Nobody but Him (27 page)

‘Why don’t you come to the pub tonight and have dinner, just like we talked about. You never know who else might be there.’

Julia nodded a half smile through her tears. ‘You don’t think he’s reinstated my ban?’

‘I wouldn’t think so.’ Lizzie licked her lips. ‘Awesome doughnut, by the way.’

Julia sat quietly in Ry’s pub in a worn, soft leather tub chair, a book in one hand, a glass of merlot in the other. Her face glowed from the heat of the flames in the large stone fireplace. She was composed. Peaceful. Serene. Anyone who glanced over at her would have seen a striking brunette, her legs elegantly crossed, her caramel eyes concentrated on a book, her hand slowly swirling her wine in a long-stemmed wine glass.

Except Julia hadn’t taken in one single sentence. Not even a good book could settle her nerves tonight. She was a total mess. The plain truth of it was that she was scared. No, terrified was more like it. Her head had been spinning since she’d seen the newspaper story about Windswept and read about Ry’s ambitious plans for Middle Point. A part of the world he’d apparently said he loved. A few hundred words in a newspaper and Ry’s handsome photo staring out at her had turned everything she thought she knew on its head. There was so much more to him than she’d given him credit for, and that understanding, that realisation of her own flaws in jumping to such hasty conclusions made her feel embarrassed and sick.

And now she was desperate for a second chance, to let him know she understood who he really was, and how proud she was of what he was doing. How mortified she was for her own behaviour and her misplaced pride about a place she hadn’t been proud of in such a long time. Ry was the champion of Middle Point.

As well as hot, handsome and sexy-as-hell.

Julia lifted her glass to her lips and tried to casually sip her wine, but her mouth felt like cottonwool and her palate was full of the bitter taste of regret. She wondered if the pounding in her head would develop into a full-blown throbber if she drank any more.

Another glance at the door, which remained stubbornly closed, and Julia felt like the fire was burning inside her chest as well as two metres away in the fireplace. She wrenched the pashmina from her neck and found a use for her book; fanning it to cool her burning cheeks. Why had she sat so close to this raging inferno of an open fireplace? Why was she sitting alone like a shag on a rock in Ry’s pub? Why was she so upset?

Because he hadn’t turned up. Because she might have just lost her last chance with Ry. And it was nobody’s fault but her own.

From the bar, Lizzie watched her friend fidget. Every time the door opened, the blustery wind carrying the tang of sea spray into the front bar, Julia startled. She knew her friend was trying hard not to glance at the door every time someone walked in, but was failing. Big time. Lizzie thought back to the afternoon and her heart ached for how much her friend had suffered.

Lizzie was certain Ry would be at the pub, as he was most nights when he was in town. But the old carriage clock above the bar showed it was eight o’clock and there was still no sign of him.

The next time the door swung open, it was Dan McSwaine. His hair and his leather jacket, both jet-black, were misted with rain and Lizzie watched him approach the bar, his heavy boots creating a sexy rhythm as he sauntered over to her. Lizzie glanced at Julia, who’d stuck her nose back in her book as soon as she realised it wasn’t Ry. Lizzie’s gaze returned to Dan. He’d been watching her. She returned his grin with a polite smile, hoping like hell he didn’t notice that her heart raced a little faster every time he walked into the room. Probably because she thought he was a pain in the arse. Yes, that must be it. She knew not to trust men who looked like Dan McSwaine. In her experience, they’d never been worth the effort.

‘Lizzie.’ He nodded and took a seat at the bar.

‘Good evening, Mr McSwaine. What can I get you?’

His eyes narrowed. ‘What’s with the
Mr
bullshit?’

‘It’s called being respectful to your elders.’ She offered him a polite, barely there smile.

His voice became low and quiet, a sexy smile lighting up his face and zapping her pulse. ‘If we weren’t going to be spending so much time together, with you managing the pub and me working on Windswept, I think I’d have to take you over my knee and spank you for that.’

His broad grin had no effect on her. Absolutely no effect whatsoever.

Lizzie’s eyes narrowed. ‘That’s a little politically incorrect, don’t you think?’

Dan crossed his arms and leaned forward on the bar, coming as close to her as he could without leaping over it. He was so close, she could make out the gold flecks in his emerald eyes, and she could see exactly how long his lashes were.

‘You feminists take the fun out of everything.’

She shrugged her shoulders and lowered her voice. Two could play at this game. ‘Not everything.’

Dan laughed deep and hard, and Lizzie tried not to notice the stray curls of dark chest hair poking over his v-necked T-shirt or his strapping shoulders that stretched the fabric tight. No, she didn’t notice any of it. Lizzie took the chance to reach for a drinks menu and placed it right in front of him, to block out the view of his muscles.

‘So, what about that drink?’

He peered over the menu. ‘I’m about to drive home to Adelaide so it’s a soft drink for me, thanks.’

‘Coming right up.’ Lizzie took a furtive glance at Julia over by the fire. Dan caught it and followed her eyes. Julia was flipping the pages of her book back and forth, as if she’d lost her place, and then crossing and uncrossing her legs.

Lizzie spoke conspiratorially. ‘Ry going back to Adelaide with you tonight?’

Dan’s gaze drifted slowly back from the fire to Lizzie. ‘No, he’s sticking around here. He’s got a meeting with the local council tomorrow.’

‘Oh. Hadn’t seen him tonight. Was just wondering.’ Lizzie grabbed a glass, scooped some ice into it and filled it with soft drink for Dan. She placed it on the bar in front of him and then took a deep breath. She knew what she had to do, but that didn’t make doing it any easier. Even if he acted like he was God’s gift to women, it didn’t mean he had to go without an apology.

She planted her hands on the bar, summoned her best
mea culpa
face and looked him squarely in the eyes. ‘Dan, I’ve been meaning to apologise for what I said to you about Windswept. I think the plans are amazing.’

Dan looked at her like she’d turned into a ghost. ‘Really?’

‘Yes. It looks beautiful.’

Damn him. He let her words hang there for a beat before his eyes crinkled in a smile. ‘So, you’ve come around.’

‘What can I say? I saw the story in the paper and it looks … well, amazing. The houses seem so private, sitting among all the trees, and the wetlands are stunning. It would be heaven to live there.’ She wiped her hands on her apron, trying not to let him see them shake.

It wasn’t just his smile, she decided. There was something about the way he looked at her that made her edgy.

‘So you think it’s a good idea.’

‘A girl’s allowed to change her mind, you know.’

His eyebrows shot up. ‘I’ll hold you to that.’

‘I’m sure you will.’

He regarded her through narrowed eyes. ‘Maybe you’re not such a naïve hippie after all.’

Lizzie decided that Dan looked entirely too pleased with himself. ‘And maybe it turns out that you’re not quite the white-shoe-brigade property developer I’d pegged you for.’

They held the look a moment, something crackling in the air between them.

Dan lowered his voice and glanced quickly in Julia’s direction. ‘Did she see the paper?’

Lizzie nodded.

‘That’s why he did it, you know. We weren’t going to announce it until next month. Ry wanted to get the local mayor to cut a ribbon and all that stuff. But then he suddenly decided he didn’t want to wait. He got it into his head that Julia had to see what Windswept was all about before she headed back to Melbourne.’

Lizzie crossed her arms. ‘You’re kidding me. He did all that for her?’

Dan ruffled his hand through his hair, a lock falling right back on the forehead of his tanned and angular face. ‘So what are we gonna do about those two?’

There was a determination in his eyes that told Lizzie he wasn’t going to just sit around and let his best friend be miserable. Funnily enough, neither was she. Maybe they had more in common than she would ever have predicted.

‘I have a confession to make.’ Lizzie smiled when she saw the interest in Dan’s face turn up a notch or two. He leaned closer.

‘I actually thought Ry might be here tonight. I convinced Julia to come and sit by the fire and have a glass of wine. I thought if they accidently on purpose bumped into each other, they might talk it out.’

‘I like the way you think. But the last time I saw Ry he was holed up at the house as miserable as a pub with no beer.’ Dan looked deep in thought, a line of tension in the space between his brows, concern in his dark eyes. But then he surprised Lizzie by slamming his fist on the bar and laughing right out loud. He stretched out a long leg and reached into the pocket of his jeans. After a few taps on his phone, he lifted it to his ear. Winked at her. The move sent a shimmer down her body that tingled her toes and a few spots in between.

‘Yeah, Boss, it’s me. I’m at your pub. You’d better get your arse down here pronto.’ Dan glanced over to the fire. ‘Why? Because we’re about to run out of beer and Lizzie tells me every member of the Middle Point footy club’s coming in for their end of year celebrations in half an hour. You know what that means. There’ll be violence.’

He met Lizzie’s eyes, held the look. ‘No, I’m on my way back to Adelaide and Lizzie’s busy with the bowling club ladies. Yeah, yeah, stop whining. Okay, see you in five.’

He pocketed his phone and took a sip of his drink. ‘It’s up to Romeo and Julia-ette now.’

Well, wasn’t Dan McSwaine a surprise. ‘That was a nice thing to do.’

He shrugged his shoulders and smiled. ‘It’s all about me, really. If I have to put up with his misery any longer I’ll have to kick his arse.’ He leaned toward her, the move flopping his wayward fringe back onto his forehead. Lizzie found the move incredibly distracting.

‘So, tell me something. Why are you still in this little town working in a pub? Why didn’t you leave like Julia did?’

‘I did leave. I went to London and lived there for a while.’

‘And you came back
here
?’

When she raised her eyebrows he added, ‘No offence, but London to Middle Point is kind of a big change.’

She had her reasons. Private reasons. ‘I missed it. Missed home and my family, the beach, the big sky.’

Dan’s eyes roamed over her face, taking in her pale blue eyes, her spiky blonde hair and her full lips. For half a second they lowered to the spot where her white shirt curved over her breasts.

‘So what about you, Dan. You got someone waiting for you up in Adelaide?’

He shook his head. ‘I’m waiting for Barbra to realise what she’s been missing and succumb to my charms. She’ll come around.’

‘You seem very close to them. The Blackburns.’

‘We’re as close to family as you can get without being related by blood.’ There was a pride in his voice about being associated with that family. Knowing what she did of them, it wasn’t misplaced. Dan drained his drink and took a good swallow of the ice, crunching it between his teeth.

‘Lizzie, you pour a mean Coke.’ He slowly stood up to leave. Lizzie’s neck hurt from angling back to see how tall he was. ‘I’m going to miss your pretty face behind the bar. And your uniform.’

‘I won’t.’ She looked down and realised she’d given him an open invitation to stare at her breasts again, which was the whole point. She let a sly grin emerge on her face. ‘It’s a total bitch getting red wine stains out of these. I can’t wait until next week when I take on the Manager’s position and I can wear whatever I want.’

‘Good luck with that. From what I hear from Ry, you’ll be brilliant.’

She stared at him a minute, confused. ‘Thanks Dan.’

He looked at her with a bemused smile and turned to go. Then he paused and stepped back to the bar. ‘Hell, Lizzie, I reckon we got off on the wrong foot.’ He reached across the bar and held out his big, strong hand. ‘Hello, I’m Dan McSwaine. It’s very nice to meet you.’

She stretched her hand out to him and watched him take it in his. The warmth of it travelled in a current up her arm to her chest. His lips parted in a smile and his eyes brightened. He lifted it to his lips and kissed the back of her hand, softly, slowly.

‘Lizzie Blake. It’s very nice to meet you, Dan.’

From across the pub, Julia watched the intricate tango Dan and Lizzie had been dancing and felt a twist in her chest. At one point he’d leaned over the bar and Julia didn’t have to hear the words to know the kind of thing he’d said. Lizzie’s red cheeks and oh-so-casual stance gave her away. There was clearly some flirting going on between them and watching it made Julia feel envious. Oh how delicious it was to be flirted with. The glances, sly looks, the innuendo, the accidental touches and the thrill of the approach. The excitement and the expectation. The fluttering in the belly and the inherent optimism that this person might be
the one
. She watched with a pang as Dan turned to go, stopped, came back and took Lizzie’s hand in his. He seemed to hold it for quite a while and the expression on Lizzie’s face when he’d kissed her hand was priceless. Open-mouthed, wide-eyed, pink-cheeked.

Only when he heard his name called, did Dan let go of Lizzie’s hand and turn to the door.

‘What the hell is going on, Dan? How can we possibly be running out of beer?’ Ry strode through the bar, ignoring the confused shouts from patrons who’d panicked as soon as they’d heard the phrase ‘running out of beer’.

Dan turned to him with a cocky smile. He put his hand on his heart and dipped his head.

‘Mate, I lied. There is no beer crisis. It would simply be un-Australian to run out of beer.’

‘Dan.’ Ry growled, his face like a stormy Middle Point sky.