Her Outback Cowboy (Prickle Creek) Read online

  “No. Just a visit.” Lucy surprised herself with her calm response. “I’m going back to Sydney to my job.”

  As they chatted over lunch, Lucy kept a close eye on the car park. But there was no sign of Garth. Her heart closed down more as every minute passed.

  “It was great to catch up, Rod, even briefly,” she said as she stood to leave.

  “Make sure you keep in touch when you come back again. I’d love you to meet Laura, my fiancée.”

  “I won’t be back for a while.” Even to her own ears, her voice was flat. Lucy walked slowly across the hot bitumen to her car. It was time to leave. Far away from the flies, and the dust and the prickles…and Garth Mackenzie and the attraction that had settled into her heart.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Lucy stood on the corner of King Street and Enmore Road waiting for the pedestrian light to change to red. She was on her way up to the Enmore Theatre to meet with the director about some flyers for the upcoming production of Hamlet. The traffic roared past along the busy road to her right, and the clattering of the trains mingled with the sounds of the cars in sensory overload. She closed her eyes and opened them straightaway as someone jostled her from behind and almost pushed her into the traffic speeding past.

  “Watch it,” she snapped. But the guy had his phone glued to his ear and didn’t even hear her or acknowledge her.

  The traffic fumes mingled with the greasy smell of the McDonald’s were almost enough to make her feel ill. No, not ill, cross. What she would give for five minutes of silence!

  For a moment Lucy closed her eyes and imagined the smell of the hay as the headers cut the grass in the paddocks at Prickle Farm.

  The light changed, and Lucy stepped out with the crowd of people to hurry across the road. Horns blared and water splashed up her legs as a motorbike rider wove his bike illegally through the red light and hit a puddle as he passed her.

  “Moron.” She shook her fist, trembling at the near miss and the fact that she was now soaked. She reached the footpath and turned left, heading for the theatre. As she passed the Turkish pizza place a few shops along, her stomach churned as the strong smell of garbage from the bin outside the shop reached her. She stepped out onto the road to avoid the overflow of empty cups, rolled-up papers, and pizza crusts. Another horn blared, and she jumped back onto the footpath, her irritation growing by the minute. Since she’d been away, the city had gotten filthy.

  And noisy.

  And smelly.

  And there seemed to be many more people on the streets.

  A couple of schoolgirls ran past and giggled as Lucy stood staring at the garbage on the ground.

  She pulled her water bottle from her backpack and took a swig, trying to calm herself.

  Lucy sighed as she turned into the foyer of the theatre. She’d been back at work three weeks and her motivation was non-existent. Seb had asked what was wrong, but she wouldn’t be led down that path.

  “Just the weather,” she’d said when he told her she was looking miserable. He’d been surprised when she’d bowled into the office as soon as she came back from the farm, and he was full of excitement about his upcoming stay out west. He was sitting on the chair in her cubbyhole when she came back from the theatre and threw her bag on the bench that ran along the wall.

  “Bloody traffic is horrendous today,” she muttered.

  “You’re in a good mood.” He narrowed his eyes and looked her up and down. Trying to make herself feel better, Lucy had dressed in her high boots and skin-tight yellow leggings. Her pink T-shirt had a series of bright red lips all over it in various shapes and sizes.

  “You look like crap, too.”

  “That’s how I feel.” Lucy pushed her hair back from her face. Her fringe had grown, and she didn’t even have the motivation to make a hair appointment. “It’s just so hot and noisy and dirty here.”

  “It’s no different from when you left.” Seb leaned his elbows on her desk. “Are you sure it’s not because you’re pining for Prickle Creek?”

  “No.” Her voice was terse, and she scowled at Seb. “Of course I’m not.”

  Seb leaned back in the chair. “I was talking to Liam last night.”

  Lucy’s head flew up.

  “He said you’ve barely called them since you rang to say you were back in Sydney safe and sound.”

  “No need,” she said shortly.

  “He said Garth was asking after you when they did some cattle work yesterday.”

  “That’s nice,” she said as she booted up her laptop and turned her back to Seb.

  “Aren’t you in touch with him, either? I thought you were great mates.”

  “No. I’m back in Sydney and I’m busy. Gran’s quite happy the way things worked out, so I don’t need to live in their pocket. Or Garth’s. I’m back into my life now.”

  Despite her best intentions, she hadn’t called Garth.

  But he hadn’t called her, either.

  “It would still be nice to keep in touch with them.” Seb raised his eyebrows.

  “Don’t look at me like that. I haven’t given Garth a thought since I left. Why would I?”

  “Maybe because you care about each other?”

  “Huh. Maybe not.” Lucy sat down and folded her arms as irritation flooded her. “But even if we did, it would never work. Can you see Garth living here in the city? Can you see me living out there in the red dust? I love this city. And there are no flies or prickles or smelly cows. It’s got everything that I want.”

  “Like what?” Seb’s relentless questioning was getting to her.

  “Like…like a Thai restaurant.”

  “Yeah, that’s a really important thing to have in your life.”

  “All right. I’ll ring tonight. Now if you don’t mind, I’ve got some flyers to knock out for the theatre.”

  Seb stood and put his hand on her shoulder. “Whatever happened to the advertising campaign for the lingerie firm? The photos I took of Garth?”

  “They decided to go with beach shots instead.” Lucy’s voice was short. She wasn’t going to tell Seb she was glad about Caleb’s decision, because it meant that Garth wouldn’t have to come to the city. She hadn’t even cared about the failure of her campaign. That would have interfered with her getting over him. The getting over that wasn’t happening. She’d soaked her pillowcase every night as she tried to figure out what was wrong with her. She didn’t want to be at the farm, but the longer she was in Sydney, she realised she didn’t want to be here, either. Garth was a part of her, and she missed him like crazy.

  He could have called to see how she was. But he hadn’t, so obviously he wasn’t missing her.

  “Fair enough.” Seb turned back to her as he reached the door. “So you haven’t talked to Gran for a while?”

  “No. Why?”

  “She’s hoping everyone will go home for the long weekend in June.” Seb stared at her, and Lucy lifted her chin. “Jemmy and I are going. We could travel home together.”

  “It’s not home.” Lucy’s voice rose. “Not for me!”

  “It is for some of us, as strange as it may seem. Think about it.” Seb stared back at her. “Why don’t you come with us? I’ll take my ute instead of the bike.”

  “What ute?” Lucy sniffed and wiped the back of her hand over her eyes.

  “The ute I bought for when I go up there next week.” He looked at her intently. “When I go, I’m staying there for good. I’m leaving the city. Liam and I have already talked about sharing the work. I think you need to know that. He’s talking about staying on past his three months.”

  Lucy shook her head with disbelief. Was everyone deserting her?

  The day was long, and Lucy was busy with three new projects. Caleb was throwing a lot of work her way and was hinting at a permanent job.

  On the way home, Lucy stopped at her favourite Thai restaurant just up the road from her apartment. For the first time in weeks, she was starving. Maybe she was finally getting used to
being back. At least she’d lost all that country cooking weight she’d put on. She waited for her order and carried it home. As soon as she opened the door, she threw her workbag and laptop on the couch and grabbed a fork. She was ravenous and didn’t even bother with a plate.

  She sat back on the sofa when she finished, feeling as though she were about to explode.

  It was time to pull up her big-girl panties, concentrate on her work, and forget about Garth Mackenzie. A movie and a good night’s sleep was all she needed. Tomorrow would be a new beginning.

  She might even ring Gran and think about going back to Prickle Creek Farm for the long weekend. Maybe, just maybe.

  Three hours after the movie finished, Lucy lay in bed in her small bedroom in Newtown listening to the never-ceasing roar of the traffic. Where were so many people going at 3:00 a.m.? She rolled over and punched her pillow as the blare of a siren drifted through the open window. Even though she was tired, she hadn’t been able to sleep. She closed her eyes and visualised the quiet paddocks at Prickle Farm. The problem was, every time she got the quiet scene embedded into her thoughts, Garth Mackenzie strode into the picture. And then, of course, the picture moved to his house.

  They’d cooked meals together, she’d hung a couple of prints that he’d not had time to put up, and she’d put some feminine touches around the place. She’d even filled his freezer with homemade goodies for him, although they would have run out by now. He was probably back on packet biscuits unless Gran had taken pity on him.

  Lucy sat up and put her hands over her eyes. The last time they had spoken, after Jack had been bitten by the snake, had been an awful way to part. She needed closure, so she could move on with her life and forget about Garth. When she’d left, she’d been certain that the city was what she wanted.

  And back then, all she’d wanted to do was come back to Sydney. The last three weeks had been an eye-opener for her. Why hadn’t the noise and the crowds bothered her before she went home to Prickle Creek Farm? What had happened to her out there to make her notice the frantic pace of the city now? The traffic and the noise—that she’d never noticed before—contrasted so much with the silence of the farm. She closed her eyes and longed for the serenity of the bush. How come she hadn’t noticed everyone scurrying around intent on their lives, with no time for conversation? The one time she’d tried to strike up a personal conversation with the boss, Caleb had stood there in his black jeans and T-shirt and looked at her as though she’d suddenly grown two heads.

  She’d been a cow to get on with at work, and she owed Seb an apology or three for how short she’d been with him. Not only in personal conversations, but when they’d been out on a couple of photo shoots together, too. Maybe it was time she admitted to herself that she loved Prickle Creek Farm.

  Almost as much as she loved Garth Mackenzie.

  Lucy let a smile cross her face as she came to a decision. It was time to go home.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Garth pushed the gate closed behind Liam and Seb as they led the last of the straggling cattle into the back paddock.

  “Thanks, Liam. Appreciate the help, Seb.” He lifted his hat and wiped the sweat off his brow. Even though they’d left moving the cattle until late afternoon, the heat rose off the parched dry earth in shimmering waves. The cattle gathered immediately around the dam, and Liam nodded slowly.

  “That looks like a damn fine idea to me. Want me to grab some beers and we’ll meet you down at the back dam for a swim?” he said.

  Garth shook his head. “Got some things I need to do. I’ll take a rain check.”

  He was aware of Liam and Seb’s quiet conversation as he called Jack and strode over to his ute parked on the other side of the fence. He was grateful for the help that the guys were giving him lately, but he found it too hard to spend time in their company. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d knocked back Helena and Harry’s invitation to come over for a meal.

  Garth clenched his jaw as he started the ute. He couldn’t get damn Lucy Bellamy out of his head, no matter where he went. He was surprised she hadn’t even come home for the long weekend. As he drove along the track he wondered how the hell he could get over Lucy once and for all.

  It was time to make a move, or he’d be mooning about for the rest of his life. The property was suffering, the house was a mess, and his emotions weren’t much better. He’d been an arse, and it was time to go and see Lucy and sort it out once and for all.

  He missed her like hell, but he had to get over the fact that she didn’t want him.

  Garth threw his work boots into the laundry, and they landed with a satisfying thud. Seb and Liam hadn’t mentioned Lucy once today. There was something going on.

  But it’s none of my business.

  He headed for the shower and stripped off his filthy work clothes and threw them on the floor. Every damn room in his house had a memory of Lucy. Sometimes he thought he was losing his mind. Whatever he was doing, she filled his thoughts. He’d spent time in the garden trying to get her out of his mind, but every time he turned the hose on, a picture of her in one of her silly T-shirts replaced the view in front of him.

  He stood under the hot water, letting it wash away the dirt and soothe his feelings. He’d fallen for Lucy, but she’d made it quite clear from the outset that she was not staying.

  More fool him, he hadn’t listened. Now Garth forced himself to step back and think about what he really wanted. Was it being here on the farm and living out in the Pilliga Scrub? How important was that to his future? He had enough money in the bank to start afresh. He could put a manager in if need be.

  Where did he want to be? Could he be happy if he stayed here, without Lucy?

  A resounding no crashed through his thoughts.

  Garth thought of the nights Lucy had spent in his bed and the fun they’d had working in his garden. The joy on her face as she’d planted the tiny seedlings and watched them take root in the soil. The feeling that had filled him when he’d held her in his arms.

  Garth accepted he didn’t want to be here without Lucy. The farm was nothing without her.

  Maybe they could make a go of it if they were where she wanted to be. In the city, where she could work in the career she loved. There were plenty of engineering opportunities in Sydney, and he had a lot of contacts. He’d have no problem finding a job.

  He’d hurt Lucy when he’d argued with her in the car, and regret spiralled through him.

  Garth turned the shower jets off and reached for a towel. He crossed to the window, and as he stood staring out at the paddocks, he came to a decision.

  He loved Lucy Bellamy, and he would do anything to keep her. If she wanted him. That was what he had to find out.

  No matter what it took. No matter where he had to live. No matter what he had to lose, nothing was as bad as losing her.

  Liam and Seb shared a satisfied look when Garth turned up at the dam with a six-pack and a request for them to keep an eye out on the property while he went to Sydney to see Lucy.

  “She’s bloody miserable, mate,” Liam said as he took the beer that Garth held out.

  Garth quirked an eyebrow. “So she talks to you lot?”

  “Gran called her the other night and wouldn’t take any excuse about why she couldn’t talk,” Seb added. “I don’t think she’s doing too well back in the city, is our Lucy. Last time I saw her, she was complaining about the traffic and the noise.”

  “And too stubborn to admit she’s wrong. So don’t give up too easily.” Liam looked pleased when he heard that Garth was leaving first thing in the morning.

  “She’s been at the office every day for three weeks, keeping herself busy,” Seb said with a frown. “But she was cranky when I said good-bye.”

  “Persevere, mate.” Liam lay back, and his voice was soft as it floated over the water. “I’ll bet twenty bucks that she’ll come back home with you.”

  “I wish I was so sure.” Garth stared into the distance as th
e setting sun sent a flare of purple into the evening sky. His future depended on it. If Lucy didn’t want him, he didn’t know what he’d do.

  …

  Just on sunset the following day, Garth stood in the narrow foyer of an old apartment block at the back of King Street, Newtown. He wrinkled his nose as the sour smell of beer-soaked carpet and mould assailed him. Seb had warned him that Lucy’s apartment was in a dodgy part of Newtown when he’d called him for her address.

  God, if he’d known she lived in such a dive, he would have been down here weeks ago. It wasn’t safe for a woman to walk alone in this part of town. He’d passed a pile of syringes on the footpath as he’d looked for her apartment building, and he’d been offered two drug deals between parking his ute and reaching the main street.

  The noise of the weekend traffic was so loud, he could barely think, and it had been a pleasure to step into the building where the noise lowered to a muted roar. God, if Lucy preferred living down here in what she had called a civilised environment, maybe there wasn’t a chance for them. Maybe they were two different people who were just sexually compatible?

  No. If he believed that, he wouldn’t be here. He pushed open the glass door at the bottom of the steps and walked up to the third floor and stood outside the door marked Apartment Nine. Garth took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Lucy stood with the freezer door open, debating whether to take out the frozen packet of satay chicken or spaghetti Bolognese. The spaghetti won.

  Once she’d admitted to herself that she really didn’t want to be in the city, she had some big decisions to make. Her initial reaction had been to flee straight home—because she admitted now, the Pilliga Scrub was home, no matter how the city had sucked her in the past few years. It had been a way of coping with Mum’s death, and the six weeks at Prickle Creek Farm had woken her up to that fact. She’d been totally miserable since she’d come back to Sydney, but even though she’d admitted that to herself, she couldn’t go running back to Garth. He hadn’t called, emailed, nothing since she’d left. He obviously didn’t want her.