by Mandy Magro
‘Earth to Ivy …’ Ronny’s voice was gentle as he lightly squeezed her fingers.
She looked into his eyes, still finding herself speechless. Curse the man for having this effect on her when she didn’t want him to, and especially at a time like this. She felt her cheeks flame – Ronny’s drool-worthy yumminess had taken her attention off her throbbing ankle for a few short moments, but now the initial shock of him being here in the flesh was over, the pain was returning in full force.
‘Oh, Ronny, sorry, I’m a bit dazed from the fall.’ She glanced down at the black-and-blue monstrosity that used to be part of her foot. ‘I think I’ve sprained my ankle. No, actually, wipe that – I’m positive I’ve sprained my ankle.’
Ronny moved in closer to her, the sensation of his body pressing against hers as his arm went around her waist sending that damn jolt through her once again. ‘Here, let me help you up.’ He scanned her ankle before lifting her, grimacing at the same time. ‘Jesus, you’ve done a damn good job of it. We’re going to have to get some ice on that bugger soon as.’
Ivy put her arm around his shoulder, noticing how broad and strong it felt and also how scrumptious the hint of his spicy aftershave was – the scent of it making her feel as though she’d somehow arrived home. She tried to mentally shake the sensation away, at the same time feeling as though something was scratching at her soul. It was a ridiculously crazy feeling – the pain must be rendering her senseless. She allowed him to take her weight as she attempted to stand on her good foot, still trying to make sense of what she was experiencing. She knocked her swollen ankle against an over-excited Bo and a pain shot through her, making her cry out and collapse into Ronny’s arms. She blinked back fresh tears. Bo whined beside them as he peered up at Ivy.
‘It’s okay, buddy, it’s not your fault,’ Ronny said kindly as he gave Bo a quick pat on the head.
The gesture melted Ivy’s heart. She learnt so much about a person from the way they were with animals, and Ronny was being an absolute sweetheart to her beloved pooch, and with her for that matter. Just as the thought passed through her mind Ronny took her entire weight and effortlessly picked her up. She put her arms around his shoulders and melted into him. The comfort she felt doing so freaked her out a little. Why did she feel so at peace with him when she barely knew him? She’d never felt like this with anybody before. Ever. Especially a man.
Hugging her close to him, Ronny stepped out of the garden with Bo padding beside him. Ivy was taken aback by how relaxed the dog was with his newfound friend. She’d never seen him trust a male so quickly, especially when the man was placing his hands on her; Bo would usually be baring his teeth by now, ready to defend her with his life, so clearly her pooch felt as at ease with Ronny as she did. Ivy felt so good in his arms. It was a bizarre, familiar feeling of being safe and she didn’t know what to make of it – like everything else about this moment. Maybe she was correct in thinking the pain was sending her a little loopy.
Walking around the side of the house, Ronny made for the front steps. ‘I’ll get you inside and organise some ice, and then I think we should take you to the hospital.’
‘Oh, please, no doctors, there’s no need,’ she groaned, and shook her head. She’d had more than her fair share of visits to the Bluegrass Bend emergency ward, and she didn’t feel like having to do it again today, especially not with Ronny as her chaperone. How embarrassing. She was meant to be keeping a professional distance from this guy, and acting like a boss should, and here she was, a typical damsel in distress.
‘By the looks of that ankle, I reckon there’s a huge need. And I’m not taking no for an answer. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if you’ve broken something and I don’t take you to get checked out.’ Ronny gave her a don’t-argue-with-me look and if she hadn’t been in so much pain, Ivy would have burst out laughing at his poor attempt to be serious with her.
‘Okay, then,’ she said lightheartedly. ‘If you insist.’
‘I definitely insist,’ Ronny said as he carried her through the front door, and then stopped, glancing around the empty room. ‘I was hoping to have a couch or something to put you down on, but looks like you’re stuck in my arms for the minute. And I’m gathering from the lack of furniture in here there’s no fridge either?’
Ivy felt a little giddy, whether from being in so much pain, or being in the most hunky, best-smelling man’s arms, she wasn’t sure. She hoped it was the former, because otherwise she was heading into very dangerous waters. For one, Ronny was taken, and secondly, she didn’t want to fall for the likes of a man who could fall for a woman like Amy Mayberry. And thirdly, while she was at it, men were supposed to suck, and couldn’t be trusted, and Ronny Sinclair was as manly as you could get.
‘You’d be right in guessing there’s no fridge.’
‘Okay, so where are we going to get ice from?’
‘The homestead – I can ring my aunts and get them to bring some over.’
‘No need, by the time they do that, I could have you back there. And you need something comfortable to lie on while you’ve got some ice on that ankle too.’
You look pretty comfortable to lie on … Ivy couldn’t believe she’d just considered that. If she were on her own she would have slapped her forehead to try to rid herself of the unwelcome dirty thought. But far out, how could any woman control herself around this gorgeous hunk?
Ronny turned and walked back outside to the Kingswood. Balancing Ivy, he wrangled the passenger door open and skilfully manoeuvred his guitar onto the back seat, being extra careful not to bang it, or Ivy, in the process.
‘You play the guitar?’ Ivy’s voice was waiflike.
‘I sure do, and I sing too.’ He chuckled to himself as he placed Ivy gently on the front seat, his laughter making her heart quiver. ‘Well, it’s probably more like I try to sing. Music is one of my biggest passions in life, aside from horses and meditation.’
‘It used to be one of mine too,’ she said softly. Her pulse quickened as tears stung her eyes but she fought them back, along with the painful memories of that night, wishing she could just dump them where they belonged – in a garbage bin. If only it were that easy. Regardless of what was going on inside her heart and soul, she wasn’t going to allow the sight of a guitar to evoke that horrific night, especially around Ronny. He didn’t need to know about her awful past.
Ronny shut the passenger door and then leant on the windowsill. ‘Why isn’t it anymore?’
‘Why isn’t what?’ she replied distantly.
‘Why isn’t music your passion anymore?’
Ivy snapped to attention, dragging her thoughts back from that night. ‘Oh, it’s a long story, and one I’m tired of reliving. Let’s just say my musical talents are a thing of the past, and leave it at that, okay?’
‘Okay.’ Ronny looked miserable as he motioned to the back seat. ‘I’m really sorry I’ve upset you by bringing it along. I won’t bring it again. Promise.’
Ivy instantly felt bad. Who was she to quell his burning desire for music? She waved her hands through the air as if warding off a swarm of mosquitos. ‘No, don’t you dare leave it at home. You play it whenever you like … it’ll be nice to hear some acoustic tunes around here again.’ She hoped she didn’t live to regret what she’d just said, but she wasn’t going to be a total bitch and tell him to leave his passion for music at the gate.
Ronny’s face lit up. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Totally, and speaking of common interests –’ Ivy gently tapped the side of the Kingswood, ‘– this is a very impressive ride, Mr Sinclair.’ She pretended to be prim and proper as she said it, but her attempt was pathetic. If she weren’t in so much pain she would have laughed out loud at herself.
Ronny ran around the other side of the car and jumped in, a lone dimple dancing on his left cheek as he smiled at her. ‘Why thank you, Miss Tucker, I must say I do love it.’ He mimicked her poshness, his mischievous grin making Ivy smile for the briefest of moments before she began
to squirm in her seat. Her ankle was throbbing like a jackhammer was inside of it.
Ronny revved the car to life. He placed his hand on her thigh for the briefest of seconds, leaving the skin beneath her jeans scorched from his touch. ‘Are you all right?’ he said, worry stealing his smile. ‘You look really pale.’
‘Yeah, I think I just need some painkillers, that’s all.’ She smiled nervously, the desire she had to lean over and kiss his very devourable lips completely unacceptable for so many reasons. She tried to shift her focus, noticing her voice was a little shaky. ‘I adore classic cars. I’ve got one myself.’
Ronny turned the car around and headed back to the homestead, being careful of Bo running along beside them. ‘Yeah, your aunt Alice said you had an old EH Holden. Can’t wait to check it out, I love the old classics.’
Ivy’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Oh, did she now?’ She folded her arms. ‘And when did she tell you this?’
Ronny remained casual. ‘This morning, when she stopped me to offer me a cuppa.’ He pointed to the styrofoam cup in the cardboard drink holder between them, as well as the brown paper bags. ‘But I’d already brought brekkie along – for both of us.’
A warm rush set Ivy’s heart ablaze. Who was this man and where had he come from? And why couldn’t she have gotten to him before Amy had? This totally sucked. Damn the universe for playing with her like this. Just when she’d sworn off men for a while here comes Ronny Sinclair into her life – so perfect, yet so unattainable. She groaned inwardly, reminding herself that any man she allowed to see her vulnerable side eventually broke her heart. They just weren’t worth it. Any of them. No matter how sexy or charming or kind they were. And that most certainly included Ronny.
Ronny’s voice grabbed her from her thoughts. ‘Your coffee will be a bit cold now, but hopefully the danish will still be tasty.’
Ivy grabbed one of the bags and peeked inside. ‘Oh my God, cherry and custard danishes are my favourite.’ She closed it back up. ‘As much as I hate to say it, though, I reckon I’d throw up if I ate right now with the pain I’m in, but I’ll deffo eat it later.’ She reached over and gave his arm a squeeze. ‘Thanks, Ronny, that was very thoughtful of you.’
‘No worries at all, just trying to impress the boss, and I even got you a vanilla latte.’ He glanced towards her and wriggled his eyebrows. ‘Have my tactics to impress worked?’
‘Seeing as vanilla lattes are also one of my favourites, yes, they have.’ Ivy gave him a cheeky smile. ‘But don’t go getting too cocky now.’
The homestead came into view and Ivy breathed a sigh of relief. She needed some ice, and some codeine, desperately. ‘What else did Aunt Alice talk to you about?’ She tried to sound nonchalant even though she was dying to know the details of their conversation.
‘She wanted to have a word with me about not taking the renovation job, but the thing is …’ Ronny turned to face Ivy, keeping one eye on the earthen track ahead as he did so. ‘I wanted to tell you in person this morning that I would love to take the job – that is, if you’ll still have me of course.’
Ivy eyed him cautiously, one brow quirked. ‘Why the sudden change of heart?’ She hoped to God it wasn’t because of Alice, because she didn’t want Ronny taking the job out of pity. She held her breath as she waited for his reply.
‘I just thought about it a little more and it seemed like a win for all of us.’ He shrugged. ‘I need some extra cash to help with the bills at Sundown Farm and I know you ladies really need a qualified carpenter to do the job.’
‘Okay then, good answer.’ Unable to look Ronny in the eye, she looked down at her ankle, frowning at the ghastly sight of it. ‘There is the small matter of the wages we need to discuss, though.’
Arriving at the homestead Ronny switched the motor off and turned in his seat. ‘Yup, shoot.’
‘We can only afford a weekly wage, not the usual hundred bucks an hour you carpenters normally charge.’
Ronny rubbed his chin, eyeing Ivy thoughtfully. ‘Okay, so what are we talking here?’
Ivy fought to raise her eyes to his, ready for him to knock the job back once again. ‘Say, seven hundred bucks a week, for five days a week … and I’ll even throw in morning smoko every day.’
‘Wow, smoko every day.’ Ronny smiled as he held out his hand. ‘I’d be crazy to knock that back. It’s a deal.’
Ivy’s mouth dropped open as she stared at him in shock, her lashes heavy with unshed tears.
‘I’m hoping that’s a happy reaction?’ Ronny said carefully.
Ivy nodded as she reached out and pulled him into a hug. ‘Yes, yes, it is. Thank you, Ronny. I honestly didn’t know what we were going to do if you didn’t say yes.’
‘Well, thank you for still giving me the job after I was a complete arse about it yesterday.’ Ronny got out and made his way around to her side.
‘Yeah, about that, why didn’t you want it when I first spoke to you? Is there something I should know before you take the job on, like you’re an axe murderer or something?’ She giggled.
‘Close, but not quite …’ Ronny gave her a wink and shook his head as he opened the door and slid his hands around her waist and legs to lift her out. ‘You just caught me off guard when you offered it to me, that’s all. I hadn’t really gotten my head around the fact I had an entire farm to take care of, but Larry helped me figure out that, with his help, I’d be able to handle doing this job too.’
‘Well, hurrah for Larry,’ Ivy said, as she once again enjoyed the feeling of being in Ronny’s arms. Her twisted ankle was proving a positive in this way at least. She wondered what Amy I-think-I’m-shithot Mayberry would think of her boyfriend carting her around. She certainly wouldn’t be happy about it. Ivy couldn’t help but smile at the thought.
‘Yup, a whopping hurrah is in order for Larry,’ Ronny said as he tipped his head towards the homestead. ‘Now, we better get you inside, get some ice on that massive lump growing out the side of your foot, and then get you to the hospital for some X-rays.’
‘Yes, sir.’ Ivy saluted like she was in the army. ‘It appears I’ll be following you, so lead the way.’
CHAPTER
14
Ronny stood back while the doctor assessed Ivy’s X-rays, the silence of the room a little uncomfortable. He was trying to keep his eyes off Ivy, the natural beauty of the woman still capable of taking his breath away even as she looked a little worse for wear in a hospital bed. Holding her in his arms had felt so right that he hadn’t wanted to put her down. He could still smell her musky perfume lingering on his singlet, and it smelt damn good. He subtly breathed it in as he paced the room, his concern for her making it impossible for him to stand still.
Ivy glanced over the doctor’s shoulder and gave him a small smile, her face scrunching up as she mouthed, ‘Sorry it’s taking so long.’
Ronny smiled then shrugged, mouthing, ‘That’s okay.’ As much as he should, he honestly didn’t care where he was, as long as he was in Ivy’s company. Although he was feeling a little strange being back in a hospital with her, the images of that night almost a decade ago making his heart squeeze tight. The guilt he’d felt after running away and leaving her at the emergency department had been inconceivable – but what else was he meant to do, given the situation? At least this time round he was doing what a man should do and sticking around.
Thinking back to Ivy’s comment about not singing anymore, his heart ached. How devastating for a woman as talented as her to lose touch with something that was so much a part of her. He’d wanted to say, No, don’t say that, you’re the most beautiful singer I’ve ever heard, and the way you play your guitar, like you’re strumming everyone’s heart in the room as they watch you, is mind blowing. But he couldn’t, otherwise Ivy would hold the same suspicions as Alice. He wasn’t supposed to know she’d once been a brilliant musician. Wasn’t supposed to have ever crossed paths with her before the day at the bank.
Was the reason she couldn’t play the guita
r or sing anymore something to do with that fateful night? The time frame would certainly fit. His instincts were telling him yes, but he couldn’t be absolutely certain and he wasn’t confident Ivy was going to fill him in either. Whatever the reason, hopefully, with some gentle encouragement, he might be able to get her to embrace her passion once again, and now that he was going to be at Healing Hills for a month or so, he had plenty of time. Because if his instincts were right, and they usually were, he couldn’t stand by and let a woman as talented as Ivy Tucker waste her gift because some low-life bastard took advantage of her. Ivy had been through enough heartache in her life, so if he could take some of that away for her, he would do everything in his power to do so.
‘Well, Ivy, unlike the last time you were in here with a broken finger, the good news is you haven’t broken anything.’ The doctor’s gravelly voice broke Ronny’s train of thought and pulled him towards the hospital bed.
Ivy wriggled herself up to sitting. ‘Well, that’s good I suppose. And the bad news?’
The doctor offered a resigned sigh. ‘It’s not like the last time you sprained your ankle where you only had to rest for a week – this time you have a grade two injury, which means you have ligaments that are partly torn.’
‘Bugger.’ Ivy sat up straighter, concern twisting her features. ‘What’s that mean in regards to recovery time?’
‘It means you’ll need to rest up for at least two to three weeks, elevating your foot as often as possible, and in that time you’ll also need to keep your ankle wrapped in a compression bandage. After that, you’ll have to be very careful not to put too much strain on it for a few more weeks.’
‘Oh, bloody hell, well that kind of puts a dampener on the renovation project,’ she groaned as she hung her head in her hands. ‘How the heck am I going to save Healing Hills now?’
‘Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Ivy, but you won’t be doing any kind of strenuous work, because if you try to push past the pain, you might very well cause permanent injury to your ankle. And we certainly don’t want that.’ He looked at Ronny. ‘You may have to rely a little more on your boyfriend for now, I think.’
