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Ana stilled. Been on a horse? Was he serious?
‘No,’ she replied weakly. ‘I’ve never even touched a horse.’
She may have liked the idea of riding the other day, but she hadn’t mentioned it to him since realising how big horses were. And that riding one meant she’d have a large, powerful animal beneath her and that people died riding horses every day.
Liam took her hand and led her to the stable doors. ‘Then you’ve come to the right place. I’ll introduce you to a horse today.’
Ana followed him, more out of curiosity than anything. ‘Can’t we just drive?’
‘It’s nicer to go on horseback. Driving takes the fun out of it. Unless ...’ Inside the stables, he turned to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. ‘You’re not afraid, are you?’
Swallowing, Ana wasn’t sure what she was. She didn’t mind the idea, but that didn’t stop her heart from thumping. Horses were intelligent creatures that always seemed to know what a person was thinking. The closest she’d been to one was at the Show. And frankly, she didn’t trust animals that were bigger than she was.
‘No, I’m not afraid. But ... I don’t know, Liam. Shouldn’t I start with a few circles around a paddock rather than a long ride through the farm?’
‘I’ll teach you how to ride first, don’t worry. And we’ll take it slow. I promise you, Ana. We have people come here all the time who’ve never ridden before. You’ll be fine.’
He took her hand again and led her towards a stall. A brown horse poked its head out of the gate and Ana jumped. It was huge!
‘This is Esme. She’s Lucy’s mare and she loves the young ladies. She has a soft temperament and has been ridden by inexperienced people before, so she’ll be nice and calm for you. Esme, this is Ana. She’s never ridden before, okay?’ As he stroked Esme’s face, she actually seemed to be listening to him. Or was it just Ana’s imagination trying to settle her nerves? ‘I want you to be nice to her, all right? I know you will be.’
He tugged Ana’s hand and urged her a step closer. She obliged. There was nothing to be scared of when Liam was there. He wouldn’t put her on a horse she couldn’t handle.
Swallowing her nerves as she believed horses could sense fear, she reached up and stroked Esme’s nose. She was soft and velvety, her eyes blinking at Ana with kind curiosity.
‘Hello.’ Ana’s shoulders relaxed a fraction. ‘You’re a pretty girl, aren’t you?’
‘She’s a good girl,’ Liam said, squeezing Ana’s shoulder. ‘You stay here and talk to her. Rub her neck too, she likes that. I’ll grab the tack.’
Liam left, but Ana didn’t mind. Esme couldn’t hurt her when still inside her stall. Besides, if you were friendly to a horse, then the horse would be friendly to you. Right?
God, she hoped so.
‘So, you’re Lucy’s? I can see why she’d like you. You’re beautiful and tough, just like she is, hey?’ Esme made a sound as though in agreement. Ana took a deep breath and ran her hand down Esme’s neck, her reddish-brown mane brushing through her fingers. ‘You’re going to take me on a tour of Shadow Creek, hey? I hope you know your way around because I sure don’t.’
Ana continued to talk to Esme, ignoring what Liam was up to as she allowed her pulse to settle. She was feeling more comfortable with the horse and almost excited about the adventure when Liam returned. He slid a bridle over Esme’s head and led her out of the stall. Outside, Ana remained with Esme while he retrieved his own horse. Archer was only slightly taller than Esme, but he was solid and Ana was glad she didn’t have to ride him.
‘Wow. He’s big.’
Liam laughed, securing Archer and taking Ana’s hand. ‘You want to see big? Come with me.’
He led her back inside and introduced her to the rest of the horses. First there was Bobby, who was Michael’s and looked like he was asleep on his feet.
‘Lightning is currently in Townsville with Lily,’ Liam said, passing by an empty stall with a lightning bolt on the wall. Then he introduced her to a massive black horse who was far larger than the others. ‘This is Vendetta, Adam’s prize gelding. He’s always liked the big dark ones, black preferably, ever since he was eleven and got Vader.’
Ana raised her eyebrows, again questioning Adam’s mentality. ‘Vader?’
‘Yeah. As in Darth Vader. Jack had Yoda and I had Anakin. Lucy named her pony Leia. Thankfully, we’d grown out of the Star Wars theme by the time Archer, Esme, and Vendetta came along. And over here—’ He led her to the next stall where another large horse stood, this one of a brown variety. Ana knew there were technical names for the colours, but to her it was just brown. ‘This is Jack’s horse, Dante.’
‘That’s a nice name. He’s big too. I didn’t realise you all needed a horse though ...’
‘We don’t need horses,’ Liam said, leading her back outside. ‘Not for work. But we like horses, so we have them for pleasure riding and to take tourists out with. Besides, there are some parts of the property that are best accessed on horseback. Lucy and Lily both grew up doing horse sports though. Lil has ambitions, but Lucy’s more interested in training and breeding these days.’
‘But you’ve all been riding for a long time, haven’t you?’
‘All our lives. And now, I can teach you.’
Ana glanced at Esme. ‘I’m going to be sore tomorrow, aren’t I?’
‘Maybe, but I’ll make it up to you when you resort to bed rest.’
She shook her head and pretended to disapprove. ‘You’d love to keep me horizontal all day, wouldn’t you?’
He grinned, his eyes wicked. ‘Only if you want.’
‘How about you just show me what to do, then we’ll see, hey?’
As Liam began her lesson, Ana quickly learned that there was a lot more to riding a horse than simply sitting on its back. Liam showed her how to saddle Esme and then settled a white riding helmet onto her head.
‘You won’t see anyone around here wearing this crap, except the tourists. But at the moment, baby, you’re no better.’ He clipped it under her chin and pressed a kiss to her lips. ‘I wouldn’t want you to do yourself a head injury.’
She swallowed. ‘This is precautionary, right?’
‘Of course. Trust me, Ana. I wouldn’t put you on a horse I didn’t think was right for you. Jack and I agreed Esme would be kind and I believe Lucy gave her a briefing yesterday.’
Taking a breath, Ana nodded as she followed his next instructions. Liam gave her a leg up and she mounted Esme. It felt strange with the horse and saddle between her thighs, but as she wriggled her bum a little, she found a comfortable seat.
‘You’ll take a photo of me up here, right?’ she asked as Liam adjusted her stirrups. ‘I’ll need to send one to Nat. She was going on about how she wouldn’t mind trying to ride.’
‘When she visits, we can take her riding too. But sure, I’ll take a photo. Later, when we’re out among the paddocks. How’s that?’
The stirrups felt okay, so she nodded as Liam untied Esme and handed her the reins. They spent some time going over how to ride and with every lap around the paddock, Ana’s spine relaxed. Steph and Louis sat on the grass by the swing set, watching her with their heads tilted and ears perked.
‘I think I’ve got the hang of it. I’m happy to go if you think I’m ready.’
‘All right. Stay right there.’
Ana watched as Liam gathered supplies from the car and packed them into Archer’s saddlebags. With his Akubra on his head, he swung easily onto his horse. Everything inside her tightened. Damn, he looked good. He might live in town, be a businessman and about to open a café, but he was still a true Australian country boy and riding off through the farm was bound to be the ultimate rural date.
‘You look hot on a horse.’
He grinned and adjusted his hat. ‘What? You think I should do this more often?’
‘Well ... maybe we could.’
He laughed. ‘All right. Let’s get going.’
Liam stayed close to her and called for Steph and Louis. The dogs ran over and followed them down the road, Liam stopping for a gate that opened onto a paddock. Steph had obviously ridden with Liam before as she walked slightly to the side of Archer. Considering Louis practically stuck to Steph, Ana wasn’t worried about him, especially when there were no cars to chase or anything that should cause them harm.
Except maybe snakes.
Ana shook her head. No, the dogs would be fine. All she had to do was absorb the majestic scenery as she and Liam rode across the paddock. The lush land curved here and there, the grass long from the recent rain. Ana still couldn’t identify many of the trees, but they varied in colours and sizes. Up ahead rose the small mountain, which held the National Park. Ana smiled as she breathed in the clean, clear air that still smelled like rain.
Shadow Creek was beautiful.
‘How’re you going there?’ Liam asked as they moved into some bushland and stopped at another gate. He leaned down to open it.
‘I’m all right. This is quite enjoyable, actually. And the land is amazing.’
Liam closed the gate behind them and they continued on. Ana laughed as Steph and Louis raced ahead to herd a flock of sulphur-crested cockatoos. Then Liam held out his hand and, being brave, Ana let go of the reins and took it. His hand squeezed hers as he flashed her a warm smile. Never would she get this anywhere else, no matter where she ran away to next. There was no place like Shadow Creek and no man like Liam Maguire.
Ana’s heart ached. She had to stop thinking about it. She didn’t want to leave. Didn’t want to ruin this moment. So, shoving all her worries from her mind, she embraced the romance of being out with Liam beneath the warm sunshine.
And she continued to enjoy it, until almost forty minutes later when they were still riding.
‘Are we nearly there?’ she asked, adjusting herself in the saddle. Now she realised why the Maguires had great butt, thigh, and stomach muscles.
‘Almost. Sorry, I’ve given you a bit of a tour. But we’ll be at Maguire Falls shortly.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘Maguire Falls?’
‘That’s what we call it. It’s a part of the actual Shadow Creek near the retreat. See up there?’ Liam pointed towards the mountain where a large brick building peeked through the trees to overlook the farm. ‘That’s High Ridge. What you see is the lodge, where Lucy lives and the guests can gather.’
‘Wow. She must love that view.’
‘Yeah, she can see all the way over to Adam’s place—’ he waved his arm somewhere towards the west ‘—the farm, the Kellys, and even to White Peaks. There are cabins with views, a campground, and walking tracks into the National Park.’
‘Can we go there one day?’
‘Of course. We could go riding through there too, if you like?’
He flashed her a smile and Ana rolled her eyes. ‘We’ll see how I go after today. My bum is already sore.’
‘Yeah, sorry. We’re almost there, I promise. Or do you want to stop?’
She shook her head. ‘No, I’ll be fine.’
After a few more minutes, the unmistakable sound of rushing water cut through the silence. They weren’t far from the retreat when they reached a thicket of trees and Liam swung off Archer.
‘We’ll walk from here.’
They tied Archer and Esme to a post and Liam slipped his backpack from the saddlebag. Ana followed him along a worn path, Steph and Louis trailing behind them, panting heavily. The gradient increased as they climbed up a few rocky steps and the sound of rushing water grew louder. Then Liam led her around a thicket of bush and they arrived at a clearing overlooking the stunning creek. Up ahead was a small waterfall, maybe two metres tall. The crystal-clear water rushed down a series of rocks and pools beneath the heavy shade of thick, green trees.
‘Oh, wow ...’
‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’ Liam wrapped his arm around her waist. ‘I love this place.’
‘I can see why.’
‘It’s perfect to swim in and have a picnic. The tourists enjoy coming here. It’s our own little piece of paradise.’
Paradise indeed. It was the perfect spot to cool down, relax, or have a romantic rendezvous.
‘Let’s sit down. We’ll have something to eat, then take a dip.’
Liam took Ana’s hand and led her to a spot closer to the creek. She was about to give Louis permission to swim, but he was already running towards the water and jumped in with a splash. Steph stood on the edge and watched him.
‘Doesn’t Steph like swimming?’ she asked as Liam placed the cooler bag on her lap.
‘She’ll get in once we do,’ he said, offering her a bottle of water. Ana drank and rested her head against Liam’s chest. ‘I also brought you a vegemite sandwich and an orange.’
Her stomach rumbled with gratitude. ‘Thank you.’
They watched the water as they ate. Louis clambered back onto the rock and shook himself, panting happily. Ana smiled as she relaxed against Liam, enjoying the peaceful isolation and musical splash of the waterfall. Time slipped away beneath the gum trees.
‘With you here in my arms, Ana,’ Liam said, his chin resting on her shoulder, ‘I couldn’t be happier.’
She smiled, content as she ran her hand over where his clasped around her waist. ‘It’s been a lovely day, Liam. I’ve really enjoyed it. Thank you.’
‘I’m glad.’ He placed a kiss in the curve of her neck. Ana sighed and closed her eyes. ‘Are you happy here, Ana?’
‘I am.’
‘You don’t want to leave?’
She swallowed the knot in her throat. ‘It’s not about want, Liam. It’s ...’
Pressing her lips together, she glanced down at their hands. Even if Rick found her ... she’d what? Spend her life playing a game of cat and mouse?
‘No, Liam.’ She interlocked her fingers with his. ‘I don’t want to leave. I wish I could stay here forever.’
‘Good.’ He touched his lips to her neck again, then lifted his head. She turned to meet his gaze, finding his eyes warm and bright. ‘I love you, Anastasia.’
Everything inside her tightened, then softened. Her heart waltzed as she grinned and lifted her hand to place over Liam’s gorgeous cheek. ‘Did you bring me here just to tell me that?’
His lips quirked. ‘Quite transparent, aren’t I? Yeah, I did.’
‘Because back home or anywhere else wasn’t good enough?’
‘I wanted the day to be special. And to bring you here. And to go swimming because it’s been so damn hot.’
Ana laughed. She’d tried telling herself otherwise, but she’d loved Liam for many weeks now and there was no going back. She hadn’t only answered his question just then, but also made him a promise.
She wouldn’t leave.
‘I love you too, Liam. And thank you for bringing me here. It was a beautiful gesture.’
Liam kissed her. And deep in her heart, Ana knew she was where she was meant to be.
* * *
The parole officer stepped out of the apartment and lifted his hand in a wave. ‘You’ve done well, Rick. I’m very pleased with your compliance. See you in ten days, hey?’
‘Sure thing.’ He waved the officer off, closed the door, and grinned. ‘Not fucking likely.’
He dashed into the bedroom and grabbed the packed suitcase from the wardrobe. He didn’t have a minute to waste. Ten days may be plenty of time to make that ridiculously long trek to Elizadale—the bitch sure had put some distance between them. But he didn’t have a clue what he’d find when he got there. He’d need to scout out the place, find out where she lived, who was protecting her.
Not that it mattered. The opportune time would present itself and he’d get the stupid slut. She didn’t stand a fucking chance.