‘Have you ever thought about looking for your father?’
‘Wouldn’t know where to start. He literally could be anyone, and there’s a good chance he’s as much of a deadbeat as our mother.’ Why the hell was he telling her all this? He was usually a closed book. It had taken months of dating for him to tell Jools even a fraction of what he’d just blurted to this near stranger. ‘Some things are better left alone.’
‘What happened to your sister? Is she still …’
Her voice drifted off but he knew what she was asking. ‘Yes, she’s fine. She’s a social worker, but we’re … not close like you and Lawson seem to be.’
Tabitha smiled. ‘Yes, he’s my rock. I don’t know what I’d do without him and Meg. And Ned. They’re my life.’
‘Ned’s a cool kid,’ Fergus said, glad for the change of subject. The mention of his family—of his sister, who was his only family—had him clenching his fingers around his glass.
‘He is.’ Tabitha smiled in way that made his stomach tighten, which also reminded him how hungry he was. Once again, his nose caught the scent of the lasagne.
‘Would you like to stay for dinner? It’s the least I could offer considering you cooked it.’
She rubbed her lips together, hesitating a moment—probably trying to come up with an excuse to turn him down without being rude.
‘Forget it.’ He stood quickly. ‘I’ve already kept you long enough. You’ve probably got better things to do.’
‘I wouldn’t say better things,’ she said, not making a move to stand. ‘But I’m on the committee for the agricultural show. We’ve got a meeting tonight.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘Starts in half an hour and since the show is just over a month away, it’ll be frowned upon if I skive off.’
Was there anything she didn’t have a finger in? Still, he felt relieved at her genuine excuse. Despite his verbal diarrhoea about things he’d meant to keep to himself, he’d enjoyed her company.
‘But …’ she added, ‘maybe a quick bite? After all, I am eating for two and if I have to subject you to vegan cuisine, it’s really only fair I try it too.’
‘Yes. Definitely.’ He nodded, already crossing to the cupboards to grab plates. ‘When are you due?’
‘Fifteenth of April.’
‘That’s my birthday,’ he exclaimed, pausing a moment.
‘No way?’
‘Yep. Has been for thirty years.’
Tab laughed and got to her feet to help him. While he got the lasagne out of the oven and onto plates, she set the table. ‘So, you’re an Aries. That makes a lot of sense.’
‘It does?’
‘Yes, Aries are arrogant, self-absorbed and confrontational.’
‘I’m not arrogant, definitely not self-absorbed, and—’
‘You’re arguing with me.’ She smirked. ‘Very confrontational behaviour.’
Fergus shook his head, but he was smiling too. ‘I can’t believe you buy into that bullshit.’
‘Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t.’ She picked up a plate. ‘Shall we?’
‘We shall.’ He grabbed the other plate and sat across from her at the table. ‘This smells absolutely delicious.’
‘Let’s hope it tastes as good.’ Tabitha tore off a bit with her fork and popped it in her mouth.
Trying not to stare at how seemingly easily she managed one-handed, Ferg turned to his own dinner and tentatively took the first mouthful. ‘Wow, this is … amazing.’
She grimaced, then cracked a laugh and put her fork down. ‘And you are a big fat liar. It’s awful. I won’t be offended if you don’t eat it.’
‘It’s not that bad,’ he said and then to prove his point, scooped another chunk into his mouth.
She shook her head with a smile. ‘You’re crazy.’
‘Nah, I just learnt growing up never to waste food as the next meal wasn’t always guaranteed.’
She frowned and Ferg realised he’d said more than he meant to. ‘So, what star sign are you?’
Tab hesitated a moment. ‘Virgo. Born September first, which makes me intelligent, practical and reliable.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Modest too.’
‘Actually, yes.’ She grinned. ‘That is one of Virgo’s positive traits.’
‘Ah hah.’ He stabbed a finger towards her. ‘And let me guess, you listed all Aries’ negative traits? What are my positive ones?’
She gave a coy smile. ‘You’ll have to do some research and find out for yourself.’
‘I might just do that.’
Slightly awkward silence descended upon them and Ferg wracked his brain for something to talk about as he managed to force a few more forkfuls into his mouth.
‘Tell me about the ice-cream,’ he said eventually, when what he really wanted to ask was who her baby’s father was. It shouldn’t be any skin off his nose but he couldn’t help wondering if she’d left him or the other way around. Her ex would not only have to be an idiot to dump someone as warm and vivacious as her, but also a jerk to leave someone who’d just become pregnant with his child. Maybe that was the reason? Maybe the jerk didn’t want kids?
‘You mean how I got into making it?’ Tab asked, and for a second he forgot what he’d said.
Pulling himself together, he nodded. ‘Meg said you’ve won some awards, so you must be pretty good.’
Her cheeks coloured slightly. ‘Well, I’m not sure how much you know about the dairy crisis in WA, but not long ago things were pretty dire for a lot of dairy farmers. A number of local families, including us, were given notice that WA Country Milk would no longer be able to take as much milk as they once had. I’ve always been an ice-cream junkie and have been making it at home for as long as I can remember. When I began to make more than Lawson, Ned and I could eat, I bought the van and started taking it round to local shows and festivals. It all went better than I ever expected. Then, when we were faced with having to start culling our cattle and turfing perfectly good milk, Meg suggested I take the business to the next level. That’s when I started using the space at the back of her tea rooms and upped my production. Now as well as the ice-cream we sell ourselves, I also distribute to a number of small cafés and some country stores.’
‘That’s impressive,’ he said.
Her brow arched. ‘You’re wondering how I do it all with only one arm?’
‘No, that’s not what I was thinking, I promise. But must be hard to compete with the big brands.’
‘I’m not trying to compete. I pride myself on offering something different and of a higher quality that you can get in the frozen section of Coles or Woolies, but the business has grown faster than I could ever have imagined. Thank God we only open the tea rooms four days a week or I wouldn’t have time to actually make the ice-cream. Speaking of time …’ She glanced at her watch and gave him a regretful smile. ‘I better be off to my meeting.’
He tried not to show his disappointment. He’d been enjoying talking to her more than he’d imagined he would. Until the last twenty-four hours, where he’d had more to do with adults than children, he hadn’t realised how much he’d missed grown-up conversation, and there were so many things he still wanted to know about Tabitha.
‘Of course. Sorry I kept you so long.’ He reached over to grab her plate, but she got in first, standing and taking it and her cutlery and glass to the sink. When she turned on the tap, he said, ‘Leave that. I’ll do it later.’ It was the least he could do after she’d cooked. ‘There’s not much.’
‘You sure?’ she asked, already drying her hand against her T-shirt.
‘Yes. And I’ll clean the dish and get it back to you ASAP.’
‘No hurry. Unlike arms, baking dishes are not something I’m lacking.’
He couldn’t help but laugh.
She gave Mrs Norris a quick pat goodbye and then Ferg walked her to the door. ‘Thanks for the food and the chat,’ he said as they lingered a moment on the porch.
‘You’re welcome.’ She grinned a
nd tossed her keys in her hand. ‘I have to admit I said yes because I felt sorry for you, but the conversation was almost pleasant.’
He laughed. ‘Look, I know I’ve said it before but I really am sorry for the way I behaved when we first met, and then for my ignorant attitude at cricket. I know it’s no excuse but … I wasn’t in the best headspace when I arrived and it’s clear to me—’
She cut him off before he could finish. ‘I get it. You came to Walsh with a wounded heart and wary of all women. Believe me, I understand firsthand what hurt can do to you, so let’s agree to call it a truce. Deal?’
She held out her hand and he reached out and shook it, all the while wondering if the hurt she referred to was associated with the father of her baby.
‘But,’ she added before he had the chance to decide whether or not to ask, ‘if you ever cross me again, I promise you, I won’t be so forgiving.’
‘Noted,’ he said, unable to contain his grin as she took the steps off the porch two at a time.
She waved as she walked. ‘See you at cricket, Thursday!’
‘See you then.’ Now that they’d cleared the air, he couldn’t wait.
Tabitha was almost at her van, when she turned. ‘Pity I thought you were a vegan or I’d have brought you some ice-cream for dessert. Although maybe my next experiment should be vegan ice-cream. You can be my guinea pig!’
‘Now, now, let’s not get carried away,’ he joked.
Yet he had a feeling that no matter the flavour, if Tabitha Cooper-Jones made it, he’d like it. His first impressions of her had been completely off the mark and he’d never been happier to have been wrong about someone in his life.
Chapter Fourteen
‘Why are you so late?’ Adeline glared at Tab as she entered the town hall five minutes after the show meeting was supposed to begin.
‘Sorry.’ Tab gave the rest of the committee an apologetic smile as she slid into a chair around the table. Then, because Adeline’s eyes were still boring into her, she couldn’t help herself. ‘I was having dinner with Fergus and lost track of time.’
‘The new teacher?’ Eileen Bennett frowned in disapproval.
‘You were what?’ Adeline looked at Tab like she was cow shit on gumboots. ‘Why?’
Tab stifled a smile. ‘He was up half the night searching for Mrs Lord, and then this morning, after helping us get her back to the hospital, he went to work. I simply did the neighbourly thing of making him a meal and when I delivered it, he asked me to join him.’
‘That was lovely of you,’ said Tennille, ‘considering you’ve had a very stressful twenty-four hours yourself.’
Adeline snorted. ‘You’re not even neighbours anymore.’ And although Carrie was more subtle, it was clear on both their faces that they didn’t think there was anything altruistic about Tab’s actions and that they wished they’d thought of using the excuse to pay him a visit.
‘I must admit I’ve been a bit uncertain about him,’ Tennille added. ‘He came across as a little arrogant both times I’ve spoken to him, but Boots said he was very caring towards Mrs Lord.’
‘Yes, he was,’ Tab confirmed. Even if she hadn’t just spent a lovely couple of hours in his company, his treatment of Vera Lord would have made it very difficult to hold onto her grudge. ‘If you didn’t know better, you’d have thought she was his grandmother. He definitely wanted the best for her and watching her in distress upset him.’
‘Maybe he’s got some sort of power issue going on,’ Eileen said. ‘He’s obviously far more comfortable with the vulnerable, like kids and the elderly, than he is with his peers.’
‘I don’t know …’ said Beth, one of Tab’s favourite old ladies, who also happened to be Beck’s grandmother. ‘Beck said the kids adore him. In general, kids and animals are very perceptive about people.’
Tennille chuckled. ‘True. The girls think the sun shines out of his arse.’
Tab decided not to mention what his cat thought of him, although cats had complicated personalities and thus probably couldn’t be trusted. Thinking about Mrs Norris made her remember what he’d told her about his ex. What kind of woman cheats on someone and then expects them to take custody of their cat? Hell, what kind of woman would cheat on a man like Fergus McWilliams full stop? Sure, he had his faults, but if the last twenty-four hours were anything to go by, his virtues far outweighed his flaws. He was not only easy on the eye, but he was smart, caring when it mattered and had the kind of dry sense of humour she related to. He definitely didn’t deserve all this scuttlebutt about him.
She feigned a yawn. ‘So what have I missed so far?’
‘Yes, let’s get back to business,’ said Chloe Wellington, Tennille’s mother-in-law, Boots and Carrie’s mum and, most importantly in this scenario, the president of the Walsh Pastoral and Agricultural Society. ‘With just under five weeks until show day and now no band for the evening entertainment, we really do need to focus.’
‘No band?’
Chloe nodded at Tabitha’s question.
‘What happened to The Barefoot Cowgirls?’
‘I was just saying before you arrived that we’d had a major setback. The girls are hugely apologetic but they’ve had an opportunity to tour with Keith Urban in America. They’re going to be his …’ She made a clicking noise with her tongue. ‘What do you call it?’
‘Opening act,’ Carrie informed her with a slight roll of her eyes.
‘Wow, that’s awesome for them,’ Tab said genuinely, but also trying to ignore the tug of jealousy. Ryder hadn’t been the only thing she lost when she lost her arm. If damn cancer hadn’t paid her a visit, maybe she’d be touring with Keith.
‘Yes, but not so great for us,’ Adeline said, tapping her ridiculously long nails on the table. She was in charge of entertainment and had gloated for weeks when she’d first managed to book The Barefoot Cowgirls. ‘And we had a contract.’
‘There’s no point dwelling on it,’ Tennille said, reaching into the middle of the table to grab a Tim Tam, then dipping it into her tea. ‘We need to channel our energy into finding another band, pronto.’
Chloe looked around the table. ‘Anyone got any other ideas or contacts?’
‘There’s always the high school band,’ Beth suggested. ‘I know I might be biased because my grandson is the drummer, but they’ve got good rhythm.’
Adeline screwed up her nose.
As usual, Chloe tried to smooth over the tension. ‘They are good,’ she said, ‘but they were going to be The Cowgirls opening act, and they’re hardly the big name we wanted to put our hundredth anniversary show on the map.’
Sadly, everyone agreed. There was a lot riding on the annual show this year. Usually, it only drew attendees from Walsh and the surrounding few towns, but this year they had high hopes of drawing people from much further afield to showcase what their small but vibrant community had to offer.
‘I know!’ Carrie sat up straight, knocking the table in her haste and spilling her tea. As her mother handed her a serviette to mop up, she said, ‘What about Ryder O’Connell? He’s kind of a local.’
Tab’s heart turned to ice, the cold rapidly filling every other part of her body as all eyes around the table snapped to her.
‘Great idea,’ someone said. Tab was too numb to register who.
‘Maybe you could ask him?’ This from Carrie, who looked proud of her suggestion.
Everyone nodded hopefully, their heads clearly in the clouds.
But even if Tabitha could, she wouldn’t. The last thing she wanted was the guy who’d broken her heart and still haunted her dreams, strutting around town and ruining show weekend for her. Ever since she was a little girl it had been her favourite time of the year—the rides, the fairy-floss, the friendly competitions about who could bake the best scones or grow the best roses, the fireworks. Who wouldn’t love it?
‘I haven’t spoken to him in almost ten years—I’ve got no more hope of getting through his “people” than any of you d
o. And quite frankly, I think you’re dreaming.’
There was no way in hell Ryder would give a weekend of his time to come all the way just to help them out. Although they’d met in Perth, he had other tenuous links to Walsh besides her—his second cousins owned one of the local dairies—so the town claimed him as their own, but as far as Tab knew, he hadn’t visited them since hitting the big time. Although he was a country music star who sang about droughts, floods and hooking up in outback pubs, she’d bet her ice-cream business that his fancy boots hadn’t ever seen real dirt. He was a joke really, and anything the P&A Society could afford to pay him would be a pittance to him anyway.
‘Well, we can only try,’ Adeline said, with a sneering twist of her lips. ‘You’re not usually one to have such a defeatist attitude, Tabitha.’
‘I’m also not one to waste my time. But,’ she shrugged, pretending to be nonchalant when she felt anything but, ‘by all means, go ahead and ask. I’m happy to be proven wrong.’
‘Okay. I will.’
Although Tab was certain even Adeline wouldn’t be able to twist Ryder’s arm, the discussion of him had sent the good mood she’d arrived in out the window and all she wanted to do was flee with it.
Chapter Fifteen
‘Fergus!’ Joanne called to him as he headed to his car Thursday afternoon and he turned to see her waving something small above her head.
‘What’s up?’ he said, glancing at his watch.
She caught her breath as she landed beside him. ‘You heading off to cricket training?’
He nodded.
‘I’ve been meaning to ask you how that’s going?’
‘So far so good. The kids are enthusiastic, I’ll give them that.’ He was pretty certain that unless they showed some miraculous improvement, they had Buckley’s chance of winning their first game this weekend, but there was more to life than being the best.
‘And have you got enough parent help?’
‘Actually only Tabitha assisted last week, but we managed.’ He didn’t add that there’d been a number of women on the edge of the oval—some he suspected were not even parents—none of whom had offered a hand, but many of whom had been eager to get him talking afterwards.
Something to Talk About (Rose Hill, #2) Page 12
