by Annie Seaton
Lucy tilted her grandmother’s chin gently and looked at her. Gran’s eyes were red-rimmed, and her chin trembled. “Today is for a celebration, Gran. Pop’s coming home and we’re all here to be with you both.” She took a deep breath. “I know Mum and Aunty Carol and Aunty Jean would be happy if they knew that we were all here and that the farm was staying in our family.”
Lucy firmed her voice. “Our farm, our family. Let’s have a fabulous party tonight.”
Gran stared back at her. “But I still want you to invite your young man.”
“My young man? Gran, Garth and I are friends, nothing more. He’s helping me with some work.” Lucy shook her head as heat ran into her face. “No, tonight is for family. I’ll ring Garth and tell him I’ll see him later in the week.”
Jemima took Gran’s other arm. “I think you need a lie-down and a lovely bath before Pop gets home. And then I’ll get out some of my war paint, find you a pretty dress, and we’ll doll you up.”
“I don’t think so.” Gran laughed, back to her usual pragmatic self. “A Bex and a lie-down will do me, and then we’ve got to drench those beasts before the boys go to town to get Harry.”
Lucy sat at the table with her head in her hands as Jemmy took Gran down the hall to her bedroom. The power of love was an amazing thing. For the first time in her life, Lucy craved to be loved like that.
But not out here in the red dust.
Garth’s face stayed in her head as she crossed to the sink and finished the dishes.
Chapter Sixteen
As it turned out, Lucy didn’t have to ring Garth after all. She was perched on the rail at the cattle crush holding a clipboard and writing down the weights. Jemima read the scales and called the cattle weights out to Lucy over the thundering hooves and baying of the beasts, who weren’t too impressed with being penned in. Liam was cutting them out, and Seb had the drench gun. Gran was on horseback guiding them into the adjacent paddock after they were drenched.
“Nice look, Lucy-Lou.” Garth’s hand curved around her waist, and Lucy grabbed for the rail, almost falling backwards before he held her steady.
“Whoa, just what I wanted. A gorgeous woman falling into my arms.” His voice was deep, and a tremble ran down her back.
“Hi there,” she said shyly. Being up close and personal with him had been in her mind since he’d dropped her off this morning, but having him turn up before she was ready threw her for a six. “I was going to call you when we finished here. I can’t come over tonight.”
“I know.” He gestured back to Gran. “You’re having a welcome-home party for Harry. Your gran’s already asked me to come over.”
“Did she?”
“Yeah. Liam and Seb are taking her into Spring Downs to collect Harry, and she asked me to get the spit going and cook the roasts while they’re in town.” He looked at her curiously. “Is that okay with you?”
“Yes, yes. It’s cool. I’d love you to come over. I was just worried that you might feel a bit uncomfortable with Gran being the way she was.”
He shook his head. “We had a long chat when she called me. She apologised to me, and I said it was fine. No problem. No hard feelings.”
Lucy pursed her lips. Wily old Gran must have rung from the bedroom when she said she was going to have a lie-down. “That’s good, then.”
“Three hundred and seventy-five!” Jemmy’s voice registered on Lucy’s hearing as she stared down at Garth. “Lucy! The next one’s coming through. Quick!”
“I’ll leave you to it.” Garth climbed the bottom rung and reached around and pulled Lucy’s head down to his and kissed her hard and fast. “Sorry. I couldn’t wait any longer to kiss you.” His grin was cheeky. “I might walk over for dinner and maybe you can drive me home later?”
He winked, and those damned butterflies in Lucy’s stomach set up a rapid fluttering, but she couldn’t help the goofy smile she knew was on her face as she wrote down the next weight. Jemima rolled her eyes but she was smiling, too.
…
The welcome home for Harry Peterkin, much-loved husband, grandfather, neighbour, and friend, was noisy and boisterous. Garth sat back and smiled as the four cousins argued, Harry told jokes, and Helena sat there with a smile stuck on her face as she stared at her husband. The table was set with a lace cloth, the good china, and crystal wineglasses had been pulled out of the Welsh dresser, and the smell of the good country feast had enticed them all to eat way too much. Harry sat back and emitted a loud belch, and Helena tapped his arm. But the look in her eyes was loving as she chastised him.
“Harry! I hope you didn’t do that in the hospital.”
“Sorry, love. Just showing my appreciation for a grand feast.” He put his fingers over hers and held them. “And no, the food was crap there. Did I tell you about the time—”
“Harry…” Helena said.
Everyone looked at the older couple as they smiled at each other.
But it was Lucy that Garth couldn’t keep his eyes off. Her dark hair was pulled up into a twirl thing on top of her head, and she’d done something with her pretty eyes that made them look all dark and mysterious. The three women wore dresses, and Lucy’s dangly silver earrings caught the light every time she turned her head to him.
Which, he thought, was as often as he looked at her. She was beautiful, and his gut clenched as he stared at her. He grinned as Liam nudged Sebastian and gestured towards Garth with a nod. Sebastian rolled his eyes.
“He’s a goner, mate,” he said just loud enough for Garth to hear. “We’ll have to warn him.”
“What are you two up to?” Lucy frowned at her cousins.
“Nothing. Just talking about whose turn it is to do the dishes,” Liam said with an innocent smile in her direction.
Helena pushed herself to her feet and waved at her two grandsons. “Jemmy and Lucy cooked this feast with Garth’s help, so you pair are on kitchen duty. Jemima, you can help me get Harry up the hall, and Lucy can drive Garth home.”
Harry winked at him, and Garth smiled back as Liam and Sebastian cleared the table.
“Thanks for helping us out, Garth.” Lucy’s grandfather had been a good support to him when he’d first arrived home and his parents had headed east. Always willing to share and give good advice. He was sure the misunderstanding about the manager wouldn’t have happened if Harry had been home and well. He’d pulled Garth aside before dinner and thanked him for alerting them about the cattle theft. “Helena feels bad that she thought you had ulterior motives. She’s been in a bit of a state since I went to hospital and came up with this scheme by herself. It was done and dusted before I even got wind of it.”
“Scheme?”
“For the grandkids to come home and take over. They tried to tell me it was Liam’s idea, but I know my Helena.” Harry had nodded to the kitchen where Lucy and Jemima had been helping Gran put the final touches on the meal. Liam and Seb were checking on the cattle and locking the dogs away.
“Ah yes. Lucy told me.” He was hard-pressed to keep the grin off his face. “You must be pleased to have the family home.”
“I am.” Worry niggled at him when Harry lowered his voice. “I’m not convinced it’s such a good idea for all of them, though. I think Lucy’s only agreed because the others did.”
Lucy was quiet as Garth said good-bye to the others and was thanked again for helping out. “No, thanks for letting me join your family celebration. And such a great meal.”
“I’m sure it gets lonely over there for you. Now that Lucy and Liam are going to be here for a while, you’ll have to come over more often. Make sure you come over before Seb and Jemmy head back, too.”
“I will.” He nodded with a smile as he held the door open for Lucy. “I can walk home over the paddocks, if you’d rather.”
Her smile was shy, different from the woman he’d made love to this morning.
“We’ll take my car,” she said as they crossed the green lawn. He followed her to the machinery shed wh
ere a small sedan was parked between the bales of hay.
As Lucy reached down to open the door, Garth swooped. He grabbed her by the waist and spun her around, backing her up against the hay bale as he nuzzled her throat. Satisfaction filled him as her arms laced around his neck and she lifted her lips to his.
“God, I’ve wanted to kiss you all night.” He punctuated his words with kisses over her lips, her face, and her pretty ears. Her deep, throaty chuckle sent a shiver through him, and he put his hands on either side of her face. “And I want to tell you how happy I am that you’re staying.”
“Whoa, boy.” Lucy stepped out of his arms and shook her head as she unlocked the car door. “Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m staying, but I’m not staying.”
Garth walked around to the other side of the car and opened the passenger door. “Not staying?” Maybe old Harry was right.
“Three months on, three months back in Sydney, and then three months back here.” She glanced at him as she started the car. “And then I’ll go back to the city to stay for good. I love what I do, and my career is going well. Goodbody and Grech is one of the top agencies in the country, and I’d be crazy to throw that away.”
Garth looked at Lucy as she backed the car out of the machinery shed and turned onto the road that led to the back gate between the two properties.
“I understand what you’re saying. I love what I do, too. Now that I’m back home, that is.” The jolt that shot through his body when she turned briefly to him and held his eyes rattled him. Ever since he’d seen Lucy walking to the dam the other day, he hadn’t been able to get her out of his head.
Hell, before Harry had shared his doubts, he’d even had crazy thoughts of her settling here and moving in with him and starting a brood of kids. He shook his head and looked away.
Slow down, man. She doesn’t want to stay out here in the Pilliga Scrub.
Garth jumped out as Lucy pulled up at the gate and opened it, waiting as she drove the car through to his property. “I’ll leave it open so you don’t have to get out when you come back. There are no cattle in the back paddocks at the moment.”
The rest of the short drive was quiet, but tension hummed in the air between them. When they parked outside Garth’s new house, Lucy climbed out of the car and followed him to the back door. Garth was surprised to see his hand shaking as he put the key in the lock. He held the door open as she stepped inside and he reached for the light switch, but her hand caught his before he could flick it on.
“Leave them off.” Her voice was deep and throaty. God, he loved the sound of her voice and the beautiful smile he could see in the dim light. And it was for him.
He wanted her. And she stood there beside him, waiting, anticipating his next move. Lucy wanted him, too. He stared at her, and her eyes were hazy with desire, and as he looked at her, she leaned against him, slipping her arms around his neck. Her heart was thudding against his chest, as fast as his was. He smiled and walked them towards the bedroom.
…
Lucy shook her head a couple of hours later. Garth had led her to the bathroom off his bedroom and was running water in the huge tub.
“I’m sorry I haven’t got any nice smelly stuff or bubbles. I only use the bath when my muscles are sore after a day on horseback.”
“It’s fine.” She watched as he pointed out the fluffy towels on the bench.
“Do you want someone to wash your back?” he asked with a smile.
“That would be nice, thank you.”
As she sat in the steaming hot water, Garth washed her back and massaged her neck muscles with firm fingers. “Do you want to stay the night?”
“I’d love to, but we’ve got an early start in the morning, and now that Pop’s home, Gran will need an extra hand with him, too.” Lucy shook her head reluctantly. “But I will stay when it all settles down. If you want me to,” she said shyly.
“Of course I do.” Garth dried her off with a big fluffy towel, and they sat in the kitchen while Lucy’s hair dried. She grinned at him. “I know I’m going to get teased anyway, but I won’t give them any ammunition.”
“You all seem to get on as well as you did when you were kids.” Garth’s eyes were warm, and she looked down as he played with her fingers.
“We do. It’s really good being back here together.”
“I’ll be honest, Lucy. I really like you being back here and close by.
A strange feeling ran through Lucy. “I’ll be honest, too. The idea of being here, out on the farm, isn’t as bad as I thought it would be when Gran first mentioned it.” She looked at him as an unfamiliar shyness ran through her. “And now we’re…er…friends”—heat tinged her cheeks as he grinned at her—“it will be fun. I mean I won’t have to put up with Liam’s moods. If it gets too bad I can always come over and visit you.”
“So you and Liam first?”
“Yes.” She nodded slowly. “Me and Liam.”
“It’s going to be good.”
Lucy frowned as Garth stared at her, his expression intent, but happy. She shook her head. “Remember what I said before, Garth.” She reached out and took his hand and held it tightly. “It’s only temporary. I’m not staying. Being home is just part of the deal. Three months on and I go again.”
His smile slipped slightly, and Lucy knew she had to make it crystal clear.
Chapter Seventeen
Liam and Lucy settled into a routine at Prickle Farm. Jemmy and Seb were back in the city but called every couple of days. Lucy listened with surprise as Liam outlined to Seb on the phone what he’d done that week. He hadn’t been as moody as Lucy had expected, and she was happy with the way the work at Prickle Farm had been divided between them. Pop was recovering well and was getting around the property on one of the QuadRunners, albeit under Gran’s eagle eye. Lucy was rarely needed out in the paddocks, and she spent most of her days looking after the farmhouse and working on her current campaigns, in between baking. Garth came over to help out when Liam needed a hand, and Liam had got into the habit of going over to Garth’s place and helping him out, too. And no one had so much as raised an eyebrow at the number of nights that Lucy spent at Garth’s.
On the second weekend after Seb and Jemima had gone back to Sydney, Lucy raided Gran’s garden for cuttings.
“No, Lucy. That won’t strike.” Gran tutted behind her. “Come with me.”
Lucy followed Gran around to the back of the hay shed and stopped dead. A large fern house with an irrigation system spraying moisture onto rows and rows of potted plants lined the back of the large shed.
“Goodness, I didn’t even know this was here.” Lucy stared in amazement.
Gran pointed to the middle shelf. “Anything from there will grow in this soil as long as he keeps it watered and keeps the roos and rabbits away.” Gran pointed, and Lucy followed the direction of her finger. “These big pots are shrubs ready to plant. You can take as many as you like. Then I won’t have to waste water on them.”
Lucy dropped a quick kiss on Gran’s cheek before she took off at a run. “You are a gem, Gran.”
“Where are you going now?”
“I’m going to get Pop’s ute and load it up.”
A variety of plants, trees, and shrubs peeked over the top of the ute as Lucy drove slowly down the dirt road. She had loaded in as many of the plants as she could fit onto the tray. The padlock had been off the back gate since Gran had forgiven Garth, and it was now a short drive between the two properties. Garth was swinging the axe at the side of the woodshed. The mornings already had a tinge of crispness in the air, and the autumn winds had started to blow. A shaft of regret lodged in Lucy’s chest. It would have been nice to sit by the fire with Garth on his soft sofa, but she would be back in Sydney in her cold and draughty apartment before winter set in. She stopped the car and watched, catching her breath at the sheer beauty of him as his muscles flexed and shimmered in the late-afternoon sunlight. He swung the axe high, and a resounding crack echoed through
the air as the log split. A pair of cut-off frayed shorts revealed long sinewy leg muscles, and an expanse of bare chest met her eyes as her gaze travelled up from his stomach. Her attention lingered on those broad shoulders, now glistening with perspiration. The reddish lights in his hair caught the sun, and his grin was wide when he turned to greet her.
He walked across to the ute, leaned in, and kissed her. “Hello there, lovely Lucy.”
“Hello.” Lucy smiled up at him. “I missed you this week.” She’d been in Sydney since Monday. Two trips down for the monthly meeting had kept her up to speed with her work, and with the internet connection at Garth’s place, she was handling the telecommuting with ease.
“How was the trip to the big smoke?”
Lucy wondered why his tone was guarded. “It was good. Caleb loves the way the campaign is shaping up.”
“That’s good.” Garth opened the door for her, and after she climbed out she took his hand and led him around to the back of the ute. “What’s all this?”
“I hope you dug the garden beds while I was away,” she said, sensing he didn’t want to talk about her work. A glimmer of disquiet took away the pleasure of seeing him again. She filed that away to think about later.
“You asked me to dig the gardens, so of course I did.” His eyes widened as he looked in the back of the ute. “But I don’t think I dug enough to accommodate all of that.”
“Well, you’re going to have to water these till they get planted.”
“Come and see what else I did.” He put his arm around her shoulders, and together they walked around to the side of the house.
Lucy smiled as she looked at the work he had done around there. “You have been working hard.”