He leaned back in his chair and studied the photo. They looked happy, their arms wrapped around each other, smiling for the photographer. Worse, they looked as if they belonged together, living in some fancy mansion in New York with servants to tend to their every need.
Well, at least she wasn’t a criminal, Brody mused. She was simply a runaway wife. He paused. Or maybe a runaway bride. There was no proof that she’d ever gone through with the wedding. Maybe she’d arrived in Fiji and decided marriage just wasn’t for her.
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
Brody quickly clicked back to the search engine, then glanced over his shoulder at Mrs. Willey. “No. Nothing. Just catching up on a few of my old friends.” He stood, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Thanks. I’m in a bit of a hurry right now, but I’ll stop by soon and pick up some books.”
“You do that,” she said with a wide smile. “Be sure to come on a school day if you can. I’m sure the students would love to talk to you.”
Brody strode out the front door of the library into the midday sun. He headed back to the Land Rover, parked near the coffeeshop. He’d have to decide just how to discuss his discovery with Payton. Though his rule regarding married women still stood, it seemed rather pointless to avoid sex now that that horse was already out of the barn.
Hell, the only way to avoid wanting her was to leave Queensland altogether. He could no more control his desire for Payton Harwell than he could stop breathing.
THE PLANE TOUCHED DOWN as the afternoon sun hovered near the western horizon. Payton peered out the window, catching sight of one of the station’s utes, the name she’d learned to call the pick-up trucks that nearly everyone drove. She saw Callum leaning against the truck as the plane taxied to the near end of the runway, but Brody was nowhere to be seen.
When Teague had turned off the single engine, Callum approached and opened the door. He helped Payton out, grabbing shopping bags as she jumped lightly from the plane. He then turned back to wrap his hands around Gemma’s waist. Payton watched as their gazes met and he gave her a quick kiss.
Though Gemma hadn’t said anything about her relationship with the eldest Quinn, it was clear to everyone that something was going on. Callum didn’t smile much, but he always seemed to be smiling when Gemma was present.
Callum helped Teague secure the plane before all four of them hopped into the truck and headed toward the house. Payton had hoped to find Brody standing on the porch or lounging on her bunk, but she was disappointed.
“He took off about a half hour ago,” Callum said. “On horseback, toward the west. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”
Payton forced a smile. She’d been looking forward to seeing Brody all day. She’d bought a sexy new swimsuit for the hot tub and some lacy underwear that she was certain he’d appreciate. Her nails and toes looked perfect and her hair smelled like fruit. In short, she was almost irresistible.
She set her bags inside the door of the bunkhouse then turned and jogged down the front steps. “I’m going to ride out and meet him,” she said.
“It’s getting dark,” Callum warned.
“Don’t worry, I won’t go far. I can see the lights of the station from pretty far away.”
She ran to the stables and found a gentle mount, then quickly saddled the horse. She tied a bedroll on the back in case she and Brody decided to make a stop at the swimming hole again. Then, after swinging her leg over the saddle, she steered the horse out of the stable and into the waning light.
Though she’d ridden to the pond with Brody the other night, this was the first time she’d been on a horse alone since her fall nine years before. “Like riding a bike,” she said, settling into the rhythm.
She urged the horse into a relaxed gallop, letting the wind whip her hair into a riot of curls. It was still easy to see where she was going, the last rays of the sun shining on the red dirt of the outback.
As she rode, her thoughts wandered to Brody, to spending the evening alone with him. Brisbane had been so busy and exciting that she’d wished he’d been there to share it with her. Maybe next weekend they could go together, as he’d suggested. They could spend some time at the beach or find a comfy hotel room and revel in absolute privacy.
As the sun dropped lower, the air became chilly and Payton drew her horse to a stop. She scanned the landscape for Brody, but it was difficult to see. Tugging gently on the reins, she turned the horse around. Her breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t see the station anymore.
Rubbing her eyes, she squinted into the distance, searching for the lights that would guide her back. Slowly, she realized she’d ridden too far, lost in her thoughts and unaware of the passing time. Everything looked the same. Starting off in the direction she’d come from, Payton kicked the horse into a gallop again. But a moment later, the horse stumbled in an unseen gully and she found herself thrown forward.
Payton hit the ground with a hard thud, knocking the wind out of her. Groaning, she lay back in the dirt and took a quick inventory. Her limbs were still intact, no broken bones, just wounded pride. Levering to her feet, she brushed the dirt off her jeans and remounted, but as soon as she spurred the horse forward, she could feel the animal favor its right foreleg.
Sliding off again, she bent down and ran her hands over his leg. “What happened?” she cooed. There was no swelling and no broken bones. She’s seen enough stumbles in her show-jumping career to suspect that it was probably just a bruise. Though riding was possible, there was no need to put the horse under any more stress. She mentally calculated the distance and figured she probably had at least an hour’s walk.
Payton stared up at the stars, trying to remember what she’d seen in the night sky. The last traces of the day were visible on the horizon, so she grasped the reins and began to walk the opposite way, east, toward the station.
The outback looked deceptively flat, yet as she walked, she realized that a gentle rise could easily hide things in the distance. She tried to keep moving in a straight line, finding a cluster of stars to keep over her right shoulder. But it was difficult to maintain her bearings in the dark. In the end, she decided to give her horse its head. He knew how to get home better than she did.
But, to her surprise, the horse didn’t lead her back to the station. Instead, she found herself standing at a low iron gate. She hadn’t come through any fence on her way out, but the horse seemed to know what it was doing. “Do I trust the horse or do I trust myself?”
In the end, she opened the gate and led the horse through. A few seconds later, she noticed the outline of a small building, just barely visible in the growing moonlight. Obviously, the horse had been to the spot in the recent past. “What is this?”
The front door was unlocked, but she could see nothing in the black interior. Closing her eyes, she felt around with her hands, stumbling over what felt like beds along the walls. She wandered back to the porch, then noticed a lantern hanging beside the door and a tin box of matches nailed below it.
The match flared and she lit the lantern, then walked back into the small shack. It was obvious it was some kind of remote bunkhouse, though it seemed to be awfully close to Kerry Creek to be of much use. She found a couple more lanterns and, after lighting them, took the first one out onto the porch to serve as a sign that she was there.
Someone would come looking for her sooner or later. And if they didn’t come tonight, she’d simply wait until the morning and then head toward the sunrise. Payton walked over to her horse and took off his saddle, dropping it onto the front steps of the shack.
She folded the saddle blanket and threw it on top. Then she carefully tethered the horse to a hitching rail in front of the cabin before stepping inside.
The interior of the cabin was cozy and almost as comfortable as the bunkhouse, though a bit dustier. From what she could tell, the place had been used recently. There was a stack of firewood next to the castiron stove and canned food in the small cupboard ab
ove the dry sink. She picked through the assortment and found a can of nuts.
A shelf of paperback novels, mostly mysteries, caught Payton’s attention and she chose one and sat down at the small wooden table. Though it was hard to read in the flickering light, she managed to finish a few pages before her eyes grew tired. With a frustrated sigh, she laid her head down on the table and closed her eyes.
She wasn’t sure whether she’d fallen asleep or not, but a loud crash brought her upright. She saw a shadow in the doorway and screamed. But a moment later, Brody stepped into the light.
He crossed the room in a few long strides, grabbed her arms and yanked her into his embrace. “What the hell were you thinking?” he muttered. “I got back to the station and they said you’d left on horseback.”
“I was just going to ride out to meet you and then my horse came up lame. I thought he’d lead me back to the stable, but he came here.”
“You’re on Fraser land,” Brody said. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and then took a deep breath. “Do you know how dangerous it is out here? You can walk for a day and not see anything familiar.”
“That’s why I decided to stay here.”
“The first smart move you made all day.” He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, his mouth harsh and demanding, as if he was exacting punishment for what she’d done.
But he didn’t stop there. He tore off his jacket and tossed it aside, then began to work at the buttons of her shirt. When he wasn’t removing her clothes, he was stripping out of his, and within a minute, they were both naked.
Payton wasn’t sure what to say. She knew he was angry and maybe a bit shaken, but he seemed to need reassurance that she was safe. He buried his face in the curve of her neck, his hands skimming over her body as if to prove to himself she was unhurt.
Brody turned her around in his arms. Payton knew what was coming, but she wasn’t prepared for the intensity of his need. “I don’t have protection,” he murmured.
“It’s all right,” Payton said, arching against him. She’d taken care of birth control a long time ago, choosing a method that was both constant and convenient. She wanted to experience him without any barriers, to feel just him inside her.
He buried himself deep in a single thrust, then held her, drawing a deep breath. She wriggled against him, silently pleading for him to move, but he held her still until he regained control.
He began slowly at first, with a delicious rhythm that she couldn’t deny. Her mind whirled with a maelstrom of sensation and she felt herself losing touch with reality. Every stroke brought her closer to completion.
Payton moved with him, sending him even deeper. Every movement felt like perfection, as though their bodies were made to do just this. His fingers grasped her hips as she urged him on, so close to release that she was afraid they might both collapse onto the floor before they were through.
Brody moaned and she knew he was close. But then, suddenly he stopped. “Say it,” he murmured. “Tell me you’ll never leave me.”
At first, she wasn’t sure what he meant. Did he just want to hear the words, or was he demanding the promise behind them. In the end, Payton didn’t really care. If he wanted her to stay, she would, for as long as this passion lasted. “I won’t,” she said. “I promise.”
“Promise me,” he said, his voice raw as he moved again.
“I promise.”
Satisfied, he brought them both closer and closer. And then, in a blinding instant, Payton cried out and dissolved into powerful spasms of pleasure. He was there with her, his body shuddering with every stroke.
Brody sighed as he kissed her nape, his teeth grazing her skin. When he stumbled, Payton steadied them both, their bodies still joined. “I think we should sit down,” she said.
“No,” he murmured. “I want to stay just like this.”
“All right,” she said, reaching back to wrap her arm around his neck. She shifted and he groaned, slipping out of her.
Brody moved over to one of the bunks and gently lowered her onto the rough wool blanket. Then he stretched out beside her. Goose bumps prickled her skin and she pulled the edges of the blanket up around them both. “It’s not as comfy as your bed,” she said. “But it will do.”
“We’re trespassing. Considering the feud between the Frasers and the Quinns, we might end up shot, or in jail.”
“It was worth it,” she teased.
“No more adventures in the outback for you.”
“I’ll just take you with me.” She closed her eyes and snuggled against him. At that moment, Payton couldn’t imagine ever doing without this passion. Or without this man. What that meant, she wasn’t sure. But it did mean something.
“TEAGUE?”
Brody awoke to the sound of a woman’s voice. The door creaked and he pushed up on his elbow, squinting against the sunlight that shone through the door, Payton still sound asleep beside him. “Brody,” he said.
He heard hurried footsteps on the front steps, then carefully rolled out of bed and tugged his jeans on. When he got outside, Brody found Hayley Fraser mounting her horse.
“Wait,” he called, raking his hand through his tousled hair.
She paused, watching him warily from atop her horse. Brody hadn’t seen Hayley in ages, not since she and Teague were teenagers. But he had seen photos of her in magazines and on television. Teague’s ex-girlfriend had become one of Australia’s most popular young actresses. She had a part on a television show that almost everyone in Oz watched every Thursday evening, and there were rumors that she was about to make a move to Hollywood.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her wavy blond hair blowing in the morning breeze.
“We needed a place to sleep. This was close by. Was Teague supposed to meet you here?”
“No,” she said, an edge of defensiveness in her voice. “Why would you think that?”
“It was almost as if you were expecting him,” Brody said.
“I saw the Kerry Creek horses and I thought it might be him. But I was mistaken. Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
She looked even more beautiful than she did on television. But instead of being dressed in some sexy outfit, with her hair fixed up, she wore jeans, a canvas jacket and a stockman’s hat. “Should I tell Teague you were looking for him?”
“Why?” She shook her head. “No. You don’t need to tell him anything.”
Brody felt a hand on his arm and he turned to see Payton standing beside him, wrapped in the wool blanket. “Morning,” she said, nodding to Hayley.
“Payton, this is Hayley Fraser,” Brody said. “Her family owns this place. Hayley, Payton Harwell.”
Payton smiled. “Thank you for letting us stay here. I got lost last night and wasn’t really prepared to sleep outside.”
Hayley nodded, her expression cool and guarded. She’d never really warmed to anyone else in the Quinn family or anyone connected with them. In truth, Brody’s parents had discouraged a relationship to the point where they forbade Teague from seeing her. At the time, both Callum and Brody had sided with their parents. But Teague had never bothered to follow their advice. And he probably wouldn’t now.
“I—I have to go,” Hayley murmured. “Stay as long as you like. I won’t say anything to my grandfather.”
She wheeled her horse around and kicked it into a gallop, the dust creating a cloud behind her. Brody and Payton watched as she rode off. Brody glanced down at Payton, then slipped his arm around her shoulders.
“That was odd,” he said.
“She seemed nice.”
Brody laughed. “What is it with you Americans?”
“Us Americans?” Payton looked around. “There’s only one American here. Are you speaking of me?”
“Yes. Why do you always have such a positive attitude about everything? Everything is always…nice. Even if it isn’t, you smile and pretend it is. Why don’t you just say what you think? Hayley Fraser is a bitch.”
; “I don’t even know her. Why would I think that?” Her brow creased into a frown and she shook her head. “And why are you such a grouch?”
“See, there you go. I am being a grouch.” He turned and walked inside, grabbing his clothes scattered across the floor. “At least you said what you thought.”
“My mother always told me if I couldn’t say something nice, I shouldn’t say anything at all. It’s hard for me to forget those little lessons.”
“People aren’t always perfect,” he said.
“I know that. I’m not naive. But I prefer to see the positive qualities rather than dwelling on the negative.”
“Like the way you look at me?” Brody asked.
Payton sat down on the edge of the bunk and began to idly pick lint off the blanket, smoothing her hand over the rough wool every now and then. “You’ve been very nice—I mean, you’ve been generous and kind and understanding. You got me out of jail, you gave me a place to live and—”
“I sleep with you. I make you moan with pleasure, I touch your body like—”
“All right. You do have a nasty sarcastic streak that comes out when you haven’t had enough sleep. You’re not perfect. And neither am I. So can we leave it at that?”
Was that it? Brody’s jaw twitched as he tried to control his temper. He’d been so happy to find her last night he hadn’t even thought about what he’d learned from the Internet. She’d run away from her family and the man she was supposed to love and for some reason, she’d decided to hide out with him.
But sooner or later, she’d get sick of life on the station, just like his mother. She’d realize she’d made a mistake and she’d be gone, back to her comfortable life with her rich husband and his fancy job. So why hadn’t she told him the truth about her past?
Maybe for the same reason he hadn’t told her about his past—he wasn’t proud of who he’d been, or of some of the things he’d done.
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