Ben held onto Tilly’s head gently. ‘Okay, hold onto both reins with your left hand and place your left foot into the stirrup.’ Emma followed his directions, her heart racing with a rush of excitement. It was the same rush of adrenaline she felt when she was a cop attending a call out. The unknown of what she’d expect when she turned up to a scene had always given her a rush. Riding a horse for the first time was giving her a similar feeling and quiver in her stomach.
Ben adjusted her foot, so it was resting comfortably in the stirrup. ‘Now, you’re going to place your right hand on the cantle.’
Emma looked down at him, confused. ‘The what?’
‘The cantle.’ He lifted her hand and placed it on a funny shape at the front of the saddle. His hand lingered on hers before skimming off. ‘Okay, now you’re going to push off with your left leg and lift your right leg over Tilly.’
Emma attempted but didn’t quite have enough momentum to get her leg over.
‘That’s okay. Try again,’ Ben said, reassuring her. She tried again and failed. Looking to the sky, she grunted in frustration. ‘Don’t give up. Have another go. You can do it.’
She did, and the next thing she knew, she was sitting on a horse. She suddenly felt tiny compared to this enormous animal underneath her. She heard Jackie cheer and saw Zoe clapping her hands.
After a minute, Ben asked, ‘You ready to move?’
Emma nodded, and they took off with a gentle lurch. Emma swayed to and fro as Ben led Tilly by a rope. Ben looked over his shoulder and beamed at Emma. ‘You’re loving this, aren’t you? I can tell by the smile that’s plastered on your face.’
Emma smiled back. ‘I am. Ben, this is amazing. I can’t believe I’ve never done this before now.’
‘Well, why not make it a regular thing? How about every Tuesday you come here, and I can teach you a little bit more. After a few weeks, you’ll have the hang of it, and you’ll be able to ride solo.’
‘Sounds like a plan I’d love.’ They pulled to a stop in front of Jackie and Zoe. Ben moved around and grabbed hold of her waist as she clambered down off the horse. Emma felt the burning pressure of his hands on her waist, heating her body with a pleasant sensation.
Zoe stretched out her arms to Emma, and she placed her on her hip, smiling as she watched Ben lean on his mum’s shoulder and give her a peck on the top of her head. It was apparent this was a close-knit family. Ben said to his mum, ‘Em’s going to have some lessons each Tuesday. You wouldn’t mind watching Zoe for an hour, would you?’
‘It would be a pleasure. She’s no trouble at all. She loves animals. She has been pointing to the cows over in the far paddock. I might take her for a walk and introduce her to Beautiful next week.’
‘Thanks, Jackie. If your plans change, though, let me know, and I’ll organise another time to come out.’
‘Will do, love. Not a problem.’ Jackie approached Zoe and said, ‘It was lovely meeting you, Zoe.’ She looked at Emma, ‘and you too, Em. I’ve got some book work to do, so I’ll head off. I’ll see you next week.’ Jackie patted her son on the back and walked towards the house.
It was back to being the three of them. She turned to Ben. ‘So how much for the lessons?’
‘I didn’t offer the lessons to get payment. I don’t want your money. You can help me groom Tilly though after each lesson if you like.’
‘Sure. I can do that.’ She had no idea what grooming entailed, but she was excited to learn.
‘Okay, follow me. I’ll show you what you’ll be doing.’
Emma held Zoe, and both ladies were transfixed watching Ben groom the horse. Zoe, of course, had her eyes on the horse in absolute awe. Emma had only eyes for Ben. She couldn’t take her eyes off the way Ben’s shirt stretched across the muscles of his back, the way his hands glided across the surface of the horse ever so gently as he washed the horse down. She hung on his every word as he explained each grooming process to her, loving the sound of his deep, smooth voice. She was in a world of trouble. This attraction to Ben wasn’t abating, judging from the tingles radiating through her body. The way his hands had felt on her as he had held her waist not long ago made her breath hitch. A simple, innocent touch had sent fire coursing through her body. The memory made her body flush with heat. It was becoming more than she could bear. She was burning up with desire for Ben Beckett, and it was a fire in need of smouldering. Why did life have to be so damn hard?
Ben was far from her thoughts when she pulled into her driveway later that afternoon with a police car pulling in behind her. She got Zoe out of her car seat and juggled her on one hip, and held a bag of groceries in the other, closing the car door with a booted foot. The policeman raced over to her and took the bag of groceries out of her hand. He was tall, a good head above her, with a receding hairline. He wore a friendly smile. ‘Hi, Emma. I’m Roy, the local senior sergeant.’ They shook hands, and Emma instantly knew what this visit was about.
Emma indicated with her head Roy should follow her, and they walked up the path to her front door. She spoke as they walked, ‘Do you think it’s such a good idea that you’re here. I mean won’t having the local police turning up at my house catch people’s attention?’
She turned the key in the lock and opened the door, walked in, and placed Zoe on the carpet to play with her toys. She turned around to find Roy still standing in her doorway. ‘Most people think you’re in witness protection anyway. That’s the rumour going around at the moment.’
Emma laughed. ‘Come in, Roy. You wanna cuppa?’
‘That would be lovely, thanks.’ She indicated for him to take a seat on the barstool and filled the kettle before turning it on. He spoke as she retrieved two cups out of the cupboard. ‘Your Detective friend rang me and filled me in on the situation. He’s worried about you, and frankly, I’m a little concerned myself.’
Emma held up a container of coffee in one hand and a tin of tea leaves in the other. ‘What tickles your fancy, Roy?’
‘Tea, please, but none of that herbal crap.’
Emma removed two heaped teaspoons of black tea leaves from the tin, placing them in the sieve of the teapot and poured the boiling water in afterwards. The teapot was a gift from Jess. It had various shades of blue flowers on it, and it had become Emma’s favourite teapot. She crossed her arms and leaned back on the counter while she gave the tea leaves time to infuse. ‘So, what did Detective Morrison tell you? Because the other night when he spoke to me, he said I was perfectly safe. So, what’s changed?’
Roy scratched his head as if he knew this was going to be an uncomfortable conversation. ‘Well, he asked me to pop around every now and again to check on you.’
Emma lifted her eyebrows. ‘And?’
‘Umm, he’s concerned about the security of the house. He wants me to check the house is secure.’
‘Is he serious? I used to be a cop. I think I know how to make my house safe.’ Emma pushed herself off from the counter and poured the tea into the cups. She had chosen a pair of delicate porcelain cups with purple pansies on them. She handed Roy his cup and watched as he stirred in three sugars. ‘All that sugar will harden your arteries, you know.’
‘You sound like my wife.’
‘Maybe you should listen to her,’ Emma said before taking a sip of the hot tea. She silently chastised herself for being impatient as the liquid burnt the roof of her mouth and tongue.
Roy sipped on his tea and looked around the room. ‘All your windows lock?’
‘Yep. I have night latches on all the doors. Closed shackle padlocks on the garage and garden shed. All the windows have window latches and the sliding windows like this one,’ she pointed to the kitchen window, ‘have a rod of dowel installed in the track to prevent them from being opened. The house is like a fort. Nobody’s getting in that I don’t want to be here.’
Roy pushed himself off the kitchen stool and inspected the window latch. ‘Who’d you get to install these?’
‘Why? Is something wrong w
ith them?’
‘No. Thought whoever installed them might spread the word you’ve put all new locks in. They did a good job, whoever installed them.’
‘I put them in. So, thank you, and I bought all the locks from Newcastle, so no one is none the wiser here in Holbrook.’
‘Good.’ Roy sat back down to finish his tea. ‘I think getting a couple of cameras would be a good idea, too.’
‘Really? Isn’t that overkill? I thought there was no way he’d find me in Holbrook,’ Emma questioned, a touch of exasperation in her tone. Zoe toddled over to Emma and tugged on her legs. Emma picked her up while reaching over and grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl. She peeled it and tore it in half, giving it to Zoe.
‘Look, this is in case our worst-case scenario actually happens. I don’t want to put the fear of God into you, but Jason could send one of his men up here looking for you. If he finds out where you’re living, there might be trouble. I think you should take as many precautions as necessary. A dashcam on your car wouldn’t hurt either.’
Emma rested Zoe on the benchtop as she munched on the banana. ‘Okay, I’ll get a dashcam, but the cameras around the house you can forget. It would draw way too much suspicion. Honestly, who has a camera system in Holbrook?’
Roy scratched his cheek. ‘Well, there’s Maureen. She swore someone was taking cuttings of her prize-winning roses. She happened to be right. It was her best friend, the two don’t speak now.’ He clicked his tongue thinking. ‘Oh, and there’s Duncan. He thought someone was stealing his vegetables from his garden. Someone was the wild rabbits having a field day in his veggie patch.’
Emma smiled. ‘Roy, I’m not installing cameras. Not yet, not until there’s a real threat.’
‘Okay, well let me know if you change your mind. I’ll get it done for you discreetly.’
‘Appreciate it, thank you.
Roy stood. ‘I best be off. I have to head out to Jacob Morrison’s property. He’s reported some machinery stolen.’ Emma followed him with Zoe on her hip to the front door. He turned the handle and paused. ‘Do you miss it?’
‘Miss being a cop, you mean?’
‘Yeah.’
‘I do, and I don’t if that makes sense. I miss helping people and the adrenaline rush. I don’t miss the paperwork and the deadbeats.’
Roy nodded and opened the door. ‘You know where to find me if you need me.’
She closed the door behind him and turned, leaning her back against the door for support. She kissed the top of Zoe’s head. ‘We’re going to be fine, ZoZo. Just fine.’ She walked over to the breakfast bar and realised Roy had left some brochures there. She lifted the first one, a pamphlet for an alarm system. Maybe if the local cop was concerned, she should consider adding more security.
Emma was exceptionally late. Zoe had been awake intermittently throughout the night. Emma couldn’t be certain, but she thought Zoe might be cutting another tooth. She hoped that’s all it was making her so irritable. Not only hadn’t she had much sleep, but Zoe wouldn’t let her put her down all morning, making it difficult for Emma to get dressed for work. Zoe was a permanent attachment on her hip as she did her hair and makeup and then when she had fed her breakfast, Zoe had thrown it all over Emma. Now Emma wore soggy Weetbix on her uniform and all through her hair.
She looked at the clock on the oven, and she only had thirty minutes before she was due at the shop. What was she going to do? She scooped Zoe up and raced into her bedroom for a new shirt. Zoe screamed when she put her down, her face turning red with temper. Emma tried her best to ignore Zoe, but it was difficult as Zoe tried to climb up her legs as she unbuttoned one shirt, threw it on the ground and replaced it with a fresh one. She raced into the bathroom and wet a washer and tried to sponge the Weetbix out of her hair and off her face. The cereal had started to dry and was becoming the consistency of Clag glue. Zoe had followed her into the bathroom and looked up at her, still screaming.
Emma picked her up again and raced into the kitchen, madly throwing items into Zoe’s lunch box. One-handed, she made her a vegemite sandwich, then wrestled with the cling wrap trying to wrap it. Still, Zoe screamed. She had no idea what to do. Zoe wasn’t normally like this. She zipped the lunch box up with her teeth before stuffing it in Zoe’s daycare bag. She placed the bag over her shoulder and ran for the door, locking it behind her.
As she reached her car, she rummaged through her bag for her keys. ‘Come on.’ She started emptying the contents of her bag onto the bonnet of her car, and closed her eyes, inwardly counting to ten, when they were nowhere to be seen. She had left them inside the house that was locked up like Fort Knox. She rang Daisy, who hadn’t sounded thrilled she had to go in to work on her day off and then she rang Lilly to explain Zoe would be late to daycare. Lilly had been more understanding and wished there’d been something she could have done to help, but she had a houseful of children to care for.
Sitting on the front steps, she rocked Zoe against her shoulder. The baby had finally settled and was falling asleep in her arms. There were several locksmiths listed on the internet as she scrolled through them on her phone. The only problem was, they were all based in Newcastle. Ringing around, the only locksmith available couldn’t get to her until late in the afternoon. She wished she could’ve gone back in time with a click of her fingers. She had no idea what she was going to do without any keys, even Zoe’s stroller was locked in the boot of the car. She was going nowhere.
Ben’s phone vibrated in his pocket as he jumped on his bike. Removing his helmet, he placed it on the handlebars and looked down at the screen of his phone. He answered cheerily. ‘Hey, Lil. What can I do for you?’
‘Hey. Have you left for the gym yet?’
‘Nope. Why? Need me to drop off Niko’s lunch again.’ He laughed. ‘That man would forget his head if it wasn’t screwed on.’
Lilly laughed. ‘He actually remembered his lunch today. I swear he forgets it on purpose ‘cause he feels like takeaway instead of a healthy salad. Anyhoo, I was hoping you could take my car into town and pick up Em and Zoe. She’s locked her keys in the house. I just got off the phone from her, and the locksmith can’t get to her place until this arvo.’
Ben whistled. ‘Hell, that’s hours away.’
‘I know. She sounded a bit stressed on the phone. It’s a long time to sit outside with a baby. I thought you could drop them off to me.’
‘Sure thing. I’ll be at your place in five.’
He hung up, and his heart skipped a beat. Now he had an excuse to see Emma and Zoe. It had only been a couple of days since he’d seen them, but he missed them like crazy.
An hour later, he parked behind her black car. She was nowhere in sight, and he wondered if she’d taken Zoe for a walk. As he walked around the back, he was struck by her cuteness, for that’s precisely what it was. She yielded a mattock in her hand and was attacking the ground with it. He spotted Zoe in a swing seat under the jacaranda tree, happily chewing on a rusk. Emma had her hair tied on top of her head in a messy bun. She had untucked her white blouse from her black pants, which she had rolled up to three-quarter length. They were filthy, covered in a layer of dirt. Emma looked up, smiling, as she walked over to him.
‘Hi. I came to rescue you, but it looks like you don’t need it.’ He pointed over her shoulder to the mass of dirt churned up.
She looked back. ‘Yeah, about that. I think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.’
Ben scratched his head and walked over to the pile of dirt. ‘What exactly are you trying to do?’
Emma placed her hands on her hips and sighed. ‘Well, it’s meant to be the beginning of a veggie garden.’
‘I was meant to be taking you back to Lil’s, but it looks like we’re staying here and fixing this,’ Ben said as he kicked a mound of dirt with his boot.
‘Haven’t you got anything better you need to do?’ she asked. He noted her take in the gym gear he was wearing.
He shrugged. ‘Nothing that can�
��t wait.’ He winked at her and walked in the direction of Zoe. She immediately dropped her bottom lip as well as the rusk and began to cry. He bent down and picked her up. ‘What’s wrong, possum?’
Emma came to stand behind him, and Zoe twisted and extended her arms out to her. ‘She’s a grizzly bear today and very much a mummy’s girl.’
He handed Zoe over to Emma, who quieted immediately, placing her head on Emma’s chest.
Ben shrugged out of his leather jacket, threw it on the grass, and clapped his hands together. ‘Right. Well, we have a veggie garden to build.’
Emma looked down at Zoe. ‘I don’t think I’m going to get very far with the garden today.’
Ben shrugged. ‘Well, I can get a bit done for you, while you look after Zo. She needs her mum today.’
‘Thanks. I’ll ring Lil and tell her I won’t be coming out.’
Ben got to work on the garden, first levelling the ground, and then he found some old wooden sleepers behind the shed. He hammered the sleepers together to form a rectangle. Wiping the sweat and dirt from his forehead with his arm, he looked over to Emma, who was walking back and forth, trying her best to soothe Zoe. Nothing this past hour seemed to be working, giving her a bottle, giving her a dummy, and rocking her had all failed miserably in settling the poor little girl. He could see the lines of stress forming on Emma’s brow. She looked exhausted. He dropped the hammer and walked over to her. ‘What can I do for you?’
Emma shook her head. ‘I gave her some Panadol this morning, but it must be wearing off. I don’t have any on me. It’s inside the house. Do you think we could go for a drive to the chemist and get some and some teething gel? I think she may have a temperature now to top it off.’
‘Sure. I’ll wash my hands, and we’ll get outta here.’ He ran over to the outside tap and turned it on. As he scrubbed his hands, he watched Emma pick up her handbag and wince in pain. Whatever was wrong with her shoulder was being exasperated by the fact she had to hold Zoe. He felt helpless, wishing Zoe would go to him so he could give Emma a break.
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