Cowboy Edition EBook

by Maree, Kay

  “It leaves you in exactly the same place as you were up until about an hour ago. As far as I’m concerned, nothing has changed in that regard. You’ve been my friend for as long as I can remember and I’ve valued your opinion and support over the last ten years. Now, if you want to stay and hear Adam out, I’m sure he’d appreciate the chance to only have to tell things once. But, if you’re going to pick a fight at every opportunity, you may as well go home now.” Callie paused for a moment before going on. “I know you’ve got just as many questions as I do – maybe we can get all of them answered… What do you think?”

  “I think you’re at risk of getting the wool pulled over your eyes.” Shane sounded sceptical.

  “I’m happy for you to stay and make sure that doesn’t happen,” Adam offered. By the sound of things, he had some serious making up to do with not only Callie, but with Shane as well.

  “As long as we all agree that tonight is for sharing facts and information that we can go away with and make informed decisions and choices.” Callie sounded so serious.

  “I don’t have a problem with that,” Adam agreed quickly.

  “Okay. I have my doubts, but I’ll stay and hear what he has to say. I guess I owe him that much.”

  “Okay, let’s move this down to the tack room and get more comfortable. I have a feeling this could turn into a long night.”

  After checking that Adam was feeling okay, checking out the bruise which had already appeared under the ice pack, she helped him to his feet and they made their way to the tack room. She’d been right, of course, and it did turn into a very long night. Somehow, they managed to keep most of their emotions in check and gave Adam the time he needed to say what he needed to say before asking questions. When the clock on the wall revealed it was after one in the morning, they chose to head to their respective homes to get some much-needed sleep.

  Saying goodnight to Callie, without knowing what she thought about his revelations, was hard for Adam, even though he knew he had to give her some time and space to think. They exchanged numbers and he agreed to be available to answer any questions that came to her mind.

  After she walked away from them, heading back toward her home, an awkward silence settled around Adam and Shane. They stood in the barracks’ doorway, watch as Calle made her way across the yard, each of them thinking their own thoughts about the night. Once she had climbed the stairs and let herself in through the front door, Adam turned to Shane and addressed the white elephant standing behind them.

  “You made a play for her, didn’t you?” he asked.

  “Yep.” Shane’s answer didn’t give away much.

  “How did it go?”

  “I think that’s pretty obvious, don’t you?”

  “So, you struck out, then?” Adam couldn’t suppress the smug tone in his voice.

  “Screw you.”

  “You wish.”

  “Sorry I hit you.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “Yeah, but I should have waited until you knew it was coming.”

  “That would have been a little more sporting.”

  “I guess so,” Shane admitted. “It was a good punch though.”

  “Yeah, I’ll give you that,” Adam conceded.

  “Wanna catch up on the weekend?”

  “Let’s wait and see how we all feel tomorrow before we start making plans, shall we?”

  “Probably a good idea…I might hate you again by then.” Shane chuckled at his own comment.

  “Who were you again?” Adam joked and they both laughed.

  A couple minutes later, Shane was steering his ute out of the yard and Adam was heading into his father’s house. Although he wasn’t sure what the outcome of tonight’s talk would be, he was cautiously optimistic that he might get a chance at his future with Callie after all.

  When the next morning dawned and Adam joined his father for breakfast, he had an impressive bruise and swelling on his cheek to show for his meeting the previous night. As Adam recounted how it had happened, Mick couldn’t contain his chuckle. However, he was more serious in his response to the conversation the three friends had shared after that. He was pleased that they’d been able to air everything calmly and agreed with Adam giving Callie space to consider what she’d heard before he contacted her again. For a man who’d appeared to let his marriage slip through his fingers, he was giving Adam some very sound advice with regard to women.

  Days passed and Adam kept himself busy around Macquarie Downs, gradually working his way through the chores that needed doing. He kept his phone with him all the time and checked it often, hoping that he’d see a message from Callie. After a week, he was getting nervous, but after two he was worried. What if she chose not to give him another chance? Even worse, what if she decided to give Shane the chance that should have been his? The waiting was doing his head in, and even though his father assured him that he was doing the right thing by being patient, each time he saw the empty message icon on his phone, his heart sank a little lower.

  By the end of the month, he decided he needed a day off work and took Simon for a ride out to the waterhole. He hadn’t seen Callie, except from a distance, since the night of their conversation. She hadn’t messaged or called, so he had no idea what she was thinking. He’d sent Shane a few quick texts, but he’d been no help with information. He felt like he was being tortured and no amount of work was keeping his mind from stressing about the possible causes for her silence. When he went into the barracks to get Simon, he’d noticed that Callie’s horse was out, but thought nothing of it. Macquarie Downs was a big property and they could be anywhere. For all Adam knew, Callie could still be in the habit of riding over to visit friends like she had as a teenager.

  Arriving at the waterhole and finding it deserted was both a relief and saddening. As much as he wanted to try to clear his mind, he also wanted to see Callie and since he’d told her he’d wait for her to contact him, a random meeting was the only way that would happen. Today he planned on spending most of the day out here, so he’d brought an old blanket and some lunch, and once he’d set these up in the shade and stripped off, he plunged into the cool water. He swam around for a while, remembering how he’d liked to test himself as a teenager by swimming underwater for as far as he could hold his breath. After several attempts to make it across in one go, he decided that the waterhole must be much fuller than it used to be, because surely, he couldn’t have become that unfit and breathless. As he surfaced at the end of one more attempt, he saw that Callie was lounging on the blanket he’d spread out. Sucking in some water had him coughing and spluttering a little, but he tried to disguise that in an effort to appear in control. Appearing to be in control was going to require a lot of concentration as he emerged from the water, wearing only his underwear, and made his way over to the blanket to dry off.

  “Hi,” he greeted her as he approached.

  “Hi.” Her one-word response didn’t feel him with hope.

  “How’ve you been?”

  “Fine.” Another one-word answer.

  “I was beginning to think I wasn’t going to hear from you again.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, really. It’s been a while.” Adam was having trouble making out how she was feeling.

  “How did that feel?” Callie asked, giving him a meaningful look. He wasn’t sure what meaning it was meant to have, but he figured it was serious.

  “It felt awful…I was going out of my mind trying to figure out what to do and what you might be thinking.”

  “It’s a pretty shitty feeling, isn’t it?”

  Now he knew where she was going. “Sure is.” He sat down on the blanket, choosing to sit a little distance from her. “It was to teach me a lesson, wasn’t it?”

  “Maybe just a little taste of your own medicine – sorry.” She actually sounded sorry.

  “I think I actually deserved it. I really didn’t understand what was going on
and I was getting pretty frantic, and it was only for a few weeks. No wonder you were so upset and confused by my disappearing act.” He thought for a moment. “I’m surprised you even spoke to me at all when I came home. If I was you, I probably would have shot me…or let Shane have at me.”

  Callie looked down for a few seconds, then gazed up at him from beneath her eyelashes. “I’m surprised I let my guard down as well. I had made my mind up ages ago that I would never speak to you again, no matter what, but when I saw you here, I couldn’t stop myself from reacting.”

  “I’m grateful that you gave me a chance to explain my absence. I know that my explanations don’t make up for what I did to you, but I hope that you can understand a little of why I did what I did.”

  “I think I’ve had a glimpse of that from your account of things.”

  “Do you think you might be able to forgive me for not being able to get past my pride some day?” He hadn’t been able to voice that question when they talked that night.

  “Maybe.”

  “Well, maybe isn’t no, so I’ll take that.” Adam felt a warm wave of relief wash over him as he formed his next question in his mind. “And do you think we might ever be able to get back to where we were when I left?”

  “Adam, I think we’ve got quite a way to go before we get to that stage.”

  “But do you think we’ve got a chance?” He had to know if Callie still believed in them.

  “Adam, I don’t think I’ve really got a choice in that.” She sounded confused.

  “What do you mean? I’d never try to force you into a relationship.”

  “That’s not what I mean, silly.” Callie shook her head and smiled the shy smile that he remembered. “I mean, I don’t think either of us ever really had a choice about whether we’d be together or not…it’s always felt like we were meant to be…like destiny or something. That’s why I couldn’t move on with anyone else and kept waiting for you to come back home. Nobody else was you and all being with them did was remind me of how much I loved you and only wanted to be with you.”

  “It was the same for me, you know. I tried for such a long time to ignore how bad I felt about not keeping my word, but in the end, I knew I had to come back to face you and beg for a chance to make it up to you.” Adam shuffled across the blanket until he could reach out for her hand. “Callie, I know I’ve hurt you, and that I don’t deserve this, but please say we can try again. I promise to spend the rest of my life giving you reasons to know you’ve made the right choice.”

  “This isn’t a choice, it’s never been a choice, this is so much more than that.”

  Callie spoke with a certainty which surprised Adam. There would probably always be moments when he’d be able to recognise the determined little girl she’d been on her first day of school, but she would always be the strong woman who sat beside him now.

  “Callie, can I ask you something?”

  “You can always ask.” Her answer reminded him of another day spent in their favourite spot.

  “Can I kiss you?” He suddenly sounded like the teenager he’d been when he fell in love with her.

  “I though you’d never ask,” she replied, a cheeky tone laced through her words.

  As he leaned in to touch his lips to hers, she reached a hand up behind his head and drew him closer. When the distance between them was closed and they melted into each other’s arms, he knew that this was what he’d been missing for every day of every years he’d been away from her. He also knew that he never wanted to spend another day away from her and swore to himself that he’d make sure that was a promise he’d keep. Being the man that Callie needed would be his life’s purpose from this day on, there was nothing else that mattered and nothing else he wanted… There was never a choice when it came to Callie.

  Connect with Ann:

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  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14198058.Ann_Mickan

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  Other titles by Ann Mickan:

  When It Feels Good - https://www.amazon.com/B01N3C19HX/

  The Book Boyfriend – https://www.amazon.com/B076C6588X/

  Co-Written with Jo Tannah

  The Lemonade Stand – https://www.amazon.com/B074M5QW1V/

  A Lemon Flavoured Christmas – https://www.amazon.com/B078GDTTLQ/

  Co-Written with MT Abraham

  Conversations With People I’ll Never Meet – https://www.amazon.com/B07QHNSRPK/

  SHOW GIRL

  GEMMA ARLINGTON

  SHOW GIRL

  Copyright © 2020 Gemma Arlington

  The right of Gemma Arlington to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her under the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000

  All rights reserved. This publication (or any part of it) may not be reproduced or transmitted, copied, stored, distributed or otherwise made available by any person or entity (including Google, Amazon or similar organisations), in any form (electronic, digital, optical or mechanical) or by any means (photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise) without prior written permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  Riker

  This couldn’t be happening again… please someone kill me. I groaned throwing the pillow over my head to drown out the noise. It was early… alright so it was midday but to me this was early. I hadn’t even had a cup of coffee let alone time to crack open a beer and enjoy the first weekend trip away I’ve had in over a month.

  She was at it again….

  Nicki Minaj – Starships was blaring through her sound system. High pitched squeals of girl’s enjoyment, the sound of water splashing from the pool… beer bottles clinking, yahooing and cheering. It was obvious the next-door neighbour was at it again; another teenage party was in full swing.

  The song changed… Bon Jovi living on a prayer kicked in, the cheering got louder. High school party, university bullshit was the only way to describe the deafening roar of children. I don’t judge or begrudge anyone of a good gathering but to listen to this fucking shit all day when I’ve just returned from what could only be described as the most physically demanding job… who am I kidding, I love my life but working my ass off in the hot sun wasn’t for everyone. I was starting to regret buying this house, but the real-estate agent had me signing a contract before I even looked at the damn property.

  “Trent Filmore,” someone shouted.

  I’d heard that name before…. Fucking Trent Filmore. He must be a prick because every girl had some problem with him. He was a cheat, scumbag… fuckwit, I could go on but the things that came out of the mouth of some of the girls would make their grandmothers ashamed of their granddaughters.

  “Trent….” The sound made me roll my eyes.

  I swear if I heard someone yell this guy’s name again, I was going to shout some unkind profanities of my own over the fence. Shit! For a guy who appeared to be so disliked by all, I couldn’t understand why he was invited to the parties my neighbour threw let alone why he’d want to hang around with people that seemed to hate him.

  “Trent Filmore, you asshole.”

  “Fuck me!” I groaned in agony gripping the pillow and tossing it across the room.

  I was gonna call the cops. Fucking Trent Filmore.

  Adelaide

  “I’m sorry Mrs Wilkes, I’ll certainly be talking with Lindsey when I get home.”

  Great, my young very inconsiderate sister was at it again. Her and her douchebag friends were going to send me to an early grave. I hung up from talking to our elderly next-door neighbour to dial my sisters’ number. There was no more miss nice
girl… no batting of eyelashes and sweet talk from my sister. She’d been getting away with things for years and I’d been letting her because it was just us. Me and her against the world.

  “Adelaide,” my sister shrieked in joy. Shit! She sounded happy and I almost didn’t want to rip into her for having a party, but the truth was I could lose everything if she continued.

  “Lindsey,” I replied.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “You gotta shut it down honey,” I replied.

  I heard her moan in annoyance. I shook my head because I could picture her face. She’d be pouting and giving me the puppy dog eyes she often gave me to get away with everything, but she wasn’t standing in front of me and even though I could picture it, it somehow didn’t have the same effect.

  “But.”

  “No buts Linds, do you want me to lose everything? Do you want to end up in foster care?” I interjected. “Because you know what the rules are.” I knew threatening her with the potential of being shipped into a foster care would kill her, but I felt it was the only way. We’d been in and out of the system for years only finding freedom when I turned eighteen and was legally old enough to take care of myself. It’s when I filed to be primary guardian of my sister and we’ve been together ever since.

  “Fine,” she huffed.

  “Linds, I’ll be home Thursday, I’ll come to the school to visit,” I stated.

  We continued our chat with the usual pleasantries before hanging up. The whole nightmare of what my home was going to look like when I returned had my head pounding. I pinched the bridge of my nose; I could feel the tension building on my shoulders. I loved my sister, but she was becoming harder and harder to handle. I needed her to graduate and pursue a career, to take some adult responsibility or maybe I could marry her off to some powerful and rich man and then she could be his problem. A smile broke out across my lips at the idea, as much as it was fun to think of I could never force her to do anything she didn’t want to. I sent a silent prayer to heaven above that she heard what I’d told her and shut her party down. I was sure I’d get an update from Mrs Wilkes in a few hours but until then I’d be on edge. I couldn’t afford any hiccups and I was sick of my neighbours calling me complaining about the outrageous parties that were apparently happening every weekend for the past month while I was away. Clearly while the adult is away little sister likes to play was correct.