The House at the Bottom of the Hill (22 page)

Julia lowered her chin and angled her gaze away, a little startled perhaps, but definitely charmed too, given her suddenly flushed cheeks.

‘I’m sure you’ll be comfortable and I’m hoping you’ll stay,’ Ethan said. ‘No point beating about the bush, I’ll give it to you straight: you’re needed here. My wife is pregnant and due in three weeks so I’m wanting to stay close to home, as I’m sure you can imagine.’

Ira nodded.

‘It’s not only the general surgery practice and the surrounding farms you’ll be handling, we also run a rescue and agistment centre on our property. We’ve got thirty horses who’ve been bequeathed to us or found in neglected circumstances.’

Charlotte noticed how Ethan always referred to the practice and the home they shared on Burra Burra Lane as ‘theirs’ not ‘his’. Sammy and Ethan were a partnership, in love and in business. So different to herself and Daniel. She had no intention of staying in Swallow’s Fall but hadn’t told him. He had seven toilets and shower units for an apartment she knew he wasn’t building.

‘Just as well I’m a horse lover then,’ Ira said. ‘And a trained farrier.’ He looked back at Julia. ‘Don’t judge a man’s strength by the slightness of his frame,’ he told her.

‘I won’t,’ Julia said softly, eyes popped.

‘Man, you look hot.’ Dan came around the bar, a takeaway coffee in his hand, as ordered by Red via a note in Lucy’s collar:
Could I have a takeaway coffee please? I need the caffeine hit if I’m going to be spending the evening looking at you over the Grangers’ dinner table.

He’d understood her real meaning: We need to get together and check stories before we go to Burra Burra Lane tonight.

Charlotte skimmed her hand over the thick waves of her hair in a self-conscious manner, as though she were unaccustomed to being sexy and fascinating.

‘Julia,’ she said, perhaps by way of explanation.

Dan took his time checking her out. One of the benefits of having an up-close-and-personal female friend. He could look at her for as long as he wanted, without apologising for his appraisal. Her pale skin looked like polished ivory against the deep blue of her dress. She wore tiny diamonds in her ears and a big silver locket was nestled at the swell of her breasts.

She’d done something sensational with her makeup. Eyeliner or eye shadow—or something—lined her top lids. The red lipstick on her full mouth just about gave him a heart attack.

‘Sexy,’ he said. He took her hand in his and looked at her fingers. ‘Double sexy.’ He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the bright red nails on her soft-skinned hand.

‘I don’t look too poshed up, do I?’

Dan ran his fingers along the neckline of her dress. ‘No.’ Stunning though. ‘You look good, Red. I’d really like to mess you up.’

‘There isn’t time. We have to be at Sammy’s by six. We take the southbound road out of town, and turn left at the fork on All Seasons Road, yes?’

He handed her the coffee and brought the thoughts in his head about going south on Red to a halt. ‘I’ll drive. I can run my hand up your skirt on the way.’

‘They’re expecting us to go separately. And they’re expecting us to be antsy with each other, remember?’

He looked deep into her eyes. ‘But we’re not, are we?’

‘No,’ she said. ‘We’re not.’ She put a hand to his chest as he lowered his face for a kiss. ‘No kissing. You’ll smudge my lipstick and although you haven’t opened the blinds yet, the doors aren’t locked.’

He groaned, deep and low in his chest.

‘I think we can appear reasonably friendly towards each other though. Since you’re my mediator.’

‘Whatever you say.’ Right this moment he wanted to negotiate her out of her dress. He looked down at her legs. They were bare and she wore high-heeled blue shoes. ‘Are your toes red-tipped too?’

‘Yes,’ she said softly. ‘I’m fully coordinated.’

Was she now? He looked at the skirt of her dress, hoping for x-ray vision. Red underwear? Somebody tell him no, or he’d bust a gut.

‘Get your mind off my lingerie, Hotshot.’

Dan tipped his head and smiled at her. She was right. There wasn’t time for hanky panky—unfortunately. Josh and Lily would arrive any minute and Dan would be opening the Bar & Grill in half an hour. They had to decide on a story that would put people off the scent of their secret relationship—and this was as good a time as any to take the opportunity of putting the story of what they were doing with each other right.

He’d had an uneasy rumbling of concern inside him since he’d snuck out of her house at six thirty this morning. He hadn’t intended to hit on her that early, but after his run and seeing her back bedroom light on, he’d popped into the B&B. Taking a morning shower with Charlotte had invigorated him so much he hadn’t felt the need for his usual weight-training session today.

‘While we’re sorting out our undercover stories,’ he said, ‘can I ask you something? I mean, I’m not worried about this either way, don’t get me wrong.’

‘You’re worried about us having sex and where
whatever
it is we’re doing might lead.’

Sharp and smart. ‘I’m not worried, Charlotte. But I don’t want you thinking I’m only coming around you for sex. I mean, what I mean is, I like you too. The
person
you.’ He paused. ‘And the woman you. All of you. I like all of you.’ And he sounded like a tongue-tied teenager. ‘Do you understand what I’m having trouble saying?’

She smiled. ‘Yes.’

‘And is it … okay with you?’

She took hold of his fingers. ‘Yes. We’re having a fun time.’

They certainly were. He brushed his thumb over her knuckles.

‘Why don’t we look upon our situation as time out?’ she suggested. ‘Me from the B&B renovations and you from building your—apartment.’

Was she taking about a timeframe? A few months? He hadn’t thought it would go longer than that anyway but as he’d given some consideration to their situation this morning, his composure was rattled. After all, he couldn’t speak for Charlotte and he didn’t know what she wanted from this; she might have expected it to lead to the whole deal: dating, making it known around town, having people look at them as though they were a couple. And if Sammy got a hold of the secretive, scandalous news, he’d be in trouble—nesting trouble. That was probably the reason his composure had been rocked. He’d got it back now, thanks to his girl. Their relationship would be fun and bargain-free. The type he liked best.

He put a finger to her chin and tilted her face his way. He gave her mouth a ghost of a kiss, aware of the lipstick issue, and smiled at her. ‘This is good, yeah? We’re on the same wavelength.’

She nodded. ‘Makes it easier all round, doesn’t it?’

Man, he was about the luckiest guy alive. He winked at her. ‘I’ll drive out first, you arrive about ten minutes after me.’

‘Okay, see you there.’

‘Hey,’ he called as she opened the swing door. She looked over her shoulder, impossibly beautiful. ‘Take it easy at the junction of All Seasons Road and Burra Burra Lane. The road needs resurfacing. It’s been wet through spring and all this sunshine we’ve been getting has made the bitumen slippery.’

She smiled. ‘Thanks for the tip. See you there.’

Dan watched her walk out of his bar. Once they got through this dinner, he’d pop over to the B&B. They’d spend a few minutes discussing the events of the evening, they’d no doubt laugh at how sneaky they’d been in covering their tracks. She’d try to tickle him, he’d catch her in his arms, kiss the breath out of her and they’d get down to making each other sigh. Pleasure sank through his muscles and hit bone. Luckiest man alive.

‘L
ooking a bit awkward there, Hotshot,’ Charlotte said under her breath.

Daniel shifted on the dining room chair, his body rippling like the folds of a warm blanket, his arm curled around little sleeping Lochie. ‘Be good, would you?’ he whispered. ‘We’re guests, remember.’

‘Just making an antsy observation.’

He shot her a look. The sleeping toddler in his arms was snuggled into a dark blue baby blanket, a toy koala clutched in his plump hand, sleepy and fragrant in the crook of Hotshot’s long, muscled left arm. A cute picture and one Charlotte hadn’t expected would make her like Daniel any more than she already did. How could she not like him? He’d charmed his way into her life and her bed. Well, they hadn’t made it to the sheets yet, but Charlotte had hopes.

‘How are you getting on?’ Sammy asked as she came into the room with a stack of dinner plates in her hands.

‘We’re fine,’ they said together.

‘I meant Daniel with Lochie,’ Sammy said, switching her focus to her two guests, like a judge evaluating leading witnesses in a courtroom.

‘He’s fine,’ they said together. Daniel gave her a frown and Charlotte pressed her lips firmly closed. She smiled at Sammy as Sammy put the dinner plates onto the table.

Warmth and welcome enveloped the house, which was old in parts and still under various forms of renovation but scrubbed and glossed in love nonetheless. It almost breathed with the Grangers, as though it drank every move the family made. The affection in the air surrounded Charlotte immediately when she stepped through the door—fifteen minutes after Daniel. Sammy had painted a mural of wildflowers in the hallway so it was like stepping into a spring field. Maybe she could persuade Sammy to paint a mural in the hallway of the B&B. Once she’d found the time to steam the flocked peonies off.

‘Alright, then,’ Ethan said as he walked into the room carrying a large plate of roast leg of lamb. The aroma of rosemary and mint settled over them in a delicious cloud of expectation.

Charlotte glanced over the laid table. Six places. ‘Are you expecting other guests?’

Sammy sniggered. ‘Julia and our new veterinary assistant, Ira.’

‘Ah.’

‘Yes, ah,’ Sammy responded with a smirk. ‘One dinner, four lovebirds.’

‘Okay, time out.’ Ethan spread his hands. ‘It’s obvious that my wife has a fixation with matchmaking and I’m sorry to say it’s unlikely she’ll back down any time soon—so it’s best if we all acknowledge it now because I don’t want it to ruin our evening.’

‘Puh,’ Sammy said, but she was grinning.

‘So you think Ira has a thing for Julia?’ Charlotte asked.

‘Absolutely.’ Sammy sat and picked up a linen napkin. She nodded at the windows behind her. ‘They’re out in the kitchen garden.’

The bay windows in the dining room, which had apparently once been the living room, looked out onto the gardens at the side of the house and the lawn at the front. It was twilight now, so only shadows played outside but Charlotte could imagine Sammy in this room in the daytime, looking up from her sketch pad, glancing out the window and down the driveway to the people who drove up, tooting horns in welcome, dropping off the children who worked at Ethan’s stables, or who came for art lessons with Sammy.

‘Julia arrived unexpectedly,’ Sammy said. ‘And Ira turned up within three minutes of her arrival.’

‘Three minutes?’

‘More like two and a half, actually. Said he’d seen her turn into the driveway while he was closing the gates in the lower paddock and thought he’d wander on over to see if we needed a hand. I invited them both for dinner.’

Daniel leaned forwards and lifted the lid off a china dish. The wafting fragrance of roast vegetables made Charlotte’s stomach rumble. ‘I’m starving,’ Daniel said, putting the lid back on the dish. ‘Why can’t we eat while your two lovebirds get cosy in the garden?’

‘You’re always hungry,’ Sammy said, picking up her glass and sipping her wine.

‘Yeah but I’m extra hungry today.’ Daniel gave her a grin. ‘Did an additional bout of exercise this morning.’

Charlotte picked up her wine glass and studied the merlot, willing the image of herself tumbling from the hot shower to Daniel’s bare chest to disappear.

‘Are you all set for Grandy’s arrival on Monday?’ Ethan asked her. ‘If there’s anything you need a hand with, just let me know and I’ll set Dan onto it pronto.’ Ethan smiled. ‘Give you both a chance to get to know each other better.’

‘Now who’s being the matchmaker?’ Charlotte asked. If they were all going to gang up on her and Daniel about getting it together, it might be best to let their banter roll on down the street and into every shop or house in town. Let them try to figure out if anything was going to happen between the newcomer and the mediator. It was unlikely they’d grasp the truth.

‘So Grandy knows about my offer?’ she asked Ethan.

‘Yes, he does. In fact, he had a few things to say about you.’

‘Oh, like what?’

Ethan shrugged. ‘Not really sure what he was talking about, but he said something about having expected you.’

‘He probably meant he expected someone to buy the B&B at some stage. He hated it being empty.’

Ethan looked from his wife to Charlotte. ‘How are the renovation plans going?’

‘Great.’

‘What have you done so far?’ Sammy asked.

‘I’m in the middle of taking the flocked wallpaper off.’ Had been ‘in the middle’ of that task for over three days.

‘What else?’

Charlotte sipped her wine. What had she done? Nothing. Dear God, she’d done nothing yet. ‘According to Mr Charm next to me, I need to get the banister fixed on the staircase.’

‘Ask Josh. I’m sure he’d do that job for you.’

Charlotte nodded at Ethan and put her glass onto the table. ‘I plan to take the old lino up and sand the floorboards.’ If this conversation continued they’d realise she hadn’t done any work yet. That would appear odd—and
was
odd; she hadn’t done even the smallest of jobs. She’d been distracted by the attentions of the man she’d been bickering with and was now sleeping with. No—correction—the man she was having sex with. They were unlikely to spend an entire night with each other.

‘Josh—again,’ Ethan said. ‘He’s your man for those carpentry jobs.’

‘That would put money in his pocket too,’ Daniel said.

‘At this rate he’ll have enough money to leave town by the time the B&B is up and running,’ Sammy said. ‘Not that I want to see him go.’

‘He’s planning to leave town?’ Charlotte asked.

‘That’s been the only thing on his bucket list for the last few years,’ Daniel told her, angling his left arm around Lochie and wiggling his fingers. Perhaps they’d gone to sleep, along with the toddler. ‘He’s had an argument or something with Gemma. They’re not talking.’