‘What are you drinking, Kincaid?’
‘Middy of light.’
‘Try the peanuts,’ she said, nodding towards a bowl on the counter as she slid a glass beneath the beer tap.
‘You can’t fool me. Those peanuts are a hundred years old.’
‘Not anymore. Maude roasted up a fresh batch after she made Roly throw the old ones out. We’ve got honey peanuts, spicy peanuts, and for the traditionalists, plain old salted peanuts.’
‘Maude Thompson?’
‘That’s the one. She took Roly’s peanut stockpile out to the feedlot herself, every last box. Nearly broke his heart.’
‘Cows eat salted peanuts?’
Billie grinned and headed towards a customer at the other end of the bar. ‘They do now.’
Adam knew most of the crowd here tonight; anglers as well as darts players. A mix of men and women both – more women than he’d been expecting. The huge cedar doors hung wide open and people spilled onto the verandah, the better to appreciate the first stirrings of a fickle breeze. Billie Temple seemed to have a knack for making people feel welcome, and it wasn’t just that the old pub was cleaner than he’d ever seen it. She’d even managed to con Casey into scoring the darts on an old blackboard hung specially for the event. Crusty old Casey who’d promptly delegated the chalk work to young Cal so he could sit back and heckle the play.
Warmth; he felt it and it wasn’t just the lingering heat of the day. Life; the old pub fairly pulsed with it. And then a dozen piping hot meat pies came through to the bar, and the stampede was on and even that was fun and funny as Roly reigned supreme and doled out Maude’s meat pies on fancy china plates until they were gone.
‘I think darts night is a success,’ Billie said to Roly as she watched yet another couple finish their farewells and exit through the huge double doors. It was nine-thirty and the crowd had thinned considerably but there was no denying that for a couple of hours at least, the old pub had done good business. Billie cast an experienced eye about the room, looking for empties and figuring how many more customers were about to finish up. ‘Do
you
think it’s a success?’
‘Big one,’ said Roly, with a nod towards the manager’s office where Cal had retreated to. ‘Time to get that boy of yours home. There’s a storm coming in.’
‘We can stay a little longer.’
‘I can manage. Have done for years. Besides, what I don’t get done the cleaners can finish off in the morning. That’s what they’re paid for, isn’t it?’ Roly’s tone was mildly aggrieved. Roly remaining unconvinced that daily cleaning was a necessity.
‘Did you get any feedback on the pies?’ she asked him. ‘I got three marriage proposals to pass on to Maude.’
‘I hope you told them they were dreaming,’ said Roly. ‘That woman’s downright fussy when it comes to men. C’mon, Billie. Go. You should have been home an hour ago.’
‘I’m on salary, Roly. I’m hardly going to charge you overtime.’
‘It’s not the overtime I’m worried about. It’s the weather and that goat track out to Adam’s. Now, go.’
Sighing, Billie went and found Cal, stretched out on Roly’s office couch. It wasn’t that Roly was difficult to manage, because he wasn’t. In some ways he was remarkably open to change. Right up until he put his foot down. He’d put his foot down when it came to adding spinach and ricotta rolls in flaky pastry to tonight’s pie menu. ‘They would have worked, though,’ she said. ‘They’d have gone down an absolute treat.’
‘What would?’ asked Cal.
‘Spinach and ricotta rolls.’
Surprisingly enough, Kincaid was still in the pub, deep in conversation with a rangy dark-haired man Billie had never seen before. He was doing a passable job of ignoring the heat between them. Billie was trying hard to follow his lead, but she couldn’t deny she’d felt Adam’s eyes on her this evening, and nor could she resist the impish desire to say goodnight as she passed him by.
He looked up as she approached and their eyes locked and all thoughts of offering up a cheerful farewell fled.
‘You’re heading off now?’ he asked quietly, his gaze moving from her to Cal.
Billie nodded. He seemed to relax a little at that but then a gust of wind caught one of the big verandah doors, sending it thudding into a chair. ‘Wind’s picked up,’ she said as she pulled the chair out of the way and let the door swing shut. The rest of the double doors could probably be closed now too. It’d only take a minute.
‘Let Roly do it,’ said Adam as if reading her mind. ‘You need to leave.’ His voice was hard and insistent. ‘Now.’
What was
with
these country types? First Roly and now Adam; both of them ordering her to leave. The difference being that one of them was her employer.
‘Storm’s coming,’ he added.
‘I know.’
‘No,’ he said. ‘You don’t.’
‘You’re worrying unnecessarily.’ She spared a glance for Adam’s companion and saw curiosity in the man’s eyes and no small measure of compassion.
Why compassion?
‘My brother, Simon,’ said Adam curtly.
‘Pleased to meet you, Simon. Is he always like this?’
‘Not always.’ Simon’s smile was oddly gentle. ‘But summer storms can be fierce in these parts and this one’s been building all afternoon. He does have a point.’
‘You’re closing ranks. I should have known.’ And before either of them could reply, ‘We’re going. See?’ She suited actions to words. ‘Walking out the door.’
Adam watched in silence as Billie Temple and her son disappeared into the night. Simon watched too, but not in silence.
‘You could have warned me how beautiful she was,’ he said.
‘What?’
‘I was expecting someone harder. Older. Definitely someone bigger.’
But Adam wasn’t listening. He was thinking of another stormy night, years ago. He looked to the door, to the rapidly worsening weather. Simon was talking again, he caught the tone of it, low and concerned, but he didn’t hear the words. ‘Sorry, what?’
‘I said, are you going to follow them home?’ asked Simon patiently.
‘Yeah.’ Adam looked to the door again. ‘Just giving them a few minutes start.’
‘Want some company?’
Adam shook his head. ‘I can handle it.’
Barely.
‘Does our car look weird to you?’ asked Cal as they walked towards the old sedan.
Billie looked. ‘Maybe a little lower at the back.’ Lower than the cars on either side of it, at any rate.
‘Flat tyre,’ said Cal as he drew closer, and Billie went round the other side of the car to check her suspicion.
‘Make that two.’
So it was back to the verandah and Roly who was shutting the big double doors.
‘I thought you were leaving,’ said Roly when he saw them.
‘I was. We have a flat.’
‘Two,’ said Cal.
‘
Two
flat tyres?’ asked Roly and Billie nodded.
Roly’s lips tightened. ‘So you’re going to stay here tonight? There’s plenty of room upstairs.’
Billie sighed. ‘I guess so.’
‘Or, you could get a lift home with Adam,’ said Roly.
‘Yes, but—
Too late. Roly had already headed inside.
When Roly returned, Adam and Simon were with him.
‘Roly says you need a lift,’ said Adam, his expression unreadable.
Billie nodded.
‘Wait here, I’ll bring the ute round.’ And with a nod in Roly’s direction he headed along the verandah.
‘He going to be all right?’ Roly was looking at Adam.
‘Damned if I know,’ said Simon curtly.
‘Why would he not be all right?’ said Billie. ‘Why couldn’t we have walked to the ute with him, for that matter? What’s going on?’
‘Nothing,’ said Simon. ‘It’s old news.’
‘Wouldn’t hurt for her to know it, though.’ Roly looked uncomfortable. ‘I’m thinking it’d probably help.’
‘Know
what
?’
‘Adam had a wife and son once,’ said Simon finally. ‘They died in a car accident about eight years ago. In a summer storm.’
‘Adam was driving?’
‘Adam was selling cattle two states away. Caroline was driving.’
‘Scared of her own shadow if you ask me,’ said Roly and Simon cut the older man a cool glance.
‘No one did.’
The look Simon bestowed on Billie and Cal was even cooler. ‘My brother doesn’t want you and your son driving the farm road when this storm breaks. He’s doing his damndest to cope with having you out there at all. He’s trying to protect you.’
‘Oh.’ Cal had moved closer to her and Billie instinctively put her arm around him. ‘Oh,
hell
,’ she muttered as Adam’s ute pulled out of the car park and rolled to a halt in front of them.
She didn’t want that ride any more. Didn’t want to be a catalyst for Adam Kincaid’s pain. Didn’t want to sit there and sift through why he’d done this and why he’d said that and feel the puzzle pieces click into place. ‘
Now
you tell me.’
‘Here’s my take,’ offered Roly grimly. ‘Eight years is a long time for a man to hold himself responsible for something that wasn’t his fault. You and Cal are
nothing
like Adam’s late wife and son. The sooner Adam realises both of those things the better.’
‘Easy for you to say,’ muttered Billie grimly. ‘Tomorrow, old man, you and I are going to have a reckoning.’ She pointed her finger at his chest and watched with no little satisfaction as Roly eyed it warily. ‘And if I find out that there’s another house we could have rented, I’m going to have your—
‘Mum,’ said Cal, and started tugging her towards the steps. ‘Let’s go.’
Adam’s 4WD wasn’t a Dual Cab but it was an easy fit, the three of them along the bench seat, with Cal sandwiched between them, sleepy and silent. Adam, tense and equally silent as they headed swiftly out of town.
The storm broke before they were halfway home and the rain started pelting down in earnest, accompanied by a spear of lightning and a deafening crack of thunder.
‘Is it always this wild?’ she asked.
‘It won’t stay this fierce for long.’ Adam slowed the vehicle to a crawl and sent her a searching, sideways glance. ‘If you ever get caught out here like this just… go slow. Or stop altogether until it passes. It’s not—
But he broke off there and had nothing more to say.
Not what wondered Billie? Not rocket science? Not worth the risk? The road still felt solid beneath the wheels. Maybe it hadn’t been that way eight years ago. Maybe it had been considerably slipperier.
By the time they reached the cottage, rain was hammering against the car, the wind gusted around them in waves, and she doubted Adam would have been able to hear a word she said even if she had been inclined towards conversation. He pulled up as close to the verandah as he could get and cut the engine. ‘Thanks for the ride,’ she yelled, and then to Cal, ‘Ready?’
Adam glared at her, opened the car door, and gestured towards Cal. Cal went to him and Adam lifted her boy into his arms. Moments later they were on the verandah waiting for her to join them.
‘Where’s Blue?’ asked Cal as Adam set him on his feet.
‘Behind your mother.’
Adam watched as Billie opened the door and flicked the hall light on. ‘Power,’ she said with no little surprise. ‘Bonus.’
‘Do you have a torch?’
‘I have a torch,’ she said mildly. ‘And it’s a big one.’
‘You’ll be okay?’ he asked her.
‘We’ll be fine,’ she murmured. Question was, would he? ‘Would you like to come in for a coffee? Hang out with us until the storm passes?’
Shadows loomed large in the big man’s glorious green eyes. Bleak, black shadows the equal of any storm. But Adam Kincaid nodded.
Shadows of the past, Adam knew it. The storm, his memories, Billie Temple and her young son… the combination had him thoroughly rattled. Edgy, even though they’d arrived without mishap. Watchful of Billie and of Cal as he looked for the nervousness that would signal their fear of the storm. But he didn’t see any.
Billie swept into the kitchen behind him and immediately raided a cupboard for towels. She passed them round, grinning as Cal tried to dry Blue off with limited success.
‘He won’t stand still,’ protested Cal.
‘Probably wondering what the he-ck you’re doing to him,’ said Adam, but he told Blue to stand while Cal worked the towel over him, then praised the kid for a job well done. Cal grinned at him, his smile as open and generous as his mother’s.
‘Cal, you want a hot chocolate before bed?’ asked Billie, but the boy said no. ‘Teeth, face, hands,’ she said next and Cal rolled his eyes but he did his mother’s bidding and where the kid went so too did Blue.
Adam watched the procession, content to stay a silent observer and sip the instant coffee Billie had made for him – right up until both dog and boy disappeared up the hallway towards the bedrooms.
‘Please tell me my champion working dog doesn’t sleep in your son’s bedroom,’ he said.
‘Where was he supposed to sleep?’
‘The verandah?’ he suggested. ‘The empty kennel beside your back door?’
‘Ah,’ she said with the hint of a smile. ‘If it’s any consolation, Blue did start
out
sleeping at the kitchen door. Then just inside the kitchen door. Then just outside Cal’s door,’ she continued drolly. ‘Then we got him his own fluffy sleeping mat – which he loves, by the way and which you’ll probably find stationed on the floor beside Cal’s bed these days.’
Adam just looked at her.
‘Hey, you were the one who sent him here.’ Smiley eyes, and they were smiling at him. ‘I’ll just go and square Cal away for the night. I’ll mention the kennel.’
She’d almost reached the hallway when Adam spoke again. ‘Mention it tomorrow.’
Cal didn’t seem to be unduly bothered by the storm, decided Billie as she entered his bedroom. Rain clattered insistently on the tin roof and wind rattled the windows as she pulled the covers up to Cal’s chin and tucked him in, more for comfort than for warmth for it wasn’t cold, just wet and windy. A summer storm, albeit a spectacular one.
She shoved a wad of tissues between the window and the sill to stop it rattling and Cal watched her with sleepy eyes while Blue just watched.
‘Mum,’ said Cal. ‘What Roly said about Kincaid’s wife and son…