Chapter Twenty-Three

Luke shook his head as he retrieved Jake’s jacket from the kitchen and threw it at the unrepentant boy. “Hurry up or the bus will have to wait for you.”

“You haven’t forgotten anything else, have you?” Thomas’s exasperated tone reminded Luke of his brothers’ ribbing him years ago. “We’re going to miss the bus.”

“No, we won’t. Not unless you’re a slowpoke.” Jake touched his heels to the sides of his pony.

“What an idiot,” Thomas muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Have a good day.” Luke patted the horse’s rump as Thomas urged his horse after Jake. He was rewarded with a half wave.

Thomas had changed. He appeared happier, seeking jobs around the farm, asking questions, learning. The previously ever-present scowl had gone.

Luke whistled as he returned to the kitchen and Amy. Although Marcia’s return signaled some changes to their routine, the working schedule he and Shannon had forged around the children during Marcia’s absence was easy to continue.

Luke readily accepted Marcia’s suggestion they return to sharing evening meals, but for the rest he’d asked if he might call on her for babysitting duties as needed, rather than her looking after Amy daily.

Instead of being put out at not being needed anymore, Marcia’s sly smile confirmed Luke’s suspicions. His aunt had used the arrival of her granddaughter to force Luke closer to the children. And wise woman that she was, she’d been right.

In just a few short weeks, Luke had learned so much about himself. I’d never considered being a family man. Now I know I can be a competent father-figure.

His whistle faltered. I’ve still got a long way to go if I want to be a husband, though. He glanced along the hallway to the door at the end. I need a plan.

“C’mon, Amy.” He helped his niece down from the table. “I want to be back from town before midday. We need to leave now.” Need to come up with this plan, too.

The trip to Invercargill took longer than Luke expected and they’d ended up with fast food for lunch. Not that Amy had complained. She’d been so excited to get her cast off nothing had upset her today.

Hanging around at the timber yard because his order had been incorrectly put together didn’t bother her. She’s such a good kid. Luke smiled into the rear vision mirror as he swung off the road into their driveway. She deserved the treat. Her falling asleep in her car seat meant him unloading the truck before checking in with Shannon.

Luke frowned as he pulled into the yard. A strange car sat beside the gate. Parking behind it, Luke alighted and strode into the house. The place appeared deserted. He checked the office and knocked on Shannon’s door. Silence greeted his shout.

He wandered back out to the truck and drove across to the sheds. Rod hadn’t mentioned anyone visiting, but, Luke shrugged. The car probably belonged to one of the stock agents who called in periodically.

Keeping the noise to a minimum, he began unloading the truck. If Amy’s still asleep when I’ve unloaded, I’ll start on the next platforms.

He thought Shannon must have gone to Riversleigh, although he hadn’t noticed her car passing his along the main street.

Luke grinned. She insisted on working her allotted number of hours, so Luke didn’t object to her taking time out for herself. He wished she’d think of herself a little more.

Luke had the truck unloaded, had nipped back to the office for blueprints, and was assembling his tools when he caught the sound of a motor bike. Surprised, he wandered out of the shed and leaned against the truck’s tray as the bike sped into view.

When Shannon spied his truck, she changed direction and headed right for him. It wasn’t until she skidded to a stop beside the truck a pillion passenger, glued to her back, was visible.

Barbed wire encircled Luke’s chest and contracted at the shared laughter from the pair.

“Amy’s asleep,” he growled.

Shannon stretched up and glanced in the truck window at the stirring child and turned off the bike. “Oh, hell. Sorry.”

Luke glared at the pair. Exhilaration seeped from them. The guy appeared in little hurry to unlatch himself from Shannon and climb from the bike.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you in the office?”

Shannon’s eyebrows jerk up at Luke’s abrasive tone.

The laughter disappeared from the bloke’s face and he left his seat. His obvious reluctance to do so heightened Luke’s blood pressure and he itched to wipe off that smirk.

Shannon appearing unperturbed by Luke’s annoyance irritated him even more. What the hell does she think she’s doing, gallivanting around with some bloke while I’m away?

Instead of showing any sign of guilt or embarrassment, Shannon swung her leg over the bike and heaved it onto its stand. “Luke, this is Darren Thompson. He’s from the local mountain bike club. He offered to come out and give us his opinion of our bike track.” She turned to the guy. “Darren, this is my boss, Luke Prescott.”

Her boss? I’m more than your boss, lady. He glared at her. Aren’t I? His stomach reacted to his doubt by contracting painfully.

Shannon’s eyes narrowed and she avoided meeting his gaze.

Luke rolled some of the tension out of his shoulders before reluctantly shaking the hand held in his direction.

“Shannon showed me your trail. It looks reasonable. A little on the short side but I guess it’ll attract some riders.”

Luke planted his feet and crossed his arms. Reasonable? The arrogant sod. “Short? So you’d suggest we lengthen it?”

The younger man shrugged, flashing a smile at Shannon. “If you want riders to come this far out of town you’d probably want to give them a bit more. Successful trails need―”

Does this guy think he’s talking to an idiot? “I’ve checked out those trails at Sandy Point.” He’s not listening to me. He’s too busy ogling Shannon.

“I reckon—”

I don’t care what you reckon, sunshine. “Most of them are grade three, right?”

Luke noted a slight stiffening in the man’s back. Good, he’s getting my message, loud and clear.

“Maybe our trail will be a grade five.” He flashed his own—probably unpleasant—smile. “There’s not too many grade five trails around here, are there?”

Luke had no idea how to turn their track into a grade five but he was sure as hell going to find out. And not from this wannabe Casanova, either.

“Thanks for coming out, Darren.” Shannon took his arm and drew him toward his car.

Amy’s call allowed Luke to ignore the man after a stiff nod in his direction.

“We appreciate your input and hope your club will try out our park once we’re open.”

Luke didn’t hear what else Shannon said, but their furtive conversation prior to Darren’s car edging out of the yard was enough to raise his body temperature another ten degrees.

Marcia arriving to start preparing their evening meal gave Luke a needed excuse. He lifted Amy into his arms—when she could have easily walked into the house under her own steam—and went to talk to his aunt, with barely a nod of acknowledgement to Shannon.

I’d better quell these possessive feelings before I dare talk to her. Damn, I could have strangled that moron.

Luke groaned under his breath. As a mountain bike rider he wouldn’t be nervous riding behind Shannon. No, he was taking advantage of the situation by wrapping his arms around her.

And her giggling suggested she wasn’t bothered by the bloke’s actions. What did they do out on the trail? Did he touch her out there? Did they kiss?

Heat burst through his body and he planted a fist into the hallway wall. Luckily he must have struck a stud because the gib board didn’t concave, although his knuckles ached.

He stormed into his room. Keeping away from Shannon was imperative until his anger subsided.

****

It hadn’t been hard for Shannon to refuse Darren’s dinner invitation, although she’d been gentle. His blatant flirting had done wonders for her ego, but he was too much of a boy to consider accepting him.

When he’d stood next to Luke, she couldn’t help but compare the two men. Heat sneaked into her face as she wheeled the bike into the shed. Luke had won, hands down.

Luke hadn’t been pleased by the other man’s presence, although Darren had come at her invitation to advise them.

A little thrill tickled her back as she recalled Luke’s expression when he’d noticed Darren’s hold on her. Am I right in thinking I know why?

Shannon was deep in thought as she crossed the yard. Her heart relished the idea Luke might have been jealous, but her head fought to control any wayward thinking.

****

Happier than she’d felt for years, Shannon hummed as she rinsed the breakfast dishes.

With Thomas being less abrasive, and more helpful, life had lost much of its angst. He no longer snapped and snarled. He no longer sniped at her at any turn. And most incredibly, he no longer talked about returning to Auckland every chance he got.

She sighed. Worrying about him before had taken so much of her energy she couldn’t believe how light-hearted she felt now.

He’d needed something in his life she hadn’t been able to provide. She hadn’t had a clue what until she’d seen him begin to blossom these last couple of weeks. Thomas had needed the influence of a ready-to-listen male. Something he hadn’t got from his father, not in any great amount anyway.

Shannon’s hands paused in the soapy water. She had a lot to thank Luke for—a great job, a place to live, and the return of a son she’d been sure was lost to her.

Yes, she felt happier now than she could remember being in a long time. Luke…

She jerked the plug from the sink. She wouldn’t allow herself to think any deeper about how Luke—the man—impacted on this sudden happiness. It was safer to concentrate on her improving relationship with her son.

Glancing at the microwave’s clock hastened her. Not sure what Luke might have lined up today, it was time for work.

Having Amy playing in the corner of the office made any discussion of a more personal nature impossible. Shannon had learned her lesson well. Four-year-olds had no discretion.

Telling herself this was just as well, after she’d caught a particular warm glance from Luke, she wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince.

Tense emotion simmered between them. Each outwardly ignored it, but each was aware of its presence.

They were having a bite of lunch when Luke startled Shannon by slamming his cutlery onto the table. “If Marcia can babysit tonight, would you come out to dinner with me?”

The sudden unexpectedness of the question robbed Shannon of an immediate response. They had been discussing diverting creek water into the water slide.

Her mouth dried as she stared at him. Dinner? Like a date? Shannon hadn’t been on a date in over fifteen years.

Her eyes widened. How does one behave on a date nowadays? She didn’t have a clue.

“No strings, just dinner. We’d go to the resort, or if you’d rather, into town to a restaurant. Then straight home again, if that’s what you want.”

Still, Shannon hesitated. What she wanted, deep inside, was the whole problem facing her now.

Accepting his invitation would alter their relationship. Am I ready for that? Ready for where it might go? It probably wouldn’t develop into anything meaningful.

A sharp pain tightened across her chest. We might work well together as friends rather than employer/employee, but a date must change that. Shannon looked everywhere but at Luke.

The gentle smile she’d witnessed suggested he knew what he asked. It’s not only a date, it’s my acceptance of a changing relationship between us.

A finger rubbed up and down the center of her forehead. Keeping him waiting for an answer wasn’t fair, but she was relying on her common sense, which appeared to have abandoned her, to voice a polite refusal.

You’d be an idiot to refuse, whispered a voice inside. Your relationship changed the first time he kissed you. It can’t go back to what it was. Why hesitate?

“Shall I ring Marcia?”

He wasn’t rushing her. She read that in his eyes. But his slow movement toward the phone, his pause before lifting the receiver, his delay in dialing the number, told her she could stop him at any moment.

Instead she sat silent, listening with growing excitement as he arranged care for their children.

“I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty,” he told her as he laid the phone down. “Thomas can come and hang out with the others, if he wants to.”

Shannon wasn’t sure how it happened, but her head bobbed up and down.

She rose from her chair when Luke gently slipped a hand under her arm. Bemused, she allowed him to walk her away from the kitchen.

Instead of stopping at the office, Luke walked her down to the interconnecting doorway and eased her through. He smiled as he touched his lips on her cheek in a light, featherlike touch. “See you at seven-thirty.”

She was left in her flat, staring at a closed door. But it was only lunchtime. She had work to do.

About to open the door and return to the office, she paused. Luke is the boss. And if he says I can have the afternoon off, who am I to argue?

A hesitant smile twitched at her lips. If I’m going on a date, I have things to do. What shall I wear? Breath caught in her throat. Oh damn, do I have anything suitable? She sped into her bedroom and threw open the wardrobe door.

****

“Where are you going?” Thomas demanded during his solitary dinner. His querulous tone chipped at her conviction she wasn’t doing something stupid.

“Out to dinner.”

She’d given him the option of staying in the flat or joining Marcia and the other children.

His cutlery clanged against the dinner plate. “Like on a date?”

Color flooded into Shannon’s face as quickly as it drained from her son’s. She avoided his eyes as he glared at her.

Shannon spun around and busied herself at the bench. “I guess,” she mumbled in agreement.

“Who’s this bloke you’re going out with?”

“I’m going to dinner with Luke.”

Thomas’s voice rose to a squeak. “Luke?”

She’d guessed Thomas might struggle with the idea of his mother going out with Luke. Luke was his friend, his confidant.

Sure enough, a glance over her shoulder confirmed his surly look was back. He concentrated on shoveling food into his mouth.

Shannon gave up waiting for the explosion. Instead she swung around to face him, fists landing on her hips. “Do you think I’m dead or something?” she snapped. “There’s nothing wrong with me going out to dinner with a man.”

Thomas’s chair tipped over as he jumped up. “I don’t give a stuff what you do…or who you go out with,” he yelled.

Her heart sank as tears welled up in her son’s eyes.

“But why do you h-have to do it with L-Luke?”

She struggled to ignore his obvious distress, knowing she mustn’t allow him to control her. She wrapped her arms around herself and forced steel into her wobbly jaw. I have to do this. I have to assert some authority.

Even as his expression warned of a return to their fraught relationship, she must not let him dictate her actions. Guilt warred with frustration as she glared at him. Deep breaths were dragged into her lungs as she searched for words to diffuse another ugly scene.

“I know you think Luke is a great guy, Thomas.” Her tone was gentle, conciliatory. “So do I. We’re only going out for dinner. I don’t understand why that should upset you.”

Thomas scrubbed a sleeve across his face. “I’ve seen the way you look at him, all googly-eyed. I’m not a baby, you know. I bet eating dinner isn’t all you’re planning on doing.”

Raw and primitive anger drove burning heat throughout her body. For the first time ever, Shannon itched to smack her son’s face. She opened her mouth, but no words would formulate to counter her son’s insolence.

Thomas took a harried step back and Shannon wondered if her expression relayed her murderous thoughts. Rage propelled her forward until she had the retreating boy jammed up against the steps to his room.

She ignored his bulging eyes and pallid face as she poked her finger repeatedly against his chest to accentuate her words. “Don’t you ever speak to me like that again.”

A growl escaped through her clenched teeth as she swung around and stalked into her room. Sinking onto her bed she grimaced. Now it’s me slamming doors in a temper.

Her hands shook. Her face burned. Inside, her stomach agitated like an old-fashioned washing machine, twisting this way and that. Oh God. I can’t go out in this state. I’ll never be able to eat. Her stomach would throw any food right back. Her chin dropped to her chest.

A glance at the thin watch on her wrist warned her Luke would be knocking at the door soon. She jumped up, searching for her cell phone. I have to text him, cancel, tell him I’m sick. Tell him anything, as long as he doesn’t turn up.

Her gaze slithered across her bed, across her dresser, frantically searching for her phone. Damn, it’s in the kitchen. And I’m not going back in there until I calm down. She sank back onto her bed and buried her face in her hands, willing herself to calm down. Deep breaths, deep breaths.

I can’t cancel. There was an almighty bump in her chest as she raised her head and stared at her reflection in the mirror above her dresser. Oh God, I have to go. I can’t cave in to Thomas’s tantrum.

The room swirled as Shannon refocused. She had no choice. A moan escaped. This was one battle Thomas could not be allowed to win. No matter how nauseous she felt, she had to go out to dinner with Luke.

C’mon, get with it. She rolled her shoulders taking several little breaths in an attempt to gain some control over the quivers still running up and down her body. Stop being an idiot. Forget Thomas’s attitude. Another moan escaped as she accepted this impossibility.

I want this. Forget Thomas and think about Luke. Shannon groaned, indiscriminately throwing a comb, lipstick, and handkerchief into a purse.

Is Thomas right? Am I lusting after Luke? Oh God, please don’t let that be the case. Please don’t let Luke have guessed the same thing.

Her indecisiveness intensified with the knock at the door. With a wobbly deep breath, she headed out to meet Luke. Having said very little, Thomas had managed to destroy any chance she would enjoy what could have been, should have been, a lovely evening.