The two previous nights he’d got Ned to bed and then snuck over to visit Meg, where he’d snuggled in her bed until he snuck out again in the early hours of the morning to go bring in the cows. It wasn’t ideal leaving his son with Tabitha but she’d assured him she didn’t mind and the feeling of Meg’s hands in his hair as they kissed and her skin sliding against his was worth the little bit of parent guilt.
Last night his bed had felt lonesome and uncomfortable and he’d tossed and turned for hours. It was amazing how quickly he’d got used to sleeping with someone again and he’d missed Meg’s body spooned against his. At one am he’d almost given up and driven to Rose Hill, but common sense had halted him as he’d been yanking on a pair of shorts.
Meg was sick and she needed to rest more than she needed to see him.
Somehow he’d eventually fallen asleep, but now that he was awake his desperation to see her again felt even stronger.
With that thought he rolled out of bed and started to get dressed, determined to get through the milking in record time. Those girls better not misbehave or dilly-dally this morning. Or else. Lawson headed out of his room and into the kitchen, popping his head into Ned’s room on his way past. He smiled at his son sleeping soundly, his little hands pressed under his cheek and the early morning dawn creeping in the through the gaps in the curtains and falling across his face. His heart swelled with warmth and pride and a happiness he hadn’t felt in years.
Life finally felt as if it were getting back on track.
He scoffed a couple of slices of Vegemite on toast and three Weetbix and was just putting his bowl in the dishwasher when Tabitha strolled into the kitchen with a yawn.
She blinked. ‘Well, good morning. Didn’t you sneak out to Meg’s place last night?’
‘No. She’s got some gastro bug, so thought it would be better if I stayed away. I’m going to go check on her once I’m done with the milking.’
Tab frowned as she went to switch on the kettle. ‘She seemed fine yesterday.’
He nodded. ‘Apparently it came on quick. She sounded awful.’
‘Poor thing. Shall I make Ned some French toast for breakfast?’
‘Thanks, sis, that’d be great.’ Lawson smiled, then leaned forwards and kissed her on the cheek. If it were left up to him, the two of them would probably live on Weetbix. ‘Tell him to come say good-morning to me when you guys are feeding the calves.’
Tab nodded and offered him a sleepy wave as he strode out of the kitchen, out of the house, yanked on his boots and whistled to Clyde that it was time to start work.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Megan walked out of her bedroom to find Adeline standing on the landing at the top of the stairs. Immediately her hackles rose.
‘What the hell are you doing here?’ she asked. And how the hell did you get inside? She felt certain she’d locked the door when she’d come home that afternoon, but then again she had been in quite a state.
Adeline narrowed her eyes at Megan as if she were in fact the intruder and had no right to ask such a question. ‘I’m here to set things right,’ she said, taking a step towards Megan.
‘What do you mean?’ Megan scoffed, then glanced around for Cane but he was nowhere to be seen.
‘You’ve set your sights above your status and I can’t let things go on the way they are. The man is mine. He’s always been mine and I won’t let you come between us.’
There were so many things Megan could say or wanted to say in response to that but even more so she wanted Adeline out of her space. She didn’t trust her and the fact she’d entered the house without an invitation only proved that perhaps she was unhinged as well as nasty. Not a good combination in Megan’s experience.
‘I think it’s time you leave,’ she said, indicating the stairs.
Adeline shook her head. ‘Oh, no, no, no. I’m not going anywhere until I’ve done what I came to do.’
And then, before Megan had time to open her mouth and ask in a less-polite manner, Adeline launched herself towards her. Closing the distance between them, she reached out and grabbed hold of Megan’s hair.
‘Ouch!’ Megan squealed. For two seconds she was too stunned to react or defend herself, but when Adeline started yanking her towards the stair railing, her instincts kicked in. She tried to push the other woman away but Adeline was surprisingly strong for someone with the physical width of a beanpole.
‘Let me go,’ Megan demanded, lifting her hands to Adeline’s and gripping them hard as she tried to remove them from her hair.
A struggle ensued. They almost danced as Adeline tugged harder and Megan tried to extricate herself. Where the hell is Cane? Surely he wouldn’t stand by and let his master be abused like this?
‘You’re insane,’ Megan shouted, wondering if she might have to bite Adeline on the wrist to get her to loosen her grip.
‘I’m just protecting what is rightly mine,’ Adeline spat, spittle actually landing in Megan’s face.
Eugh. ‘Let me go!’ she tried again, giving the other woman one final chance before she upped the ante and did whatever it would take to get her out of her personal space.
‘With pleasure!’
Before Megan could realise exactly what her nemesis meant, Adeline’s hands left her hair and landed on her chest. She pushed hard and Megan slammed back against the wooden stair railing. Her back screamed with pain, distracting her a moment. Whatever happened next happened so fast Megan didn’t realise she’d gone over the rail until she felt a falling sensation like she’d never felt before. Seconds later she heard a loud crack as her head slammed down hard onto the floor below.
Ouch!
Everything went black.
She woke a few moments later to find Cane sitting on top of her licking her face and the worst headache she’d had in years. Despite the throbbing at her forehead and the racing of her pulse, she pushed Cane aside and then sat up fast, her head snapping from side to side as she looked around for Adeline. But Megan realised she wasn’t on the cold floor by the stairs having survived attempted murder: she was lying on the old sofa, a pain in her neck as if she’d fallen asleep at an unnatural angle.
‘Thank the Lord,’ she whispered, reaching out to Cane to draw him back in for a comforting cuddle. She laughed nervously, relieved she’d only dreamed of Adeline. Stress had combined with the news of the previous afternoon and a full bottle of wine on an empty stomach to give her terrifying nightmares. After the way Adeline had acted at the town hall yesterday, it was surprising she hadn’t dreamed of death by knitting needles, but she guessed her obsession with Eliza’s death had followed her into her dreams.
Cane whined and leaped to the floor, fully bringing her back to the present. Light crept in through the threadbare curtains and she realised she hadn’t moved from the couch since last night.
‘Oh you poor baby. I’m so sorry,’ she said, tearing back the light throw rug that was on top of her. As she got to her feet, she tried to remember covering herself up but everything after her phone chat with Lawson was a horrifying blur. She noticed the empty bottle of wine on its side on the floor and all thoughts of the dream evaporated as she remembered exactly why she’d drunk a whole bottle of wine in the first place.
Chapter Thirty
When the milking was over and the last cow sent back out to pasture, Lawson did something he never did. He told Ethan about Meg being sick and asked if he’d mind doing the wash-down on his own.
‘Not at all, boss.’ Ethan made shooing movements with his hands, indicating he should be on his way. ‘You go look after your girl. There’s something special about her, I reckon, and if you don’t treat her right, I might just have to step in and—’
Lawson didn’t hear the rest of Ethan’s idle threat as he was already jogging out of the dairy and back towards the house. He discarded his boots on the verandah and then pulled open the screen door to find Tab reading the mail. She usually picked up any post from the day before in their road mailbox each mo
rning when she saw Ned to the bus.
‘Hey.’ He nodded at his sister, his hands already on the hem of his shirt, about to yank it off. Although desperate to see Meg, a shower was a necessity after a morning with the cows. ‘I’m gunna clean myself up, then I’m off to check on Meg. Do you need me to pick up anything in town on my way home?’
‘You might want to read this first.’ She held a piece of paper out to him. Tucked under her stumped arm was an envelope.
The tone of her voice made his heart drop to his stomach. ‘What is it?’ But even as he asked this question, he knew.
‘It could be worse,’ she said as he reached out to take the piece of paper.
His gaze fell on the logo of WA Country Milk on the top of his page, confirming his worst fears. Lawson skimmed the letter, his pulse quickening and his jaw locking as he registered the news.
‘Fuck,’ he breathed. Maybe it could be worse but this was pretty damn terrible. With the contractual requirement of six months’ notice, WA Country Milk had informed them that come July they would no longer be able to take as much milk from them as they had been. His fists curled around the piece of paper. ‘I can’t believe it.’
‘I know,’ Tab whispered and he could hear something in her voice that he very rarely heard. Sadness. Fear. Anxiety.
And then he noticed something else he rarely saw where Tabitha was concerned. Her big brown eyes glistened with tears.
‘Hey,’ he said, discarding the letter on the side table and pulling her into his arms. ‘It’ll be okay. We’ve been through tough times before and we’ve survived. This farm has been operating for almost a hundred years and weathered many a dairy crisis. We’re not gunna let this break us. As you said, it could be worse. Some farmers have been told the processors have overpaid them and they are being forced to pay them back out of future earnings and others still have had their contracts cancelled altogether.’
She sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. ‘What are we going to do with all the rest of our milk?’
Tab’s defeated tone hurt him almost as much as the actual letter.
‘There are other milk companies,’ he said, trying to sound more positive than he felt. ‘We’ll approach them.’
She pulled back and raised her eyebrows at him. ‘Country Milk are the biggest and you know as well as I do that the others are struggling as well. There’s just too much milk right now and not enough demand.’
‘Then we’ll make more ice-cream,’ he said, trying to keep his voice chipper. ‘Well, you will and I’ll help you work out how to market it. We’ve got a little bit of savings and so maybe we can look more seriously into Meg’s idea for making the dairy a bit of a tourist attraction.’
‘Maybe,’ she said with a defeated sigh.
Lawson knew Tab was thinking of the other options they might have to contemplate. Like other farmers who had been in this situation recently, they’d have to consider selling off some of their stock. Cattle they’d hand-raised to be prime milkers would now be destined for the abattoir. The thought made his gut ache.
A knock on the front door interrupted his thoughts and he turned to see Meg standing on the other side of the fly screen. So consumed in the drama of the letter, neither of them had heard her car coming up the gravel drive but to him she was a welcome interruption.
It was hard to be too disheartened when his gaze fell upon her face and all he could think about was kissing her. He smiled. ‘Hey there. You feeling better?’
At the same time, Tab said, ‘Hi Meg.’
‘I’m sorry to just arrive unannounced like this. Am I … interrupting something?’
‘No, come on in.’ Tab shook her head furiously—he knew she didn’t like to show any kind of weakness—and then smiled, but for once it didn’t reach her eyes. ‘I’ll go put the kettle on.’
As she turned and fled in the direction of the kitchen, Lawson opened the door and wrapped his arms around Meg. She felt so damn good and he never wanted to let her go. ‘Boy, am I glad to see you.’
‘Oh?’ Her voice almost sounded like a squeak.
‘Yes.’ He pulled his head back and looked down at her. ‘We just got some bad news and I could do with a hug.’
‘Oh?’ she said again.
‘WA Country Milk has informed us they will be reducing the amount of milk they buy from us from July onwards.’
Meg’s eyes widened. ‘Oh my God. Can they do that to you? Isn’t that breaking a contract?’
‘Yes, but if we fight them on this, then we risk them not renewing our contract at all next year. To be honest, I’m still a little shell-shocked; there’s lots to think about, lots to consider. I’ll need to talk to someone at the company and find out exactly what the situation is and then look for possible alternatives for our milk. We literally just found out.’
‘I … I see.’
‘You still look a little pale.’ Lawson took a moment to look at Meg properly. ‘Gorgeous, but pale. Are you feeling any better?’
A glimmer of colour flashed on her cheeks as she rubbed her lips together. ‘Physically … a lot better than last night. I must have just eaten something that didn’t agree with me.’
‘Good. I was worried about you.’ He smiled, then dipped his head and stole the kiss he’d been dreaming about since the last time they were together. ‘You’re a much-wanted distraction from this Country Milk crap. Looking down at your gorgeous face, nothing seems as bad as it could be.’
Meg opened her mouth but before any words came out, Tabitha came back into the hallway.
‘I’m going out to see Ethan,’ she announced, giving them a little wave of her fingers. ‘The kettle’s on if you want it but I need some fresh air. Hope you don’t mind, Meg.’
‘No, of course not,’ she said, smiling sympathetically at Tab. ‘Lawson told me the bad news. I’m really sorry.’
Tabitha shrugged. ‘Thanks. I guess with the industry the way it is at the moment, we shouldn’t be surprised, but it’s still a big blow. I’ll see ya later.’
As the door thudded shut behind her, Lawson turned back to Meg. The house sounded silent with just the two of them. Finally. His head should be full of the devastating news he’d just received, but instead all he could think about was Meg. Specifically about getting her naked. Now that he’d broken his sex-drought, he was like a horny teenaged boy.
‘Are you really feeling better?’ he asked, putting his hands back on her waist and drawing her against him again. She felt so good, so soft. His body reacted immediately.
Meg licked her lips and her voice came out breathy. ‘Why? What do you have in mind?’
The heat in her eyes told him she knew exactly what he had in mind—his cock wasn’t exactly being shy about it. But instead of verbalising his reply, he dipped his head and kissed the side of her neck. Her head fell back a little and she moaned as he worked his way upwards across her jaw until his lips landed on hers.
Within seconds of their mouths meeting, her hands were sliding under his shirt and Lawson knew he couldn’t get her to his bedroom fast enough. Their lips still locked, he cupped her bum and lifted her up so he could carry her down the hallway. Nothing had ever felt so good as her legs wrapped around him, her hands in his hair as they kissed like a couple of maniacs. He stumbled towards his bedroom, barely noticing when he bumped into furniture. He kicked the door shut behind him and then they collapsed as one onto his bed.
Although it hadn’t even been two days since he’d seen her, there wasn’t time for small talk. She was wearing a short denim skirt, which left little to the imagination. His erection pressed against his shorts, desperate to escape and breach the thin black scrap of her knickers.
Trying to slow things down so this wasn’t over in a matter of seconds, he lowered his head and kissed her again, drinking in the tantalising taste of her.
But Meg didn’t seem to care about taking things slowly. As his tongue slid into her mouth, her hand dived down between their bodies and slid ins
ide the waistband of his shorts. He groaned as her hand closed around his hard throbbing length.
As delicious as her actions felt, there were far too many clothes in this scenario. He rolled them over so that she was straddling him and then he whipped her T-shirt up and over her head. She wore a black bra that contrasted against her pale skin, but he reached his hand around her back and undid it. As sexy as her lingerie was, it had nothing on her bare breasts. He gazed up at them, totally mesmerised—frozen as he deliberated whether to touch or taste or both.
Meg pushed up on her knees so she had room to pull down his shorts. Her beautiful long hair fell over his hips as she bent her head and took him into her mouth. He slid his hands up into her hair, loving its silky feel as her mouth drove him to the edge. Just when he was about to explode, she pulled back, locked eyes with him and mouthed one word: ‘Condom?’
Somehow despite the sensations flooding his body, he managed to reach over and retrieve a small foil packet from his bedside table. Meanwhile she shimmied out of her knickers and pushed her skirt up higher. Then, as if just as desperate as he was, she snatched the packet out of his hand and ripped it open with her teeth. Nothing had ever seemed so erotic. She slipped the condom on and then sank down onto his cock. As she whispered his name, he reached around and cupped her buttocks, driving himself even deeper inside her. They moved as one, so in tune with each other that he heard her breathing quicken at the exact moment he felt himself losing control. They came together, each crying the other’s name as they flew over the edge.
Afterwards, he pulled her down on top of him so her breasts pressed into his chest and her head rested on his shoulder. He ran his hands through her hair, loving its silky feel, loving absolutely every tiny thing about her.
‘Back in a second,’ he said a few minutes later, extricating himself and then climbing out of bed to deal with the condom. Even the brief time he left her alone in his bed, he missed her. It was hard to believe how much a part of his life she’d become in such a short time, but he honestly couldn’t imagine going forwards without her. Being with Meg felt so right—as if she were the missing secret ingredient in the recipe of his life. Now, he knew why he hadn’t been able to look at any of the other women his friends had been trying to set him up with over the years. It wasn’t just that it’d been too soon after Leah’s death, but also that he’d unknowingly been waiting for Meg.
Talk of the Town Page 29