Catch Me a Cowboy (Wattle Valley, #1)

by Jacquie Underdown

  WIL: I’m sorry.

  Her heart sank to her stomach when she read that. Because an apology implied guilt. She continued reading, anger burning a path through her veins like scalding water.

  WIL: I’m sorry. She kissed me before I could stop it.

  Emily sighed. So they really did kiss. This confirmed it. She groaned to the ceiling at how ridiculous an excuse that was. Before he could stop it? What a cruel joke.

  She angrily pressed reply and punched a message back.

  EMILY: Sounds utterly plausible.

  A message vibrated back quickly.

  WIL: I know. It sounds horrible. We need to talk in person. Meet me in 5 minutes. Please!

  EMILY: Best we just keep it professional from here on out.

  WIL: Don’t do that. I deserve to give you an explanation for what happened.

  EMILY: You don’t have to explain yourself. This is a game. For your enjoyment. So enjoy yourself.

  She switched off her phone. And I’m the idiot who signed up to make that possible.

  Chapter 33

  Wil was in the kitchen with his mother. She was at the stove cooking bacon and eggs. He was setting the table. He hadn’t smiled since what happened with Becky, and especially since Emily was told about it.

  ‘I’ve lost her,’ he said, placing forks beside plates. ‘How can I expect her to understand what happened?’

  ‘If she cares enough, she’ll understand, Wil. But you need to talk to her. Face-to-face. Without all the stress and intrusion of the cameras and the other women.’

  ‘I know I do. But I can’t just head on over to the contestants’ quarters and seek her out. There are rules. And she won’t answer my texts.’ Wil started on the knives, growing more despondent with each second that passed. ‘And, besides, I’m starting to think that it’s when she cares the most that she pulls away the hardest. You should have seen her face. One minute she was open and receptive, then the next, stone. She’s been hurt before. That was a practised defence. No doubt about it.’

  ‘Then you have something more in common.’

  Wil did manage a small smile. ‘You have this ability to turn things, even emotional luggage, into a positive.’

  Mum picked bacon out of the pan with tongs and placed it on paper towel. ‘That’s my superpower.’

  Wil laughed.

  ‘Along with making miserable people laugh again.’

  Wil looked at his mum. ‘Thank you.’

  Mum shrugged and grinned, then turned back to the task at hand. The sound of the front door opening, followed by voices and footsteps echoed through to the kitchen. Dad stepped into the room, followed by Wil’s sister Cheree, Wil’s niece Rochelle, and nephew Jai.

  ‘Wil,’ said Dad. ‘Good to see you, son.’

  ‘Hi,’ Wil said, then greeted his niece and nephew with a kiss on each of their heads. When he straightened, he said hello to his sister.

  Cheree, who was nearly eight months pregnant, took a seat at the kitchen table. ‘What’s wrong with you, sad sack? The gameshow not working out how you hoped?’

  Mum placed a tray of bacon in the centre of the table. ‘He’s having some trouble with that girl he likes.’

  Dad took a seat at the head of the table. Jai and Rochelle found chairs opposite their mother. ‘Who? Emily?’

  Wil nodded. ‘It’s a long story.’

  ‘We just saw her,’ said Cheree, rubbing her stomach.

  Wil’s eyes widened. ‘Where?’

  ‘She was walking along the fence line a distance from the cottage.’

  ‘Would she still be there?’ he asked quickly.

  Dad shrugged. ‘I guess so. She was quite a distance. I see her there a fair bit. She seems to like morning walks.’

  ‘She’s gorgeous,’ said Cheree. ‘Ridiculously gorgeous.’

  ‘Can you go back and get her for me? Please. Bring her here? I need to talk to her.’

  Dad’s brow furrowed. ‘What? Why?’

  ‘I screwed up. Big time. And I need to explain what happened. She’s not answering my texts and she’s really angry.’

  Cheree rolled her eyes. ‘What did you do?’

  He lowered his head and groaned. Running hands through his hair, he said, ‘I kissed another contestant—’

  ‘You what?’ Cheree shrieked.

  ‘It’s not like that. I didn’t have time to stop her. But Emily thinks it was a proper, intentional kiss.’

  Cheree shook her head, her lips drawn into a straight line, eyes narrowed.

  Wil gestured a hand at her. ‘See, that’s what I’m up against. That’s how Emily sees it too. But I swear—’

  Dad pushed his chair back and stood, faster than he had in the last few months. His ribs were obviously healing well. ‘I’ll get her.’

  ‘Thank you,’ said Wil as his dad donned his hat and left the kitchen.

  Wil paced the length of the kitchen as he waited for the crush of gravel under tyres to sound. Less than ten minutes later, he heard the truck pull up. He rushed out the front and stood on the porch looking into the cab of the ute to see if Emily was there.

  She was. He sighed with relief and his shoulders rolled forwards. She was scowling, but he was expecting that. How Dad managed to convince her was beyond him, but he didn’t care at this point, just grateful whatever he said or did, worked.

  Emily pushed the car door open and stepped out. She was wearing short denim shorts that accentuated the length of her strong, exquisite legs, cowboy boots that drove him wild, and a long-sleeved white shirt.

  He marched to her. ‘Emily.’

  Hurt filled her eyes as she looked up at him and his chest ached to see it there, knowing it was because of him. He had a lot of explaining to do.

  ‘I’m glad you came. Thank you. I really need to talk to you. Come with me, there’s a chair where we can sit and have some privacy.’

  Dad tipped his hat at Emily and made his way inside.

  Emily still hadn’t said anything but walked alongside Wil towards a tree off to the side of the house that had a two-seater swing chair under it. They sat beside each other, not touching. Her hands were folded in her lap, arms held in tight to her body.

  Resting both his feet on the ground, he bent forwards with elbows on his knees. ‘I am so sorry you had to hear that from Missy in such a way that offered no explanation as to the reality of the moment between me and Becky.’

  Emily crossed her arms. ‘I’m sorry too.’ Her voice was soft, emotionless.

  ‘Becky and I were having a picnic together. I’d been given topics by Andrea to talk about with her. They implied that there was a future between the two of us. She was happy about that.’ He stopped and rubbed a hand along his jaw, then shook his head. ‘I’m sorry, but this is so ridiculous. So completely beyond normal that it sounds stupid coming out of my mouth. She asked if she could kiss me.’

  Emily’s head snapped up, her forehead creased. ‘She asked you?’

  He nodded. ‘While I was thinking of a way to turn her down while still respecting the directors’ needs, she kissed me. I braced myself and let her because I thought I had to.’ He groaned. ‘I know how that sounds, but my mind was all over the place. As soon as she went to take it further than a simple peck, I turned my head away. Nothing else happened.’

  He shifted on his chair, turning his legs to her. ‘I get it if you see that as a betrayal. I do. I understand. Because I’d be pissed. I know it. But, in my mind, it was too late to back out without giving the game away. I can get sued if the directors don’t get what they want. Now, I know that doesn’t mean I have to pimp myself. But I promise you, Emily, from now on, no one will be getting close enough to me to even allow that to happen again, directors be damned.’

  Emily peered at him with a deep frown on her face. ‘Last night, when I heard you had k-kissed …’ She could barely say the word, stumbled over it. ‘I wanted to punch you so hard. And scream at you.’

  Will winced but nodded. ‘That’s understanda
ble.’

  Emily sighed and turned to face him. Her features softened. ‘But I wasn’t so angry when I woke up this morning once the shock and betrayal had time to wane. Last night, knowing how much it affected me to hear that you had kissed someone else, terrified me.’

  He opened his mouth to ask why, but he stopped when dread roiled in his guts because the answer she might give may not be the one he wanted to hear.

  Emily sighed. ‘It terrified me, because as much as I tried to put the barriers up, my emotions broke through. And that means my feelings for you are … deep.’

  Wil shook his head. This was better than he had expected to hear. He only hoped there wasn’t a but that would negate everything that came before it.

  ‘And I know this a stupid dating show. And here I am expecting you to stay away from the other contestants when I know you can’t do that. I know that, yet my jealous streak came out with a vengeance to hear it. I want you all to myself, Wil Parker, and I know that’s not possible.’

  He reached for her hand and gripped it. It felt like sweet relief to feel her flesh again. Her warmth nestled in his palm. ‘It’s not entirely possible now. And in no reality, other than this bizarre one we find ourselves in now, would I ever even say something like that. But after, I promise you that. Until then, I need to make it clear that my desire is for you and you alone. The entire time I was on that date, I was thinking about you. I was getting hard, daydreaming about you. And when Becky kissed me, you were in my thoughts. You occupy my mind every damn second of the day. I want you so bad, I’m willing to end this game show right now and consequences be damned. That’s how much I believe in what we’ve started. I can see a future and you’re in it.’

  She breathed in deeply. ‘I’m not worth the consequences—the financial burden ending this show would place on you. We need to see it out to the end. And, I promise, I’ll try not to be such a jealous monster from here on out.’

  He shook his head. ‘But you have every right to be. I’m obliged to talk the talk with the other ladies. There’s no getting around that. But anything else, I’ll do what I can to avoid it.’

  Emily nodded. ‘Okay.’

  ‘You’re fine with us again?’

  Again she nodded.

  He sighed with relief. ‘Good. Thank God.’

  She smiled. ‘Can I kiss you?’ She was being facetious, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to miss this chance.

  ‘You can do whatever you like to me, Em.’

  She leant into him and pressed her lips against his. Just a light brush. Perhaps her way of claiming his lips again, of wiping his memory of Becky. But little did she know, he never stored a memory of that moment anyway. The only lips on his mind were Emily’s.

  Locking eyes with him, she whispered, ‘There’s more where that came from.’

  Wil grinned as he released his hand from hers and held her face. He moved in closer and kissed her, properly, with tongue and heat and passion. Becky paled in comparison to this woman right here with him.

  After a long moment, he tilted his head back. ‘Have you had breakfast?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Come on. You can meet Mum and my sister in the process.’

  Emily’s eyes widened. ‘Is that moving a bit too quick?’

  Wil laughed and stood, held his hands out for her. ‘You’ve already met Dad. So two more members of the family can’t hurt.’

  She smiled, gripped his hands and allowed him to help her from the seat.

  ‘Might I say you look mouth-watering today?’ he whispered in her ear.

  She arched a brow. ‘Good enough to eat, you could say?’

  Will wiped the corner of his mouth. He found it hard to compose himself after the images that statement created. ‘Very much so.’

  They made their way into the house and through to the kitchen. The others were already eating breakfast. Mum stood when they walked in, wiping her hands on her apron.

  ‘Mum, this is Emily. Emily, this is Genene Parker,’ Wil said, holding his hand on the small of Emily’s back and gesturing towards his mother with the other.

  Emily smiled. She took Mum’s hand and kissed her cheek. ‘Lovely to meet you.’

  ‘You too,’ said Mum.

  Emily stepped back to Wil’s side.

  ‘And this is Cheree, my sister.’

  Cheree went to stand, but Emily shook her head. ‘Oh, please, no need to stand.’

  Cheree relaxed back in her seat. ‘Good to meet you, Emily.’

  Emily smiled. ‘You too.’

  ‘And this is my niece, Rochelle, and nephew, Jai.’

  ‘Lovely to meet you two,’ she said in a higher pitched voice.

  The kids grinned wide. ‘Good to meet you,’ they chorused. In the face of cerebral palsy, Rochelle had made leaps and bounds with her language. And Wil was so proud to see her confidence shining through.

  ‘Take a seat,’ said Wil.

  Emily sat down and Wil assumed the chair beside her. Mum returned to her seat and it was all seven of them at the table. Wil could imagine this becoming an ordinary occurrence in the future, all of them together.

  ‘Where’s Mark, Cheree?’ asked Wil, only now realising her husband wasn’t here.

  ‘A neighbouring farm needed his help with a sickly calf.’

  Wil nodded and looked to Emily. ‘Cheree’s husband is a vet. Very handy addition to the family.’

  ‘And what do you do ordinarily, Emily?’ asked Cheree.

  ‘Real Estate agent. Not quite so handy a skill to have on a farm.’

  Cheree laughed. ‘No, I guess not. But I did hear you have a knack for dealing with pigs.’

  Emily’s cheeks flushed and Wil chuckled. ‘Hardly,’ she said.

  ‘Please, dig in,’ said Dad. ‘Just serve yourself at this table. Don’t be shy, plenty to go around.’

  Emily reached for some bacon and placed some rashers on her plate.

  ‘How are you finding the country so far, Emily?’ asked Mum.

  ‘It has spellbound me. I was saying to Wil that it feels cathartic out here.’

  Cheree nodded. ‘Especially after all the changes we’ve made over the last few years. It’s certainly that way for us too.’

  ‘Can you see yourself living out here, Emily?’

  Emily nodded. ‘Yes, I can.’

  Wil reached under the table and gripped her hand in his. He squeezed it gently.

  And so they ate and chatted like it was any other time Wil would bring a partner home to meet his family. There were no questions about the game, only about Emily, her life and general conversation about the farm.

  Dad stood when his plate was clear. ‘I hate to be rude and leave, but I’ve got to get back to work.’

  ‘You’ve got Paddy here helping today?’ asked Wil.

  Dad nodded. ‘He’ll be meeting me at ten. He had to help his dad with something first.’

  ‘Okay. Good. Well, I’m free most of the day, so I’ll head out and meet you soon.’

  ‘All right.’

  ‘It was lovely to see you again, Emily. I hope to see more of you here,’ said Dad.

  Emily smiled. ‘Thank you.’

  Cheree looked across the table at her children. ‘How about the both of you head on outside to play.’ The kids climbed from their seats and happily left the table.

  ‘I’m sure Wil hasn’t told you, but my Rochelle was born with cerebral palsy. Not as severe as some of the cases I’ve seen, but enough to slow her development and affect her motor skills. She’s mentally intact, which is great, but having a body that doesn’t do what you want it to do can be taxing.’

  ‘I’m sure,’ said Emily.

  ‘She’s why we are doing all this, Emily. She’s the reason we pulled this farm back to bare bones and started again.’

  Emily narrowed her eyes and shook her head. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t think I understand.’

  ‘We’re not certain,’ said Wil. ‘But Cheree was exposed to some fairly heavy pesticides and
fertilisers during her pregnancy and we think that it may have contributed to Rochelle’s condition.’

  ‘We don’t know for sure. And we never will,’ said Mum. ‘But it was enough for us all to wake up and start doing things differently.’

  Cheree smiled sadly. ‘We were already heading in that direction.’

  Wil nodded. ‘True. You, for starters,’ he said to Cheree.

  Cheree laughed. ‘Yes. A woman farming. It goes against the grain that’s for sure.’

  Emily arched a brow. ‘Really?’

  ‘I’ve always wanted to be a farmer. It’s in my blood for generations. I grew up here, just like my brothers. I never once believed that it was something I would ever be denied just because I’m a woman. Not until my best friend at school told me about her elder sister. She was married to a man who helped her father work their property—a big sheep station closer to Melbourne. The sister and husband got divorced and her ex-husband stayed on to work the farm.’

  ‘You’re serious?’

  Cheree nodded. ‘Many farmers are still very traditional. Still only pass properties down to their sons and expect them to take on the farming role.’

  ‘Didn’t quite work out that way here,’ said Mum.

  Cheree laughed. ‘No.’

  ‘Cheree was the one who saved this farm. Who made us see things in a different way,’ said Wil.

  Mum smiled at her daughter. ‘She brought a much needed feminine touch, where we work in partnership, as much as is possible, with nature, rather than whipping Her.’

  ‘I just love that concept so much.’

  ‘Later on,’ said Cheree. ‘Once this show is over. You and I will spend the day together and I’ll take you around, show what we’ve done here.’

  Emily smiled. ‘I’d love that. Thank you.’

  ‘Along with Wil finding someone to fall in love with, he wanted to use this show as a platform to show others what we are doing here.’

  Wil nodded. ‘And production were agreeable to letting us take that angle. I do a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that showcases our pioneering methods.’