| |
The Royal Hotel came alive on Friday night as locals danced in the outdoor beer garden. Ana sat with her friends sipping Diet Coke after sharing in Meg’s bottle of chardonnay, more relaxed than she could remember being in a long time. The jukebox switched between country ballads, the latest pop, and old rock songs, filling the pub with a lively atmosphere where everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Everyone except Paul and Harrison Kelly, who glared at Adam as he danced with their sister.
Beside Ana, Liam crossed his arms over the table as his gaze moved between his cousin and the Kellys. ‘They look ready to smash his head in.’
Ana swallowed the lump in her throat. ‘They’re just dancing.’
‘I know that. But Paul and Harry ...’ Liam shook his head, his mouth twisting. ‘I don’t know what their problem is, but they don’t like it.’
‘Paul and Harry should get over it.’
Liam took a swig of his beer. ‘You don’t need to tell me.’
Ana glanced out at the crowd. She could see how Adam and Jordan’s proximity would annoy Paul and Harrison, but they were hardly making a spectacle of themselves. Yet the more everyone discussed it, the more Ana’s belly roiled with the rising tension. Why couldn’t they leave each other alone?
Sighing, she forced her spine to relax and glanced at Liam. Lucy was swaying with a farmhand from Tropic Sun—the banana farm south of Elizadale—and Ana’s feet itched to move. She hadn’t been out dancing in years, but she’d give it a little longer for Liam to issue an invitation before asking him herself.
When the men left to fetch more drinks, Meg glanced at Ana, curiosity gleaming in her pale eyes. ‘You and Liam look extra cheerful tonight.’
Ana tried not to blush and failed. Liam had filled her thoughts these past few days and she feared she might really be falling for him. She could resist and deny it all she wanted, but such a thing was undoubtedly futile. Liam was kind, easy to talk to, and he had a sense of humour, which wasn’t something she’d really considered important until now. But it was his dogs-are-people-too mentality that had stolen her heart. She’d been hesitant to ask for help with Louis’ car herding problem, but when he’d agreed, hope had risen inside her. She couldn’t wait to get started as every moment she spent with Liam made her feel glorious. And that was a definite sign of trouble.
‘That’s nothing,’ Ana said, trying to brush off Meg’s curiosity with a wave of her hand. ‘We hung out at the park the other day with Steph and Louis. He’s just being nice.’
‘No, that’s not it.’ Meg nudged Ana with her elbow. ‘Don’t hold out on me, girl. Something else is forming between the two of you.’
‘I’m not holding out on you. We’re just ... friends, maybe, who have the same type of dog.’
‘So, you haven’t been seeing each other outside of here and the dog park?’
Ana shook her head.
‘So ... nothing’s happened?’
Ana laughed at Meg’s crestfallen expression. ‘No. He’s nice, but nothing’s happened.’ And she should try to keep it that way.
‘He is lovely, isn’t he?’ Meg said, her excitement returning. ‘I’ve always thought he’d be a great guy to have. Not for me, but definitely for you. You’re both intelligent and dog-loving people.’
Jack, Liam, and Cade returned with drinks. Liam handed Ana a fresh Diet Coke before leaning his elbow on the table.
‘Thank you.’
‘No worries.’ He glanced out at the crowd, looking quite sexy in his knee-length denim shorts and black polo shirt that stretched across his chest. Her belly fluttered and she forced her attention towards Jack and Cade.
Ana was glad that Cade had joined them tonight. The more she got to know him, the more she liked the young Elizadale cop. He may have run wild in his youth, but with his father being the town sergeant and his mother the strict teacher, Linda Wilson, Cade had pulled himself together and followed in his father’s footsteps. Like his parents, he was tough, and Ana still thought he was the hottest man in town. The kind of hot that women knew was out of reach. But she was glad to have him as a potential friend because the day might come when she’d need him.
Shaking her head, she sipped her drink.
Liam glanced at her and Meg. ‘All set for school on Monday?’
Meg grinned. ‘Yep!’
Ana nodded. ‘I arranged my classroom today and have my first term planned. I hope to decorate the walls with lots of artwork.’
Liam smiled and her insides turned to mush. Ana sighed, trying to ease her frustration with her foolish hormones.
Lucy returned to the table and snatched up her drink. ‘Hey! What are we talking about?’
‘Work stuff. Where’s your buddy?’ Ana asked.
‘Oh, that’s Dave. He’s pretty nice. I think he likes me.’
‘Of course he does, Luce,’ Cade said with a devilish grin that rivalled Adam’s. ‘You look good.’
Ana smiled. Lucy was indeed an attractive woman with a taut, lean body—a credit to her love of horse riding and hiking. She looked amazing in her tight blue jeans and snug black top, her dark hair hanging loose and long over her shoulders.
She laughed and gave Cade a playful shove. ‘Aww, thanks, Cade.’
Cade nudged Liam. ‘You’ll have to beat them off with a stick, mate.’
‘She can beat them off herself.’
Lucy sipped her Diet Coke. ‘Yep. And have you guys seen the way the fuckhead twins are watching Adam and Jordan? They’re rearing for a fight.’
Jack groaned. Ana shared his sentiments.
‘It’ll happen all right,’ Jack muttered. ‘But I’m not getting involved ’cause I don’t wanna drink at Smithy’s.’
Lucy’s dance partner returned. ‘Gotta shake up the dance floor. Call me if Paul wants to fight!’
She waltzed away.
‘You’ve got your work cut out for you with that one, mate,’ Cade said, slapping Liam on the back. ‘Makes me glad my sister’s married.’
‘Lucky,’ Meg muttered, and Ana didn’t miss the usual envy in her voice. Again, she reminded herself to talk to Meg about that. But for now, Ana focused on Cade.
‘You have a sister?’
‘Yeah, Emma. She’s a nurse. Got married a few years ago to her high school sweetheart and has little Naomi, my favourite niece.’
Adam returned to the table—without Jordan—took Jack’s beer, and downed half of it.
Jack barely blinked. ‘You gonna buy me another one?’
Adam slapped some money on the table. ‘I’m not waiting at the bar.’
‘You realise that this kind of behaviour with Jordan is what started your last fist fight with Paul and Harry.’
Ana pressed her lips together, her hand tightening around the glass.
Adam shrugged. ‘No, last time it’s because we weren’t “exclusive”.’ Adam actually used air quotes while Jack and Cade sighed in frustration. ‘Hey, don’t blame me. She’s the one who took up with another bloke. The sooner the moron brothers get it through their heads that Jordan doesn’t care about that stuff, the sooner my jaw will stay intact.’
Jack rolled his eyes. ‘Why do you put up with her?’
‘She uses you, mate. And last time, she got a free car service out of you.’
Ana frowned as Adam waved Cade’s comment away. ‘Yeah, yeah.’
‘Can’t you just find someone to settle down with?’ Jack asked.
‘I don’t wanna settle down. Hey, hon.’ Jordan joined them and Adam slipped his arm around her waist.
‘Ooh, beer, gimme.’ Jordan took Jack’s beer and sculled the rest.
Meg placed her hand on Jack’s arm. ‘Want to go to the bar?’
‘Seems I have to.’ Pushing away from the table, Jack and Meg left.
Jordan placed the glass on the table and glanced up at Adam. ‘Let’s get outta here.’
‘Righto.’ Adam lifted his hand in farewell. ‘Say bye to Jack for me.’
‘Where do you think you’re going, Maguire?’
Ana stilled, her heart leaping into her throat at the sound of Paul Kelly’s voice.
‘Home. You got a problem with that, Kelly?’
‘Yeah. I do.’ Paul stepped towards Adam, his eyes narrowing.
Ana shot a glance at Liam. Was he going to let this happen? Yeah, she was new in town and had no real idea why the Maguires and Kellys hated each other so much, but surely they didn’t need to fight!
Jordan’s lip curled. ‘Oh, fuck off, Paul.’
Tearing his gaze from Adam to his sister, Paul’s eyes flashed. ‘Jordan, you have to stop screwing around with Maguire.’
‘Hey, look! She can damn well—’
‘Don’t talk to me about my sister, Maguire! You have no right—’
‘I think I have every right to say what I fucking wanna say!’
‘Hey!’ Jordan shouted, reaching past Paul to take Adam’s arm. ‘Come on, forget him. Let’s just—’
Adam held up his finger. ‘One sec, hon.’
‘Don’t you “hon” my sister!’
‘I’ll “hon” your sister all I want! You have no fucking say in it, Paul. No say in what either of us does.’
Paul’s lips twisted. Ana cringed. ‘Then maybe I’ll “hon” your sister next time she’s in town.’
‘No, you fucking won’t.’ Jack’s voice could cut glass as he returned to the table with Meg and a full beer in his hand.
‘Fuck you, Maguire. Stay out of it.’
Adam’s fists clenched at his side. Ana’s breath caught. ‘Yeah. No, you fucking won’t.’
‘We’ll just see about that. You’ve got my sister, so I’ll—’
Adam’s fist collided with Paul’s jaw so quickly that Ana didn’t see it coming. She gasped as her hands flew to her mouth. Paul stumbled back. Jack advanced. Lucy rushed over. Jordan started shouting more obscenities. Paul came back swinging.
Ana placed her glass on the table, her hand shaking. She tore her gaze from the men, her heart racing and breath catching painfully in her throat as she dropped her head into her hands and tried to block it out. There was a crash and she squeezed her eyes shut.
Blood ... pain ... the swell of darkness. Everything came rushing back.
Then, all too quickly, the shouting stopped and silence fell as bodies scuffled around her. Ana looked up. Cade and Jack had Adam by the arms and Harrison had hold of Paul.
Liam stepped between them. Ana’s breath escaped in a whoosh.
He held his hand to his cousin’s heaving chest. ‘Stop it, Adam.’
‘You keep my sister out of this!’ Adam shouted, a small trickle of blood dripping down his chin.
Ana pressed her fingers to her lips. A metallic taste filled her mouth.
Memory. It’s just a memory.
‘Okay, okay!’ A short blonde woman in a Royal Hotel T-shirt hurried over. The men ignored her.
‘Fuck you, Maguire! If it wasn’t for you—’
‘Enough!’ The blonde woman screamed it this time and everyone in the pub shut up, leaving only Midnight Oil burning beds on the jukebox.
‘Maguire! Kelly!’ The blonde was petite, but the fury in her eyes silenced Paul and Adam. ‘What have I told you? No fighting in my pub! You know the rules! Get out and I don’t want to see your faces for a week! And if this happens again, I’ll ban you for life. I mean it!’
‘Sorry, Georgina.’ Adam shook himself free from Jack and Cade’s grip. He reached for his keys by Ana’s hand.
She flinched.
But Adam didn’t seem to notice as he glanced at Jordan. ‘Come on. Let’s go.’
‘Seriously, Maguire?’ Paul called after them as Jordan led Adam out of the beer garden. Jack went with them. ‘I thought I said—’
‘Shut up, Paul!’ Georgina cried and Paul shut up. ‘Your sister is a grown woman and does as she pleases. Get over it. Because if you cause another scene in my pub, I’ll kick you out of here forever. You got me?’
Georgina advanced, pointing her finger at Paul’s face. And even though her head didn’t even reach Paul’s shoulders, there was no mistaking that Paul took Georgina seriously.
‘Sorry, Georgina.’
‘Good. Now, get out of my pub.’
Following Georgina’s pointed finger, Paul and Harrison left. Chatter quickly resumed. Thankfully, everyone seemed to have been too immersed in the fight to have noticed Ana’s reaction.
She took a deep breath and sipped her drink, forcing herself to relax and appear unperturbed. The last thing she wanted to do was explain herself.
‘Did you lot cause any trouble?’ Georgina asked, eyeing the rest of them with her hands on her tiny hips.
Meg shook her head. ‘Sorry. We tried to warn Adam.’
‘Then you can stay.’ She turned on her heel and strode back inside.
‘Well ...’ Liam turned back to the table, amusement flashing through his eyes. Ana frowned. She didn’t see what was so funny. ‘Looks like we’ve got rid of Adam for the week.’
‘Can’t blame him.’ Smirking, Cade rested his elbows on the table. ‘I would have punched Paul’s smart mouth too.’
Ana raised her eyebrows as she stared at her new friends. Did none of them care that what had just happened was illegal? She glared at Cade. He should damn well know better. And Liam ...
He took a swig of his beer and met her gaze. Ana forced herself to soften. She’d love to tell them off for treating what had just happened as a normal part of life, but that would only raise questions she didn’t want to answer. She didn’t know what had come over Adam and Paul. Anger and alcohol weren’t a good mix, but Ana suspected it wasn’t just that. Adam wasn’t doing anything wrong and he had every right to tell Paul to get over it.
It was Paul who puzzled her. What was his problem?
When Jack returned, Ana shoved all thoughts of violence from her mind. She’d been having a nice evening and she didn’t want a stupid testosterone-fuelled fight to ruin it.
‘Adam and Jordan left and I had a word to Paul. I ever hear the name “Lily” or a reference come out of his mouth again, I’ll punch him myself.’
‘All right, Jack.’ Meg placed her hand on his shoulder and surveyed the rest of the group. ‘So, now that’s over, why don’t we all go dance?’
Desperate to shake off her tension, Ana downed the last of her drink and jumped to her feet. ‘Sounds good.’
Jack sat, sighing heavily. ‘I’d love to, darlin’, but I’m not in the mood to dance.’
‘I’ll dance with you, Meg,’ Cade offered.
Finally, Liam extended his hand to Ana. ‘May I?’
She smiled. ‘Of course.’
Ana took Liam’s hand, tingles shooting up her arm as he led her to the dance floor. Slipping his arm around her waist, he pulled her close. Her blood warmed and her tension melted away. She fitted into his arms perfectly.
‘Now you’ve witnessed a Kelly-Maguire brawl and you’re starting with the kids on Monday. See? You have to admit. Elizadale’s growing on you.’
Ana smiled, her knees weakening as they swayed to the slow music. It didn’t impress her that he’d shrugged off his cousin’s behaviour, but her heart had a mind of its own as it waltzed happily inside her chest. ‘It is. But I don’t like fighting.’
‘You did look a little pale ...’ His curious eyes searched hers. Ana gulped and quickly dropped her gaze, not caring if it gave her away.
She didn’t want to talk about it. Discussing Rick at the park had been hard enough and she didn’t like sharing the experience. But she might tell Liam about her past eventually, especially if they did develop a relationship.
‘I was just a little ... shocked, is all,’ she said, shrugging.
‘I don’t blame you. Honestly, fights don’t happen often. Not anymore. But it’d help if Adam stayed away from Jordan.’
Ana returned her gaze to his. She didn’t know how much longer she’d last on legs that were turning to jelly. ‘You never know. One day, he might meet someone and fall desperately in love.’
Liam laughed, the sound escaping from deep inside his chest and shooting tingles across her skin. ‘We’ll see. But right now ... I don’t care about Adam.’
Ana swallowed. She gazed into his alluring blue eyes as a tug of want pulled hard at her belly.
She’d never felt this way about a man before. Never desired one so much. Not with any of her previous dates and certainly not with Rick. And as she danced snug in Liam’s arms, everything seemed quite right in the world.
But she couldn’t date Liam. As much as she wanted to, Ana didn’t have it in her. She didn’t want to start something with potential only to lose it. Because she wasn’t naïve. Rick would look for her. He would find her. And she would run.
She’d have no choice.
‘Liam ...’
His hand hardened against her lower back, cutting her protests short. ‘It’s okay, Ana. Let’s just dance.’
She nodded, doing her best to relax. Thinking about what could or couldn’t be would only ruin the moment. So instead, she focused on enjoying herself, an easy feat when wrapped in Liam’s warm embrace.
* * *
That night, the nightmare returned.
She’d never known such pain. Everything hurt. Her ribs. Her knees. Back. Shoulders. She couldn’t move. Her throat was raw. It hurt to breathe. Her screams echoed inside her head.
Rick’s footsteps had faded.
Ana lay unmoving, her cheek pressed to the cold wooden floorboards. Maybe if she stayed still, she’d sink into oblivion and the pain would go away.
Then Louis’ whimpers cut through the night air and Ana’s eyes flew open. The border collie puppy scratched at the back door, crying.
No, she couldn’t stay there. She needed to get up. She needed to take Louis and run.
Except this time, Ana couldn’t move. In this nightmare, Rick came back.