White Gum Creek

by Nicole Hurley-Moore

  On the way back to Tash’s place, a silence had settled over the car. It was the first time he’d ever felt uncomfortable with her. He kept giving her sideways glances to make sure she was okay. He told himself that she had to be in shock and more than a little fragile because he knew that he was.

  Damn, this could have played out so differently and that rocked him to the core. When she’d called him for help, a hundred different scenarios had played through his mind, and none of them were good. He had to keep telling himself that she’d called him, that she was alive and out of harm’s way. But it still didn’t stop him from being rattled—the thought of losing her was more than he could bear.

  Nick had been lulled into a false sense of security. He enjoyed spending time with Tash; it was comfortable, almost easy. He liked her, and for the past few weeks he was thinking how lucky he was to find her. They’d said they were going to take things slowly, and Nick did try really hard not to keep looking at the perfect shape of Tash’s mouth. The truth was those lips had the potential to get him hot and bothered and lacking in sleep. But he had kept his distance whenever he could.

  He’d known that Tash had wanted to move things along, but Nick had been terrified that taking it to the next level would ultimately bring about disaster. And Nick didn’t want to lose her. He should have resisted for longer, but he kept looking at those damn perfect lips and he couldn’t help himself. Two days ago, they’d been leaning against the paddock fence with the sunlight lighting the warm brown tones in her hair. She was standing close to him and the scent of her warm perfume enticed him. He couldn’t help himself: he bent down slowly to kiss her.

  Nick was surprised at the depth of passion that rose up inside him. He was burning, sucked into Tash’s essence. He couldn’t fathom the feeling that threatened to overwhelm him; all he could do was hold on to her. He’d never experienced a kiss like that. It seemed such an inept way of describing it—it was more than a kiss, more than lust, more than a mere connection. It was as if she had reached inside and snatched away a part of him. Nick was floored.

  So floored, in fact, that he’d kept his distance for the next few days as he tried to make sense of how he felt. He thought that it might have been…Well, he didn’t bloody know, but surely it was some sort of weird fluke. People didn’t just burn up like that, did they? I mean, it was just a kiss, but it had him all twisted in knots.

  To prove that lightning didn’t strike twice, Nick made a point of turning up at the bakery the next afternoon just as Tash was closing. She’d been playing on his mind all day as he thought about her soft mouth and how she felt in his arms. By the time Nick had pulled up in front of the shop, he was anxious.

  Old Mrs Lancewood gave him a smile as she passed by.

  ‘Good to see you out and about again, son.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Nick answered with a smile. ‘Have a nice evening.’

  He slipped into the shop and spotted Tash behind the counter.

  ‘It’s looks like I have some competition,’ she said.

  For a second Nick had no idea what she was talking about, and if it hadn’t been for Tash’s laughter filled eyes, he may have been left wondering.

  ‘You mean Mrs Lancewood?’ he said with a grin.

  ‘Maybe.’ Tash shrugged. ‘So, what can I get you? There are still a few loaves left, but I’m afraid all the sticky buns have gone.’

  ‘I didn’t come in here for that.’

  Tash leaned on the counter and looked up at him.

  ‘What then?’

  ‘This.’

  Nick bent down and kissed her. Almost the second his mouth touched hers he was assaulted with the same heart-thumping waves of anticipation and longing. Kissing Tash made him feel like…Damn, he didn’t know quite how to express it, but it was beyond anything he’d ever felt before. When he’d kissed Jules, it had been warm and sweet. Even with Sophie he’d never been aware of this sort of feeling. He’d loved Sophie with all his heart and had wanted to be with her always, but there had never been any of the raw electricity he got from Tash. Not that he was trying to compare them because they were all unique women, but he was just trying to comprehend what the hell was happening to him.

  By the time the kiss broke he had to admit he was more than a little shaky. If he’d been in denial over the past few days, this kiss confirmed the one thing that he hadn’t wanted to admit—Tash meant more to him than he wanted to believe.

  And now he was wondering if he had something to do with what had happened to Tash up on Mopoke Lane.

  It almost killed Nick to think there was a possibility that he could be responsible for her accident—not that it was an accident. He understood that someone could hate him enough to torment him constantly, but this was taking it to the next level. Tash hadn’t done anything, so why would anyone go after her?

  Nick decided he was going to take things into his own hands. Yes, he was sure that Jake and the rest of the local police force would be taking this seriously, but it wouldn’t hurt just to have a look around. If the white truck belonged to someone in the area, it should be easy enough to track down. Let’s face it: White Gum Creek wasn’t exactly a bustling metropolis. He doubted that Viv had a truck; as far as he knew she zipped around town in one of those tiny little cars. It was bright yellow, if he recalled. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t get her hands on one. Nick frowned. Maybe he shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Viv may not have had anything to do with this. Just because she hated his guts didn’t mean that she’d go after Tash. After all, they had gone to school together.

  Yeah, that didn’t make any sense. There wasn’t a lot to go on without Tash giving a detailed description of the truck. But as far as Nick was concerned, asking a few questions around town wasn’t going to hurt. At least he’d feel like he was doing something.

  He figured the best place to start was to call in help from his friends. Between his poker buddies, Nick reckoned they should know everyone in town and the surrounding area. And Matt might not have the connections, but he did write mystery and suspense novels for a living—maybe that would help?

  The next day, Nick parked outside the general store. It was a little cooler today, and a breeze blew in his face as he got out of the car. For an instant, Nick closed his eyes and breathed it in.

  There was no one in the shop as Nick walked inside. The general store resembled a tiny supermarket, with a couple of standing shelves creating an aisle in the middle. Around the counter was a rack of magazines, and next to it a stand of sunglasses.

  ‘Hey, mate, how are you doing?’ Davey Blackwell called from behind the counter. Nick noted that he looked tired, but happy.

  ‘Fine, how about you? Is being a new dad all it’s cracked up to be?’

  ‘Better, but I reckon I could do with a couple more hours sleep,’ Davey said with a smile.

  ‘Sally and the bub alright?’

  ‘Thriving—both of them.’

  ‘That’s great. Listen, I’ve got a question you might be able to answer. Do you know anyone with a small white truck?’

  ‘A white truck? Um, what sort?’

  Nick shrugged.

  ‘I’m not sure.’

  Davey glanced at him for a second.

  ‘I think we need to narrow it down a bit, mate.’

  ‘I wish I could. All I know is that it was a small white truck. Look, forget I asked. I just realised how hopeless this is.’

  ‘No, no. First of all, why are you after it?’

  ‘I don’t want it to get around town, but Tash was run off the road yesterday by a truck. I just thought you and the other guys might know of something.’

  ‘Hell, is she alright?’

  ‘Yeah, but as you can imagine pretty shaken up, though she won’t admit it.’

  ‘God, that’s awful. Where did this happen?’

  ‘It was up on Mopoke Lane. She was lucky not to end up in the creek.’

  ‘Bloody hell. Tell me it wasn’t on The Trickster?’

&nbs
p; ‘If you mean that awful sharp bend? Then yes, it was.’

  ‘It’s a bad spot. There have been a few accidents on that stretch of road, one of them was pretty bad.’

  ‘This wasn’t an accident.’

  ‘Right. White trucks—well, let me think. So, you mean like those small delivery trucks?’

  ‘Yep. According to Tash, it wasn’t one of those big ones that come up from Melbourne or interstate.’

  ‘Gary has one over at his goat farm, they use it for the deliveries, but somehow I doubt it was him. Other than that, the only other white truck is from the bakery—and the truth is it’s more of a van.’

  Nick smiled grimly.

  ‘I think Tash would have recognised her own van, Davey,’ he said. ‘Especially when it has The Gumnut Bakery emblazoned on the doors.’

  ‘Well, that’s all I’ve got,’ Davey said as he leaned back into his chair. ‘I can’t think of any white trucks. Most of the vehicles around here are utes, SUVs or tractors. Maybe it was an out-of-towner. That’s the obvious answer because who around here would want to hurt Tash?’

  ‘That’s what I need to find out,’ Nick said.

  Chapter 19

  Despite his enquiries, Nick hadn’t made much progress in the days after the incident on Mopoke Lane. No one knew anything about a white truck. There were a few in the area that could meet the criteria, but Nick had ruled them out. It was beginning to look like a random act that was done by an outsider. Which, on the one hand, was good because Nick hated to think that anyone from the community was capable of this. But on the other hand, it left him on edge, frustrated and feeling pretty bloody useless. And added to that, he did a piss-poor job of hiding it when he turned up at Tash’s place later that night.

  Tash opened the door and smiled as Nick arrived. She reached up and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

  ‘Hi, I’m glad you came. How are you?’

  ‘Good.’

  ‘Have you been busy today?’ she asked as she headed back over to the couch and sat down.

  He gave her a brief nod before following her.

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘So, is all I’m going to get out of you one-word answers? It’ll make for a fascinating night,’ Tash said with a cheeky smile.

  He flopped down next to her on the couch.

  ‘Sorry, I’m fine and I’ve had a busy day. What about you?’

  ‘I went into work today, but Alex hustled me off home early. He keeps saying that I need to rest.’

  ‘I think he may be right.’

  Tash gave a half-hearted shrug.

  ‘I was pretty shaken up by it, but after a good night’s rest and a bit of sympathetic mollycoddling the next day I think I’m alright. Sally and Bec keep dropping around with treats and magazines. I swear I could get used to all the attention.’

  Nick chuckled at the thought.

  ‘How’s your head?’

  ‘Healed. I told you it wasn’t anything to get all het up about.’ She pushed her hand through her hair and held it back so that Nick could see the side of her forehead. ‘See?’

  Nick peered closer. She was right: there was only a faint mark and a thin bit of scab where the cut had been.

  ‘I think everyone is being a bit dramatic,’ she said.

  ‘No, it’s just that we care about you.’

  She smiled up at him.

  ‘Well, I guess that’s nice, isn’t it? Maybe the fuss isn’t all that bad, after all? So you didn’t tell me what you were doing today.’

  ‘A bit of this and that.’

  ‘Nick Langtree, are you avoiding my question?’

  Nick looked a little sheepish.‘I fed the sheep and filled up their water troughs. As well as pulling out the damn blackberries which were threatening to choke the spring. And I drove over to Highpoint up near the plateau to ask Mr Barnes about his truck.’

  ‘Why would you do that?’

  ‘Because, according to Davey, the Barnes family owns a white truck.’

  Tash stared at him for a moment.

  ‘What are you doing?’

  Tash was momentarily surprised. He was taking this thing so seriously—no, more than that—personally, and it only intensified the deep warm feelings she had for him.

  ‘I just thought I’d ask around,’ Nick said as he looked away.

  ‘Look, it was some out-of-town idiot who wanted to give me a scare. I’ve never thought that anyone around here would do such a thing.’

  ‘Don’t believe, or won’t?’

  ‘Both,’ Tash said. ‘I grew up in this town. It’s a small community and everyone knows everyone else’s business. We’re all bound up together, and even if that’s a bit too close at times, it’s the truth. Why would anyone here go out of their way to hurt me? So, no, I don’t believe it, because I know no one hates me that much.’

  Nick was silent for a moment.

  ‘Maybe they don’t hate you but…’

  Tash shook her head.

  ‘I know that someone is out to get you, but do you really think they’d go as far as actually trying to kill me? Because if things had gone down another way, I might not have hit those trees and the car would have ended up in the creek. Maybe I would have been okay—maybe not.’

  Tash was convinced in her mind that this thing was an isolated incident that had nothing to do with Nick. After all, she grew up in this town, and ran the bakery; who knew more about the people than she did?

  ‘I’m just trying to make sense of it,’ Nick said.

  ‘I get that, but maybe there isn’t a rational explanation. Maybe it was just an idiot with anger-management issues. Some people are just dickheads, you know.’

  Nick left out a soft laugh.

  ‘Yeah, I know it.’ There was a determination in Nick that no words could easily dispel.

  ‘Good, so let the police handle it.’

  ‘I’m just sorry that I wasn’t there. And I can’t bear to think…’

  ‘Then don’t. Dwelling on this isn’t going to help either of us. I’m trying to forget it as best I can, but I keep having dreams about the moment the car went off the road…’ Tash shuddered.

  Nick put his arm around her and pulled her up beside him.

  ‘Then we won’t talk about it anymore.’

  ‘Excellent. In fact, I’d rather think about something else altogether.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘Oh, I have an idea or two. You know to help me get my mind off the accident.’

  ‘Yeah but it wasn’t an accident, was it?’

  ‘Nick,’ she warned.

  ‘Sorry.’

  ‘But I have been meaning to say thanks for the other day. After the accident, you came and got me, took me to the medical centre, then home and stayed all night. I appreciated it and was very glad that you did.’

  ‘Well, I wasn’t going to leave you by yourself, was I?’

  ‘Still, you went above and beyond.’

  ‘I don’t see it that way. I was happy to do it, to be with you. I…like being with you.’

  A slow smile spread across Tash’s lips.

  ‘I like being with you, too.’

  Nick leaned in and captured her mouth with his own. The now familiar sensation of desire roared through him. He held back, not wanting to allow the breadth of what he felt to overwhelm Tash. But, damn it to hell, she went and kissed him back.

  His hands ran over her smooth arms, across her shoulders and skimmed down her back. She hugged him close and deepened the kiss. The wanting swelled within him like a rising flood. Nick couldn’t remember the last time he had been held like this—but, then again, he doubted he ever had been. Tash held on to him as if he were the only person in the world. He was sure that she wanted him just as much as he did her.

  When they broke apart and stared at each other, Nick found it hard to catch his breath.

  ‘Wow,’ Tash said.

  ‘Just what I was thinking.’

  ***

  Tash sat up a little strai
ghter on the couch. Goodness, this man had an effect on her. They were now sitting apart, but Tash was conscious of heat emanating from Nick’s body. She wanted to snuggle up to it, to be so close that she burned.

  ‘Maybe I should leave you to it? I mean, you should be resting and this probably isn’t the right time to…you know.’

  But Nick made no attempt to get up and leave. Tash sensed that he was giving her the last chance to stop this before it caught hold.

  ‘I don’t think you need to go anywhere.’

  ‘Tash, I don’t want to go, but I’m not sure if it’s right for me, for us, if I stay. We said that we’d take things slow, but all I want to do is kiss you—and touch you.’

  Tash’s heart leaped, and her stomach did a somersault. This was the moment she had been waiting for. She had been imagining this scene in her mind for so long, it seemed almost incredible that it was actually happening.

  ‘I want that too,’ Tash said. ‘Don’t you see just how much I want that? Nick, we’ve been dancing around each other for weeks now. I know what I want. Do you?’

  ‘Yes, but I don’t want to ruin what we’ve got between us.’

  ‘Believe me, it won’t be ruined,’ Tash said as she stood up and held her hand out to Nick. ‘Come on, take a chance—I think we both deserve it.’

  He took her hand and followed her into the bedroom. She turned to him as they stopped by the bed and slipped her arms around him. Tash pulled him close and rested her head against his broad chest. The heat of his body seemed to seep through the thin cotton of her dress. She allowed her hands to roam across his back, the texture of his shirt rubbing against her palms.

  Tash looked up at Nick, and for an instant she hesitated. His eyes were warm with tenderness. As she reached a hand out and laid it against his cheek, he leaned into it, and Tash could feel the scarring beneath her fingers. They stood like that for a moment and then another, before he took her in his arms and brushed his lips against hers.

  Still wrapped in each other, Nick lowered Tash on to the bed. She intensified their kiss until the anticipation and tingles threatened to overwhelm her. She had wanted this for such a long time. To be with Nick was something she’d dreamed about for months. He trailed his hand along one side of her body; the touch was light but it had the power to scorch her skin. She ran her tongue over his and was rewarded with an intake of breath from Nick in surprise. Tash broke away and watched a frown mar Nick’s brow.