A Light in the Dark (Taylor's Bend, #3)

by Elisabeth Rose

  ‘Hi. Come in.’

  ‘Hello. No, I won’t get in your way. You must be busy getting ready.’

  ‘Yes, but it’s okay. I’ve fixed his room and he can help when he gets here. I don’t know what he’s bringing with him so it’s hard to plan. Come in and have a coffee. It’s a fresh brew.’

  ‘No, thanks. I’ve just had breakfast at Hannah’s. She wanted me to tell you she remembered something Glenda told her.’

  ‘Come in and you can watch me have coffee. Come on.’ He seemed so eager she obediently followed him to the kitchen. ‘Any clue what it was?’ he said.

  ‘No, she couldn’t talk. Too busy. How well did she know Glenda?’ Mia pulled out a chair and sat at the table while Arlo poured his coffee. Back in their normal comfortable mode now, friends, colleagues, chewing over the new information.

  ‘Her husband used to play golf with Barry and she said she knew them quite well in the early days before their kids arrived.’ He sat opposite, hands cupped round the mug. Clean, square cut nails, a scar across the knuckles of the right hand.

  ‘There’s something else …’ Mia hesitated. How would he take what she was about to tell him?

  Arlo waited. That’s what he did. He waited patiently for the other person to fill the space.

  ‘I had the dream last night …’ His eyes narrowed slightly but he still didn’t speak. ‘It was a bit different this time. I saw the face of that figure, the one in the darkness outside.’ She looked directly into his eyes. ‘It was you.’

  ‘Me?’ That surprised him out of his silence ‘Was anything else different?’

  ‘No, just that.’

  ‘Were you frightened of me?’

  ‘No. I never was frightened of that person. I think … now … I regard you as someone who is helping me. So I saw you. I don’t know …’ She shrugged helplessly, looked away.

  ‘You’re probably right. We’ve seen a lot of each other this week so I guess it’s natural I would filter into your dreams.’ He grinned, his eyes crinkling in that way she found so sexy. ‘Become the man of your dreams.’

  ‘I suppose you are.’ What a clichéd expression and he was joking but her cheeks had grown uncomfortably warm. He could be, he had all the right characteristics: kindness, a sense of humour, empathy, a good listener, extremely attractive, confidence without it being overbearing. A vulnerable streak where his son was concerned.

  His voice changed and the grin disappeared. ‘Who is the man of your dreams, Mia?’ His eyes held her in place. She was fifteen again, the focus of attention from a boy she liked but couldn’t unfreeze her brain to respond intelligently.

  ‘I … uh … I don’t know if I have one.’

  The switch to seriousness was disconcerting, coming as it did on top of her thoughts. She’d known Arlo for five days. It felt like much longer but it wasn’t. Why would he be asking her this, a different type of personal? Intimate.

  ‘Come on, you must have an ideal man hidden deep inside.’

  ‘Why are you asking me that all of a sudden? Is this part of your article on my father?’ The suspicion made her voice sharp, twenty-one extra years of experience overriding the naive girl.

  ‘No, it’s not. I’m interested in you. I find you fascinating.’

  ‘You make me sound like a specimen.’ A shaft of disappointment cut through her. She wanted more from him. Wanted his interest to be genuine, in her as a woman, not just as part of the overall information gathering.

  He didn’t reply. She pushed her chair back and stood up. Arlo stood as well.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I didn’t mean to upset you.’

  ‘You didn’t.’ Mia headed for the back door. ‘It’s okay, don’t worry. I’ll see you later.’

  ‘Mia, please?’ Concerned, doubtful, confused. She stopped on the step and turned, disarmed by the tone. Who was the unsure teenager now? He came closer. ‘I don’t regard you as a specimen. You’re a warm, beautiful, intelligent woman. I don’t need to study you to see that. You surprised the heck out of me when you invited me in the other day, talked to me and allowed me into your life. I feel as though I’ve known you for ages and yet I haven’t. I’ve never met someone like you. You make me … awkward. I’m never awkward.’

  His fingers stroked her cheek, trailing sparks, rendering her immobile. His eyes held hers and when he leaned forward she could do nothing but raise her face to accept his kiss. Soft lips sending electric signals through her body, moving against her mouth with increasing confidence, giving and taking, enjoying, dormant hormones fizzing in her blood, alerting her breasts, her breath, her heart. Nothing awkward, all natural.

  She had no idea how long she stood with her face gently cupped in his hands and his lips on hers, but it ended too soon. Hours too soon, days and months and years too soon.

  ‘You taste like honey and banana,’ he said softly.

  ‘You taste like coffee.’

  ‘I like honey and banana.’

  ‘I like coffee.’

  ‘That’s lucky.’ He smiled and kissed her again and she sighed and leaned into his body inhaling his own special intoxicating scent, his own special taste, as her arms found their way around his neck. Wanting more but … no …

  This time she broke the contact as reality seeped in. ‘I should go,’ she murmured.

  ‘I suppose you should.’

  He stole another quick kiss and she smiled.

  ‘Will this be all over town in five minutes?’

  He laughed. ‘I don’t see how, but probably. Do you mind?’

  ‘I’ll be leaving town soon, so no.’

  ‘Better make the most of it then. What are you doing tonight?’ He spoke lightly but the intensity of his eyes belied the words.

  ‘Aren’t you forgetting something?’

  He smacked a hand to his forehead in mock dismay. ‘Riley.’

  ‘See you later.’ She turned to go but he pulled her back for another irresistible, lingering kiss.

  ‘See you later,’ he said when he let her go. ‘What are you doing this afternoon?’

  ‘Going to the game.’

  ‘Damn. I usually go but Georgia will be there today.’

  ‘I’ll say hello.’

  ***

  Arlo watched Mia walk down the driveway with a mixture of elation and wonder, a dollop of male frustration and a tinge of foreboding. Where could this possibly lead? Kissing Mia had been on his mind for a few days now but he’d had no inkling she would react with such enthusiasm. Gratifying as that was it meant complications. Big ones. For him, anyway.

  She wasn’t assuming anything ongoing and although she’d kissed him back she’d shown no inclination to linger or take the action to the bedroom. She was striding away with nary a backward glance. She’d return to Sydney soon and continue with her life, an independent, confident woman in charge of her world and her emotions. He liked that about her but right now it wasn’t exactly ego boosting. Kissing her had been somewhat of a personal milestone. She was the first woman he’d been remotely interested in since his return from Africa but what did it mean to her? Not much, an enjoyable interlude at best. He mustn’t fall for her but the ground under his feet was slippery already.

  Chapter 11

  Mildly unsettled, he went inside and finished moving empty suitcases and sundry overnight bags from under Riley’s bed to the shed behind the carport. He’d cleared out the cupboard and the chest of drawers but it meant he now had files and boxes of papers to store somewhere. What a pain in the neck. When he moved here he’d already dumped a lot of things but Debra had insisted he take everything he’d stored under the family house.

  Mia was right about needing a bigger home. He and Riley would be on top of each other and that wouldn’t be good. Arlo wasn’t used to sharing. A heavy lump formed in his belly. This was a disaster in the making. And kissing Mia could well have been another.

  He made himself a toasted sandwich for lunch and ate it morosely. Debra rang while he contemplated
making a second one, saying they’d be arriving at around three-thirty.

  ‘We can have dinner at The Crown, or the Chinese restaurant is good,’ he said. ‘Where are you staying?’

  ‘At The Crown. Riley recommended it. He said it’s been renovated.’

  ‘How did he know that?’

  ‘He knows Sam, the landlord’s son. He keeps in touch with a few of the local kids on Facebook.’

  ‘I see.’ So Riley had a whole network going on he knew nothing about. Another thing to worry about. Social media and all the evils associated with it.

  ‘Deb, I hope I’m up to this. Riley … he’s … a teenager and they’re so foreign to me.’

  ‘You’ll be fine.’ She paused and in a kinder tone than he’d heard from her for some time she said, ‘Arlo, if we didn’t think you could cope, James and I would never have let him go to you.’

  ‘Thanks. I … really appreciate it but I can’t say I’m not scared I’ll mess this up.’

  ‘You won’t. He’s excited about coming and he loves you and vice versa. See you soon. Bye.’

  She disconnected and Arlo had to swallow hard before getting up to make that second toasted sandwich. Her words were reassuring on one hand but added pressure on the other. What if he let Riley down?

  ***

  Mia’s lips tingled with the memory of the kisses as she walked all the way down the street and round the corner. She hadn’t been so surprised for years. Arlo hadn’t indicated he wanted that type of relationship even though she knew he looked at her with consuming interest in those blue eyes. She’d assumed it was part of his training as a journalist. Kissing a source would be compromising his impartiality.

  So what did that mean? He wasn’t committed to her story? He was pretending to be for some fringe benefits? That didn’t fit with her impressions of him. She’d only told him about the dream because of his reputation for integrity and he’d done nothing so far to make her doubt the wisdom of her choice. Quite the opposite.

  Nothing that was, until he kissed her. Liking it was irrelevant and kissing him back felt natural. If she hadn’t wanted to she wouldn’t have but it was nice to be desired and he was attractive. And kissed well. Very well.

  She smiled as she walked and touched light fingers to her lips, remembering. How could a kiss do that? She’d been kissed many times with varying degrees of expertise but never had she had a reaction like that. If Riley wasn’t coming to stay who knows what would have happened tonight?

  Brilliant timing by all concerned. Probably for the best. Starting something with Arlo wouldn’t be smart however desirable it might be at the moment.

  Mia paused at the cross street to allow a car to round the corner then continued on. The handicraft shop was on the other side of the street. She hadn’t walked down this side so she’d cross at the next intersection and go another block past The Crown.

  Saturday morning was busier than she’d seen it during the week. Families had come out to shop and catch up on the news, people sat in the weak sun at the tables outside the takeaway, strolled along window shopping or stood in groups, gossiping. Curious eyes followed her as she walked by, a few frowned and looked away, a couple of people nodded but no-one spoke until, when she reached the corner and waited for the lights to change, a man’s voice behind her said, ‘The sooner you leave the better. We don’t want any reminders of that murdering bastard in our town.’

  She turned swiftly. A man and a woman stood glaring at her, mouths twisted with dislike.

  ‘I’ve no desire to stay here any longer than I have to, believe me,’ she said.

  ‘Should have burned that house down,’ said the woman. ‘It’s wrong you get to benefit from that murderer and what he did.’

  ‘Fuck off out of our town,’ said the man.

  Mia clamped her mouth tight shut, fighting the tears that threatened all of a sudden. She stepped past the glowering pair and crossed the side street instead, narrowly missing being run over by a ute towing a trailer packed with sheep. She walked blindly, cold hands thrust in her pockets, shoulders hunched, until the couple was far behind her and the shops had given way to weatherboard houses with bare winter gardens. The traffic had eased and no-one was at this far end of the street.

  The footpath ran out at the end of the block as the paddocks took over and the road continued out of town, disappearing around a bend after a few hundred metres. A sign on the corner pointed to a veterinary practice on the left but the place itself wasn’t visible.

  She crossed the road and began walking back slowly. Leaving town was an option. She didn’t need to be here once the tradesmen were organised, which they mostly were. The estate agent could handle the rest. She could be at home on Tuesday, away from the nastiness lurking on the pavements, but she wouldn’t go. If she left before she knew the truth about her father’s death nothing would ever be resolved.

  The comments had surprised her. She’d expected something of the sort before she came but everyone had been so friendly since her arrival the verbal attack was a shock. How many others felt the same way? At least one—he of the dead rabbit—but if Rupe was right Glenda’s brother had, if not an excuse, a valid reason for venting his anger. Who were these other people? Relatives of some sort? They were closer to her own age than Glenda’s or Tony’s.

  She passed the first of the shops, boarded up with a For Lease sign on the window. Next door was a lawyer’s office, closed. How much work would he or she get? An organic vegetable shop was next door with bins of Granny Smith apples, potatoes and cabbages out the front. The apples would be fresh, last of the season. She selected two and stepped inside.

  ‘Mia, good morning,’ cried a vaguely familiar voice. ‘How are you, darling?’

  A figure emerged from the dim interior clad in an embroidered peasant skirt, red ankle boots, a black velvet jerkin and a stylish red felt hat with a yellow felt flower on the side. Arlo’s friend Gina, the singer and dramatic director.

  ‘Hello, Gina.’ The warmth of the welcome made her voice husky with relief.

  To her surprise Gina planted a kiss on each cheek then drew back eyes narrowed. ‘What’s the matter? Has something happened?’

  ‘Not really … why?’

  ‘Tell me all,’ she ordered. ‘Sit down there.’ She pointed to a squashy elderly sofa against the side wall covered in an eclectic bunch of fat multi-patterned and coloured cushions. A small coffee table sat in front of it strewn with magazines and a copy of Arlo’s paper, and a pot belly stove in the far corner did its best to fight the invasive chill from the open door.

  Mia did as she was told incapable of resisting the force that was Gina. She looked around at the tubs and bins of vegetables and herbs arranged on the bare floorboards. A set of scales shared the long trestle table which served as the counter, with pots of honey, preserves, chutney, jam, a juicer and clean glasses. The space had an earthy, old-fashioned appeal.

  ‘It’s nothing really … I just got a shock, that’s all. Someone said something to me.’

  ‘Something nasty?’ Gina nodded. ‘Some people are like that. They love to hate. What did they say?’

  ‘That I should leave and I shouldn’t benefit from inheriting Dad’s house. A murderer’s house.’

  ‘Who was it?’

  Gina would have done well working for the Spanish Inquisition.

  ‘I don’t know. A man and a woman. About my age. She was thin with big teeth and he’s overweight with a shaved head.’

  ‘Jasmin and Sean Olson.’

  ‘Were they friends of Glenda?’

  ‘Not particularly, but they had a thing about Tony. He handled the sale of some of their land and they weren’t happy with the price. Reckoned he cheated them and favoured the buyer. It was ages ago. Two years at least.’

  ‘Dad wouldn’t do that.’

  ‘No, but that makes no difference to people like that. If they didn’t get the price they expected it was always going to be someone else’s fault. The world’s always ag
ainst them. Are you nearly finished with the place?’

  ‘It’ll take a week or more, I think.’

  ‘Will you need to stay?’

  Mia rubbed her lips together, considering how much to confide in Gina but before she could speak Gina had come to her own conclusion.

  ‘Arlo?’ Gina asked softly.

  Mia looked up swiftly. ‘Arlo?’

  ‘He’s been different since you arrived. More alive. Remember, we’ve known him for years. He met Barnaby at uni. He’s a dear friend and we were quite concerned when he came back from Africa. He was very ill but there was something else, something buried deep inside that he won’t talk about.’

  ‘To do with the people who were killed?’

  ‘Did he tell you about that?’

  ‘No, I remember the news reports.’ Gina was close to him, not a town gossip. Mia plunged in. ‘He’s very good at his job, his previous job. I wanted to ask him to look into my dad’s death. I think he might have been murdered. And Glenda. Both of them.’

  Gina’s mouth formed a perfect O as she exhaled slowly. ‘I see. We always thought the suicide verdict was very odd. What does he think? Don’t tell me, I know. He’s taken the scent and he’s off and running.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘No wonder he’s perked up,’ she said almost to herself but then flashed a smile at Mia. ‘But that’s not the only thing that’s put a spring in his step and don’t tell me you don’t feel the same way. I saw you two together the other night.’

  Mia ducked her head to hide the flush creeping up her cheeks.

  ‘His son is arriving this afternoon,’ she said.

  ‘Riley. We haven’t seen him for ages.’

  ‘Arlo is worried he won’t cope.’

  ‘Who, Riley?’

  ‘No, himself.’

  ‘He’ll have to make some changes, that’s for sure, he’s lived alone for so long.’ She looked meaningfully at Mia.

  ‘So have I. I like it.’

  ‘Don’t get lonely?’

  ‘No. I have plenty of friends, things to do.’

  ‘No room for a man in your life?’

  Mia smiled. ‘Depends on the man, doesn’t it?’