Her heart ached for someone to look at her with such adoration. Someone who saw beneath the gloss to the real person she was. Pandora sighed and glanced in Jonas’s direction.
“Do you need something to eat?” Jonas asked in a low voice that slithered down her spine like a droplet of moisture sliding down a champagne flute.
At his question she laughed out loud. “I can barely breathe in this dress. If I have something to eat I’m likely to burst out of it.”
“I can lend you something to wear if you’d like,” Sindy commented. “Umm, that is if you’re staying.”
Pandora pinched the bridge of her nose. Getting out of the dress would be ideal, but she should really head back to the photo shoot. The client would probably fire her, and no doubt her agent would disown her. Her reputation would be forever mud, but at this precise moment, she didn’t care.
She’d been on the go for five years—she was tired. Tired of dancing to everyone’s tune but her own.
She wanted a break. A real break, where she didn’t have to watch what she ate, didn’t have to go to bed early to avoid waking with dark rings under her eyes. Where she didn’t exercise like a demon every day.
Pandora was so very tired of it all. The fakeness of the industry. The false friends who would stab her in the back just for the chance to get the cover that had been promised to her.
What would happen if she didn’t return to the shoot?
What if she stayed for the rest of the weekend in Bunya Junction?
Maybe until Monday. Who would it hurt if she did? She’d have to call her agent and promise to return the dress, accessories and the car. But it was possible—maybe. She’d never done anything like this before; the thought of doing it scared and excited her at the same time. Making sure she didn’t rock the boat with her agent, Laura, had become as natural as breathing. The last thing she wanted was to be cast aside by Laura.
She lifted the glass of Coke and rested it against her lip, the bubbles tickled her nose. The more she thought about it, the more Pandora liked the idea of being away from the city. For once she was going to do something for herself. She’d worry about the consequences later. “Does this pub have rooms?” she asked before she second-guess herself.
Saying it out loud meant she couldn’t change her mind. Well, she could, but she wouldn’t. She’d sealed her fate for the weekend when she’d climbed into the car and tore away from the shoot location.
“We do,” Jonas responded. He slung a tea towel over his shoulder and his tongue slipped out to swipe across his bottom lip, drawing her attention to its fullness.
Damn, he really was nice looking with his blond hair and blue eyes. The quintessential Aussie surfer type, complete with a sprinkling of freckles across his nose. Clearly tending bar was physical work, if the way his muscles bulged beneath the tight black T-shirt he was wearing were any indication. Would his biceps be hard beneath her touch?
Whoa, let’s not go there.
“Do you have any available? Or are they all booked up?” she asked, steering her mind away from Jonas’s tempting body. The likelihood of the hotel being booked out seemed slim, but the question needed to be asked.
“We have rooms available.” He paused and she tensed waiting for what he was going to say next. “Are you sure you don’t want to contact the people involved with the photo shoot? Or maybe your agent? You have to have an agent, right? Someone who books all your shoots and appearances?”
Who knew a bartender in the middle of nowhere Australia was familiar with all the ins and outs of the modelling industry? “I’m impressed with your knowledge. But in answer to your question, once I get into a room I’ll make a call then. It’s not your problem to sort out.” Pandora looked to where Sindy and her fiancé sat, speculation rife in both their gazes.
One night.
That’s all she’d stay and then she’d get in the car and drive back to Sydney first thing in the morning. Back to where she was sure Laura was going to rake her over the coals for running from the photo shoot.
“Is the offer of clothes still open?” she asked Jonas’s sister.
“For sure! I can run home and grab you some things. The grocery store should also have all the essentials you need. Plus a few other things as well.”
If I had any means to pay for it that is.
“That would be great, thanks. But it’s not necessary to go overboard. I’m only here for one night. So just something to change into would be perfect.”
There wasn’t much she could keep on her person in a wedding dress. Not to mention her handbag was still in the trailer at the shoot. The other models on the set wouldn’t think about taking it for safekeeping. They were probably celebrating the fact that one of them would get the cover of the magazine now.
“Don’t go anywhere or worry about a thing. I’ll be back in about twenty minutes,” Sindy said as she dragged her fiancé out.
“Bye, sis,” Jonas muttered.
Pandora couldn’t help it, she chuckled. “She’s on a mission, by the looks of things. I don’t think she meant to ignore you.”
“Yeah. She’s a nurse, so she’s got that caring nature about her, just not for me on occasions. She and Ryan run the town’s medical practice together. Although,” he paused and looked back at the door his sister had exited out of, “I’m not sure why she seems so starstruck by you.”
“Ouch. Way to make a girl feel special.” She lifted the glass and took a sip of her Coke, trying not to let Jonas’s careless words dig into her already battered self-esteem.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”
She slow blinked. “Really? How was it supposed to sound?”
A wry smile played across his lips and her heart gave a little flutter. “Like a brother giving his sister a hard time?”
“Are you asking me if that was the case, or telling me?”
The more they bantered the more she relaxed again. She shifted on the barstool and winced when the tight bodice pinched her back. She would be glad when she could get out of the dress. As beautiful as it was, it wasn’t one she could sit around casually and have a drink in. She was surprised she’d driven as far as she had in it.
“So, I have to ask,” Jonas rested his elbows on the shiny wooden surface and she was assailed by his pine-fresh cologne, reminding her of the time she’d had a photo shoot in the Swiss Alps surrounded by snow and pine trees. It had been a Christmas shoot and she’d had so much fun making snow angels and throwing snowballs as part of the shoot. It had been one of her first shoots, and she’d had to pinch herself continually, not quite believing where she was. “Pandora? Are you okay?”
Jonas’s question dragged her from her memory of a more carefree time. She couldn’t believe she’d spaced out on him. “Sorry, I’m good. What did you say?”
He glanced at her outfit. “I was about to ask if your dress has pockets? Have you got a credit card or ID on you? Mobile phone, maybe?”
“No.” Damn, how was she going to do this? Maybe she should just get in the car and drive back to Sydney. Face the music. But the desire to have some time out, be alone, was snipping at the end of her dress like an angry tailor. “Will it be okay with you if I pay you what I owe when I return to Sydney? If you could give your bank account details when I leave, I’ll transfer some cash from my account the minute I get back to my laptop. Or if you’ve got a computer I can do it now.” Not an ideal solution but a viable one at least.
“Don’t worry about it. You don’t owe me anything. I’ll comp you the room.”
“Oh no, I can’t let you do that.”
Jonas reached over and placed his hand over hers, stilling fingers she hadn’t even realised she was drumming on the bar. “This is Bunya Junction, we look after our own—and runaway brides.”
Pandora laughed. “I’m not a runaway bride, and I’m not one of Bunya Junction’s own. I’m an interloper. A mess.”
She closed her eyes, what the hell possessed her to say that.
His hand was still on hers, creating a warmth in her that had been missing for so long.
“Whatever’s happening—if you need help, all you have to do is ask.”
Was this guy for real? There had to be something wrong with him. She opened her eyes, studying him, as if that would help her in deciding if he was genuine or not.
In her world, whenever somebody said they wanted to help her, it was usually in a way that worked out better for them than for her. Early on in her career she’d been stabbed in the back more times than she could remember. She’d tried to grow a thick skin over the years. Trusting anyone was hard these days, even though her default was always to believe exactly what they said.
So, what did Jonas want? What was his angle?
“You know, I’ve changed my mind.” Pandora gathered up her skirts and hopped down from the stool, grabbing the car key from where she’d left it on the bar. Her head spun for a moment and she put the motion down to her abrupt movement. “I think I should drive back to Sydney.”
In a blink of an eye, Jonas was by her side. How had he got around the bar so quickly? She then spied the gap in the middle of the bar she hadn’t noticed before. She was tall—as a model she had to be—but Jonas seemed to tower over her. “I’m afraid I can’t let you drive.”
“Excuse me?” She’d walked away from demanding people already that day, she could definitely do it again—couldn’t she?
“You downed a scotch not long ago, and I’m guessing you also haven’t eaten. Alcohol on an empty stomach is a sure-fire disaster. Not to mention you seem a little stressed. It would be remiss of me, as a responsible bar owner, to let you get behind the wheel of a car.”
The temptation to stamp her foot was strong, but she controlled it. God, this day had been a disaster from the second she woke up until right this moment. But she couldn’t deny the truth of his words. Nor the fact she was still experiencing a little lightheadedness. “Fine. I’ll stay.”
Besides, she didn’t want to think about the mess she’d left behind. If she returned to the city she’d have to face it and she wasn’t ready for that.
Chapter Two
The look of abject defeat on Pandora’s face slammed him in the gut. Her shoulders were slumped and she didn’t look like the confident model who’d strutted into the bar as if she was on a mission to take down everyone who stepped in her way.
Jonas supposed he’d been too hard on her, demanding she not drive, but he couldn’t shut off the responsible business owner inside of him. If anything happened to her, or anyone else, because he’d let her leave, he would never be able to let go of the guilt.
“Look, I’m sorry if I sounded harsh. I take my obligations when serving alcohol seriously.” And he wasn’t just saying it to keep her in the pub. He was very careful with all the patrons who frequented his establishment. It was hard for him to switch off the compulsion to help people—even if they didn’t appear to want it.
“It’s fine.” He didn’t deserve her easy forgiveness. Whatever she was going through, Pandora didn’t need him demanding she do things his way. Regardless that he was saying it from a safety aspect.
“No, it’s not.” Out of the corner of his eye, he spied the door opening and breathed out in relief when Sindy and Ryan walked through, a big duffel bag clutched in Ryan’s hand. “What the heck?” he muttered.
“What? Did the people from the shoot find me?” There didn’t appear to be a hint of panic in her voice, yet she seemed freaked out that she’d been found.
The mystery that was Pandora Sebastian, model, was getting intriguing. For someone who said that no one would come looking for her, she didn’t look happy that she may have been found. “Nah, Sindy’s back and it looks like she brought her whole wardrobe with her.”
No sooner had he finished his sentence, Sindy reached them. “Hey, word got out around town that you may need some things.” She pointed to the bag Ryan held. “You’ve got a few different items to choose from.”
Jonas bit back a smile at the look of disbelief on Pandora’s face. “Welcome to Bunya Junction,” he said again.
“Umm, this is too much. I’ll just pick out something to wear tonight and you can take the rest back to those who gave it to you. I’m going to be returning to Sydney in a couple of hours anyway.”
Not if he could help it. He was going to make sure she followed through with what she said, which was—she was staying the night. The sun would be setting soon and he didn’t like the idea of her making the trek back to the city when it was dark. Also, Pandora wasn’t familiar with country roads or the vagaries of kangaroos and their penchants for hopping out into the middle of the road unexpectedly.
Pandora kept her hands to her side, as though the bag might actually bite her.
“Oh, well, that’s okay. Everyone just wanted to help.” Sindy leaned closer and whispered not so quietly. “I think the gossip around town now has you as a bride in tears, because her husband-to-be jilted her.”
“What?” Pandora sputtered. “I’m a jilted bride? How on earth did that happen?”
Sindy shrugged. “Small-town gossip. And you know how everyone likes to embellish the truth to make it sound more dramatic. I don’t know how many times people have ‘heard’ that I’m pregnant, when I’m clearly not. It’s so ridiculous. Not being pregnant, but that I’m pregnant right now.” His sister bit her lip to stop the flow of words and glanced up at her fiancé who dropped a kiss on her head. A secret look passed between the couple.
Jonas was really happy for his sister. She’d had a tough time of it with a loser boyfriend who’d almost got her killed. Now with Ryan her joyful nature had returned. But there was definitely something secret going on between the two of them. Furtive looks and mysterious smiles gave them away. They also made him wish for someone special of his own.
There were other things to think about at the moment. More important than the yearning for someone special in his life. As the owner of the only pub in town, which was open six-and-a-half days a week, he was never off the job. He liked it that way, probably a hangover from the hours he’d put in when he was a stockbroker. He could admit he was a bit of a workaholic and found giving control over to someone else difficult. The pub was his baby and he didn’t trust anyone but him to run it the way he liked. It had taken him a little while to get into the groove. Once he’d found it, he didn’t want anything or anyone disrupting the well-oiled machine he’d created.
The woman who fell in love with him would have to accept those character flaws, and so far the women of Bunya Junction hadn’t shown any signs that they were willing to be the town publican’s wife. Neither had the last few women he’d dated.
“Small towns, huh?” he said when the silence stretched between them all. “Will you need any help getting out of your dress?”
“You offering?” Pandora arched an eyebrow, accentuating her sparkling blue eyes. A move she had no doubt perfected for her photos.
A rush of heat coursed up his neck as he realised what he’d said. “Umm, no, but.” He turned to face his sister who was biting her lip to stop from laughing at him. “I’m sure Sindy will be more than happy to help you.”
“I sure can, come on, we’ll get you changed in no time.” Sindy hooked the bag of clothes over her shoulder and held out her hand to Jonas. “Hey, bro, can I have a key please?”
“Sure, give me a second.” He walked back through the gap and made his way to the hook where the keys for the ten upstairs rooms hung. Picking the one for the biggest room he headed back to where the group stood. Pandora still had a slightly shocked look on her face, even though she’d just joked around with him.
An overwhelming urge to pull her into his arms and soothe away her worries seared into him like a splatter of hot oil. Oil burned and he had no plans on suffering any sort of burn again; been there, had the metaphorical scar. He shoved the key ring toward his sister. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” She canted her head to study him, as if she cou
ld read what was going on in his mind. He hoped like hell she couldn’t. “We’ll be right back.”
Jonas watched as Sindy and Pandora manoeuvred the bulky dress through the tables and out the side door into the hallway leading upstairs to the rooms. Once they’d disappeared from view he blew out a breath and grabbed a glass, filling it with water and downing half of it in one swallow. He then filled the couple of orders that June, the waitress who was working that day, came up and asked for. A hundred questions lit her eyes, but he was grateful when she kept them to herself. The last thing he wanted was to be answering questions about their mysterious guest.
Jonas went through the motions while his mind was focused on what was happening upstairs.
“You alright, mate?” Ryan asked when Jonas had caught up with the orders and began putting dirty glasses in the glasswasher.
“Yeah, just tired. You know, long week. Never any real time off.”
“Have you thought about promoting one of your staff to assistant manager, to give you a break every now and then?”
“I have.” Well, maybe a fleeting thought he always disregarded quickly. “There’s really not a lot of interest from my employees. Most of them have worked stressful jobs in the past. They’re just happy to come and do their shifts and then leave without doing more than serve drinks and food. Which I’m totally okay with. They’re looking at spending time out of the house and making some pocket change at the same time. You know how it is. Even Drew is having trouble finding a fellow cop willing to come share the duties at the station.”
“Yeah, you’re not wrong. Most country kids want to get out and experience big city living the moment they finish school. Either with university or a job.” Ryan tapped the bar top. “I hope someone decides they’re looking for a change, though, and can help you out. I’ve finally realised that country living is good for the soul. And not as restrictive as I thought it could be.”
Runaway to the Outback Page 2