His finger gently traced her mouth. ‘I’ve been wanting to kiss these lips all night.’
‘Then do it,’ she rasped.
* * *
Claire rolled over to check the clock. Bright red numbers shone 01:30.
Luke stirred and slung an arm over her naked torso. She rolled over to face him. He lay peacefully, eyes closed, a small smile on his lips—those gorgeous lips that had covered the terrain of her body only hours ago. And although she should be basking in the joy of being with Luke, a nagging voice wouldn’t let her fully appreciate this moment.
Questions about whether this was a one-off or if it was the start of something else bounced around her head. Fears of whether he would wake and think it was pity sex because she’d found out about his mum and brother. Stress about not getting enough sleep when she had a massive day of filming that started in a few hours.
‘Ridiculous,’ she muttered and got out of bed, slipping on an oversized t-shirt. Standing in front of the window, Claire took in the view before her.
Shadowy mountains, a sparkling river, the expanse of sugarcane, and a town caught in its own time capsule. No wonder Luke didn’t want to leave. No wonder she didn’t want to, either.
Claire shook her head, as if trying to dispel the thought. In a crazily short amount of time Starlight Creek and its residents had gotten under her skin like nowhere before. And Luke Jackson had had the biggest impact of all.
‘Can’t sleep?’
Claire turned to find Luke still in bed, resting on one elbow. The sheet lay casually across his hip, just low enough that she could see the V leading down to …
She let out a deep breath.
‘Insomnia and I have an interesting relationship.’ She moved over to the bed and under the covers. Her legs brushed his and a small shiver shot up her spine.
‘So how do we get rid of this insomnia?’ He drew her close, his warm body melding perfectly with hers.
With a smile in her voice, she said, ‘I have an idea.’
* * *
Claire woke from her slumber, more content than she’d been in years. She nestled into Luke’s warm embrace, her gaze resting on the hint of sun peeking from behind the mountains.
‘I probably should get going,’ Luke whispered in her ear.
‘I probably should get to work.’ She left a lingering kiss on his lips.
Luke smiled but his eyes appeared sad.
‘What’s wrong?’ she asked.
He sat up and leaned against the headboard. ‘I’m not one to sleep with girls coming through town, that’s all.’
‘And I’m not one to sleep with men in towns I work in. We’ve both done something we don’t usually do. What’s the problem?’
Luke’s voice was low. ‘I’ve been here before.’
‘You just said—’
‘What I mean is that I’ve had sex with women who visit Starlight Creek but that was a long time ago. I had an experience that left me … let’s just say that after that particular event I made it a rule not to sleep with women from out of town.’
‘Given the population of Starlight Creek, I’m thinking you don’t have much choice of single women here,’ Claire said, then her mouth dropped open. ‘Unless you have a thing for Scarlet?’
‘No, no. I don’t have a thing for Scarlet.’
‘What then?’ The more she got to know Luke, the more complicated he was. Did she really want to delve deeper into his pile of baggage?
Luke twisted his lips, as if debating whether he wanted to go down this road or not.
She said, ‘If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. I don’t want to push.’
He ran his hand down her arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps on her skin. ‘Why do I feel compelled to tell you my deepest thoughts and fears?’
‘I don’t know.’ But she certainly understood, because Luke had the same effect on her.
‘I just …’ He rubbed his forehead. ‘I just don’t know where to start.’
‘At the beginning?’
Luke closed his eyes for a moment. ‘I’m wary about this. Us. I don’t know what it is but all I know is I want more. And I’m not talking about sex, as mind-blowing as it was. I like your company. You make me laugh. You see the world in an entirely different way and as much as it drives me crazy, it also forces me to expand my horizons. Living in a small town like Starlight Creek does isolate me and yeah, I get to Brisbane or Cairns every so often but it’s not the same. It’s like you’ve brought the world to me and I just want to soak it all in, learn from it. And it scares the shit out of me.’
‘Why?’
‘Because I’ve been here before,’ he said.
‘Oh?’
‘A few years ago I got involved in the WWOOF program—you know, the one that gives travellers a chance to stay and work on a farm and in return they get food and board?’
‘Oh yep, my cousin did that in New Zealand,’ said Claire.
‘It’s a great program, and Dad and I loved it. We had people from all over the world—England, Scotland, the States, Canada, China, Argentina—a real blend of cultures and nationalities. The problem was, it caused a bit of a rift within the community.’
‘Why? Travellers would be spending money in the businesses here.’
Luke nodded. ‘Exactly, but there were a few incidents where a traveller stole or vandalised something. One ran off with the school teacher who was expecting his first baby with his then wife.’
‘Seriously? Is that why people like Colin are so wary of people from out of town?’
‘The wife who was left behind was Colin’s daughter.’
‘Oh,’ she said. ‘No wonder he is the way he is.’
‘Understandable, for sure. The townsfolk in general never got over it,’ he said. ‘To be fair, though, the majority of travellers were fantastic but there were just too many negative events that made Starlight Creek wary of strangers entering town.’
‘Ohhh.’ She drew it out. ‘But you don’t feel the same way about outsiders, right?’
Luke took a moment before speaking. ‘To a degree. The thing is, a French backpacker came to stay and we hit it off straight away. I’ll be honest and say that there was a steady stream of beautiful backpackers coming through the WWOOF program, but I wasn’t in it to sleep my way around the world, I promise.’
‘I believe you.’ And she did.
‘Eloise was her name,’ his voice faltered a fraction, ‘and she knocked me for six. My friends and Dad and Hattie all warned me not to get too involved but I refused to listen. I was swept away by her beauty and accent and I was blinded.’
‘We’ve all been there.’
‘The problem was,’ he said, ‘that up until then I’d never experienced anything like the relationship I had with Eloise.’ He took her hand. ‘If this is making you uncomfortable, I’ll stop.’
‘It’s fine, honest. It’s not like I expected you to be a monk. We all have histories.’
‘Thanks for understanding.’ He let out a low whistle. ‘Wow, I had no idea how much I needed to talk about this.’
‘You’ve not spoken to anyone? Not even Hattie?’
He shook his head. ‘I’ve always been embarrassed at how I fell in love so hard and fast.’
‘You don’t need to be.’
‘Thank you.’ Luke paused. ‘So, Eloise told me everything I wanted to hear, and I believed her. She had me convinced we’d travel to Paris for our honeymoon then return to the farm where we’d raise a family. She told me she loved the land, that she felt she was born to be Australian, that her heart was here, with me, and in Starlight Creek.’
‘But it wasn’t?’
‘When I proposed …’ He looked at Claire as if gauging her reaction. ‘Are you sure you’re all right with this?’
As hard as this was to hear, she wanted, needed, to know more about this man who occupied more time in her mind than she usually allowed for men. ‘Please, go on.’
‘We’d only known each other for
six weeks but I felt so strongly that it was the right thing to do. The romantic in me wanted to believe I was right, though everyone told me I was wrong, that I should wait. She said yes and I suggested we take our time before tying the knot because I wanted to organise a wedding that would be memorable. Though she didn’t want to wait, she was happy to get hitched at the municipal offices.’
‘Why the rush?’
‘That’s what I wondered. It wasn’t like her visa was going to expire, she had plenty of time left on it. I asked her for some time and I promised she wouldn’t regret the surprise wedding I had planned. I wanted to create a gazebo out of metal that combined Australian flora and fauna with French designs—a marrying of two cultures.’
‘Oh, that sounds beautiful. You are definitely a romantic,’ she said.
‘I used to be a romantic,’ he said quickly. ‘But she killed that when she ran away to marry a singer in a rock band.’
‘What?’
‘Eloise went to Cairns for the weekend with some friends, saw a few bands and had sex with this guy in the back of a van.’
‘Classy.’
‘He was on a national tour and she decided to follow him. They got married two weeks later in Brisbane.’
‘Are you serious?’ she said loudly. ‘Sorry. I’m just surprised. Who does that? Who would give you up?’ Claire steeled herself, embarrassed by her outburst. ‘I mean … I …’ Montgomery, get it together!
Luke laughed. ‘Thank you for being so indignant on my behalf but it’s okay, really. The whole point of telling you this is I hope you’ll understand where I’m coming from. That this thing you and I have scares the bejeezus out of me because I don’t want to be in the same place I was before.’
‘I have an Aussie passport,’ she joked, then worried her flippancy might be taken the wrong way.
‘Well, I’m glad for that.’ He winked.
‘What happened between her and this rocker who is even more impulsive than you?’
‘Last I heard she left him five weeks after she got her citizenship.’
‘Nice,’ said Claire.
‘Yeah.’
‘Looks like you dodged a bullet.’
‘Yep.’
Quietly, she said, ‘Still hurts, though, huh?’
‘My brain tells me it was never love but …’
‘The heart is always going to win out.’
‘Yep.’ Luke’s wide blue eyes looked into hers. ‘What about you?’
‘Me? As in what’s the biggest heartbreak I’ve ever had?’
‘Only if you want to share.’
Claire stared out the window. How to answer this? ‘I’ve never been in love.’
‘What?’ Luke seemed way more surprised than she’d expected him to be.
‘I’ve been in lust, infatuated, early stages of love, but not the gut-wrenching, world-out-of-control love.’
‘Wow,’ he said.
‘What?’ She didn’t care that she sounded so defensive.
‘I would never have thought … look, it doesn’t matter what I think, I’m guessing the right person just never happened along.’
‘Oh, a few did.’ She didn’t like that she sounded so matter-of-fact. ‘But my career always came first.’ She chewed her lip. ‘Though maybe …’
‘Maybe?’
‘Maybe I rejected relationships because the men I dated were used to being in charge, used to having people drop everything and cater to their every whim.’ She laughed. ‘So maybe that’s why it never worked—I refuse to be bossed around.’ Claire scratched her head. ‘I don’t understand how people can have it all.’
‘See? That’s what I was saying before—it’s impossible to have everything we want in life,’ said Luke.
‘We can, I’m sure of it,’ she said. ‘I just don’t know how to make it happen.’
CHAPTER 22
1994 – Starlight Creek, Queensland
Luke had snuck out of the hotel room before the sun had fully risen, leaving Claire to stare at the ceiling and wonder what on earth had happened. The night had rocked between sensual ecstasy and gut-wrenching emotion. She hated that perhaps Luke was right, that realising one’s dreams may not always be possible. Her entire life had been focussed on creating goals and working towards them, dreaming big and doing everything in her power to make them happen. And, despite all the study, all the networking, all the long, arduous hours working on film and TV shows, she wasn’t any closer to fulfilling her dreams. And she’d never allowed herself to be in love.
Was all the sacrifice worth it?
‘Ugh.’ Claire got up and showered, grabbed a banana from the breakfast buffet downstairs and went to the cinema to open up and get things started. The morning whizzed by, the actors got their lines right first go, and Nigel’s mood was the best it had been since this project started. Everything had fallen into place because she’d saved the production at the eleventh hour by securing use of Hattie’s cinema. Even Tony had pulled himself back into line.
So why did she feel so empty?
Luke. The conversations she’d recently had with him had shaken her. Shouldn’t she be floating with all those wonderful endorphins her body produced from fabulous sex? Shouldn’t she be spinning in circles of happiness with the forward movement of her career? So why did she feel like a weight had been placed on her shoulders and her feet were dragging?
Everything on set was running smoothly so she excused herself and went outside for some fresh air. Warmth wrapped around her and she welcomed the sun dancing across her skin. Taking a deep breath, she headed towards Scarlet’s café, keen to stretch her legs.
‘You’re with the mini-series, right?’ A guy in his early twenties appeared from between a couple of cars parked outside the newsagency. He was short, with the broad shoulders of someone who worked in a highly physical job. His Akubra hat covered most of his hair but a few brown strands poked from underneath. It looked like he hadn’t shaved for a few days.
‘Can I help?’ she asked.
‘I want to see that James Lloyd.’
Claire took a moment before replying. Who was this guy? ‘James is currently filming.’
‘When will he be done?’
‘It’s hard to tell,’ she said, her senses on high alert.
‘When?’ he spat out.
‘If you would like me to pass on a message, I’d be more than happy to do so.’ Like hell. This guy gave off some very serious anger vibes.
‘I need to see him—in person.’
‘What’s it about? Maybe I can help?’ She did her best to sound calm but his aggressive attitude was not encouraging her to assist him.
‘Tell him to keep his goddamn dick away from my girlfriend.’
‘Pardon?’
‘He fucked my girlfriend and now she wants to run away with him.’ Rage and hurt was wrapped around every word.
‘Who is your girlfriend?’ she asked but already knew what the answer would be.
‘Annalise Dennis.’
Bingo.
‘You know her?’
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Sorry, what’s your name?’
‘Brody.’
‘Brody …?’
‘Brody Hall,’ he said, like he was speaking to a three-year-old.
‘Brody,’ she said gently, ‘I do know Annalise and she’s a lovely person.’
‘She’s a whore.’
Claire steeled herself, aware this situation could get out of control very quickly. ‘It’s obvious you and Annalise have a lot to work through and I’d suggest you concentrate on that rather than worrying about James.’
‘He had sex with her!’ he yelled loud enough so that two older ladies faltered as they walked past.
Brody closed in on Claire. She stood her ground. ‘I really think you need to discuss this with Annalise.’
‘She won’t talk to me and I want the full story. And her father isn’t helping.’
‘Robert?’
‘You know him?’
> ‘Yes.’ Claire looked him in the eyes but also managed to assess her nearest escape route if this guy got physical. ‘What do you mean Robert isn’t helping?’
‘I’ve been away working in the mines and I come back to a town that is talking about my girlfriend having sex with some arsehole who wears make-up.’
‘It’s make-up for the screen.’ What on earth was she saying? ‘Brody, I’m really sorry but you need to talk to Annalise about this.’
‘For fuck’s sake!’ He punched the pole so hard it shook the verandah.
The newsagent, Colin, raced out. ‘What’s going on?’
‘It’s okay,’ she said, her body on full alert. ‘Brody and I are done talking.’
‘This is not the last of it,’ Brody growled. He got in his ute and sped off, leaving clouds of dust in his wake.
Claire gripped the pole, her chest tight.
‘Are you really all right?’ asked Colin.
‘I will be.’ She took a deep breath and laughed. ‘Man, he was angry, huh?’
‘Did he say it has to do with one of your actors?’
‘It’s nothing.’ She needed to warn Nigel about this.
‘Like I said before, no good has come with you lot here.’ Colin shoved his finger under her nose and she took a step back. What was with all the testosterone today?
Claire straightened her spine. ‘This is an issue between Brody and his girlfriend.’
‘His girlfriend who had relations with your actor. Something has to be done about this. Too many people coming here upsetting our peace and quiet—noisy cars polluting our air, taking our parking spaces, we can’t get into the pub for a beer because it’s too crowded … Enough is enough.’ Colin marched into his shop and slammed the door. He turned the Open sign to Closed.
‘He’s right,’ said a woman with a young baby in a pram.
‘Pardon?’ Jeez, not another naysayer.
She rocked the pram and said loudly, ‘Too many strangers in our town. We don’t want unsavoury elements influencing our children.’
‘We’ve been here for a while without incident, I think we’ve proven ourselves respectful and decent.’ What did the Starlight Creek residents think the production team were—a rock band hellbent on trashing the town?
‘We’ll be glad to see the back of all of you.’ The woman pushed the pram away with haste, mumbling as she went.
The Cinema at Starlight Creek Page 22