?”
“Yes, he did,” she said slowly. “And now that we’re being truthful with each other, I can tell you he wasn’t very happy about it. Hugh?”
Angie chuckled, relief flooding through her when she knew she could trust Lucy with the truth. “That’s the first problem. I can never remember his name. Greg, Gary, Hugh Grant. I almost called him Garth once!”
“What do you mean? You can’t remember his name?” Lucy stared at her. “Why is that?”
“Hugh is my friend’s boyfriend. He works nights, so in the daytime he was renovating her house. By the time I’d get home from work he was gone. I met him for the first time the same day Liam talked to him on the phone.”
“What?” Lucy’s voice was a squawk. “How did Liam get to talk to him?”
“Liam rang me one night when Hugh was visiting Jenny—we shared a house together in Melbourne. Hugh answered the phone. Jenny and I were down in the back garden trying to get her cat out of a tree. By the time we came inside, they were having a good old chin wag. I took the phone and thought nothing of it. They must have got their wires crossed when they were chatting. Hugh likes to have a yarn, and he was very friendly. Somehow, Liam assumed he was living there with me. I didn’t even give it a thought because Liam was the last person I expected to run into in outback New South Wales. The last time I saw him was in London, and I thought he’d stay there.” Now that she’d confessed, her words tumbled out over one another. “He didn’t want to come back to Australia with me.”
Lucy stared at her, her mouth open, but her eyes crinkled as her lips closed and tilted in a smile. “Oh, Angie, I can see how that happened.”
“Every time I’ve tried to come clean, we get interrupted. And I keep calling Hugh Grant and not Hugh, because Liam and I used to joke about how much he hated Hugh Grant movies. It’s just the silliest situation.”
Lucy burst out laughing, and Con looked over at them with a smile.
Angie started laughing, too. “So don’t you say anything. I’ll tell him. Soon.”
“Oh, sweetie. Trust me. I won’t say a word. But I do know that it will keep Liam interested.”
“I don’t want him interested. Because he’s going again.”
“I’m doing my best to get him to stay here. He’s taken to farm life like a duck to water. I think it’s in our blood.”
“Oh no, he won’t stay. He’s a career man through and through.” Angie folded her arms.
Lucy shook her head. “That’s not the Liam I see these days.”
“Don’t you go getting any ideas, Lucy! I just want the time to pass and to keep myself busy so I can survive until he moves back to the city.”
Lucy leaned back in her chair. “If he does.”
“He will.”
James started to fret, a soft little cry coming from the pram. Lucy reached in and lifted the baby to her shoulder, gently patting his back. “Can I ask you something personal? I know we don’t know each other well, but I think we are going to be great friends.”
“Sharing a secret makes for a good beginning.” Angie smiled. She couldn’t help but like Lucy. She was friendly, open and honest, and full of fun. “Okay, fire away. But I may not answer.”
“How come you split up?”
Angie stared past her to the main street. The produce store building across the road was tired and the paint was peeling from the sign that said Cartwright’s Farm Produce. The museum next to the store was open but there were no tourists wandering through. The town was qu
iet, and a pang of something unfamiliar shot through Angie. She felt at home here and she’d like to be a part of Spring Downs and help build it back up to a thriving community. She turned back to Lucy who was watching her intently.
“We never said or did anything about ending whatever we had. It just fizzled out when I left.” Angie bit her lip, thinking back to the tears she’d shed on the plane on the long flight home. “I found it so hard.” She took a deep breath but her voice still shook with the emotion she was clamping down. “God, Lucy, I was so damn lonely without him, and in his emails to me, his life seemed to be going on as normal. I don’t think he even noticed I was gone. And that hurt.”
Lucy reached out with her free hand and patted Angie’s arm. “You poor thing. Men are so thoughtless sometimes. They just don’t get it, do they?”
“Nope.” Angie sat up straight. “Anyway, you know about me now, warts and all. So what I have to do is keep busy and wait for Liam to leave.” She held Lucy’s gaze. “Because you’re wrong. Liam will leave. He’s too immersed in his career and his causes to stay here in the outback.”
“Maybe there’s something here to keep him at home on Prickle Creek Farm.”
“This new alliance thing he’s got involved with?”
Lucy frowned. “Alliance?”
“Liam agreed to take on the role of spokesperson for the alliance this morning at the meeting over at the RSL club.”
“I didn’t know, but that’s fantastic. It just reinforces that he will stay. The outback, and the love for the land, is in our blood, and Liam is just now beginning to realise that.” Lucy leaned forward and put the now sleeping baby back in the pram. “Now, for my second question.”
Angie had a feeling she wasn’t going to like this one.
“Do you still love Liam?”
She took another deep breath and nodded slowly. “I do. But there’s no future in it. And that’s why his Hugh misunderstanding is convenient.”
Lucy’s nod was brisk this time. “I understand. And don’t worry, anytime you want to talk, you give me a call. Now we’d better talk about this show. Has Sally told you the roster?”
Angie was surprised by Lucy’s easy acceptance of her answer, and the sudden switch of topic.
Surprised and a little unsettled.
Chapter Twelve
Liam spent the rest of the week at the farm. He’d delivered the cake safely to the show, in time for the judging before it went on display. He was pleased that the entry was in Lucy’s name. Not that it was unmanly to bake a cake but he had a reputation to uphold. He could just imagine the laughter of the boys in the newsroom back in London. If they ever got wind that he’d baked a cake to enter in an outback agricultural show, they’d fall over on the floor. He smiled. Not that he’d done much of the cake baking once Angie had turned up. He deliberately pushed her out of his thoughts. He wasn’t going there. He wouldn’t be here for much longer, she had a new man, so no matter how much he was still attracted to her he would resist spending too much time in her company.
He’d really stuffed up that night in London, when she’d come home and told him she was leaving. But she hadn’t asked him what he thought about it. Angie had just briskly set about making the arrangements and getting herself packed. It was as though she couldn’t wait to leave him behind. And living with another man, within a few months of coming home, showed that she hadn’t cared about him that much.
Yep, he’d loved her. But he’d never got around to telling her, and just as well. He would have looked like a fool. A bloody fool. He’d had a near miss there.
Liam reached down and scratched Willow’s chin. It was late Thursday night and he was sitting at the desk in the farm office. Whenever he sat there, the little pup curled up on his feet and kept him company. He’d spent the past few nights researching the Christos Company that was behind the gas exploration. Now that Jim Ison had sent over the information, Liam had discovered some disturbing details, and he was drafting an introductory article for the city papers. Just to see what response it got from the company. He’d found that putting the issue out there often got to the truth of the matter.
Shame he hadn’t applied that to his personal life. He shook his head. It was time to focus on his work and put Angie Edmonds out of his mind.
The cattle work had kept him busy since Garth had come over on Sunday and helped him catch up on the drenching. Lucy had come with him, and had sat on the fence just like when they were kids. This time, she had little James strapped to her chest in one of those sling things. When they’d finished, she’d put James to bed in his pram and made them a cup of tea. They’d sat on the verandah, and she’d been full of questions.
“I hear you’ve joined the alliance,” she’d said.
“Yeah, I’ll do my bit for the area. While I’m here.” Liam had wiped his hand over his brow. Spring was passing quickly, and summer was just around the corner.
“So what’s the plan?” Lucy passed over one of the scones she’d brought over. Liam wolfed it down and held his hand out for another one.
“What plan?”
Lucy waved her hand. “Sebastian, Jemima, you? When are they coming home? And are you going back to Sydney like you’d planned?” Her eyes were narrowed as she waited for his response.
“Seb and Jemmy will be home at the beginning of December. We’ll overlap for a couple of weeks, maybe a few more, and then I’ll be off. What’s with the sudden interest? Nothing’s changed.”
“Yes, it has.” Her smile was sweet and Liam frowned.
“No, it hasn’t.”
Garth rolled his eyes. “You pair!”
“You’re the spokesperson for the alliance now. You can’t take on a role like that and then hare straight back to Sydney.” Lucy folded her arms. “Besides, you’ll have to be here for James’s christening, anyway.”
“I can work in Sydney and still come back here.”
“Why would you?” This time Lucy rolled her eyes.
“Why would I what?”
“Work in Sydney. Why wouldn’t you stay here? With your finger on the pulse, you know.”
Liam narrowed his eyes. “Why the sudden interest in my plans?”
“Because I need to know about Christmas Day. Maybe’s not good enough. Everyone will be home, and I think you should be here, too. It’ll be the first family Christmas we’ve had together for a long time. Garth’s parents are flying up from the south coast, and I’d love you to be here, too. And I was wondering how you would cope with being away, if you’re working on the alliance, too.” Lucy waved a hand casually. “Anyway, what time are you going to the show tomorrow? Do you want a lift in with us, so you can have a celebratory drink when you win the blue ribbon for Gran’s cake?”
“Whoa, there.” Liam put his hand up. “I won’t win the blue ribbon. The entry’s in your name.”
Lucy smiled. “But you baked the cake. And you deserve to celebrate.”
“I wasn’t going to go to the show. I’ve got too much going on here.”
“What! You have to. Everyone goes to the show.”
Garth nodded. “I’m with Luce on that one. You have to come, mate. It’s one of the high points of the year for the district.”
“And I’ve offered to drive us in, so you can have a couple of drinks and relax in the beer tent.” Lucy giggled. “You have to be there for the cake judging, anyway. Apparently it’s a family tradition.” Innocence filled her expression. “And Angie’s on the judging panel.”
…
Liam came in from the paddocks late on Friday morning, showered, and dug out some decent jeans and a clean T-shirt. It would be the first time he’d been off the farm in more than a week. There’d been plenty of work to keep him busy but the main reason he’d avoided going to town was to stay away from Angie. That was something he’d have to deal with if he ran into her today, and it was very likely that he would. Spring Downs wasn’t that big, although he did remember the agricultural show being a well-attended event
when he was in his teens. He’d stay away from her. There was no need to feed this attraction that was still there. He’d dreamed about her the last couple of nights. He frowned as he ran a comb through his hair in front of the bathroom mirror.
Who am I kidding? There was no way he’d be able to stay away from her. He shrugged and threw the comb on the dresser. A horn beeped and he picked up his Akubra hat and a jacket. It might be a late night.
Liam smiled as he climbed into the front of the SUV with Lucy. Garth was sitting in the backseat with James in his baby capsule and a multitude of bags and picnic baskets almost obscuring his view.
“Are we going for the whole weekend?” he asked with a laugh.
“It’s all right for you, mate,” Garth grumbled from the back seat. “I’m a family man now.”
“And I get to drive, because James is about to wake up and cry, and it’s Garth’s turn to look after him. I was up half the night.”
And cry the baby did; all the way to town. By the time they pulled into the showground on the southern side of town, Liam was pleased to be out of the car. Who’d have thought that such a small human being could make so much noise?
“I might cadge a lift back to the farm with someone else later,” he said with a grin, rubbing his ears.
“Get away with you. You’ll be a dad one day.” Lucy nudged him as he helped unload the ute.
“I can’t see that happening.” Liam helped Garth with the baskets and boxes, but there were still too many to carry.
“Leave those ones there until we eat later.” Lucy pointed at the coolers.
“I can’t understand why you brought all that food. I would have been happy with a Dagwood Dog,” Liam said and Garth nodded.
“We have a healthy picnic to eat later,” Lucy said.
The parking area for the show took up three paddocks of the farm adjacent to the showground. A continuous line of cars, trucks, and utes—and even the occasional large bus—turned onto the grassy paddock as he watched. Liam smiled as he lifted his head. The smell of hot dogs and donuts, and the tinkling music from the merry-go-round, filled the air. Children whooped and screamed as the Zipper dipped and lifted, and he remembered the great fun he and his three cousins had had every year at the show when they’d been small children…and teenagers. It was something he’d forgotten, living away from the outback. The annual show was a chance to show your animals and produce, and hang with your friends. It was the high point on the Spring Downs social calendar.