“I’m not a quitter, Joel.” Irritation bubbled up within her.
“I didn’t say you were.”
“But you were suggesting it,” Kate retorted.
“I’m sorry, Kate. I didn’t mean to offend you.” He sounded apologetic.
“That’s okay. I’m sorry I snapped at you. It’s just that when I’m out here I feel so relaxed and I manage to forget about feeling lonely. And on days like this …” Kate sighed and pointed toward the deep blue sky, leaving her sentence unfinished.
“I know exactly what you mean,” Joel responded, thankfully taking her cue not to discuss work. “But don’t get too excited, it could still snow tomorrow.”
“You’re kidding me? It’s nearly spring. There’s not even a cloud in the sky!”
“Yep, that’s just God, lulling you into a false sense of security,” Joel chuckled. “It often snows in August.”
“Well I’d say that’s not a very nice God!”
“So, what are your plans with the veggie gardens?” Changing the subject again, Joel pointed toward the neglected back corner of the yard they had just checked out.
“Since I arrived it’s been too cold to even think about it. I really want to grow veggies but I have no idea where to start. And if you ask my brother he’ll tell you I don’t have a green thumb, I have a black thumb. I even manage to kill plastic plants.”
Joel grinned at her. “I’m sure you’re not that bad. I could help you if you like. I’ve got plenty of seedlings out at the farm that I can give you.”
“Hey, yeah, what’s this farm you’ve talked about? I remember you mentioning it ages ago but I haven’t asked you about it again.”
“Oh, it’s an organic farm I’m starting up. It’s just up the road from here.”
“What sort of farm?”
“Organic. No pesticides or anything. I’m going to call it Eagles Ridge Farm. I planted berries when I moved back up here. My plan is to have a little café out on the property where people can come and pick berries and enjoy excellent coffee. Maybe some homemade cakes and slices afterward, if I can convince me mum to do the cooking for me. I’m also growing my own veggies and I’ve got some beehives. I plan to start a farmer’s market out there every Saturday morning and get other farmers to bring in their produce to the farm and sell it. I’ve also got some pigs and beef cattle too.” Joel paused and took a deep breath.
“Wow. I can tell how excited you are about this. I’d love to see it. When do you hope to open the café?”
“I’d love to have it open by mid-November,” Joel said, “but I’m realistic that it might not happen ’til after Christmas.”
“That’s awesome, Joel.” Kate reached out and touched his forearm, feeling the strength of the muscles beneath his thin cotton shirt.
As she made contact, she felt a trickle of anticipation shoot through her. Knowing she was blushing, she removed her hand and at the same time Joel turned somewhat brusquely away from her. He’d felt it too. She frowned. Why then had he pulled away from her light touch as though he’d walked into an electric fence?
“So your dad has obviously changed his opinions about you getting your hands dirty?” Kate asked, trying to shift her mind away from what had just happened between them.
Joel chuckled and she wondered if she’d just imagined his reaction to her touch. “Absolutely! After Mum got sick, Dad realized how important it was for her to eat organic food. They stopped buying the stuff you get in the supermarket that’s all sprayed with chemicals. Dad started buying organic food online and it cost him a fortune. So while Dad was with Mum in hospital I started a small veggie garden in his backyard. Once he saw how easy it was to grow things, he started to understand why I was so passionate about starting my own organic farm. It took him a while to come around, but he’s my number one supporter now.”
“And the Bean Counter? What will you do with that?” Kate was thinking selfishly, wondering where she was going to buy her coffee if he focused all his efforts on the farm.
“Emma will take over running the café until we decide what to do with it. She doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life yet – you remember what you were like at that age – so until she makes some plans for her own future, this will be a great thing for her to do.”
“That’s great.” Kate reached out to touch him again and was disappointed when he moved out of her reach. She was certain this time she hadn’t imagined his reaction to her.
“Let me know when you want to get started on the garden and I’d be happy to come over and help.” Joel stood up and turned on his heel to head back inside.
A cloud appeared from nowhere and covered the sun, bringing with it a reminder that summer was still some time away. Kate shivered, rubbing her arms, uncertain whether it was from the chill of the breeze or because of the way Joel was behaving. He opened the screen door and went back inside the kitchen. Kate followed him and the back door slammed shut behind her, caught by a gust of wind that had sprung up from nowhere.
Touching his arm had ignited an emotion within her, reminding her of how she had felt after their dinner date the previous week. She’d wanted to invite him back inside, hoping for more than just coffee. She was shocked by the range of emotions he was evoking within her and it took everything within her not to reach out and touch him again to see if it had the same effect. She stopped and reminded herself of her new mantra. Just friends. Just friends.
She stood watching him for a few minutes, his back to her as he stood at her kitchen sink rinsing his mug. His eyes gazed out across the backyard, and she could tell by the way he was standing that something was troubling him. His broad shoulders caused the back of his shirt to be pulled taut as he washed and dried the mug and Kate found herself longing to put her hands under his shirt and rub his strong back, soothing away all the hurt that he was clearly carrying.
He must be thinking about Rebecca.
“I suppose you want some chooks too?” His question snapped her back to reality.
“Yes, I’d love to have some chickens. But I don’t know the first thing about them. What comes first? The chicken or the egg?” Kate tried to lighten the mood between them that had changed as abruptly as the weather outside.
“For an intelligent woman, Kate Kennedy, you can be quite silly.” Joel’s teasing tone was back and Kate returned his smile. Gone was his pensive expression and the familiar dimples had returned.
“I’ll get you some chickens but first I’ll have to come back and fix up the gaps in the chook sheds or the foxes will get to them. Perhaps I can come and do that during the week sometime after work if you like.”
The tension between them had vanished in an instant, and she was sure she had imagined it.
“I’d like that a lot,” Kate replied.
“So, do you want to watch a movie?” Joel asked, eyeing off Kate’s impressive DVD selection in the adjoining lounge room.
“Sure. You can choose. But be warned, I like romantic comedies.”
“So I see,” Joel teased, tilting his head sideways to read the titles on the spines of the DVD cases.
Kate turned on the television and while she waited for Joel to pick a movie, she closed all the windows she had opened earlier. The morning sunshine had been short-lived and more clouds were gathering outside, bringing with them an unexpected chill to the air. She shivered.
“I told you to expect snow,” Joel warned.
“I can’t believe how quickly the weather changes around here.” Kate rubbed her bare arms. “I think I’m going to need to get changed. What was I thinking wearing a T-shirt?”
“Well, I wasn’t going to say anything, but I was wondering why you were only wearing a T-shirt.”
“It was warm and sunny this morning and I was still hot after my run!” Kate playfully punched Joel on the arm.
“Go get changed into some warmer clothes. I’ll just grab my jumper from the car and then I’ll light the fire,” Joel said.
“Soun
ds perfect.”
When Kate came back a few minutes later she flopped onto the couch and made herself comfortable. She watched as Joel expertly balled up old newspapers and lay the kindling in a tented shape in the fireplace. He had pulled on a well-worn navy blue woolen jumper over his pale blue and white checked shirt. Paired with his moleskins and brown leather boots, the effect was that of a country farmer. All that was missing was his Akubra, which she knew would be on the front seat of his car. No wonder the television program Farmer Wants a Wife was so popular among women her age when men like Joel made farmers look like that. The way he dressed was a far cry from how Marcus looked. Even when Marcus took his suit off to relax, he still managed to look uptight in his preppy weekend clothes.
“I can see you’ve had plenty of practice doing this.” She tried to divert her mind away from a comparison of the two men and how good Joel looked and onto safer topics.
“I don’t have an open fire at home, so any chance I get I like to play around a bit and light a fire.”
“Well you’ve got more patience than me. I never get the kindling set properly and end up going through great wads of paper trying to get the thing lit. I love the open fire but in the end I had to go and buy some heaters to warm the house when I haven’t got time,” Kate said.
He grinned at her. “You just have to know how to do it properly, love.”
Joel lit the match and the paper and kindling burst into flames, proving he was right. He waited for the right moment to add larger pieces of firewood. While he continued to play with the fire, Kate inserted the disk he had chosen into the DVD player, secretly pleased with his selection – it was one of her favorite movies.
An hour later Kate was still immersed in the movie and as she reached for the box of tissues she became aware that Joel was losing interest. She hit the pause button.
“Want to stop for a drink or something?” Joel asked when she turned to look at him.
“Sure.” Kate changed position on the couch to look at Joel. “I take it you’re not getting into this movie?”
“Well …” He left the rest of his sentence unfinished.
“You chose it,” she teased him.
“True.” He grinned apologetically. “But it’s not like there was much else in the way of choice.”
“Fair point,” Kate conceded, smiling back at him. “So what do you want to drink? I’m not going to offer you a coffee,” she giggled. “I’ve only got instant. But I can make you another cup of tea if you’d like.”
“Have you got any Milo?”
“No, but I’m pretty sure I’ve got some Cadbury drinking chocolate left.”
“Perfect. Any marshmallows?”
Kate moved the cushions she was cuddling and swung her legs off the couch, ready to get up and make their drinks. “I think I might still have some in the pantry – if I haven’t already eaten them all.”
“Stay here.” Joel was already standing. “I’ll make them. Do you want a hot chocolate too?”
“Yes please, Joel. That’d be lovely. You’ll find mugs in the cupboard above the kettle and everything else will be in the pantry. I’ve only got light milk though.”
“That’s fine.”
Kate watched as Joel walked out of the room and felt a sense of peace as she watched how naturally he moved around her home.
“Joel?”
His head popped around the kitchen door and he gave her a questioning gaze. “Yes?”
“There’s a block of Cadbury chocolate in the pantry. Can you bring that out too please?” Kate asked sweetly.
“Your wish is my command.” He bowed theatrically and Kate giggled.
Kate rested her head back on the couch, reflecting on how comfortable she felt around him. They had become such good friends in a short amount of time and she thoroughly enjoyed spending time with him. She still wanted something more than friendship, but she was trying to ignore those feelings. It was pretty obvious he didn’t feel the same way she did.
The only sound in the room was the occasional sound of the logs in the fire as they crackled and popped, and Kate sighed. She hadn’t felt this relaxed in a long time. Patting her leg, she felt Matilda jump up onto her lap, purring as she turned herself in circles to find the most comfortable position.
Kate closed her eyes, repeating her mantra.
Just friends …
*
Kate opened her eyes and looked around. Joel was nowhere to be seen. Outside the sky was gray and inside the fire had burned down almost to coals. The television was still on but the sound had been muted. The opening menu sequence of the DVD was playing on repeat and Kate sat up and stretched and was shocked to see it was almost five o’clock. She had been asleep for nearly three hours! Her hot chocolate was stone cold on the coffee table in front of her and the block of chocolate was unopened. The house was dark and quiet. Kate moved around, switching on lamps and pulling down blinds, wondering what time Joel had left. Her washing basket sat in the middle of the kitchen table overflowing with all her freshly dry sheets which had been folded neatly. On top of the pile of linen sat a small piece of paper.
Kate, I let you sleep. You looked like you really needed it. When you’re up, come and check out the backyard. Joel.
His handwriting was neat and precise.
Kate opened the back door and gasped when she looked toward the back corner of her yard. While she had slept, blissfully warm and unaware, Joel had dug up and removed all the weeds in the old veggie gardens. He had unearthed old railway sleepers and they now formed neat and tidy edges around the existing garden beds. Star pickets were strategically placed around the garden beds, and chicken wire had been wrapped around to form a fence. The floodlight attached to the back of the house was on and it lit the whole backyard, showcasing his efforts.
Joel was bending over in the far corner of the yard wearing a brown oilskin coat that came almost to his ankles and his well-worn Akubra hat. Kate watched him for a moment, her brain trying to figure out what he was doing. He stood up and as he reached up to hammer another stake into the ground, his jumper lifted up and his shirt came away from where it had been tucked into his jeans, giving her a glimpse of his toned stomach. He sensed Kate’s presence and looked up, dropping his arm and bringing the hammer down to his side.
“So what do you think then, eh love?” He grinned and spread his arm open wide, indicating the veggie garden.
“Joel! I love it! I can’t believe you’ve done all this today.” Kate pulled on her gumboots that were sitting at the back door. She hugged herself in the cold.
“Grab a coat too, Kate, it’s turned a bit nasty out here.”
Reaching back inside the back door, Kate grabbed her warmest coat and pulled it on as she walked toward where Joel was working. As she got closer she frowned. “What are you making?”
“This,” he pointed to the pieces of timber on the ground, “is Rupert.”
“Rupert?”
“He’s your new scarecrow.”
“Oh, that’s perfect!” She clapped her hands together. “I’ve always dreamed of having my own scarecrow.”
“Have you got any old clothes? I’m almost done here. We’ll get him dressed and you can tell me where you want me to put him,” Joel said.
A cold misty rain had started to fall and the wind had picked up while Kate had slept. The branches of the gum trees were rubbing together, making a high-pitched, eerie sound. Kate found it strangely disconcerting. As she went back inside, wondering how to dress a scarecrow, she saw the lights of a car turn into her driveway.
Chapter 19
Kate recognized the silver Audi the moment it pulled up in front of her house.
How dare he? She swung open the front door to meet him before the car had even come to a complete standstill. Hands on her hips, Kate yelled at Marcus before he had even opened the car door.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
A second later his door opened and she saw from the interior li
ghts of the car that he was still wearing his usual business shirt and tie. He clearly hadn’t yet spotted her standing there. Marcus opened the rear door and took his jacket from the hanger. He pulled it on, buttoning it up with one hand as his other hand closed the car door. The action was so familiar that for a moment Kate forgot about the past and everything that had happened between them. She was once again mesmerized by the man in front of her. At that exact moment he looked up and saw her standing there.
“Katie.” He started walking toward her and the gravel crunched under his perfectly polished leather shoes. “You can’t believe how long it’s taken me to find you.”
He was smiling and his words seemed genuine. Kate stood motionless in the doorway, her heart racing. The high-pitched blip of his car alarm sounded suddenly, surprising her, and the orange lights flashed in the dark as Marcus pressed the button on his key ring, locking the car.
“Not likely to get stolen out in the middle of nowhere,” he tried to joke, “but, you never know.”
Kate couldn’t find any words. She had tried desperately to forget him. Now that he was here, all she could think was how he appeared so out of place in her new surroundings. She was uncertain what to say or do. She tried to swallow but a thick lump had formed in the back of her throat. What the hell was he doing at her house?
“Katie?” Marcus was now standing at the bottom of the two steps that led up to the veranda. Behind her, the front door was still wide open. The inside light caused long shadows to fall across their bodies. “Aren’t you going to invite me in? I’ve missed you so much, honey. Please Kate, we have to get this whole mess sorted out. All my friends are asking where you are and I’ve had to tell them you’re doing a remote nursing placement.”
“You told them what?” Kate found her voice again and she was instantly furious. “You lied to your friends? What for? Why didn’t you just tell them the truth?”
He looked confused at her words and reached out his arms, inviting her to come to him. She stood rock still, her feet planted in the one spot. As he ascended the steps toward her, Kate moved backward, nearly tripping over the doorframe in her hurry to avoid contact with him. Just then she heard Joel’s voice calling out from behind her, and she instantly froze. Crap! He mustn’t have heard Marcus arrive.
Intensive Care: Escape to the Country Page 15