Chapter Nineteen
“Thanks, mate. Send me the email now and I’ll confirm for you.” Liam clicked the mouse and closed the Skype window. He propped his elbows on the kitchen bench and stared out at the golden heads of wheat as he waited for the confirmation email to come through from Sydney. He nodded his head as certainty filled him. He’d made the right choice, and his lightness of spirit, and the anticipation for the future that was zinging through him, was an indication that for the first time in a very long time he was on the right track.
He was listening to his heart.
The email arrived with a ding. Liam opened it, clicked on the link to the e-document, added an electronic signature and clicked the submit button. The smile on his face was wide as he headed for the laundry to collect Willow.
“What are you looking so happy about, Liam?” Gran walked into the laundry with an armful of clean washing. The fresh smell of the linen filled the room, and Liam knew his smile was goofy.
“Just feeling good, Gran.”
“So your interview went well then?” Gran shook her head. “How can they possibly know that you’re the right man for the job talking over a computer?”
“You could say that.” Liam didn’t want to say too much. Angie was going to be the first one to hear his news. “I’m just heading into town, Gran. Anything you or Pop want while I’m there?”
“Someone who wants to stay here and look after the family farm would be nice.” Her mutter was cranky.
“Love you, Gran.” Liam hugged her on the way past and the washing began to slip from her arms.
“Now look what you’ve made me do.”
“Come on, Willow. I’ve got a little surprise for you.” Liam whistled as he slipped the collar over the pup’s neck. The pup was growing so quickly, he’d had to widen the collar by a couple of notches. “We’re going for a drive.”
He’d dropped Garth’s ute back and Lucy’s eyes had opened wide when he’d driven into the Mackenzie farm with the wheels spinning this morning.
“Sorry I’m late, Garth. I got caught up in town.”
Lucy stood at the door waving them off, holding James, her smile wide, when they left for Garth to drop Liam back to Prickle Creek Farm.
The farm work could wait. Angie had been quiet when he left and he wanted to get back there and tell her his good news. Liam wanted—no, needed—to see Angie again.
This time he’d insist they keep their hands off each other, and there would be time to talk. Last night and this morning any discussion had disappeared in a haze of lazy loving.
Tonight he’d take her out, where nothing could distract them. Hell, it would have to be the RSL or the Chinese restaurant, not the most romantic setting, but they wouldn’t get sidetracked if they were out in public. He was going to tell Angie Edmonds he loved her, and that he was never going to let her go again. If she wanted him. That was the sticking point.
He couldn’t let her think too much. She’d always over-thought things and if he left her alone too long, she’d come up with some reason to avoid him. After last night, he wasn’t going to let her go but when he’d left, she’d been so quiet…
Pop patted Liam’s shoulder as he went down the steps.
“Farm’s looking great, Liam. You’ve done a grand job.”
“Thanks, Pop. I’ll be back later. We need to have a serious chat.”
“Take your time.” Pop winked at him. Lucy had obviously been talking.
As he drove past Angie’s house, Liam noticed her car wasn’t in the carport. Knowing his luck, she’d been called out to a farm visit. He parked the car and attached Willow’s lead to her collar. Liam pushed open the door of the surgery and smiled as the pup plonked her butt on the step and refused to go in the door. He bent down and picked her up.
“It’s okay, just a little jab, and I’m sure Angie will have a liver treat for you. If Angie’s here,” he said hopefully, looking at Cissy as she came out of the examination room. The waiting room was empty and Liam frowned as an unfamiliar man in a white coat followed Cissy. He held his hand out to Liam.
“Hi, I’m Steve Windell. I’m filling in for Angie. Who have we got here?”
“This is Willow.” Liam shook his hand and looked over at Cissy. “Filling in?”
“Angie’s gone to Melbourne. Some sort of family emergency.”
A chill ran through Liam. Bloody hell, he knew it. He’d frightened her off.
“When’s she due back?”
“Not sure,” Cissy said. “Maybe not till after Christmas.”
“What?” His voice came out in a croak as disbelief slammed through him. There was no family emergency. Angie had no family. It had to be something he’d said—or done. He tried to figure out what had happened. And what he had to do to fix it.
He wasn’t going to let her go. No matter what she argued. No matter what she tried to use as an excuse. After spending the night with her, Liam knew they had a future. They were right together. He loved Angie, and he should have told her.
Hell, he should have told her months ago and not let her leave London. He’d known then that she was the most important thing in his life, but he’d been a coward.
Jobs didn’t matter. Where they lived didn’t matter.
Angie was all that mattered.
But he’d blown it again. He’d let her go again. Closing his eyes, he fought the cold despair that was settling in his chest.
Maybe it was too late. He shouldn’t have left her this morning until they’d talked it out. Until he’d told her he loved her.
He looked up. Cissy and the locum vet were staring at him worriedly. He straightened as resolve flooded through him.
“Cissy, how long ago did she leave?” His voice was urgent.
“About an hour.” Cissy frowned and then a smile crossed her face as she looked at him. “But if you’re thinking about following her, she’s only going as far as Coonabarabran this afternoon.”
Steve scratched his head. “She asked me about motels there and I told her to stay at the Cattlemen’s Inn. They do a good feed there.”
Liam felt like kissing the pair of them. “Can I ask a favour?”
Cissy nodded and held her arms open. “You want to leave Willow here?”
Liam passed the puppy over with a grin. “I owe you one, Cissy.”
“It’s fine. I’ll take her home for the night. The kids will love her.”
Steve was shaking his head as Liam ran for the door. “Thanks, guys.”
It was exactly one hundred kilometres from Spring Downs to Coonabarabran. Liam glanced at his watch as he turned out of town onto the main road that led through the Warrumbungle Ranges. It was just after two o’clock and he hoped that Angie hadn’t decided it was too early to stop for the night. If she kept going, he’d have no chance of catching her up, and trying to find her in Melbourne would be impossible. He had to catch her; he had to tell her he loved her. A glimmer of what had gone wrong had come to him as he drove out of town. Angie had climbed straight out of bed when he’d mentioned that damned Skype interview.
Of course that would have turned her cold. He’d let her go before and by going on about his job interview this morning, she would have seen it as him leaving her. There was no difference. Last time he’d let her go, and that was as bad as leaving her. That’s what she would have seen this time.
Man, I’ve been an insensitive jerk!
He slammed his hands on the steering wheel as the first roadwork stop sign appeared ahead.
God, please let me find her. The words ran through his head in time with the wheels as the car ploughed on towards Coonabarabran. There was more traffic than he’d expected on the road, and the trip was slow. As he was held up by roadworks just past the Siding Spring Observatory turnoff, he thought about how far he’d come since he’d let her go. He’d blown it when he hadn’t told her that he loved her in London. And he’d let her leave without him, putting his career ahead of her. This time he would fight for her.
What chance did he have of winning her back? He was going to try his bloody best to do it. He knew why he was here, but had no idea how to approach it. He’d take it slow, and let Angie’s reaction guide how much he said. That was the logical way to approach her. Softly, softly.
But whichever way it went, he was going to be honest. Angie was more important to him than any job.
It was way past time for honesty.
What happened after that was an unknown.
No more. Angie was the most important person in his life and he had to have faith.
By the time he hit the outskirts of Coonabarabran, Liam’s stomach was in knots. It would serve him bloody well right if she was gone. It would serve him bloody well right if she was there and laughed because he’d followed her. It would serve him bloody well right if she didn’t want to hear him out. But if it meant Angie’s happiness, he would be satisfied with that. By the time Liam drove past the caravan park, across the Castlereagh River, and through the business district of the small town, his stomach was churning He glanced at the GPS on the dashboard; the motel was on the southern exit for town. His heart was in his throat as he spotted it ahead.
There was a high hedge at the front of the motel and along the drive leading to reception. The motel rooms and the cars were hidden from view. He pulled to a stop outside the office and climbed out of the car. A buzzer sounded as he opened the sliding glass door leading into the office. The desk was unattended and he tapped his fingers on his thigh as he waited for someone to attend to him. Five slow minutes passed and every scenario ran through Liam’s thoughts as he waited. She hadn’t stopped. She’d say she loved him but wasn’t prepared to take a risk on his staying around.
Jeez, where is the bloody receptionist? Every minute he waited was adding to the distance between him and Angie, if she had decided not to stop. There were two different motorways you could take to Melbourne. If she wasn’t here, there was no way he’d find her. He groaned and thumped his fist on his thigh as he turned for the door. As he opened it, a young woman in a navy skirt and white shirt stepped in.
“I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting. I’m by myself today and a guest who’s just checked in needed milk for her room.”
“Oh that’s great.” He wondered if they would tell him if Angie was a guest or not. “I was on the road behind my friend from Spring Downs and I wondered if she’d arrived yet.”
The woman looked at him curiously as though sussing out what his intentions were. “No, this is a single room.”
“Yes, that’s fine. Could you tell me what room she’s in?”
The receptionist shook her head. “Sorry. No.”
There was only one way to get around it. “Do you have another single for the night? For me?”
“One moment, please.” The woman walked behind the desk and clicked on the keyboard. “Um, we’re pretty full. There’s a conference on at the RSL club. I only have one room left. It’s the suite that we normally reserve for our wedding couples.”
“I’ll take it.” Liam dug into his pocket for his wallet. Once he’d checked in he could look for Angie’s car. He was going to look mighty foolish if it wasn’t her who had checked in.
“Just the one night?”
“Yes, thank you.”
By the time Liam had paid and been given the key and directed to a parking spot at the far end of the motel, his heart was in his throat. He jumped in the ute, started it, and drove around the back of the reception area.
He closed his eyes briefly as joy surged through him.
Angie’s car was parked at the far end of the building. Next to the room he had just booked for the night.
“Thank you,” he mumbled.