by Julie Kenner
It would be so easy to depend upon Teague, to believe that he’d always be there for her. But they lived completely separate lives now, with miles between them, both physically and emotionally. And the only person she could truly depend upon was herself.
Hayley pushed up on her elbow and stared down into his face in the dim light from the lantern. If she concentrated hard enough, she could push aside her memories of the boy she’d loved and see the man capable of breaking her heart. She was stronger now, independent and in charge of her own life. She had a career and plenty of money to assure her security. Everyone told her she had a future in films. There would be no time for a man in her life.
But all the money and fame in the world could never feel like this, Hayley thought—the pure exhilaration and freedom of being herself, the Hayley she’d been before her role on Castle Cove had made her a celebrity. She picked up the edge of the blanket and, holding her breath, slipped out of bed.
The early-morning air was chilly against her naked skin as she tiptoed around the shack retrieving her clothes. The sun was already brightening the eastern horizon and if she wasn’t back at the house by the time her grandfather got up, he’d come looking for her.
Hayley dressed quietly, watching Teague as she pulled on her clothes and stepped into her boots. She fought the urge to wake him and kiss him goodbye before she left. But she wasn’t sure what to say to him. Perhaps it was better to let this settle in before trying to explain it all.
Shrugging into her jacket, she turned for the door. Molly was tied to the rail next to Teague’s horse. She unwrapped the reins, then swung up into the saddle, gently wheeling Molly around and pointing her toward Wallaroo.
Hayley drew a deep breath. Though she enjoyed living in Sydney, there were times when she missed the solitude of the outback. The air smelled sweeter and the sun shone brighter on Wallaroo. Though she’d run away from this place, she still considered the station home.
Hayley glanced over her shoulder, taking one last look at the shack, then prodded Molly into a slow gallop. The horse’s step was quick and energetic and Hayley was amazed at how Molly’s circumstances had changed from the day before. Once again, Teague had been there to save her from certain disaster, to set things right and to make her happy.
Hayley laughed softly. She’d dreaded her visit to Wallaroo. Since she’d first left, she’d only been back twice. But this trip was different. The last two times she’d returned, she had still been so confused and conflicted. This time, she was ready to accept her life as it was. She tipped her face up and whooped as loud as she could, startling Molly.
Teague had promised to return to the station to check up on Molly and to bring over some fresh feed. She’d see him again in a few hours and maybe they’d make plans to spend the night at the shack again. “I can handle this,” she assured herself.
She could, if she managed to maintain a bit of perspective. She wasn’t in love with Teague anymore. They were old friends. Lovers who’d rediscovered each other. There would be no strings, no serious attachments. And when it was time to go their separate ways, they would part without anger or hurt feelings. They weren’t teenagers. They were rational, sensible adults.
When she reached the stable, Hayley slid out of the saddle and held the reins, leading Molly inside. To her surprise, her grandfather was waiting, sitting on a bale of hay, smoking a cigarette.
“Where were you?” he demanded.
“I took Molly out for some exercise,” Hayley said. “You shouldn’t smoke in here, Harry.”
How easy it was for her to lie to her grandfather. And to divert his attention by changing the subject. She’d done it throughout her teenage years. But now it bothered her. There was no reason to lie anymore. It was her right to spend the night with a man if she wanted, even if that man was Teague Quinn.
“I can smoke any damn place I want to,” he said. “Answer my question.”
“I couldn’t sleep. I’ve been worried about Molly all night. I came out here to check on her and I thought I’d take her out for some exercise.”
He squinted at her, his expression suspicious. “If you want breakfast, you’re going to have to make it,” he muttered.
“I’ll be in as soon as I get Molly settled. And you don’t have to worry about taking care of her. I’ll do that from now on.”
“I would think so,” he said, pushing up to his feet. “She’s your damn horse.” He walked off toward the far end of the stable with a stoop-shouldered gait.
“Harry, wait a second. I want to talk to you.”
“We can talk at breakfast,” he called, continuing his retreat.
“No!” Hayley shouted.
Her grandfather froze in his tracks and slowly turned to face her. She prepared herself for his anger, something that she’d become accustomed to in the past. But she wasn’t afraid anymore. This man held no power over her. After all this time, she’d resigned herself to the fact that he’d never love her. So what did she have to lose?
“We need to talk,” she said in a measured tone as she straightened her spine. “I’ve noticed your vision isn’t what it used to be. I think it’s time you go to the eye doctor and get a prescription for glasses. We’re not going to argue about this. There’s an optometrist that comes out to Bilbarra once a month. I’m going to take you to see him on Thursday.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my eyes.”
“You’ve been feeding Molly moldy hay. If you couldn’t smell it, you should have been able to see it. The station looks bloody awful, the house is a wreck, the yard is all overgrown and you don’t see it. I know you wouldn’t want Wallaroo to look like this, Harry. But you can’t fix what you can’t see.”
He scowled. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, girl.”
“I have eyes and, unlike you, I can see. So, go into the house and get yourself cleaned up and shaved and I’ll make breakfast. From now on, I want you to take more care with your appearance. If I have to look at you over the breakfast table then you’re at least going to make an effort to look decent. After breakfast, we’re going to talk about getting this station back to rights.”
Harry thought about her suggestion for a good ten seconds, then, to Hayley’s surprise, gave her a curt nod. He turned and shuffled out of the stable, muttering to himself. Hayley smiled. Things had certainly changed. And maybe it wasn’t such a long shot trying to convince her grandfather to move off the station. Her powers of persuasion had obviously improved over time.
“The first battle won. Now for the war,” she said. She had to be in Sydney by the end of the month, when she’d film her character’s return from a short stay in a mental institution, so she didn’t have much time. As long as the station wasn’t making money, Harry would continue to fall further and further into debt. No doubt her contributions were covering most of his expenses, but she had no idea how he was paying the taxes—if he was paying the taxes.
Though Wallaroo was a small station, just half the size of Kerry Creek, it was worth millions. At least four million, perhaps more. But Harry couldn’t spend a dime of it unless he sold the station. He might be able to lease the grazing land, but he’d still be all alone on Wallaroo, without anyone to watch over him. By selling, he’d have enough money to buy a mansion in Sydney and live out the rest of his life in comfort.
And if he lived close by, she could keep on eye on him, make sure he was taking care of himself. After all, for better or for worse, Harry was the only family she had left.
As she tended to Molly, Hayley’s mind wandered to thoughts of the man who’d shared her bed the previous night. There had been a time when she’d considered Teague family. When she’d first met him, he’d been like a brother. And then he’d become her best friend. But gradually, her feelings had changed, shifting from affection to sexual attraction.
Hayley smiled, remembering the confusion those emotions had caused. She could recall the exact moment Teague had gone from best mate to object of lust. S
he’d been fourteen, Teague fifteen, and it had been only days after his mother had left the station with Brody in tow.
She’d found Teague at the rock and he hadn’t seemed to be happy to see her. He’d haltingly explained what had happened and Hayley had been surprised to see tears swimming in his eyes. For the first time since her parents had died, she felt the urge to reach out and touch another human being. She’d put her arm around his shoulders to comfort him and then wrapped him in her embrace.
They’d sat that way for a long time and then, when he’d finally gathered the courage to look at her, she’d done something incredibly stupid—or so it had seemed at the time. She leaned forward and kissed him, square on the lips. In the moments after the kiss, her mind had raced for some way to excuse her behavior. But she hadn’t needed one. Teague had stared at her as if she’d suddenly sprouted horns and a tail. His face had gone beet red before he’d scrambled off the rock, jumped on his horse and ridden as fast as he could away from her.
Hayley’s lips twitched into a smile at the memory. It was at that moment she’d realized her power over him. How something as simple as a touch or a kiss could render a boy speechless. That night, as she’d lain in bed, Hayley had replayed the day’s events in her mind. But she’d come away with only one certainty—things had changed between her and Teague Quinn.
From then on, every time she saw Teague, she experienced a physical reaction. Her heart skipped or her stomach fluttered or her cheeks got all warm. That first kiss had led to many more and, eventually, to a slow experimentation in adolescent desire. The relationship had become their little secret, a secret that, if revealed, could bring an end to their time together.
All those silly feelings had come rushing back the moment she’d seen Teague standing outside Molly’s stall. But Hayley wouldn’t let herself be swept away by emotions this time. Losing her heart to Teague again was not an option. Sexual attraction did not have to include emotional attachment. She’d managed to prove that with the men who’d recently populated her social life. And she’d prove it with Teague.
Hayley took the porch steps two at a time, then turned and surveyed the yard of Wallaroo station. She had plenty of work to keep her occupied for the next few weeks and plenty to keep her mind off the man who had made her ache with desire the night before. And when she found denial too difficult to bear, they’d meet at the cabin again for another night of unbridled lust.
She smiled as she pulled the screen door open, a delicious shiver racing through her. How long would it be before she saw him again? And what would happen when she did? The answers to those questions were far too intriguing to consider. For now, she’d focus on breakfast.
“WHERE ARE YOU GOING with that feed? And my ute?”
Teague heaved the bale of hay into the tray of Callum’s pickup, then slammed the tailgate shut. “I don’t have enough room in the back of my Range Rover. And I’ll only be gone a few hours.”
“What the hell is going on with you?” Callum asked. “I catch you sneaking in this morning before sunrise and—”
“I wasn’t sneaking,” Teague said.
“And now you’re loading feed into my ute. You could at least tell me where it’s going.”
“To someone who needs it,” Teague muttered. “Charity begins at home.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. “All right, how much do I owe you? I’ll pay for the bloody feed. I’ve got three bales of hay, a bag of oats and a bag of the premix.”
“You don’t have to pay me,” Callum said, pushing the money aside. “Hell, take what you need. I don’t care where it’s going.”
“Thanks, brother,” Teague said, patting Callum on the shoulder. “If Doc Daley calls, tell him to ring my satellite phone.”
Callum shook his head as Teague hopped into the pickup. If his older brother suspected anything, he wasn’t saying, Teague mused. Maybe he didn’t really want to know. Callum had inherited their father’s distaste for the Frasers and was even crankier now that Hayley’s grandfather was making another play for the disputed land.
Of all the Quinns, Teague probably knew Harry Fraser the best, and the old man didn’t like to lose, not his money, not his reputation and not his land. Oddly, he didn’t seem to care a whole lot about his granddaughter.
Teague turned the ute onto the long, rutted road that led from Kerry Creek to Wallaroo. Though he and Hayley were only a half hour apart over land by horseback, it took a full ten minutes longer than that by road.
As he drove, he picked through his brother’s selection of music. Callum had always been a country-music kind of guy, preferring Keith Urban and Alan Jackson. Brody went for hard rock, anything loud and obnoxious. Teague’s taste in music leaned toward alternative, little-known bands and singers with interesting lyrics. He managed to find a Springsteen CD in the mix and decided it was the best he’d do. He popped it into the player then sang softly along with the tune.
Just yesterday, he’d taken the same route, his thoughts filled with memories of Hayley and the time they’d spent together as kids. But now, those thoughts were a pale prelude to what had actually happened between them last night.
He still couldn’t believe she was here, within his reach and eager for his touch. She was different, yet she was the same girl he’d fallen in love with all those years ago. The same pale blue eyes, the same honey-colored hair, the same lush mouth and tempting smile.
They hadn’t spent much time talking, but there would be time enough for answering all his questions. As he drove, Teague thought about the circumstances that had torn them apart. For months afterward, he’d tried to figure out what he’d done wrong, why it had ended as it had.
But after beating himself up for mistakes he wasn’t sure he’d made, Teague realized there had been other forces at work. Maybe her grandfather had driven them apart. Or maybe she’d decided that she didn’t love him anymore. Whatever the reason was, he needed to know the real story and Hayley was the only one with the answers.
By the time he reached Wallaroo, Teague had made a mental list of all his questions. He was prepared to take the blame for whatever he’d done wrong and hope that she’d forgive him. As he drove up to the house, he caught sight of her standing on the porch, her hair blowing in the breeze.
The ute skidded to a stop and Teague jumped out, his eyes on Hayley. She hadn’t changed in the few hours since he’d seen her last. If anything, she looked more beautiful. Suddenly, all his questions were replaced with an overwhelming need to kiss her. “Hi.” The word slipped from his lips like a sigh.
“Hello,” she said, a smile playing at her mouth.
Teague took a deep breath and found his voice. “I brought some fresh feed. And I phoned in an order to the feed store in Bilbarra, but they said they wouldn’t be able to deliver until later this week. I’ll bring more over if you run out.”
They stood at a distance, staring at each other, as if afraid to approach. Teague knew that the moment he got within arm’s length he’d want to pull her into a long, deep kiss. He glanced around. “Where’s Harry?”
“He’s inside. I’ve got him tidying up the house. He’s not happy about it, but at least he’s not sulking around.”
“I’m going to go check on Molly,” Teague said, pointing toward the stables. “Do you want to—”
“I’ll come with.” Hayley bounded down the steps.
He helped her into the ute, then jogged around to the driver’s side. As he backed the truck away from the house, Teague glanced over at her, his gaze fixed on her mouth. Kissing her again had become an obsession, something that he couldn’t get beyond.
As soon as the truck was far enough from the house, he slammed on the brakes and turned to her. Reaching out, Teague tangled his fingers in the hair at her nape and pulled her toward him. “I missed you,” he murmured before bringing his mouth down on hers.
A tiny moan slipped from her lips as he deepened the kiss, his tongue teasing hers. Though the sensation of kissin
g her was familiar, the passion they’d shared as teenagers was only a fraction of what he felt now. He knew what he could do to her body and what she could do to his.
There was nothing standing in their way now, no silly insecurities or fears of pregnancy. He looked down into her eyes, a frown wrinkling his brow as he thought back to that time. They’d taken a lot of chances when they were younger. Chances that could have changed the courses of both their lives.
“What?” she asked, staring up at him.
Teague shook his head. “Nothing.”
She drew a deep breath and forced a smile. “We should check on Molly.”
Teague nodded. If they went much further, he’d have to make love to her in the front seat of the ute. Though it might be fun, they certainly could afford to find a more comfortable spot. “How is she doing?” he asked, throwing the pickup into gear and steering toward the stable.
“Good, I think. We had a nice ride back this morning. She doesn’t seem to be suffering from any aftereffects of the colic.”
“With proper feed, she’ll be fine,” he said. “And I brought some supplements you can add to her food.”
“Thank you. You’re a good vet. I knew you would be.”
“You always had a lot of faith in me,” Teague said, pausing as he stopped the ute at the wide stable doors. “Why didn’t you wait?” The question came out before he could stop it. He was afraid to look at her, afraid he’d see anger in her expression.
“I had to get home before Harry woke up,” she explained. “And you were sleeping, so—”
“I’m not talking about this morning,” Teague said, keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead.
“I—I don’t know what you—”
“You know exactly what I mean.” He turned to face her, stretching his arm across the back of the seat. “I expected you to be here when I came home. And you were gone. You didn’t even bother to let me know where you were.”
