Christmas In Ghost Gum Springs

by Nicole Flockton

  For a Saturday, the lunch crowd was big. It could be because it was another hot day and everyone enjoyed the cool air-conditioned comfort the pub offered. Connor didn’t mind, the more profits he could secure while Smithy was away on his honeymoon the better he felt. It had been a generous offer from his friend to take over the running of his business. His experience had been limited, but he learned fast and loved a challenge.

  He looked at the door again while he was pouring a beer, willing it to open.

  ‘Connor, I want beer, mate, not bloody foam,’ Gary from the grocery store grumbled.

  A quick look down confirmed he’d fucked up. ‘Sorry, mate.’ He dumped the contents in the drain and grabbed a fresh glass. This time there was less than an inch of foam in the glass when he placed it on the coaster.

  Gary took a swallow and then looked over at the door. ‘Why you watching the door so much?’

  ‘He’s looking to see if his American girlfriend is going to show,’ piped up Fred from the other end of the bar.

  Great, just what he needed, comments from the peanut gallery. ‘Can it, Fred. Diana’s not my girlfriend, but she is a hotel guest. I’m just looking out for Smithy’s business. Don’t want to get a bad Yelp review or something.’

  ‘What are you yammering about?’ asked Fred.

  ‘Nothing,’ he muttered as he grabbed a damp cloth and went off to wipe down some tables. There it was, the hazard of living in a small town. Everyone always had an opinion and loved sticking their noses in where they weren’t wanted.

  The next couple of hours passed in a flurry of meals and drinks. Connor’s feet were aching by the time the only two people remaining were Gary and Fred. Both were looking a little worse for wear.

  Normally, Fred was pretty good at controlling his beer consumption, but he seemed to be keeping pace with Gary.

  Connor leaned forward on the bar, hoping to take a little pressure off his feet. ‘So why are you still here, Gary? Why aren’t you home.’

  ‘Missus and I had a fight. I’m waiting for her to cool down.’

  Connor chuckled. ‘Returning home drunk is sure to win you a few brownie points. How about I get you a coffee before you head out?’ He looked over to Fred. ‘You want one too, Fred?’

  ‘Nah, it’s only me dog Blue at home. He won’t care if I turn up three sheets to the wind.’ He let out a large belch. ‘See ya, Connor.’

  He staggered to the door and almost ran into Diana as she finally appeared. ‘Sorry, love,’ Fred slurred before looking at Connor. ‘Your girlfriend’s here, Connor.’

  He shook his head at Fred’s attempt at being funny. ‘Bye, Fred, don’t trip on your way out.’

  The other man waved his hand and disappeared through the door.

  ‘Thanks for the offer of coffee, but I’ll pass,’ Gary mumbled as he too stood, swayed then staggered toward the door. ‘Mattie will have left the pot on. We fight. I get drunk. She makes coffee. I sleep and all’s well in the morning. Been that way for twenty years. God, I love that woman.’

  He tipped his head as he walked past Diana and she looked at him as if he had ten heads. The door slammed behind Gary and it was only him and Diana—again.

  ‘Will they be okay?’ she asked as she swung a look at the door the men had left through.

  ‘Yeah they’ll be fine.’

  She sauntered up to the bar, her hands in the pockets of her pants. She’d changed since he’d last seen her. She was now wearing a short-sleeved sweater. The dip at the front highlighted her curves and the sky-blue colour looked amazing on her. ‘You know you’re not a very responsible bartender if you keep serving them when they’re drunk. How do you know they won’t try and drive home?’

  ‘Easy,’ Connor said as he reached underneath the counter and pulled out a square box. Inside were two sets of car keys. ‘Normally I wouldn’t let them drink so much, but it’s Christmas.’

  She crossed her arms, the movement pushing up her breasts. His body responded immediately, and he tightened his hold on the box to stop himself from reaching over and running his finger over the tantalising swell. ‘I still don’t think it’s a responsible thing to do. Drinking is an addiction. Addictions kill.’

  He studied Diana closely. Her face lost all animation as she spoke about addiction and he could hear the pain in her voice. Knowing it wasn’t the most sensible thing to do, because he didn’t know how she’d react, he walked around the end of the bar until he stood in front of her. Close but not touching. Her perfume teased him, like it always did when he got near her.

  ‘Did you lose someone you loved to an addiction?’ It seemed the logical conclusion to come to. Unless she’d been addicted to a substance. Perhaps her trip to Australia was her reward for being sober or drug free for a year.

  ‘Doesn’t matter,’ she said.

  Clearly, she didn’t want to talk about it and regretted bringing it up. He’d give her a pass. Something like an addict’s recovery was their own personal journey. At the end of the day she probably wouldn’t be around here long enough for him to enquire more about it.

  ‘What have you been doing today?’ he asked as he moved away to collect some used coasters from a nearby table.

  ‘Not much.’

  ‘Look, I know Ghost Gum Springs is small, but you don’t have to stay in your room the whole time you’re here. Why don’t you look around? It’s not a bad town, as towns go.’

  ‘Are you an expert on towns? Cindy said you only arrived in November, how much experience with small towns do you really have? Trust me I’ve had plenty.’

  ‘Okay, fair point, this is the only small town I’ve lived in.’ An idea formed in his mind. An idea he should squash because nothing good would come of it. Only it had taken hold and he couldn’t let it go now. ‘How about I show you around tomorrow. The pub doesn’t open until five on a Sunday.’

  What he said was true, Ghost Gum Springs was small, but a few kilometres west there was the natural spring that gave the town its name. He could go to Beryl’s café and pick up some sandwiches and some of her famous cream buns. That is if Diana agreed.

  ‘How about you drive me back to Sydney instead?’

  Damn, he should’ve thought she’d counter with that. ‘Okay, how about we make a deal?’

  ‘I’m listening.’ Well at least she hadn’t completely nixed his idea and he could see she was interested in what he had to say.

  ‘Give me tomorrow to show you that staying here is a great way to experience a Down Under Christmas. If you don’t feel that way, we’ll get up at the crack of dawn on Christmas Eve and I’ll drive you to Sydney.’

  Her shoulders picked up and a small smile curved her gorgeous lips. Lips he wouldn’t mind sampling again. ‘You’d do that?’

  ‘Sure.’ He hoped he could convince her to stay though, he didn’t fancy spending eight hours in the car before one of the busiest days in the pub, but for her he’d do it.

  She held out her hand. ‘Deal.’

  He grasped and instead of shaking it brought it up to his lips, kissing the top of her palm softly. ‘Deal.’

  ***

  What was she thinking?

  Diana smoothed her hands down the sides of her capri pants. It was only five minutes until she had to go downstairs and meet up with Connor and his let-me-convince-you-small-towns-are-good tour. No way was that about to happen.

  She’d deliberately stayed in her room the whole day after their kiss at the doctor’s surgery. A kiss that had played on repeat in her mind all through the day and into her dreams.

  Not leaving her room had been the only way she could protect herself from falling under the town’s charm. Cindy had been super friendly to her in the short amount of time they’d spent together. Fred was how she imagined a grandfather would be, fun and inappropriate. But she’d been burnt too many times by people pretending to be her friend only to turn their back on her. Tricking her by saying the cute footballer wanted to dance with her, and then walking out on the dance floo
r to find it vacant and everyone staring and laughing at her. Humiliated didn’t begin to describe her emotion at that moment, but she decided on that lonely dance floor to pull a cloak of indifference around her. Smile and be happy and not show how hurt she really was underneath.

  Unfortunately, her grandmother’s secret keeping had angered her more than she was willing to admit. Today she would make the effort to not be such a bitch to Connor. He didn’t have to take her out. And secretly, a part of her was thrilled to know she was getting to spend the whole day with a good-looking guy.

  While she was being brutally honest with herself, sitting alone in her room for another day didn’t appeal. Time would tell if she’d made the right decision to spend it with Connor instead.

  ‘Okay, Diana Jenkins, you’re a grown ass woman, stop acting like Grandma Mary-Lou still controls your life.’

  Straightening her spine, she collected her handbag, checking that she had her sunglasses, lip balm and camera. Connor said to wear a swimsuit, so beneath her t-shirt and pants, she wore her black bikini. The chances of her stripping down to it were slim. No way was she swimming in front of Connor. Oh, she wasn’t body conscious, it was just she’d heard the stories about crocodiles taking people who took an innocent swim. The last thing she planned on being was a crocodile’s Christmas dinner. Besides, they were in the middle of rural Australia, she hadn’t seen any sign of water. Nor had she seen a community pool. Nope, her clothes were going to stay firmly on. No showing off her bikini clad body to the sexy bartender.

  ‘Let’s do this.’

  Diana opened the door and walked down the stairs, screeching to a halt when she spied Connor’s ass sticking up in the air as he bent over a cooler. A sense of déjà vu swept over her. This set up was so similar to when she’d came down the stairs the previous day.

  Damn, why did he have to be so delicious looking? It would be better if he was ugly as sin. Then again, she probably wouldn’t have wanted to spend the day with him.

  Whoa, she wasn’t normally shallow, but her last thought was so catty Grandma Mary-Lou would’ve been proud.

  Right, she was going to make the most of today because she was determined to stick to her plan and return to Sydney tomorrow. So what if that meant she’d be spending Christmas by herself. Nothing new for her. Christmas was always just another day to Grandma Mary-Lou. How could you get excited when you stopped getting gifts when you were thirteen?

  ‘Morning Diana, you ready to go?’

  Lost in her thoughts she hadn’t seen Connor straighten or turn and face her. Once again he was wearing a shirt that highlighted the blue of his eyes. It hugged his broad shoulders and looked soft, so soft her fingers itched to reach out and touch it.

  He quirked an eyebrow and she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her. God, she was standing there like a lump of coal. She wracked her memory to try and recall what he’d said to her. Oh right. ‘Yep, all ready.’

  ‘Great, I’ve got some drinks in the esky. I’ll just load it in the car and then we’ll be on our way.’

  Diana worked out the esky was the cooler he was bent over when she’d come down the stairs. ‘Do you need help with anything else?’ she asked, not wanting to seem like she wasn’t going to make an effort.

  ‘All under control.’

  Her stomach grumbled. Dinner had been a long time ago. ‘Can I go grab something to eat from the kitchen? Like an apple or something else.’

  Connor hefted up the cooler, his muscles bunching and bulging with the movement. ‘Nope.’

  He disappeared out the door before she could question him further. No, that wasn’t happening. He wasn’t going to dismiss her like she was a piece of trash. She stomped out the door and followed him to the SUV he was loading the cooler into. A car she didn’t recognise. The car he’d picked her up in was a mid-sized sedan. This vehicle looked like it was made to handle the tough Australian outback terrain she’d heard so much about.

  ‘What do you mean I can’t get anything to eat?’

  Connor glanced over his shoulder. ‘I’m taking you out to breakfast. It’s all part of the tour. If you eat something now, you’ll spoil your appetite.’

  ‘Oh.’ The indignation dissipated out of her.

  He walked up to her and she held her breath. ‘I’m not mean.’ He leaned in and kissed her cheek. ‘I’m going to show you the best time. Convince you to stay.’

  A shiver rippled down her spine. She had to fight these feelings, remain strong and not get pulled under his spell. ‘Why would you try to convince me to stay?’

  ‘I think, if you give it a chance, you might be surprised.’

  Familiar words. Words she’d heard so many times over the years. Each time she started something with the hope of being surprised the biggest surprise she ever got was how terrible it was. Not how fantastic.

  There was no reason for her not to expect this time to be any different, even if the guy she was with was completely different to anyone she’d ever met. Connor didn’t know her or know of her parents and what they were like, and she had no plans to share any of that with him. She’d already shared too much.

  ‘We’ll see,’ she murmured as she brushed past him to go to the passenger side of the car.

  ‘You’ll need the keys if you’re planning on driving.’

  ‘Huh?’ Seeing as she had no idea where they were headed why would he say that to her.

  Connor canted his head to the car, his smile lighting up more than her face, the warm glow from his peck on the cheek was turning into a full on inferno. ‘You’re standing by the driver’s side.’

  ‘What? No, I’m not.’

  ‘Honey, we drive on the right hand side of the car.’

  Diana peered into the car and saw the steering wheel. ‘Oh, right.’

  Connor slung an arm over her shoulder. ‘Easy mistake to make. Come on.’ He led her around to the passenger side of the car.

  Yeah, this was going to be a fantastic day … maybe.

  Chapter 7

  Connor gripped the steering wheel to prevent himself from reaching over and taking Diana’s hand in his. A sign to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. She seemed to enjoy herself during breakfast at Beryl’s café. Fred had been there and so he’d spent some time joking with her. Never before had he seen the crusty older man smile as much as he did when he’d been talking to her.

  Connor could admit to himself that a little dart, well okay more than a little, a huge dart of jealousy had stabbed him in the gut. He wanted to make Diana smile and laugh like that. He wanted to find out what made the woman tick. There were so many secrets to her he had no idea if he’d ever uncover them all.

  ‘How much further?’ she asked.

  ‘Not much,’ he replied as the SUV jolted left to right as it went over another pot hole. The road they were travelling to get to the springs wasn’t the smoothest.

  ‘Great, although not sure my teeth are going to last. If I’ve got any cracked teeth I’m going to send the dentist bill to you.’

  He loved the way her snark came out every now and then. Most guys would get annoyed with it, but to him, it showed him under all the layers Diana had a good sense of humour. She seemed to never let it out though.

  ‘I can guarantee if you break a tooth I would be more than happy to pay your bill. A smile as beautiful as yours shouldn’t be marred.’

  ‘That’s very superficial of you Connor Shetland. There is more to a woman than her looks. And my smile is far from beautiful, you did notice my crooked front tooth didn’t you?’

  ‘Yes, and you’re right my comment was inappropriate. A broken tooth would only enhance your ugly smile.’

  Diana burst out laughing, and his heart leapt at the carefree sound. Even more natural than the laughs she’d shared with Fred.

  Score one for Team Shetland.

  The large ghost gums the town was named for thinned out and a few seconds later they drove into a clearing. His body relaxing naturally at the gor
geous sight of the blue spring. There were only little patches of green among the expanse of brown from dried out wildflowers and other grasses natural to the Australian outback. Instead of detracting from the beauty of the lake, it only highlighted Mother Nature’s handiwork.

  A gasp sounded from the woman riding next him. ‘Oh wow, this is stunning.’

  Before he’d even turned the engine off her door was open and she was out, striding down to the spring. He studied her for a few moments, admiring the curve of her arse beneath the tight black capris she was wearing. Around her neck he could see the strings of her bikini top tied into a neat bow. His body twitch at the thought of seeing Diana in her bathing suit, running his hands over the smooth expanse of her back, cupping her rounded cheeks and bringing her close to him, her breasts crushing against his chest as he kissed her.

  Great, now he had to stay in the car for a little longer until his erection subsided. Unless … he eyed the spring. Having swum in it before, he was well aware of how cold the water was. Just what his body needed. Opening his door, he yanked his t-shirt up and over his head. He kicked his shoes off before removing his socks.

  He jogged to where Diana was standing, picking up speed as he got a little closer to her. ‘Last one in’s a rotten egg.’

  The cold water clung to him as he dove into the spring, refreshing, revitalising and reducing his hard-on almost immediately. He popped his head out of the water shaking it, droplets spraying around him in a perfect circle.

  ‘Man, this feels awesome,’ he grinned and looked at Diana. The joy slipping out of him at the look of horror on her face.

  What the hell?

  He waded through the water as quickly as he could to get to her side, grabbing her hands. They were ice cold on an almost forty degree Celsius day. ‘Diana? What’s wrong?’

  ‘Croc-crocodile.’ She said the word so softly he wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly.

  ‘Did you say crocodile?’

  She nodded.