Chapter 8

Sol showed Sally to the bathroom, and went in search of some clothes. He stripped off his PJs in the laundry and had a quick wash under the outside shower when he was sure that Sally was inside. He pulled on the jeans and a T-shirt that he’d left in the laundry and went looking for some clothes for her. Surely Dave has something here that she could put on while he washed and dried her muddy clothes.

The farm had belong to Dave’s parents before they’d retired to the coast, and in the back room, he found some bags of clothes that seemed to be bundled up for the op shop. Digging in he found a pair of yellow track pants, a hi vis work shirt and a purple hoodie. He knocked on the bathroom door and yelled through the door. ‘There’s some clothes on the floor outside for you, Sally.’

‘Thanks,’ came the reply. He heard the shower switch off and he hurried down to the kitchen where he’d fed Otis and locked him in. The dog looked up at him innocently. He and Sally had got most of the mud off his coat before they’d let him inside. Sally had been such a good sport.

‘Stay there.’ Sol shook his head as he pointed to the rug in front of the blazing fire, and the mutt settled in comfortably. He checked the back door was closed firmly and opened a window to let some fresh air in. The aroma of wet dog wasn’t a pleasant one for a kitchen, but Sol didn’t have the heart to move him away from the fire.

With a shrug, he crossed to the fridge and took out the pie he’d cooked last night when Sally had agreed to drive up. The oven in the combustion stove was warm and he slipped it in.

I owe her big time.

It was satisfying to be pottering around the kitchen preparing a meal to share with another person. For too long, Sol had lived alone, choosing to house sit for his friends. In between house sits, he endured being back in the apartment at the family home, and if he was lucky his parents would be travelling to some medical conference overseas when he had to stay there. It was about time he bought his own place, although with his new career plans, he could end up anywhere. He stood at the window thinking about where he might end up and jumped when something brushed against his arm.

He turned around and looked into a mass of colour.

Sally stood beside him and smiled. ‘At least they fit, even though I might be a bit bright.’ She gestured down to the clothes he’d found for her.’

‘You look . . .um . . . lovely.’ His lips twitched again.

‘Um, lovely?’ She nudged him and a warm feeling shot down into his stomach and—

Don’t go there.

‘Yes lovely. And bright. Lunch is almost ready.’

Sally sniffed. ‘Smells good.’

‘It’s killed the dog aroma anyway.’ Sol pulled out a chair for her, but she shook her head.

‘I’ll go and get my bag and your notes first.’

As she opened the door, Otis was up instantly and out the door like a shot. Sol followed him out and crossed to the gate with Sally. ‘’He can’t get out of the house yard, so I’ll wait here and make sure the gate’s locked when you come back in.

A short time later, he locked the gate behind Sally and Otis stayed outside as Sol followed her back into the warm kitchen. His lips twitched again as he looked at the outfit she was wearing.

‘I’ve put your clothes in the washing machine. As soon as it finishes, I’ll put them in the dryer.

‘Thank you.’ She sat down and put the notes on the table. ‘I’ll take you through this because there’s so much there. I’m not sure exactly what your focus is.’

‘Fabulous. Thank you. How about after we eat?

‘Sounds good to me.’

The bacon and egg pie was cooked to perfection, and the pastry was light and flaky.

Sol made two coffees with the coffee maker that went everywhere with him when he moved between house-sits. Sally leaned back in her chair and inhaled as it brewed. ‘Yum. What is that?’

‘Ginger and cardamom.’

‘You’re an interesting man, Sol Brown.’

He poured the coffees and carried them across to the table. ‘Not really.’

She nodded and a whiff of fresh Sunlight soap wafted across.

 Sexy. Sol shook his head. Stop it.

‘You are. You have a mean hand with pastry. You make amazing coffee and you’re writing a fascinating thesis.’

He grinned ruefully. ‘You need to talk to my family. They would disagree.’

‘Speaking of family. I have a huge favour to ask you.’

He tipped his hand to the side as he sipped his coffee. Sally’s eyes were bright, and her cheeks were pink from the warmth of the fire crackling beside them.

‘How can I help?’

‘The day my sister comes home from Hawaii, I want to give her a shock. It’s payback time. She thinks I’m too boring and staid to play a trick on her, and I know she’ll fall for it hook, line and sinker.’

What do you want me to do?’

‘I want to pretend that you’ve moved in with me.’

The anticipation glinting in her eyes mirrored the anticipation that shot through him.

‘But only if it suits you. I’m not sure when Sonia’s due home, and you have the goats to look after and the dog. And I know you’ve got to get your thesis in too.’

Sol looked her and grinned. ‘Sounds like fun. But am I right in guessing payback is out of character for you?’

‘You’re very perceptive,’ she said as she held his gaze. ‘I’m the quiet twin. The one who always does the right thing, the one who fulfils everyone’s expectations. I’ve been a bit introverted over the past couple of years. I had a relationship go wrong, and I’ve been licking my wounds ever since. For way too long. That’s why Sonia decided to jolt me out of my comfort zone.’

‘And you’re happy she has?’

Her eyes sparked with mischief. ‘I am. But she’s not going to get away with it.’

Sol reached over and picked up his phone. ‘I leave here on Friday and I was going to head back to Vaucluse for a couple of weeks, so I can come any time.’

‘Thank you. I’ll find out when she’d coming back.’

‘And I’ll have to make sure Gertie’s fixed by then. I don’t want to be stuck out here with the goats and Otis when Dave comes home.’ He smiled apologetically. ‘Can you just excuse me for a minute? With all the fuss this morning, I haven’t had a chance to ring the mechanic yet.’