Outback Blaze (15 page)

‘I'm not, but I'm not in the mood to go out socialising. I wouldn't be good company.'

‘Oh darling. Come 'ere.'

Until her father pulled her into his arms, she'd thought all her tears had been used up but those bothersome things started bubbling over again. Pulling away before her tears got away from her, she said, ‘Shall I get us all another cuppa?'

‘Actually, I think your mum might need a rest,' he said. ‘Telling you her news was hard.'

Ruby nodded. ‘But I'm glad you did. You have both always been so supportive of me and I want to be there for you now.'

‘Thank you, my darling, that means a lot.'

Wondering what the hell he was going to do with the rest of his day off, Drew yanked on his helmet and threw his leg over his bike. He hit the main road and kept on going. It was time to explore the region around Bunyip Bay, making the most of whatever time he had in Australia.

Riding long hours on his bike back home had been a welcome relief from the stresses of his day job, but today he didn't get that. He tried to take in the native Australian trees and unique shrubbery as he weaved down gravel roads in the middle of nowhere, but he just couldn't bring himself to pay attention. His thoughts kept returning to the fire. After less than an hour he headed back into town and went to the police station. Luckily O'Leary and Mike were out on patrol so he had the place to himself as he sat down to do some investigating. After hearing Ruby's news about her mother, he felt like a bastard but he couldn't let his attraction for Ruby or sympathy for her mum stop him looking into something that just didn't sit right.

Back home he would have had a number of contacts to call in regards to something like this, but as this was his first (and hopefully only) post in Australia, he didn't know anyone who might be able to help. Deciding to start with the real estate agent whose card he'd found, he leaned back in his chair and dialed the number.

‘Hello?' answered a gruff voice.

‘Hi. Is that Mitch Bowers?' he asked.

‘Sure is. How can I help you? You looking for a business or got one you'd like me to sell?'

‘Actually,' Drew said, ‘I'm a police officer and I wanted to ask you about a property that isn't on your books but you may have been contacted about.'

‘Police you say? Ah…I guess you want to know about The Ag Store in Bunyip Bay. Shocking thing that happened there, although I reckon it would have taken a fair bit to sell that old place.'

‘Why's that?' Drew leaned forward.

‘Had lots that needed to be done. It was built way back in 1944 and has been added on every decade or so since, but no one bothered fixing up the old bits. Apart from being riddled with asbestos, it needs a new roof, a paint job, new windows and that's even before you scratch the surface of the structural improvements.'

‘And you told the Joneses this?'

‘It's my job to,' Mitch replied. ‘When I did an evaluation I told them they could put it on the market as is but they shouldn't expect much of an offer because whoever bought it would have to do a lot of work or they could do the work themselves and then sell.'

‘And did they make a decision?'

‘They decided to think about it and then next thing I hear the place has burned down and obviously I'm not in the business of selling ashes.' He paused for a moment. ‘Best thing that could have happened to them, I reckon. If their insurance is up-to-date they'll be able to build a nice new building and then I'll get a buyer for them easy. Bunyip Bay is a gorgeous location, lots of interest in this area recently.'

Interesting information indeed.

‘Anything else I can help you with?' Mitch's words were slightly muffled over the sounds of blokes talking loudly in the background. ‘I've just finished a game of golf and we're about to head into the clubhouse for a drink.'

‘No, that's been very useful. Thank you.' Drew hung up and stared at the phone for a moment – he turned the information Mitch had shared over in his head. It was all anecdotal but now he had a motive. Did the Joneses want to sell that badly that they would burn their shop in order to get a new one? Lyn's diagnosis could have easily pushed them over the edge.

Yet, even if that were the case, he'd need a hell of a lot more actual evidence to put Jaxon and Brad in the clear.

By Sunday afternoon Ruby felt so much like a kid after a week of rainy days that even going outside to hang the washing appealed. She'd managed to groom and feed her horses and give them both a few runs round the paddocks but that was the extent of her activities outside the house. She couldn't wait for the week to begin when she'd have horse-riding lessons to demand her attention in the afternoons. Many of her students' mums had called and asked if she wanted to cancel horse-riding for a few weeks but quite aside from the fact that she needed the money, she also needed this one outlet that was specifically hers. And Riley loved the lessons perhaps even more than she did.

As she pegged towels up on the line, she thought about the demolition that was due to start on the shop this week. It promised to be an exhausting time for them all. Even though her parents had decided not to rebuild, watching the final demise of the building would be heartbreaking. Deep in these thoughts, she almost didn't register the sound of her phone, semi-muffled in her jacket pocket. Dropping a tea towel back into the basket she dug her phone out and answered without checking caller ID.

‘Hi Ruby, it's Adam. How you doing?'

‘We're getting there,' she replied, knowing he was asking after her parents as well.

‘It'll take time, but you will.' He was talking about the fire but now that particular disaster seemed nothing in comparison to the news about her mum. ‘Anyway, I was wondering if you were serious about cleaning out the cottage on a casual basis?'

It took a second for Ruby to catch on and then she remembered volunteering for the job the other night. ‘Yes, I am.' Maybe she should decline now she knew her mum was sick and she might need to do more around the house, but Adam had said it wouldn't be very often and the extra money would be a bonus.

‘Great because I was wondering if you could start soon.'

‘Today? I thought you had guests all week.'

‘We did,' he said in a resigned tone, ‘but they left early this morning. They said something came up and they couldn't stay any longer. As they only stayed two nights the place isn't that messy. I'll change the sheets and stuff but if you could give it a quick going over before next weekend that would be fabulous.'

‘Can I do it now?' Her parents had spent most of the morning resting in front of the television and she could easily be home in time to make the roast dinner she'd promised.

‘Sure,' Adam said, ‘but there's no rush.'

‘I'll be round in half an hour.'

Ruby raced through the rest of the washing, went inside to explain to her parents what she was doing and was in her four-wheel drive on the way to Annadale Farm.

She drove past Adam's house and his parents' place to the cottage where she'd arranged to meet him and smiled as it came into view. Faith reckoned she hated coming here – that it gave her an eerie feeling – but Ruby found it calming. Maybe that was because she didn't equate it with Adam's little sister, the way so many other people around here seemed to. Faith said, even when Old Tom (who had reportedly been a good-natured soul) was still alive, she hadn't liked being here. But she felt that way because it was here the young Burton girl had vanished.

Either way, Adam and Monty had done an awesome job fixing up the original Annadale homestead. She hadn't seen it prior to Monty's renovations, but when she'd been helping Adam's mum decorate, he'd shown her old pictures and it was hard to believe the quaint cottage she knew had ever been the rundown poor excuse for a shack that Tom had let it become in his last few years. Holes in walls had been patched, the veranda posts and floor replaced, the walls inside and out painted and the garden had been a forest of weeds one day and newly sown with beautiful cottage flowers the next. Just another thing these country blokes had going for them – when they put their minds to something, they worked hard to achieve it.

Now the cottage was the perfect getaway from the city. Ruby's favourite thing at the cottage was a cosy, swinging love seat that rocked back and forth on the veranda in the wind. As she got out of her four-wheel drive she was so lost in her thoughts that she walked right past a dirty white ute without thinking anything of it and was caught unaware by the sight of Adam and Drew standing on the veranda talking.

What's he doing here?
Ruby stumbled a moment, steadying herself on the picket fence as she went in through the gate. She stared down at her clothes, thinking she'd have taken much more care with her appearance if she'd known. Trying to swallow the butterflies clawing up her throat, Ruby hitched her bag higher on her shoulder and started towards them. The men waved as she headed up the cobbled garden path and she returned the gesture, hoping her cheeks weren't as flushed as they felt.

‘Thanks for coming so quickly,' Adam said, lifting his can of Coke. ‘Can I get you one of these before you get stuck in?'

She shook her head. ‘Thanks, but I'm cooking Mum and Dad a roast so can't be away too long. Hi Drew.'

She met his gaze and his lips twisted into a warm smile. ‘Hi there.'

‘Drew's here to collect some firewood,' Adam explained. ‘I'm going to show him the good spots in a moment but I just wanted to make sure you had everything you needed first.'

He turned and opened the newly fitted screen door. ‘Shall we go in?'

‘Sure.' Ruby tried to quell her disappointment when Drew didn't follow them into the cottage. The new cream curtains were closed and the place felt dim and sad. It was the first time she'd felt any of the inklings of discomfort Faith talked about.

The hairs on the back of her neck bristled as she followed Adam into the laundry and she silently told herself to stop being pathetic. This was the smallest room in the pint-sized cottage so she waited at the door as he switched on the light, then opened a cupboard to reveal a bucket, a mop, a vacuum and other cleaning paraphernalia. ‘Do you think there's anything else you need?' he asked.

‘No, that should do the job. Do you want me to lock up when I'm finished?'

He shook his head. ‘I'll pop by when I'm done with Drew but if you finish before then, just see yourself out. I've left an envelope with some money on the bench. Let me know if it's not enough.'

‘Thanks Adam.'

He left the house and she took the vacuum into the main living area. Unable to resist, Ruby opened the front curtains and watched as Adam and Drew walked down the path and climbed into Adam's ute. Her heart raced at the unexpected interaction with Drew and they'd barely even said a word to each other. The house hardly looked like it needed cleaning and Ruby couldn't help wishing she could go with Drew and Adam instead.

Since that wasn't an option and she was getting paid, she turned around and plugged in the vacuum. She'd barely started on the carpets when the door to the kitchen slammed shut. She started at the sound echoing all through the small house despite the noise of the vacuum.

‘It's the wind through the front door,' she told herself, glancing outside. The clouds that had been a pretty silver on her drive out to the farm were starting to turn dark and the air held the promise of a storm. It always amazed her how quickly the weather could change up here. Wishing she'd brought her iPod and some headphones, she finished the vacuuming faster than she'd ever done in her life and then started on the bathroom. Like the rest of the house, you could barely tell that the artists had even stayed two nights, but she disinfected it just the same.

She was wiping the surfaces down in the kitchen when she heard Adam's ute return. Not long after the front door opened, footsteps followed. Assuming it was Adam, her insides flipped in surprise when Drew appeared.

His near black hair was windswept and his cheeks were red from exertion. All this only enhanced his natural gorgeousness. ‘How are you going in here?' he asked, smiling again.

‘Good. I'm almost finished. Where's Adam?'

‘Well…' Drew looked a little sheepish. ‘The storm's picking up out there and Adam had to rush off to secure something or other at the other end of the farm. He dropped me off here and asked if you'd take me back to his place to get my bike.'

The Burtons' farm was one of the largest in the region and Adam's house was a good kilometre from the cottage. ‘I thought you were getting wood?' she said, a tad confused.

He nodded. ‘Adam was kind enough to let me use his utility to collect it, the bike has a lot of positives but ability to carry much isn't one of them. If giving me a ride is a problem, I can walk.'

‘Don't be silly.' She bundled the cloth she'd been using into a plastic bag with other stuff she was taking home to wash. Of course he couldn't collect wood on the back of his bike, but his mere presence flummoxed her. ‘It's not a problem at all. I'll just put the vacuum away.'

She turned but Drew got there first. He stooped and lifted the vacuum as if it were an empty box. ‘Where does it go?'

‘This way,' she said, leading him down the small hallway into the laundry. She opened the cupboard door, which took up half the floor space, leaving little room for her, Drew and the vacuum. He slipped it in the space at the bottom of the cupboard and when he went to close the door, his fingers brushed against hers and her whole body stilled.

But with him it wasn't fear.

Little bubbles of awareness popped all over her body. It wasn't simply his hand touching hers, not even the fact there was only a ruler's distance between them, but the heat in his eyes.