Ben got to work on building a perimeter fence around the garden. He whistled as he worked, pondering how he was going to get Emma to see reason and at least go out on a date with him. She was a hard egg to crack. She was hiding something too. It had become pretty evident to him she didn’t like talking about herself, particularly her past. Had her ex hurt her in some way? Is that why her face had contorted in pain when she had lifted the weight? Ben immediately stopped whistling and scowled. If he found out her ex had hurt her physically, he’d drive down to Melbourne himself and show him exactly what he thought about men who hit women. The thought of anyone hurting Emma made his blood boil.
Ben was using pliers to attach the wire fencing when he felt the presence of a rather large animal looming over his shoulder. Turning around, Ben found himself peering into the wet nose of a drooling cow. ‘What do you want, Beautiful? Are you quality control coming to inspect whether or not I’m doing a proper job?’ The cow simply drooled and chewed on her cud. Ben ignored his new site manager and resumed working. Beautiful had other ideas, though. The next thing Ben knew, his arm was being unceremoniously nudged away from the fence with the cow’s head. Ben laughed. ‘What are you playing at, girl?’ He stepped away from the cow and began working on the next section of the fence. Beautiful trotted over to Ben and again lifted his hand away with her head. Ben raised his voice, ‘What? Don’t you want the fence to go up? Well, that’s too bloody bad because it is, and there’s nothing you can do about it.’
Ben resumed working on erecting the fence, and yet again the damn cow moved over and nudged his hand away. Ben cursed, ‘You’re making this impossible.’ Ben turned at the sound of laughter to see his brother, Will, sauntering towards him, grinning like the cat that ate the cream. ‘Don’t laugh.’
Will reached Beautiful and patted the cow. ‘It’s a bit hard not to. She really doesn’t like the idea of you putting this fence up, does she?’
Ben scowled. ‘No, she doesn’t and seeing as it’s your wife who’s so attached to the damn animal, I think it’s only right she moves into your paddock.’
‘Hell no!’ Will said with a bemused grin. ‘This is your problem, big brother. You deal with it.’
‘More like Mum’s problem,’ Ben bit back.
‘Whoa, settle down, calm your farm. I’m just messing with you.’ Will slapped his brother on the back. ‘What can I do to help you?’
‘Well, for a start, you can get that pain in my arse cow away from me.’ Ben began working back on the fence as Will endeavoured to shoo the cow away. He clapped, made roaring noises, and even tried pushing her, but she wouldn’t budge. She swivelled her head around towards Will as if to say, ‘Is that the best you can do?’
Will threw his hands in the air. ‘This is useless, bro. She ain’t moving. She’s as stubborn as a mule, and she isn’t going anywhere.’ The cow was both smart and determined.
Ben glared at Will as again the cow nudged his hand away from the fence. ‘Fuck. Well, think of something else, goddammit.’
‘Like what? Why don’t you wait until it’s milking time, and when she heads to the dairy, you can put up the fence.’
‘Uh, duh. Don’t you think I’ve thought of that? Where do you think I’ll be when she heads for the dairy?’
‘In the dairy, milking the cows.’ Will slapped himself in the head. ‘I swear I have pregnancy brain since Lottie’s been pregnant.’
With a bemused grin, Ben said, ‘I think it’s the woman who’s meant to be forgetful, not the man, bro.’
Will slapped his brother on the back affectionately. ‘How about I finish the fence when you go to milk the cows.’
‘Okay. Sounds like a plan. You sure you can remember how to build a fence, having pregnancy brain and all?’ Ben playfully punched his brother in the stomach to let him know he was messing with him.
‘Very funny.’ Will placed his arm around his brother’s shoulder and brought him in for a knuckle sandwich. Their roughhousing was interrupted by a gentle clearing of a female’s throat. Both men lifted their tousled heads to find Lottie standing with her hands on her hips. ‘I don’t see much fence building happening out here.’
Will immediately went to his wife and placed his arms around her waist, kissing her soundly on the lips. ‘You’re back already. I thought you were working late today.’
Looking affectionately into her husband’s eyes, Lottie queried, ‘Are you disappointed?’
’No, of course not.’ Will suddenly pulled away from Lottie and looked into her eyes with concern. ‘Are you feeling okay?’
Lottie smiled. ‘I’m fine. I thought we could catch up for a late lunch, seeing as I’d be home late tonight.’
Will looked relieved and took Lottie’s hand in his. He turned to his brother. ‘I think you owe me a beer seeing as I’m doing you a huge favour.’
‘You haven’t done anything yet,’ Ben retorted.
‘Call it an advance payment. I’m good on my word.’ The trio walked up to the house for a well-deserved beer, or in Lottie’s case, a glass of juice.
Sitting at the kitchen table, Ben decided to bite the bullet and ask for some advice on his love life. Lottie was eager to offer a woman’s insight. ‘Maybe you should try doing something you’ve never done before.’
‘Like what?’ Ben asked.
‘Try seducing the woman.’
‘I’m seducing her,’ Ben said with exasperation.
Lottie tucked her blonde curls behind her ear and smacked her lips. ‘Umm, no, you’re not. You’re trying to push the woman into getting into your bed. You haven’t even had a date with her.’
‘Well, I count our lunch at the café a date.’ Ben took another sip of his beer.
Will decided it was his turn to weigh in on the conversation. ‘That wasn’t a date, man. A date is when you arrange to go out together, you pick the lady up and drop her back home. You bowled right in on her having a quiet lunch with her daughter. The poor woman had no choice.’
‘Well, thanks for taking my side. Besides, who are you to judge, you considered turning up for an interview with Lottie a date. Oh, and don’t get me started on when she turned up at Jim’s Takeaway one night when you were there. I believe you called that a date, too.’
Will shrugged and winked at his wife. ‘Hey, you can’t blame a guy for trying. I was besotted. I spent every moment I could trying to get this woman to fall in love with me.’
Ben slapped his knee. ‘See that’s what I’m talking about. You went after what you wanted, and you didn’t give up.’
Will had to agree. ‘Yeah, true—’
Lottie held up her hand to interrupt as Will was about to add something else. ‘Ben, it all depends on what you want? Are you looking for a relationship?’
‘Uh, no. Definitely not.’
Will took a swig of his beer. ‘That’s because you’ve never given it a go. Maybe you should, you might like it.’
Ben shook his head. ‘Nope, not going to happen.’
Lottie stood and placed her empty glass in the sink. ‘Well, my opinion is if you want a casual fling, I think you have the wrong woman. She has a baby who will always come first. It sounds like you would be a complication she doesn’t need.’
Ben ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. ‘I know that, and I think it’s why she keeps fobbing me off. I don’t want to hurt her or Zoe.’
‘If you’re just after a bit of fun, then I’d steer clear of Emma. That’s my opinion. But at the same time, I want you to be happy, Benno. Maybe Emma could be the woman for you. The one who can finally get you to settle down.’ She gave Ben a lighthearted tap on the shoulder. Lottie looked askance of Will. ‘What do you think?’
‘I think you should seduce the hell out of the woman, and see where it leads.’
Ben looked at the couple sitting across from him. ‘Well, a fat lot of good you two are. One of you tells me to leave Emma alone, the other tells me to go for it.’ Ben skulled the remainder of his beer. ‘I’m sti
ll in the same position I was five minutes ago. You guys were no help at all.’
Will shrugged. ‘Sorry, mate, but this is something you have to work out on your own. Besides, I think you have cows to milk, and I have a fence to build.’
It was close to noon when the chimes above The Cheese Emporium door jingled. Looking up from the cheese platter she was preparing for a customer, Emma saw Ben walk in. Her cheeks immediately flushed as they locked eyes. She looked back down at the cheese platter she was nearly finished working on. ‘I’ll be with you in a sec.’
‘No hurry. I can wait.’ His voice sounded like velvet to her ears. I bet he would wait too, Emma thought to herself. Suddenly, under his intense gaze, she found herself trembling. She dropped a strawberry meant for the platter, on the floor. She looked up to see if Ben had witnessed her clumsiness. He had. He grinned back at her, and Emma knew immediately he’d realised she was affected by his presence.
She rung up the sale and thanked the customer before finally lifting her eyes to Ben. He looked at her with affectionate eyes which made her heart want to melt and her knees feel weak. ‘Thanks for waiting. How can I help you today?’
Ben’s eyes never left hers. ‘Mmm, what will I have today? There’s so much to choose from. Everything looks delicious.’ Still, his eyes never strayed from her. ’But there’s only one thing I came in here for.’
Emma gulped and suddenly felt very warm. ‘And what’s that?’
‘The Paris camembert, please.’
Flustered, Emma grabbed a paddle pop stick and used it to place a sample of cheese on it. ‘Would you like to sample the cheese to make sure you like it first?’
‘Yeah, sure, why not. Although I’m pretty sure I’m going to love it.’ Still, his eyes never left hers. She understood his double meaning perfectly, and it sent her tummy all aflutter. She passed him the paddle pop stick and watched as he placed it in his mouth.
Ben looked heavenward rocking back on his heels. ‘That’s better than I ever could have imagined. I’ll take two, please. He paused and looked at her with enraptured eyes. ‘I’m hungry.’
Emma felt instantly hot despite the coolness inside the shop and walked over to the cheese accompaniment display, hoping to get a grip on her emotions. ‘You know our fig and walnut fruit paste would make the perfect accompaniment for the camembert cheese.’
She was acutely aware he was following all her movements. She willed her hands to stop trembling as she reached to spread a sample of the fig and walnut paste for him on another paddle pop stick. Reaching for the paddle pop stick, he brushed his hand across her wrist. Electricity shot up Emma’s arm. The jolt made her pull her hand back abruptly as if bitten. She’d been bitten alright by Ben’s touch, and she could still feel the tiny aftershocks. Her skin tingled where their bodies had met. The fleeting contact made her feel more alive than she had in months, and his whisper of a touch lingered on her skin. Like a tattoo, he had sketched a piece of himself for all eternity onto her skin, a work of art which would stand the test of time. However, unlike a tattoo, his mark on her could not be erased with a laser. Ben’s mark on her was here to stay. It was more than a sensation, it was a sentiment of how they were both feeling. It was a reaction they both felt from this attraction that kept enticing them to connect. It was a sense of the breathtaking things to come, and finally, it was their body’s responses, all wrapped up with desirability and yearning that would not be appeased until their bodies came together as one.
Emma watched as Ben placed the paddle pop stick into his mouth and slowly and seductively licked the jelly-like paste from its top. Emma wanted to groan. What was the man playing at? If he was trying to get her hot and bothered, he was accomplishing the task with the highest of marks.
Ben smacked his lips together. ‘I’ll have one of those, too. I’m partial to a bit of sweetness.’
Emma didn’t trust herself to speak and instead busied herself packaging up his order. When she looked up, she was thankful to see him wandering around inspecting the various cheese boards. He picked one up and turned to her. ‘My brother’s work. I had no idea he made these for Daisy.’
Emma began ringing up Ben’s order on the cash register. ‘Daisy said they’re very popular. Your brother is talented.’
‘Yeah, he’s pretty good with his hands. It runs in the family. I’ll have to show you one day what I can do with these two beauties.’ He held up both his hands showing calloused palms.
Emma blushed and mumbled to herself, ‘I bet you’re good with your hands.’
‘Sorry, did you say something?’ Ben asked, laughter in his voice.
She looked down at the price as it appeared on her screen and said, ‘Oh yes, sorry. That will be $25.15. Thank you.’
Ben leaned across the counter and placed his folded hands on the top. ‘Really? ‘Cause I could have sworn, I heard you say something else.’
‘Nope.’ Emma shook her head, causing her braid to swing frantically back and forth.
Ben retreated, reached for his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans and removed a credit card. ‘The rodeo is on next weekend. You and Zoe should come along.’
Emma tapped his card on the EFTPOS machine and handed it back to him. ‘I’ve never been to the rodeo before, and I’ve always wanted to. Unfortunately, Daisy said it’s one of her busiest weekends, so I’ll be stuck here.’
‘Well, that’s unfortunate because you will miss the Campdraft during the day, but seeing as the shop will be closed in the evening, you can still catch the bull riding.’ He pocketed his wallet and winked. ‘So, will I see you and Zoe there?’
‘Yeah, we might pop over and take a look. Will you be riding?’ She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a little curious to see Ben straddled in his tight Wrangler jeans on a bull.
‘Sure am.’ The door to the shop jingled open as another customer bustled in. ‘I’ll let you get back to work then. Hopefully, I’ll see you and Zoe at the rodeo.’
‘Bye, Ben.’ She watched as he sauntered towards the door, wearing jeans and a shirt that moulded his body. As he reached the door, he turned and caught her looking at him yet again. He smiled and walked out the door.
Flustered, Emma turned to the young woman standing in front of her. ‘How can I help you?’
The distinctive perfume of cattle infiltrated Emma’s nostrils. The showground was bustling with energy. People walked around in the customary jeans and Akubra hats, munching on Dagwood dogs and corn cobs. In the distance, Emma heard the bellowing of cattle over the top of the chatter of people as she pushed forth through the crowd.
She adjusted Zoe on her hip. She’d only been carrying her for several minutes, but already she was becoming dead weight. Sustaining her hold on Zoe made her shoulder ache terribly, but she had to ditch the stroller when she hit the dirt outside the carpark. The wheels on the stroller refused to budge and were no match for the thick dirt. Emma had returned the stroller to the boot of her black Mazda CX5, which too, was now coated in a fine layer of dust.
She looked down at Zoe, who had a look of awe on her happy little face. She was soaking up the thrilling atmosphere of the rodeo, taking in all the sights, smells, and sounds. She was loving every moment. The sun was setting in the west, and the colourful lights on the stalls and around the main arena flickered on. Zoe squealed with delight.
Emma joined a queue for food and was wondering how on earth she was going to be able to juggle the food as well as Zoe when a familiar voice called her name. Turning around, she saw Lilly waving and making her way over to her. ‘Hey, Em.’ Turning to Zoe, she said, ‘Hey, beautiful girl.’ Zoe reached out and took Lilly’s hand in hers.
‘Hey, Lil.’ Emma switched Zoe to her other hip.
‘We’re sitting over on the right side of the grandstand about halfway up.’ Lilly pointed in the direction of the grandstand. ‘How about I take ZoZo with me to where we’re sitting while you get your food. You can sit with my crew and me.’
‘That’d be lovely
, thanks, Lil. But haven’t you had enough of Zoe for one day?’ Zoe had spent most of the day with Lilly while Emma had been flat out at The Cheese Emporium. Daisy hadn’t lied about it being busy on a rodeo weekend. Daisy and Emma hadn’t stopped all day, and Emma was paying the price now. Her shoulders and back ached, and her feet felt like they had been trampled by a herd of cattle. She’d have loved nothing more to have a soak in the bath and watch television on the lounge tonight, but her guilty conscience at leaving Zoe for so long today won out, and she decided to take her little girl to her first rodeo experience.
Lilly dismissed Emma’s concern with a wave of her hand. ‘Don’t be silly. I love spending time with Zo, and I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want to. Anyway, I can introduce you to my friends and hubby.’
‘Okay then, you’ve twisted my arm.’ Emma handed Zoe over to Lilly and was soon on her way to the grandstand with a Dagwood dog for herself and a cob of corn on a stick for Zoe. She saw him walking toward her, and immediately she sucked in a breath of approval. He looked downright sexy with an Akubra hat slunk low on his head and his usual jeans and a flannelette shirt replaced the tight-fitting t-shirts she had grown accustomed to him wearing. She was inexplicably drawn to him with his easy smile that lit up his bronzed face, and Emma couldn’t help grinning like a teenager back at him.
‘Hey.’ Her heart felt like it was about to explode out of her chest. She hadn’t seen him for days, but he had monopolized her thoughts.
‘Hey.’ Ben inclined his head, and for a split second, Emma thought he was going to lean in and kiss her.
Instead, he reached in and took the bottle of water and Dagwood dog out of her hands. ‘Here let me take those.’ Their fingers briefly touched, and Emma felt a ripple of pleasure track its way through her veins. ‘I ran into Lil and Zoe. I’ll show you where they’re sitting.’
All of You Page 6
