Home Before Sundown (10 page)

For long seconds, Gabe stood, frowning at the phone receiver in his hand while he replayed the message, making sure he'd heard it correctly.

Gabe, it's Liz Fairburn. We haven't actually met. I'm Bella's aunt and I'm sorry about the short notice, but Bella and I were hoping that you and Roy might be able to join us at Mullinjim for lunch tomorrow. Zoe and Mac McKinnon will be here, too, so it should be fun. Can you let me know if you're free?

Gabe gave a stunned shake of his head.

Once he would have jumped at the chance to have lunch at Mullinjim. In the past, even before becoming entangled with Bella, he'd always enjoyed a strong bond with the Fairburns.

But he would refuse this invitation. No question. He was way too busy to socialise.

He'd spent an entire afternoon out at a muddy dam, wrestling with three bogged cows. The heat must have driven them a little crazy and they'd ignored the water troughs at the far end of their paddock and broken through the fence lines to get to the last of the dam water.

A whole mob had rushed through the break as well, but luckily, only a few older, weaker beasts had been bogged.

The sun had well and truly set by the time he'd got the cows out and mustered the mob off into a holding yard. And he still had to mend the fences – a job for first thing in the morning. He certainly didn't have time to sit around, playing garden parties with Liz and Bella Fairburn.

Bella
.

Another very good reason to stay clear.

Just thinking her name was painful.

With a heavy sigh, Gabe let the receiver drop back in its cradle. He would return Liz's call later, after he'd eaten and had a chance to think. Not that thinking about Bella was any good for his digestion.

If he was honest, thinking about her wasn't going to help him in any way. Bella was determined to let the messy end to their relationship stay that way – an open, unhealed wound – and the sensible choice was to accept her decision and put it behind him or his life would remain as bogged down as those damn cows.

With a shrug, Gabe turned to a cupboard, rattled around till he dug out a frying pan, set it on the gas and threw in a little oil, added snags and tomato halves. As he turned the hissing sausages with tongs, he tried to ignore the edgy excitement in the pit of his stomach, tried to shut off a questioning voice that asked why the hell he shouldn't take an afternoon off.

It wasn't just the time off, though, was it? If he got the fences fixed early, he could justify the time. After all, his mother and sisters were having a whole month away, kicking up their heels, enjoying the surf and the sun and the restaurants at Noosa.

Time wasn't his problem.

Truth was he hadn't taken any time off since that brief spell of paradise in Townsville when he and Bella had been so happy and on fire and in love.

Those few days after the rodeo when he and Bella had played hooky and holed up in a motel. Their mad-lust marathon, honeymoon – give it any name you like – was seared on Gabe's heart with the permanence of a branding iron.

Unfortunately his memories of the horrendous aftermath were equally enduring. He still felt gutted whenever he remembered Roy's early morning phone call to the Townsville motel with the terrible news of his father's fatal accident.

Grief and guilt and so much worse had followed. His mother's breakdown had shocked and scared him witless, but Gabe hadn't shared the details of that harrowing time with anyone. Even Roy didn't know the full story.

By the time he'd got his head together, too many weeks had passed. And too many wrong things had been said.

I don't have time for you and your nonsense. There's nothing for you here.

It had taken a long time, way too long, for Gabe to accept that he'd done the right thing by setting Bella free. But he'd reached the point of acceptance and it definitely made no sense to poke at the old wounds now. As soon as he'd eaten he'd ring Liz and make his excuses.

‘Do I look okay?'

Bella stood in the middle of the kitchen, uneasily fingering the simple, crisp white shirt she was wearing with the slim black designer jeans that Liz had bought for her in London.

‘You look terrific.' Liz sounded surprised, which was under­standable given that Bella was normally confident and relaxed to the point of carelessness about her wardrobe.

Dropping her head to one side, Liz assessed Bella now, more seriously. ‘Your make-up's subtle. And it's nice to see you out of blue denim jeans or cut-offs. Yep, you look perfect. It's only a barbecue after all.' Liz's mouth tilted in a teasing smile. ‘So, who are you dressing up for? Zoe? Or Gabe?'

Bella frowned, mortified that her aunt had hit so close to the truth. Of course, she was nervous about seeing both her new half-sister
and
her old boyfriend. She hadn't really expected Gabe to accept their invitation and she'd been a bit stunned when his message came through late last night.

‘What can I do to help?' she asked, needing to change the subject.

‘Right. Let me see. You've organised the wood for the barbecue and you've set the table. We have wine glasses, cheese and nibbles.' Liz stood, hands on hips, dressed in a comfy, blue and white striped smock over pegged blue slacks, her curly hair caught up in a crocodile clip, a habit she'd developed since she arrived in the North Queensland heat. ‘The salads are – oh, hang on, I'm a bit nervous about the potato salad. Could you taste it to see if it needs more salt or mustard or whatever?'

She retrieved a green glass bowl from the fridge.

‘It
looks
great.' Bella dipped a spoon into the mix. ‘It's creamy and crunchy and it tastes––'

‘
What
?' Liz demanded.

‘Hmmm . . . ' Bella nibbled a cube of dressing-coated potato and let the flavours linger on her tongue. ‘It's––'

‘Oh God, it's awful, isn't it?' Liz looked beyond anxious as she hugged the salad bowl to her chest. ‘I've wrecked it with too much lemon juice.'

‘I think it's . . . ' Bella paused, amused and wanting to tease, but she'd never seen her superstar aunt looking so tense and worried. ‘I think it's bloody sensational.'

‘Really?'

‘Honestly.' Bella gave her a reassuring smile. ‘I reckon you've nailed it, Aunty Liz.'

It took a moment for relief to set in, but then Liz gave a deep sigh of satisfaction and looked inordinately pleased with herself.

There was a sound in the distance then – a vehicle coming down the track to the homestead. The two women eyed each other and shared a conspiratorial smile. Comrades in arms.

Team Mullinjim was ready to party.

The first guests to arrive were Zoe and Mac.

Bella had met Mac of course, but she didn't know him well. He'd bought the Coolabah Waters property while she was away at uni and he'd become close friends with Luke and her parents. She'd always thought of him as tall, dark and mysterious – hot enough looking if you liked your men serious and brooding.

Today, however, Bella's attention was riveted on Mac's wife, the dark haired, female figure climbing down from the passenger's seat.

Zoe.

Despite having grown up in the isolated outback, Bella had never longed for a sister as some girls might have. She'd been totally secure in her tomboy world, completely content to keep company with Luke or Gabe, their dogs, horses and cattle.

Now, however, with her father seriously ill, her boyfriend on the other side of the world, her future still uncertain . . . her world had taken a sideways tilt. She wasn't sure how she felt about the arrival of a new sister. Was Zoe a threat or a gift?

From the truck, Zoe turned and waved to them, and for a fleeting second she looked so much like Liz that Bella couldn't hold back a shocked gasp.

Zoe's dark curly hair was
all Liz
, but as the two young women walked towards each other over the brittle, dying grass, Bella began to notice differences.

Zoe wasn't as tall as Liz. She was pretty and curvy, rather than slender and elegant. And there was something about Zoe's smile, something very open and appealing that reminded Bella of – of her father.

Oh.

Bella's step faltered. If she'd ever doubted Zoe's connection to her family, her doubts were ripped away in that moment.

This is my sister
.

She sensed nervousness shimmering at the edges of Zoe's smile, the same nervousness that was drumming a tattoo in her chest. She wondered how to handle this. Should she hug her new sister, kiss her cheek, shake her hand?

First impressions were so important.

‘Bella!' Despite the visible evidence of her tension, Zoe was still smiling. ‘You're just how I imagined.'

Really
?

‘It's great to meet you at last.'

‘You too.'

With only the slightest hesitation, they stepped closer, then shook hands.

Carefully, they kissed cheeks.

Green eyes searched grey . . . enquiring . . . seeking . . . connect-ing . . . Tentative smiles brimmed with emotion.

I like her
. Bella felt a blast of excited relief.
I really do. Zoe feels as if she belongs
.

She does belong.

Emotion welled inside her, an unexpected rushing torrent, and next minute she was hugging her sister. Hugging and clinging, relishing the knowledge that this lovely girl shared her family's blood. And was it her imagination or could she sense that a lost piece in a puzzle had been found and slotted into place?

When they finally stepped back both girls were grinning and swiping at tears.

‘You look so much like Luke,' Zoe said.

‘Don't tell the poor girl that.'

It was only then, when Bella heard the male voice, that she noticed Mac standing behind Zoe.

‘Hi, Mac.' Bella kissed his cheek then gave him a hug too.

His was a one-armed hug as he was carrying a cake tin and drinks.

‘I haven't congratulated you two on your wedding.'

Bella took a step back, just in time to see the bright vibe that passed between Zoe and Mac – just a flash in their eyes that signalled how happy they were. And yet, now that she took a closer look at Mac, she could also see a significant transformation.

Gone was the serious, slightly haunted look she associated with this guy. Today, genuine happiness lit up his eyes and his smile. Marriage certainly suited him.

Her heart gave a tiny lurch of envy, but she ignored it as Liz joined them and there were more greetings and hugs.

‘I brought a cake,' Zoe said, taking the tin from Mac and handing it to Liz.

‘Oh, you darling.' Liz was beaming. ‘You shouldn't have, of course, but this is very much appreciated. I can't bake to save myself.'

‘This one's orange and almond.'

‘I'm sure it's scrumptious.'

‘I'm relieved she has someone else to bake for,' chimed in Mac, grinning as he tapped his belt buckle. ‘Gives my waistline a spell.'

The barbecue was on the eastern side of the house, away from the ferocity of the afternoon sun, with extra shade thrown by a big, old tamarind tree.

It was the perfect spot for settling down with cool drinks and nibbles, swapping stories while they waited for the barbecue plate to heat.

And for Gabe and Roy to arrive.

Bella joined in the conversation, discussing the number-one priority for all people on the land, the weather, in particular the non-arrival of the wet season.

They also talked about her father's health, along with Zoe and Mac's plans for Coolabah Waters and snippets about Bella's travels as well as Liz's surprising new piano pupils. Enjoyable as this was, however, Bella was on tenterhooks, jumping up on the pretext of checking the heat on the barbecue while keeping her ears strained for the sound of another motor.

Eventually Liz frowned at her watch. ‘Gabe and Roy should be here by now. I wonder what's keeping them.'

Bella gave her best imitation of a careless shrug. ‘Do you think I should throw the steaks on anyway?'

‘Hold off for a bit. I'll get more crackers for the cheese.'

‘I'll get them,' Bella cut in quickly, knowing she was way too edgy to sit down again.

Inside the house, she went straight to the kitchen window staring out across the straw-coloured lawn, past the front gate overarched by bougainvillea to the curving track that emerged from the scrub.

He's not coming
.

At this time of the year there could be any number of problems on a cattle property, all sorts of things that could hold Gabe up. Just the same, she wouldn't blame him if he'd simply decided to avoid her. It wasn't as if she'd waved an olive branch anywhere in his direction. Quite the opposite really.

No doubt he assumed that she hadn't forgiven him for rejecting her two years ago. Sad truth was she hadn't really forgiven herself for the way she'd reacted to their situation. It had been such a tumultuous time back then. Gabe's father had died and their relationship had seemed to die in the same breath. Bella had never really understood why.

She'd been deeply hurt, but she'd also behaved immaturely. She couldn't deny that. In the end Gabe had been fed up with her and said hurtful things, and she'd run away to Europe without asking the right questions, or waiting to hear Gabe's answers.

Now, although Bella still planned to keep her promise to Anton to return to him in France, she knew she'd reached the point where she needed to build bridges with Gabe. She didn't want or expect romance, but she longed to be friends with him again.

Perhaps she'd left it too late.

Turning from the depressing sight of the empty track, she went to the pantry and found the packet of crackers.