Part-Time Lovers: Clare Chronicles, Book 1

by Shelley Munro

  “Mummy. Mum!”

  Mother’s instinct had Yvonne jerking awake with a start. The abrupt movement sent jagged shards of pain on a frantic journey through her head. She moaned as other parts of her body transmitted pain—her neck, her shoulders. Her stomach. Eek! A blast of bright light seared her eyeballs when she forced her lids to open.

  “Are you sick, Mummy?” Michael pushed his face close to hers and backed away just as abruptly. “You don’t smell good.”

  David hovered behind his brother, his expression bearing concern. Yvonne forced a smile even as she attempted to tamp down the nausea doing an energetic dance in the pit of her stomach. “What’s the time?”

  Michael squinted at the clock on the far kitchen wall and chewed his bottom lip. “The big hand is pointing up.” His brow furrowed. “Ten o’clock,” he said triumphantly.

  Yvonne’s head snapped around to check for herself. Ten to eight. Her shoulders slumped with relief. Late but doable. “Let’s get you ready for school and kindergarten.”

  “We dressed ourselves,” David said.

  “And you did a great job. We’ll comb our hair after breakfast.” After downing two glasses of cold water, Yvonne organized breakfast cereal for the boys and quickly assembled their packed lunches.

  She grabbed a quick shower and then she and the boys were out the door, only a little behind schedule.

  Half an hour later Yvonne entered the café.

  Gina was seated at the counter, a cup of coffee at her elbow while she read the paper. She took one look at Yvonne and grunted. “Rough night?”

  “You could say that.”

  Gina stood and walked around the counter to pour another cup of coffee. She added milk before handing it over to Yvonne. “Are you sick or have you had a fight with Nolan?”

  “Nolan,” Yvonne said tersely. “Do we have headache tablets somewhere? I couldn’t find any at home.”

  “I have some in my handbag,” Gina said. “Stay there. I’ll get them.” She disappeared and returned a few minutes later to hand over the tablets. “What did the boy do this time?”

  Yvonne swallowed two and washed them down with coffee. “He didn’t do anything.”

  “Then—” Gina’s eyes narrowed on Yvonne. “You did something.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Fine, but drinking doesn’t solve anything.”

  Temper flared in Yvonne. “I know that.” She scowled into her coffee. “I had a momentary memory lapse.”

  Gina gave a bark of laughter and it echoed painfully inside Yvonne’s head. “My muffins aren’t getting made while I’m sitting here. Make sure you eat something. You’ll feel better.”

  “I sincerely doubt that,” Yvonne muttered, barely suppressing her shudder at the idea.

  The headache tablets and sheer determination got her through the day, and she picked up the boys from the after school sitter and headed home with the intention of an early night.

  “When’s Nolan coming?” Michael asked.

  “He’s gonna make a kite,” David said.

  “He’s probably busy with farm work,” Yvonne said. “Why don’t you build a castle out of your blocks instead?”

  Crisis averted, Yvonne started baking a chocolate slice to go in the boys’ lunch boxes. She kept herself busy and slipped into bed just before nine. At an uncivilized hour of the morning, she woke and her mind bolted straight to Nolan. No matter how hard she tried to shove the memories away, the wretched man refused to leave her thoughts. His smile. His touch. The gentle way he interacted with her children.

  The sexy times…

  A quiver of awareness shot to her pussy, the sharpness of her need bringing a moan.

  Damn, the man. For the long months after the death of her marriage, she’d made do with her vibrator. Up until she’d met Nolan and decided to let him into her bed, she’d purchased batteries every week during the grocery shop. Now Nolan wasn’t here and she knew from experience—their break during the reality show—that just fresh batteries in her vibrator didn’t do the trick anymore.

  Nolan was the magical ingredient.

  He made her happy.

  He made her boys happy.

  Damn.

  Shoving aside the insistent yearning, she turned over, rearranging her body. A few seconds later, she twisted again, restless and unable to sleep.

  At six, she gave up the fight and climbed out of bed. By the time she woke her sons, their lunches were ready and breakfast was on the table.

  “Will we see Nolan tonight?” Michael asked.

  “I think he’s very busy at the moment,” she said.

  “We’ll visit him,” her younger son said.

  Yvonne’s heart did an agitated blip while her throat closed in dread. “Eat your breakfast,” she managed. “It’s a school day.”

  “We could go on the weekend.”

  “Maybe,” Yvonne said while cursing inwardly. Her sons were like pit bulls when they attached their minds to something.

  When Yvonne walked into the café after dropping off the boys, Gina was in her normal spot, reading the paper and enjoying a quiet coffee before the regulars started arriving.

  “Have you sorted things out with that man of yours yet?” Gina’s sharp gaze sliced and diced, her mouth pursing as she figured out the truth for herself. “I should knock your heads together.”

  “Just leave it alone. Nolan and I…it’s not meant to be. He doesn’t want me.”

  “Did he tell you that?”

  Yvonne blinked rapidly. No way did she intend to cry and compound her problems. “He left. That’s all the answer I need.” Yvonne turned away and tried to shut up a conscience that had suddenly turned yappy. Like a small persistent dog, her mind went back and forward and her moral code kept wavering to Nolan’s side.

  She’d been the one in the wrong.

  What she’d done was unforgiveable because Nolan was nothing like her ex. Time and time again, he’d demonstrated his sincerity. Her boys loved him, and she…

  Damn and blast.

  Yvonne blinked hard, misery determined to pull tears from her blinking eyes.

  “Ring him,” Gina said. “Apologize. Do whatever it takes to get him back.”

  Yvonne stiffened and turned to glare at Gina. “Why should I apologize?”

  “You’re not going around muttering it’s his fault, ergo you’re the one who stepped out of line. Besides, you admitted it yesterday when you were dragging your heels with a hangover. Apologize.”

  “Ergo? Who the heck says ergo?”

  “Apologize.” Gina stood and folded her newspaper. “I’m off to make bacon and egg pies.”

  Yvonne stared at the front door of the café. Someone was waiting outside, checking their watch. Sighing, Yvonne grabbed her apron and tied the strings as she walked to the door.

  “What have you done to Nolan?” Elizabeth Penrith subjected her to a hard stare before she brushed past and took a seat at the counter. “I’ll have a…a latte with non-fat milk.”

  “Good morning to you too.” Yvonne stomped behind the counter and started bashing her coffee machine around. It was only the start of her day.

  “Nolan is going around in a blue funk. He’s depressed. He told me to butt out of his life and leave him alone.”

  “And you’re not listening to him,” Yvonne snapped.

  “He’s my son. You want the best for your sons, and it’s no different for me.”

  Yvonne started heating the milk. “There’s a difference between caring and wanting the best. You tried to break us up. You spread rumors about me and called me a loose woman. You judged me when you know nothing about me.” By the end, she was shouting. The internal door squeaked as Gina popped out from the kitchen.

  “Is everything all right?” She wore flour on her ch
eek and several smudges of an unidentified substance on her apron.

  “I’m standing up for myself,” Yvonne said.

  “I’m sorry,” Elizabeth said. “I haven’t been fair to you. Nolan has been different since he met you. He’s happy, or he was until recently. I don’t know what has gone wrong between the two of you, but if it’s something to do with me, please make up. I want family. I want grandchildren to spoil.” Tears swam in the older woman’s eyes as she stared pleadingly at Yvonne. “I don’t want to be alone anymore. I’ve had to take a good hard look at myself recently, and I didn’t like what I saw.”

  “You what?” Yvonne was pretty sure she resembled a fish, and she forced her lips together while she stared at the woman. “You’ve tried to break Nolan and me up for ages, and now you want us back together?”

  Elizabeth chewed the last of her pale pink lipstick off her bottom lip. “I understand my about face has shocked you, and I’ll need to earn your forgiveness. I intend to try. That is a promise.”

  “I see.” Had she tumbled into Alice’s wonderland?

  “Please, talk to Nolan,” Elizabeth said, and there was a quiet dignity to her manner.

  Gina, her children and now Elizabeth Penrith—all of them thought she and Nolan should be together.

  “I’ll take your views under consideration,” Yvonne said.

  “Don’t be so stubborn,” Gina said.

  Elizabeth sent her a hopeful glance. “No time like the present.”

  “I can’t go now. I need to man the counter.”

  “I can do it for you,” Elizabeth said. “I don’t know how to make coffee, but I can take orders and clear tables.”

  “I’m almost done with the cooking. If Elizabeth doesn’t mind pitching in with kitchen chores as well, we’ll manage between us.”

  “But—”

  “Go.” Gina pointed at the door. “Leave the apron here.”

  Yvonne dug in her heels when Gina tried to shunt her toward the door. “I don’t know where to find Nolan.”

  “He’s working at the cattle yards with his father. They’re drenching a herd of cattle. If you go straight there you’ll make it before they start on the next chore.”

  Yvonne scowled at both women before focusing her irritation on Elizabeth Penrith. “Apologizing doesn’t negate everything you’ve said and done in the past. I’m going to reserve my decision when it comes to you.”

  Elizabeth nodded. “That’s all I ask. It’s more than I deserve.”

  Yvonne stared at her for a bit longer, confused—no, shocked—by the woman’s change of heart, despite her explanation. That saying about leopards and spots not changing…people were the same. They didn’t transform character flaws overnight. She tugged her apron over her head and handed it to Gina.

  Gina tugged her close for an uncharacteristic hug. “You love Nolan. Even an old unromantic like me can see it. Don’t let stubbornness get in the way. The pair of you are good together.”

  “I…” If she hadn’t messed things up too badly. Nolan might decide to wash his hands of her, and she wouldn’t blame him if he did.

  She found herself at the cattle yards almost too quickly, certainly before she’d decided exactly what to say. She parked her car and climbed out, a burst of nerves punching through her and pebbling her skin with goose bumps. Nolan was working the race, sending stock into the chute and making the task look simple while his father wielded the drenching gun. Mr. Penrith inserted the barrel of the gun at the corner of the animal’s mouth and released the worm medication before moving on to the next beast. The pair worked like an efficient machine.

  “Nolan, visitor,” his father called above the bawl of a cow.

  Nolan’s gaze traveled to her, and he straightened momentarily. “Be with you as soon as we finish.”

  Yvonne nodded. She should’ve grabbed a few coffees and something for the men to eat before she left. She watched Nolan, noted his capable manner as he worked with the cattle. Although she’d known he was a farmer, she’d never visited him during a day of farm chores. He teamed well with his father, and soon the cattle had all gone through the race and stood in the larger, outer pen.

  “Dad, I’ll move the cattle if you want to go into town. Could you pick up some more drench while you’re there?”

  “Sure thing. See you later, Yvonne.”

  “Are you in a hurry?” Nolan asked in a cool tone. “I don’t want to leave the cattle in the pen without water. It will take me half an hour to shift them.”

  “Can I help?” It was better than standing there like a ninny.

  “See the gate down the road? The brown one on the right?”

  Yvonne squinted into the sun. “Yes.”

  “That’s where I’m taking the cattle. Drive down to open the gate, then stand in the middle of the road and turn the herd into the paddock.” He walked away before she could reply.

  Okay. She eyed the cattle dubiously before bursting into action. No longer a city girl, she figured she could do this. Wait until she told Michael and David. They’d be wide-eyed and impressed. And they’d want to help the next time. The boys were already thriving in Clare, and they missed Nolan. Every night so far this week they’d asked when he’d arrive, their disappointment clear when she’d fobbed them off.

  Yvonne drove past the gate, parked her car and jogged back to the gate. When the cattle neared, pushed forward by Nolan’s calls and his dogs, she stood in the middle of the road and hoped like hell they didn’t decide to run her down. They looked bigger on this side of the fence.

  “I don’t think I’d make a good farmer’s wife,” she blurted once the gate was safely shut. On wobbly knees, she closed the distance between them. Last week she would’ve hugged him. Today touching didn’t seem appropriate. Between last Saturday and today, she’d lost the privilege.

  “Oh,” he said, his dark brows rising in polite enquiry.

  She stared at him and got it. He wasn’t going to make this easy for her. “Nolan, I’m sorry for letting my crappy past destroy what we had together. The boys miss you. Gina has been lecturing me all week and today your mother came into the café to add her five cents to the subject.”

  “I see.” Nolan whistled his dogs and walked away.

  “Nolan.” His name was a verbal protest.

  His shoulders tensed and he halted, but he didn’t turn to face her.

  “Is that it? I screwed up. I get it. Hell, I screwed up royally, but people make mistakes. I forgave you when you made me look stupid in front of the entire town, yet I don’t get the same pass?”

  Nolan turned around them, emotions flickering over his face so fast she couldn’t read him. His fists knotted at his sides, and she got the impression he wanted to punch something. Someone. “You said you were sorry, but not once in your little speech did you say anything about being here because you wanted to. It was the boys, Gina, my mother.”

  “Oh for goodness sake,” she muttered. “Can’t you read between the lines? I love you. I’ve missed you like crazy, and the second you walked out on me I wanted to run after you.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “Because I’m an idiot,” she snapped. “Because my pride told me you’d come back.” She moved half a step closer, willing him to meet her halfway. He didn’t move a muscle. “Are you accepting my apology?”

  “Yes.”

  “And?” No mistaking her tone for anything except testy.

  His expression relaxed suddenly into a smile, but he remained unmoving. “Are you going to suggest having a threesome again?”

  “No! I don’t want to share my man with anyone.”

  “Am I your man?”

  “Yes, damn it! How many ways do you want me to tell you I’m sorry? I love you. I know I’ve hurt you, and I’ll try really hard not to make the same mistake again.”

  “Wil
l you marry me?”

  “Is that a proposal?” He didn’t answer and she stared at him in frustration. Damn, the man. She leaped at him, and she silently cheered when his arms wrapped around her to hold her steady. “Yes, I’d love to be your wife.”

  “That would make you a farmer’s wife.”

  Yvonne wrinkled her nose. “I guess I could learn if I had the right teacher. Maybe your father could—”

  “I’d be quite happy to spank you,” Nolan said in a confidential manner.

  “Ooh, kinky.”

  “With you.” Nolan brushed his fingertips over her cheek, the delicate touch bringing a wash of tenderness and love. “Only with you.”

  And then he kissed her, and everything in her world righted. His arms around her felt true. Perfect. His lips against hers fueled lust, love and made her think of forever.

  He lifted his head, his crooked grin and the warmth in his eyes bringing relief and happiness.

  “Thanks,” she whispered.

  He pressed his forehead against hers. “You’ll make a great farmer’s wife. Can I come around tonight?”

  “Come for dinner. Stay the night if you want.”

  “The boys?”

  “They’ll need to get used to having you around.” She tugged at a lock of his hair. He needed a haircut. A wife could remind him. “Somehow I don’t think they’ll mind.”

  Nolan arrived before it was time to pick up the boys.

  “You’re early,” Yvonne said.

  He prowled toward her, a man confident of his welcome, and she laughed in delight when he scooped her up and carried her to her bedroom. She grinned up at him when he dropped her on the mattress.

  “Are we doing kinky today?”

  Nolan stripped off his shirt and went to work on his footwear and jeans. “Not today. We’ll save that for another time.”

  His cock was fully engorged and ready for action. Yvonne’s hands went to the hem of the uniform polo shirt she wore for work.

  “No, let me.” He kissed her hard, the pressure of his lips and the sleek thrust of his tongue signaling his intent. Moisture pooled between her legs as she surrendered to him. She was his.