The Wildwood Sisters (27 page)

Renee stared at him pleadingly. ‘But Dylan, I want this, I want
you
.' Her voice was shaky. ‘Please, I've waited so long…'

‘I know. Believe me, I want you too. But you mean more to me than just a shag in the back of a ute, so I won't let our first time together again be like this. If it's destined to happen in the future, it needs to be special—memorable for all the right reasons. And we need to make absolutely certain this is what we both want, without any doubts whatsoever, and without alcohol clouding our judgement. I mean, you don't even live here anymore, so that's quite a big hurdle to get over if we decide to make a go of things again.'

Sighing, Renee looked away, as if searching for answers in the darkness. She dropped her head and closed her eyes. ‘So what do we do now? Just pretend this didn't happen, like when we almost kissed the other day?'

‘How about we just climb into your swag and hold each other while we fall asleep?'

Renee nodded, her smile now reaching from ear to ear. ‘Now that sounds perfect.'

Dylan rolled the swag out in the back of the Land Cruiser while Renee grabbed Mick's swag and went to put it on the bonnet. Unable to keep his eyes off her, Dylan watched as Renee walked towards the front of the four-wheel drive, wishing they could both just give in to the moment with reckless abandon, like they had all those years ago.

But they couldn't. He still had to work on getting rid of the guilt he harboured at having feelings for a woman other than Shelley, and he also needed to introduce Annie to Renee, to see for himself how his darling daughter might react to her. Because as much as he wanted to have Renee back in his life as more than just a friend, Annie came first, and if the two didn't gel, then he couldn't see a future for them beyond friendship, no matter what he wanted. And on top of all that, a long-distance relationship was going to be extremely challenging.

When Renee jumped back up onto the tray of the Land Cruiser, they both took off their boots and then crawled into the swag still fully clothed. Cuddling into one another, their bodies melted into one, as if they were both made from the same mould.

Renee spoke first. ‘As much as I hate to admit it, you were right in stopping us from making love. Not living here poses a big challenge, and we need to think of Annie too. We shouldn't be jumping into bed straight away. We have a lot of catching up to do before that, and a lot to consider.'

Dylan hugged her tighter. ‘Trust me, I want nothing more than to make love to you, but yup, we need to take things slow. I've got a lot of stuff to deal with at the moment, and I don't want my stresses affecting us in any way.'

Renee stroked his hand with her fingertips. ‘Is it something you can talk to me about?'

Sighing, Dylan took a few moments to respond. ‘Some bastard is playing games with me. Cutting my fences almost every week and letting my cattle out, and on top of that they're tampering with my pumps that send water to the paddocks, so my livestock don't have enough water to drink. I have no idea who it is and they just keep getting away with it.'

‘Oh Dylan, I'm so sorry. What bloody lowlifes. Do you reckon it could be bored teenagers, getting up to no good?'

‘Quite possibly, I've got Craig on the case, but nothing seems to be happening. It's so bloody frustrating. And on top of all of this, the farm is struggling a bit financially, hence the reason I took the job with your pa.'

Renee turned her head to face him. ‘I really wish there was something I could do.'

‘Yeah, I know, me too.' He placed a lingering kiss on her lips, the sensation sending pleasurable warmth throughout him.

‘There's something I need to talk about too.' Renee's voice was almost a whisper.

Dylan kissed her cheek. ‘I'm all ears, what is it?'

‘You know last week, when you found me at the hunter's shack?'

‘Yeah.'

‘Well, I stumbled across Scarlet's old diary in there, and in it she talks about this other man she was in love with—someone other than Billy. My instincts tell me whoever she's talking about was responsible for her disappearance.'

Dylan sat up, dragging Renee with him. ‘Holy shit, Renee. That's a huge find. Have you taken it to Craig?'

Renee shook her head. ‘No, not yet.'

‘Why the heck not?'

‘I haven't told anyone—not even Pa. I just wanted some time to mull over what I'd read, to come to my own conclusions, before I handed it into the police.'

‘And have you had that time now?'

‘Yeah, I suppose, but it's so frustrating that it hasn't really brought me any closer to figuring out who she was talking about.'

‘Well then, I think you should definitely be giving it to Craig. You never know, he might see something in there you haven't picked up on.'

‘I know. I just don't want to upset everyone by dragging the past up again, especially if the diary leads to nothing. Nan doesn't need the stress right now after her heart attack.'

‘Fair enough. In that case, maybe ask Craig to keep it quiet for now, just until he looks it over.'

‘Do you think he'd do that, keep it quiet from my grandparents?'

‘I reckon he probably would. It's worth a try.'

‘Yeah, you're right, it is worth a try.' Renee caught Dylan's eyes. ‘I've missed you.'

Dylan grabbed hold of her hands. ‘I've missed
us
.'

Renee smiled lovingly. ‘Enough of my dramas. Have you got a photo of Annie? I want to see what your gorgeous girl looks like.'

Dylan reached into the pocket at the back of his jeans. ‘I sure do.' He pulled a photo out of the little casing in his wallet. ‘Here she is, the one and only Miss Annabel Anderson.'

‘Oh my goodness, Dylan, she's beautiful.' Renee admired the photo for a few more seconds before handing it back.

‘She certainly is.' Dylan glanced at the photo, smiling like only a doting father could, before placing it back in his wallet. ‘But then again, I have a very biased opinion.'

‘I look forward to meeting her.'

‘You'll be meeting her soon, I'd say.'

The two of them eased themselves back down. Closing her eyes, Renee rested her head against Dylan's chest as Dylan wrapped his arms tighter around her. A comfortable silence settled between them, the touch of their bodies against one another speaking a thousand words. Above them, the night sky put on a dazzling show, the stars glittering against the black backdrop of night, the moon only hinting at its presence amongst it all.

Dylan sighed gratifyingly, as did Renee. In the morning, things might be different, but for now, just being able to
be
with one another, to be able to lie in each other's arms, if only for this beautiful breathtaking moment, was absolute heaven.

Dylan stepped from the four-wheel drive and pulled on his jacket, making sure Annie did the same, before reaching back in and grabbing the flowers they'd picked from the garden at home from the dashboard. He looked skyward as he pressed the central locking button on his horsehair keychain. In every direction ominous dark grey clouds blanketed the blue sky and clung to the edges of the surrounding mountaintops, the sun only peeking out from behind as if it were teasing the earth beneath. The scent of rain was heavy in the air. It wasn't going to be too long before the sky opened up to a heavy downpour, and the darkening sky matched Dylan's increasingly gloomy mood. He just hoped the rain would hold off for the next hour or so. Was that too much to ask whoever was in charge above?

Upon arriving home from the Studs and Fuds ball that morning, his cattle had been let out again, the keys had been stolen from his tractor and four-wheeler motorbike—thank God he had spares—and the pump that sent the water up from the back creek had been switched off again, leaving his horses and cattle without sufficient water. He'd called into Craig's place and filled him in, but as usual, it was the same shit, different day, Craig saying he would investigate further and let him know if he came up with anything.

Dylan had felt like screaming blue bloody murder, but he'd held his tongue, the fact Craig was his neighbour and a man he considered his mate overruling his urge to lose it completely. What pissed Dylan off even more was that he'd woken so happy and optimistic just before dawn, with Renee still tucked up in his arms—and with Mick snoring like a trooper on the ground beside the four-wheel drive, the awkward position of his body on top of his swag letting Dylan know Mick had basically passed out before he'd even hit the ground—a feat in itself with a broken leg, but a huge relief because it meant he and Renee hadn't been sprung by his boss's right-hand man.

He hadn't wanted the night to end. It had felt so right to be holding Renee, and he'd wanted to stay with her like that forever, although fear of Mick seeing them together had forced them to part pretty speedily once the dawn light began to break. The way Renee had smiled when she'd first opened her eyes and seen him still beside her had melted his insides, and left him wanting her even more. She was just as beautiful first thing in the morning as she'd been when he'd first laid eyes on her at the ball. When he'd first spotted her in the crowd last night, with her long slender legs slipped perfectly into her cowgirl boots and that short denim skirt covering just enough to leave things to the imagination—wow! It had taken every bit of his reserve to not jump at the chance to make love to her in the swag. And thank God he hadn't, for he knew that he would have felt like the biggest arsehole on earth this morning.

Stepping off the pretty flower-lined pebble pathway, Dylan felt the all-too-familiar crunch of the pristine blades of grass beneath his boots. It was as if the entire lawn had been combed. Stopping, he bent over and picked two bright orange-and-yellow marigolds from the bordering flower garden for Annie, as he always did, one for behind each of her ears. It was one small way for him to bring a wisp of a smile to her face at a time like this. The flowers' pungent musky aroma filled the air—the scent halfway unpleasant and halfway alluring—bringing with it a flood of childhood memories for Dylan, some good, some not so good.

His dear late nanna, Edith—his mum's mum—had always planted marigolds, because they were the only flowers that never said die, no matter how hot it got—and up here in the North it got damn hot. His father had hated the smell of the blooms, and always took great pleasure in proving that as hardy as the flowers were, they couldn't beat him. Peter had gone out of his way to accidently-on-purpose step on Edith's garden whenever he got the chance. None of them ever said anything, though—him, his mum and his nanna—too afraid of the explosion it would cause.

Approaching the place where he and Annie had recently planted Shelley's favourite flowers, petunias, Dylan half tiptoed, feeling slightly bad for walking on the faultless lawn—the groundsman clearly proud of his job. All the trees and shrubs that provided much-needed shade and colour around the place were manicured to perfection, the scene almost too perfect for a place such as this. Yes, it needed to be made out to be heaven on earth, so people could visit loved ones and somehow feel at peace with them, but sometimes, especially at the beginning, he'd struggled with the
normalcy
of the place. His world had been turned upside down when Shelley had passed away, and after three long heartbreaking years he felt like he was only just spinning it the right way back up. It was getting easier each time he came here, but it was never a place he looked forward to visiting. This was where he could come and pay his respects to Shelley, and where her body would be for eternity, but he liked to believe that her spirit was with him and Annie always. It helped him, and Annie, get through.

Annie walked beside him, her face displaying the ache in her heart. Her tiny hand clutched his, the strength in her grasp beyond what you'd think a girl her size capable of. No matter how many times he came here, the lump in his throat never went away and his emotions quite often threatened to give way. And given way they had, on many occasions, but only when Annie wasn't with him. He would never let Annie see her father crumble. He was determined to be her rock, no matter what.

Reaching Shelley's final resting place, he and Annie stood motionless for a few moments, words unnecessary right now. The little flower garden they had planted around the marble grave was dotted with things Annie had wanted here for her mum, including a bright colourful wind catcher that spun in the breeze and two angel statues that sat either side of it. Kneeling down, Dylan placed the bunch of flowers into the sun motif vase in the ground. Annie knelt down beside him, her hand coming to rest upon her mother's headstone before she leant in and kissed the photo of Shelley. Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them away. ‘I miss you, Mummy. I hope wherever you are you're having fun today.'

Dylan tried to swallow the lump in his throat as he sat on the grass and folded his legs. Then, gently pulling Annie onto his lap, his arms surrounded her protectively as he gave her a kiss on the head. ‘I'm sure Mummy is having loads of fun up there in heaven, especially with your great-nanna Edith. And she'd want you to be having fun too.'

Annie fumbled with the bow on her pretty pink dress—she always wanted to dress up when coming to visit her mum. Her bottom lip quivered. ‘I try and have fun but sometimes it's really hard when I'm missing her.'

‘I know it's hard, sweetheart. I miss her a lot too. But when I get upset I imagine her standing in front of me telling me to put on a happy face. You know, like that song she used to sing to you all the time.'

Annie giggled, her wet eyes glistening. ‘I love that song, even though Mummy sang it way out of tune.' She sighed, smiling softly. ‘Daddy, do you really think Mummy can hear me when I talk to her? 'Cause I talk to her a lot…'