Chapter Sixteen
As it turned out, Lucy didn’t have to ring Garth after all. She was perched on the rail at the cattle crush holding a clipboard and writing down the weights. Jemima read the scales and called the cattle weights out to Lucy over the thundering hooves and baying of the beasts, who weren’t too impressed with being penned in. Liam was cutting them out, and Seb had the drench gun. Gran was on horseback guiding them into the adjacent paddock after they were drenched.
“Nice look, Lucy-Lou.” Garth’s hand curved around her waist, and Lucy grabbed for the rail, almost falling backwards before he held her steady.
“Whoa, just what I wanted. A gorgeous woman falling into my arms.” His voice was deep, and a tremble ran down her back.
“Hi there,” she said shyly. Being up close and personal with him had been in her mind since he’d dropped her off this morning, but having him turn up before she was ready threw her for a six. “I was going to call you when we finished here. I can’t come over tonight.”
“I know.” He gestured back to Gran. “You’re having a welcome-home party for Harry. Your gran’s already asked me to come over.”
“Did she?”
“Yeah. Liam and Seb are taking her into Spring Downs to collect Harry, and she asked me to get the spit going and cook the roasts while they’re in town.” He looked at her curiously. “Is that okay with you?”
“Yes, yes. It’s cool. I’d love you to come over. I was just worried that you might feel a bit uncomfortable with Gran being the way she was.”
He shook his head. “We had a long chat when she called me. She apologised to me, and I said it was fine. No problem. No hard feelings.”
Lucy pursed her lips. Wily old Gran must have rung from the bedroom when she said she was going to have a lie-down. “That’s good, then.”
“Three hundred and seventy-five!” Jemmy’s voice registered on Lucy’s hearing as she stared down at Garth. “Lucy! The next one’s coming through. Quick!”
“I’ll leave you to it.” Garth climbed the bottom rung and reached around and pulled Lucy’s head down to his and kissed her hard and fast. “Sorry. I couldn’t wait any longer to kiss you.” His grin was cheeky. “I might walk over for dinner and maybe you can drive me home later?”
He winked, and those damned butterflies in Lucy’s stomach set up a rapid fluttering, but she couldn’t help the goofy smile she knew was on her face as she wrote down the next weight. Jemima rolled her eyes but she was smiling, too.
…
The welcome home for Harry Peterkin, much-loved husband, grandfather, neighbour, and friend, was noisy and boisterous. Garth sat back and smiled as the four cousins argued, Harry told jokes, and Helena sat there with a smile stuck on her face as she stared at her husband. The table was set with a lace cloth, the good china, and crystal wineglasses had been pulled out of the Welsh dresser, and the smell of the good country feast had enticed them all to eat way too much. Harry sat back and emitted a loud belch, and Helena tapped his arm. But the look in her eyes was loving as she chastised him.
“Harry! I hope you didn’t do that in the hospital.”
“Sorry, love. Just showing my appreciation for a grand feast.” He put his fingers over hers and held them. “And no, the food was crap there. Did I tell you about the time—”
“Harry…” Helena said.
Everyone looked at the older couple as they smiled at each other.
But it was Lucy that Garth couldn’t keep his eyes off. Her dark hair was pulled up into a twirl thing on top of her head, and she’d done something with her pretty eyes that made them look all dark and mysterious. The three women wore dresses, and Lucy’s dangly silver earrings caught the light every time she turned her head to him.
Which, he thought, was as often as he looked at her. She was beautiful, and his gut clenched as he stared at her. He grinned as Liam nudged Sebastian and gestured towards Garth with a nod. Sebastian rolled his eyes.
“He’s a goner, mate,” he said just loud enough for Garth to hear. “We’ll have to warn him.”
“What are you two up to?” Lucy frowned at her cousins.
“Nothing. Just talking about whose turn it is to do the dishes,” Liam said with an innocent smile in her direction.
Helena pushed herself to her feet and waved at her two grandsons. “Jemmy and Lucy cooked this feast with Garth’s help, so you pair are on kitchen duty. Jemima, you can help me get Harry up the hall, and Lucy can drive Garth home.”
Harry winked at him, and Garth smiled back as Liam and Sebastian cleared the table.
“Thanks for helping us out, Garth.” Lucy’s grandfather had been a good support to him when he’d first arrived home and his parents had headed east. Always willing to share and give good advice. He was sure the misunderstanding about the manager wouldn’t have happened if Harry had been home and well. He’d pulled Garth aside before dinner and thanked him for alerting them about the cattle theft. “Helena feels bad that she thought you had ulterior motives. She’s been in a bit of a state since I went to hospital and came up with this scheme by herself. It was done and dusted before I even got wind of it.”
“Scheme?”
“For the grandkids to come home and take over. They tried to tell me it was Liam’s idea, but I know my Helena.” Harry had nodded to the kitchen where Lucy and Jemima had been helping Gran put the final touches on the meal. Liam and Seb were checking on the cattle and locking the dogs away.
“Ah yes. Lucy told me.” He was hard-pressed to keep the grin off his face. “You must be pleased to have the family home.”
“I am.” Worry niggled at him when Harry lowered his voice. “I’m not convinced it’s such a good idea for all of them, though. I think Lucy’s only agreed because the others did.”
Lucy was quiet as Garth said good-bye to the others and was thanked again for helping out. “No, thanks for letting me join your family celebration. And such a great meal.”
“I’m sure it gets lonely over there for you. Now that Lucy and Liam are going to be here for a while, you’ll have to come over more often. Make sure you come over before Seb and Jemmy head back, too.”
“I will.” He nodded with a smile as he held the door open for Lucy. “I can walk home over the paddocks, if you’d rather.”
Her smile was shy, different from the woman he’d made love to this morning.
“We’ll take my car,” she said as they crossed the green lawn. He followed her to the machinery shed where a small sedan was parked between the bales of hay.
As Lucy reached down to open the door, Garth swooped. He grabbed her by the waist and spun her around, backing her up against the hay bale as he nuzzled her throat. Satisfaction filled him as her arms laced around his neck and she lifted her lips to his.
“God, I’ve wanted to kiss you all night.” He punctuated his words with kisses over her lips, her face, and her pretty ears. Her deep, throaty chuckle sent a shiver through him, and he put his hands on either side of her face. “And I want to tell you how happy I am that you’re staying.”
“Whoa, boy.” Lucy stepped out of his arms and shook her head as she unlocked the car door. “Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m staying, but I’m not staying.”
Garth walked around to the other side of the car and opened the passenger door. “Not staying?” Maybe old Harry was right.
“Three months on, three months back in Sydney, and then three months back here.” She glanced at him as she started the car. “And then I’ll go back to the city to stay for good. I love what I do, and my career is going well. Goodbody and Grech is one of the top agencies in the country, and I’d be crazy to throw that away.”
Garth looked at Lucy as she backed the car out of the machinery shed and turned onto the road that led to the back gate between the two properties.
“I understand what you’re saying. I love what I do, too. Now that I’m back home, that is.” The jolt that shot through his body when she turned briefly to him and held his eyes rattled him. Ever since he’d seen Lucy walking to the dam the other day, he hadn’t been able to get her out of his head.
Hell, before Harry had shared his doubts, he’d even had crazy thoughts of her settling here and moving in with him and starting a brood of kids. He shook his head and looked away.
Slow down, man. She doesn’t want to stay out here in the Pilliga Scrub.
Garth jumped out as Lucy pulled up at the gate and opened it, waiting as she drove the car through to his property. “I’ll leave it open so you don’t have to get out when you come back. There are no cattle in the back paddocks at the moment.”
The rest of the short drive was quiet, but tension hummed in the air between them. When they parked outside Garth’s new house, Lucy climbed out of the car and followed him to the back door. Garth was surprised to see his hand shaking as he put the key in the lock. He held the door open as she stepped inside and he reached for the light switch, but her hand caught his before he could flick it on.
“Leave them off.” Her voice was deep and throaty. God, he loved the sound of her voice and the beautiful smile he could see in the dim light. And it was for him.
He wanted her. And she stood there beside him, waiting, anticipating his next move. Lucy wanted him, too. He stared at her, and her eyes were hazy with desire, and as he looked at her, she leaned against him, slipping her arms around his neck. Her heart was thudding against his chest, as fast as his was. He smiled and walked them towards the bedroom.
…
Lucy shook her head a couple of hours later. Garth had led her to the bathroom off his bedroom and was running water in the huge tub.
“I’m sorry I haven’t got any nice smelly stuff or bubbles. I only use the bath when my muscles are sore after a day on horseback.”
“It’s fine.” She watched as he pointed out the fluffy towels on the bench.
“Do you want someone to wash your back?” he asked with a smile.
“That would be nice, thank you.”
As she sat in the steaming hot water, Garth washed her back and massaged her neck muscles with firm fingers. “Do you want to stay the night?”
“I’d love to, but we’ve got an early start in the morning, and now that Pop’s home, Gran will need an extra hand with him, too.” Lucy shook her head reluctantly. “But I will stay when it all settles down. If you want me to,” she said shyly.
“Of course I do.” Garth dried her off with a big fluffy towel, and they sat in the kitchen while Lucy’s hair dried. She grinned at him. “I know I’m going to get teased anyway, but I won’t give them any ammunition.”
“You all seem to get on as well as you did when you were kids.” Garth’s eyes were warm, and she looked down as he played with her fingers.
“We do. It’s really good being back here together.”
“I’ll be honest, Lucy. I really like you being back here and close by.
A strange feeling ran through Lucy. “I’ll be honest, too. The idea of being here, out on the farm, isn’t as bad as I thought it would be when Gran first mentioned it.” She looked at him as an unfamiliar shyness ran through her. “And now we’re…er…friends”—heat tinged her cheeks as he grinned at her—“it will be fun. I mean I won’t have to put up with Liam’s moods. If it gets too bad I can always come over and visit you.”
“So you and Liam first?”
“Yes.” She nodded slowly. “Me and Liam.”
“It’s going to be good.”
Lucy frowned as Garth stared at her, his expression intent, but happy. She shook her head. “Remember what I said before, Garth.” She reached out and took his hand and held it tightly. “It’s only temporary. I’m not staying. Being home is just part of the deal. Three months on and I go again.”
His smile slipped slightly, and Lucy knew she had to make it crystal clear.