Cocky Carpenter: A Hero Club Novel

by Maggie Mundy

  Maybe he should do the same now.

  That was bullshit—he didn’t want day-to-day with her. He wanted forever and she hadn’t asked for that.

  He had never walked the Sydney Harbor Bridge before but he had a good head for heights and would be okay. Autumn would kill him if he chucked her over his shoulder, so he needed to get her through this. After all, it was his fault she was doing the damn thing. Why did he keep pushing her? If he didn’t watch himself, he would shove her away and he would not even get the year with her.

  They all met in the lobby and walked to the building below the bridge. He stood at the door and peered at the commanding structure above. He worked with wood but could admire the craftsmanship it had taken to make this. The men who had labored on it had done so without all the safety harnesses of today. He had read they used to throw red-hot rivets at each other and that the harbor floor below the bridge had been covered in the ones they didn’t catch.

  The guides showed them a video about the bridge and then got them suited up to walk. Simon led their little group, then Brendan and Bridget. Autumn was in front of him and he would watch and make sure she was okay. If something happened to her, he would never forgive himself.

  “How are you going?” Brett asked, as he could see her hands were shaking.

  “I’m scared but in a good way. Just make sure you catch me if I fall.”

  The tour guide motioned for them to make their way along the gangway above the road as cars raced past beneath. They climbed up a ladder to ascend the span. When they got to the top, Autumn had tears in her eyes as she turned to hug him.

  “Thank you so much for suggesting this. I never thought I would be able to do it.”

  “It was all you, Autumn. I believe in the woman I know, who can do anything she puts her mind to.”

  She kissed him quickly on the lips and they all did the obligatory photograph with their hands in the air. He hadn’t taken any pictures of Autumn. This might be the only memory he would have of her with him when she went back home to England. Maybe she would stare at it someday and want to come back.

  When they got down and were changing, his phone pinged with a message.

  Unknown: I need to see you. Can you send me your address? Chris.

  Brett racked his brain as to who the message might be from. He didn’t know anyone called Chris who would have his number. If it was important, they would give him a call. It was probably a wrong number.

  They all walked to the hotel and Simon talked about going to the aquarium. Autumn’s hand brushed against his as they strolled along and he grabbed it. There was no point in pretending he didn’t want to. Bridget’s gaze went from their entwined hands to his face and she smiled. It looked like he was doing the right thing for once.

  The next hour was spent looking at all manner of sea creatures and Brendan loved it. Brett went to the restroom and when he came back, Bridget and Autumn were talking but couldn’t see him.

  “So, are you and Simon thinking of having more children?”

  “I think the twins will be enough. Neither of us ever expected to have them. It wasn’t easy for me. I have fertility problems. What about you?”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know but have observed how hard it can be on my patients. One day, I will get to meet those two gorgeous girls. I’ve seen so many pictures of them.” Autumn sipped on her soda. “When I was married, I thought we might have kids but then we broke up. I put all my energy into my job so I’ve never really thought about it again. Now, I think I would like a baby. I could bring one up on my own, I reckon, if I had to.”

  “Looks to me as if you have a great sperm donor on-hand at the moment.”

  Autumn shook her head. “Brett is lovely but just a friend. I’ll be going back to the UK. We both said it was only for the year.”

  Brett coughed and made his presence known. He needed to forget ideas of a future with Autumn. He knew in that moment he would never be able to give her what she wanted.

  As they arrived back at the hotel, his phone pinged again.

  Unknown: Are you ignoring me? You didn’t in the past. I told you this was important. If you don’t give me your address, I’ll find out some other way.

  “Are you okay?” Autumn asked as she touched his arm.

  He stared at his phone with a puzzled expression. Who the hell is this?

  “I’ve been getting some weird text messages, but I don’t know the number. Said they want my address, which I have no intention of sending to some random.”

  Autumn went wide-eyed, but he didn’t want to worry her.

  “Having been the victim of a stalker, I know that there are some strange people out there,” she said.

  “I’ll send a message back and see if I can find something out.” This was their last night together in Sydney and he didn’t want to be bothered by anything else.

  He sent a text.

  Brett: Not sure if you have the right number.

  He hoped that would be the end of it. He held Autumn’s hand as they all headed out to eat at a local restaurant. The evening went well and he could forget strange texts for a while.

  No new message came from the mysterious Chris that night, and he considered it must have been a mistake. He made love to Autumn again and enjoyed every moment she was in his arms. He needed to gather as many memories as he could.

  In the morning, they checked out and headed back home. The others said they would join them in a day or so.

  He was nearly home when his phone pinged again.

  Chris: Not a wrong number. Remember Melbourne in January at Dale’s party? I need to talk to you about something.

  Brett thought back to the incredibly boozy weekend he’d had with some old friends at Dale’s birthday. They had celebrated way into the night. He had woken up the next day in a strange bed with a lady. He honestly could not remember if Chris had been her name or not. Even if it was, what the hell would she want to talk to him about? Why couldn’t she just call?

  He parked out the front of the cottage, and Autumn pulled in behind him. He was staring at his cell phone when he got out of his vehicle.

  Autumn walked over. “Is it the strange texter again?” Autumn asked.

  “Yes. I think I know her, but we met only once. She said she wants to talk and it’s important. I’ll ask her to call and see if we can sort it out.”

  Brett: Give me a call and we can talk.

  There was no reply. He still wasn’t sure what the whole thing was about but he wasn’t giving his address to her.

  There was a bark from across the street. Bluey was letting him know he had seen him. “I’ll go and get Bluey and see you in a while.”

  Dorothy answered the door and Bluey jumped up and down. You would think he had been away a month and not two days.

  “Did he behave?” Brett asked.

  “He has been wonderful company for me. I feel so safe with a dog barking at anyone who comes to the door. How did your weekend go?”

  Brett couldn’t help but glance back over at Autumn as she emptied her car. It had been a mistake to go to Sydney. Now he couldn’t cope with the pain he had in his chest.

  Dorothy touched his arm. “What’s wrong? She really seems to like you.”

  Damn, but he should stop wearing his emotions on his face. “The feeling is mutual but she’s only here for the year. Soon, she will be gone back home to London.”

  Dorothy touched his arm. “You could always ask her to stay. People can change their plans.”

  “It’s a nice thought, but there’s no point. She wants things I can’t give her. I think the best course of action is to keep doing what I am now and accept it was good while it lasted.”

  “I’ve been around long enough to see something that is worth fighting for, but it is up to you. The pair of you look at each other as if it’s something more. Women like her don’t come along all the time.”

  “I know, I’m just a carpenter, though. And she’s a doctor.”

&n
bsp; “She’s also a woman. If you don’t do something then someone else might.”

  The thought of another man touching Autumn the way he did, did his mind in. He wasn’t used to competing for a woman’s affections. He adored them for a short while and moved on. This time he didn’t want to move on. He wanted her to stay with him forever.

  “Things will change whether you want them to or not. Now take that dog off home with you before I have to squirt him with the hose again for weeing on my rose bushes.”

  Brett fed Bluey and headed back to Autumn’s cottage. When he walked inside, he couldn’t see her.

  “I’m in here,” she called from the bedroom.

  He walked in to find her sitting up in bed with a sheet covering her chest, but her shoulders were bare. Fuck, he adored her. “Are you naked under there?”

  “That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

  It didn’t take long for Brett to strip and join her. He never tired of her body. It was as if every time they came together, he discovered something new.

  As they lay side by side afterward, he would take Dorothy’s advice and hope it didn’t come back and kick him in the guts.

  “I know we said this would just be ‘friends with benefits,’ and I don’t know where this will end. I suppose what I’m trying to say is, I care for you, Autumn. I intend on being exclusive to you while you are here.”

  Autumn went quiet.

  Shit, he had said too much too soon. He should learn to keep his big mouth shut.

  “I feel something too and I really appreciate you wanting to be only with me. I don’t like to share, especially after my ex. I’m not looking for anyone else either at the moment. I don’t think I would have the energy. It’s hard for me to say more right now, Brett. Scars run deep.”

  “Take as long as you want. If you keep waiting naked in bed for me, I’m not going to rush you. I have no intention of going anywhere.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Autumn couldn’t keep the big smile off her face. Okay, it was not a declaration of love from Brett last night, but it was a step in the right direction. Somewhere along the line, she would say the L-word. Dear God, it had been years.

  Brett had stayed overnight but had gone off to work early this morning. Simon’s conference was finished and they were driving up from Sydney. She had a fold-out bed for Brendan in the spare bedroom, as they were staying a couple of days before they headed back to the States. She was not due to work until after they left, so Autumn could show them the sights.

  It was late morning when they turned up, and Brendan could not believe it when he saw the parrots in the trees and then heard a kookaburra laughing. His eyes were wide with excitement. “Where’s Bluey? he asked.

  “You’ll see him later. Brett is at work and Bluey goes with him on the back of the pickup.”

  They had lunch, and then she was going to take them to the Scenic Skyway cableway and vertical railway. As she cleaned up, Simon came over and touched her arm while Bridget got Brendan ready. From the serious look on his face, he had something to tell her. She hoped it wasn’t going to be about Brett and warning her to hold back. He was always protective but she needed his support. If he said not to let her heart go, then she would listen.

  “I need to tell you something. I wasn’t going to mention it because I didn’t think it would matter, but Bridget told me I had to.”

  “You’re beating around the bush, Simon. You’re getting me worried. What is it?”

  “Jonathan was at the conference. I didn’t even know he was coming. He asked about you, but I said nothing.”

  Even after all this time, it was like a kick in the guts to realize he was near. She wasn’t interested in him and hadn’t been for a long time, but her heart still did a flip at his name. That had been the problem, she had been needed for everything that was about him, but when it had been about her, he had not been there.

  “Well, he’s allowed to go to conferences. It is inevitable our paths will cross. Now, let’s head off.” Damn him. What did he want to know about her? It didn’t matter. She had to let that part of her life go and leave it in the past.

  It was a short drive to the cableway. It went out across a gorge and she had done it before with Brett. She hung onto the pole in the middle and let the others stay around the windows so they could view the beautiful Blue Mountain scenery. The drop was too much and she didn’t need to punish herself by seeing it.

  Afterward, they got on the vertical railway. Being on the ground should have made things less scary but it didn’t. She felt as if she was falling forward as the train made its way down the mountain, and she stared out with the others at the vista before them.

  When they got back to the top, they went for coffee and cake.

  “Tonight we’re going to have a barbecue, and then tomorrow I’ll take you to the Jenolan Caves I visited with Brett. They’re incredible.”

  Back at the cottage, she prepared some salads and opened a bottle of wine while they waited for Brett to turn up. Her heart skipped a beat when his pickup arrived.

  Simon came over. “You know you’re a bit of a schoolgirl around him? It’s good to see someone bring you alive again.”

  “Thanks. I never thought Australia would bring someone like Brett into my life. There are no guarantees though.”

  “There never are guarantees, but sometimes you have to take that leap of faith. Look what it did for me.”

  There was barking as Brett arrived with Bluey. Brendan was so excited to see the dog, and the two of them went into the back garden to throw a ball. Brett came over, kissed the top of her head, and put a pack of beer down. “Let’s have a beer and get this barbecue going,” he said.

  The evening passed as they all chatted about the future and what they had planned. Brendan could hardly believe his eyes when kangaroos dotted the paddock behind the cottages. She didn’t have a koala in the gum tree but this was as close to perfect as it could get.

  Brendan didn’t want to go to bed but his eyes were drooping as he lay on the beanbag, cuddling Bluey. He would smell like dog tomorrow, but it seemed as if the two of them would be friends for life.

  With Brendan asleep, she made coffee for the rest of them as they sat by the fire. Tonight, Brett would go back to his cottage, as he needed to be up early for work. Autumn was getting used to him being there when she woke up. His phone had pinged a couple of times and she worried he was still getting those strange messages.

  She walked Brett to the front gate.

  “I’m taking them to the caves tomorrow and then they’re heading back to Sydney to fly out. I’m going to miss them.”

  “I’ll be busy all day but should be back early evening. Keep the bed warm for me.”

  “You have a deal.”

  Brett wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, kissing her passionately.

  Then he stopped and was gone.

  She missed him already.

  The day at the caves went well and she cried when she saw her friends off in the car. Who knew when she would see them next? Then again, she had traveled around the world to Australia so why couldn’t she pop across to the States as well?

  Brett was busy and she needed to go into work. She would be back to full days again from tomorrow. It had been nice to have a break, but Autumn was ready to put some of her ideas from the conference into practice by setting up a questionnaire for people with asthma. The program required being set so she could work with colleagues overseas while they all collected data. Tonight, she planned on having a quiet time in with Brett.

  They watched the last two episodes of the vampire series she had been following and then fell asleep in each other’s arms. There were no more words of endearment but his actions showed he cared in the way he adored her body.

  Bluey barked in the other room and woke them up. You didn’t need to set an alarm—the dog’s bladder worked like clockwork.

  Brett came back and kissed her as she lay in bed. “I’
m going to head off early as I have so much to do today. I should see you tonight, though.”

  “I need to get up anyway as it’s my first day back, and I’d better not be late. See you later.”

  Autumn dressed and was about to leave when there was a ping from a cell phone. Hers was in her bag and she glanced around. Brett had left his on the dining table. She didn’t mean to look but the message was on the screen.

  Chris: Stop avoiding me. I’m pregnant and we need to talk.

  The message disappeared as the locked-screen image of Bluey popped. Her stomach turned as if someone had punched her.

  She had been rash. Autumn didn’t know anything much about Brett, and they had only been together for a few months in the scheme of things. Like a fool, she had desperately run headlong into this agreement, wanting something so much.

  Brett had said the person had stopped messaging him, and she had believed him. She had been in a relationship based on lies before and could not go back to that again.

  For now, she would take the phone over to his place and head to work. She would talk to him about it this evening. Maybe by then her heart would not feel so sad, but she doubted it.

  She knocked on Brett’s door. Bluey was barking inside.

  Brett answered and she handed him the phone. “You left it on the table. I have to rush. See you later.” Autumn left before she said something that would come out as an accusation of his betrayal.

  At work, she could lose herself in the job. Case after case came and went. At lunchtime, she stared at her cell phone, hoping there might be a message from Brett. But what would he say? If the woman was pregnant and he was the father, then there would be some major discussions needed. He had said he hadn’t seen her since January and they were now in July. It was before she had come to Australia. The woman would be six months gone now so she had obviously decided to keep it. Why would she wait so long? But then again, Autumn didn’t know the whole story.