Outback Dreams (11 page)

Over the next week, Faith kept busy cooking stews and smoko snacks for the upcoming seeding season and working on plans for the fundraiser. She'd set the date for the last Saturday in June when, hopefully, most farmers would have finished seeding. With Simone's help, she'd booked the Memorial Hall, started designing the invitations, and begun drafting press releases for the media. Faith relished the busyness but grabbed every opportunity to get away from Forrester's Rock because life at home hadn't improved at all.

Her dad had barely spoken to her all week; the grunts he gave her to pass the broccoli at dinner didn't count. So many times she wanted to scream that she hadn't stopped picking up his socks or cooking his favourite desserts, despite her threats to do so, so why oh why couldn't he just
smile
at her occasionally? She felt trapped. On the one hand she didn't want to leave Forrester's Rock, but on the other hand, she couldn't go on living in such a toxic place. She prayed for rain and vowed that once seeding was over, once the ball had been ticked off her list, she'd have it out with her father. She'd held off far too long, not wanting to cause disharmony—for her mother's sake, for her memory—but disharmony was already here and it was time to face it.

At the sound of the front door opening and closing, Faith glanced up at the clock. Good Lord, it was almost five and she hadn't even contemplated dinner. She leapt out of her chair as Ryan entered the kitchen.

‘Hey, sis, what's for tea?'

She racked her mind for what could be defrosted from the freezer while Ryan helped himself to a beer.

The bottle hissed as he opened it. He took a long sip, smiled and then said, ‘Haven't you got a hot date tonight?'

‘Oh, shit. Is it Friday already?' She dropped her head into her hands and sank back into her seat. She was supposed to pick Curtis up in an hour so they'd make it into Geraldton for their six-thirty reservation at the Indian restaurant.

‘Don't tell me you've forgotten!' Ryan's voice was incredulous. ‘You and Curtis seemed joined at the hip last week.'

Looks can be deceiving.

Cancelling on him would have been a major disappointment a week ago; now it didn't seem like that much of a deal, but she silently reprimanded herself. So what if Curtis didn't want long-term? She deserved to go out and enjoy a nice evening with a nice guy.

‘I'm sorry,' she rushed her words as she stood up, ‘but you guys are going to have to make do with leftovers. There's leftover roast and mashed potato in the fridge and frozen veggies to go with it.' Mostly Dad and Ryan complained about her giving them too many vegetables anyway.

Ryan placed his beer on the table. ‘Go get ready. I'll handle dinner.'

‘Thank you.' She could have kissed him, but decided to save her affection for Curtis. Just because he didn't want to settle down, didn't mean he wasn't up for a good time. And he was still cute as pie.

Feeling rejuvenated by that thought, she all but skipped down the hallway to the bathroom. Her shower was quick, but she took more time—much more—than usual in front of the mirror, flossing, moisturizing and even putting on make-up. Feeling like a clown under all the foundation, she fought the urge to grab the roll of toilet paper and start stripping off layers, but when she looked in the mirror, she gasped.
Wow
. Although a total amateur when it came to make-up application, she must have done something right because she looked mighty fine, even if she did say so herself. She selected one of her new outfits from the wardrobe, pulled on her knee-high boots and, bag in hand, skipped back down the hallway.

Her dad and Ryan were sitting at opposite ends of the dining table, munching silently. She did a little twirl. ‘How do I look?'

Ryan wolf-whistled. ‘Awesome, sis. She looks great, doesn't she, Dad?'

Frank grunted, but Faith wasn't going to let anyone dampen her mood. She was beginning to enjoy glamming up a bit.

Surprising her father, she kissed both men on the cheek and then wriggled her fingers in goodbye. ‘Don't wait up.'

Monty parked in front of the Jones' impressive property on the edge of town, feeling like a high school kid come to take his sweetheart out for the first time. For the past half hour, he'd been battling visions of Ruby's father answering the door butt-naked with a shotgun. But when he saw Ruby waiting by the letterbox, his fears about seeing her parents evaporated. Scooping a bunch of beautiful cottage flowers off the passenger seat, he leapt out the driver's side and made his way round to greet her. His palms were clammy but he hoped the tissue paper around the flowers would soak up his nerves.

‘Hi there.' He smiled, inwardly cursing his naff greeting.

Looking absolutely stunning in a black skirt and slim-fitting red top, Ruby stepped towards him and grinned. ‘Hi there, Monty.'

‘Hi,' he tried again as he offered her the flowers. Too late he realised he should have kissed her on the cheek, but he wasn't thinking straight. How could he when the sight before him left him tongue-tied?

She took the flowers and as she sniffed them, her sleek liquorice hair fell over her face and onto the petals. ‘These are beautiful, thank you. You must have gone to some lengths to get them.'

He chuckled. ‘You've obviously seen my garden.'

‘That's not a garden,' she said with a grin.

‘Okay, I confess. I may have sweet-talked Mrs O'Neal into letting me raid hers.'

‘Really? How? She's never once smiled at me in the shop. I know she has a nice garden, but I thought she got it through growling at her flowers to grow.'

Monty laughed and held open the passenger door while she slid inside. As she settled in the seat he couldn't help but admire the slim, tanned legs emerging from her knee-length skirt.

She looked up at him. ‘Are we going to go or are you going to stand here all night breathing in the fresh sea air and staring at my legs?'

‘Go. Yes.' He jumped into action, slamming the door and almost tripping over his feet to get to the driver's side.

‘You're really funny, you know that Monty?'

He cringed at her words as he turned the key in the ignition. “Funny” was good when you were out with your mates having a few beers, but he wanted to be so much more than funny tonight. ‘I aim to please.'

‘So, tell me,' she said, settling back into the seat as he reversed out the drive. ‘How did you wheedle those flowers out of Mrs O'Neal?'

‘Absolutely no wheedling involved.'

For the half-hour journey to Geraldton, Monty explained the various odd jobs he did for some of the pensioners around town. Weeding, landscaping, renovating kitchens and bathrooms, laying patios and fixing broken hinges. You name it, he'd done it. She couldn't believe the stories he told her—of being offered biscuits, cakes, stews, even having his clothes mended. ‘Last winter Mrs Wiggins knitted me a jumper!'

‘It just doesn't add up.' She shook her head. ‘The women you describe sound so different from the women I know.'

‘It's the Montgomery charm,' he said, hoping it was working its magic on Ruby as well. ‘But enough about me and Bunyip Bay's old-age pensioners, I want to know about you.'

He heard her quick intake of breath. ‘There's not much to know really. When I'm not looking after my horses, I'm usually helping Mum and Dad at the shop. I really need to get a life.'

He didn't buy this simple summary; there was so much more behind those dark eyes, and he wanted to know it all. But he didn't want to scare her off with too much prying. As the lights of Geraldton came into view, his stomach rumbled in anticipation of the feast ahead. ‘Have you been to this place before?' he asked. Faith raved about it, but he'd never been himself.

‘No, but I've heard it's great and I'm starving.'

‘That makes two of us.'

Less than a minute later, Monty turned into the car park of the Indian restaurant and stole another quick glance at the gorgeous woman next to him. Yeah, life was good.

***

Waiting twenty minutes for Curtis to get ready at his friend's place hadn't been the best start to their date, but he'd been good company in the car. The journey to Geraldton went quickly, with Curtis telling the funniest (and rudest) knock-knock jokes she'd ever heard. But when Faith pulled into the car park at the restaurant and saw Monty's ute, an uneasy feeling swept over her.

‘That's Monty's ute,' she announced, before she could think not to. ‘Maybe we should go someplace else? The fish and chip shop near the foreshore is good.'

‘Nah, I'm up for Indian.' Curtis smacked his lips together. ‘Who cares if Monty's here? He's a good bloke.'

Uh. Yes. That fact was undebatable, but… ‘He's on a date. I don't want to cramp his style.'

Curtis actually hooted. ‘So what? So are we.' And he stretched one arm over the back of the seat, across her shoulder and squeezed. ‘Maybe we can double date.'

Oh sheesh!
She fought the urge to thump her head against the steering wheel. It felt like she was out with a teenager. How could she tell Curtis that Monty wouldn't want to double date? That he was serious about settling down and offering one lucky lady commitment. That he was serious about Ruby. Curtis wouldn't understand.

‘Okay, we'll go in.' She turned off the ignition and decided to ask the waiter to seat them at the opposite end of the restaurant from Monty and Ruby. Yet, the moment they stepped inside, she saw this would be impossible. Her Monty radar zoned in on him immediately, and the only table available in the packed restaurant was right behind theirs.

She could have kicked something.

A waiter approached them. ‘Can I help you?' He sounded stressed. Faith could relate.

‘We have a reservation,' Curtis announced, pulling Faith into his side. ‘Under Faith Forrester.'

The waiter found their booking in his list then made a show of looking at his watch. ‘You're very late.' He glanced back over his shoulder at the busy restaurant. ‘We have only one table left.'

‘It'll be fine.' Faith tugged out of Curtis' embrace, not wanting to cause a scene.

‘Right this way then.' The waiter smiled tightly, gestured for them to follow and led them to the table right behind Monty and Ruby. Leaving two menus on the table between them, he stepped away.

So enthralled were Monty and Ruby in each other's company that they didn't seem to notice Faith and Curtis sit down. Curtis took the chair facing the others and Faith sat down opposite, very aware that her back was only a ruler's length away from Monty's. She could almost feel the heat coming off him, and she grappled with a ridiculous urge to turn around and take a look.

Had they been leaning across the table, eager to get as close to each other as possible? Had they been holding hands? A funny pain shot to her temple at the thought. She rubbed her fingers against the spot.

‘You okay?' Curtis peered over the top of his menu.

‘Fine. Just a little tired.' She picked up her own, although the thought of food made her stomach revolt.

‘Hey, Monty,' Curtis called past her, loud enough that half the restaurant turned to look.

Her cheeks flushed as a chair shuffled behind them.

‘Curtis. Faith. Fancy seeing you here.' When Monty spoke, he didn't sound delighted to see them. She'd briefly mentioned their date to him during the week, but hadn't included specifics.

‘Great, isn't it?' Curtis grinned.

‘Um…' Monty was lost for words. Classic.

‘We're seeing a movie later on. Why don't you join us?'

And then Faith heard Ruby's perfectly prim voice. ‘That would have been lovely, but I have to get back. I'm working in the shop tomorrow morning and have to get up early to see to my horses first. Thank you for the invitation though. Hello, Faith.'

Succumbing to the inevitable, Faith turned around to greet her friend and his date. Monty looked illegally good in snug-fitting jeans and a crisp grey shirt. He had some sort of gel in his hair. She'd never known him to make such an effort, and the sight made her mouth go dry. ‘Hi, Ruby. Hi, Monty.'

‘Evening.' Monty bowed his head. ‘I didn't know you were coming here tonight.' The undertones were clear; if he had known, he'd have taken Ruby someplace else.

‘Nor did I you,' Faith said, through a forced smile. They'd talked about his bank loan, the search for a farm and her organisation of the ball, but for some reason, neither had gone into detail about their upcoming dates.

‘Well, I hope you have a good evening,' Monty continued, as he and Ruby's next course arrived and the waiter came back to take Faith and Curtis's order. It was a welcome relief from the awkward conversation, but as the waiter walked away, Faith couldn't recall what either of them had ordered.

‘Any ideas on what you want to see tonight?' Curtis asked her. Waiting for her answer, he poured them both a glass of water from the pitcher on the table.

‘I don't mind,' she said, unable to summon excitement at the thought of sitting in a darkened movie theatre for a few hours. Without realising it, she leaned farther back in her seat. ‘What kind of movies do you like?'

Even before he replied, she guessed the answer. Curtis had action and adventure written all over his face. As he launched into a long spiel about the movies he'd watched in the last year, she only half listened. While making noises in what she hoped were all the right places, she craned her head back, straining to hear Monty and Ruby's conversation.

‘Unfortunately, the chance to buy the Payne farm has fallen through.'

‘Oh, Monty, I'm so sorry,' Ruby crooned.

Faith shifted slightly and glared at Curtis's glass, searching for a reflection of the scene behind her. But all the glass reflected was the brightly coloured paper lanterns strung across the ceiling.