by Karly Lane
‘What would you like to drink?’ Griff stepped up beside her and Cash blinked away the strange sensation that had fallen over her. ‘Wine, beer, soft drink?’
‘A beer would be fine, thanks. Can I help?’ She hoped that didn’t sound as desperate out loud as it had in her head.
‘Nah, it’s fine. Take a seat.’
Lavinia fussed about, taking the cake from Griff and nodding towards the chairs scattered around in an informal cluster. Cash slipped into a seat next to Harmony, and avoided taking a look at the other man, who had taken up position leaning against the verandah railing.
‘I’ve been hearing amazing things about you,’ Harmony said, taking a sip of her wine, tilting her head slightly as she studied Cash.
‘Oh?’ What could she say to that? The woman looked friendly enough but there was a coolness beneath the surface that made Cash wary.
‘Everyone in town’s been raving about your massages and treatments. I’ll have to make a booking.’
‘I’m really enjoying the spa.’
‘How do you know Savannah?’ she asked, taking another delicate sip of her wine.
‘We’re old friends. We used to work together up in the Whitsundays.’
‘Is that where you came here from?’
‘No. I’ve been working overseas and, more recently, in Sydney.’
‘I wouldn’t have thought working in a place like Sydney you’d be interested in coming out here.’
Cash gave a nonchalant shrug. ‘I was ready for a change.’
‘So how long are you here for?’ Linc asked, and Cash was grateful for the reprieve from his sister’s interrogation.
‘Until Savannah and George get back. Sometime after the new year.’
‘What then? Back to Sydney?’ Harmony asked.
‘I haven’t decided yet,’ Cash admitted. The truth was, she had no idea what she was going to do next. Usually she had some kind of rough plan, but the whole Dale thing had caught her off balance, and with Savannah’s offer coming almost straightaway afterwards, there hadn’t been time for making plans. All she knew was she needed to get away so she could lick her wounds in private. Once upon a time, after a break-up, she would have had a cry, thrown her belongings in a bag and moved on. This time, though, she was finding it harder to make a decision about where she wanted to go next.
Griffin came back and took the seat beside her before handing her a glass of beer—no beer in a can today.
‘Do you live nearby?’ Cash asked Harmony, feeling a need to redirect the questioning.
‘We live in Griffith.’ Harmony sipped the last of her wine and reached for the bottle to refill her glass.
‘What line of work are you in, Don?’ she asked, realising the man seated beside his wife hadn’t said a word yet. He was dressed in a button-up white shirt and camel-coloured chinos. The other men were dressed in an assortment of denim and T-shirts, and Don’s casual boat shoes were a stark contrast to the work boots.
‘Real estate,’ he said, eyeing her curiously. ‘Not in the market to buy a place of your own, are you? I have one or two properties that might interest you.’
‘No, not at the moment, thanks,’ she declined politely.
His phone started ringing and he pulled it from his pocket. ‘Let me know if you change your mind,’ he told her, standing up to take the call without a backward glance.
‘Don’t be long,’ Harmony told him with an annoyed frown as he walked past her, disappearing around the side of the verandah. Cash watched her take a long sip of her wine, almost downing half the contents.
‘So you’re settling in all right over there?’ Bob asked, breaking the small lull in conversation.
‘Yeah, It’s great. I’m really enjoying the peace and quiet.’
‘Can’t be too quiet over there with this fella doin’ so much work over that way,’ Bob said, giving his youngest son a dry glance.
Cash saw Griff’s face tighten slightly, and a small blush creep up his neck. ‘I hardly hear him,’ she said, feeling sorry for the poor guy. ‘But I was pretty glad he was nearby that day the cattle got through the fence.’
‘Yeah, sorry about that, they’re buggers for breakin’ through fences when they set their minds to it,’ Bob said.
‘I haven’t heard this story,’ Harmony said, refilling her glass again. ‘Tell us.’
Cash looked at Griffin and he gave a sure, what the hell shrug. ‘It was the first day I’d been there by myself. I walked out the back and there were all these cows.’ Cash remembered the panic she’d felt seeing a herd of cattle happily grazing in George’s orchard and gave a shake of her head. ‘I tried to shoo them all back through the fence, but apparently I don’t speak fluent cow, so they weren’t being too cooperative,’ she said dryly. ‘Luckily Griff was working nearby and came over to see what was going on. He managed to get them back home and fixed the fence for me.’
‘Our hero,’ Harmony gushed, toasting her little brother silently.
‘He was a hero. To me,’ Cash said, suddenly irritated by his sister’s sarcastic tone. ‘I had no idea how I was going to get them out.’
‘Thank God you were there, Griff!’ Harmony continued with a mocking, wide-eyed glance.
‘Knock it off, Harm,’ Griffin told his sister, and surprised Cash when he casually dropped his arm across the back of her chair.
‘What? I’m happy for you two,’ Harmony continued.
‘Harmony, can you come and give me a hand in here for a moment, darling,’ Lavinia called from inside, and Cash breathed a sigh of relief when the other woman rose to her feet and excused herself. She wasn’t sure what her problem was, but clearly there was something going on between brother and sister. Harmony didn’t seem to be a very happy person.
Conversation turned to general questions about the weather and farming. Cash found Griff’s dad funny and easy to talk to. His brother, on the other hand, was a very different story. He didn’t contribute to the conversation much, and although he didn’t say or do anything to make her uncomfortable, there was something disconcerting about him, something she couldn’t quite figure out.
Five
Linc leaned back against the railing and tried to get his head together. When he’d walked outside a minute ago, he hadn’t been expecting the swift kick of attraction he felt when he set eyes on Cash—his brother’s girlfriend. He wished the last reminder was enough to cool his roaring libido. It wasn’t. What the hell was his brother doing with a woman like that? She wasn’t even his type. Griff did serious relationships; he’d had the one steady girlfriend all the way through high school until they broke up after going away to uni. Then he’d met Tiffany at ag college and they’d been together almost four years until she’d taken off on an overseas job. Ever since then, Griff hadn’t had a steady girlfriend as far as he knew. He liked the quiet, studious ones. The girls that you took home to meet Mum. Although Cash seemed to have won over his mother, from all the gushing he’d had to listen to since arriving yesterday.
And yet here Griff was with Cash. Cash with the tattoo and a smokin’ hot body. She was nothing like the sweet, Sunday-school-teacher kind of girl Griff usually went for. Admittedly, Cash probably wasn’t trying to look hot, but there was just no denying the woman’s curves under that outfit. His gaze fell on her crossed legs and the way she casually swung one strappy-sandalled foot every now and again. Christ, even her feet were sexy. The delicate black and red spiral that graced the top of her foot and wrapped around her ankle in a vine did things to him he wasn’t sure a foot was supposed to do. There was a free-spirited, rebellious streak about her, and he somehow suspected that underneath her fresh-faced appearance there was a wild side to Cash Sullivan.
As she lifted her long hair, he caught the briefest glimpse of black lines at the base of her neck. More tattoos. He itched to find out just what else she was hiding under those clothes. The thought excited him more than he cared to admit.
‘I like your piercing,’ Payton was saying.
His gaze zoned in on the tiny glitter of a stud in her nose that he’d missed.
‘Thanks.’
‘Do you do them at the spa?’
‘Yes, actually, I do. I’m a qualified body piercer.’
She didn’t look like any body piercer he’d ever seen. The ones he’d seen looked like walking advertisements for their trade, with huge holes in their earlobes and studs in every conceivable body part. Cash looked clean-cut and wholesome in comparison.
‘Cool,’ Payton said, looking wistful.
‘What is?’ his sister asked, coming back outside.
‘Cash does piercing over at the day spa.’
‘Don’t even think about it, young lady.’ Harmony narrowed her eyes at her daughter.
‘I like your tattoo too.’
Cash smiled graciously at the younger girl, but after noticing the less-than-thrilled look on Harmony’s face, she dropped her gaze back onto her drink.
‘Once I’m eighteen I’m getting my nose pierced and a tattoo,’ Payton informed everyone in general, but clearly it was aimed at her mother, who looked anything but excited by the prospect.
‘Go right ahead if you want to look like a delinquent. Good luck finding a job,’ Harmony said, and instantly Linc’s hand tightened around his glass of beer as he saw Cash flinch slightly.
‘I’ve got tats and I’ve managed to work ever since leaving school,’ he pointed out.
‘It’s different with men,’ his sister shrugged.
‘Cash has both,’ Payton pointed out, oblivious to the backhanded insult her mother had just given the woman.
‘Your mum’s right, Payton,’ Cash said calmly, and Linc was impressed by how dignified she sounded. ‘You should think very carefully before getting a tattoo. They last forever and people can be very quick to judge you once you have them,’ she added, taking a sip of her beer before coolly holding his sister’s gaze.
He bit back a smile.
‘When did you get yours?’ Payton asked.
Cash followed the girl’s gaze to the finely scripted ink words written on the inside of her lower forearm. She remembered the day she’d walked into the small back room of the tattoo parlour and given the handwritten quote to the burly tattoo artist. ‘I got this one when I was about nineteen, I guess. But you should take your time and think about what you want to put on your body—make sure it’s important enough to live with for the rest of your life.’
‘What does that one mean?’ the girl asked, still looking at the quote on her arm that read: Rise and rise again, like the Phoenix from the ashes, until the lambs have become lions.
‘It’s a reminder about never giving up.’
The teen pursed her lips and gave an approving nod of her head.
‘Robert, the roast is ready to be carved,’ Lavinia called and began directing everyone to take a seat at the large timber table.
‘Ignore my sister. She’s not usually like this. I don’t know what her problem is lately,’ Griff said quietly as they stood up to walk across to the beautifully set table further along the verandah.
‘It’s okay.’
‘It’s not.’
Cash saw that he was genuinely angry about it and put her hand on his arm gently. ‘I’m a big girl. I can handle your sister,’ she smiled. ‘She’s probably just having a bad day. It’s no big deal.’
His brother pulled out a seat on the other side of the table and Cash caught his eye. It was only brief, but it made her pulse leap automatically in response, and she dropped her hand from Griff’s arm, busying herself with taking a seat to cover the fact she was uncomfortably flustered.
What was going on? She’d known Griff for weeks. Why would she be acting like this over his brother, who she’d known all of two damn minutes? Griffin was reliable and kind. Focus on Griffin. You do not need to be sidetracked by hormones and a pair of blue eyes that do unnerving things to your heartbeat.
Dinner was a unique experience for Cash. Dining with a large family wasn’t something she’d ever done. Her own family was about as opposite as you could get to this. She listened with interest as Bob and Lavinia spoke about the area and the neighbours, how the community pulled together and the mind-blowing number of committees they were both involved with. Bob had been a member of the local rural fire brigade for almost thirty years and she was surprised to discover that Griff was also. It made sense, she supposed. After all, out here, who else was going to defend their properties and the town?
Throughout the conversation and meal, Cash noticed that Don left the table twice to take business calls, making her wonder if there was some kind of sudden boom in the real estate market in Griffith. There was something a little too slick about Don. Harmony didn’t speak, she just drank more wine and seemed to withdraw inside herself, while the two teenagers ate their meal in sullen silence, sneaking glances down at their laps to the phones they were trying to discreetly play with.
‘Payton. Holder,’ Harmony snapped when she finally glanced over and caught the two children playing on the devices. ‘Put those phones away, right now.’
‘But Dad gets to use his,’ Holder whined.
‘Your father’s working. Put them away.’
Cash thought Payton was about to argue, but one glance across at her grandparents and she wisely closed her mouth, sliding her phone into her pocket and picking up her cutlery to resume eating.
Don returned a few moments later without bothering to apologise for the interruption, and Cash wondered if anyone else was picking up on the distinct chill coming from the far side of the table where Harmony and her family sat. It was none of her business—she didn’t even know these people—but clearly there were some major issues going on in Griff’s sister’s marriage. Not my circus, she repeated firmly. She had enough issues of her own to deal with without taking on anyone else’s.
After dinner, Cash pushed her plate aside and stifled a groan. She couldn’t think when she’d last eaten so much food. ‘Thank you, Lavinia, that was amazing.’
‘I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Cash.’
‘You’ve outdone yourself, Ma,’ Griff agreed, leaning back in his seat and dropping his arm across the back of Cash’s chair once again.
‘You say that after every meal,’ Lavinia chided him lightly, but Cash saw a warm glow in the woman’s face and knew she loved taking care of her family. She tried to imagine what growing up with a mother like Lavinia would have been like, but couldn’t. ‘Well, I hope you saved some room for dessert.’
Cash almost groaned at the thought of more food but smiled bravely. She could only imagine what dessert would be like following the delicious meal she’d just eaten. Maybe she had a little more room to squeeze in a taste of whatever culinary delight Lavinia had whipped up.
Cash rose from the table as everyone started gathering the plates but was waved back into her seat. ‘You just sit there and relax,’ Lavinia said. ‘Griffin will keep you company while we get dessert ready,’ she added, and Cash tried not to cringe at the blatant attempt to orchestrate some alone time for them.
Griff happily handed his plate across to his brother to take inside and added a ‘Thanks, mate’ just to add insult to injury.
‘I hope they haven’t scared you off tonight,’ he said quietly, looking into his beer after they’d all gone.
‘Your family’s great,’ she said and honestly meant it, although she wasn’t sure what he was trying to ask by ‘scaring her off’—that sounded a little more serious than the neighbourly drop-ins they’d been sharing over the last few weeks.
‘You’re a hit with Mon’s kids.’
Cash gave a small smile. ‘I’m pretty sure your sister thinks I’m a poor role model.’
‘Nah, she’s just going through some stuff right now. Don’t take it personally. It’s the first time I’ve seen Payton actually have a conversation that didn’t involve one-word answers and eye-rolling.’
‘Anything that a mother wouldn’t approve of will always be something a teenager
thinks is cool.’
‘Mon’s just a bit of a … perfectionist. I think she’s struggling with her kids becoming teenagers.’
Somehow Cash thought there was a bit more to it than a stressed-out mother of teenage children, but, again, it wasn’t any of her business.
Lavinia came back out carrying plates and everyone else soon followed with an assortment of dishes, including Cash’s cake. This wasn’t a simple dinner, this was a feast of gargantuan proportions. Oh, dear God, the food.
Cash refused to sit while everyone else cleaned up after dessert and helped carry in the last of the plates. The kitchen was a chaotic traffic jam of bodies and clinking cutlery, and with no idea where things belonged, Cash was actually in the way and didn’t argue when she was ushered outside once again.
‘I just need to borrow Griff for a minute though,’ Lavinia said, grabbing hold of her son. ‘Linc’ll keep you company for a few minutes, won’t you, darling?’ She smiled up at the startled face of Griff’s older brother.
‘I’ll be fine, Lavinia,’ Cash tried to protest, feeling more than a little awkward that she somehow needed to be babysat, particularly when this guy clearly didn’t feel like being the babysitter.
‘Nonsense, out you go,’ she said, shooing them from the kitchen, and Cash went, feeling like a naughty child that had just been banished by the grownups.
Six
Linc knew he was playing with fire the moment he made the decision to go outside. He should have said no, but then, who was he kidding? As if anyone ever said no to Lavinia Callahan. He walked across the timber floorboards, leaning back casually to rest his back against the verandah post.
For a long moment they stood there in silence, listening to the sounds of the night all around them as the clinking of crockery and the low murmur of conversation went on inside the house. He figured his mother wanted some serious talk time with Mon and Griff. After their exchange earlier, he’d seen her frowning and knew that look would be followed by please explain at some stage later. Cash leaned forward, resting against the verandah rail with her arms draped across the top as she stared out into the darkness, drawing Linc’s gaze to the inscription on her inner arm.