He shrugged one shoulder. “Mandy preferred that version. Since I was the one who left, I figured it was the least I could do.”
Elyse’s curiosity soared. “I see. Was there…was there someone else?”
He gaze was unmoving and she was suddenly caught inside his hypnotic stare. “Not in the way you’re obviously imagining.”
Heat rose up her neck. “I wasn’t thinking you –”
“I didn’t cheat on my wife,” he said coolly. “I left because it was the right thing to do. Mandy deserved more than I could give her.”
Elyse sat back in her seat and sighed. She knew Brett…he was a lot of things, and honorable and honest was at the top of the list. “You didn’t love her, did you?”
His gaze sharpened a little as she waited for his reply. Her insides were suddenly going haywire. She shouldn’t care. And was more confused than ever that she did.
“No,” he said finally. “I didn’t. I cared about her…I still do. But she wanted to start a family and I knew she deserved to have that family with someone who was in love with her. Last year she married Darren Kennedy.”
Elyse knew that name. “Wasn’t he her old high school boyfriend?”
“Yes,” he replied. “They moved interstate about six months ago. Funnily enough, she called me a few weeks back and said she was expecting their first child. So I guess sometimes history does have a way of repeating itself.”
“And sometimes it doesn’t.”
He clearly didn’t miss her point. “Yes…I guess that’s equally as true.”
Their drinks arrived and Elyse was instantly silenced. The waitress lingered for a moment and said something a little flirtatious to Brett. Once she’d left, Elyse raised a curious brow.
“Friend of yours?” she asked. “I may as well be invisible.”
He laughed softly. “You know, I’d wager that you’d probably be the most visible woman in any room you walked into.”
She wasn’t sure if it was a compliment or an insult.
Furthermore, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
It had been barely twenty four hours since she’d arrived back in town and already she felt like she was being sucked back into its stratosphere.
And into Brett’s.
CHAPTER FIVE
Brett hadn’t planned on telling Elyse about his busted marriage. Only Alistair knew the real truth. Once he’d realized the marriage was over he’d done what he could to make it as easy for Mandy as possible. She hadn’t fought him. She hadn’t fallen apart. In the end it was as though she knew he was doing what was best for them both.
Because there had been someone else.
A ghost.
The memory of a love lost long ago.
Brett had no illusions about his failed marriage. He’d married a woman he hadn’t loved and had done them both a great disservice by doing so. Thankfully, Mandy had found the new life she’d deserved and he was happy for her. His own happiness, however, was still undecided. He dated a little since his divorce, but not seriously.
He looked at Elyse and a familiar awareness uncurled behind his ribs. Whatever was between them, whatever regret and resentment and frustration fueled their relationship, one thing was undeniable…he was still as attracted to her as he ever was.
And he had no idea what to do about it.
Ignore it.
Of course that made the most sense. She’d be gone in a matter of days and he could get back to his life once the dust settled again. If he was lucky she’d stay away for another decade. By then he surely would have Elyse Prescott out of his system once and for all.
Good luck with that.
Because be damned if all he could think about in that moment was kissing her.
“Brett?”
Her soft voice jerked him back into the moment. “What?”
She swallowed hard. “I’m sorry, you know, for the way things ended between us.”
She was? He wondered then, if she had any clue about what she did to him by being in such close proximity. “Are you?”
“I mean, I’m not sorry I left,” she explained and sighed. “But I am sorry that I was so…I don’t know…cold about it.”
Heat clawed across his skin when he remembered that afternoon. Four days after she’d graduated high school, Brett had arranged to meet her by the creek. She had arrived late, looking lovely in a long dress that billowed behind her in the breeze. But she’d been on edge, too. He hadn’t seen her for two days and his need to hold her and kiss her and make love to her had overrun everything else. But she’d been stiff in his arms. Reluctant. Cold. Despite knowing something was wrong, Brett had still dropped to his knees and proposed. She’d refused him before he’d even had opportunity to pull the ring out of his pocket. Her hands were free of his and she was stepping back…moving away…putting as much space between them as possible.
I don’t want to marry you, Brett. I’m leaving Denary. I’m going to university in Sydney. I never want to be a farmer’s wife. Not ever!
Ten years later and her words still stung.
“Forget it,” he said as disinterested as he could manage. “I have.”
She nodded a little and drank some tea. “So…about my dad. I know we talked about it yesterday, but I’d like to know to expect. How long before significant changes start?”
Brett shrugged. “It’s hard to say. I’ll send you the details of his specialist and you can ask him.”
“Thank you,” she said and sighed. “I wish…I wish I had a better relationship with my father. But he’s never quite forgiven me for leaving.”
Brett drank some coffee and stayed quiet when the waitress arrived with their food. Once she left he spoke again. “I don’t think it’s that so much. I think he simply doesn’t understand how you could be dissatisfied with the life he’s always treasured. Like your –”
“Like my mother was dissatisfied, you mean?”
He shrugged. Everyone knew Amy Prescott had never settled in Denary or into her role as Frank’s wife. She was English, passing through town on a holiday when she fallen in love with Frank. They met and married in a whirlwind four weeks. But she was never truly happy. She was homesick and when Elyse was twelve and B.J. just a toddler, she’d taken the girls back to England for a holiday. Tragically, while they was there Amy had been killed in a motor vehicle accident. Frank immediately flew over and brought his daughters back home. But the truth was never far from everyone’s mind…Amy hadn’t planned on returning.
She picked up a piece of toast. “I guess the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
“At least you had the courage to do something about it before there was marriage and kids involved.”
Her eyes widened. “That almost sounds like a compliment.”
“It’s not,” he assured her. “It’s reality check. The fact is, you were right to leave, if that’s what you wanted.”
“I did,” she said softly. “But I didn’t deliberately set out to hurt you in the process.”
He shrugged again and pushed the hash brown’s around on the plate. True, he had hated her the day the left, but that feeling had faded over time. And as much he would never have admitted at the time, he knew she did what she believed was right.
“Better one broken heart than several, don’t you think? If we’d actually made it to the altar and had a couple of kids, what do you think would have happened in the long run? You would have still wanted to go to university and have a career, and I would never have allowed my children to be raised in the city. So, since hindsight is a good thing, you did us both a favor.”
She nodded hesitantly, like she had some trouble absorbing his words. “I guess I did.”
“And you’re still happy in your job, right?”
“Sure,” she replied.
Only, she didn’t look sure. She looked conflicted and a little sad. “Don’t worry about Frank,” he assured her, and didn’t want to question why he felt the need to make things eas
ier for her. “He’s a tough old so-and-so. And despite how he acts, there’s nothing more important to him that you and B.J.”
She managed a tight smile. “I know.”
“He’s just not good at showing it. In his own way, he’s actually very proud of you.”
She gave a brittle laugh. “Do you think? He’s told me how unimportant a person’s job is too many times to count.”
“It’s not about your job,” he said quietly. “That’s not why he’s proud of you. It’s about you. About who you are. Not what you are.”
“That’s kind of the same thing.”
“No,” Brett said quietly. “It’s not. You’re a good lawyer, right?”
She nodded vaguely. “I think so.”
“So, you’re a good lawyer because you’re a good person. And your dad knows that. Everyone knows that.”
“Even you?” she asked.
Brett sat back in the seat and nodded. “Even me.”
Elyse knew that Brett could dig down into her deepest self without really trying. He’d had that talent since they were teenagers and the years apart had done nothing to lessen the effect he had on her. There was something between them, a kind of connection and awareness that went beyond physical attraction. He knew her. Understood her. Like no one else ever had.
“Thank you. I really thought…I really thought you hated me.”
“No,” he replied. “I told you that yesterday.”
Relief seeped through her blood. “I’m glad. Like I said, I never meant to hurt anyone. You just –”
“Got in the way of your ambition?” he said and grinned wryly. “Yeah, I know.”
“I saw how unhappy my mother was,” Elyse admitted quietly. “And I didn’t want that for myself. Or my children. I had to break the cycle, if that makes sense.”
He nodded. “Sure it makes sense. But, you know, you’re not your mother. She wasn’t born and raised in Denary. Frank should have thought about that before he married her so quickly.”
“They were in love,” Elyse said and met his gaze, feeling the intensity of his stare through to the soles of her feet. “And love makes people act crazy sometimes.”
“They were in lust,” he said and half smiled. “Love takes time. And effort.”
“That’s not a very romantic view of things.”
He shrugged lightly. “I’ve never claimed to be romantic.”
“I always thought you were.”
He laughed. “I was motivated by my desire for you. Most men are simple creatures, you know.”
“Sex, you mean?”
He nodded. “Simple creatures,” he said again.
“So, you’re saying that most men will be romantic if it means they’ll get something in return?”
“Exactly.”
Elyse raised a brow. “If that’s how you think I feel sorry for whoever you’re dating at the moment.”
“I’m not dating anyone at the moment.”
She was pretty sure that from anyone else the words wouldn’t have sounded so hellishly sexy. But they did. And it made her hot all over. Damn…Brett McCrane could make reading a street sign sound sexy.
“Oh…I see.”
“So, how about you finish your food and we’ll go Christmas shopping?”
“Shopping?” she echoed.
“Isn’t that why you came into town today?”
“Well, yes,” she replied. “I normally send money for my dad and Billy-Jean every Christmas, so I need –” She stopped when she saw his brows shoot up. “Yes, I know…I’m hopeless. But, since I’m actually going to be here for Christmas day this year, I thought I should make and effort and actually buy something to put underneath the tree.”
“Okay,” he said. “Eat up and we’ll get going.”
“We?”
Brett drained his coffee cup. “Do you know what size hat your dad wears?”
“I thought you said a hat was a bad idea?”
His mouth twisted. “I was just being a jerk.”
Elyse bit back a grin. “And now you’re not?”
He pushed the coffee cup into the center of the table. “Now the caffeine has kicked in I’m in a much better mood.”
She chuckled. “Okay…good. Because I’d like to get him some new clothes too. So, it’s a date.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” he said as he signaled the waitress for the bill.
“My shout, remember?” she reminded him as the waitress approached.
He dismissed her words and pulled some notes from his wallet. Brett McCrane was a gentleman in a lot of ways. He was also handsome and likable and undeniably sexy. Which was a slippery slope.
And that meant she had to keep her wits about her.
Three more days and she was gone.
I just have to keep remembering that.
It was past ten thirty by the time they entered Millers Department Store. The air conditioning was a lovely reprieve from the escalating morning heat and Elyse was glad she’d worn a dress and sandals. She followed Brett through the store and toward the clothing area. They were immediately approached by a sales assistant and within half an hour she had a pile of new clothes on the counter.
“So, about that ukulele?” Elyse said once she’d paid for the items and Brett grabbed the parcel. “Let’s find one of those.”
Miller’s had a small selection of novelty sized instruments and Elyse found a bright orange ukulele that would do until she could get a proper one from the city and have it posted to her father.
“Anything else?” Brett asked.
“Something for B.J. Perhaps some fragrance.”
They spent the next fifteen minutes at the perfume counter until Elyse decide upon a fragrance range for her sister that included a body lotion, talc and soap. Once she was done she turned back to the man at her side, ignoring the odd looks she was getting from the girl behind the counter. It wouldn’t be long, she figured, before the whole town knew she was hanging out with Brett at Millers. It was a kind of small town telegraph that was impossible to avoid.
“Baby department,” she said as Brett grabbed the parcels. “For Jack.”
He groaned a little, but complied. “At this rate I’m going to drown under all these parcels.”
Elyse laughed and kept walking. “Lightweight. Where’s your sense of adventure.”
“You’ve gotten pushy in your old age.”
She stilled instantly and saw he was grinning. It made his eyes even bluer, if that were possible. A surge of attraction swept through her blood and she swallowed hard. If she’d believed her feelings for Brett were dead, she was wrong. They were just buried. Spending time with him only galvanized the fact. She was as drawn to him as ever. Which meant one thing….
Trouble.
CHAPTER SIX
By the time Elyse arrived back at the farm is was after one o’clock. Once she and Brett had parted company she’d returned to Millers and bought a few more gifts, something for Rick and Maureen…and something for Brett. As she pulled up in the driveway and drew the rental car to a halt, she spotted her sister sitting on the loveseat on the porch. Crying.
Elyse drew in a long breath, grabbed her bag and headed toward the house.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as she climbed the steps.
B.J. looked up, her eyes red and puffy. “I had a fight with Rick.”
Of course she did. Elyse dropped her bag and sat beside her sister. “Where’s Jack?”
“Asleep,” B.J. replied and hiccupped. “Dad’s having a nap, too.”
“And Rick?”
“Gone home,” she said and rubbed her eyes. “It’s over.”
Elyse grabbed her sister’s hand and squeezed gently. “I’m sure it’s not that bad. Tell me what happened and perhaps I can help.”
“It is that bad. He kept pushing for me to set a wedding date. He kept saying it was the best thing for Jack. When I said I needed to think about it he got mad and said I wasn’t fit to be a mother.”
Elyse’s heart constricted. For all Billy-Jean’s faults, she adored her son and was a good mother to Jack. “I’m sure he didn’t mean it,” she said quietly. “He’s probably still in shock about being a father and doesn’t quite know how to deal with it.”
B.J.’s eyes flashed. “Are you on his side?”
“Of course not. I’m on your side,” she assured her and patted her sister’s hand. “It’s simply that you’ve had a lot longer to get used to the idea of being a parent than Rick has. Remember, he only found out about Jack a few days ago.”
Her sister’s expression softened a little. “I guess. But he still shouldn’t be mean about it.”
“No,” Elyse said agreeably. “He shouldn’t. But how about you forgive him this one time.”
She nodded vaguely. “I suppose. Anyway, I’d better go inside and try to feed Jack again. I was too upset before and I think he sensed it.” Billy-Jean’s eyes filled with tears again. “Maybe Rick’s right. Maybe I am a terrible mother if I can’t even feed my own baby!”
Elyse watched with despair as her sister raced past her and went back into the house. Once B.J. was out of sight she sat back in the seat and sighed heavily. Of course she’d known it wasn’t going to be all smooth sailing for Billy-Jean and Rick. After all, they’d been apart for over a year. But still, she’d hoped they could put aside any squabbling for the sake of their baby.
Obviously not.
Elyse got to her feet and headed back to her car. She made two trips into the house with all the parcels. Once she’d wrapped the gifts she placed them on her bed and then showered and changed into jeans and a white linen shirt. She put her hair up in a ponytail and added a little makeup. Not much, since it was a hot day. She slid into a pair of heels and grabbed her handbag.
Her father was lingering in the hallway and spoke as she approached.
“You leaving?”
“Just for a little while,” she explained. “I’ll be back for dinner.”
Her father frowned. “It’s Saturday. I never cook on Saturday.”
“It’s okay, Dad. I’ll cook something when I get back.”
He harrumphed and nodded. “Where’s your sister?”
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