by Julie Kenner
“But if you don’t come, you’ll ruin my good time,” he said. Teague slowly rubbed her arms, searching her gaze until she couldn’t help but smile at him. “It will be fun. We’re going to have games and a campdrafting competition. It will give you a chance to show off your skills on a horse. And you can see Payton and meet Gemma and talk about…girl stuff.”
In truth, Hayley would have been happy to avoid Callum and Brody for as long as she could. But Brody had been rather nice to her at the shack. Maybe their feelings had softened a bit now that they were older. “All right. I’ll come, but if your brothers don’t want me there, then I’m going home.”
“I’ll pick you up at—”
“No, I’ll ride over,” Hayley said. “In case I decide to leave early.”
“You won’t want to leave.” He kissed her again. “I promise. You’ll have a good time. Now, I have the day off. What are we going to do with ourselves?”
“We could go riding,” Hayley said.
“We could fly to Brisbane to see a movie,” Teague suggested.
“We could drive to Bilbarra and have lunch at Shelly’s.”
Teague bent close, his forehead pressed to hers. “Or we could ride out to the shack, kick Brody and Payton out and spend the rest of the day in bed.”
“I vote for the shack,” she said.
“Me, too.”
He walked over to Molly, who had been munching on some loose hay in her stall, and led her to the door. He swung up into the saddle, then shifted to make room for Hayley. He held out his hand and pulled her up to sit in front of him, then clucked his tongue.
Hayley settled against him, holding tight to the arm he’d wrapped around her waist. Everything was all right now. She hadn’t made a mess of things. Teague still cared and she had another chance to show him how much he meant to her.
“I’LL GIVE YOU THIS,” Brody said. “She’s not hard to look at. I’ve watched her program a few times with Mary. They make her look like a real tart on the telly. She looks much better in person.”
“They say the camera adds ten pounds,” Callum said soberly.
“Who says that?” Teague asked, laughing at his brother’s comment.
Callum shrugged. “I don’t know. They. People who know that kind of shit. I’m not saying she’s fat, because she isn’t. And I think she’s pretty enough, but Gemma is much prettier.”
“Payton has them both beat. Dark-haired girls are always more attractive,” Brody said. He nodded in the girls’ direction. “What do you suppose they’re talking about?”
The three women were standing along the far fence, their arms braced on the top railing as they chatted. The conversation must be going well, Teague mused, because Hayley was smiling.
Callum folded his hands over his saddle horn. “I don’t know. Maybe recipes. That’s probably it. They’re exchanging recipes.”
This time both Brody and Teague laughed. “You don’t know anything about women, Cal,” Brody said. “They’re probably talking about shoes or clothes.”
“Or they could be talking about us,” Teague offered. “The same way we’re talking about them.”
“What? Like they’re discussing how pretty we are?” Brody asked. “There’s not much to discuss. I’m a better-looking bloke than the two of you. End of story.”
“Brody has always been the pretty one in the family,” Callum said. “We’ve always thought of him as our little sister, haven’t we, Teague?”
“And since you’re the one with all the experience around women, little sis, you go over there and find out what they’re talking about,” Teague suggested.
“I’d guess they’re probably talking about what a pair of dills you two are,” Brody muttered as he rode away.
“You’re not upset that I brought her here, are you?” Teague asked.
“No,” Callum said. “My fight is with Harry Fraser, not his granddaughter. Besides, you could always marry her and then Wallaroo would be yours someday.”
“What the devil are you talking about?”
Callum gave him a dubious look. “Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it. She’ll inherit. Harry doesn’t have any other heirs. Though Wallaroo is smaller than Kerry Creek, it has some prime grazing land. And it would be the perfect place to raise horses. You’ve always wanted to do that. Isn’t that why you went to vet school?”
“I told you, Hayley isn’t interested in the station. She’s going to try to convince Harry to sell it.”
“You should talk her out of that,” he said. “That land is worth a whole lot more than what anyone will pay for it now, especially since it borders Kerry Creek.”
“You could always buy it,” Teague said.
“Yeah. If three or four million dollars falls out of the sky tomorrow, I could. But I’m not holding my breath on that one.”
They watched as the ladies climbed over the fence and walked across the yard toward them. Brody had talked them into taking part in the campdrafting competition. They’d compete as pairs against each other.
Though Callum was the best at driving cattle, it was obvious Gemma wasn’t comfortable around horses. Payton, however, was an experienced horsewoman, but she’d never attempted campdrafting, so Brody’s chances were about the same as Callum’s—fifty-fifty. But Teague knew Hayley would throw herself headlong into any competition, especially if it involved riding.
“Two on a horse,” Brody explained. “The girls steer, the guys work the stirrups. This should be fun.”
Teague reached down and grabbed Hayley’s arm, then swung her up in front of him. “We’ve got this won,” he whispered in her ear.
“I don’t know,” Hayley said. “I think Payton might be a decent rider.”
“And you could probably beat half the stockmen,” he said. “With your hands tied behind your back.”
“Oh, adding a little bondage to the competition might be fun,” Hayley teased.
“Be careful,” he warned, holding her close. “I won’t be able to concentrate on winning.”
Callum decided to go first and called out to Davey to release a calf from the pen. Payton and Brody watched from the other side of the fence, Brody’s arms wrapped around Payton’s waist and his chin resting on her shoulder.
Gemma screamed as she tried to maneuver Callum’s horse. When Callum tried to grab the reins, the stock-men began to jeer at him for cheating. He finally told Gemma to drop the reins and he steered his horse using only his knees and feet.
Though the effort wasn’t Callum’s best, he did manage to get the calf through the obstacle course and back into the pen in under five minutes. Gemma looked as if she could hardly wait to get off the horse.
“Hey!” Brody called from the fence. “We’re going to grab some more coldies. Who wants one?”
Both Hayley and Teague raised their hands, as did half the stockmen. Brody took Payton’s hand and pulled her along toward the house.
“I sure hope you boys aren’t too thirsty,” Callum shouted. “They may be a while.”
Teague gave Tapper a gentle kick and Hayley maneuvered the horse over to the gate. “Ready?” Teague asked.
“I’m ready.”
Teague shouted to Davey and a moment later, the gate swung open and a calf ran out. Teague jabbed his heels into Tapper’s sides and Hayley pulled the horse to the right, cutting off the calf’s escape.
Over the next ninety seconds, they worked as a perfect team, anticipating each other’s movements without speaking. Hayley was firm but aggressive with the reins, and Teague couldn’t help but admire her determination. When they returned the calf to the pen and Davey slammed the gate shut, the stockmen erupted in wild cheers.
Teague glanced over at Callum to find his brother looking at the two of them in disbelief. “What?” Teague said. “You didn’t think we could do it?”
“You beat Skip’s time and he’s the best on Kerry Creek,” Callum said. “Ninety seconds.”
“No,” Teague replied, shaking his head. “You m
ust have the time wrong. Skip Thompson’s the best stockman we have. No one can beat him.” He reached around Hayley and took the reins, then trotted Tapper over to the gate.
“It was only ninety seconds,” Hayley said beneath her breath. “I think we won.”
“I know. But we can’t humiliate the boys. Skip will get the prize and everyone will be happy.”
“What about my prize?” she said, turning around and sending him a sexy pout.
“I’ll think of something I can do to make it up to you.”
“You could rub my backside,” Hayley suggested. “I’ve been spending too much time riding and I’m a bit sore.”
When they reached the stable, Teague helped Hayley off his horse, then removed Tapper’s saddle. He led him into the stable yard, then carried the saddle to the tack room. When he emerged, Hayley was waiting for him, a devilish smile on her pretty face.
“I’m not going to rub your bum,” he said.
“Please,” Hayley teased. She turned away from him, then looked over her shoulder, pursing her lips in another pretty pout.
Hayley was growing less wary of him, he mused. Allowing herself to tease and act playful. Maybe they were making progress. Teague was still unsure, but as long as their relationship kept changing for the better, he wasn’t going to complain. “What if someone walks in?” he asked.
She pulled him into an empty stall. Then, taking his wrists, she placed both of his palms on her backside. Wriggling, she pressed up against him, her arms draped around his neck. “You do it so well when I’m naked. What’s a little denim between friends?”
“Friends with benefits,” he reminded her. “You really are determined to make me squirm, aren’t you? Is this payback for my dragging you here in the first place?”
“No. Actually, I’m having a lovely time. Gemma and Payton are very nice and your brothers have been quite cordial.”
“I told you you’d have fun.”
“I’d have more fun if you rubbed my bum.”
With a low growl, Teague grabbed her legs and picked her up, wrapping her thighs around his waist. Hayley yelped with surprise, then laughed as he stumbled. Pressing her against the wooden wall, Teague kissed her, his hands smoothing over the sweet curves of her backside.
“Oh, yes,” Hayley moaned, her voice deep and dramatic. “Oh, that feels so good.”
“I thought you were a good actress,” Teague teased.
She pushed her hands against his shoulders and looked at him, a shocked expression on her pretty features. “And I thought you were a good lover.”
“I am,” Teague said.
“Prove it.”
It was like one of those challenges she used to issue when they were kids—I can ride faster than you can, I can jump higher than you can, I can hold my breath longer than you can. He’d never refused one of her challenges in the past and he wasn’t about to now.
“Here?”
“Are you afraid? Oh, don’t be such a big girl’s blouse.”
“And you’re going to get a reputation as the town bike if you don’t watch out.” He chuckled as he set her back on her feet. “I’m not going to start something here that might be interrupted, especially by one of my brothers.”
“Then you’ll have to work quickly,” she said, reaching down and unbuttoning his jeans. “Ingenious design, these chaps. Good for riding and better for sex.”
He moaned softly as she began to tease him erect. Strange how the prospect of getting caught made the desire even more intense. It was silly, this desperate need to hide their sexual relationship. Their romance was in the open now and there didn’t seem to be any objections from the Quinn side of the equation. And sex was all part of that.
Still, Teague wasn’t anxious for his brothers to know how obsessed he was with Hayley Fraser. She’d become the single point around which his universe revolved. And he was beginning to believe that he wouldn’t want to live his life any other way.
“So what are you looking for in the way of a massage?” Teague whispered, his lips trailing along the curve of her neck.
She drew in a slow breath, then tipped her head to the side, inviting him to move lower. “I’ll leave that up to you.”
Over the next minute, they tore at each other’s clothes, pulling aside just enough to allow the basics of sex. And when he slipped inside her, Teague was already on the edge. This was all he needed in life. That thought whirled round and round in his head as her warmth enveloped him.
And when he finally lost control and buried himself one last time, he made a silent promise. He would do whatever it took to make her happy, whatever it took to keep her with him. She was his—she always had been, from the moment they’d met out on the big rock until forever.
HAYLEY HEARD THE PLANE before she saw it. Shading her eyes from the sun, she stared up into the sky and caught sight of it coming in from the west. He flew low over the house and she ran out into the yard and waved. Teague wiggled the wings in response.
With a laugh, she hurried to her car and hopped inside, then made a wide turn toward the old airstrip. It had been a week since the queen’s birthday celebration and she and Teague had seen each other only a few times. His work had called him off the station several times on overnight visits, and when he returned, he was off again within the next few hours. On top of that, he’d had to make a quick flight with Payton and Brody to Brisbane when they’d decided to visit Fremantle for a few days.
Though Hayley knew this was what a real relationship between them would be like, she’d found herself feeling more lonely than she’d ever imagined she could. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself they were involved in a purely physical relationship, it was becoming more delusion now than determination.
She and Teague weren’t just sexual partners. They’d rediscovered their friendship and rekindled an affection that had never really disappeared. And though it might have been easy to say they were falling in love again, Hayley wasn’t ready to take that step—not yet. Perhaps if they could meet the challenge of spending so much time apart, she might consider love.
The odds had been against them when they were kids and now that they were adults, not much had changed. She had her career in Sydney and the possibility of much more. And he had his new practice in Bilbarra. Perhaps if Teague had been free to practice in Sydney, it might work between them.
But he’d made a commitment to buy Doc Daley’s practice. It was his chance to run his own business. And it could take years to establish himself in Sydney, especially as an equine vet. He’d probably be forced to join an existing practice and work for someone else. This had been his dream, to live in Queensland, to expand the horse-breeding operation on Kerry Creek.
He was standing beside the plane when she arrived at the airstrip, his arm braced on one of the wing struts. Hayley hopped out of the car and walked up to him. “Are you trying to impress me?” she asked in a teasing voice.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
“We’re getting away. You and me, alone, for a few days. I’ve made all the regular visits on my schedule and now I’ve got some time.”
“I can’t just leave,” she said. “I don’t have anything packed and I—”
“You won’t need anything,” Teague said.
“But—”
“But what? Where’s your sense of adventure, Hayley Fraser? As I recall, you called me a big girl’s blouse just last week. You used to do anything on a dare. I dare you to get in this plane.”
“I can’t leave without telling Harry I’m going to be gone. He’ll notice I’m not there to make him supper.”
“All right. Go,” Teague said. “I’ll give you fifteen minutes. If you’re not back, I’m going to leave without you. I’ll have to find another girl who’s more adventurous.”
Hayley frowned. Then she stepped up to him, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. The kiss was long and deep and meant to show him
that leaving her behind would be a big mistake. When she finally drew away, she looked up into his eyes to see desire burning there.
“Yeah, I thought so. You’re not going to leave,” she assured him. “And there are no other girls more adventurous than I am.”
A smile curled the corners of his mouth and he sighed. “No. But I still want you to hurry.”
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
He grinned and shook his head. “Do you have something against surprises?”
Hayley usually preferred to be in control, but she knew Teague would never plan a surprise she wouldn’t like. “I’ll be right back.”
By the time Hayley returned to the house, Harry was already pacing a path along the length of the porch. When he saw the car, he stopped and stormed into the yard. “Where did you go?” he demanded as she jumped out of the car. “Was that a plane I heard?”
“Yes. I’m going to be leaving for a few days. I have…business. It’s important, so they sent a plane.” It was an outright lie, but Hayley didn’t want to take the time to make up a more plausible excuse. She paused. Maybe she ought to tell Harry the truth. There was no use hiding it anymore. “That’s not right,” she said, facing him. “Teague Quinn has invited me on a holiday and I’m going. I don’t care if you don’t like it. I’m an adult and I make my own decisions.”
Harry cursed and wagged his finger. “I’ll not have you taking up with that Quinn boy again!” he shouted.
“I can do what I want, Harry. There’ll be no letters for you to intercept and no phone calls for you to ignore. I’ve cooked and cleaned for you for the past two weeks and I deserve a bit of a break. I’ll be home…when I get home.”
She moved to the door, ready to return to her room and pack a few belongings. But then, Hayley realized she’d only have to put up with Harry’s badgering the whole time. Teague said she wouldn’t need anything, so she would trust him on that, as well.
“Goodbye, Harry.” Hayley jogged down the steps and got into her car. She saw Harry in the rearview mirror, glaring at her from his spot on the porch. She’d never really stood up to him when it came to Teague and now that she had, Hayley realized Harry wasn’t nearly as powerful as she’d thought he was. What was the worst he could do, kick her out of the house? She had a place of her own in Sydney. And a place with Teague, if she needed it.