Riverstone Ridge

by Mandy Magro

  ‘Yup, out of my brains.’ He lifted his hat, scruffed up his already chaotic hair, and tugged it back down. ‘You have anything else you need a hand with today?’

  She smiled at the hopeful expression on his face. ‘Can you wield a paint brush?’

  ‘Darn tootin’ straight I can.’ He stood up straighter and grinned lightheartedly. ‘Just call me Picasso.’

  Nina chuckled as her heart tumbled, reaching for his. Passing a bit of time with Logan would be a nice distraction from her concerns and heartache right now. ‘Righto, after we go into town, you can come over and help me paint, if you like. But just know I’m the one doing you a favour by making use of idle hands, and not the other way around.’ She grinned playfully. ‘I already owe you enough favours after brunch, and a lift home yesterday. Got it?’

  ‘Oh, trust me, I got it real good.’ He flashed her a look that spoke volumes of what he really had, real good. She silently admitted she had it real good too – but they weren’t going there. Not now, not ever. Logan deserved better than sleeping with a woman who’d kept so much from him. He deserved honesty and love, and she couldn’t give him either.

  ‘Cat got your tongue, Miss Jones?’ He gave her a wink.

  ‘Nope.’ Nina felt her cheeks heat, and she quickly looked away. ‘Righto, well, I best hit the road then. I’ll catch you in an hour, when you call by to pick me up.’

  ‘I’m just about finished here, so how ’bout I give you a lift?’

  She flashed him her pearly whites. ‘Sounds like a plan.’

  ‘Great, just let me finish off and pack up the tools, and I’ll be all yours.’

  How many double entendres could he give her in one day? Oh lordy, her libido was on fire, and he was stoking it consistently, effortlessly. Tearing her eyes from his Wrangler-clad butt, she motioned for Maxwell and Digger to jump up in the back – both dogs flew through the air and landed soft on their paws. Sliding a tucker box over to the centre console, she plonked herself into the passenger side. Leaving the door open, she rested her boots up on the open window, feet crossed at the ankles, watching Logan’s muscles contract beneath his shirt as he finished up what he was doing. After packing his tools up, the way he hefted the metal toolbox over his shoulder as if it were filled with feathers made her imagine him doing the same thing to her, both of them naked, and heading for the bedroom.

  After putting the toolbox in the tray and pausing to give Maxwell and Digger a good dishevelling pat, he hopped in beside her, and she pulled her door shut. He offered her a slow, sexy smile as he revved the engine to life, and spinning on a threepenny bit, they were bouncing across the paddock, towards Riverstone Ridge.

  The trip back was quick, and Logan parked up beneath the massive jacaranda tree beside Bea’s dusty old LandCruiser. Telling Nina to stay put, he quickly appeared at her side – as much as she was an independent woman, there was something to be said about a hardworking man dashing around to open the door. It made her all warm and fuzzy inside – not that she was about to let that on.

  Side by side, they wandered over to the shade cast by the awnings wrapping around the downstairs verandah. ‘So what are we painting, Nina?’

  ‘Just freshening up the latticework out here.’ Nina pointed to the tired-looking skirting around the entirety of the balcony.

  ‘Oh cool, painting outside – much better.’ He shrugged. ‘We may as well make a start now, then go and get your Jeep, then keep going with it this arvo. What do you reckon?’

  Nina laughed at his eagerness to do what she considered one of the most mind-numbing renovation jobs going. ‘You seriously need your head read, Logan,’ she said playfully, as she grabbed the paint, brushes and paint trays from where she’d left them.

  ‘Yeah, I’ve been told that once or twice before.’ Grinning mischievously, Logan took it upon himself to grab the can of paint and begin stirring it.

  ‘I might go turn the stereo on, give us a bit of tempo to work to.’ She glanced over her shoulder. ‘Any requests?’

  ‘Nope, you pick – I’m sure I’ll like whatever you put on.’

  Nina chose some Johnny Cash, and when she returned to Logan, he was already swiping the brush back and forth, singing ‘Burning Ring of Fire’ to himself. She couldn’t help but join in on the karaoke session as she grabbed a brush and started painting beside him. At the chorus, they turned to one another, brush handles held to their lips like microphones. Logan really got into it, dropping his already deep voice even lower to match that of the legendary Johnny Cash. Nina threw her head back, laughing, enjoying every second with her childhood crush.

  * * *

  When they made it into town to pick up her Jeep, Nina was thankful Josh’s sidekick was the only one in the workshop. The lack of Josh’s presence did make her question whether it was him who had been playing such horrible tricks on her back up at Riverstone Ridge. She certainly wouldn’t put it past him, but she put it to the back of her mind as the rest of the afternoon continued on as it had started, both her and Logan singing and bopping beside one another, and then enjoying light conversation or companionable silence in between, the time flying. Before they knew it, dusk was beginning to fall, and the sunlight was quickly fading.

  Stretching out her neck, she stood back and admired their handiwork – impressed thus far. ‘Let’s have a muchly deserved beer, what do you say?’

  ‘Oh hell yes. I’m as dry as a bull’s butt going up a windy hill backwards.’

  ‘Ha-ha, I haven’t heard that one in yonks … probably since I heard you say it last.’ Acting on impulse, she reached out and snuck in a brush stroke down Logan’s cheek.

  ‘You’re gonna pay for that, Nina Jones.’ Logan flashed her a challenging grin and then counter attacked, swiping his brush right down the side of her nose.

  ‘Oh, you’re on,’ she growled playfully.

  They stood at a stalemate for a few short seconds, assessing their opponent, and then it was on and they were racing around the backyard, chasing each other with brushes as weapons, Maxwell and Digger yapping excitedly at their sides. Tom watched the excitement from his safe spot in the hammock. Logan got a few beauties in, but then Nina rose like a phoenix and got him back tenfold. Before they knew it, they basically had paint from head to toe. Nina was the first to call a truce, and Logan accepted before sneaking in one last swipe to her arm.

  Not one to back down, Nina rose to the challenge once again, lunged, and then tackled him to the ground. With her legs on either side of his chest, she pinned him down good and proper. It was all fun and games, but then their eyes met and locked and simply would not let go. Profound love and appreciation passed from Logan to her. It was a sensation she’d never, ever, felt before – not even with him. Her heart pounded, not from exertion, and for a moment she couldn’t catch her breath. A quiver spiralled throughout her. Time stalled, and everything faded into the distance, and it was just her and him, alone, the heat between them sizzling like smouldering logs on a campfire. Terrified she would just lean right on in and kiss him, she quickly clambered up, and Logan jumped to standing beside her.

  ‘Beer?’ she said.

  ‘Yup,’ he replied.

  Silently, they wandered up the back steps and to the fridge. Nina retrieved two beers from the icy depths and shoved them in coolers. After passing one to Logan, he held it up, clinked it against hers and they took a long swig. They both went, ‘Ahh,’ and the energy between them seemed to return to something normal. They sat on the back steps, beers in hand, comfortably silent. The sinking sun had lost most of its bite, and the trees cast long shadows over the landscape rolling out before them. Riverstone Ridge was heaven on earth.

  Nina snuck a sideways glance in Logan’s direction – the entirety of him, inside and out, did breathlessly crazy stuff to her. She’d never met a man who had such a hold over her, just by being near her. Was it because they had a past – one he wasn’t wholly privy to – or did it run way deeper than that? Sitting here, with him right bes
ide her, she quickly found herself back in her childhood. So many memories crowded her mind that she had a hard time sorting through them. They flittered from one moment to another, each memory tugging at her heartstrings.

  ‘You’re far away.’ Logan’s quiet voice penetrated her thoughts and brought her back to the present.

  She darted a brief glance towards him and nodded. ‘I guess I was,’ she half whispered, as she experienced a rush of emotion that wasn’t just limited to gratefulness for his company, or his deep understanding of her.

  ‘What were you thinking about?’ His eyes studied her with interest, and she felt the invisible pull drag her that little bit closer towards him. She knew it was wrong of her to allow it, but right now she was too tired to fight it, and it felt good, feeling so close to him.

  ‘Oh, just Bea, and how much I’ve missed this place.’ And missed you, she wanted to add. All in all it was a simple answer, but it covered everything she needed to say. She didn’t want to get into the details of her mother’s death with him, at least not until she’d gotten her own head around it.

  ‘Of course you do, it’s your home, Nina, and always will be, no matter what.’

  She turned to him, having to stop herself from plummeting into the depths of his blue gaze. ‘It was my home, but I’ve made a new one now, back in Brisbane.’

  ‘So you’re not going to change your mind about staying here?’

  She took her contemplation to the glowing red and orange skyline, not only for strength, but to avoid the hurt in his eyes. ‘I wish I could say I had, Logan, but I can’t move back here. It just doesn’t sit right with me. There’s way too much water under the bridge to ever be able to make a decent go of it here.’

  ‘So even though you know it would mean the world to Bea if you stayed here, and you can feel a sense of home, deep down in your bones, going back to the city feels, how do I put it … right?’

  Logan’s question struck a nerve, and it stung. ‘Just drop it, please.’ Her words were a bit terse and she regretted them instantly.

  Logan started picking at the label on his beer. ‘Is there someone special you have to go back to Brisbane for?’

  She took a swig from her beer, reminding herself to hold it together. Logan didn’t know about her skeletons. Nor would he ever. Too much time had passed for that to happen. ‘No, there’s not.’

  He glanced at her. ‘A job you can’t leave?’

  ‘Not really.’ She had to be somewhat honest.

  ‘Then what’s stopping you from moving back here?’

  Completely out of her control, her defences fired to life – not because Logan was confronting her, but because of her own guilt and shame. ‘I don’t want to talk about it, Logan. Please, try to accept that I just can’t make my life back here – end of story. Can’t you leave the subject alone?’

  He heaved a sigh and sculled the last of his beer. ‘Okay, fair enough. I won’t say another word. For now …’ He muttered the last bit beneath his breath.

  Nina wasn’t about to say she heard it.

  Silence fell once again, but this time it was laced with so many unspoken sentiments, so many unanswered questions, and one massive secret. Wanting to keep the mutual companionship going, and not wanting Logan to go home with a bad taste in his mouth after the wonderful day they’d shared, Nina offered him a small smile. ‘So what’s for dinner?’ A change of subject was definitely in order if she wanted the day to end on a high note.

  Logan took a few moments to respond. ‘I dunno … what do you feel like?’

  ‘How about fish and chips, followed up with a Golden Gaytime ice-cream?’ She still remembered they were his favourite.

  ‘Yeah, sure, sounds good.’ His tone was flat, a little dejected – her effort to make him smile had failed.

  She gently prodded him in the arm with her elbow. ‘My shout this time, though, seeing as you bought me breakfast yesterday.’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know about that.’ Logan was breaking a very tiny smile now, and it made her quietly sigh with relief.

  ‘Righto then, how about whoever gets to the paddock fence first gets shouted dinner?’ She wriggled her brows challengingly.

  Logan plonked his empty beer bottle down and rubbed his hands together. ‘You’re on, but I have to warn you, I can run like the wind.’

  ‘More like you need the wind behind you to drive you forward.’ Grinning, she offered him a middle-finger salute, and without warning, leapt from the top step and took off like a bull at a gate.

  ‘Oi, you cheeky bugger! That’s cheating,’ Logan called out after her, swiftly following suit. He closed in on her mighty fast.

  ‘No, it’s called being competitive,’ she called over her shoulder just as her foot caught on thin air and the earth was suddenly coming up to meet her. She hit the ground, hard, the breath taken out of her.

  ‘Hell, Nina, are you okay?’ Logan skidded to a stop and dropped to his knees.

  In a tumbled heap on her side, Nina pretended to be knocked out cold. It was hard not to break a smile.

  ‘Nina, can you hear me?’ Logan carefully rolled her onto her back, and tenderly wiped the hair from her face. He leant closer, his breath warm on her cheek. ‘Nina?’

  She flicked her eyes open. ‘Gotcha, ya beauty, Steele!’ she squealed, but with Logan’s lips so dangerously close to hers, it was he who’d gotten her – hook, line and sinker.

  ‘Uh-huh, you sure did,’ he said, seemingly in a dreamy daze. He didn’t move, but stayed staring into her eyes, with only an inch between them. ‘You okay?’

  ‘Mmhhmmm,’ she breathed.

  Nina’s body tingled in anticipation as she imagined his lips meeting hers in a tender yet hungry kiss. Where they touched, his body was warm and strong against hers. With so much of him to hold on to, to love, there was only so much temptation a woman could resist, and she found herself teetering very dangerously on the edge. If she were young and reckless and free, she’d rip every inch of clothing from him right this very second and make love to him beneath the twilight sky.

  To her relief, and dismay, it was Logan who broke the magic first. ‘Actually, you know what, Nina, I’m beat.’ He sat up and rubbed his face. ‘I might head home, but thanks for the offer of dinner. Can I take a raincheck?’

  Nina’s heart squeezed as the tender moment between them slipped and then vanished. ‘Yeah, of course, no problem at all.’ She did her very best to act chirpy when in fact she felt rejected, downtrodden. They were her demons to deal with, though, not his.

  Logan stood and held out his hand to help her up – always the gentleman, no matter what. She accepted it, appreciated it, and once standing, found herself fidgeting at his side. ‘Sorry for scaring you like that; stupid me thought it would be fun.’

  ‘Nah, all good.’ He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and offered her a small smile, the paint all over his face endearing him to Nina to no end. ‘Catch you tomorrow?’

  ‘Yeah, of course.’ She shoved her hands into her shorts pockets too and rocked back and forth on her heels, feeling like a teenage girl with a crush all over again.

  Logan cleared his throat. ‘Okay, night, Nina.’ He brushed an awkward kiss on her cheek and then sauntered away, leaving her wondering where in the hell she’d gone wrong.

  ‘Night, Logan …’ she called after him.

  Padding back to the verandah, she watched him climb into his four-wheel drive, rev it to life, and then with a wave, disappear down the drive, taking another little piece of her heart with him.

  CHAPTER

  14

  Even with the air-conditioner going full pelt, at some time throughout the night, the humidity had grown so heavy, so smothering, Nina could have cut it with a knife. And then just before dawn, an epic monsoonal storm had rolled in, striking zaps of ice-blue lightning across the sky, and shaking the earth with rolling waves of thunder. Nina had pulled the curtains wide to watch Mother Nature’s impressive show of brute strength and power. Terri
fied, Maxwell had leapt on the bed without an invitation and crawled beneath the sheet, quivering. Not usually one for dogs in bed, Nina had given him a free pass. Tom, unimpressed with her decision, had removed himself to the top of the closet.

  The torrential rain had fallen thick and fast, thrumming loudly on the corrugated tin roof like giant fingers, the sound of it hypnotic. Brisbane had storms, but they were nowhere near as beautiful and commanding as storms in the country. It was the kind of weather that would make most want to lie in bed and snuggle. But in a foul mood after tossing and turning all night long, wondering what had flipped Logan’s switch to neutral with her in the blink of an eye, and stressing over Bea’s death, her mother’s suicide, and the fact someone was playing games with her, Nina couldn’t think of anything worse. Give her a feather doona and a good book over the demands of a man any day. All they did was confuse her, hurt her, and leave her feeling lonelier, more vulnerable, than she already was. She needed to rein in her lust for Logan Steele; it would only lead to devastation and heartbreak for both of them. She cared about him too much to do that to him.

  Four hours later and, although more of a pitter-patter, the rain was still lingering, falling in soft wispy sheets upon sodden green paddocks, and here she was out in the thick of it with her ever-faithful furry companion, both of them dripping wet as she checked the horses and fences so she didn’t drive herself nuts going over and over everything while pacing the halls of the homestead. After charging the four-wheeler’s battery overnight – at Logan’s suggestion – she followed the boundary line between Riverstone Ridge and Willowbrook for a distance on the quad, and satisfied it was all good, and all the farm critters were safe and happy, she cut across the paddock with Maxwell in tow, skilfully changing gears until the bike was screaming in top gear. Wind and soft raindrops whipped past her, dusting her face in a fine spray of what Bea used to call Mother Earth’s tears. Every now and then, she would hit a dip that sent the bike flying through the air, the thump back to earth only broadening her rebellious grin.