Her Outback Surprise

by Annie Seaton

  Angie started for the door but paused and turned around, lifting a finger at Liam. “Don’t touch it. Don’t move, don’t breathe near it, or it might sink in the middle. Or even worse, crack right across the top.”

  In the pantry cupboard, beneath the cake tins, she found a stack of cake coolers. She pulled one out and hurried back to the kitchen. He hadn’t moved but his expression was one of anxiety.

  “God, this is worse than an editorial meeting at the paper. Much more stressful.”

  She simply raised a brow, turning her attention to gently patting the cooling cake out onto the wire stand. It slipped out of the tin perfectly. Carefully, she pulled the circular ring of baking paper from the bottom of the cake. Not one crumb came away.

  “You’ve done well,” she said.

  “We’ve done well. Thank you. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  Before Angie could move away, Liam leaned forward quickly and brushed his lips against hers. This time, she tasted the whisky on his breath.

  Chapter Seven

  Liam was more than pleased with the events of the day. The farm chores were caught up, Willow was almost recovered, the cake—the perfect cake—was cooling beneath a tea towel, and he was sitting beside Angie in her car heading over to the Mackenzie farm.

  “It’s not too late to call in, I hope. I won’t stay long. If Lucy’s in bed, I’ll just give the gift to Garth and head back to town.” Angie’s voice was anxious and Liam frowned. She’d never been a worrier before, and he hoped that he wasn’t responsible for her jitteriness. And she’d been so prickly since they’d met up in town. Even when they split up in London, she’d been sweet and gentle about it. Except for the night she’d left—she’d been quiet and had looked so lost when she’d got in that damn black cab.

  And that had made him feel worse about the whole thing. She’d always been the peacemaker and she had always been the one to draw him out of his bad moods. His frequent bad moods. Now that he was away from the newspaper world, he was beginning to realise how stressed he’d been and how hard it must have been for Angie to put up with him. Maybe that was why she hadn’t pushed hard for him to come back home with her when her visa had run.

  His kiss today had only been a quick peck; a brief brush of her lips to say thank you. The problem was he’d wanted more but he knew that wasn’t fair. Angie was here, and he’d be heading back to the city soon. Wanting more, and kissing her, wasn’t the right thing to do. And there was this new guy to consider. He’d better treat her right, or he’d have Liam to answer to. As long as Angie was happy, that would have to be enough for him.

  The dogs at the Mackenzie farm ran around the unfamiliar vehicle, barking and yapping. Angie climbed out and patted each of them in turn, and Liam watched, marveling at her calm patience. They’d left Willow asleep in the basket in the laundry after Angie had taken a look at her. Willow was learning quickly that the laundry basket was her place. She would sit on her cute little butt and stare up at him with those huge brown eyes. When he nodded, she would follow him into the living room. It had to be a coincidence. A young pup surely couldn’t learn so quickly. And Liam was surprised to discover that he actually enjoyed the pup’s company. Took away that edge of loneliness since Gran and Pops had headed off on their travels, and Lucy had married Garth and moved to the Mackenzie farm.

  “Liam. Angie. Come on in. We’ve just made a cuppa.” Garth opened the screen door with a wide smile as they stepped onto the wide back veranda.

  “No, I won’t come in. I don’t want to intrude. I just wanted to give you this.” Angie pressed a small parcel wrapped in white tissue paper into Garth’s hand. She shot a look at Liam. “I have to get back to town.”

  “No, don’t be silly. Come inside, both of you. At least meet Lucy before you go. You haven’t met her, have you, Angie? She’s holding court in the living room with Mum and Dad hanging off her every word. She’s taken to being a mum like a champion.” Garth’s chest puffed out and Liam smiled. Fatherhood suited Garth.

  Angie and Liam followed Garth through the house. He quickly introduced Angie to his parents before he led her over to Lucy and James.

  A strange lump settled in Liam’s throat as he watched Angie smile at Lucy and the baby.

  “Our new vet, Luce. Angie Edmonds.” Garth nodded at Angie as he introduced her.

  Lucy’s eyes widened and shifted across to meet Liam’s briefly, before she smiled and turned back to Angie. “Hi, Angie. Pleased to meet you.”

  Oh no! She’d remembered Angie’s name. Liam shook his head at Lucy behind Angie’s back. He’d spilled his guts to Lucy a while ago, when she had been despairing over Garth and kidding herself she could go back to the city. Liam had told her about Angie and how much he regretted letting her go.

  He couldn’t believe he’d told Lucy, and he’d never even told Angie.

  Lucy opened her mouth but Liam caught her eye and shook his head again. She understood and cleared her throat. “How thoughtful of you to bring a gift. How do you like Spring Downs, Angie?”

  “It’s great,” Angie said. “I’m a country girl. I grew up in rural Victoria, so I feel right at home.” She raised her hands palms up. “But the practice has been really busy. I’ve barely been able to get to know anyone in town yet.”

  “Well, we’ll have to do something about that, won’t we?” Lucy smiled widely. “I can think of a couple of things. The agricultural show is coming up, and we’ll start having a few weekend dos out here now that summer is coming. I’ll introduce you to all the locals.”

  Liam almost rolled his eyes. Lucy was up to something. He could see it in her expression as she shifted her glance from him and then back to Angie. “I thought you’d be too busy at home with young James to get involved in anything yet,” Liam said.

  “No. I’m not going to be a stay-at-home mum. Plus, I’ve picked up some more freelance work from my boss in Sydney, too.”

  “You are going to be busy.” Her mother-in-law’s voice held a tinge of disapproval.

  “I sure am. Now, Angie, would you be interested in helping me on some of my committees in town?”

  “I’d love to. But let’s talk about it another time. You’ve got visitors and I really have to go now.” Angie turned to Liam. “Do you want a lift home or are you going to stay here?”

  “Liam, you can stay for dinner.” Lucy’s voice interrupted them. “Garth can run you over to Prickle Creek later.”

  “Thanks for organising me, Lucy, but I’m quite capable of making my own decisions.” Liam burred up, but Lucy waved his protests away. “No, I need to talk to you about the cake.”

  “Ah, the cake.” Angie’s words were accompanied by a smile and the sweetness of it hit Liam right in the solar plexus. “Liam’s cake turned out beautifully. I’m looking forward to seeing how well he ices it,” she said.

  Lucy looked from one to the other again. “So you’ve been over at Gran and Pop’s farm, Angie?”

  Angie’s response sent any sweetness flying out the window. “Only to see to Liam’s new pup.”

  So he didn’t count in the scheme of things. Liam knew where he stood. Angie had a new partner—the wonderful Hugh. And the only reason she’d called into the farm was in a professional capacity. He lifted his chin and he knew his expression was sour. “Dinner sounds great, thanks Luce.”

  Good manners dictated he should see Angie out, so he waited until she and Lucy had exchanged mobile numbers. “You don’t want to be too late driving back into town, Angie. The roos will be out and about,” he said.

  “Yes, I know. I grew up in the country, remember?”

  Damn, does she ever lose that sweet, calm expression?

  “I’m going now. Lovely to meet you, Lucy. I’ll look forward to a coffee next time you’re in town.” Angie took her car keys from her pocket, and Liam’s head started to pound as he walked her to the back door.

  The whisky? Or the fact that he knew he had made a huge mistake letting her go?

&n
bsp; Liam watched the taillights of Angie’s truck until they disappeared over the slight incline at the front gate of the Mackenzie farm. Angie had been polite but distant as he’d seen her to the vehicle. She was friendly with everyone else, but when she talked to him, it was as though she was putting a wall up between them. When she’d been in the kitchen helping with the cake, it had been like two friends spending time together. But she’d still held that air of fragility that had brought out his protective instinct when he’d first met her. She was putting on a tough act and he wanted to know why. Liam was thoughtful as he turned to go back inside but before he reached the house, the screen door creaked open and Lucy came out onto the veranda.

  “Lucy. What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be sitting down?” Liam hurried across to her and took her arm.

  “Gosh, Liam. I’m not sick. I gave birth. A week ago.”

  “Okay, if you’re sure.”

  “Don’t be silly. Men! I wanted to talk to you in private.” Lucy let Liam take her arm and he led her over to the double bench at the end of the veranda overlooking the house paddock. He sat beside her and made sure she was comfortable on the soft cushions.

  “Are you comfortable?”

  “I’m fine! I wanted to ask you about—”

  “The cake? It’s fine. But I might need you to help me with the icing. Maybe I could bring it over here?”

  “No, not the cake. Angie. I’m not mistaken, am I? Angie is your Angie from England?”

  Liam dropped his hands between his knees and leaned forward, staring at the wooden floorboards.

  My Angie. She had been that for almost two years. His Angie, and he’d blown it.

  “No, not my Angie. But yes, Angie from England.”

  Lucy made a rude sound. “If I remember correctly, when you were giving me the wakeup call about being in love with Garth, you told me you were in love with her, and she came home.”

  “Maybe.”

  “There was no maybe about it. So now I’m giving you the talk. She seems lovely, and she’s back here, so what are you going to do about it?”

  “Nothing. One, she has a new guy in her life. And two, I’m only here till Sebastian and Jemima come and take over. Then I’m off to Sydney after Christmas. ABC TV world here I come. The new best political reporter in Australia is on his way.”

  “Oh, Liam.” Lucy shook her head and put her hand on his arm, sympathy clouding her eyes. “Are you really sure that’s what you want? To go back to the city? You seem so happy and settled out here. Farm life suits you.”

  “I am loving it, Luce. Because it’s a working holiday. I need to get back to the real world.” Liam lifted his head and stared over the paddocks. “My need to go to the city is different to what yours was. I’m not making a difference out here. Sure, I love the work, and the lifestyle, and I love being on the farm—I can’t think of a place I would rather live. But I need to be doing something worthwhile. Go back to investigating and reporting social issues. I’ve got my hopes pinned on the Sydney job, but I’ve also made enquiries in Brisbane and Melbourne, too. It’s surprising how much work is around at the moment.”

  “You have to go to the city to do something worthwhile? There are no social issues out here in the outback? You think we live in fairyland? You disappoint me, Liam. You woke me up to myself, now I’m going to do the same for you. I heard the way you talked about Angie.” Lucy’s grip on his arm tightened. “I see the way you look at her. I can hear it in your voice now.”

  “It’s too late. She has a new partner.” His voice was flat. “And she’s here to stay. She owns the vet practice in town now.”

  “Stay here. Fight for her.”

  “What? So we get back together for a while and then when I go back to work, we go our separate ways again?” Liam shook his head.

  “Bloody hell, you were never a quitter.” Lucy stood up and her ponytail swished from side to side as she turned to him. “Promise me you’ll think about it. Or I might have to throw in a helping hand.”

  “Lucy,” Liam warned her. “Don’t interfere. Okay?”

  “I’ll see. Now tell me all about this cake.” She slipped her arm through his as they walked back inside.

  Chapter Eight

  Nothing had gone right today for Angie. The steriliser in the surgery had given up the ghost, but the supplier had said it would be at least three days before they could send a replacement. So all surgery had to be put on hold until it arrived. She would have to send any urgent cases to Coonamble or Narrabri. There had been a spate of sick dogs over the past couple of days, and she suspected they had been poisoned. The strange thing was, it was domestic pets from town, as well as a couple of kelpies from farms that were a long way out. Maybe it was a virus.

  Cissy had taken ill after lunch, and the casual vet nurse had been unavailable, so Angie had worked alone in the surgery and was run off her feet. The last patient left and she was about to pull the blind down and turn the closed sign around when a ute turned into the car park.

  Oh, just fine and dandy. What did he want? Being so busy, she’d managed to put Liam out of her mind all day. Spending time with him yesterday—and helping him cook that damned cake—had led to a sleepless night. And seeing him with his family had made her feel extra lonely. She had vowed to herself to stay away from him, and then she would be able to survive until he left town to go back to his career.

  She ignored the little shaft of pleasure that lodged in her chest when he got out of his ute. Obviously freshly showered, and wearing clean jeans and a white T-shirt, he oozed manliness. Damn him.

  She quickly turned the closed sign around and went behind the counter. Maybe he’d think she’d gone home already.

  Coward.

  All thoughts of not answering the door disappeared when Liam called out and she peered through the gap in the sign. He cradled a limp little brown pup in his arms.

  “Ange, are you in there?”

  She flipped over the lock.

  “Liam, come in. You just caught me. Oh no, don’t tell me Willow is sick, too?”

  He nodded and his face was strained. “Yes, she was quiet when I came in from the paddock for smoko, and she’s gone downhill quickly. I tried to ring but the phone didn’t pick up.”

  “Sorry. I’ve been frantically busy. Cissy’s sick”—she lifted her gaze to meet his—“and I’ve had a load of sick dogs coming in all day.”

  She took Willow from his arms and went into the examination room, Liam close behind her. Angie reached for a thermometer on the way.

  “Her temp is up, and she’s beginning to show signs of dehydration.” Angie held up the thermometer and frowned. She checked the puppy’s heart and respiration, looked in Willow’s mouth, palpated the abdomen, checked for dehydration, and performed a rectal exam.

  Liam stood beside her silently, clenching his baseball cap in his hands.

  “I’ll get her on a drip, and I’ll take some bloods. I don’t think it’s parvovirus but given that we don’t know her history, or if she’s already had her vaccinations, we have to consider it.”

  “That’s bad, isn’t it? For a little puppy like Willow?” Liam’s voice was low, as if the pup could understand what he was saying.

  “It is, but I don’t think it’s parvo. The outbreak in all the dogs today makes me think it’s another virus they’ve all picked up. Or they’ve been poisoned. The others have all been vaccinated against parvo, and they’re all displaying the same symptoms as Willow. Has she been outside at all where she could have taken bait?”

  Liam shook his head. “No, not at all. So probably not parvo?”

  “Probably not, but she’s still a very sick little girl.” Angie sighed. She was reluctant to put tiny Willow out back with the other sick dogs and anyway, the cages were all taken. “I’ll take her home with me and put her on a drip at my place.” She handed Willow back to Liam and quickly cleaned down the examination table. “Come on, it’s only a short walk. I live two houses away.”
<
br />   …

  Angie held the door open for Liam as he stepped through with Willow, and he followed her as she headed down the footpath to the last house on the street. Willow was limp and panting in his arms. Angie smoothed her hand over the pup’s head as they walked quickly to her house.

  So much for my plan of staying away from her. It looked like Willow had other plans for him. He wondered how long it would have been before he had known that Angie was in town, if Willow hadn’t appeared at his front gate. Maybe he wouldn’t have seen her again before he went back to Sydney. Maybe that would have been best. Certainly best for his peace of mind, and certainly for his ability to sleep at night.

  Half an hour later, Willow was asleep in a dog enclosure and being rehydrated.

  “Thanks, Angie.” He couldn’t help himself; he reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. It was just like old habits coming back. “You look exhausted.”

  “I am. It’s been a big day. I’ll have to call in one of the nurses from Coonamble if Cissy is still sick tomorrow.”

  “Why don’t you go take a shower and I’ll sit with Willow. And I’ll order in some Chinese for us.”

  “Chinese again?” Angie smiled and her whole face glowed with life. Liam clenched his hands by his side as his heart warmed. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and hold her close but that didn’t seem right anymore. She belonged to someone else now.

  “Or does a hamburger hold more appeal?” He looked at his watch. “The milk bar will still be taking orders but we’ll have to be quick.”

  “Liam. You don’t have to feed me.”

  “Yes, I do.” He folded his arms. “You have to eat. I have to eat. Someone has to watch Willow for a while.”

  “All right,” she said, but Liam sensed her hesitation. “A hamburger would be good. Thank you.”

  He reached out and gently held the top of her arms, and then looked at his hands on her bare skin and quickly dropped them. He turned around and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “I’m sorry. That just came naturally.”