‘Sorry,’ she muttered as the terrified animal flew off into the scrub. ‘I’m upset with bloody Gabe. Not you.’
But then she realised she was shaking and a moment later she was weeping as well. Losing her dad had been terrible, and losing Sassy would hurt, but now she knew, with a terrible, devastating certainty, that losing Gabe was worse than anything she’d experienced or could possibly imagine.
Oh, dear Lord, how could she find the strength to fall out of love? After a lifetime?
Perhaps she should turn back and protect her lacerated heart, give up the idea of Sassy.
Problem was . . . somewhere, despite the depths of her despair, Bella hated the fact that she was crying. She’d always hated crying and now she was shocked by her weakness.
Yes, she was broken-hearted, but she would only deepen her misery by giving up Sassy.
There was no question. She had to continue on to Redman Downs and she had to secure her horse.
Her horse.
And she couldn’t let Gabe see her like this.
Horrified by the very thought, she abruptly wiped her face on her shirtsleeve. Then she found a water bottle and splashed at her eyes. She turned the ute’s fan on high and held her face in front of the vent, letting the cool air blast over her red eyes and nose.
After a bit, she angled the rear-vision mirror down to check her reflection and was relieved to see that, although she felt dead inside, she almost looked normal.
Right. It was time to toughen up. Time to shove her heartbreak to one side and to dredge up her justifiable anger. Time to get this horse deal done and dusted and to get the hell home again.
As Gabe dialled Mullinjim’s number he felt as if he’d been waiting all his life to make this call. He held his breath as he listened, anxious for someone to pick up.
‘Hello. Virginia speaking.’
His disappointment was momentary, but he flicked that aside. ‘Morning, Virginia. Gabe here. I was hoping to catch Bella.’
‘You’re in luck, Gabe. She’s already on her way to your place.’
This was unexpected good news.
‘And she’s bringing the chequebook,’ Virginia added.
Gabe’s grin morphed into a frown. ‘Excuse me?’
‘To buy Sassy.’ After a beat, Virginia said, ‘At least that’s what I thought she was planning to do. I’ve got that right, haven’t I?’
‘Ah . . . ’ Gabe gave his bare chest a puzzled scratch. ‘Yeah, sure.’ He spoke smoothly enough, despite a sickening realisation that Bella seemed to have her wires crossed.
Damn it. He knew gossip out here travelled faster than a bushfire. He should have warned Nikki Browne to keep quiet.
Sassy was supposed to be a surprise. And not a nasty one.
‘So Bella’s coming over here to buy the horse?’ he clarified.
‘That’s what I thought she said. It’s a good idea now that she’s decided to stay on here.’
Gabe’s heart bucked against his ribs. ‘She has?’
‘Yes. Isn’t it good news?’
His pulse drummed. ‘That’s definite?’
‘Absolutely, Gabe. I imagine Bella’s planning to tell you all about it.’ There was a noticeable smile in Virginia’s voice. ‘But I should warn you, she’s pretty wound up about something. You know that look Bella gets when she’s stirred.’
‘Yeah.’ He grinned. ‘Even as a little thing.’
‘Oh, Lordy, yes. She’s been on edge since the funeral, which is understandable, but there’s something else bothering her. Maybe you can . . . oh, I don’t know . . . ’ Virginia sighed. ‘I hate to admit I might be out of touch with my own daughter, but I’m not sure I can help Bella with this. Could you . . . try perhaps, Gabe?’
He assured Virginia that he would do his best.
As Bella rounded the last bend in the track, she ran through her strategic plan one more time. Her sole goal was to reclaim Sassy. It was too bad that Gabe had paid top price for her. Sassy was her horse and she was damn well going to collect her. No question. No debate. Just a short, sharp bout of horse-trading.
As she rattled past Roy’s cottage and continued on to the main homestead, she hoped madly that Gabe was still there. She wanted to confront him. Now. While her anger was revved and white-hot.
There was a satisfying screech of brakes as she pulled up, the trailer juddering to a halt behind her.
Gabe was there all right, pulling on a shirt as he came through his front doorway. She could see his bare chest beneath the open shirtfront, his faded jeans riding low. Even when the man wasn’t trying to look good he was her version of masculine perfection.
Not fair.
So bloody not fair.
For a heart-wrenching moment she simply wanted to turn tail and flee.
Just as well she’d mentally rehearsed her plan. Now, instead of running, she prepared for battle. Grabbing the chequebook, she shoved the ute door open and jumped down to the dusty ground.
Time for a showdown.
‘Morning.’ Gabe’s face was lit by a sparkling-eyed smile as he strolled across the verandah.
How could he look so damned innocent?
Bella tried her darnedest to drag her eyes from the tempting glimpses of his tanned skin stretched satin-smooth over muscles.
It would help if she could turn her back on him – or have this argument blindfolded. Instead her bird brain hungrily lapped up details of his smile . . . the all too familiar way his lips tilted . . . and the special light in his grey eyes . . .
The Gabe light . . .
Far out. Was she strong enough for this?
Gamely Bella sent him an angry glare. Then, waving the chequebook above her head like a threatening weapon, she spoke through clenched her teeth. ‘Name your bloody price, you insensitive prick!’
Regrettably, the hoped-for rush of satisfaction didn’t follow this plucky delivery.
To begin with, Gabe didn’t flinch or look ashamed. And somewhere in the back of Bella’s mind, she heard an echo, a faint reminder of the night at the Gidgee Springs Ball and the drunken, unfair accusations she’d hurled at him.
Déjà frickin’ vu.
She was struck by the unpleasant possibility that, despite her best efforts to improve, she hadn’t changed or grown up at all.
To make matters worse, Gabe’s smile still held as he strolled down the steps towards her.
Very worst of all, Bella found she couldn’t move. Her planned assault to march up to him and slam the chequebook in his chest was somewhat hampered by the fact that her boots were welded to the ground.
She was slack-jawed and breathless, watching helplessly as Gabe approached her. When she opened her mouth to warn him off, she couldn’t dredge up a single pithy retort.
And Gabe just kept on coming until his smile and his semi-naked chest were right in front of her.
This was wrong. All wrong. She was on a campaign to fight for Sassy. How could she fight with someone who was smiling?
Hefting the chequebook again, she waved it in Gabe’s face. ‘Come on. Name your price,’ she hissed.
‘Shut up, Bella.’
Was he for real?
He was so close to Bella now she could see each individual dark eyelash framing his clear eyes. She took a necessary step back. ‘I’m here to talk business.’
‘So am I.’
Scowling, she took another step back and found herself hard against the ute. Her heart flapped frantically like a snared bird, but she was proud of the way she held onto her scowl. ‘So what’s your business?’
‘This.’ Gabe set his hands on the ute on either side of her, trapping her.
‘W–what do you think you’re doing?’
‘Stop asking questions. Just shut up and listen for a change.’
Bella gasped. Now her heart thundered like a plane on take-off.
‘Two things,’ Gabe said, looking straight into her eyes. ‘Number one – Sassy is yours. I bought her for you.’
‘
But––’
He overrode her interruption. ‘She’s part of my strategy to keep you here. And number two––’
He leaned in and silenced her completely. His lips on her lips. Hot and potent. Totally stealing her thunder. Stealing her breath. Turning her brain into a melting puddle as she tried to take in what he’d said.
Sassy is yours. She’s part of my strategy to keep you here.
Surely there were questions she needed to ask? Too bad. With Gabe’s lips on hers, Bella had no choice but to wind her arms around his neck and surrender to the one man, the one kiss that could make her world right.
45.
It was a long time before Bella finally peeled herself away from Gabe. When she did, he looked at her with a sad-happy smile.
‘God, I’ve missed you,’ he said softly.
‘Missed you too.’ It was a moment or two before her brain clicked back into action and she remembered there were close to a thousand questions that still needed answering. ‘So did you really mean it – about Sassy?’
‘Of course. I couldn’t let Nikki Browne have her. I bought her for you.’
‘But why did you tell Nikki you bought her for your sisters?’
‘You know Nikki can’t keep a secret. If I’d told her the truth, she would have spoiled my surprise.’
‘But you didn’t even know I was going to stay here.’
Gabe smiled. ‘I did, actually.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘I was planning to talk you into it, Belle.’ He took her hands. ‘Anyway, anyhow. Whatever it took. I was going to persuade you that this is where you belong. Sassy was simply part of my strategy.’
She frowned at him. ‘A bribe?’
‘Underhanded, I know.’ Gabe didn’t look in the least contrite. He lifted Bella’s hands to his lips and kissed her fingers. ‘But you know how it is. Standing in front of a 747 to stop it from taking off was my last resort. Desperate times . . . ’
‘Require desperate measures.’
They took time out for another sweet and lovely kiss.
When Gabe eventually released her, she looked around. ‘So I’m guessing that Sarah and Ellie aren’t actually here?’
‘No, they’re all still at the coast.’
‘What about Sassy?’
‘She’s here, in the stables. Do you need to see her straightaway?’
‘No rush. I think I’d rather hear all the things you have to tell me.’
Gabe’s gaze shimmered with emotion. ‘Like . . . I’m crazy about you? More than anything in the world. Like . . . I want you in my life?’
‘That’s . . . ’ Bella had trouble getting the words past the lump in her throat. ‘That’s not a bad start.’
‘There’s more,’ Gabe said as he reached for her hand again. ‘Come inside, out of the heat and I’ll tell you everything.’
Bella had never been in Gabe’s lounge room before. It felt strange – almost forbidden – as they sat companionably close on the sofa with George Clooney curled on the carpet at their feet.
But she listened intently as Gabe told her about his mother’s depression and how she’d tried to kill herself after his father’s death, and that, two years ago, he’d honestly believed that he had nothing to offer Bella.
‘I couldn’t ask you to live with me here. It would have been torture for you with Mum in the state she was and I couldn’t desert my family.’
‘And so I helpfully ran away.’
‘But then you came home again,’ he said. ‘And I think I realised from the start, when you came marching over those paddocks to tell me off, that I loved you more than ever, that you’re the only girl I could ever love.’
‘You knew then? Really?’
‘Yep.’
‘I was the same.’ Bella winced. ‘We were getting there, weren’t we? But then poor old Anton arrived and spoiled everything.’
‘Poor old Anton just made me more determined. That’s why I went to Noosa to tell my family that I planned to marry you.’
‘Marry?’ It was a moment before Bella closed her mouth that was hanging open. ‘I bet that went down like a lead balloon.’
‘Turned out my mother was one step ahead of me. I was going to suggest that it was time we investigated other living arrangements. She’d never liked the outback anyway. Then she told me she’d already decided she wanted to live on the coast from now on. I couldn’t believe it was all so simple. I went down there prepared to move mountains – or at least mothers.’
Bella hugged him. ‘Thank you.’ She pressed her cheek to his. ‘I realise now what a gigantic step that was.’
‘But not as big as I feared. My mother’s been seeing a really good therapist in Noosa and she’s so much better. And she loves the Sunshine Coast. It’s closer to the girls while they’re studying, and to top things off, she’s met this guy who knows about all her problems and he still seems really keen.’
Gabe drew Bella closer. ‘So what do you think?’
With her head resting on his shoulder she said, ‘I can’t believe you’ve travelled from one end of the state to the other and you’ve forked out a fortune for a horse so you can convince me to live with you and be your love.’
‘It’s a good plan if it’s worked.’
She pulled away so she could face him. ‘Crikey, Gabe.’ Her voice choked as she tried to explain. ‘All you had to do was beckon.’
His smile was cheeky as he hauled her into his arms. ‘Consider yourself well and truly beckoned.’
Epilogue
‘This flamin’ tie’s crooked again,’ Roy complained as he peered into the speckled mirror in the tiny vestry of the Gidgee Springs church.
With a pained expression he fiddled with the knotted grey silk at his collar. ‘Never got the hang of these things.’
‘In that case I’m deeply honoured you’re prepared to suffer for me today,’ Gabe told him as he helped to straighten the tie. ‘There, you’re looking extra spiffy now.’
‘I can’t believe Bella wanted all this finery.’ Roy stepped back to admire his surprisingly dapper reflection. ‘I thought she was a sensible bush girl.’
‘She is. But this is her only chance to be a bride,’ Gabe said with a quiet, happy confidence. ‘So she wants to make the most of it.’
If Bella had wanted to be married in riding boots and an Akubra, Gabe wouldn’t have put up a fight, but he was secretly pleased that she’d opted for a traditional white wedding in the same church where her parents had tied the knot. He liked the sense of continuity. It seemed fitting as he and Bella began their new life together at Mullinjim.
However, he couldn’t help having a dig at Roy. ‘Are you in a flap because Noreen’s a wedding guest?’
Roy went red. ‘Course not.
Gabe smiled. ‘But you are going to ask her for a dance at the reception, aren’t you?’
‘That’s my business.’
‘You’d be a good catch now you’re full-time manager of Redman Downs.’
Before Roy could respond, the minister ducked his head around the door. ‘It’s time to come into the church, gentlemen.’
‘Bloody hell,’ muttered Roy, nervously patting his pockets.
‘What’s the matter now?’
‘Nothin’. Couldn’t remember where I’d put the ring, but I’ve got it.’
Gabe clasped him on the shoulder. ‘Thanks for stepping up for me, mate.’
‘You know I’ve never done this before.’
‘Neither have I, but don’t worry, I know you’ll be perfect.’
‘I’m just so damn glad to be here.’
In contrast to Roy, Gabe felt cool and collected as they entered the church that was filled with masses of flowers and fancily dressed family and friends. Not even the spine-tingling organ music fazed him. But why wouldn’t he be relaxed about marrying his best friend? He’d waited for long enough.
He sent a smile to his mother and Ken Templeton, her new fiancé, as they sat in a front pew with Ell
ie. And he smiled at Bella’s grandmother on the other side of the church, sitting with Liz and Jack Roper. Just behind them, Zoe, heavily pregnant, was looking radiant and emotional as she hooked her arm through Mac’s.
Virginia, in fetching pale green silk, came down the aisle to take her place in the pew beside her elderly mother. She looked directly at Gabe and sent him a reassuring nod and a smile. For Gabe, it was easy to believe that Peter was there, too, just beside her.
The usher at the church’s door sent a thumbs-up signal to Gabe.
‘I think that means Bella’s here,’ Roy hissed out of the corner of his mouth.
‘Yeah.’ Gabe was smiling and excited as the minister took up to his position.
The organ struck a thunderous chord. The congregation rose and turned.
The minister sent Gabe a smiling wink. ‘I’ve seen Bella,’ he whispered. ‘She looks absolutely beautiful.’
And suddenly Gabe was trembling. His throat ached as if he’d swallowed a boulder.
He was no longer aware of Roy beside him or the expectant sea of people before them. His eyes were fixed on the door at the back.
He’d already seen his sister Sarah parading at home in her bridesmaid’s dress, so her appearance was no big surprise, although she looked even prettier now with flowers in her hair, carrying a lovely bouquet.
Next came Luke, handsome in a formal dark suit similar to Gabe’s, and then, stepping forward on Luke’s arm . . .
Bella.
Oh, dear God.
She looked so incredibly, breathtakingly beautiful.
Lovelier than Gabe could have ever imagined – dewy and soft and exquisite in delicate white lace. His country cattlewoman had been transformed into a fairytale princess.
He couldn’t breathe. He could only stare in wonder as she came towards him, smiling.
Smiling only at him.
Somehow Bella restrained herself from rushing down the aisle. It was a short aisle, but she felt as if several ice ages passed before she reached Gabe. He looked gorgeous in his bridegroom’s gear. All tanned and strong and sparkling-eyed.
As she proceeded on Luke’s arm, she was floating on happiness.
Only one thing was missing to mar the perfection of this day. Or rather, one person.
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