‘She is.’
Rosie gave a dramatic sigh. ‘Dad says I have to hand the phone to him now.’
A smile broke through Saul’s fears. He could almost feel the tightness of the hug she always gave him. ‘Bye, Rosie Posie. See you soon.’
Nathan’s voice replaced his daughter’s. ‘I’m not a bad patient but I would like to get this boot off.’ His tone sobered. ‘You don’t normally call during the day.’
Saul swallowed. ‘Duke’s been bitten by a snake.’
‘That’s rough. I hope he makes it.’
His brother’s simple but heartfelt response was exactly what he needed. He was only just keeping his emotions in order. ‘Me too.’
‘There’s always a bed here for you if you need it.’
Talk then turned to what Rosie had been up to at preschool and Nathan’s latest garden project fail. Saul didn’t do much of the speaking but the conversation had the desired effect. Time passed.
When the front door of the surgery opened and Ella walked down the steps, he’d headed towards her even before he’d ended his call. When they met near the red fire hydrant he folded his arms to hide the unsteadiness of his hands. He couldn’t read anything from Ella’s closed expression other than that she appeared tired.
Her gaze searched his. ‘Duke’s okay. He had a lethal dose of venom and needed two vials of antivenin but his vital signs are now stable. He’s on fluids so will need to stay overnight.’
‘Thank you.’
He didn’t care that his reply emerged deep and husky.
‘Saul …’ She stopped and slid her hands into her jeans pockets as if rethinking what she was about to say. ‘You’re very welcome. You getting him into town so quickly was critical.’ She took a step away. ‘I’d best get back inside but I’ll call in tonight with an update if you’d like.’
‘I’d appreciate it.’
Then she was gone and all he was left with was the memory of the intensity of her brown eyes and a feeling of profound relief and gratitude. Duke had survived.
By the time darkness lay beyond the kitchen windows and the doorbell rang, fatigue blunted Saul’s emotions. He padded along the hallway on bare feet. He’d been for a gruelling run and taken a long, hot shower to defuse his tension but still the chime of the melodic doorbell grated on his nerves. This was the first time it had been used. Normally Duke’s barking signalled he had company.
He stopped at the door but didn’t reach for the handle. His earlier strain had been understandable but now Duke was okay he couldn’t allow Ella to see how gutted he still was. He couldn’t have her know why Duke meant so much to him.
Chest tight, he opened the door.
‘Hey,’ Ella said, the sensor light teasing out glimmers of gold in her loose hair.
He stepped away from the doorway and the yearning to have her warmth thaw the coldness inside him. ‘Come in.’
Neither spoke until they’d entered the kitchen.
‘Coffee?’ he asked, needing something to say and do.
She sat in what had become her usual chair at the table. ‘I’d better not as otherwise I’ll be awake until midnight.’
‘Decaf tea?’
‘Perfect.’
After he’d added milk to her tea, he made himself a strong coffee. Without Duke with him, he wouldn’t be getting any sleep anyway so would catch up on some bookwork.
Ella studied him over the rim of her mug. ‘The good news is Duke’s on track to come home tomorrow morning. The bad news is that you’ll have to keep him quiet for at least two weeks.’
‘No problem.’
He clenched his teeth as he failed to achieve the casual tone he’d been aiming for.
‘Duke’s muscles might be sore and he’ll have to be watched for any antivenin serum sickness.’
This time Saul only nodded. He couldn’t trust his words would be any less raw or tense.
‘Saul … these things happen. It’s not your fault.’
His only answer was to stare into his coffee.
Metal dragged as Ella moved her chair around to his side of the table. She sat close enough so she could curl her hand around his forearm resting on the table. Her cherry blossom scent wrapped around him.
‘Duke might be okay but you’re not. Talk to me.’
Still not looking at her, he shook his head. His shoulders felt as rigid as the pale stone on the kitchen benchtops.
Ella’s only response was to move her chair closer before her fingertips brushed the edge of his jaw. ‘You’re safe with me … remember.’
It wasn’t her words that proved his undoing, but the echo of hurt and of something else that remained indefinable. She’d allowed him to help her when she’d been vulnerable and concerned about her scar, and here he was blocking her out. Through letting him in, her message had been that she could trust him. His message in return now was that she didn’t belong in his life. Which was in no way the truth.
‘It’s a long story …’ he said, in a rasping voice that didn’t sound like his own.
‘I’ve got nowhere else to be.’
The sincerity in her answer lifted his gaze to hers and unlocked the emotions he hadn’t revealed to anyone but his brother.
‘After I retired from bull riding I went to work on a bison ranch in Wyoming. The rancher, Adam, was a widower but he had a daughter …’
‘Trish.’
He nodded. ‘Maybe it was expectations, convenience, or we really did have something, but we were married in the local small-town church. I bought into the ranch and ran it full time. An old bull-riding mate, Jamie, dealt with the marketing side. One summer Trish fell pregnant … we were so excited … then she miscarried. It took a while but she fell pregnant again and Caleb was born.’ Saul paused to find the right words. ‘Seeing him arrive, cutting his cord and feeling his heart beat against mine were things I can never really describe.’
When his pause stretched into silence, Ella rubbed his forearm. After a moment, he spoke again. ‘Caleb was three days old and Trish’s hormones were making her feel like she couldn’t cope, so I took him to a room across the hospital hallway and held him while he settled. Not wanting to move in case I woke him, I read through his paperwork that had been on the shelf below his crib. From my own injuries, and from Rosie being sick, I had a basic understanding of blood types. When I saw Caleb’s blood type I realised … he couldn’t be my son.’
‘Oh … Saul.’ Ella pressed a kiss to the place on his jaw where her fingers had touched.
‘I went to see Trish. Jamie was holding her hand. The guilt on their faces when they noticed me standing at the doorway said it all. Not only had I made the mistake of trusting my wife, I’d also trusted a friend. We made it to the car park. Things remained civil until Jamie said he never wanted to be a father and that I had to stay with Trish as he didn’t want the commitment that came with having a child. I decked him. The images snapped on nearby phones became favourite fodder for the local newspaper and social media. Then all the talk started …’
Ella again touched her lips to his jaw and this time didn’t draw so far away. She stayed silent, letting him continue.
‘I could handle Trish not loving me … but losing Caleb … I holed myself up at the ranch and did nothing but work. One night Adam came home with a rescue puppy. I was sitting on the porch, staring at nothing, and this warm bundle of energy landed in my lap, wriggled up to my face and licked my nose.’
Ella smiled. ‘Duke.’
‘He filled the emptiness in my arms.’
‘And Trish and Caleb?’
‘I made sure Jamie fulfilled his responsibilities. He bought out my share of the ranch and on Caleb’s first birthday married Trish. Adam sends me photos of Caleb and lets me know how he’s doing. He’s a great little kid.’
‘I’m sure he is.’ The warmth of Ella’s hand on his forearm slid upwards to encircle his biceps as she leaned in closer. ‘I’m guessing the only time you and Duke have been apart was when
he had to go into quarantine to enter Australia.’
‘That’s right.’
‘I’ll stay if you want, so you’re not alone tonight. I can sleep on the couch.’
As the intensity of his emotions receded, it was as though a switch flicked on. He became acutely aware of just how near Ella was, of the full curve of her bottom lip, of the way her attention dipped to his mouth. He also became aware of the peace that had replaced the weight of his loss. Sharing his story with Ella, trusting her with his past, had been what he’d needed to truly set him free.
Her eyes again met his. In the golden-brown depths he saw the shimmer of his own need and longings. She no more wanted to stick to their friendship agreement than he did. Neither had to say the words that if they took this step, there’d be no going back. He turned his head to brush his mouth over hers and to give her a chance to move away. She didn’t.
They stared at each other, their breaths already uneven.
‘Saul Armstrong,’ she whispered, closing the distance between them, ‘if you expect me to sleep on the couch, I’m telling Rosie her uncle needs some serious lessons in how to treat a princess.’
CHAPTER
16
Ella awoke to a strip of pale light above an unfamiliar bedroom blind, the subdued hum of an air conditioner and the warmth of an arm looped around her waist.
Still drugged with sleep, she felt around to make sure that a sheet covered her scar. When her fingers encountered smooth cotton instead of marked skin, she relaxed. She eased her head back a little on the pillow to look at the man sleeping beside her. In the dim light Saul’s masculine face was all shadowed angles and stubbled lines. For the first time since she’d met him, he looked peaceful.
She swallowed as emotions swirled in her stomach and caused her throat to constrict. If she hadn’t already fallen for him, after the night they’d shared she’d be head over heels. She’d never known a man’s touch could communicate so much tenderness, need and honesty. He hadn’t just physically beguiled her senses, he’d touched her soul.
She fought a wave of panic that prickled over her skin. She could do this. She could embrace how Saul made her feel even if her emotions proved overwhelming. She wasn’t sure what communicated to Saul that she was awake but his eyes flew open and his hand drew small circles on her back as if to calm her. The intensity of his gaze suggested he hadn’t been asleep at all.
As fixed as his expression was, his smile was slow and relaxed. ‘Morning, princess.’
‘Morning.’ She matched his light tone, even as she knew he must feel the tension tightening her muscles.
His hand moved to brush her tousled hair from off her face. His fingertips lingered on her cheek. ‘Ella … this can be exactly what you want it to be.’
She thought hard. As much as she loved him, her doubts wouldn’t be silenced. It was too soon to rush into anything serious or risky. They both could still have things to work through. The fact that she felt so emotional confirmed she certainly did. A platonic friendship wouldn’t now be possible, they could no more suppress their chemistry than they could avoid each other, which left one other alternative.
She rested her hand on his chest and drew strength from the even rise and fall of his breathing. ‘Friends … with benefits?’
For a long second his eyes turned serious and then he smiled a lopsided grin. ‘That works for me.’
She couldn’t help but return his smile. A lightness replaced the heaviness within her chest. ‘Actually, that had better be friends with secret benefits.’
His low chuckle had her reaching for him. The sound of his laughter never failed to stir her senses.
‘Absolutely,’ he said, as he turned towards her and she entwined her arms around his neck. ‘Noel’s already warned me off twice.’
Whatever she was going to say fled her head as his mouth moved over hers.
Her next conscious thoughts were that the strip of light above the bedroom blind was now daylight bright and that all hell had broken loose outside Saul’s window. She prised herself away from where she’d slept curled against him.
‘Those guinea fowls are so coming back to you,’ Saul said, his voice muffled with sleep.
This time when her drowsiness receded emotions didn’t blindside her. She simply felt … happy. She laughed and planted a kiss on the smooth tanned skin of his shoulder. ‘Good luck getting them out of your trees.’
She looked around and to her relief saw that her dress lay within reach on the floor. There was a huge difference between Saul catching a fleeting glimpse of her scar compared to allowing him an unobstructed view. As she went to slip from Saul’s bed, his hand caught hers. His dark gaze scanned her face. ‘Everything okay?’
She leaned over and let her kiss answer for her. ‘I’ll head home and get ready for work. See you about ten.’
When it came time for Saul to collect Duke from the vet clinic, Ella made sure she was busy. Penny never missed a thing. While it was normal for Ella to show her feelings, she wouldn’t be able to hide how much Saul and Duke’s reunion affected her. Even the thought of them seeing each other made her eyes mist.
She gave Saul a wave when he entered the surgery and then disappeared into the treatment room to finish her phone call. She made it back to reception just in time to see Saul leave with a tail-wagging Duke. In Saul’s hands were Duke’s medication and a blue-and-white folder containing Duke’s aftercare notes. Even knowing that she shouldn’t, she watched through the window while Duke stopped to lift his leg on the red fire hydrant. Saul’s grin flashed white.
Penny came to her side. ‘If that’s not a sight to bring tears to your eyes, I don’t know what is.’
‘It never gets old seeing animals recover.’ She headed for the computer behind the counter, hoping her cheeks weren’t an incriminating pink. In this case it wasn’t just her patient she was glad to see was in a better place today.
Penny stayed by the window as Saul held the F-truck door open for Duke to jump into the back seat. ‘Saul’s expression yesterday when he carried Duke just about broke my heart. It was as though he’d already lost him.’
Ella hoped her nod appeared casual as she read through a client’s file. ‘Have we had any blood results back yet from Mr Wright’s poodle?’
Penny came to look over her shoulder at the computer screen. ‘No, not yet. You know …’ Ella glanced at Penny who now stared at her. ‘The person who deserves Saul the most … is you.’
Ella fought to keep her expression from changing. ‘Me?’
Penny arched a brow. ‘No offence, but you’re not getting any younger.’
Ella couldn’t contain a burst of laughter. To Penny she probably did appear positively ancient. ‘I’m not that long in the tooth. I’ve still got plenty of years ahead of me.’
Penny’s stare didn’t waver or her eyebrow lower. ‘Maybe, but it isn’t every day that a man like Saul comes along.’
Ella blinked as Penny sent her a you-know-I’m-right look before she moved away to talk into her headset as a call came in.
Penny’s words replayed in her head as she drove home after seeing the last of her Saturday morning patients. As much as Penny was right, she’d made the correct and safe decision to keep things simple and lighthearted between her and Saul. She bit the inside of her cheek. Even if a persistent niggle reminded her that this was the man she loved and that she should be holding on to him with both hands. Life had already proven that it had the power to snatch away those who were precious to her.
She slowed to turn into her front gate and pressed stop on any further thoughts of Saul. In less than three hours she had a surprise party to pull together. After checking on the goats and finding Nutmeg had put her small front leg through the side handle of a food tub, she went inside to take a shower and swap her work clothes for town clothes.
Dressed in the red dress she’d worn the day she’d had her hair cut, she stilled as she caught her reflection in the wardrobe mirror. It wasn’
t her quick frown that had her swing away and riffle through the dresses hanging beside her but the glow she’d glimpsed in her eyes. They usually looked more brown than gold.
Bethany had already once remarked that she looked different and it hadn’t been due to her haircut. She couldn’t now risk the entire town seeing anything that publicised there could be something going on between her and Saul. She flicked through the dresses to the very end where tags swung off a teal-green dress. She’d wear something no one had seen before to mask anything else that could appear different.
After a quick stop in the main street to collect two clusters of white and gold helium balloons, she arrived at the old schoolhouse that now sported a museum sign out the front. Amongst the handful of cars in the car park there was no sign of Edna’s Land Cruiser, even though Noel’s farm Hilux was parked in the shade of a pepper tree. Bethany had conspired with Taylor to give Edna a late hairdresser appointment to ensure her mother didn’t turn up to the museum opening early.
Ella parked beside Tanner’s blue ute. She was just about to remove the sheet she’d used to conceal the balloons when her phone chimed. The message was from Bethany and contained multiple exclamation marks.
Can you believe it!!! Mum’s here!!!
No way. How?
She discovered Taylor had a cancellation so turned up an hour early. Taylor took as long as she could …
Where is she now?
Don’t know. I’m stuck in the party room. She thinks I’m at work.
I’m here too. Edna will think I’m helping out … I’ll text when the coast is clear.
Intent on typing her reply to Bethany, Ella didn’t realise she wasn’t alone until someone tapped on her driver’s side window. She jumped and looked up to see Edna staring in at her. She slipped her phone into her tote bag and made sure the large bag blocked the covered balloons from Edna’s view. She could only hope a renegade balloon didn’t suddenly bounce free.
She lowered the window. ‘Afternoon, Edna.’
‘Afternoon.’ Edna’s attention zeroed in on her face.
Ella kept her smile in place and stayed silent. At least if Edna was focused on her she wouldn’t notice the bag of presents on the floor of her passenger seat.
The Boundary Fence (A Woodlea Novel, #7) Page 24