by Stacey Nash
Hannah’s tummy dropped. She wasn’t sure what she and Morgan were to each other just yet, so parading their young relationship in front of her family felt premature. Especially in front of Jase, who she still hadn’t spoken to about Morgan. She bit her bottom lip and punched out a text.
Mum’s heard you’re in town. Heads up, a family dinner invite’s coming your way.
***
Although she didn’t really have the time for it, Hannah loitered around the kitchen, helping her mother out with dinner. She’d tried to stay outside, keeping herself busy, but she was too jittery to pay attention to sorting out the sheep-jetting chemicals for use later that week. She’d already mucked up the mixture once and that stuff was too darned expensive to waste. Not to mention poisonous.
‘You got a hold of Morgan?’ Hannah asked her mother, already knowing the answer.
‘I put your brother on the job. Morgan should be here any minute.’
‘Oh, okay.’ Hannah fluffed her hair using her reflection in the window as a mirror.
‘And Coop?’
Kate stopped what she was doing and drilled Hannah with a look. ‘He’ll be here too.’
‘Right.’ Hannah twisted her fingers into the tight pocket at the waist of her jeans.
‘Smells good!’ Coop’s voice boomed through the house.
Her shoulders instantly tightened.
‘Kid.’ A slapping sound accompanied Jase’s loud tone. ‘How’re you doing?’
The grunts and moans of a rough and tumble ensued. As Hannah walked out she spotted Morgan standing at the front door, his hands shoved in the pockets of his trendy city jacket and a woollen scarf slung around his neck.
Jase must have noticed him at the same time, because while their eyes were locked her brother grunted.
Morgan came all the way inside, eyeing Jase warily. Cooper wasn’t so shy. The younger Burton brother strode across, hand extended. The two clapped hands, slapped shoulders, and Coop tugged on the tasselled end of Morgan’s scarf.
‘What’s this shit?’
‘Oi. Leave the goods alone.’ Morgan reefed the woollen accessory right out of Coop’s fingers.
‘Harris.’ A head nod came from Jase, a gesture Morgan returned, then strode across the room and feathered a kiss across Hannah’s cheek.
‘Hey you,’ she whispered loud enough for him alone to hear.
Someone wolf-whistled and Hannah blushed from head to toe.
‘Morgan.’ Kate’s voice betrayed her affection. ‘It’s so nice to see you.’
Morgan scooped the family matriarch into a hug, dwarfing her tiny frame with his six-foot height while she giggled. The spot where his lips had just been ached on Hannah’s cheek as if she could feel their absence, and she realised she was frowning at her mother, so forced herself to stop, looking at her twin instead.
Coop was busy greeting Pop. Jase though … he glared right through her with enough heat to burn green timber. Jase did a double eyebrow raise and Hannah shrugged, pretending she had no idea what he was trying to convey.
Back on the ground, her mother bustled past, towards her long-lost son who she thwacked with the tea towel in her hand. ‘Cooper James Burton. You haven’t been eating enough—you’re too thin.’
‘You better fix that then, Ma,’ Coop teased. Hannah tried to catch his eye again, but it didn’t happen. Instead, she exchanged a glance with Morgan who frowned as though he’d noticed something was up.
‘Well, come on. It’s ready.’ Their mother strode towards the kitchen and Morgan stood back, waving a gentle hand towards the door.
‘Ladies first.’
Hannah smiled up at him, and Cooper belted out a laugh. ‘Since when’s Hannah a lady?’
Oompf. ‘What was that for?’ Cooper complained.
‘Being a jerk,’ Jase responded.
The brothers bickered back and forth while Hannah escaped to the kitchen where her mother was working hard, plating up the evening meal.
‘Put this on the table for me will you, love?’
Hannah took the proffered platter, salivating at the scent of cooked meat. Roast potatoes littered the side of the plate like a ring of rosy around the lamb. It took both hands to carry the giant platter into the dining room, where she squeezed between her brothers to set it on the table. As she spun to return to the kitchen, Hannah bumped into Morgan. He steadied her with one hand on her shoulder while balancing a jug of gravy in the other hand. Her smile of thanks turned into an I-missed-you-today look, and Morgan’s hand squeezed her shoulder as if to say me too.
‘Move it. Move it.’ Jase hustled past them, his elbow nudging Hannah’s ribs as he placed a bowl of veggies on the table.
Hannah ducked into the kitchen, but her mother was untying her gingham apron. ‘All done.’
Upon her return to the dining room, Cooper and Jase had taken their usual seats side by side. Pop sat at the top end of the oval table, and Morgan was to his left. Her mother scooched behind her and slipped into the seat next to Hannah’s twin, leaving a single chair at the huge table—the one right next to Morgan. Hannah couldn’t tamp down the smile as she slid into her spot.
Jase glowered at her.
‘What?’ she demanded.
That only made his frown deeper.
‘Two, four, six, eight …’ Pop grabbed the plate of carved meat.
‘Dig in. Don’t wait,’ Coop finished, tossing a bread roll at Hannah.
She snatched the food mid-flight. ‘You lot are pigs.’
‘Come on, boys.’ Kate had to know that would have no effect on them.
They passed the food around the table, each filling their plates with the makings of a roast dinner.
‘It’s so nice to see you, Morgan, dear.’ Kate passed the beans to Hannah. ‘How’s life treating you?’
‘Pretty well, Mrs B.’ Morgan slipped a smile Hannah’s way. ‘It’s good to be back in town. I just wish it were under better circumstances.’
‘Don’t we all,’ Cooper grumbled.
‘And you’ve been successful in treating people?’ Kate asked.
‘Mum!’
Ignoring Hannah’s disgust at her mother’s rudeness, Morgan peered around her to better see the older lady. ‘Well, it’s hard to tell, but most of the folk I’ve seen seem to be making progress.’
His fun mood now gone, Cooper mumbled something under his breath. Morgan’s concerned gaze connected with hers and Hannah shrugged that nope, she hadn’t heard either.
‘What did you say, Coop?’ she asked.
‘Nothing.’
Pop began talking to Jase then, something about cotton varieties and leaf structure, but Hannah tuned them out, listening instead to the conversation that had struck up between her mother and Cooper.
‘You’re making ends meet though?’
‘Barely. Business is slow now that—’
Morgan’s hot breath tickled her ear, and Hannah’s insides melted into goo. The kind of goo that felt like heaven—all sticky and sweet and warm. ‘Don’t you think?’ he rumbled.
Did she think? Maybe she did, maybe she just felt instead. Like the feel of the sweet ripple cascading along her nape, down her spine—
‘Hannah?’ Morgan whispered.
‘Huh?’
He chuckled. ‘Nod once if you heard me. Three times if you wanna sneak outside and make out in the hayshed.’
Hannah giggled as she nodded. Once, twice, and—
Jase cleared his throat. Hannah’s head shot up, and there, plastered over his angry features, was a death stare.
Hannah’s cheeks burned at being caught out.
Morgan’s foot wrapped around her ankle under the long tablecloth, and Hannah dissolved back into her chair. Whatever crap Jase wanted to carry on with, she could handle him.
Cutlery clinked against plates. Pop coughed. ‘Me and Hannah were looking at the figures yesterday, and I reckon we need to up the order to five hundred plants.’
‘Pop, perhaps this isn’
t the best time—’
Jase coughed. Spluttered. Coughed again and thwacked his chest then reached for his drink. ‘Why the hell would we do that?’
‘We can discuss this later.’ Hannah threw her grandfather a solid look that he ignored.
‘Because it drops the price from five-eighty a plant to three-sixty, and that’ll more than double our profit margin in the first season.’
‘It’ll more than double our risk too, and I’m not sure we can afford that. You know this season wasn’t the best. Our fibre quality was down, so we didn’t score top grade and that—’ he took a wild swig of his water, splashing some over the side, ‘—isn’t good when we’ve got bales rotting away in the bloody gin.’
‘You’re in with that administrator lady, ain’t you?’ Pop swung his attention to Morgan. ‘Any word on when the place will reopen?’
Morgan set his cutlery aside. ‘I’m not privy to that sort of information. It may not reopen, but I’m sure you’ll get your goods returned.’
‘We’d bloody better.’ Coop clanged his knife down. ‘It shouldn’t have taken this long for them to release what doesn’t belong to the gin. It’s pretty damn obvious what’s theirs and what’s not.’
Hannah studied her brother carefully. His frown deepened and anger tinged with crazy flared in his eyes.
‘I need my tools outta that gin.’
‘Someone ought to take to those gates with a wire cutter,’ Jase scoffed.
Hannah didn’t like the way Cooper quietened down after that. He just sat there, not taking any part in the conversation as they all ate.
Dinner merged into dessert merged into coffee by the fireplace, and Hannah found herself lounging in her mum’s favourite chair. Coop disappeared to make a phone call. Pop threatened to break out the playing cards, but Jase and Morgan were too busy playing on their phones. The silence was deafening.
Warmth radiated off the combustion stove, heating Hannah’s entire left side. It was definitely that and not the stolen glances she and Morgan kept sharing that made her face flush.
‘Up.’ Kate shuffled into the living room, motioning for Hannah to shift. ‘My old bones need the warmth.’
Heaving herself out of the armchair, Hannah searched for a new seat. Short of the floor, there was only one possibility. Sprawled on the two-seater, Morgan seemed oblivious to her plight. He was still deeply concentrating on his phone. She perched on the edge of the chair while watching Pop shuffle and reshuffle the cards. Her mum picked up her knitting and started asking Morgan mundane questions about work. Her spine stiff from sitting so rigid, Hannah slowly shuffled back until her shoulder connected with the warmth of another body. It felt as though her entire being sighed with relief. All she’d wanted tonight was to touch Morgan. To be touched by him. Gentle fingers curled around her waist and she melted against them.
‘What’s this?’ Her mother beamed, her gaze darting between Hannah and Morgan. ‘When did this happen?’ Hannah’s heart tried to beat its way up her throat. ‘Oh, Hannah …’ the older woman gushed. ‘Oh, Morgan.’
‘And the ground can swallow me up right now,’ Hannah mumbled.
‘Are you two seeing each other?’ Kate’s smile was far too wide to fit on her petite face.
‘No—’ Hannah started to say.
‘Yes—’ Morgan cut in.
Hannah shot a questioning look at Morgan, whose eyes bore into hers.
‘What the fuck?’ Jase scowled at them both.
Hannah felt like she was sitting on a furnace instead of a lounge chair.
Walking back into the living room, Cooper spotted Morgan’s hand on Hannah’s waist and a smile lightened his face. Kate clapped.
That was enough. Hannah stood, walked across the room, opened the front door and let herself outside. There was no privacy in this family. None at all. And why had she blurted out no?
She plonked onto the swinging bench, her face still fired by a blush, and waved the cold night air towards herself. After a few moments the heat subsided, so she pulled the hand-knitted blanket that lived out here over her lap. Hannah wasn’t afraid of her brothers, but she wasn’t about to hang around and be the target of either of their foul moods. Her love life was none of their gosh-darn business.
The door creaked open, and Morgan stepped out onto the verandah. Hannah lifted the blanket off her legs and he sat beside her, then pulled the woollen throw over them both. He took her hand under the blanket and she stilled.
‘I panicked.’ Hannah focused on the starry sky as she wove her fingers between his. ‘I’m sorry about them.’
Morgan’s thumb caressed hers. ‘Don’t be. They’re awesome.’
She rested her head on his shoulder, and Morgan kissed her temple.
An obnoxious ringing came from his pocket. Morgan fetched the phone out with his free hand then glanced at the screen, his thumb hovering over the answer button. Couldn’t it wait for later? She’d been sharing him all night—now they were alone, she wanted him all to herself.
He let it go to voicemail and Hannah felt as though she’d won the lottery. Morgan was hers. Not Jase’s. Not whoever was on the other end of that line’s.
A sudden realisation dawned—she cared about Morgan Harris more than she ever had.
Chapter 21
Paperwork covered the dining table yet again, along with once-steaming coffee gone cold. Jase’s hair stuck up at odd angles between his splayed fingers as he studied the budget spreadsheet on Hannah’s laptop. She’d been going over the farm’s finances with him all morning, but Jase didn’t want to see what was right in front of them on the screen: a backward-pedalling bottom line. The same anger that had rolled off him at last night’s family dinner still thickened the air.
Pop’s familiar whistle disturbed the tense silence.
Hannah slumped back in her chair, studying their latest bank statement for the billionth time. ‘Let’s break for lunch.’
Jase groaned, dropped his hand, and clenched his jaw as he swung an angry glare Hannah’s way. ‘Harris isn’t right for you.’
‘Like it’s any of your business.’
‘Like it’s not. You’re my goddamn sister.’
‘And he’s supposed to be your mate.’ Hannah slammed the statement onto the table, but Jase wasn’t easily distracted.
‘I told him he’s not right for you, and he still went behind my back. No goddamn respect.’
‘What the hell? You told him?’
‘I shouldn’t have had to. His actions hurt our family—nearly landed Coop in jail.’
‘You can’t blame him for that! Cooper got into trouble all on his own.’
‘Well, Harris should’ve known better. What they did wasn’t the answer.’
‘Well, neither was the statement you tried to force me to make.’ With a jab at the negative numbers, she ripped the paper. ‘Just shy of the negative again.’
‘I don’t want him to hurt you,’ Jase murmured.
Their eyes locked for a long moment; finally Jase glanced away. ‘What about payday?’
‘That shipment will barely cover our outstanding debts. This—’ she circled the bottom figure on the screen, ‘—is what we’ll have left. Four measly figures.’
Jase sucked in a long breath and blew it back out slowly.
‘Another season like this and we’ll have to look at other options to stay solvent. Maybe sell off a chunk of land, or take out a loan.’
Jase raised both eyebrows. ‘Or take a larger risk on something else, right? That’s where this is going.’
‘Well …’ Hannah pushed aside her earlier anger. ‘It would only take a couple of seasons with a large jojoba crop to rake in a good profit.’
The earlier whistling from the kitchen resulted in Pop sinking into his seat with a plated sandwich. ‘You kids still arguing? Just make the change and be done with it. There’s no point in yabbering on.’
Hannah scrubbed hands over her tired eyes. ‘We’re trying to, Pop.’
‘You want to increase the yuppie berry crop?’ Jase tossed a hand-flick her way. ‘I don’t give a shit, whatever.’
His chair screeched across the floorboards as he rose and stalked out of the house. Pressing her fingertips against her forehead, Hannah inhaled deeply. He didn’t want her dating Morgan. He didn’t want to increase the new crop. He didn’t want to take any risks whatsoever. This partnership was hard work.
***
Hannah wasn’t sure what it was about the bank, but she’d always found the place intimidating. Maybe it was the grandiose architecture dating back to years gone by. Or maybe it was the fact that she’d never really borrowed money before. Either way, relief loosened her shoulders as she shook hands with the manager. ‘Thanks for seeing us, Mrs Glenning.’
‘My pleasure, Miss Burton.’
Jase filed out of the room, followed by Pop, who wore his Sunday best. Not a suit, though; more a pair of pants coupled with a checked button-down shirt. The three of them made their way through the bank without speaking and, once outside, Hannah wrapped her scarf around her neck and turned to the men.
‘That seemed pretty successful.’
‘Not like they’d say no. Burton Park’s the biggest and oldest property around here. It more than secured that loan.’
‘Too right.’ Pop’s gaze rested on Hannah, talking over Jase like he wasn’t there.
‘Pop, can you grab a ride home with Jase? I have to duck into work.’
‘I don’t mind waiting for you, love.’
‘I’m going to be a while.’ Hannah glanced down, fiddling with the tassel of her woollen scarf and hopefully hiding the tell-tale blush that warmed her ears.
‘That so?’ The lilt in Jase’s voice had her head whipping up to meet his gaze. Surely he didn’t know what she was doing.
‘I guess that’s okay,’ Pop said.
‘Say g’day to Harris for me,’ Jase ground out.
Hannah put her arm through Pop’s, leading him towards Jase’s ride. She didn’t need to explain herself to her brother, or anyone else.
The old truck had seen better days. A massive rust spot above the rear wheel was testament to that, as was the peeling paint on the bonnet. Plus, the back windscreen had a crack longer than it was high. If Jase wasn’t mates with the mechanic there was no way it would have passed rego. Jase scooted around to the driver’s side and climbed in, then leaned across and opened the passenger door. Using his weight to lift himself inside by the roof, Pop settled into the seat. Hannah closed the door and Pop’s window immediately lowered. ‘This is going to be a success, my dear.’
