Race Girl (19 page)

Taylor's latest single came on the radio as they left the Beaudesert limits, followed by a new summer tune with a catchy, pounding beat. Tully cranked it up, rolled her window down. Brandon smiled across at her, and at that moment, it was like Tully was caught up in a Hollywood film, with the warm fresh breeze off the paddocks blowing her hair about her face, the lure of the wide-open highway whispering
freedom
in her mind, the chatter of her bestie in the back and this ridiculously hot boy at the wheel.

Tully studied Brandon's face from the corner of her eye.
Okay, so I suppose this
could
be more than just business . . .
He turned, catching her perving. Her cheeks flamed and she blurted the first question that popped into her head, ‘So, the grey . . .'
God
–
can you PLEASE try not to drool over him?!

Brandon chuckled. ‘She's not your usual Weston Park bloodstock, hey?' He sat up a bit in his seat, one hand resting casually on the top of the wheel. ‘Her name's Jillaroo. Dad gave her to Mum as a foal, but Mum's never really been into horses. Not sure what the hell Dad was thinking there . . .' Tully watched his face – the muscles tightening along his jawline. ‘Anyways, so yeah , , , Jilly. Dad brought her home, just before
she
took me to the city.'

‘That's really rough,' Tully said. ‘That you had to leave home, I mean.'

‘Yeah. Thanks,' Brandon smiled across at her, ‘Jilly's amazing, the absolute best mare. She can get anywhere on the property, and she's great for rounding up the mares and foals. I've thought about doing some camp drafting with her, actually.'

‘You're just a regular cowboy,' Tam teased him, ‘A city slicker cowboy.'

‘I'm
not
a city slicker.'

Tam raised her eyebrows at Tully, doing her best to smile her comment off.

‘I love to get out on her,' Brandon said, gripping the wheel. ‘As much as I can.'

‘She's really lovely,' Tully said.

‘And quick, too,' Brandon smirked across at her.

She smiled, and trying not to sound as if she cared, said, ‘You ride really well, Brandon. Shoulda worn your Akubra and ropers tonight.'

‘Oh, my God,' Tam said, popping her head over the seat. ‘You have a
cowboy
hat! And ropers, and
I haven't seen you in them?'

‘Only the
really
special girls get to see me in that gear.' He winked at Tully.

‘It suits you, ' she admitted.

Brandon's eyes widened at her words and he grinned, a genuine, serious,
I-really-appreciate-you
way. Tully grinned back; it seemed her whole body would explode with heat and sheer joy.

The rest of the drive flew by, and before Tully knew it they were winding down the mountain range from Mount Tamborine into the outer suburbs of the Goldie, the towering skyscrapers soaring to the backdrop of never-ending sparkling blue sea. It was a view that commanded attention.

She'd expected Surfer's Paradise to be one of the most exciting places she could ever visit, and Tully knew by the sight of ‘the strip' that she wouldn't be disappointed. A fluorescent glow seemed to flow from building to building, illuminating the whole town, all the way out to sea.

The strip was lined with the biggest hotels Tully had ever seen; bars, pubs, and shops created a carnival of fluoro signs blinking out their message of deals and features to be found within. The sidewalks were packed with a crowd of people ranging from families of tourists and packs of muscly, tattooed guys to girls in the tiniest of skirts tottering along on the tallest of heels.

Pimped up cars a-plenty rolled along the streets, stereos pumping. Sirens blared and cameras flashed. It was a crazy sight, and Tully's eyes drank it all in, her window down, trying to remember to keep her mouth from gaping open.

Brandon typed the address into his phone, swore at it when he missed their turn. Tully was turning to ask which street they were looking for when the crowd on the sidewalk cleared and a young girl walking alone caught her eye. Dressed in pink boardies, a polo shirt, and bare feet, she couldn't have been any older than ten. She walked along the front of a chicken shop, where she waved to an older girl working the till who had a black and purple mowhawk and piercings and tattoos covering her face, neck and arms. Tully's eyebrows knitted briefly as she observed this tiny girl, wearing a pink backpack to match her boardies with a massive surfboard bigger than she was strapped to her back.

The traffic in front of them stopped. Brandon braked, still cursing at his phone and Tam was still heckling him from the back. Tully couldn't tear her eyes from this little Surf Girl with the big board, strutting down the strip all by herself.
Incredible,
she thought.
I hope she's safe . . .
Just then, the girl turned, caught Tully staring and winked.

Tully was struck with wonder by the girl's eyes: the same bright, ocean blue as her own.

What a cool kid . . .
she thought, craning her neck as they got moving again, watching the girl disappear down Caville Avenue, headed for the beach.

Tully laughed inwardly, replaying the image in her head of the tiny girl with her massive surfboard. She was still in a daze when Brandon pulled up in the shadow of the tallest building ever. Looked up to an endless wall of glass and windows, and was suddenly overcome with a strong sense of being out of place – aware just how far she was from the wide-open paddocks and the green mountains of home.

Thankfully the excitement, and the image of the brave little girl venturing forth all alone into this scary, thrilling, terrifying place, helped Tully find her feet again. That, and the fact that Tam and Brandon seemed right at home.

‘Your mum will cover for us if Dad decides to ring her, right, Tam?' Tully whispered as Brandon parked the ute along the street near Q1. ‘You did remember to tell her to say “I was driving them”?'

‘For sure,' Tam laughed, chucking Tully her bag. ‘She writes me doctor's notes all the time.'

Not quite the same thing,
Tully thought, the swell of uneasiness, bordering on panic, surging within her.

‘We're here—' Brandon swung around, grinning— ‘Welcome to the Vegas of OZ!'

‘Wow . . .' Tully sucked in a breath and looked up, down the street a short distance to where her eyes met the beach fringing that powder blue ocean. ‘This place is amazing.'

‘You bet it is,' Tam said, hopping out, then popping her head back into the cab of the ute. ‘C'mon, then! Let's go find this party.'

Tully fumbled for the invite Fia had emailed her, with the little silver horses galloping around the page. The address was a unit on one of the upper floors of this, the country's tallest building, one of the tallest residential buildings in the world. Q1 was a structure of staggering proportions even from the ground, with a rising spear on its peak, cloaking its height in the soft white clouds.

Anxiety knotted in Tully's stomach as she followed Tam and Brandon across the lobby, bundled into the lift. Brandon grinned and stabbed at the number. The lift rose and rose . . . Tully's legs started to give way.
Maybe I shouldn't look out the windows up here . . .
She thought, clutching onto the cold metal handrails of the lift. She'd never been in a skyscraper before and wondered if she'd find out she had a fear of heights.

As they entered Fia's unit, however, the staggering distance they were from the ground was the furthest thought from Tully's mind. It was the classiest place Tully could ever imagine. Soft light gleamed on the black shiny floors covered in fluffy white rugs, and glinted through the crystal chandeliers. The furniture was uniformly white, and a crisp white wash covered the walls, on which bright artwork in every colour of the rainbow was hung, including a stunning mural of running horses across an entire side of the apartment.

Tully breathed in the cool air-con, exchanging excited glances with her companions before going in search of the host.

They found Fia, clad in a figure-hugging black gown, out on the balcony – which, much to Tully's relief, was enclosed with windows, obviously to keep people from falling off at this height. Fia wielded a handful of champagne flutes over-flowing with bubbly and topped with strawberries, and was chatting with Shannon the farrier and a man Tully knew to be another of her father's nemeses, Cameron Macintosh. Fia raised an eyebrow at Brandon, then shrugged at Tully, grinned, and made the introductions, before sweeping the group off to the bar to get mocktails and plates of prawns with avocado, fresh sourdough bread and an assortment of fruit and cheeses.

In no time at all the place was swamped with people and when a group of footy players hoisted Tully onto their shoulders and ran her around the room like they were trying to score a try, Tully wondered if her father's suspicions were well grounded. The footy guys seemed harmless enough to her, though, as they pecked her on the cheek and returned to their girlfriends, who were laughing and smiling from one of the low leather lounges like it was all a great joke.

Tully smoothed her hair into place as she watched Brandon pound fists with one of the players, whom he later explained was a mate from his private school up in Brisbane. She left them to it, joining Tam back at the nibblies table. No matter where she went in the room, whenever she looked up, Brandon's eyes met hers.

Music started up and with every song Brandon seemed to move closer, working his way back to Tully as Fia introduced her around the party. A group of diamond-encrusted ladies of a certain age, who Tully assumed were Fia's girlfriends, gushed ‘how young' she was, but seemed super friendly, kissing Tully on both cheeks and wishing her ‘the best ever sweet sixteen'. Presents piled up on a table in the corner, next to a towering, four-tiered silver cake. Mr. Barnes said hello and Tully loved hearing about his horses and telling him about Wheeler and Dahlia's love affair – which he seemed to find quite amusing. One jockey named Glen Simmons had a boyish face and seemed sweet, quizzing Tully about Dahlia and her riding style. Another, less pleasant, with shifty eyes and strong cologne, leaned in too close, then whipped out his phone to key in her number. It was about then Brandon appeared through the crowd, smiling in mild amusement and sipping a drink.

His hand slipped into hers and Tully's heart leapt – his warm, rough fingers tracing and exploring her skin. He pulled her into the curve of his body, his heat drawing her even closer. He stayed at her side as Fia introduced her to the last of the guests.

Tam, too, was a huge hit with the footy players and disappeared with the one Brandon had been talking to, who apparently was ‘kinda single' –
whatever that meant
. Tully texted her to make sure she was okay, and she replied:

Amazing! Gone to beach with Heffo. He's SO hot!! Xo

Tully:
Be careful! And remember to be back by midnight.

They'd agreed on a curfew with Judy and would be staying in Fia's spare room – Brandon on the lounge.

Tully's heart raced, her mind whirled, her soul on fire – this
had
to be the best night ever. Her desire to get closer to Brandon made her move with him as he pulled her outside, onto the balcony where fresh, salty air blew in through open windows, straight off the sea.

She gasped at the view, clinging on to Brandon. Her body was swaying, but Tully kept her eyes open. She felt a million miles up in the air, with just the vast, powerful sea stretching out in front of her towards infinity. The sun was setting across the ocean in crisp fuchsia and bold tangerine, the lights dimmed inside, music cranking.

Brandon pulled her into a hug, facing her out towards the forceful ocean. ‘Wanna head down to the beach?' he said.

‘Sure.' Tully grinned up at him, then spun from his arms, keeping hold of his hand as she drifted back into the room. ‘But we should really check on Tam.'

‘She'll be right,' he whispered, his lips tantalisingly close to the soft skin of her neck.

‘Ah . . . no, seriously—I'd like to find her. Please?'

‘'Kay.' He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, shielding her as they forged a path through the crowd. Tully followed Brandon into the lift behind a few other couples, her eyes glued to his body all the way down to the lobby.

She found herself grinning as they walked hand in hand down to the beach, the salty smell of the ocean and the sound of the waves sweeping her up in a feverish excitement. She squealed and ran for the water as soon as her feet touched the sand, kicked off her thongs, not stopping until the cold shock of the surf had numbed her legs, lapping at the hem of her skirt.

Brandon picked up her shoes and watched as Tully kicked and danced in the break of the waves. Her heart was suddenly wild and free as the sea as she ran up to him, her hands finding his face. She traced a line across his jaw, down his neck, to the collar of his shirt.

He grabbed her hand, pulled her hard up against his chest, staring hungrily into her eyes. A strong wind gust blew her hair between them and she broke free, taking him by the hand and running down towards the main entrance of the beach. Tully crying out as she spotted Tam and Heffo making out in the sand, the yellow arches of the Caville Ave Maccas in the background.