by Julie Kenner
“That wasn’t my finest hour,” Hayley admitted, wincing.
“She stopped dead and threw you right over the gate. It took a full minute for the dust to clear from your fall. And what about that time you decided to try bull riding?”
“Another embarrassing failure,” she said with a giggle. “But at least I tried. You didn’t.”
“You were crazy. But I thought you were the most exciting girl I’d ever seen. You were absolutely fearless.” He paused, then reached out and touched her face. “What’s going on here, Hayley?”
She turned away, staring out at the horizon. “What do you… I don’t know what you mean.” Was he talking about the kiss? About the attraction that they still obviously felt for each other?
“Look at this place. It’s a bloody mess. He’s feeding your horse moldy grain. And she doesn’t look like she’s been exercised or groomed in weeks. Your grandfather used to take such pride in the place.”
“I—I didn’t know it was getting this bad,” she said, grateful that she wouldn’t have to analyze the kiss. “I haven’t been home for three years. I thought Benny McKenzie was taking care of everything. I was sending money and they were cashing the checks. But then, I spoke to Daisy Willey last week and she told me Benny’s mother had taken sick and Benny had left to tend to her. He’s been gone a month. But this couldn’t have all happened in a month.”
“What about the other stockmen?”
“There are no others. My grandfather ran them all off. He thought they were lazy and not worth their pay. And when there was no one left to care for the stock, he sold it. Molly is the last animal on Wallaroo, besides the rabbits and kangaroos and dingoes.” She forced a smile. “I’m going to try to convince him to sell the station. Or maybe lease out the land. His health is bad, he’s still smoking and he hasn’t been to a doctor since I came to live on the station thirteen years ago.”
“You’re not going to get him off this station,” Teague said.
“I have to try,” she said, her voice tinged with resignation. “And if I succeed, I want you to take Molly and find her a good home.”
Teague nodded. “But until then, I’ll bring some decent feed from Kerry Creek when I stop by tomorrow to check on her.”
“You’re coming back?” Hayley asked, unable to ignore the rush of excitement that made her heart flutter. She’d see him again. And maybe this time, she wouldn’t be weeping uncontrollably.
“Follow-up visit,” he said. “It’s part of the service.”
Joy welled up inside her and Hayley couldn’t help but smile. Her arrival on Wallaroo had brought nothing but sorrow. And though she knew it would be best to get her grandfather off the station, she’d thought that selling the land would cut her last connection with the boy she’d once loved.
Now that connection was alive again. He was here with her, touching her and kissing her and making her feel as though they might be able to turn back the clock. “Thank you,” she said again.
“You need to exercise her,” Teague suggested. “Easy at first. A nice gentle walk. You could always ride out to the shack. That’s not too far.”
Surprised by the suggestion, Hayley couldn’t help but wonder if it was an invitation. The shack had been their secret meeting place when they were teenagers. The place where they’d discovered the pleasures of sex.
“Maybe I’ll do that.”
“I mean, I don’t know how long you’re planning to stay, but—”
“I don’t know, either,” Hayley said. “My plans are…flexible. A week or two, at least.”
This seemed to make him happy. He looked at his watch. “I really should go. Don’t feed her tonight. Just water. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She quickly stood up, wanting him to stay but unable to give him a good reason. “Tomorrow,” she repeated. Hayley glanced down, wincing inwardly. There were so many things she needed to say, but now didn’t seem like the right time. She looked up to find him staring at her. And then, acting purely on impulse, she pushed up onto her toes and kissed his cheek.
She slowly retreated, embarrassed that she’d shown him a hint of the emotions roiling inside her. But then, an instant later, Teague crushed her to his chest, his mouth coming down on hers in a desperate kiss.
In a heartbeat, her body came alive, her pulse quickening and her senses awash with desire. He was so familiar, and yet this was much more powerful than she’d remembered. Her knees wobbled but he was there to hold her.
They stumbled until she was pressed against the rough siding of the stable. His hands drifted lower, cupping her backside and pulling her hips against his. Hayley felt herself losing touch with reality. How many times had she dreamed of this moment? Over the years, she’d wondered what it might be like if they saw each other again. And now, the time had come and she wanted to remember every single second, every wild sensation.
Hayley clutched his shirt, fighting the urge to tear at the buttons. She wanted nothing more than to shed her clothes and allow him to have his way with her. She knew, just by the effects of his kiss, what he could do to her. It had been so long since she’d felt such unbridled passion. Was Teague the man she’d been waiting for all this time?
His palm slid beneath her shirt and up to her bare breast and she arched closer. Cupping her warm flesh, Teague ran his thumb over her nipple until it grew hard. God, it felt so good to have his hands on her body again. All the years between them seemed to drop away and the world was right again.
Hayley worked at the buttons of his shirt and when she pressed her hand against his chest, she could feel his heart pounding in a furious rhythm. “Make love to me,” she pleaded.
Her plea seemed to take him by surprise and he stepped back and stared down into her eyes, as if searching for proof that she’d spoken at all. She saw confusion mixed with his desire. Had she made a mistake? Had she moved too fast?
“Hayley! Where are you, girl?”
The sound of her grandfather’s voice shocked her into reality. She quickly straightened her clothes and brushed her hair from her eyes. “Here,” she called.
Teague reached for the buttons of his shirt as she turned to wait for her grandfather in the doorway of the stable. “We’re watching Molly,” she said with a bright smile. “She’s better. See?”
He stepped out into the late-afternoon sun, shading his eyes as he searched the paddock. His eyesight had been failing for years, yet he refused to get glasses. Sometimes his stubbornness was downright silly, she mused. At this moment, though, it was convenient. “Where’s that damn vet?”
“I’m here, sir.”
Hayley steeled herself for what she knew would be a litany of harsh words between them. A Quinn setting foot on Wallaroo was unthinkable. “Grandfather, I don’t think—”
“What’s your name, boy?” he demanded.
Teague glanced at Hayley, sending her a questioning look and she frowned. Hayley quickly cleared her throat, stunned that her grandfather hadn’t recognized Teague. “His name is Tom,” she said. “Tom Barrett.”
It was the name of one of the characters on Castle Cove, but her grandfather had never seen the program so there wasn’t much chance of him recognizing the name.
“Dr. Tom Barrett,” Teague said, holding out his hand. “How much is this going to cost me, Dr. Tom Barrett?” her grandfather asked impatiently, ignoring Teague’s hand.
“Don’t worry, Harry,” Hayley replied. “I’ll pay for it. Molly is my horse. My responsibility.”
“Suit yourself,” the old man muttered. He squinted into the sun, then said something under his breath before turning and walking into the barn. Hayley released a tightly held breath. “He didn’t recognize you.”
“No,” Teague said. “Good thing, since he was waiting on the porch with a rifle when I arrived.”
She laughed softly, then shook her head. “I knew his eyesight was bad, but not that bad. For a second there, I thought I’d have to break up a fistfight.”
�
��I think I could have taken him,” Teague said. He slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. “Meet me tonight,” he said. “I’ll wait for you at the shack.”
“I’m not sure I remember how to get there.”
“There’ll be a moon.” He pointed toward the east paddock. “I’ll meet you right there at the far gate. Just like we used to. Nine o’clock. We’ll ride over together. Molly needs the exercise.”
Never mind what Molly needed, she thought to herself. Hayley needed the touch of Teague’s hands and the taste of his mouth, the feel of his body against hers. “What if I can’t get away?”
“It’s all right,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for almost ten years. Another night isn’t going to make much difference.” With that, he kissed her again, only this time he lingered over her mouth, softly tempting her with his tongue.
A sigh slipped from her lips and Hayley lost herself in the sweet seduction. Every instinct she had cried out to surrender to him, to be completely and utterly uninhibited with her feelings. “Tonight,” Hayley said.
He stole one last kiss, then walked backward into the stable, a wide grin on his face. “I sure am glad to see you again, Hayley Fraser.”
At that moment, he looked like the boy she’d loved all those years ago. “Stop smiling at me,” she shouted, a familiar demand from their younger years.
“Why shouldn’t I smile? I like what I see.” He picked up his bag and the crate of supplies and continued his halfhearted retreat.
She rubbed her upper arms, her gaze still fixed on his. When he finally disappeared through the door on the opposite end of the stable, Hayley sighed softly. She’d never expected to feel this way again, like a lovesick teenager existing only for the moments she spent with him.
She knew exactly what would happen between them that night and she had no qualms about giving herself to Teague. Of all the men she’d dated, he was the only one she’d ever really loved. And though time and distance had come between them, they were together now. And she was going to take advantage of every moment they had.
2
“WHAT DO YOU WANT to drink?”
Teague glanced up from the plate that Mary had placed in front of him. “Whatever you’ve got,” he replied distractedly. “Beer is good.”
She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle, then twisted off the cap with the corner of her apron. Mary had been keeping house at the station for years, hired a few short weeks after Teague’s mother had decided that station life was not for her.
He took a long drink of the cold beer, then picked up his fork and dug in to the meal. Dinnertime at the station was determined by the sun. When it set, everyone ate. But Teague had missed the usual stampede of hungry jackaroos tonight. The return trip from Wallaroo had taken longer than he’d planned after he stopped to fix a broken gate.
“Where is everyone?” he asked.
Mary shrugged. “Brody took some dinner out to Payton earlier. And Callum and Gemma disappeared after they helped me with the dishes. They said they were going for a walk.” She sat down at the end of the table and picked up her magazine.
“Well?” Teague said. “Aren’t you going to offer your opinion? I’ve met them both and they seem perfectly lovely.”
She peered over the top of her magazine. “They add a bit of excitement to life on the station, I’ll give them that. At least for Brody and Cal.”
Teague chuckled. “Women will do that.”
Women could do a lot of things to an unsuspecting man. Since he’d left Hayley at Wallaroo, his thoughts had been focused intently on what had happened between them. He’d replayed all the very best moments in his head, over and over again. The instant that he’d first touched her. The kiss they’d shared. And then the headlong leap into intimacy. His fingers twitched as he thought about the firm warmth of her breast in his palm. “There’s nothing wrong with a little excitement every now and then, is there?”
“What about you?” Mary asked, slowly lowering the magazine. “Have you had any excitement in your life lately?”
Teague glanced up. “Excitement?” He chuckled softly. “Are you asking me if I’ve cleared the cobwebs in the recent past?” Though Mary had served as a mother figure to the three Quinn brothers, she was a bit of a stickybeak, insisting that she know all the relevant facts regarding their personal lives. “Not lately, but I’ll let you know if my fortunes change.”
She sighed. “I want to see you boys happy and settled.”
“Why?” he teased. “So you can get off this godforsaken station and have a life of your own?” Teague watched her smile fade slightly. Mary had always been such a fixture in their lives that they’d hardly considered she might want something beyond her job at the station.
He took another bite of his beef and potatoes, then grabbed a slice of bread and sopped up some of the gravy. “You know, I think it’s about time you had a little holiday. I’m going to talk to Callum about it. You could take a week or two and go visit your sister. Or go on a cruise. You could even rent a bungalow on the ocean. Get away from this lot of larrikins.”
She shook her head. “There are too many things to be done on the station this time of year. Besides, we have guests. There’s not a chance I’d leave those ladies to your care. Now, eat your dinner before it gets cold. My program is on in a few minutes.” She stood up and wiped her hands on her apron, then slipped it over her head and hung it across the back of her chair. “Are you going to watch Castle Cove with me tonight?”
Teague shook his head. “No, I thought I’d take a ride. There’s a full moon and I need to work off some excess energy.” He pushed away from the table, then wiped his mouth on his serviette and tossed it beside his plate.
“You barely ate any of your dinner,” Mary commented.
“I’m not hungry. Save it for me. I’ll eat later.” He pulled his saddlebags from the chair next to him, then crossed to the refrigerator. He’d already put the necessities—matches, bottled water, condoms—in the bags. He added a bottle of wine from the fridge and then tossed in a corkscrew from the drawer next to the sink. He and Hayley had never shared a drink before, but they were old enough now. Maybe she liked wine.
Mary arched an eyebrow. “Do you plan on doing some entertaining tonight?”
“No.”
She studied him for a time, then shook her head. “I heard Hayley’s back on Wallaroo. But then, I expect you know that already, don’t you?”
Teague shrugged, avoiding her glance. “I do. But how did you know?”
“I talked to Daisy Willey today. She called from the library to tell me my books had come in and she mentioned she’d heard Hayley was on her way home. Daisy’s cousin, Benny McKenzie, helps take care of the place for old man Fraser, and Benny had to leave to see to his sick mum. So Daisy told Hayley she might want to check up on her grandfather while Benny is gone. Hayley makes a regular donation to the book fund at the library, so she and Daisy keep in touch.”
“News travels fast,” Teague said.
“Take care,” she warned. “You know how your brothers feel about the Frasers. And with the lawsuit heating up again, you don’t want to be stuck in the middle. Why Harry Fraser is starting this all over, I don’t know.”
Teague suspected he knew. If Harry planned to sell Wallaroo, it would be much more valuable with that land attached. “Hayley doesn’t have anything to do with that mess,” he said. “The land dispute is between Callum and Harry. Besides, I’m a big boy. I know what I’m doing.”
“Like that time you did a backflip off the top rail of the stable fence and broke your wrist? As I remember, that was on a dare from Hayley Fraser.”
“I’m older now.” But not much wiser, Teague thought as he slung his saddlebags over his shoulder. He strode to the door and pushed it open, then stepped onto the porch.
He jogged down the steps and headed toward the stables. It was still early and the moon hadn’t come up, but he could find his way to the shack blindfold
ed. When he stepped inside the stable, he flipped on the overhead lights. A noise caught his attention and he squinted to see Callum and Gemma untangling themselves from an embrace.
Gemma tugged at the gaping front of her shirt and Callum pushed her behind him to allow her some privacy. “What are you doing out here?” Callum asked.
“I’m going for a ride.” Teague pulled his saddle and blanket from the rack and hauled it toward the paddock door. “Hey there, Gemma.”
“Hello, Teague.” She peeked around Callum’s shoulder and waved. “Nice night for a ride.”
He heard Callum mutter something beneath his breath and when he looked back, he saw his brother and Gemma making a quick exit from the stables.
Since the genealogist from Dublin had arrived, Callum had been besotted. Every free moment he could find away from running the station, he spent staring at Gemma. And Brody had brought home a girl of his own, Payton Harwell, a pretty American he’d met in a jail cell in Bilbarra.
Teague threw his saddle over the top of the gate, then whistled for his horse. A few seconds later, Tapper came trotting over, a sturdy chestnut gelding he’d been riding since he’d returned to the station a year ago. He held the horse’s bridle as he led it through the gate and into the stable.
It only took a few minutes to saddle his horse and when he was finished, he strapped his bedroll on the back of his saddle, then slipped his saddlebags beneath the bedroll. Every month that he’d been home on Kerry Creek, he’d taken a ride out to the shack. Occasionally, he’d spend the night, sleeping in the same bed where they’d first made love, remembering their sexual curiosity and experimentation.
At least he and Hayley still had a place where they wouldn’t be disturbed, a place that would conjure all the best memories. He pulled his horse around and gave it a gentle kick. It had been a long time since he’d felt this optimistic about a woman. And maybe it was silly to think they could return to the way things had been all those years ago. But he hoped they could start over.
As he rode into the darkness, Teague couldn’t help but wonder what the night might bring. Would they discuss their past or would they simply live for the moment and be satisfied with that?