Outback Dreams (34 page)

Why wouldn't Monty just leave her head?

Faith focussed on the gown. It had seemed so perfect that day in Geraldton, but now she wondered how in God's name she was supposed to walk in it, especially in the heels Ruby had insisted on lending her. Apparently black thongs didn't have the right effect. That was all very well, but neither did falling flat on her face, which she felt was a real possibility if she had to walk any great distance.

‘Oh,
yeah
.' More enthusiastic nodding from Simone. ‘Monty will be drooling along with those gorgeous puppies. He'll be wishing the ball over before it begins so he can whisk you back to his place and rid you of that dress.'

Monty, Monty, Monty
. The thought of him never undressing her again physically hurt. Was he all anyone could think about?

Before she snapped at an undeserving Simone, Faith caught her anger. She hadn't told her friends that things were done and dusted with Monty, so she couldn't expect them to understand. ‘I doubt it.' She tried for a flippant laugh but didn't quite make it. ‘His parents are staying at his place, and he's camped out on the couch.'

‘Your house then.' Simone wiggled her eyebrows. ‘That's only semantics anyway. Oh, I'm so damn jealous. It's been far too long since my lady bits got a workout.'

Ruby shook her head but laughed. ‘Do you think you're ready to date again?'

Simone shrugged. ‘I miss Jason more than anything, but I also miss adult companionship, sex, someone to mow the lawn… I think it might be time to step out of my comfort zone and do something about it.'

‘Good for you. Any guys you've got your eye on?'

Not in the mood for discussions about men, Faith left them to their speculations and turned once again to her reflection. Maybe she did look all right, but what did it matter? The only guy she'd ever loved had made his position clear. She might not be very experienced in the ways of men, but she knew one thing: When she gave her heart, she wanted it to go to someone who could also offer theirs—someone who believed people more important than property. Unfortunately that wasn't Monty.

But would she ever find another man who made her insides wobble in the same way he did? Maybe she was cutting off her nose to spite her face.

‘You okay?' Ruby met Faith's gaze in the mirror. ‘You've been very quiet this afternoon.'

‘I'm fine.' She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. ‘Just running over everything in my head and making sure there's nothing we've forgotten. With so many people coming tonight, I don't want to let anyone down.'

‘We've ordered plenty of grog and that's all a country crowd needs to be happy,' Simone declared, taking another sip of champagne as if to emphasize her point.

Faith worried that Simone was planning on letting loose a little too much tonight, but pushed that thought aside. Simone was old enough to look after herself, and Faith needed to concentrate on keeping her own emotions together. ‘Not everyone will be drinking,' she reminded them.

Simone took yet another swig and shrugged. ‘It'll be fine. You stress too much.'

‘Seriously it's going to be great,' Ruby added, glancing at her watch. ‘But we should be off soon if we want to arrive before the guests.'

‘Eek, I still have to put on my gown.' Simone downed the rest of her champagne and shoved the lid back on the mascara.

‘Well, hurry then.' Leaving Simone to pull her dress over very sexy underwear, Ruby ushered Faith into the lounge room to wait. It was almost five o'clock in the afternoon. The ball was due to kick off at seven, and the band would play till midnight.

After months of planning, Faith couldn't wait for it to be over.

Faith looked out over the hall as she readied herself to welcome the crowd. Less than three months had passed since she'd made her pledge to enter the fundraising contest, and here she was, standing on the stage at her own event. So much had happened in that time. So much had changed. She should have been proud of what lay before her—the beautifully decorated tables, the happy faces of people enjoying their first drinks of the night—but all she felt was a sinking feeling of dread that her life had taken an irrevocable nosedive and there was absolutely nothing she could do to fix it.

As she waited for the chatter to die down, she eyed Monty two tables in front of her, looking illegally sexy in a jet-black suit and chatting amiably to one of the representatives from Dogs for Autism. She could only imagine what he was saying, but his friendly smile labelled him a hypocrite. She narrowed her eyes, thinking that if looks could kill, blood would be splattering all across that table right about now. She imagined him slumped in his seat or better still, flopping onto the floor as he clutched his heart in agony and looked up at her in disbelief. The satisfaction was short-lived. She didn't like him at the moment, but unfortunately she loved him, and that took the edge off her murderous thoughts.

Adam, who'd volunteered his services as auctioneer for the evening, stepped onto the stage. ‘Do you want me to call them all to order?' he asked.

‘Thanks.' Taking a deep breath, she readied herself while Adam silenced the crowd. She smiled at Adam and took a step closer to the microphone, looking out at the eager faces peering back at her. Katarina sat on one side of Monty, her smile so wide she bared her teeth.

‘Good evening ladies and gentlemen,' Faith began.

The sooner she got this over, the sooner the evening would end and she could return to that lovely state of self-pity and wallowing.

‘Thank you all for coming to the Barking Ball and in turn supporting Dogs for Autism. As you know, all proceeds from tonight's event will go towards training assistance dogs for children who are diagnosed with autism. I know many of you in attendance hold this cause close to your hearts. Like me, you've known someone on the spectrum or may have autism yourselves. This night is about celebrating differences and offering support.'

The crowed applauded and she waited for the noise to die down before continuing.

‘Tonight we are lucky to have with us two dogs who have recently finished their training. In just a moment I'm going to invite Jackie and Michelle from Dogs for Autism to bring Buster and Goldie up onto the stage for a little demonstration. They'll also explain more about what your donations will be going towards. Following that, our delicious entrée will be served.' She took a quick breath.

‘Between entrée and mains, Adam Burton will be your auctioneer. The items to be auctioned are behind me on the stage tonight, and there are booklets on your table detailing each of them. My thanks go out to the sponsors who have generously donated for this event. Please check out the list at the back of the booklet. If anyone has any questions, my fabulous committee will be happy to answer them. Just look for the girls wearing dog collars like mine.' Faith gestured to the sparkly pink, diamante-studded collar that was wrapped around her neck. Ruby and Simone were wearing identical ones. They were Ruby's idea—quite a nice touch, she thought. ‘After dinner, there'll be lots of dancing and the opportunity to peruse the stalls and maybe even get your fortune read. But now, without further ado,' Faith cringed, unable to believe she'd actually used such a phrase, ‘I'd like to welcome Buster, Goldie, Jackie and Michelle.'

The attendees applauded again, and the band broke into a few lines of “Hound Dog” à la Elvis Presley. They'd scheduled every dog song they could think of to be played throughout the evening. Faith moved to the edge of the stage as the dogs and their trainers took the limelight. The audience oohed and ahhed at the two young animals.

‘Good evening ladies and gents.' Jackie offered the crowd a cheery wave. ‘We are so excited to be here tonight. Together with Dogs for Autism, we'd like to offer our immense gratitude to Faith Forrester for organising this fabulous event. Michelle and I are going to talk a little bit about our organisation and then show a short film about the impact our dogs have had on the lives of people with autism.'

Buster and Goldie stood to attention, flaunting their cuteness, at either side of the volunteers as Michelle took a turn to speak. ‘Dogs for Autism is a relatively new charity, although, as I'm sure you'll all know, dogs have been used to assist people with disabilities for a long time. In the US, an organisation called 4 Paws for Ability has been pairing assistance dogs with people on the autism spectrum for a quite some time now, with astounding success. Unfortunately, what we do isn't cheap. Each dog costs close to thirty thousand dollars to raise and train.' Mitch patted Goldie on the head. ‘But when you see the results in the lives of our young clients, I think you'll agree that it's money well spent. Once ready, the pups are placed with a child at no cost to the family, and it is fundraising efforts such as this one that make this possible.'

Jackie stepped up to the microphone again. ‘A dog for a child with autism is in essence a companion and a protector. These children often find it difficult to make emotional connections with other people, but they seem to be able to form close bonds with their dogs. Parents whose children have received our pups have reported improvements in all areas of their children's lives, and we continue to discover new ways in which dogs can enhance the lives of children with autism and their families.

‘We could go on, but we have a short film that can show you much better than we could. Following the film, we'll be available throughout the night to answer any questions. Come up and say hello, and meet Goldie and Buster in person. Thanks again everyone.'

The lights dimmed and the big screen came alive. Over the next ten minutes, the audience learnt exactly how these special dogs were used to benefit people with autism. Despite her interest, Faith found her gaze drifting time and time again to Monty. He was staring at the screen, but the expression on his face was unreadable. Was he thinking about how a dog like this might have helped his family? Or was he so resentful he'd simply have seen this as another way that Will had got something he hadn't?

She realised her whole body was tight with anger. Why couldn't he just get over the past and look to the future? Why couldn't he see Will for the person he was instead of for the few negative effects his condition had had on Monty's life?

When the film ended, the hall immediately buzzed with excited chatter. Faith smiled as Jackie and Michelle led the two dogs off stage. She forced a smile back onto her face and spread her arms wide at the crowd. ‘Now wasn't that just amazing?'

The audience responded with whoops, cheers and even a wolf-whistle. Her anger momentarily forgotten, Faith felt the blood pumping through her veins in excitement. It was so good to see others inspired and enthusiastic.

‘As Jackie said, she and Michelle will be available throughout the evening.' She signalled the band and within seconds music flooded the hall once again, this time “Mate” by Lee Kernigan. Faith trekked over to thank the Dogs for Autism crew.

‘Thanks guys. I know people will be happier donating when they know their money is going to such a fabulous cause.'

‘You're so welcome,' Jackie said.

‘We're just so appreciative that you chose us for your fundraiser,' added Michelle.

They took the dogs outside for a pit stop, and Faith made her way slowly back to her table. She chatted to guests along the way—dawdling and more than happy to make small talk if it delayed her return to Monty. In keeping with their act, he'd been the perfect boyfriend—holding her hand, complimenting her on her dress, making sure Katarina heard each and every flattering word … but his perfection was killing her.

How she was going to sit through dinner, smile, laugh and make conversation she had no idea. Not that she wanted an emergency, but she wouldn't have minded a small mishap to call her away from the socialising. A blocked toilet or a mix-up with someone's dinner would do the trick.

‘Hey, beautiful.' Monty stood and pulled out her chair as she approached the table. ‘Everything's going splendidly. And have I mentioned how breathtaking you look tonight?'

You're laying it on a bit thick
. But of course she only thought this, smiling sweetly at him and the other guests at her table.

‘Yes, the event is fabulous,' Kat agreed, fingering a very expensive pendant that fell at her impressive cleavage. She leaned in to Faith and, under her breath so that no one else could hear, added, ‘Of course you'll have to raise a lot to make much of a difference. Those dogs come a bit pricey if you ask me.'

Faith clenched her teeth. She took a deep breath and glanced around for someone else to make conversation with. Her table consisted of her and Monty, the charity representatives, Kat, the handsome new cop, Drew Noble, in the seat that was meant for Kat's absent husband, and two other local farming couples—not that they looked like farmers tonight. For people who spent most of their lives in dirty boots, torn jeans and chambray shirts, the Bunyip Bay locals scrubbed up well when they put their minds to it.

‘You look amazing, Julie,' Faith told one of the women. ‘Where did you get that dress?' Who would have thought conversations about fashion would ever be preferable to talking to Monty?

The impressive entrees of local seafood arrived, and Faith lifted her fork, savouring the creamy sauce and welcoming the task of eating. Kat appeared to have forgotten about poking holes in her fundraising efforts and was attempting to work her charms on Drew Noble. Faith didn't have the energy to feel sorry for him and, once she'd emptied her plate, she made her excuses. ‘I'm sorry, everyone, I've got to make sure Adam's got everything he needs for the auction.' Adam sat at a nearby table with Simone, Ruby and Ryan. Monty pushed back his chair to follow.

‘What are you doing?' she hissed, as he fell into step behind her.