Bella's Run (19 page)

Thunder cracked and lightning zapped around the old lean hut. Bella and Will were oblivious to anything but each other.

And it wasn’t until much, much later that they dried each other off with a sheet dragged from Will’s swag and lay under the corrugated-tin humpy curled into a warm woollen blanket and listened to the rain. Sated. Complete. In each other’s arms.

Chapter 18

A dim glow pierced the holes in the tin roof above her head, scattering pinpoints of light on the old, weathered swag. Bella snuggled into the blanket, backing herself further into Will’s chest. He mumbled something in his sleep and tightened his arms around her.

Outside the sheltering humpy, there was a slight early-morning breeze; just enough to move the silvery leaves of the eucalypt tree crowding the sky outside the doorway. The moon still shone, an incandescent light peering through thick branches of a huge red gum, giving the old tree a haloed glow.

Just like the glow Bella knew was blossoming within her, filling her whole being with its warmth. Ignoring the dull ache of a hangover, she rolled over to face the man spooning her. The strong planes of his face, the chiselled jaw and its harsh lines were softened in sleep. The eyes were closed, the dimples gone from his tanned cheeks.

With her fingertip she softly traced the creases from the laughter lines rimming his temples. Feeling his breath gently warm her hand, she ran her fingers along the side of his face and was rewarded when an arm snaked its way across her bum cheeks, pulling her closer into his warm chest.

‘Not planning on a dawn dash, cowgirl?’ His soft voice startled an early-morning currawong from its perch outside the doorway.

Bella laughed. ‘Not bloody likely.’ She snuggled into the furry down of hair smattered across Will’s chest. ‘Anyway, isn’t that usually a bloke’s prerogative?’

‘Not this bloke. And definitely not this morning.’ Will’s arm reached for the canvas above their heads and the top flap of the swag descended, hiding them from view. The peals of laughter soon coming from inside sent the currawong flying once again.

It was ten o’clock on Sunday morning before a weary but happy Bella and Will finally made their way back into the main entertainment arena at Nunkeri Plains.

‘Feel like an egg-and-bacon sandwich?’ asked Will as they walked across the grass towards a tent, which was serving breakfast.

Bella smiled up at the man loping along beside her, his warm hand firmly holding onto hers. ‘Sounds great. Nothing like a bit of bacon fat to soothe a booze-soaked tummy and a pounding head. Not to mention the fair bit of physical activity in between.’ Bella felt rather than heard Will’s laughter rumble through his body. He grasped her hand a little tighter, as a female voice broke into their conversation from behind.

‘Will O’Hara.
There
you are.’ Prudence Vincent-Prowse sidled up to him and cuddled into his free side. Her left hand snaked out and sinuously moved across his blue chambray shirt, her long red-painted fingertips applying light pressure on Will’s muscled chest. ‘I missed seeing you last night.’

‘Hi there, Prue, nice to see you too. Macca and I didn’t get here until late. Would you like an egg-and-bacon sandwich? I was just heading over to grab one for Bella and me.’

For the first time Prowsy looked at Bella.

And Bella watched as the other girl registered the fact that Will was holding onto her hand. Prowsy’s eyes hardened as she took in her adversary and the tender look Will was throwing Bella’s way.

Prowsy stepped in front of Will, her body moving fluidly and in such a way as to effectively shut Bella out of the conversation.

‘I’d just
love
a sandwich, thanks, Will. It’s so sweet of you to offer.’ Prowsy’s voice was oozing honey, while a hand fleetingly touched at Will’s chest and her eyes devoured the man.

‘Righto. I’ll be back shortly.’ Will squeezed Bella’s hand, smiled at Prowsy and strode off. Bella watched him go, admiring his bum, his back, his whole body – crap, she had it bad.

Prowsy didn’t waste any time swinging into attack. ‘So, you didn’t have any success up there in Queensland pulling a root, so you’re back here spreading yourself around as per usual? I saw you and Patricia riding each other last night. Tell me, can’t you find a man willing to get it up? Or perhaps you have to pay them? I heard you raving on about a bet.’

Bella was speechless.

‘Will O’Hara needs a
real
woman in his bed. Someone from the mountains to help him run that big high-country station of his . . .’

A real woman? Someone from the mountains? Bella tried not to smirk. Prowsy worked for her father,
a fucking real estate agent in Burrindal.

‘. . . not some scummy, good-for-nothing dairy-farmer’s daughter – a wannabe cattleman.’

Her father Frank, scummy? Good-for-
nothing
? A red haze descended in front of Bella’s eyes. Prowsy could throw all the shit she liked at her and Patty, but Bella would not let her besmirch the name of a wonderful man like her father.

Acting rather than thinking, Bella slammed her fist into Prudence’s face.

Prowsy went down.

Bella watched the woman in front of her topple and slide into the dirt at her feet. She looked down, horrified at what she’d done.

She was in trouble.

A voice assailed her from the food tent up ahead.

‘Shit, Bella, what have you done now?’ Patty walked over. ‘For crap’s sake, is Prowsy all right?’

Prudence was gasping and rubbing her mouth. ‘You bitch,’ she spluttered, spitting blood from where her front teeth had bitten into her lips. ‘You fucking bitch!’

The look of pure hatred coming from her nemesis abruptly reminded Bella of what Prowsy had said to provoke such a response. ‘I know who the bitch is and it’s certainly not me. Shelve it, Prue. You got what you deserved and you know it,’ she said before she spun around and walked off, shaking.

Looking back over her shoulder, Bella saw Patty putting out a hand to help Prowsy to her feet. Spurning it, Prudence staggered upright on her own, still wiping blood from her lips.

‘I’ll get you,’ she yelled at Bella. ‘This isn’t the end of it, Vermaelon!’ Spinning on her tooled cowgirl boots, Prowsy staggered off.

Bella flipped her the bird, then shuddered. She could hear her mother’s voice in her head, ‘a goose walking over your grave, my darling, that’s all’.

‘She’s a first-class bitch, that’s for sure,’ said Patty, as Bella filled her in on the conversation that led to the altercation. ‘Low country scum, my arse. Your father’s one of the most respected men in the district! And besides, you’ve spent half your life up in the mountains at Maggie’s. What’s she bloody talking about?’

Bella didn’t have an answer; she was still shocked by Prowsy’s attack and her own response. Where the hell had that punch come from? She’d never punched anyone like that in her life. What
was
it with that bloody girl? What was it with her feelings for Will that made everything seem so much more important? Why did she feel things so strongly all of the sudden when up until now life had been all fluff and fun?

Will slid in beside her and handed over two sandwiches. ‘Here you go, cowgirl. Sink your teeth into this. Where’s Prue? I got her a couple too.’

‘Well, since she’s not here, we’ll take them,’ said Macca, holding out his big paws as he joined the circle. ‘All this extracurricular activity . . .’ he waggled his eyebrows at Patty ‘. . . has made me downright starving.’

‘I’d highly recommend the egg-and-bacon sandwiches to you all.’ A new voice, spitting plums, joined them. Trinity Eggleton walked up beside Bella and Will. ‘Oh! You’re already onto it.’ He then turned to Bella. ‘And you would be the ravishing young lady Will was warning me off last night, I’d say? Trinity Eggleton, at your service.’ Trin blushed, looking at Will. ‘Well, actually
not
at your service, because . . . but anyway . . . um . . . it’s nice to meet you.’ Trin bumbled to a stop and stuck out his hand.

Bella looked up and smiled, choosing to ignore his embarrassment. ‘And it’s nice to meet you too.’ She returned the shake and silently marvelled at the feel of his smooth, cool hand, so different to the rough, calloused ones that had lovingly handled her last night. And this morning. Bella couldn’t stop the grin sliding onto her face.

‘Bella! Patty?’ Caro rushed up beside her friend, long blonde hair flying around her face. ‘What happened to Prowsy? She’s in the first-aid tent, swearing vengeance and death on you both and everyone associated with you.’ Bella shot a look towards Will, who had an eyebrow quirked in question. She shrugged, feigning ignorance and turned back to Caro.

‘Man, is she wild! She’s going to pack up her camp and head home, before the whip-cracking championships and the Stockman’s Challenge . . .’ Caro’s voice died as she realised there was a stranger in the midst of the group.

Will shoved a dumbstruck Trin none too gently in the ribs. ‘Caro, meet Trin – Trinity Eggleton. He’s Wes Ogilvie’s grandson. Trin, this is Caro – Caroline Handley. Was she the one you mentioned last night?’

‘Mmm . . .’ Trin’s eyes were glazing.

‘You’re going to have to do better than that, mate,’ said Macca, with a smirk.

Meanwhile Caro, completely ignoring Macca, had moved around and wiggled her way in between Bella and the still-dumb Trin. ‘How
are
you?’ said Caro as she took a closer look at the new talent.

‘I’m well . . . thank you . . . and . . . you?’ Trin spluttered.

Looking fresher and brighter than anyone who had been so drunk the previous night had a right to look, Caro launched into a conversation intent on finding out exactly who, what and how much potential Mr Trinity Eggleton had.

The Nunkeri Muster’s Ladies Whip-Cracking Competition came down to a battle between Bella and Patty. Not surprisingly, with her new whips and Harry Bailey’s tutorage, Patty beat Bella to the honour of being the champion – again.

The weekend’s finale had been the race they were all supposed to be there for, the Stockman’s Challenge; the race that tested the skills and endurance of the best horsemen in the district. The winner, however, was a bloke from New South Wales. He’d heard about the weekend on the radio too and had trucked down his horse and dogs to do battle with the riders in the mountains to the south.