Page 3 of Fires Creek

“For fuck’s sake, Teddy, could you please stop with that god awful music? I can’t hear myself think,” I bellowed from beneath the hood of my ute.

“Calm down, ya grumpy old prick,” came his reply.

My German Shepherd, Alex, came bounding out from the bushes with a damn rabbit in his mouth. “Bloody hell, Al, knock it off. You scared the crap outta me.” I laughed, tousling the hair around his neck and peeling the animal from his jaw.

The rabbit scampered away, leaving Alex whimpering in defeat as he turned towards his favourite spot in the shed and curled up on his make-shift dog bed: one of Dad’s old shirts.

Alex was a gentle old bugger. He never hurt the animals, just carried them in like they were gonna unpack and move in or something.

I reckon he just missed my old man. I missed the old man too…

The subtle smell of coffee wafted through the air, filling my nose as the faint sound of footsteps grew closer.

“Howdy boys, looks like you could use some company,” came a soft, polished accent.

Then, she emerged, coffee in tow, and a smile so bright it put the town square Christmas lights to shame.

Her hair fell in thick, loose waves around her shoulders, and it was the colour of those bricks you see in well-built houses.

Fuck, I suck at this. She was a redhead, and she was incredible .

Her smile crept from the corners of her mouth and her dimples plunged into her cheeks. God, she was gorgeous.

“Coffee, boys?” she asked, as if we knew who the fuck she was and why she’d just turned up at the house.

“Hell yeah!” Teddy replied, not bothering to ask her any further questions. Idiot .

I studied her as she handed the coffee to my brother, tugging on my shirt – which at this point was more black than green, thanks to this stupid ute and its never-ending oil leak – and took a few steps forward, closing the gap between us.

I puffed out my chest a little. I was not exactly Jason Momoa, but this woman was tiny, and I was anything but.

The years of farm work had definitely paid off.

I had never been in such good shape. Still, I could stand to lay off the booze…

Teddy interrupted my train of thought as an inhumane splutter exploded from his lips, and coffee covered the ground in front of him.

“It’s fuckin’ cold.” He exclaimed; his brow furrowed in disapproval.

The pretty redhead smirked, rolling her eyes as she purred, “Oh, is it? What a damn shame.”

“Uh, I might pass on the cuppa. Thanks… And who are you exactly?” I asked.

“Well, sugar, if I tell you that, it’ll ruin the fun, won’t it?

You must be Jonas.” Her voice was as sweet as sin, dripping from her plump pink lips.

Alex leapt from his bed and ran to her, allowing her to lavish him with pats.

He flopped down and rolled over, showing her his belly with his tongue hanging from his mouth. Useless little sook.

I don’t know if it was her outfit, or the fact she just looked like a city girl, but I knew in my gut she must be the chick who bought the farm.

I wasn’t expecting her until Monday, and she was not what I was expecting when Link said someone from out of town had bought the place.

I wasn’t expecting someone young, let alone someone who fucking looked like her .

From her perky tits, to the award-winning smile she flashed me, I knew I was absolutely fucked.

Her wild, auburn hair was vivid and captivating against her porcelain skin.

The waves of red rested messily against the black fabric that covered her neck and shoulders, leaving only her cleavage exposed.

Gold chains in various styles hung from her neck and fell just before her breasts.

A deep, green corset accentuated every damn curve on this woman’s body.

Dark, intricate ink cascaded across the delicate flesh of her forearm and two bands of barbed wire wrapped around her other arm.

Her skirt clung to her milky thighs for dear life.

Her toenails were painted the perfect shade of navy to compliment the gold jewellery that adorned every bloody surface imaginable.

She must be some sort of magpie. A very, sexy, magpie.

God, what the fuck is wrong with me? Before I could open my mouth to speak, Teddy interrupted my thoughts with his bloody big mouth and ruined it.