Page 52

Indy slipped her hands into the pockets of her jeans as she paced a track in the foyer of the clubhouse.

Emery leant against the wall, watching her. ‘I can already see your tread marks in the carpet,’ she said.

‘I know.’

It didn’t stop her, though. She didn’t know how Carter had done it so quickly, but by the time she and Emery had found the entry, the security guards already knew their names and had let them in.

Indy tried to keep her head up, holding it high against the curious looks and whispers of the other groups of people waiting in the foyer.

At a guess, they were family members of the other players. Unease kept her feet moving.

‘He’ll come out soon, right?’

‘Yeah, he’ll be here. Stop stressing.’

‘Thanks for making sure I came tonight.’ Indy gave her a small smile. ‘I wouldn’t have without you.’

Emery gave a cheeky smile and flicked her hair over her shoulder. ‘You know me, I love a big romantic ending. And, boy, not even I could guess that Carter could make a grand gesture like that one.’

Indy’s cheeks heated as she replayed him climbing over those chairs and sweeping her up into his arms. She still had butterflies.

Cheers broke out across the gathered group as the players came out on the balcony above.

They all grinned, waved and cheered back, taking their congratulations for a good game proudly.

Carter’s face appeared towards the back, searching the crowd until his eyes found her.

Indy stopped pacing immediately. He rushed for the stairs.

‘You’re still here,’ he said as he approached them. ‘I was worried it would be too much and you’d take off again.’

Indy winced. ‘I have a habit of doing that, don’t I?’

‘You really do,’ Emery interjected. ‘Carter, bathroom?’

He pointed behind her. ‘Past the bottom of the staircase and down the hallway on the right. They’re signposted, so you can’t miss them, but if you hit a set of o?ces, you’ve gone too far.’

‘We won’t move from here,’ Indy called after her.

As soon as Emery had gone past the stairs, Carter grabbed Indy’s hands in his.

‘We need to talk. I want to be with you. You’re all I’ve thought about morning and night.

I want to make this work. I don’t care about anything else, Indy.

We’ll get through it all, anything that crops up, as long as we’re together. I promise.’

Indy pressed her lips together, trying to contain her joy at his words. ‘I want that too.’

‘Really? You do?’

She couldn’t blame him for being surprised.

‘Emery gave me a reality check this afternoon about fears I hadn’t really acknowledged.

I’m done being scared about my past and letting it ruin things that I really want.

I don’t want to care what people will think.

I’m done putting us behind everyone else’s rules and expectations. I don’t want to miss you anymore.’

Carter tipped his head back and briefly closed his eyes.

Did she say something wrong?

A smile spread slowly across his face, and he lowered his chin. ‘I’m so glad to hear you say that.’

She launched herself at him for the second time that night and he wrapped his arms around her waist, picking her up and spinning her around. She clutched at his shoulders tightly, laughing.

Jonathan was standing at the top of the stairs, watching them. His face expressionless. Indy’s laughter died instantly as her body stiffened.

Carter lowered her to the ground. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing,’ she answered too quickly. ‘We still have things to talk about and figure out, I guess.’

‘Stay with me tonight? I’ve got a recovery session in the morning but that’s all until Monday.’

‘I can’t.’ She frowned, her gaze sneaking over his shoulder to see Jonathan on his way down the stairs. Panic started bubbling in her throat, but she forced it down. ‘I didn’t know I was coming here tonight. I have jobs to do in the morning.’

‘Then I’ll come to you when I’m done here. Where are you living now?’

‘I’m on a property called Longview. I’ve got the original homestead all to myself.’ She smiled. ‘It’s a gorgeous old house.’

He smiled back. ‘I can’t wait to see it. How far from the city is it? Emery wouldn’t tell me anything last weekend.’

‘It’s about five clicks west of Euronga, along the Old Highway Road.’

He stared at her. ‘You’re living in Euronga?’

Why was he looking at her like that? ‘Yeah, you know it?’

The sound of someone clearing his throat interrupted them. Jonathan stood behind Carter. Indy could see Emery over his shoulder.

‘Jonathan,’ Carter said, slipping his arm around Indy’s waist. ‘You remember Indy from camp?’

‘It’s a surprise to see you here.’ Jonathan’s voice was terse.

That panic rose again and lodged itself in her throat so she couldn’t answer. This man really didn’t want her around his stepson. Do you really think you fit into his world, Indy?

Carter’s grip tightened around her.

‘A surprise to see who?’ A lady with dark hair that matched Carter’s appeared at Jonathan’s elbow. She had dark eyes too, and a kind smile. ‘Carter, are you going to introduce us? Or did I not teach you any manners?’

He grinned. ‘Indy, this is my mum, Maree Taylor. Ma, this is my …’ He paused to look at her, daring her to stop the words that she knew were coming. She still couldn’t speak. ‘Girlfriend, Indy Mills.’

Maree stuck out her hand. ‘Indy, it’s so lovely to meet you. Is Indy short for Indiana?’

Indy wiped her hand on her jeans before shaking Maree’s with a firm grip. ‘Indigo, actually. It’s nice to meet you too.’

‘And I’m Emery,’ Emery said, bounding to Indy’s other side. ‘Indy’s best friend and ultimate play maker in ensuring these two knuckleheads found their way back together.’

Indy wanted the ground to swallow her up but Carter just laughed and held his fist out for Emery to bump with her own.

‘We have a long drive back to Longview,’ Indy said, reaching up to kiss Carter’s cheek and smile at his mum. She refused to look at Jonathan. ‘We should probably hit the road.’

Carter squeezed her side then let her go. Could he sense how uncomfortable she was? ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’

‘Bye!’ Emery gave them all a big wave before linking her arm through Indy’s and heading for the sliding doors.

Indy glanced over her shoulder as the doors closed behind them. Carter’s eyes were following her, his jaw tight. Tomorrow. She’d see him again tomorrow.

Carter eased off the accelerator as the entry to the next property came up along Old Highway Road.

A wooden sign hung from a corner post, the word LONGVIEW painted on it in fancy script.

He turned over the cattle grid and unwound the window, letting the fresh country air into the cab.

The day was bright, matching his mood, and the drive was lined with poplar trees.

Sheep in the paddocks on either side ran away from the fences towards the middle of the paddock as he drove by.

It was a straight shot up towards a double-storey house, the kind with big bay windows and a picturesque swing on the wooden wraparound verandah.

Exactly the kind of house he’d pictured for himself.

But that building wasn’t the original homestead Indy had mentioned living in.

He took the dirt road that curved left past the sheds and found a white ute with ‘Windale Mountain Station’ written on its door parked next to an old LandCruiser ute out the front of a single-level brick house surrounded by trees.

Indy’s? He could definitely see her in that traditional farm truck.

Carter parked behind it and got out. He was itching to see her again. A bark drew his attention as Scout bounded up from behind him.

‘Hey, girl,’ he said, crouching down to scratch behind her ears. ‘Did you miss me? Hey? I missed you.’

‘Stop spoiling my dog,’ Indy said, standing on the verandah with her hands on her hips. She looked so good in those denim shorts, boots and oversized T-shirt. Damn, he was a goner for her.

‘Hey, you.’ He straightened and reached for her as she came towards him. Wrapping his arms around her, he pressed a kiss to her hair.

‘You came,’ she breathed against his chest.

‘Did you think I wouldn’t?’

She pulled her head back and nodded towards the house. He fell into step beside her. ‘I wasn’t sure if Jonathan would say something to change your mind. He’s not exactly my biggest fan.’

Clouds darkened Carter’s mood momentarily. ‘He can try, but nothing is keeping me from you ever again.’

Indy’s forehead puckered. ‘How do you do that? Just totally not care what your family think?’

Carter stopped her from walking any further with a hand to her shoulder. ‘What did he say to you?’

The look in her eyes said that telling him was the last thing she wanted to do. Damn, it must be bad. He waited her out.

‘I saw you in the beer garden at Windale, having lunch with your mum and I’m guessing your sister.

You didn’t see me, but Jonathan did and we exchanged words.

He asked if I really thought I fit into your world.

’ She gave a half-shrug, but he could see how much it bothered her.

‘But that’s why you’re here, right? So, we can figure out how our worlds fit together. ’

He brushed back the loose strands of hair from her face.

‘I don’t know why he keeps thinking that football is the only thing I can have in my life.

I played better in the last quarter when I saw you in the stands than I have so far this season.

Everything in my life is better with you in it because the truth is, you are my world, Indy.

And there’s not an inch of it you don’t fit into. ’

She kissed him. ‘You always know exactly what to say.’ She kissed him again. ‘It’s really not fair, you know.’

Carter’s hand snaked up in her hair, crushing her lips back to his. The light moan she gave had him walking her backwards until she was against the brick wall and his tongue was ploughing its way into her mouth. She gripped his shirt tightly.

‘Cut it out, you two.’

Carter looked around wildly at Emery’s voice before spotting her in a hammock tied between two fruit trees. Had she been there the whole time?

She waved her book at them. ‘You’re randier than the characters in here. Go get a room or something. I’ll put in earplugs.’

Indy laughed and Carter’s frustration at the interruption faded. ‘Thanks for the offer, but we might head out.’

‘Head out?’ Indy asked.

‘Yeah, I think it’s time I took you on an actual date.’

Her blue eyes brightened. ‘Are you okay if we ditch you for a few hours, Em?’

‘Get out of here!’ Emery called, lazily. ‘Before your mushiness makes me jealous.’