The Lawson Boys: Alex (20 page)

Mundane chores,
that’s just what she needed to clear her head.

On the way into
town, she passed the house that Paul was helping to build, but of
him and Alex there was no sign. Something did a jitter-bug low in
her belly, and fell just as fast upon not seeing Alex. Go
figure.

First stop was
the post office to buy more post packs to send the clothes she made
to the women who had ordered them. While standing in line waiting
to pay, she listened idly to the gossip around her.

More than once
Alex was mentioned, or as he was more commonly known, ‘the Lawson
boy’. A new face in town was always a welcome diversion. One man
ahead of her was discussing the new house that Paul was building
new cupboards into, and two children squabbled over which comics to
buy until their mother decided for them both by putting all the
comics back in the rack and taking them, bawling, outside.

Daily life.
Harly smiled. It was always interesting to listen and watch other
people.

The small
supermarket was her next stop and she had her shopping trolley half
full when she rounded a corner, nearly running full tilt into
Becky.

“Hi,” Becky
greeted with a gleam in her eyes.

Harly groaned
inwardly. “Hey, Becky.”

“So.” Leaning
on the handle of her shopping trolley, Becky smiled widely. “Rough
night last night, huh?”

“The rain was
pretty heavy,” Harly agreed.

“Yep. Too heavy
for Alex to come home.”

“Absolutely.”

“So.” Becky
waited, her gaze avid.

No way was she
telling Becky
anything
. Harly raised one brow inquiringly.
“So?”

“Alex slept in
your spare bedroom, did he?”

“Yes.”

“Did he sleep
well?”

“I guess so. He
didn’t complain.”
Far from it, in fact
.

“Really.”
Becky’s gaze slid over Harly’s face speculatively.

“It was a
pleasant enough evening.” Harly shrugged. “We had stew for tea,
watched TV, talked about old times, and went to our
separate
rooms to sleep.”

“Huh.” Becky
didn’t look convinced.

“Was there
anything else?” Harly asked. “I really need to get going, I have a
heap of chores to do before I go back to the café tomorrow.”

“Nope.” Becky
smiled. “I’ll see you later, then?”

“Sure.” Harly
sighed with relief when Becky moved out of sight.

Next stop was
the bank and then the newsagent. Finally finished with everything,
she headed on home. Paul’s work ute and other assorted workers’
cars were at the building site, but there was till no sign of Alex.
He was obviously inside with Paul.

Unpacking the
shopping was another mundane task which required little thought.
Sunny, Pepper and Chuckie amused themselves by investigating the
contents of the bags, while Buffy sat and waited patiently for the
meaty bone that Harly always bought her.

Once everything
was packed away, she started to tidy the house which didn’t take
long, not when it was just her and the furries living in it. But as
she walked down the corridor to start the washing machine, her gaze
fell on the open doorway to the spare bedroom and she stopped and
looked at the bed.

The bed in
which she’d made love with Alex, and then gone to sleep in his
arms.

Jesus, she’d
made love to Alex.

He’d then
stated that he’d found her again and didn’t intend to let her
go.

Her hands
fisted in the winter top she’d been taking to the laundry as her
thoughts started to tumble around in her head.

The most
alarming was that he might think he wanted her, might believe it,
but maybe his declaration would change in the cold light of day.
Intimacy and the sharing of sadness made people look fondly on
others during those times. His belief might very well change by the
end of the day, the next day, or the end of the week or
fortnight.

And where would
that leave her? Yeah, she could just imagine him driving off into
the sunset, shuddering with relief that he’d escaped the clutches
of the backwoods town and Harly Bentley. She’d never hear from him
again. That hurt a little more than it should have done.

Or maybe she
was just letting her own insecurities take hold.

Slowly she
walked into the laundry and opened the machine to drop the top
inside to land on the other clothes awaiting washing. Alex didn’t
really seem like the kind of bloke to make declarations and then
regret them later, but honestly, what did she really know of him?
Her last contact with him had been sixteen years ago, that was a
long time. They hadn’t even been close then, not in the everyday
friendly terms, anyway.

Adding a small
amount of liquid detergent to the clothes, she bit her lip. And
what about herself? How did she feel about Alex? Really feel?
Closing the lid, she turned the electricity on at the wall, chose
the water level and turned the machine on. Listening to it fill,
she thought about it.

Truth be told,
she had no idea. Her thoughts were a bit cloudy on the whole issue,
made murky by combined desire, the memory of his masterfulness, yet
gentleness, too, in the bed, and the way he’d cuddled her
later.

To say he’d
swept her away was putting it mildly.

Her cheeks
flushed and warmth swept through her body, even as her hands shook
a little while putting the detergent bottle back into the
cupboard.

She’d never had
sex with anyone else apart from Alex. There’d never been any man
who’d made her heart flutter even a little, her belly squirm a tiny
bit, her blood get a weak spark. But one kiss from Alex, one
caress, one whispered word and her blood was sparking like embers
of a fire gone wild, her heart stuttered, and earthy, downright
lusty, feelings roiled low in her belly.

Just
remembering how he’d felt as he’d loomed over her made her palms
damp. Just the thought of having him inside her body, hot and hard
and powerful, had a pulse beating deep inside a very low, low place
in her body.

“Cripes!”
Blowing out a breath, she went into the bathroom and washed her
heated face. If she kept thinking hot thoughts about Alex, she’d
end up needing a cold shower, late autumn or not.

Patting her
face dry, she looked into the mirror and frowned. What did he see
in her that attracted him, if he were being truthful? Sure, she
liked her eyes, and her smile had always been described by friends
as, well, friendly. But compared to the women he had to meet both
while helping his family with their business, and on his travels in
the Army, she must pale.

“And maybe,”
she whispered at her reflection, “You don’t think you’re as worthy
as you believed.”

That was
sobering. Over the years she’d thought that she’d matured, had her
own life, knew her own worth, and yet here she was, doubting that
Alex could really be attracted to her.

Because she
didn’t really know him, and as it turned out, she obviously didn’t
really know herself, either, and that was just as bad.

Maybe having
dinner with him wasn’t a good idea after all.

Why not? Think
you’re not worth it?

No, I’m worth
it, damn it! But I don’t know him.

So this is a
perfect way to get to know him.

He’ll think
it’s a date.

So? Isn’t
it?

No. Yes.
Maybe.

Get a grip on
yourself, girl! It’s just dinner.

What if he
intends to have sex after it?

I want sex.

No I don’t! How
can I want sex with a man I’ve only just met again?

Because I’m
attracted to him. Alex Lawson is…hot.

So how can he
possibly be attracted to me?

How could he
not? Why not? I’m a good person.

But I’m not
beautiful, I’m not slim, I’m not who men are attracted to.

I should slap
myself. I have plenty to offer a man.

Yeah. Four
furry babies and a good sewing hand.

I make a mean
cappuccino, too.

The absurdity
at the last part of her internal argument had her laugh out loud
suddenly as she walked into the kitchen. “God, Harly, you’re
pathetic! The first decent date you’ve ever had in your life and
you start to poke holes in it. Cripes, so what if I choose not to
have sex with Alex? If he really respects me, he’ll not push it.”
Hey, maybe that’s a good test.
No sooner had the mean little
thought crossed her mind than she scowled. Looking at her
reflection in the toaster as she lifted it up, she scolded, “You
are not mean-spirited. You’ll go and you’ll enjoy yourself and
you’ll get to know Alex better.” Shaking the crumbs from the
toaster into the sink, she nodded decisively as she returned it to
the cupboard. Yes, she’d go to this dinner with the objective in
mind of getting to know Alex better and enjoying herself.

There was no
denying she was attracted to him. Sure, he’d come down here
spitting fire, but when everything had been explained and burned
down, there was the glimpse of the Lawson boy she remembered. Good
natured, friendly, charming with his old-fashioned courtesies. Now
she just had to find out if those qualities still existed in
reality. And if he was really attracted to her enough to make truth
of the declaration he’d made.

One of those
outstanding qualities was pretty plain. He could have just ignored
the fact that a woman he’d had sex with once in his teenage years
had, unknown to him, been pregnant and lost the baby. He had no
ties to her. But no, he’d come seeking answers. Yes, his questions
had been tinged with undealt sadness for his friend, but he’d come,
and she knew that even if Mark had lived, Alex would still have
come to see her looking for answers. Instinctively she knew that if
the baby had lived, he’d have demanded his share of time with it,
taken on his duties, and started to provide for them. His baby.
Their baby. His child who would have now been sixteen years of age.
He’d have insisted on being a part of their lives, because that was
just the kind of man he was.

Because Alex
Lawson knew what he wanted, in what he believed, and that was
family and loyalty.

Harly nodded
silently. It was she who didn’t know, and the fact was that she
would try to figure out where she stood on the whole subject of her
and Alex Lawson. Never mind the fact that just having their two
names in the same sentence was mind-boggling, it also sounded so
unbelievably good.

What do you
know?
The giddy teenager who’d had a crush on the teenage
Lawson boy was still deep inside her mature body. Harly shook her
head and smiled a little.
Guess some things never really
change.
Yeah, it was the truth, hard as it was to face. She,
Harly Bentley, was having a little crush on the grown up Lawson
boy.

Instead of
being embarrassed about it, she laughed, felt a lot better, and
went out to check the damage the storm had wreaked on pot plants
and roses. Now she’d decided on a course of action it was time to
leave that for tonight and concentrate on the hundred other things
that called for her attention.

One of those
things involved a visit to her doctor to go on the pill. She’d
learned that lesson a long time ago. This time she’d be prepared.
Alex might have condoms in his wallet, but she wasn’t taking any
chances.

Seven

Helping Paul
carry the bench top through the hallway of the house-in-progress,
Alex listened to his friend with an inward smile.

“Women,” Paul
growled, disgruntled. “I’m telling you, mate, a bloke can’t figure
‘em out.”

“You don’t
say.”

“You know what
happened this morning?”

“I’m sure I’m
about to find out.”

They moved
around Zac, the plumber, and set the bench down on the kitchen
counter, moving it into place and shifting it here and there until
Paul was satisfied.

“Yesterday
Becky mentioned that she was craving marshmallows. Well, I forgot
to get some, didn’t I?”

“Apparently.”

“So I get up at
the arse-crack of dawn, go to the twenty-four hour servo and buy
her two bags of marshmallows.
Two
.”

“Uh-huh.” Alex
joined Zac, who was leaning against the wall and listening with a
big grin.

“I take ‘em
back to my beloved.” Paul disappeared behind the bench as he
crouched down to check something before bouncing back up into view
again with a scowl on his face. “And what do you think she
said?”

“Thank
you?”

“No! She said -
get this, this is gonna kill you - she said ‘Marshmallows? But I
fancy jelly beans now.’ Jelly beans!” Paul slapped his forehead.
“Of course, how stupid could I be? I should have known that, right?
Because I’m a bloody mind-reader, right? Right?”

Alex exchanged
looks with Zac. “He’s a mind-reader.”

“I reckon
so.”

“So you know
what I did then?” Paul demanded.

“Dug your hole
a little deeper?” Zac offered.

“I went
back
to the servo and got her two bags of jelly beans and
drove all the way back home, and when I gave them to her - listen,
you just have to hear this-”

“Don’t think we
have a choice,” Alex commented, hugely entertained.

“She says to
me, she says ‘jelly beans? Do you want me to get fat?’” Paul flung
up his hands. “So then I said-”

“Oh shit.”
Zac’s eyebrows rose in disbelief. “You were actually stupid enough
to answer?”

Ignoring him,
Paul stabbed one finger down on the bench top. “I said ‘Honey,
you’re going to get a little fat but it’s okay, I’ll still love
you.’”

Alex’s lips
started to tremble. Really, he was trying to maintain a serious
expression, but just imagining how it had all gone down between
Becky and his clueless friend was just killing him.