Chapter Twenty
Angie stood in the small kitchenette of the motel room, waiting for the kettle to boil. She opened one of those awful packets of instant coffee, and tapped it into the mug before peeling back the foil on the long-life milk the receptionist had just dropped in to her.
It had probably been silly to travel such a short distance for the first leg of her trip, but it didn’t matter if she took a week to get to Melbourne. She had nowhere to go, and no one to see when she got there. In fact, as she thought about it, there was no reason to even make Melbourne her destination just because it had been home once and it was familiar to her. There was no need to hide there and lick her wounds. She could go anywhere to fill in the time while she thought about what to do.
Angie poured the boiling water into the mug. She was unnaturally calm and determined not to feel sorry for herself. It was the right thing, leaving Spring Downs. If she’d waited for Liam to come to see her tonight, she knew he would have asked her to stay with him until he went back to Sydney, and she wouldn’t have been able to resist him. Just more heartbreak. Running away might have been the cowardly thing to do, but it was the easiest way to deal with it.
She sipped the hot coffee, ignoring the heavy feeling in her chest. She’d gotten over Liam before and she’d do it again. If Steve was moving to the outback, maybe he was looking for a business to buy. She had no ties in the Pilliga, and could start up another business anywhere else in Australia, if needs be. She’d probably come out of it square, and there was sure to be another rural practice for sale.
A long way from the Pilliga Scrub.
Once Liam went to Sydney, she’d go back to Spring Downs. Having Steve there for as long as she needed was a godsend. If he was interested, that would be a bonus; if not, she’d put the practice on the market.
Making plans made Angie feel better. No way was she going to fall in a heap again. No man would do that twice to her.
Even if I do love him.
She wandered over to the window. The front of the room looked out over a colourful garden. Like Mum used to say when they were short of money: something will happen, chicken. And it always had. They’d survived. Mum had even got her through university with that philosophy.
Angie opened the curtain and sighed. Something will happen.
She jerked back as a large figure walked past the window. Closing her eyes, she shook her head as the hot coffee sloshed out of her mug.
No. It couldn’t be.
No. No. No.
Oh, jeez, something had happened and it was the last thing she wanted. Or expected.
With a deep breath, she opened her eyes and stepped back from the window as someone knocked gently on the door. Okay, so something was about to happen.
Are you up there looking out for me, Mum?
Angie put the coffee mug down carefully. She looked down at the coffee stain on her pink T-shirt. That was the least of her worries. Walking over to the door, she hesitated before she lifted her hand to flick the lock open. There was no point ignoring him, and she wanted to know how Liam had tracked her down.
The door opened slowly and there he was. All six foot plus of him, a hesitant smile gracing his face.
“Liam,” she said briskly, “what are you doing here?” Her voice was steady, and her heartbeat had slowed to normal. He stood at the door and Angie lifted her head to meet his gaze. Her stomach did a little dance as he looked back at her. His green eyes were full of…full of what?
Certainty? Tenderness?
“May I come in?”
She was surprised to hear the tremor in his voice. She stepped back and let him into the room. “What are you doing here?” she repeated.
Liam closed the door gently behind him. He stood so close, his fresh soapy fragrance surrounded her, and she could feel the heat of his skin. She dropped her gaze to the floor, not game to look at him. If she did, she was scared her heart would splinter into a thousand pieces.
Gentle fingers took her chin, and her heart began to thud.
“Look at me, Ange.”
She shook her head and her lip trembled. Slowly he lifted her chin until she was looking into his beautiful green eyes. A little burst of hope radiated through her chest and her heart stayed intact.
“I want you looking at me when I tell you something I should have said on a cold night in London last year.” His eyes were holding hers and she couldn’t have looked away if she wanted to. “Instead, here we are in a tacky motel room in the outback. Even if you don’t want to hear this, even if it’s too late, I want you to know.”
“Know what, Liam?”
“I love you.” His voice was tender as he ran his thumb gently along her cheek. “I’ve loved you since I first saw you on a rooftop beer garden in London. And I’ll love you for the rest of my life…if you’ll have me.”
Angie closed her eyes as the first tear splashed onto her cheek. “I—”
Liam shook his head. “I’m so sorry it took me so long to wake up. I’ve been a stupid fool.”
Angie lifted her hand to wrap her fingers around Liam’s. “But you’re my stupid fool.” Another happy tear splashed down her cheek as Liam lowered his forehead to rest against hers.
“Oh, Ange. Do you really mean that? It’s not too late?”
“It’s never been too late, Liam. I’ve loved you since that same moment. On that old rooftop at the Feathers pub.”
Liam’s happy and relieved sigh warmed her cheek. “Oh, sweetheart, say that again. No, let me say it again. Angie Edmonds, I love you.”
Angie leaned back and cupped his cheeks in her palms. “Liam Smythe, I love you, too.”
His lips slid across her cheek towards her mouth and a delicious shiver ran down Angie’s back, but he paused before he reached her lips. “I’m not kissing you yet. There’s more to be said and sorted first. Let me finish. Listen to everything I have to say.” His warm finger touched her lips before she could finish. “Really listen to me. This is something I should have asked you before I let you leave me in London.”
“What, Liam?”
He shook his head again and let go of her hand as he dug in his pocket. He pulled out his car keys and Angie frowned as he took one of the keys off the circle of steel that held it. As he watched, Liam put the keys back in his pocket, took her hand and pulled her to the door.
“Come with me.”
Angie was beyond words. She was still processing the three little words that Liam had said. He loves me.
Behind the car park a high hedge blocked the motel from the road. A narrow strip of lawn in front of it held a tiny garden with rose bushes in bloom. Liam led her over to the small patch of grass and, still holding her hand, he dropped to his knee.
“Ange, I am not going to propose to you in a tacky motel room.”
“P-p-propose?” She looked down at him as he turned her hand over and kissed her palm gently, and then wrapped his fingers around hers. She trembled as love for this man filled her.
“Angie Edmonds, will you do me the honour of being my wife?” Liam’s voice was firm and strong, and he smiled as he held her gaze.
Tears splashed onto their joined hands as she looked down at their entwined fingers.
Lifting her eyes to his again, she nodded. “Yes, Liam, I will marry you.”
He reached into his pocket again and smiled as he slipped the circle of steel from his key ring onto her ring finger. “Just a temporary ring, but it makes it a formal engagement.”
He rose to his feet and slipped his arms around her. “Now before we say anything else, we are going to seal our troth with a kiss.” Angie needed no second bidding. She lifted her arms and linked her fingers behind his neck, and smiled as the ring flashed silver in the sunlight.
My engagement ring.
It was almost half an hour before Angie and Liam went back to her room. He looked around. “I guess it’s not such a tacky room, after all.” His smile was loving. “Or is it that I’m looking at everything through rose-coloured glasses?”
“I think everything has a special glow this afternoon,” Angie said.
Liam pulled out the chair and pointed to it. “I want you to sit down and listen to everything else I have to say. We should have everything clear between us.”
Angie sat. She reached out and took his hand. “So tell me.”
“My Skype interview. I told you I’d get the job?”
His expression stayed the same as she nodded. “You did.”
“I did.” Now a grin lifted his lips. “But I told them I didn’t want it. I withdrew officially this morning. Because I’m staying on the farm.”
“You’re not going back to Sydney?” Angie squeezed his fingers.
“No. Or London. Or anywhere else. Unless you want to go somewhere else, and then I’ll follow you wherever you want to go. When I was talking to them, I could see the frantic pace of the newsroom in the background. It was a job interview but there must have been at least six interruptions. And you know what?”
Angie shook her head as she stared at him. “No?”
“I sat in the kitchen, where we cooked that cake together. I looked out the window at the waving fields of wheat that have grown under my hand. I looked at the cattle lying contentedly in the shade of the huge gum trees in the paddock. And then I looked back at the frantic newsroom on the screen, and I realised I was happy exactly where I was.” Liam looked at her and love shone from his eyes. “Do you think you could be happy married to a cattle and wheat famer in the outback of New South Wales?”
A laugh of pure joy bubbled up from Angie’s chest to her lips. “I’d be happy wherever we were. Now that I know you love me.”
“Oh, sweetheart, that’s something you don’t have to worry about. We’ll stay here and make a life. I’ve already chosen the spot to build our house on the farm.” Warm lips claimed hers and happiness burst through Angie like the fireworks at the show. A few moments later, Liam lifted his head and there was laughter in his voice. “There’s only one thing we have to worry about now.”
Angie frowned. “What’s that?”
“Whether we are going to spend this afternoon and tonight in your room, or whether we are going to move to my room. All the lovely lady in reception could give me was the bridal suite!”
“Just as well I haven’t got my bag out of the car yet, isn’t it?”
Liam’s cheeky smile brought a giggle from Angie.
“It’s just as well,” he repeated.