Outback Blaze (11 page)

‘Hi girls,' Ruby said, arriving at Simone's table. They waved and spoke mumbled hellos through mouthfuls of what looked to be carbonara. ‘That looks amazing.'

‘It is. Take a seat.' Simone smiled as she gestured to the couple of empty seats at the long table. ‘I thoroughly recommend tonight's special.'

Ruby slipped her shoulder bag down onto the floor and took a seat next to Grace.

‘How are you going?' Frankie asked, lifting her wine glass and scowling when she realised it was empty.

‘Getting there,' Ruby sighed. ‘It's nice to be out of the house. Mum's not coping with all the stress and Dad is like a bear to live with. I know it'll get easier…'

Ryan and Adam arrived and Ruby didn't finish her sentence. Between them they carried a bottle of wine identical to the one almost empty on the table, an extra glass and two schooners of beer.

‘My hero,' Frankie grinned and lifted her glass to Adam.

‘Give me a chance to open the bottle,' he replied. In the city the bartender would take care of that but here things were different. Especially on a night like tonight when Liam and his latest backpacker were under the pump.

‘Hurry,' Frankie hissed.

Ruby smiled at their banter and for a moment wondered if Adam and Frankie had ever tried dating, but then she remembered they were cousins or something. And Frankie was like that with everyone.

Adam finally leaned over the table and filled the ladies' glasses. ‘Well, hello there, Ruby,' he said. ‘How are you?'

‘Fine,' she said, not wanting to think about everything that was worrying her right now. Tonight was about letting go, having fun. ‘Are you two going to order some dinner? I'm drooling over this pasta.'

‘Here, have a taste.' Simone twirled some long strands on a fork and held them out to Ruby. None of her old friends would ever have shared their dinner with her like this but she swallowed her qualms and tasted the sample.

‘Wow. I'm definitely having what you're having.'

Adam and Ryan cheered. ‘Here, give us a taste.'

‘Get your own,' Simone ordered, dumping her fork into the pasta and swatting away their hands.

‘I'll go order us all a plate.' Ruby stood, happy to do the honours.

As it was the special, she'd not been back at the table long when Liam brought across three steaming bowls of pasta. ‘Thanks Liam.'

Ryan and Adam echoed her sentiments and then they all dug in.

‘Hey, Mum says you have your first guest coming to the cottage this weekend?' Simone's question was to Adam but she glared across at the table to Harriet and Grace who'd started bickering about goodness knows what.

Adam finished his mouthful and smiled. ‘Yeah, that's right. They're actually staying for a whole week. One of them is an artist and wants to sketch some of the old buildings around the region.'

Simone's eyes lit up. ‘I might have to come say hello.'

‘Feel free. And then we're booked pretty solidly up until early next year.'

‘I'm so happy for you,' Ruby said. ‘It was such great fun working with your mother decorating.' Esther was a quiet woman who never ventured into town but she'd relaxed a little around Ruby and Ruby shared Adam's hope that bringing people to the farm might help her come out of her shell again.

‘How is Aunty Esther?' Frankie asked, before taking another swig of her wine.

‘Hard to tell.' The enthusiasm that had lit up Adam's face a moment earlier faded. ‘While we were fixing up the cottage she seemed more alive than she has since…well, for a long time, but when I suggested she might like to greet the visitors as they arrive and take on the managing of the cottage, she completely closed up again.'

‘Give her time.' Frankie, who was sitting next to Adam, squeezed his arm.

He snorted. ‘Twenty years seems quite a long time.'

Silence descended on the table. Ruby focused entirely on her dinner, listening to the forks scrape on the plates around her. Where most of them had been taking their time eating, now it had almost become some kind of race.

‘Mum, can we go sit in the car?' Harriet asked, her voice whiny.

‘Please?' Grace added.

‘Go. But don't get into any mischief. And lock the doors.' Simone's voice was barely a whisper.

The girls couldn't escape fast enough and Ruby couldn't blame them. Awkwardness weaved between everyone at the table like a bad smell you couldn't see. She'd heard snippets of the Burtons' tragedy – apparently Adam's little sister had gone missing on the farm twenty years ago, no sign of her since – but like Harriet and Grace, she wasn't there at the time and she'd never had enough courage to question Adam or his mother. As far as she knew, everyone else around the table was fully informed.

‘Sorry,' Adam said eventually, rubbing the sides of his forehead and frowning. ‘It just gets a bit much sometimes.'

‘Hey, don't apologise.' Simone refilled his glass. ‘You and Uncle Dave have had it just as tough as your mother.'

He shrugged. ‘I'm not giving up hope on the cottage being a miracle worker just yet. Do any of you know anyone who might be interested in a little cleaning work? Only on a casual basis. We haven't advertised it as fully serviced but between guests I'd like someone to give it a thorough going over. Mum doesn't have the energy or inclination and Lord knows I don't have the time.'

Simone bit her lip as if thinking. ‘I'd like to help, but between the girls, my different committee obligations and helping Frankie in the café, I'm already spread thin.'

‘It's okay,' Adam said. ‘If everyone could just put the word out that I'm looking for someone, that would be great.'

‘I'll do it.' Ruby put down her fork and met Adam's gaze. ‘Please? Who knows how long it'll be till I can work with Mum and Dad again and I can only give horse-riding lessons outside of school hours. I'm going to go insane if I don't have something else to do.'

‘Are you sure?' Adam asked, his lips already twisting upwards. ‘I'll pay you well.'

‘Never been surer of anything in my life.' She was good at cleaning and for a few hours of solitude away from her parents' house, she would have done it for free.

‘I'll toast to that then.' Adam lifted his glass and the others echoed his action.

Not wanting to get drunk, Ruby had barely touched hers, but she lifted it and took a sip. The fruitiness tingled pleasantly on her tongue and she smiled, looking forward to something for the first time since the fire had devastated her family's life.

‘Oh Lord.' Simone lowered her glass and glowered at the bar. ‘The Fun Police have arrived.'

Everyone turned to see whom Simone was referring to. The tingles on Ruby's tongue shot downwards as she recognised Drew talking to Liam. He had his back to them all but having memorised that angle only a few days earlier, she'd know it anywhere. Not to mention his buttocks, snugly covered by his blue uniform trousers. She snatched up her water glass and downed the contents.

‘What do you mean?' Ryan asked, looking back to Simone.

‘He had a go at me the other day about leaving Harriet and Grace home alone. For crying out loud, they're not babies.' She ducked down a little. ‘Don't let him see me now or he'll assume I've left them alone again.'

Ryan sniggered but repositioned himself to block Simone from view.

‘I'm sure he was only doing his job,' Ruby said, forcing herself to look at Simone and tear her gaze from the most impressive back ever. When Simone merely raised her eyebrows, Ruby added, ‘He's been very supportive of me.'

‘Oh really?' Staring intently at Ruby, Frankie wriggled her eyebrows and her ‘really' was more like ‘re-al-ly?'.

‘Not like that.' But even as Ruby professed this, she could feel her cheeks burning. Thinking about Drew like this was one thing, but even if he ever felt the same about her, she doubted she'd be able to follow through. Not anymore.

‘Course not. I think he might be gay,' Frankie said with a pout.

Ruby would bet Roxie and Riley on the fact he wasn't.

‘What makes you think that?' Ryan asked.

Frankie leaned forward. ‘I made it very clear that I was available for a short-term fling should he so desire and he pretended not to understand what I was talking about.'

The group erupted with laughter. ‘Sis, not all men find you irresistible you know,' Simone said, patting Frankie faux-sympathetically on the hand.

Frankie's pout turned to a frown. ‘Don't I know it. There must be something wrong with the men around here.'

‘I don't like where this conversation is going.' Ryan downed the rest of his glass and stood. ‘Anyone for a game of pool?'

‘Sure,' both Adam and Frankie replied. They picked up their glasses and joined Ryan.

‘Not me.' Simone shook her head and glared daggers towards the bar before looking back to Ryan, the disappointment scrawled across her face. ‘I'd better pass. The girls are probably carrying on like caged lions in the car and Constable Noble no doubt noticed them on the way in. You guys have a good night.'

She stood and turned to give Frankie a hug. ‘See you tomorrow.'

Goodbyes were exchanged and Simone headed for the exit.

‘You coming, Rubes?' Adam asked, jerking his thumb towards the pool table in the corner.

Pool wasn't her thing, at all, but she wasn't ready to call it a night. ‘I'll be there in a moment,' she replied with a smile. ‘Nature calls.' She turned away hoping they wouldn't notice her going the opposite way to the ladies' bathroom.

‘Hey there,' she said, perching on the stool next to Drew.

He didn't have a drink and his uniform told her he likely wouldn't be staying long, but the smile on his face said she was a welcome diversion. ‘Hi Ruby.'

Her whole body melted at the way he said her name. He probably didn't even realise it, but she was certain Jonas's voice had never had such an effect.

‘Good to see you having a night out,' he said, nodding towards Frankie, Ryan and Adam, already enthralled in a game of pool.

She followed his gaze then looked back. ‘Yeah, they're trying to make me feel better, unfortunately I fear they'll regret inviting me when I finally show them my pool skills.'

He laughed. ‘Not your thing?'

‘You could say that. Excuse me, Liam,' she called to the publican, ‘Can I get a soda water, please?'

‘Not drinking tonight?' Drew asked.

‘I've had one glass but I'm driving later so that's enough. Can't keep up with these guys.'

‘Let them know I'm out on patrol so if they think they might be over the limit, it'd be safer to walk. Or let you drive them.'

‘I will. Although I doubt I'll be staying that late.' Liam placed the soda water in front of her and she took a sip. ‘So what brings you in here then?'

He patted his stomach, not that there was a whole load of anything to pat. ‘A fella's gotta eat and the burgers here are better than at the garage.'

Garage meant petrol station if she recalled correctly. ‘You learnt that quickly.'

He shrugged. ‘Cooking for one is pointless. So yeah, I've learnt where to get my daily nutrients.'

‘You can't live on takeaway,' she said, shaking her head slightly. ‘Especially the takeaway in this town.' There were lots of pros to living in the country but variety in fast food wasn't one of them.

‘Hey, don't try and reform my best customer,' Liam said, slapping a wax-paper wrapped package down in front of them. The size, shape and aroma suggested it was one of the cook's famous Bunyip Burgers. Liam turned away to serve someone at the other end of the bar.

Drew scooped up his dinner and leaned towards her. ‘Thanks for the concern, but I'm surviving.' His hot breath teased her cheek and every pulse point in her body did a little jig.

‘I'm not worried.' She tucked some runaway hair behind her ear, but didn't move away. ‘I'm just saying.' Her eyelashes fluttered of their own accord and Ruby almost swallowed her tongue at the realisation that this scrap of conversation was the closest she'd come to flirting in a very long time. And it hadn't sent her heart racing uncomfortably, quite the opposite.

Although Drew had his burger, he didn't seem in a hurry to leave. He leaned against the bar. ‘How are your horses?'

‘Good,' she said, swallowing in an attempt to regain some kind of bodily equilibrium. ‘I think Roxie took quite a fancy to you the other day.'

‘What can I say? I have a way with the ladies.'

‘That's not what I've heard,' she said, regretting the words the instant they were out.

‘Oh?' He cocked his head to one side and looked at her questioningly. ‘What exactly have you heard?'

‘Nothing.' This time the blush didn't confine itself to her cheeks, she felts as if she was bright red all over, even in spots covered by her clothes. ‘Someone just mentioned they'd gotten nowhere in their efforts to…' How could she put it? ‘Attract your attention.'

‘Ahh.' His smile said he found this amusing. ‘Maybe I'm just choosey. But Roxie is quite a lady and I'd love to get to know her better. Have you got anyone who helps you exercise them?'

‘No. Riley is better with the kids though, so lots of my students ride him. Roxie's older and grumpier but I try to take her out as much as possible. She loves the beach.'

He put his free hand against his chest. ‘A girl after my own heart.' He straightened and turned so he was facing the exit. ‘Well, if you ever need a riding partner, keep me in mind.'

He took a step, but Ruby – spurred on by who knows what – reached out and grabbed his arm. Her fingers closed around solid muscle and the breath caught in her throat as she waited to see if he'd turn back. He did.