Taming the Outback (2 page)

City folk didn’t realize one couldn’t just hop in the car and pop down to the local shops for everything needed. One either grew it themselves or did a big shop once a month for the basics. Apart from that, country people made do, not something this woman looked like she could deal with, judging by the meltdown she was having with her son over a visit to the office.

Aaron was constantly ringing him out of the blue and offering him the phone number of some young woman looking for work who would love the country life. Nathan knew Aaron always hoped it was someone Nathan would get on with and eventually marry. If he weren’t pushing him to employ eligible females, he was telling him how much his mother worried about him not settling down and producing the next branch of the family tree.

Nathan was not interested and had told both his mother and her brother that repeatedly, but to no avail. If a woman wasn’t bred and raised in the country, he told them, they wouldn’t be able to cope. He had learned the hard way and refused to go down that road again.

Throwing his briefcase onto the front seat of his truck, Nathan jammed his seatbelt on and threaded his way into the busy traffic, hell-bent on getting away from the city as fast as he could. Now that he had put his offer in writing in for the farm and lodged it at the main courthouse—in hopes the frazzled yet attractive woman would renege and fail the conditions—he wanted to be out of the city as fast as he could.

He knew the next few months or however long it took to talk her into going back to the city would be hard on him. The whole love trap was taking its toll. The constant prying and prodding from his well-meaning mother and uncle were making him snappy and nasty, a state he hated to be in, but he was having a hard time pulling himself out of his present foul mood.
One more female is almost more than I can stand.
He gunned the truck through the busy streets, his movements jerky—a result of the pent-up anger within him.
Especially one that seems borderline mad-mother material.

_***

Libby left the lawyer’s office with the kids in tow. Her legs were shaking as she exited the lift, and she stopped in the foyer to get her breath back before walking out of the building. Mechanically, she went through the motions of dropping her children off at school and headed for work.

Her shift had already started, but Pete, her manager, was pretty lenient with her. “Everything all right, Lib?” he asked as she dropped her bag in the office and tied on her bar apron.

“Yeah, just fine. Sorry I’m late; got held up in traffic downtown.”

“Sure, no problem,” Pete replied and let her get to work.

Libby loaded the trays of dirty glasses into the dishwasher and poured drinks for the lunchtime customers while her mind churned over the morning’s visit. This was the life she knew, tending the bar and raising her kids the best way she could. What the lawyer was suggesting was a massive step she wasn’t sure she wanted to take.

When she drove into her street after work that night, Josh was out on the footpath with a couple of his older mates. Libby had told him they were not welcome around the house since his stint in front of the judge for shoplifting. They yelled out to each other as she pulled into her drive and scattered before she could get out of the car. Josh stood on the path and glared at her.

“Josh, inside now,” she commanded as she stormed up the stairs to the door. She walked in, dropped her bag on the hall table, and yelled for Holly to come out of her room.

Libby flicked the switch on the kettle for a coffee and put the roast chicken she had grabbed on the way home in the oven on low to keep warm. Josh dragged the chair from the table across the floor before he slouched down on it, giving her the death look he was getting so good at.

“You can cut the tough guy act now, Josh,” Libby said. “I am in no mood for this tonight. Holly, come on. We need to talk.”

“What’s going on?” Josh asked.

Libby looked at him. Her gaze took in the scruffy jeans riding low on his hips with his boxers showing as was the trend. His cap was on his long blond hair backward, and his mouth was in a straight line as he tried to look bored with what was up for discussion. His big, blue eyes were wary at the same time.
Shifty
is what she normally called them. It broke her heart that her sensitive, beautiful boy was turning into an unruly teenager who seemed to hate to be anywhere near her. She wondered if it was too late for her to expect an attitude change out of him.

Holly came into the kitchen, dragging her feet as she looked at her mother. She had the saddest eyes Libby had seen on a six-year-old. They were big and blue like her brother’s, but where his were sullen, Holly’s were old and sad as if she had seen too much and been here too long. The death of her father had been the end of the happy little girl Libby adored.

“Come here, baby.” Libby reached for her daughter and gave her a quick hug before the child pulled away and sat at the table.

Am I going to lose her too? Both of my kids have deserted me.
Life as a widow sucked, but she was sick of telling herself to deal with it. She could feel herself unraveling thread by thread.
Will I be able to save my family before I hit rock bottom
? Maybe the visit to the lawyer’s was the opportunity they needed to regroup. But who was she kidding? Farmers, right? She outlined her plans to the kids and waited for the explosion she knew her decision would bring.

“I’m not going; you can’t make me.” Josh glared at her and cursed under his breath.

“I can and I will make you go. You’re underage and in enough trouble as it is. This might be the only way to keep this family together, and I’m going to take it. You will do as you are told for once.” Libby leaned against the kitchen bench, folder her arms, and glared back at him, refusing to give in this time even though her stomach was churning through yet another confrontation. “Holly, are you okay moving to the country, sweetheart?”

Libby watched her daughter’s gaze flit around the room before coming back to make contact with her. “Can we have a puppy if we move?”

“I think that’s a good idea. We can buy one before we leave if you like.” Libby’s heart tightened as she thought about the possibilities for her little girl. There was every hope she would come out of her shell once away from the city and where they all had room to spread their wings and grow.

_***

The weekend passed in a haze of housework and sorting. Once Libby had decided to make the move, she needed to decide out what she was keeping and what was going to the secondhand shop. She assumed the house had furniture, but she would take hers anyway. Who knew what an old man’s taste was like? Aaron told her she only had two weeks to take up residence and fulfill the initial phase of the will.

She had given her notice at work, but surprisingly, instead of feeling jubilant upon handing in her letter of resignation and bidding her coworkers good-bye, she felt reluctant, bereft, even. Libby was having the worst case of cold feet now that her mind had been made up. But there was too much money at stake for her to walk away from it. She was nothing if not practical and would learn all she needed to tackle the work. Surely they could find help somewhere or even Google what they needed to know. Libby would be a willing participant in anything new, and the kids could do with learning some life skills. No one died from getting their hands dirty once in a while.

The house had to be clean before she could hand it over to the real estate. Libby had decided the best option would be to rent it out. The rent money would at least cover the mortgage, and if things didn’t go according to plan, they had somewhere to come back to. It was one less thing she had to worry about.

Josh wasn’t talking to her yet, but that was nothing new
.
Maybe a whole new environment and change of lifestyle will adjust his surly attitude
; I can always hope.

C
HAPTER
T
WO

Her body tensed with excitement as he ran his finger down the side of her face. Looking into his smoldering, dark eyes, she found it hard to believe she’d had any negative thoughts about him. He was certainly not the man she first thought he was. With her, he was sensitive and gentle, his soothing words calming her anxious feelings over moving to the farm. He encouraged her to go, telling her it was the right move for her and the children. His chiseled lips looked cold, but as they touched hers, they sent a warm thrill through her body. He teased her top lip with his tongue, sweeping along the ridges and toying with the nub now swollen from his kisses. She lay back in his arms and closed her eyes, giving into the need to pull him closer.

The bed gave way with another weight seconds before a small, wet tongue lapped at her mouth. Coughing and gagging, Libby dragged herself from her dream as she pushed Holly’s new puppy away and wiped her lips with the back her hand.

Holly was in hysterics at her mother’s reaction.

“That was not funny, Holly.” Libby coughed, struggling to let go of her dream. “Dog spit does not do it for me first thing in the morning, not before my first coffee anyway.”

“It’s time to get up, Mum,” her daughter said. “We need to get moving before the truck arrives.”

“Since when did you get to be so organized, little one?” Libby asked as she pushed aside her blankets and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

“I have decided you need all the help you can get. At least that’s what Josh said,” Holly replied.

“Did he now?” Libby mused, rubbing a hand over her face, tugging her hair back over her ear. “Well, with that in mind, I am in the shower first while you wake your brother, and then I’ll have that coffee while you eat your cereal.” Libby ruffled Holly’s hair, ticked little Henry under the chin, and headed for her final wash in the dingy, old room.

When Libby walked into the kitchen after her shower, Josh was on the back lawn with
his
dog, still unnamed, romping around with Henry while Holly sat on the grass with her bowl of cereal.

“Morning, Josh,” Libby called. “Come get something to eat, and then we’ll make a move. If we don’t hurry up and get on the road, it will be pitch-dark before we find the farm, and I don’t want to end up sleeping in the car.”

By the time Libby had loaded the vehicle and cleaned up the rest of the kitchen, the movers were at the door. She handed over the keys and left them to it. As she prepared to drive away from the first house she had ever owned, her eyes misted, and her stomach clenched as a sudden wave of terror grabbed her. She sat with her head on the steering wheel breathing deeply until she had herself under control, ignoring the kids’ questions until she could speak without tears clogging her throat.

“Sorry, guys.” She sniffled loudly. “Just a little bit emotional there for a moment. It is an ugly house, but it is ours, and if things go totally wrong in Charleville, we will still be able to come back to it.”
Am I trying to convince them...or myself?

They were quiet as they drove through the suburbs and headed north up the Logan Highway toward Goodna, the first stop on their journey. The scenery changed noticeably as they drove inland. Bustling cities gave way to smaller, quieter towns and large, open spaces. They stopped for fuel and a cold drink before heading toward Toowoomba where Libby had planned on stopping for lunch.

“Oh, look at those flowers,” she cried, pointing out the window at the brightly colored blooms as she drove slowly into the country town. “They’re so pretty. I’m going to have a flower bed at the farm.”

“Huh, you kill anything that looks like it wants to grow, Mum,” Josh said, laughing at her.

“I can try, can’t I?” Libby replied, determined to make an effort.

“You always try, Mum, and look what happens. I say let the poor plants be and work on something you are good at.”

“Oh, like what, tending the bar. I don’t think there will be much call for a barmaid at the farm somehow,” Libby mused.

“I’ll help you, Mum,” Holly interjected.

“Thanks, baby.”

The next few towns all passed by in a blur. The kids were alternating between sleeping and listening to music, and Libby’s mind started to roam back to her dream that morning. Why she thought of the guy from the lawyer’s was beyond her. He certainly wasn’t the type of man she would choose if she were in the market for another partner. He was too arrogant, too grumpy, and too handsome for his own good.

Her thoughts were interrupted again when the kids started to complain. They had been on the road for over eight hours including stops, and they were all tired and getting cranky. Libby gave the map to Josh with the torch so he could direct them once they got to Morven, the town closest to Charleville.

“It’s only thirty kilometers, Josh, so keep an eye out for the turnoff.”

Libby glanced down at the red needle of the temperature gauge. She was sure it hadn’t been in the middle before. When she checked again, it had moved even farther toward the red zone on the instrument panel.

Libby started to panic. Should she keep going or pull over and let the car cool down? If she stopped, would the car start again? It was no good calling Aaron. He couldn’t do anything for her this far out. Before she could make a decision, there was a loud hiss, and the car filled with steam before grinding to a halt.