Coming Home (Williams Siblings)

by Ann B. Harrison

  "The problem as I see it is you never coming home to see your folks. Too busy now you’re a big football star to care about the people back home who loved and raised you. Broke your mother's heart it did, that you never came back." Essie slapped the pastry down on the board and rolled it with more vigour than needed.

  Cade bit the inside of his lip. She was right but Essie didn't understand how hard it was to finally break free from his father. It was a big step. It was easier to stay in the city than to come here and have to go through the whole leaving again.

  "Look, I'm sorry you feel that way. It wasn't my intention to hurt you, I promise."

  A small smile twitched at the corners of her mouth.

  "You know I love you, Essie. I always have."

  "Don't listen to him, Essie. He's sucking up," Russ said as he walked into the kitchen.

  "If I recall, sucking up was always your job, brother." Cade's stomach tightened as he looked at his big brother. As youngsters, they had clashed enough over Essie's attention. Russ had always been her favourite, much to Cade's annoyance. "I just tell it like it is."

  "Yeah, right. Just make sure you mind your manners then when you catch up with Kate. She doesn't deserve any of you smart-mouthed crap."

  "I already saw her. Fiery little piece isn't she?" He knew the smirk on his face would annoy his brother so he worked at keeping it there.

  Russ leaned on the bench and glared at him. "What did you do to her?"

  "Nothing," Cade growled and slapped his hand on the counter. "I parked the Ferrari in the shed and she told me to get it out. Christ, it's a three hundred thousand dollar car. I'm not parking it outside for the bats to shit all over. It's staying where it is."

  "No, mate, it isn't. Park it down in the barn with mine. There is more room there anyway. She keeps the farm ute in there, so let her be." Russ leaned down on his arms and grinned. "I don't think you want to see how much her temper matches her hair now."

  "Yeah I do, actually. Is she, you know, attached?" She was so different to the skinny, freckled kid who’d annoyed him with her incessant chatter as she followed him everywhere.

  "Just you keep your hands off of our Kate," Essie snapped. "That girl has her head on straight and is too good to join the ranks of the skanky girls that follow you around."

  "Are you serious? Listen to yourself. You aren't her damned mother and if I want to ask her out I will."

  "I've looked out for that girl since she first came to work for your father. Don't go giving her a hard time or you'll have me to deal with." Essie waved her rolling pin in his direction and he glanced at Russ for help, worried she would hit him with it for his remarks.

  "I really don't think she’s your type. Kate is too down to earth for you from what I've seen clinging to your arm on the news. She’s a country girl and not used to someone like you." He walked over to the fridge, opened it and took out a beer. "Want to join me on the front veranda for a cold drink?"

  "Sure, why not?" Cade winked at Essie who still frowned in his direction and followed Russ out through the hallway to the front veranda. He hobbled over to a large wicker chair and leaned down into it. Dropping his crutches on the wooden floor, he reached up and took the cold beer offered to him.

  His mind went back to the swaying hips encased in tight blue denim. Young Kate had certainly grown up. It was hard to keep the smile from his face as he let his imagination run wild picturing her in his bed.

  "Cade, are you listening? I said we need to talk about the funeral tomorrow."

  "I thought Tory had it all sorted."

  "He does but I'm a bit concerned about Essie. I think this has rocked her even though she is making a big show of being her normal self." Russ shrugged his shoulders. "If you could keep an eye on her, I would appreciate it. Don't let her get overwhelmed with everything, okay?"

  "Yeah, yeah."

  Russ sat in the chair beside him and screwed the top from his bottle before taking a long drink. "So, what are the plans after tomorrow?"

  Cade looked out over the front lawn and shrugged his shoulders. "No idea."

  "I've got an appointment at the hospital the day after the funeral to meet the NUM—Nurse Unit Manager—to get a guided tour before I start. Should be interesting. Make a change from Sydney that's for sure."

  "You will die a slow, boring death here, Russ. I can't believe the old man did this to us." He shook his head and lifted his bottle for another drink, halting as it reached his lips. "I wonder if there is any way we can fight it?"

  Russ looked at his brother and wondered how they had come from the same parents. Why Cade couldn't take things as they were never ceased to amaze him. Always the one to rock the cart, he had to change everything to suit himself.

  "I'm pretty sure Dad would have considered every angle of doing what he did, and Tory is pretty switched on, you know that. You wouldn't get him to look over your contracts if he wasn't."

  "Yeah, well it was worth a thought. I don't know how I can make it work for me though. I need to be in the city. Training isn't something I do when I feel like it. We have a routine, you know."

  "Look, Tory already said you don't have to be here every day. You could work it out if you really wanted to." He crossed his ankles and leaned back against the cushions feeling relaxed for the first time in months. "You don't have to be back in the city for...six weeks or so…to see the doctor about your knee?"

  "Yeah, about that…look, I don't want to discuss it today." Bitterness crept into his voice and Russ glanced his way.

  "Well you have that long to relax and make up your mind. Just remember there is more to consider than yourself in this situation. Rooney might be ready to come home and she deserves a chance to make up her own mind."

  "We'll see."

  They sat on the veranda talking off and on for the next couple of hours, watching the sun dip in the sky. Russ was almost asleep when the sharp tattoo of boots on the wooden veranda startled him.

  "I told you to move your car, Cade. Give me the keys or do it yourself, but do it now or I'll hook it up to the tractor and pull it out." She stood over him, her jaw set in a hard line.

  "Aw come on, Katie. Don't be like that." Cade smiled at her, trying to work his usual magic but she was immune to his charms.

  "Keys." She held out her hand.

  "No one drives my baby, no one." He leaned down and grabbed his crutches. "I fail to see why you should have the shed anyway. I believe I own this place along with my brother and sister. Shouldn't that mean something?"

  "No, not to me. I live here too and the sheds have always been for farming equipment. Not that you would know that since your life is no longer here. If you want your car out of the weather, park it in the barn." She turned on her heel and walked away. "I'm hooking up the tractor in 10-9-8-7…" her voice faded away as she rounded the back of the house.

  Russ chuckled, loving the way she got under Cade’s skin and rattled him. "She’s not going to act like your other groupie girlfriends, not by a long shot."

  "How the hell do you know what my girlfriends act like? It's not like you've met any of them." Cade stood and headed inside.

  "No," Russ said softly to himself. "We were never invited into your circle to mix with them." When Cade had become one of the popular boys in the local league club, he’d changed, and slowly but surely stepped away from his old friends to hang out with the popular kids. That had always stuck in Russ's throat.

  Chapter Seven

  "So tell me, Rooney, apart from seeing Stevie again and having to explain why you didn't tell him about his daughter, what's stopping you from moving back home?"

  She looked across the table at him as he shovelled spaghetti in his mouth. While she’d cooked dinner, Rooney had run through her excuses in her head, arguing and changing her mind more times than she could count. "Seeing Stevie again is going to hurt. I trusted him and he let me down. "She put down her fork on the edge of the plate and crossed her arms. "Look, I think it could be a good move f
or us, but things have been happening in the city. Pete came to see me the other day and gave me some devastating news. Julie has Alzheimer's."

  "Oh God, I'm so sorry. I know how much you love those two." He sighed and shook his head.

  "Yeah, it was pretty tough. Anyway, you know I was saving up for a deposit to buy the business?" She took a deep breath. "Well, someone offered Pete good money to walk away and he has."

  "Shit."

  "Yeah." Rooney rubbed her hands over her face. "Not that I blame him in the slightest, you understand. The thought of having my own business has kept me going. I'm not sure I want to work for someone else after having free rein for the last year or so."

  "I can lend you the money to buy your own practice, Rooney, you know that." He smiled at her and dropped his gaze back to his plate.

  "And you know the answer too, Tory. I want to do this on my own, same as raising my daughter. I don't want to have to lean on anyone. Please don't take it personally." She chewed her bottom lip. "You were the only one who did understand. I haven't changed."

  "Yeah, I know. But the offer is there any time you decide differently."

  Tory wiped his mouth with a napkin and met her gaze, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth.

  "What?" She leaned forward, grabbing his arm across the table. "Tell me."

  "Do you remember old man Skillings, the vet out on Putty Road?"

  "Uh uh, he was the grumpy guy, if I recall. Hated doing house calls, didn't he?"

  "That's the one. Well, he retired recently and because of the terrible state of his practice, it’s still on the market." Tory watched her let the words set in.

  "What do you mean by the terrible state of his practice? What's wrong with it?" A buzz raced under her skin and her brain worked, already sensing an alternative prospect.

  "He should have retired long ago, Rooney. His health hasn't been good for quite a while, and that impacted on how he treated customers. I hear he was pretty bitter towards the end and lost most of his customers to the other vets in Rutherford." Tory took a sip of the red wine he’d brought home for dinner. Placing his glass down, he spoke again. "The place is dirty and needs some tender loving care. As far as I know all the equipment is still there, although I don't know how good it will be after all this time."

  "That's not a bad idea. It could be just what I need. Let's face it…it’s probably all I can afford anyway." She met his gaze and felt a moment of panic. Tory wore his heart in his eyes and she’d been too wrapped up in her own problems to notice. Some friend she’d turned out to be. "I'll call the agent first thing in the morning. I might be able to have a look early, that way I can talk to my brothers with some idea of what I'm going to do."

  "It will be good for Tamara to come back to family, Rooney."

  "Yes, I know that. I worry sometimes that it's my fault she’s missing out on having a family around."

  "It doesn't have to be that way."

  "What do you mean?"

  "You could marry me, Rooney." He held up his hand when she opened her mouth to speak. "Just hear me out here. We get on great, always have. I know we could be happy together. I have my practice set up and doing well. You wouldn't want for anything—either of you."

  He gazed into her eyes and took her hand across the table. "We could make it work, Rooney."

  "I would want for love, Tory."

  "No, you wouldn't. I love you. I always have." His gaze turned pleading and she looked down at their hands, not loving how this conversation was going.

  "I love you too, Tory but not like that. I'm sorry, I didn't realise you felt that way about me. I always thought of you as my best friend, not a boyfriend."

  "Yeah well, silly me for not pushing you then. I figured you would fall for me eventually if I gave you time to get over Stevie." He squeezed her fingers before letting go of her hands and reached for his wine. "I'm always here for you, don't forget that."

  "I know and I appreciate it more than I can say. I don't want to lose you as my best friend." A wave of sadness washed over her and she worried things would change.

  "Not likely. I'll live in hope you change your mind and realise I'm the man for you."

  Rooney stood and picked up his empty plate. He grabbed her arm before she could walk away. "Forget I said anything, okay?"

  "Sure, no problem." Things would never be the same again as far as she was concerned. Each time she reached for a friend to lean on, she would see the pleading look on his face as he lay his heart in front of her, only to be brushed aside.

  There was no point pretending to feel something for him she couldn't. Rooney was honest even if it seemed harsh at times. Tory knew that and he would just have to deal with it.

  "Do you want me to take you to the funeral tomorrow?" He walked up behind her and grabbed the tea towel to dry the dishes as she washed.

  "That would be great. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle everything." She passed him a dripping plate. "Are you sure you want to do that? I don't want you to feel you have to do everything for me."

  "Things aren't going to change, Rooney. I'll still be there for you. You just won't see my bleeding heart. I'm not the type to put it on show, if you get me."

  "Thanks." How the hell is this going to work now? Every time I look at Tory, I’ll see him professing his love for me. This could be the death of our friendship and I don't want to lose him like this.

  Chapter Eight

  Kate stood under the large fig tree tapping her boot, making patterns in the dust when Cade hobbled around the corner, a sexy smile on his face. The guy knew he was drop dead gorgeous. It pissed her off he was trying to use his charms to get what he wanted so soon after arriving back home, as though nothing had changed. He stopped in front of her and lifted a hand, brushing back the blond locks falling over his eyes.

  The aching in her stomach returned with a punch, knocking the wind out of her with a soft groan. She pushed down the sound as best she could with a cough but she was too late. Mortification rolled in her stomach and Kate cursed the heat racing up her cheeks. The light in Cade’s eyes showed he’d heard and thought he’d made another conquest.

  "Well now, little Kate. You didn't have to go all growl and bossy to get a moment alone with me. You could have just asked nicely." He smiled, tilting his head to one side and watching her.

  "Get over yourself, Cade. If I wanted you—which I don't and make no bones about it—I wouldn't be shy about it. All I want is for you to move that damned car before I'm forced to do it myself." She narrowed her eyes and curled her lip. "Don't expect me to act like a soppy little girl tripping around after you, begging for a moment of your time, sport. That finished when I grew up and you walked away from your family to further your…" she held her fingers up and wiggle them, "…own career."

  "The kitten still has claws, I see." A smirk crossed his face and he looked at her lips, before he met her gaze again. "I think you and I could reignite that flame, Kate."

  She laughed, shaking her head. "Oh, Cade, seriously. You don't know how to take no for an answer, do you?" She caught a lock of hair that had escaped her ponytail and tucked it behind her ear. "I run this place. I don't have to have your permission for anything. It's the other way around now." Kate mentally ticked her scoreboard as a dark shadow crossed Cades eyes and a frown marred his otherwise perfect forehead. Gone were the days when she had to tow the line to spend time hanging out with him.

  "That's right. Get your little brain around that one. I am the boss now. You get to live here, but I run the place." She stepped back and nodded at the car. "Now move it or it gets towed."

  Anger tightened his jaw. With no other option, Cade moved over to his car, shuffling along the side of the shed wall to get into the front seat.

  Kate moved back and sat her butt on the old wooden rail fence that surrounded the vegetable garden. She crossed her arms and watched as he manoeuvred his car out. With a glare in her direction, he planted his foot on the accelerator and headed down the d
riveway toward the barn. The small burst of power scattered crushed granite over the grass and she laughed. Round one to her. A shame he still had the ability to set her heart racing.

  Not one to tag along at the rear anymore, she quietly thanked her Cade’s father for taking her in and toughening her up. When Kate had applied for the job of stockman, he’d laughed, telling her she wasn't up to it. She’d proven him wrong more times than she could remember.

  Now she knew she would have to prove herself all over again. Cade would to try and undermine her He always had. It was his way to make himself look good when all he had to do was play football and his following would be just as big.

  Of all the Williams children, Kate felt most sorry for Russ. He was the quiet achiever, the child who’d always looked for approval. The eternal peacemaker she used to call him. He was still the same, although there was now a sadness in his eyes that made her wonder what had happened to him in the last few years.

  The sound of silence rolled over the farm and Kate realised Cade had turned off his car. The rumble of the engine was no longer at odds with the cries of cattle in the paddocks. From her position on the fence, she watched as he hobbled out of the barn and headed back to the house.

  Satisfied she’d made her point, she moved over to the work ute and opened the door. Kate climbed in and turned the key, not bothering with her seatbelt. Reversing back, she spun the steering wheel and pointed the nose into the space vacated by Cade moments before. When she was parked, she killed the engine and jumped out, slamming the door behind her before hanging the key on the nail by the door post.

  Kate stood and tilted her hat back on her head, checking to see everything was in its place before walking the few hundred yards to her home.

  The original homestead was one of the oldest homes in the Hunter Valley. Large hand cut sandstone blocks soaked up the setting sun, giving off warmth that would keep the house cosy for hours. Dubbed Thunderbolts cottage after the bushranger who had grown up in the small house, it had been modernised before Kate had moved in.