“What did you do after I dropped your clothes off this morning?” Christina asked with nosy interest.
Susan checked the expressions of the nearby people and decided she was safe. “We went shopping. Tyler wanted to buy art supplies and a present for his daughter. By the time we had a late breakfast, there wasn’t that much time before the game.”
“Tyler is an artist?”
“Yeah.” Susan recalled the drawing he’d done of her, the one currently tucked inside her handbag. “He’s good.”
“How do you know?”
“How do you know what?” Maggie asked as she joined them on the sideline. She wore a green beanie and her breath emerged with a puff of steam. “Julia and Ryan had a last minute appointment to view a house. They’ll be here in about half an hour.”
“I hope this one suits,” Christina said. “They’ve been looking for ages.”
“I’ve got a good feeling about this house,” Susan said. “My spidey senses tell me so.”
Christina snorted. “We’ll see.” She grinned at Maggie. “Susan needs to spill some details about her date.”
“We had a very nice time,” Susan said in a prim voice. “The game’s starting.” She scanned the faces and bodies, finally recognizing Tyler. He ran up and down the field, doing warm-up drills with the rest of Connor’s team. A spurt of anxiety filled her for a moment until she saw how competent he was with the football in hand.
“At least it’s not pouring with rain,” Maggie said. “Connor said I didn’t have to come, but I know how much he likes me to watch his games. After the last one, I was soaked by the end of the first half. I got a spanking for not using my common sense.”
Susan grinned while Christina said, “I don’t want to hear about your love life. You and Julia have hunky men to hold you in the middle of the night. Now Susan has a sexy farmer. There’s no justice in this world.”
Maggie giggled, a joyful and intoxicating sound that pulled an answering grin from Susan.
“Your birthday is coming up soon. Maggie, Julia and I can chip in and buy you a new battery operated boyfriend,” Susan said.
Christina let out a huff. “I knew you got some last night.”
“Never said I didn’t.”
“Quiet,” Maggie said. “The game has started.”
Usually Susan attended to games to keep Maggie company and to support Connor since they’d been friends for a long time. The Tight Five ruled again. She thought of her circle of friends and the nickname for their group, the name of Tight Five taken from a rugby term where five players bound in a tight formation to face the opposition team. They were like that. Four women and one man—friends—who used to work together at the accountancy firm and who maintained the friendship away from the job. Although at the rate they were adding husbands and friends, they’d soon manage an entire rugby team.
“Tyler knows what he’s doing,” Maggie said.
“He’s certainly does,” Susan said.
Maggie and Christina turned to smirk at her.
“Glad to hear it,” Christina said. “Are you going to spend tonight with him?”
Julia and Ryan hurried up to their group, followed by Caleb.
“Have we missed much of the game?” Julia’s blonde hair flowed around her shoulders and healthy color filled her face. She’d bloomed since Ryan’s return.
“About ten minutes,” Christina said. “How did the house hunting go?”
Julia beamed. “It’s perfect. Five bedrooms, open plan with a few acres of land and some outbuildings we can renovate for Ryan’s music.”
“What about you, Ryan?” Susan asked. “Did you like it?”
“The property is just what we were looking for,” Ryan said with a wink at his wife. “Plenty of room for kids and a nanny and for the guys to crash if we end up working late.”
“Wait—kids?” Maggie asked with a rush of excitement. “Are you…?” She trailed off and Susan knew she didn’t want to upset Julia.
“We’re pregnant,” Julia said, her wide smile putting them all at ease.
“That’s great!” Susan said.
“Congratulations,” Christina added.
“I’m so pleased for you,” Maggie said.
“The doctor said she’s healthy as a horse,” Ryan said.
Susan glanced at Caleb and noticed his grin. “You knew,” she said, her tone slightly accusing.
“Julia let Ryan tell me because he was bursting with excitement,” Caleb said.
“It’s perfect timing because we’re home for a while to work on some more songs,” Ryan said.
The whistle blew and the people standing on the other side of the field jumped up and down.
“Oops,” Maggie said. “We’ve missed a try. Who scored? Please tell me it wasn’t Connor.”
“Matthews scores a try for the Panthers,” the announcer said over the loud speaker. A blast from a classic rock tune about champions rose above the clapping and sideline celebrations.
“You’re safe,” Susan said. “So am I. We’d never hear the end of it if we missed a try.”
“Excuse me,” someone said from behind them.
They turned to face a group of teenage girls.
“It is. It’s Susan from Farmer Seeks a Wife,” a spotty-faced brunette squeaked. “Could we have your autograph?”
“Go on,” Ryan said with a broad grin. “Sign for the girls.”
Susan found paper and pen thrust at her. “What’s your name?”
“Carol,” the girl said.
Ryan bent close to whisper in her ear, and Susan nodded. She wrote, Life is an adventure and signed her name. More pieces of paper were handed over and she was so busy with autographs she missed the next try too.
“Thanks, girls. I’d better watch the rest of the game now.”
“Well done,” Caleb said. “You have to be firm or they walk all over you.”
“It was fun. I didn’t realize the show would be so popular,” she said.
Caleb pulled a face. “It’s gets old fast. I don’t mind if the fans are genuine, but some people think because you’re a public figure they own you.”
“I don’t aspire to those heights,” Susan said.
“If you go further with the show, you might not have an option,” he warned, speaking softly so no one would overhear.
“Nolan isn’t interested in me. At least I don’t get that vibe. If he showed any interest, I wouldn’t have agreed to meet Tyler. I doubt I’ll go much further.”
“My three chosen dates are Lucy, Jasmine and Susan,” Nolan told Hailee.
Famous last words.
Susan stared at Nolan, shock striking her with the force of a misdirected rugby ball. An ache dug into her chest, rippled down into her belly, and she realized she needed to breathe. She sucked in once, twice, but panic jellified her knees.
Cherry, the woman standing beside Susan, nudged her none too gently in the ribs. “It’s you,” she gritted out.
Susan forced her legs to function and joined Lucy and Jasmine who stood beside a beaming Nolan.
“Congratulations, ladies,” Hailee said. “You’ll join Nolan at his farm in Clare for two weeks. This will give Nolan a chance to get to know you better while you’ll receive a taste of life on the farm.”
Susan lifted a hand to massage away the ache at her temple and wandered into the kitchen to grab tablets for her headache. Thank goodness Christina was out, running one of her makeup and clothing evenings for teenage girls. Susan needed this time alone to tamp down her apprehension.
For the life of her, she didn’t understand why Nolan had chosen her in the final three. After the filming, Jennifer’s assistant had given her an envelope detailing travel arrangements and the filming format during her farm visit.
She needed to tell Tyler, to warn him before the show aired. Yes, maybe he’d have a suggestion or two because it was him she thought of when she was alone in bed at night. Nolan was like the annoying brother who kept niggling at her to get a rise, which was why she didn’t understand his selection. Lucy and Jasmine—yes—but her? One of these things was not like the others.
Her.
Still unsettled, she picked up her cell phone and dialed.
“Hello,” a feminine voice said. “This is Tyler’s phone.”
“Oh, can I speak to Tyler please?” Susan asked.
“He’s putting Katey to bed. Are you Tyler’s friend from Auckland? His mystery lady?”
“Maybe,” she said with caution shading her tone.
“I’m Josie, his mother-in-law. Tyler has been very close-mouthed about you. I think he’s worried about hurting our feelings.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, he’s a good boy, and he deserves happiness after— Ah, here comes Tyler now. It was nice to chat to you, Mystery Lady.”
Susan smiled. Tyler had told her about his in-laws and how much they’d done for him and his daughter. The sentiment was obviously returned since love and caring filled Josie’s voice.
She heard Tyler’s husky laugh before he spoke into the phone. “Did Josie grill you?”
“You didn’t take long enough. I think she was winding up to nosy questions.”
“Just a sec,” he said.
The snick of a door sounded and the background noise cut off abruptly.
“I’ve missed you,” he said. “How did today go?”
Frustration filled her at the enforced distance. She wished she could see his face. Maybe she should’ve used the computer, but she’d been impatient to speak with him. “Your brother picked me again, but every time we meet, he goes out of his way to embarrass me. This week he visited Maxwell’s and he dared me to do a pole dance.”
“Damn,” Tyler said. “I would have liked to see that.”
“No doubt you will because Jennifer told me I’m good for ratings. My quick and dirty dance will be on the show for sure.”
“Maybe that’s why Nolan is picking you,” Tyler said.
“I don’t think so,” Susan said. “There’s some other reason.”
“What happens next?”
“I come down to the farm with the other girls to give Nolan an opportunity to get to know us better, then he decides on his favorite two candidates. For the final show, Nolan turns up at his chosen woman’s house. That’s if he picks a woman. He can pick no one if he wants.”
“You’re coming to Clare,” Tyler said.
“Yes, but I don’t know if I’ll have an opportunity to see you.”
“We’ll work out something. I’d like you to meet my daughter and my in-laws.”
“I have to be careful.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll swing something. I’m not missing an opportunity to get my hands on you again. My bed has felt very lonely since I left Auckland. Sexting, emails and phone calls are a poor substitute.”
“Okay.” Susan closed her eyes and, for about the hundredth time, wished she knew what Nolan was up to. “I miss you too.”
Nolan sat at the dinner table, impatience simmering in his gut. He checked his watch. An hour before the show aired. Ring, damn it.
Almost at his silent demand, the phone rang.
“I’ll get it,” he said, springing to his feet.
His mother sniffed with disapproval. “I don’t know who rings at this time of night. We haven’t finished eating. You tell them we’re in the middle of dinner and to ring back in an hour.”
Nolan ignored his mother and strode to the kitchen to answer the phone. He wished the timing had been better and his grandparents weren’t off cruising the world. They would have helped rein in their daughter and acted as a buffer. Yeah, too bad. He missed chatting with them every day. He’d have to make do with the materials at hand.
“Hey, man, it’s me,” his friend Scott said. “How was my timing?”
Nolan grinned. “Perfect. I’ll head out now. Are you already at the pub?”
“Not yet. I’ll be there in ten minutes,” Scott said.
Nolan hung up and returned to the dinner table. He didn’t sit down again. “I’m going to the pub to meet Scott.”
His mother’s gaze narrowed while his father continued eating his beef casserole.
“Aren’t you going to tell us about the show?” his mother demanded, impatience a red tide of color in her lined cheeks. She set her knife and fork on her plate in a soldier-straight line.
“No. I’ve signed a contract stating I won’t divulge the results before each show is aired.”
“But we’re your parents.” The same shade of brown eyes he saw in the mirror each day glared at him.
“I didn’t want to do this show,” Nolan reminded her. “I’m an adult and I don’t have to take your advice.” The blunt speech was long due. His mother had gone behind his back and submitted his name for the reality show because she disapproved of the woman he was seeing. Simple as that.
“You work on the farm your father and I own,” she retorted.
“Don’t make threats,” his father said in a harsh voice. “You’ve already run off one of my sons. I won’t stand for you alienating Nolan too. This farm will belong to him one day.”
Hell, when had it come to this? His parents lived in the same house and barely spoke a civil word. Nolan wasn’t sure of the reasons for their hostility, but the ongoing battle had raged as long as he could remember.
God, one look at his parents’ marriage was enough to keep a sane man single. He didn’t know why his parents remained locked in their loveless union when they were both so unhappy.
“Thanks for dinner,” Nolan said into the strained silence. “Dad, I’ll see you tomorrow morning. I’ll get the ewes in first thing, so we can draft them for the sale.”
“I’ll be there.” His father stood. “I’m going into town for a few hours.”
His mother’s mouth firmed to a hard line, and Nolan decided to retreat before the war flared into violence. Both he and his mother knew exactly where his father was going—to spend a few hours with his friends at the pub. Thank god he lived in a farm hand’s cottage as a haven from the ongoing battle.
Half an hour later, Nolan walked into the pub. The Fox and Hounds was busy for a Thursday night, the feminine shrieks and hilarity coming from the function room indicating a hen’s night was in progress.
Scott sat at the end of the bar and hailed him with a wave. “Want a beer?”
Nolan nodded. “Is anyone using the pool table?”
“There’s a tournament.” Scott slid him a sly glance. “Guess you’ll have to shoot the shit with me instead.”
Nolan rolled his eyes. “God, not you too.”
Scott signaled for the barmaid and placed his order. “Give me a hint. Did you pick the sexy dancer?”
Nolan grinned. “I might have.”
“You did. Damn. Have you seen her dance?”
Nolan’s grin widened to a full-on smirk. “Yeah.”
“Man, do we get to see her dance on the show? I want to see her legs. Imagine her naked with all that long hair flowing over bare skin.” Scott jerked his head in the direction of an empty booth. “Let’s grab that. I want to grill you in private.”
Nolan had already seen the eager eavesdroppers and didn’t argue. He slid into the booth and grimaced at Scott’s eager curiosity. “You need to get laid.”
“Nope,” Scott said. “Been there, done that.”
“You have to swear you won’t discuss what I tell you with anyone,” Nolan said.
“Scout’s honor.”
“You and I both know you were never a scout,” Nolan said.
“I won’t tell anyone,” Scott said, his face settling into earnest lines.
Nolan gave a nod. Fair enough. He’d trust his best friend with his life. “I picked Susan, Jasmine and Lucy.”
“What about Yvonne?”
Guilt slapped Nolan. “I’ve talked to Yvonne. She understands about the show.”
“There aren’t many women who would understand.”
“Yeah.” Nolan hoped this show didn’t screw up what they had together. Tyler might be disowned, but Nolan bet his younger brother’s life ran more smoothly.
When Nolan returned home—after watching the show at the pub—he powered up his laptop and logged onto his blog.
The worst part of this entire process is choosing which women to move on to the next stage of the show. All of the women I’ve met are brilliant. Most of them live in the city, and I reckon the men who live there are blind.
The current dating system is broken if men and women need to resort to a reality show to find their life partners.
Nolan paused and reread his words. He started to delete them before he reconsidered. Jennifer’s assistant had told them to write from the heart and not censor. An evil grin spread across his face. His mother read his blog. He knew because she’d made a couple of comments about his grammar. Why not give her something to worry about?
During my last visit to Auckland, I visited all my ladies at their place of work. There is a real variety of jobs and I stopped at a dentist office, a veterinary clinic, a high school, an office, the museum and at Maxwell’s, the night club on K’ Road.
I had fun at each place, picked up a stray pup at the vets and ended up bringing him home. I’ll load up a photo of Charlie at the end of this post. He’s part Border Collie, and I think he’ll make a good farm dog.
To my surprise, I had the most fun at the night club. I watched Susan and the other girls learn a new dance routine. I had no idea what to expect—well, not true. I thought I knew what to expect. Lots of naked girls and a seedy atmosphere. They surprised me. Firstly, if any of you have been curious enough to visit Maxwell’s, you’ll know it’s a class joint. Both men and women frequent the place, and I’m told groups of women go on their own because it’s the kind of atmosphere where they feel comfortable. The club holds both hen and bachelor parties, and the place is high class all the way.
Back to the dancers. Those girls are fit. Julia, who runs the club, asked me if I’d like to join the training session. Since it was a new dance and none of them knew what they were doing, I figured, why not? We’d make mistakes together. They left me in the dust and had the dance moves down after one run through. They’re super flexible and seem to bend themselves into shapes that even fencing wire wouldn’t take. I came away from the club awed at the focus and dedication of the employees.
While the industry has a bad name and collects innuendo, I can see Maxwell’s is run as a family business with an emphasis on customers having a good time in a safe environment. If you haven’t visited Maxwell’s already, you’re missing a great night out. Grab a bunch of friends and go with an open mind. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Nolan read his post and nodded with satisfaction. That would give his judgmental mother something to gnaw on tomorrow.