Page 42 of Outback Secrets

‘Wow. Good luck,’ said Liam.

‘Yes.’ Henry finally found her voice. ‘That’s very exciting. Hope it goes well.’

‘We’re trying not to get our hopes up,’ Grant said, his expression contradicting his words, ‘but I’ve got a good feeling about this woman. Speaking of which, I better finish my run or I’ll be late. You two have a good day.’

‘Thanks. You too.’

With a final wave, Grant continued on up the beach. Henri fought the urge to run after him.

‘Come on, lazy,’ Liam said, nudging Sheila with his toe. ‘Time for breakfast. Frankie’s again?’

For a second Henri thought this was directed at the dog, but then realised he was looking to her, waiting for an answer.

Food was the last thing on her mind right now. While they’d held hands and hugged many times in the last few days, that was the first time Liam’s lips had touched hers and right now she wasn’t sure if she’d ever be able to think straight again. Her heart rate was only just beginning to slow, but the thought of sitting opposite him and making small talk after that kiss set it racing all over again.

‘Actually, I …’ She racked her mind for an excuse. ‘We’ve been here longer than I imagined, so I should probably take a raincheck and get back to the farm.’

‘No problem.’ Liam nodded as they gathered up their things. He seemed to accept the lie, even though they weren’t any later than they’d been the last few days. ‘What are your plans for today? Anything as exciting as yesterday’s concert?’

She forced a laugh and tried to reply in the same easy manner. ‘Thankfully no. Although I’ve still got the annual wreath-making to look forward to tomorrow. And the boys start shearing next week, so there’ll be a bit to do to get ready for that.’

‘Don’t they take a break after harvest?’

‘Callum and Andrew aren’t very good at relaxing—I don’t know many farmers who are—but post-shearing and post-Christmas, Hannah and Janai are dragging them away for a bit. Mum, Tilley and James will head down to Busselton to camp for a couple of weeks too. Getting away from the farm is the only way to get the boys into holiday mode.’

‘Fair enough. Do you ever go with them?’

‘No. I haven’t since Dad died. It’s really more for the kids. And to be honest, I don’t do holidays that well either.’

They walked in silence the rest of the way to the van, then loaded the boards onto the roof.

‘Do you want to come back to the pub to have a shower before you head home?’ Liam asked.

She’d done so the other days to de-sand before they headed to Frankie’s for breakfast. But still … how could he act so normal after what they’d just done minutes earlier on the beach? If the skin around her lips wasn’t still burning from its brush with his stubble, she’d have thought she imagined the whole damn thing.

‘Nah, I’ll have a shower at home,’ she replied, ‘but thanks anyway.’

‘Okay, then I might just walk Sheila back to the pub. Will you be back tonight?’

Henri wondered if she could get away with missing a night—the thought of being in such close proximity to him again so soon had muscles she hadn’t used in months twitching. But if she let one little kiss get to her, how on earth would she get through the next couple of weeks? She needed a few hours’ reprieve, but then she’d be fine. Now that she’d started this, she had to follow it through.

‘That’s the deal, isn’t it?’ she said, her tone sassier than she felt.

He smiled and nodded once. ‘I’ll see you then. Have a good day.’

‘You too.’

Once home, Henri indulged in a long, cold shower and then went searching for her brothers, desperate for a physically gruelling task to take her mind and body off Liam.

It was only hours later, when she was sweating like a pig and elbow-deep in sheep shit under the shearing shed, that she realised he’d never answered her question about his scar.