by Tania Joyce
He reached for his notepad and glanced down the column of figures. What he saw really excited him. Alongside the new function room and cabins they’d planned on building, he’d finalized all the necessary calculations for putting another few acres under trellis. He was meticulous with the detail and his months of hard work looked like it would come to fruition. This would increase their production significantly and boost their bottom line.
Troy scratched at his unshaven chin and considered the workload. They’d have to hire one or two more full-time staff. He chuckled to himself. The path in life that led him here had certainly been a rocky one, but he’d never felt so content and grounded in all his life. He had his son, Conner, and Gumtrees. Life couldn’t get much better.
He grabbed his beer and drank the last of its contents before signaling to Grace behind the bar for another.
“You’re working too hard,” she said, placing a fresh glass on the table next to his paperwork and cleared away the empty one, along with his dinner plate.
“I’m fine.” He stretched his neck from side to side and kneaded away a knot that had lodged itself in his shoulder. He glanced at the clock on the far wall of the pub. It showed it was a smidge past eight o’clock. He had a busy day tomorrow spraying the vines for bugs, so he’d better pull his finger out and finish entering this data into his laptop. He didn’t have much more to do.
“Okay. You let me know if you need anything else.” Grace turned on her heels and headed back behind the bar. For a fleeting moment he remembered growing up in nearby Cessnock; Grace had always been like a second mother to him. Many fun-filled hours were spent at her house, playing on her trampoline in the backyard and climbing the big old tree in the corner of her yard. All so long ago.
He turned his attention back to his notes and typed figures into his spreadsheet. When a shadow hindered the view of his papers he frowned and had to move them around to try and catch the light.
He was about to tell the person in his way to move. But when he looked up his eyes widened and pulse went up a notch. “Kelleigh. Hi.”
“I didn’t mean to disturb you. I wanted to say thank you again for all your help yesterday. Dennis came and picked me up and now my car is at his workshop. He’s going to call me in a few days with an assessment of the damage and cost to fix it. The insurance assessor is apparently away on holidays. Lucky for me, work allowed me to hire a much-needed more practical four-wheel drive to get around the place without any more grief.”
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Thanks.”
An awkward silence hung in the air as Troy watched her tuck her hands into the rear pockets of her jeans and rock back on her heels. He tried to ignore the strange pull he had toward her. The flutter in the pit of his stomach should be the warning sign he needed to stay away. But for some reason he chose to ignore it and his palms started to sweat. Should he ask her to stay for a drink? No, she wouldn’t want to do that.
His gaze drifted down, over her low-cut t-shirt stretched firmly across the curve of her breast and stopped at her midriff. The way her t-shirt grazed the top of her jeans and showed off her tanned skin when she moved was really sexy. Damn it. He hoped she didn’t notice him checking her out.
“Okay then. Might catch you round,” she said, starting to turn away.
“Would you like to join me for a drink?” The words had left his mouth before he had time to think any further.
Her raven-black hair fanned out around her shoulders as she turned back to face him. He momentarily froze, in awe of her beauty.
“Are you sure? You look busy.”
“I was just finishing up.” He waved to the chair across from him and she nodded in acceptance. He stood up and rushed around to pull the chair out for her.
“What will it be?”
“Please, let me get the drinks. It’s the least I can do to say thank you for your help.”
While he appreciated the offer, he insisted on buying.
“All right, I’ll have a Kilkenny.”
“Excellent. I’ll be back in a moment.” Troy walked over to the bar and ordered the drinks from Grace, who gave him a cheeky wink when he picked up the beers and turned to head back to the table.
Kelleigh must have sensed him approach because she turned around and her green eyes locked on to his. He almost stumbled in his stride before he placed the drinks on the table and returned to his seat. What was with him tonight?
“What were you working on?” She eyed the notepad and laptop he had left open on top of the table. He saved his work, shut the laptop down, stuffed everything into his laptop bag and put it out of the way.
“I was just going over some business expansion plans. Costings, expenses, forecasts.”
“What … new grand schemes to make you millions of dollars?” she said with an air of disdain.
He was taken back by the negative vibe that suddenly radiated from her. Gumtrees’ bottom line was healthy and their steady growth was sustainable for the coming years. He shrugged her doubts away. “It’s necessary to keep up in a competitive market. We’re not doing anything outrageous or out of our means.” Nick and he didn’t have grandiose plans like some of the other local vineyards that had become elaborate operations. That’s why he loved Gumtrees, its boutique nature suited him perfectly.
“What is it that you actually do?” she asked.
“I’m a viticulturist.”
“You work with grapevines all day. Fair enough,” she said and took a swig of her beer. “So why are you here at the pub? Are you trying to avoid someone at home? Your wife? Girlfriend? Lover?”
He grinned and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “Actually, I have none of the above.”
She raised her eyebrow in interest. “Really? How come a handsome guy like you is single?” He smiled over the rim of his glass, chuffed she thought he was handsome. “What’s your story? Have you had a bad breakup, your partner died, you’re still waiting to find that special someone?”
He coughed, nearly choking on his beer. What was meant to be lighthearted conversation unfortunately was his reality. “Well … you got two out of three. Yes, I’ve had my share of breakups in the past and yes, my wife did die in a car accident.”
“Holy shit!” Kelleigh gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“It’s okay. It happened a long time ago. Nine years to be exact.” His guts knotted, remembering that day as if it was yesterday. The phone call from the police. The rush to the hospital. Having to identify his Nicola’s bloodied body.
He remembered fighting with her that morning. As usual, it was more from his frustration at feeling so helpless, not knowing how to help her break out of her depression. It had been another day where she had refused to get out of bed. Yet another day where she got lost in the deep dark places in her mind.
No matter how much he assured Nicola he loved her with all his heart and he would stand by her until the end of time, some days it was never enough. When the call came from the police, guilt consumed him for so long. He blamed himself, he believed it had been their argument that sent her off that bridge.
The police found no evidence of another vehicle causing the accident. There was nothing wrong with the car. Her autopsy found her system loaded with medication. Troy was convinced she committed suicide. Was it her way of freeing everyone infected by her illness? It freed her parents. It freed him. It had freed her from her darkness. Is that a selfish way of looking at it now? He’d done everything possible to help her—the counseling, the support groups, the therapy. Nothing was ever enough.
Closing his eyes he could still picture her beautiful face, her dark green eyes and her smile. The good times did outweigh the bad. But sometimes it was hard not to see the scars on her wrists from self-harming. Her horrific nightmares. The secrets that took years for her to reveal. The depression finally pulled her under.
Time had healed a lot of the pain but not erased
the memory. In the years that followed he tried to move on. Meet other women. He’d had a glimmer of hope with Jessica, but who was he kidding. His heart died that day with Nicola. But he’d found happiness and fulfillment in other things—his work, his involvement in the community and building on his relationship with his son.
“So, what?” Kelleigh’s hand touched her throat. “You haven’t been with anyone in nine years?”
That made him laugh and he waved over at Grace behind the bar for another round of drinks. “No, I’m not saying that at all.”
Grace placed the fresh ales down on the table and quickly departed with the empties.
Kelleigh relaxed her shoulders, looking relieved he wasn’t some clogged-up, celibate mourner. Life had dealt him several rough blows and somehow he’d made it through them all.
She took a big drink, leaving a line of foam behind on her mouth. He sat there mesmerized as he watched her lick her lips slowly with her tongue. Lucky lips! He struggled to collect his thoughts and had to change the subject. “Why were you at Larry’s this morning?”
She shook her head. “I’m really sorry, but I can’t say anything because there is a confidentiality agreement in place.”
“You can’t even tell me what you do?”
“Nope.” She slouched, looking exasperated. “Look, I don’t want to talk about work, ex-boyfriends, politics or religion. I don’t want to have to think about anything for a while.”
Kelleigh drew the glass to her lips and proceeded to scull the contents. Troy was more than happy to not delve further into his past or talk about work. So the mystery surrounding her still remained as the conversation skirted around simple things like travel and nothing in particular. But if she was staying here in the Hunter for a few weeks, someone would talk soon enough. Things never stayed a secret for long in this community.
She turned around in her seat, waved at Grace with two fingers to order another round of drinks. Troy hesitated. He’d had a few drinks already so one more and he wouldn’t be able to drive home. Oh well, it would be another night sleeping on the couch at Grace’s. She was still babysitting him even after all these years.
Grace delivered two more drinks and winked once more at him as she turned to leave. Good ’ol Grace. Always keeping an eye on everyone and everything. But she had nothing to worry about; this was just an innocent drink. Or two. No wait, he was up to number three. Even four. He turned his attention to Kelleigh and was surprised to see her downing mouthfuls of her beer again. “Hey, I forgot to ask. How’s your foot after kicking your tire yesterday?”
She snorted when she laughed and covered her mouth with her hand.
“Oh no. Did I just snort?”
That only made her laugh more; the contagious sound got to him and he joined in. She picked up her napkin and wiped tears from her eyes. She was beautiful when she smiled. “I’m sorry for my behavior yesterday. I’ve had one drama after the other lately. I’m normally not like that.”
He leaned forward to rest his arms on the table. “I’m glad to hear that. I must admit I was concerned for my own safety. You looked like you were going to throw that wrench my way at any moment.”
She giggled. “Me? I wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“I was keeping my distance. Then you started kicking the tire, I thought you were going to break your foot.”
She lowered her eyes, her long lashes brushed against her skin. “I have to admit it’s still sore.”
“I’ve been known to give a pretty good foot massage.” Troy gulped hard after the words had left his mouth. He tugged at his shirt collar as heat rose up his neck at making such a suggestive comment.
But Kelleigh placed her beer down and leaned forward onto the table as well. Her green eyes narrowed to provocative slits. “If you’re not careful, I might take you up on your offer. I do love a good foot massage.”
Troy’s heart missed a beat and his groin stirred. Kelleigh was making all parts of his body rise to attention. It was ridiculous, but hey, he was a guy, and surely no harm could come from a bit of flirting. “My foot massages are good, but nothing beats my shoulder massage.”
“I don’t know about that. I mean, look at those rough hands of yours.” She reached across the table, took his hand in hers and turned his palm upward. “They look like they’ve seen some tough times. They’re all scratched and callused. You’re trying to tell me you give a great massage?”
He tried to keep his breath at a normal pace, but Kelleigh was causing heat to surge through his veins. He hadn’t had sex in months and now, after a few drinks … well … his intent for an innocent drink was being corrupted. Was he reading her playful comments and body language correctly? It would be nice to let off some steam and have a night between the sheets. She wasn’t in town for long and that was a good thing that led to no complications.
“Only you can be the judge of that. I’m willing to be put to the test.” Apprehension tugged at his chest as he waited for her response. He sat still, unable to move. Shivers crossed his skin as Kelleigh continued to play with his hand. Her fingers rubbing against his palm sent a jolt coursing through his body and he could feel his erection starting to rise to the occasion. He had to do something fast. Either take her back to her room or leave to crash on Grace’s couch.
Kelleigh stopped and looked him straight in the eye. Had he been too forward? Damn it, he was so out of practice meeting women. But then she edged closer toward him across the table.
“I know you don’t know me at all; but believe me, after everything that’s been going on in my life it’d be nice to let my hair down for a while, figuratively speaking, and to have some fun. So … I’m keen. Are you?”
His whole body stood to attention as she withdrew her hold of his hand, grabbed her glass and consumed the rest of her beer.
Troy didn’t waste a moment. “I’ll get the bill.”
He grabbed his laptop bag, stood up and helped Kelleigh from her chair. He quickly spoke to Grace who was clearing the table next to them, no doubt eavesdropping in on their conversation. “Can you add all the drinks and stuff to my account, please? I’m, er …” Feeling lost for words and with other things now on his mind, he didn’t utter another word as he turned and followed Kelleigh out the door.
Chapter 5
Kelleigh swayed as she walked toward the door of her room. She’d had four schooners of beer and was feeling buzzed from the effects of the alcohol. Troy’s enchanting eyes had held her captivated during drinks, even though his attempts at flirting were poor. But hey, she wouldn’t have done any better. She was happy he was talking to her and not running off screaming in the other direction, thinking she was a raving lunatic after her episode yesterday.
She glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of his smoldering sapphire gaze. The way he looked at her made butterflies take flight in her stomach. She tried to recall if this was how Jamie looked at Fran? In reality it was probably the alcohol making her feel this way, but it was nice to think otherwise for a moment.
She paused at her door and admired Troy’s blond hair, sun-kissed skin and naturally well-muscled physique. Completely opposite to Rodrigo’s dark complexion, protein-powder induced muscles and moisturized baby-soft skin. Completely different to Rodrigo’s not-a-hair-out-of-place appearance. She lowered her eyes; her confidence wavered. Could she do this? Should she be doing this a month after Rodrigo had left? Why not? This was one night. She needed this. Something reckless. Something fun. Something to make her feel like a woman again. One small step toward gaining control back of her life.
Kelleigh’s hands trembled as she opened her handbag and rummaged around for her room key. The anticipation of having those hands of Troy’s on her body was enough to make her break out in a feverish sweat. This had to be the most reckless thing she’d ever done in her life. She’d always been one to approach relationships carefully. Go on dates before sleeping with someone. Get to know them. Meet their parents. Bah! Look where that had left her.
Finally locating her key, she tried to insert it into the lock. Unable to focus clearly, her hand swayed over the slot, from side to side. She inhaled sharply as Troy’s warm breath on her neck shot goose bumps down her spine. He slowly reached around her and placed his hand on hers to steady it. With a gentle lean in toward her, he inserted the key and twisted the handle to open the door. The feel of his body against her hip sent her pulse racing and fire curling through her veins. “Smarty-pants,” she said as she walked inside, flicked on the entryway light and made her way into the living area to shut the curtains.
Troy closed the door behind him, placed his bag on the ground and walked over to stand behind her. Shivers danced across her skin as he moved her hair away from her neck and planted a kiss beneath her lobe.
“Do you want a drink or something from the minibar?” she asked, savoring the sensation of his lips on her skin.
He shook his head as he stepped closer, weaved his arms around her waist and spun her around to face him. His sapphire eyes burned with desire as he drew her hard up against his body and planted his lips on hers.
No talking. No chitchat. This was perfect. Just sex. This was what she needed. She gasped for breath as her tongue danced with his. Running her hands up over his arms, the feel of his strong muscles beneath the cotton fabric of his shirt made her head dizzy. Finally she had her hands on him, and she did love a good pair of well-toned arms.
Troy paused and sucked air deep into his lungs, his hands resting on the small of her back. She didn’t want him to stop, because if she thought about this too much longer, sense may take over. And at this point in time she wanted none of that. She wanted him. Weaving her fingers into his short blond hair, she drew him back to her, tasting his lips again. Luckily he obliged. Warm air enveloped around her and filled her senses with the alluring scent of his spicy aftershave.
