His Outback Temptation (Pickle Creek) Read online

  “Close your eyes for me, Bella.” He put his finger on her lips and smiled. “Don’t ask. Just do.”

  Isabella lifted her shoulders in a shrug, but still the nerves were fluttering in her stomach even more now. She did as she was told. As she stood there with her eyes closed, she could hear Sebastian moving around and a rustle of paper and the sound of the esky being opened. Next minute, his breath brushed her cheek.

  “Keep your eyes closed and take my hand.”

  Again she obeyed, and he led her a few steps. She wrinkled her nose. A strong floral fragrance surrounded her.

  “I’ll hold you while you sit down.” He held her hands as she lowered herself, and she smiled when she realised she was sitting on the esky.

  “One more minute. Eyes closed.”

  She jumped as a cork popped and the next minute the sound of liquid being poured into a glass reached her. She shook her head as her trepidation increased.

  She knew him too well and wasn’t sure she liked the way this was heading. Unless…unless he’d decided to come with her.

  To leave the farm and follow me to England? Maybe? She kept her eyes closed and hoped…and hoped. She fought down the flare of anticipation that was getting stronger every second.

  Silence for a moment and then a rustle in front of her, before her hand was picked up in his.

  “You can open your eyes now, Bella.”

  Sebastian was kneeling in front of her. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust and she looked around. Roses were strewn on the ground around her, and as she watched, he lifted a glass and passed it to her.

  “A real date, Seb?” She smiled. “Roses and champagne, finally?” Her voice trembled with emotion.

  Sebastian shook his head. “More than a date.” He reached into his shirt pocket and Isabella widened her eyes as certainty flooded through her.

  “Bella. I’ve thought long and hard about this, and I know that time is short.” He reached out with his other hand and lifted her chin so that she looked into his eyes. His expression was filled with love and certainty, but she knew his certainty was different to hers. “Maybe if you weren’t leaving on Friday, I would have waited but I can’t risk losing you. I want you to stay.”

  She shook her head and bit her lip as her throat ached. Regret sat in her chest like a stone.

  No. But then she realised she’d only cried it in her head. She opened her mouth to stop him, but gentle fingers brushed over her lips. “Let me finish.”

  As he spoke, the tears welled in her eyes and slipped down her cheeks, but he kept talking.

  “I love you, Bella. And I know that I want to spend my life with you. I have the perfect solution.”

  But where? Is he going to say he will come to England with me?

  Please.

  “I can take on more photographic contracts to supplement the work at the farm, and we can travel around the Outback. There’s no need for you to go to England.”

  All her hopes and dreams sank like a stone.

  The tears fell and he lifted his thumb and wiped them away. One cheek, and then the other, and horror filled her when he opened the small black case he held.

  The box was dark, and the stone was dark. It was how she felt, as regret became heavier.

  “Will you marry me? Make a life together out here?”

  Isabella’s breath hitched and finally the words came. “No. Seb. Please stop.” She jumped up from the cooler, and her flat shoes crushed the roses as she walked away from him, her fist to her mouth, the sweet fragrance making her feel sick. She looked down wordlessly as the glass she had been holding slipped from her fingers and smashed on the ground.

  “I can’t. This was only a holiday romance. It was never going to be forever.” Even as she said the words, she knew she loved him, but she couldn’t compromise. If she said yes, and stayed here with him, what would happen to all her hopes and dreams? She couldn’t push them aside to stay here, even though the temptation was so strong. After a few weeks—months—maybe, she’d regret it, no matter how much she loved him.

  She had come to terms with leaving, and now he had brought all of the emotion surging to the surface again. Shaking her head, she cried out to him.

  “Why did you have to do that? Why did you have to ruin everything? I was going to say goodbye to you tonight and make it a night we would both remember. I do”—her breath hitched—“I do care about you…but I can’t give up my dreams. If you don’t know that, you don’t know me.”

  She stood there shaking as Sebastian got up from the ground and picked up the bottle. He walked over to the edge of the hill and tipped the liquid out, before he came back and opened the esky and put the empty bottle inside. Without a single word, he pulled out some newspaper and crouched down and picked up the broken glass. Then he picked up the esky and put it in the car before he turned to her.

  “Get in the car, Isabella.” His voice was quiet and flat. “Please. I’ll take you home.”

  The trip back to Spring Downs was silent. The crushed roses beneath her feet as she walked back to the car was a memory that would stay with Isabella for the rest of her life, as was the desolation in Sebastian’s eyes as he parked outside the milk bar and waited for her to get out of the car.

  “Goodbye, Seb. I’m sorry.”

  The last thing she saw before she shut the door was the glittering darkness of his eyes.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Gran obviously knew better than to say anything when Sebastian drove in just after nine o’clock that night. He hoisted the esky with the food out of the back seat and took it into the kitchen. Gran and Pop were sitting at the table, a pot of tea between them. He pulled out the ring and handed it to Gran before he went to his room, shut the door, and dropped onto the bed.

  So she bloody cared about him, did she? But not enough to give up her dreams. Well, he’d made a right fool of himself, hadn’t he? He lay there with his arm over his face, remembering the horrified expression on her face.

  Only a holiday romance, she’d said. And more fool him to think he could change it. Of course she didn’t want to be out here. Hell, he didn’t want to, either.

  How could he have had the presumption to think that a simple declaration of love would change her mind? God, what a fool.

  A gentle tap at the door interrupted his angry brooding.

  “Who is it?” he snapped.

  “Gran. Can I come in?”

  “If you must.” Sebastian knew he was being rude, but he didn’t give a rat’s—. Gran had seen him worse than this.

  She came in and sat down on the end of the bed. “So I’m guessing it was a no?” He’d left the small lamp on beside the bed, and he watched as Gran’s fingers lifted the tassels on the bedspread.

  “It was an emphatic no.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “Not really. There’s no point.”

  Her voice was soft and her eyes gentle as she looked at him. “You always were one to rush in, Sebastian. Even when you were the tiniest little boy. Your mother used to say that you would make your mark in the world, and she was right.”

  He shrugged. “I had to ask her. She’s going on Friday.”

  “I know. And Isabella will be on the same coach as us, and I guess I’ll have to sit there and watch her be as miserable as you are.”

  “Why would she be miserable? “

  Gran shook her head. “Because she loves you, sweetheart. She just needs time to realise that the way she feels about you will rise above anywhere you might live or work. Trust me, I know.”

  A tiny glimmer of hope took root, and then he shook his head. “No, you didn’t see the look on her face. She was horrified that I even asked. I feel like such a bloody fool.”

  He might as well have not spoken as Gran continued. “It is so much like Harry and me. He loved the land, but for me, a girl from the centre of London? Can you imagine what it was like coming out here? There wasn’t even a real house. Just the old two
-bedroom place his father had built about thirty years before I arrived.”

  “So your point is?”

  His grandmother sighed.

  “The point is—the big one that you are missing—is that Harry loved the land. He couldn’t leave it to save his soul. If I loved him enough, I had to come here and be with him. And I did, and I came to love it, too.”

  “So you reckon if I persevered, she’d come to love it, too?”

  Gran stood up and wagged her finger at him. “My God, Seb, you are so obtuse. Of course not. Do you know what the difference is?”

  He shook his head, but he was beginning to get the point.

  “I said Harry loved the land, and he couldn’t leave it. Now you tell me why you’re here working with Liam?”

  “Because it’s the family farm?”

  “Wrong answer.”

  “Because you wanted us all to come home and live back here?”

  Her voice was sharp. “No, I didn’t.”

  “Oh yes you did. Two years ago.”

  “I asked you to come back and share that year while your grandfather got back on his feet. It was none of my doing that your three cousins love this land as much as Harry does. That—now listen closely—doesn’t mean that you have to.”

  “Hang on.” Sebastian focused on something she’d said. “You said the others love it as much as Pop does. What about you?”

  “I love Harry,” she said simply.

  “Oh.” The penny dropped, and he got what Gran was saying.

  “There’s one more thing you need to know,” she said. “Your photographic success has not come through luck. You are a brilliant photographer because you work hard at it. You don’t have to stay here and prove to us that you have a strong work ethic. We’re proud of what you’ve achieved, Seb.”

  “Really?”

  “Of course we are.” Gran looked up at him, and he held his arms out. As she nestled in his arms, Sebastian dropped his chin and rested it on the top of her head. “I love you, Gran.”

  “And I love you, my boy.” Her voice was gruff.

  As he walked down the hall a few minutes later, he finally put it together. The very thing that was keeping them apart was what he admired most about Isabella. She knew what she wanted, and she had the courage to go after it.

  And that was one of the reasons he loved her.

  …

  On Wednesday morning, Isabella was racking her mind, trying desperately to think of an excuse to get out of the barbeque at Lucy’s that night when the phone rang. Trying to come up with a reason had taken her mind off Sebastian. But apart from a broken leg, she couldn’t think of a way out of it. At least she hadn’t mentioned it to Dad, so she didn’t have to tell him they weren’t going.

  “For you, Bella,” Dad hollered. She walked over slowly, looking at the old-fashioned phone as though it would bite her. She took the phone and Dad shook his head as he went back to his newspaper.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi Bella, It’s Lucy. Listen, I’m really cross.”

  Isabella’s throat closed. Of course, she couldn’t expect to stay friends with Lucy after she’d rejected her cousin.

  Family came first.

  “Um, yes? I thought you might be.”

  “Why? Did Seb ring you first?”

  “Ring me?”

  “To cancel the barbeque?”

  “Um, no.” She hadn’t talked to Seb since he’d dropped her off three long days and nights ago. “Did you say cancel?” She clutched at the hope that she wouldn’t have to come up with an excuse after all.

  “Seb’s gone to Sydney with Liam. Gran is busy packing, and Ned and Jemmy have a sports thing on tonight. So we thought that Angie, Jemmy, and I, and Ned and Jemmy’s kids would come in and have lunch with you tomorrow in town instead.”

  “What about school?”

  “It’s school holidays.” Lucy’s tone changed. “Didn’t you know Seb was in Sydney?

  “No? Why should I?”

  Disappointment replaced curiosity. “Oh, I was just hoping—”

  “Nothing to be hopeful about there, Luce. I’ll see you tomorrow. Do you want to have lunch at the milk bar or the club?”

  “How about the milk bar? Give your dad some business.”

  “Thank you, that’s thoughtful of you.”

  “And Gran said she’ll see you on the coach and will say goodbye in Brisbane.”

  “Okay. Sounds like a plan.” Isabella injected some life into her voice. “I’ll look forward to it. I’m packing now, so I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

  “Okay, about twelve.” Lucy ended the call and Isabella walked thoughtfully into the kitchen. “You’ve got a crowd coming in for lunch tomorrow, Dad.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Friday arrived faster than Isabella thought it would. Exhausted from not sleeping for three nights, she slept like a log the last night. Lunch on Thursday had been fun, but no matter how much Lucy snooped, Isabella had revealed nothing about Seb’s proposal. Saying goodbye was sad, but she extracted a promise from all of them that they would come and visit her in England or Italy, wherever she was, if they travelled.

  Dad was quiet as he loaded her two bags into the Citroën. She stood in the doorway of the milk bar and looked around. “Are you sure it’s okay to close today?”

  “Of course it is. I have to see you off.”

  They left for Narrabri mid-morning, and Isabella worried the whole way about who would be taking Helena and Harry to the coach stop. At least it took her mind off Dad’s driving. As far as she knew, Liam and Sebastian were still in Sydney, and she hoped it would be one of the girls or Ned. It hadn’t been mentioned at lunch. She directed her father to the service centre on the outskirts of town where the coach would pick them up.

  As they approached the centre, her heart skittered and she could have sworn it missed a beat. Sebastian’s ute was parked in one of the spaces near the coach terminal. Her worst fear was realised when she saw him climb out of the car, go around to the back, and lift a suitcase from the rear tray.

  “Ah, they beat us.” Dad’s booming voice made her jump. “Helena said Sebastian was driving when she called me this morning.”

  “Called you? When did she call you?”

  “I think you were in the shower.”

  “What did she want?” Isabella frowned. She didn’t have a clue how to act. Lucy had known nothing about them breaking up. Maybe Seb hadn’t told anyone. He was the one she worried about.

  “She was just checking you were still getting the same coach.”

  “Okay.”

  Her father shot her a curious look as she got out of the car. She picked up her backpack, ran her fingers through her hair, and bit her lips to give them some colour. Holding herself straight once she was out of the car, she sauntered casually over to Sebastian and his grandparents.

  “Morning,” she said brightly as Dad followed with her bags.

  “Hello, Bella.” Gran smiled at her and Harry leaned over to kiss her cheek.

  Phew, she doesn’t know.

  Unable to put it off any longer, Isabella lifted her gaze to Sebastian. He was wearing wrap-around sunglasses and she couldn’t see his eyes.

  Damn him. She pulled hers down from the top of her head and covered her eyes as well.

  “Hi, Seb.”

  “Hello.” His voice was husky and a damn tingle ran down her back. Just from his voice, blast it.

  “You’ve been away?” she asked.

  “Yes, Liam and I went to Sydney. We got back just in time to bring this pair of travellers to the coach.”

  Isabella looked around. “Aren’t your friends travelling with you?”

  “No,” Helena said. “They’re meeting us in Darwin next week. So we can chat all the way to Brisbane.”

  Isabella bit back the groan that threatened.

  Great.

  “That will be nice. You can tell me all about Windsor,” she said.

  All too soon, the coa
ch came into view, and she turned to hug Dad. She lifted her sunglasses up to kiss him and blinked back the tears as he held her close. “Thanks for having me, Dad. I’ll miss you until you and Mum come visit me.”

  “You take care of yourself, cara.” He looked at her closely and smiled. “And be happy. In whatever you choose.”

  Strange words.

  “I will, Daddy.” One last kiss and she followed the others over to the coach as her father waited by the car.

  Sebastian hugged his grandmother, and she was surprised to see him wrap his grandfather in a hug, too. “You two have fun, okay?”

  Isabella stood back as Helena and Harry got on the coach. The bus driver took the bags around to the side and stowed them in the big hatch beneath the coach.

  “So, this is it.” Sebastian walked over and stood close beside her.

  “Yep. This is it.”

  “I’m sorry I put you in that embarrassing situation the other night.”

  She waved her hand. “All forgotten. I’m sorry I had to say no.”

  He stared down at her and she had to fight to hide what she was feeling. She bit her lip and stood straight. But his next words tested her.

  “Can I kiss you goodbye?” he asked. “Just to finish off a fun holiday romance?”

  She nodded and looked up at Sebastian. He lifted his sunglasses and then reached over and pushed hers back. His eyes were full of emotion, and she blinked quickly, unable to push away the warmth that was flooding through her when he held her gaze for one long minute.

  “Goodbye, Bella.”

  She closed her eyes as he lowered his head and the strong sunlight was blotted out. She opened her mouth and his lips clung to hers as they shared a sweet kiss. His hand cupped the back of her head when they pulled apart, and again they held each other’s eyes. Something tugged deep within Isabella, an exquisite emotion that she had never felt before.

  “Goodbye, Seb.”

  She didn’t look back as she climbed on the bus and found her seat. Not that she would have seen anything. Her eyes were full of tears.

  …