Chapter Twenty
A week after the wedding, Isabella frowned as she pulled out two pairs of jeans, a couple of T-shirts, plus one for sleeping in, and a cardigan. If it was too cold, she could wear her leather jacket. There was no point being a fashion statement. It was a camping trip and she’d be working alongside Sebastian, carrying his gear, or whatever else a photographic assistant did.
A car pulled up outside, and she was surprised when she looked out of her window. Sebastian was climbing out of a high, white ute. She leaned forward and watched. He moved around to the back of the ute and adjusted the straps that held the load on the tray. In the back was a canvas roll, a blue esky, and a large crate that she assumed held all of his photographic gear. A warm feeling settled in her chest as the sunlight glinted on his dark hair when he looked up at her window. It was embarrassment at checking him out, that was why she felt so shaky. With one last check in the mirror, Isabella fluffed her hair with her fingers and grabbed her bag. She hadn’t seen him this week; every time he’d called and invited her out, she’d come up with an excuse as she tried to forget the feelings that had overwhelmed her at the wedding.
She walked through the milk bar where her father was talking to Sebastian. His black jeans were snug, and she’d swear his biceps had gotten bigger since he’d been working on the farm. That damn shaky feeling ran down her legs again.
Dad winked as she came in carrying the carry-all she’d found in the cupboard.
“I hope it’s okay to take this old bag, Dad. I found it in the linen cupboard. I didn’t think my suitcase would be right for camping,” she said, shooting a smile at Sebastian. “I thought we’d be on the bike.”
He shook his head. “Now that I’m a farmer, I thought I’d better invest in a ute. Pop’s old jalopy is a bit too unreliable, not to mention noisy. I don’t think it would have got us that far.”
“That’s your ute?” She gestured to the road where the shiny ute was parked.
“Yep, brand-spanking new.” He shook his head. “Feels funny. It’s the first car I’ve ever owned.”
“Did you trade your bike in?” she asked as Sebastian held his hand out for her bag.
“Hell, no. No way could I part with my baby.”
Isabella’s laugh bubbled up. She was so looking forward to this weekend. Even if it was work, it was going to be fun. And a completely new experience for her.
She leaned in to hug Dad. “You behave yourself this weekend. And you think about what we discussed. Promise.”
He hugged her back. “I will, cara. I promise.”
Sebastian put the radio on when they hit the main highway north and groaned when a country and western channel blared out. “See if you can find some decent music,” he asked with a smile over at Isabella.
“What do you consider decent music?” She leaned forward to peer at the dashboard. The sun was low in the sky, and bright shards of silver light were glinting through the line of clouds low on the horizon. “Not country and western, I take it.”
“You’re right. I hate it.” He rolled his eyes. “Would you believe Pop still plays his old vinyl records on a turntable every night? If I hear ‘I Want to Have a Beer with Duncan’ one more time, I might have to resort to a beer or two myself!”
Isabella found the scan button and snatches of different songs floated through the cabin. Every time a different song played, she turned to Sebastian, and every time he shook his head.
On the fifth shake of his head, she shook her own head with a grin. “Okay, tell me what sort of music I’m looking for.”
“Mellow music.”
“That really helps. What sort of mellow?” she asked. “Classical or seventies mellow?”
“Seventies would be good.”
She kept scanning until he nodded.
“That’s good. Thank you.” He turned to her briefly. “So don’t tell me you’re a country and western fan?”
“No. I’m not. This is nice.” She nodded and hummed along with the slow music playing.
“Oh, I meant to tell you,” he said. “I couldn’t get a swag from Liam.”
Isabella sat up straight, suspicion forming in her mind. “So? What does that mean?”
“It’s okay. I’ve got mine. You can have that, and I’ll build a fire and sleep outside. I just didn’t want you to see the double one on the back of the ute and jump to the wrong conclusion.”
“What sort of conclusion?”
“Um. That I was trying to share my swag with you. Liam said he sold his before he went to the UK and hasn’t bothered to get another one. I thought he’d have it in his shed, but he downsized when he moved away.” Sebastian flicked the headlights on as low trees arched over a particularly narrow section of the road. “I tried Garth, but they were out.”
“It’s okay. I wouldn’t have thought the worst of you,” she said. “I think I know you well enough now to know you always do the right thing.”
“I try to.” His voice was soft. “But it’s damn hard sometimes.”
“What do you mean by that? You’d like to share the swag with me?” Isabella frowned, ignoring the little flutter in her tummy.
Sebastian laughed. “That goes without saying, Bella. But we still haven’t had a real date. And if I remember correctly, you don’t succumb to any proposition until the second date. Unless I’m allowed to count the roses you brought last week as a date.”
Isabella couldn’t hold back the peal of laugher that bubbled out of her lips. “Succumb to any proposition? Have you been reading your grandmother’s Regency romances, Seb?”
She looked over at him and he rolled his eyes. “My God, I’m even starting to sound like Gran. Next you know I’ll break out into a rendition of ‘The Pub with No Beer,’ like Pop sings in the shower every night. I have to find a place of my own,” he muttered.
“So you are going to hang around here?” she asked.
“Looks like it.” It was hard to read the tone of his voice, but he stared ahead and there was no more conversation as they headed north.
…
Sebastian stood next to the ute parked on the grass on the edge of Yarrie Lake. The office was run by caretakers and they’d closed for the night, but an envelope stuck to the door with his name on it had confirmed the booking and directed them to the site they’d been allocated. The camping ground was huge, and they drove a couple of kilometres around the lake until the headlights illuminated a white post with number 31 on it, the site number they’d been looking for. It was pitch dark and they’d passed no other campers as they’d skirted the lake. Across the other side, a couple of fires flickered in the dark, reassuring him that they were not the only campers out here.
“It’s very isolated,” Isabella commented as she pulled a thin cardigan around her shoulders.
“I’ll get a fire going. Grab my leather coat. It’s on the back seat,” he offered. There was no moon and a strong, icy wind was blowing in from the west. It was blowing so hard, it had slammed the ute door shut as soon as he’d let it go. “And then I’ll get the billy boiling. Gran packed some sandwiches that we can toast in the jaffle iron.”
“A fire?” Her voice was sceptical. “In this wind? Maybe it would be easier to eat them cold and go to bed.” Isabella yawned and Sebastian reached over and took her hand.
“Trust me, Bella. I was a Boy Scout. Look, there’s a fire pit over there and a pile of timber. I’ll have a roaring blaze going in no time. You grab a camp chair and sit on this side of the ute, out of the wind, while I unload.”
“No, I’ll give you a hand. It’ll be quicker.” She shivered and he rubbed her hands between his. “And it’ll warm me up a bit.”
“It’s a lot colder than I thought it would be.” He looked up at the sky, but it was too dark to see if the clouds were threatening rain. There were no stars and that wasn’t a good sign. If it rained, he’d have to sleep in the front of the ute; it would be cramped but better than getting wet.
Together they unpacked the back of the ute, and Sebastian quickly unrolled the swag and secured it to the ground. There was a cover that he rolled out over it and pegged down as well.
“I can smell rain,” Isabella said. Almost as she spoke, the sky opened and a solid wall of rain descended.
“Quick, get in the swag,” Sebastian yelled over the noise of the fat raindrops bouncing off the ground. As she disappeared into the small tent, he grabbed the esky and pushed it inside before crawling in with her. If it had been dark outside, it was pitch dark in here. He felt around for the LED lamp that he’d unpacked and pulled his hand back quickly when it touched a soft curve.
“Oops, sorry. I was looking for the light.”
Light flooded the cosy space when Isabella located the torch and switched it on. She was sitting cross-legged and her eyes were dancing in the soft light. She grinned widely.
“Great weather to take photos,” she said.
“Great weather to camp out,” he replied.
“Great weather to sleep outside,” she came back with.
“I’ll sleep in the ute.” He tried to inject enthusiasm into his voice, but the prospect was not enticing for his six-foot-two frame.
“Don’t be silly. You can sleep in here. There’s plenty of room for both of us.” Her voice held laughter. “But so long as you know it’s not a date. Just a camp out.”
“Damn, I knew I should have packed the roses.” He nodded slowly. “It’s almost a date, you know,” he said hopefully. “That light’s as soft as a candle and I’ve got a bottle of white wine on ice in the esky.”
Isabella folded her arms and shook her head with a giggle. “No roses. No date.”
Sebastian looked at her in the soft light and caught his breath. Her lips were full and rosy, and a slight flush tinged her cheeks. Her black hair tumbled down in a riot of curls as she stared back at him…for a long time. Her brown eyes were framed by thick lashes and her lips parted softly as he held her gaze.
“What’s wrong?” she asked after a long silence.
He knew his voice was husky, and he was surprised she couldn’t hear his heart pounding in the small space of the swag.
“I’m just cursing myself for forgetting the roses,” he said softly. “You’re a very beautiful woman, Isabella.”
She leaned closer as he spoke and her perfume surrounded him.
Lemons. Citrus. Sharp.
Her lips were close to his, but she didn’t touch him.
“Maybe since you brought the wine and the almost candle, we could say it was half a date?” Her lips were so close, her breath warmed his cheek. He waited, not wanting to make the first move and break the date deal, but before he could move back, soft lips brushed against his.
Gently, ever so gently.
He reached around and cupped the back of her neck in his hand, increasing the pressure of her lips on his by nudging her head forward a little. When she didn’t move away he closed his eyes and lost himself in the glorious warm softness of her mouth.
Never again would he smell lemons without thinking of this beautiful woman in this cosy space.
As her lips opened and she wrapped her arms around his neck, the torrential rain eased and gradually faded away into silence. All Sebastian could hear now was her soft breathing.
He opened his eyes as Isabella pulled back and rested her cheek against his.
“Are we going to have dinner?” she asked. He could feel her lips tilting in a smile against his cheek. “I’m starving.”
“I guess we’d better.” He moved back and reached for the esky. “How do you fancy cold sandwiches?”
“I’m starving, so it sounds good.”
“Gran’s homemade bread makes them gourmet quality.”
The normal conversation dispelled the intimacy that had surrounded them moments earlier. Sebastian had been wondering how far he should take the moment, what her expectations were, but he was following Isabella’s lead.
“Do you want to eat in here or go back outside?” he asked.
“Everything’s going to be pretty wet out there, isn’t it?” she said.
“Yep, the chairs will be soaked. So it’s here, or in the ute.”
“This is cosy and dry.” She looked around. “Do you think the rain’s gone?”
“I’m hoping it was just a localised storm. It wasn’t forecast when I looked at the weather site before we left.” He passed her a packet of sandwiches. “Would you like a wine with your meal, madame?”
She nodded as she unwrapped the sandwich. “I would, thank you.”
“Unfortunately, I didn’t pack the crystal flutes. We’ve only got the plastic mugs in the picnic set.”
“I think I can cope.”
Sebastian propped up a couple of pillows and leaned back after he’d poured the wine. He lifted the plastic mug and held it against hers. “To our first date,” he said with a smile.
She lay beside him and they chatted. He had his head at one end of the swag and she had hers at the other.
Later, as he organised their pillows, he said, “Makes it like a twin bed. That okay?”
“That’s fine. It’s ages since I camped out.” Curling up close to him was tempting but Isabella stayed firm. It was bad enough that she’d kissed him before.
“Where did you camp?”
“A few of us did a tour of the Cote d’Azure when we finished at cooking school in Rome,” she said. “We were all broke, but we had the opportunity to visit some of the top restaurants there, so we had a couple of old vans and a tarpaulin and we had the best time.” She stared into the dark. “That was the last holiday I had. Five years ago.”
“Sounds like you work hard.” The nylon of the sleeping bag cover rustled as Sebastian stretched out. “Tell me about your new job. It’s sounds like you’re on the successful chef path now.”
She bit her lip. If she agreed it sounded as though she had tickets on herself, but that was not her motivation for wanting to get to the top. It was hard to say what motivated her without sounding as though she was critical of what she picked up as Sebastian’s more casual approach to life.
“I guess,” she said after a long silence, “it’s not because I want to be at the top, it’s more because of how I’ve planned my life out.” She rolled over on to her stomach and propped her chin in her hand. “I guess I’ve never left things to chance. It was hard being pulled from pillar to post when I was a kid. Mum and Dad were always moving. You know, we’d lived in seven different countries before Dad bought the milk bar and we moved to Spring Downs.”
“Wow. You’ve seen a bit of the world then. I didn’t leave Spring Downs until I finished high school.” But Sebastian’s voice held sympathy rather than envy.
“I did. And it made me absolutely firm in setting some pretty clear objectives for what I wanted out of my life, and putting them into a plan. A certainty that my life would go where I wanted it to. Not where a whim, or a fancy, or the lure of change would take me. I suppose you think that’s a bit rigid.”
“No,” he disagreed. “But I do believe you have to be open to change, if something comes up. Take me, for example. All I wanted to do was see the world. Roam around with my camera and go where the whim—or the contracts—took me. And look at me now. Change happened. Gran called us home and here I am. A cattle farmer, back where I started.”
“Maybe that’s not such a bad thing. I really don’t think that a hit-and-miss approach to life is the best way to live. It still surprises me that Dad has stayed here so long.” Isabella gestured to make her point and then realised he couldn’t see her. She switched the light on and looked at him.
Bad move.
Sebastian’s eyes were shadowed in the dim light of the swag. He was propped up on the pillows and his T-shirt was bunched up. A glimpse of tanned skin beckoned below his T-shirt and Isabella wished she hadn’t turned the light on as a rush of need fluttered in her tummy.
How easy would it be to have a night together? But could she walk away with no regrets?
No, that is not a part of my plan.
“I guess the bottom line is that you’ll have to hope that it all works out and that you’re happy here,” she said faking a yawn. “I guess if we’re going to get some sleep, so we can work tomorrow, I need to stop with the deep and meaningful stuff.”
“Probably should get some sleep.” His voice was soft. “But thanks for the insight. I can see where you’re coming from. And Isabella, I want you to know how much I admire you for knowing what you want out of life.”
As she drifted off to sleep she wasn’t sure if she heard properly, but she swore that after a few minutes he added softly, “I wish I did.”