‘It was a long way to come just to pass on a message from Griff,’ he said a little while later, toying with her fingers as he held her hand.
‘I had no plans to be anywhere else,’ she said casually, which made him lift his gaze to hers.
‘Is that the only reason you came here?’
He got a smug sense of satisfaction when she couldn’t hold his look. A little spark of hope began to flicker inside him.
‘I guess I wanted to see for myself that you were okay,’ she admitted.
‘I missed you, Cash.’
‘Really?’ she said curtly. ‘Is that why I heard from you all those times since you left?’
The spark flickered and died away. ‘I didn’t think you’d want to hear from me.’
‘Seriously?’ she said, removing her hand from his. ‘You didn’t think I’d be just as worried about you as everyone else was, after everything we’d been through?’
‘I guess I just didn’t think you’d be too eager to see me after I’d left without a goodbye.’
‘So you just decided not to bother?’
‘I’d already agreed to come over here, I couldn’t change my mind.’
‘They don’t have phones?’ she said, sitting up and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed.
God, she was still the most beautiful women he’d ever laid eyes on. He was briefly distracted by the intricate tattoos wrapped around her back and sides, before snapping himself out of it. ‘You’re right. I didn’t try hard enough.’ Another thing to add to his growing list of failings. ‘I know it sounds selfish, but I’ve been really trying to focus on getting my own shit together before I try to rebuild any of the other bridges I burned.’
She’d been draping the towel around her, tucking it in at the front as he spoke, but he saw her shoulders slump as he finished and he held his breath.
‘I know,’ she finally said, turning slightly to look at him. ‘And it’s not selfish. I think everyone realised you needed time to sort things out. I guess we all felt hurt that you didn’t think we’d understand.’
Linc sat up, rubbing the back of his neck as he let out a sigh. ‘I honestly didn’t consider how everyone else would take it. I was trying so hard just to get through each day.’
‘You need to see this from your family’s point of view too, Linc. They’re fixers. That’s what they do. Your dad can fix a broken tractor, mend a fence, patch up whatever’s broken around the farm,’ she said. ‘And your mum, she comforts everyone and tends to all the scrapes and scratches. They’re not used to standing by and watching while one of their kids is hurting. They’ve felt helpless.’
‘I understand that. I do,’ he said, looking at her steadily, ‘but I was in a really bad place. You feel all alone, even when you know you’re not. You lose yourself … It’s hard to explain to someone else when half the time you can’t even explain it to yourself.’
He saw her nod slowly and knew she was trying to understand. It was a bastard of a thing to deal with, and even though he’d come a long way in a relatively short time, he knew it was going to be a long road ahead. He’d have to work with it for the rest of his life. Linc got to his feet, not caring that he was naked, and saw her eyes widen a little as he moved towards her. ‘I really am sorry, Cash. I never meant to hurt you.’
Her eyes fixed upon his solemnly. ‘I know. And I’m glad you’ve been getting the help you needed. You look better … healthier.’
He’d been spending a lot of time outdoors since he got here. He’d taken up hiking and rock climbing and went on early morning runs—it all helped to keep his mind clear. He felt better mentally and physically than he had in years. ‘If I hadn’t been so busy ignoring all the warning signs, I could have saved everyone a lot of grief.’
He looked down at his arm, where she had gently placed her hand. ‘You’re getting help now, and that’s the main thing.’
‘I’m glad you’re here.’ He really had missed her, but he’d been so scared of rejection that he hadn’t let himself believe she would give him another shot. Yet here she was, and now he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’d do everything he could to make sure she stayed in his life. He couldn’t lose her again.
She seemed to hesitate at his words and his heart thudded in his chest. Maybe she didn’t feel the same way. Maybe he’d hurt her too badly for her to forgive him.
‘It was really good to see you again too, Linc,’ she said softly.
‘But?’ he asked, feeling his hopes sink like a rock.
‘But I don’t know,’ she shrugged. ‘I didn’t really think beyond finding you and giving you a serve about ignoring your family,’ she admitted with a half-smile. ‘I don’t really know where this could possibly go.’
‘Nothing’s changed since we were back in the Springs,’ he argued.
‘Everything’s changed, Linc,’ she said, shaking her head at him and stepping away. ‘You’re over here. It can’t work when we live in different countries. Living in Brisbane was one thing, this is something else entirely.’
‘I can’t leave straightaway, but I could work something out with the guys and we could find someone to take over for me.’
‘So this was only ever temporary?’ she asked.
‘The original plan was to be here for a couple of years until we’d established ourselves, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make a new plan now.’
‘Do you like it here?’
‘It has its challenges,’ he hedged.
‘But do you like it?’ she pushed.
‘Yeah, I like it. The country’s beautiful and the people are great … It has a lot of problems, but business-wise it’s the ideal place to have an office. We’re getting most of our client base from here and we’re gaining a pretty good reputation.’
‘That’s great,’ she said smiling.
‘But that doesn’t mean I have to be here.’ Although being the only one out of the three not married with children, it made sense that he be the one to uproot his life and move overseas. Still, they could work something out—he was sure of it.
‘Yes, it does, Linc,’ she corrected. ‘You need stability in your life right now, and your partners have been more than understanding so far, but I’m pretty sure they would take a dim view of rearranging everything just so you can be with some woman.’
‘She isn’t some woman,’ he said, tugging on her hand to make her look up at him. ‘She’s my woman. The woman I’m in love with.’ He saw her swallow hard and stare at him and he held his breath. ‘Stay here with me, Cash,’ he said quietly. ‘You said once before you could find work anywhere, or don’t work—it doesn’t worry me—but just stay.’
The woman I’m in love with, Linc had said and Cash felt her throat close up at his words. It was still there—everything she’d felt for this man before the whole wedding fiasco had torn them apart was still there. She’d felt the chemistry the moment she’d glanced up and seen him by the edge of the pool. She hadn’t expected that to have faded, but it was the other emotions, the ones not connected to his raw sex appeal, that had momentarily stolen her breath away. The realisation that she still loved him, and that hollow, empty feeling inside at the thought of saying goodbye to him. This was what she’d really come here for, besides passing on Griff’s message—to see if she’d somehow imagined everything that had happened between them. If she got here and felt nothing, then she’d at least be able to walk away and know she could start someplace all over again. If she felt something, then … well, she hadn’t quite known what would happen if that were the case. She hadn’t been overly confident in predicting Linc’s reaction.
She had to be crazy. Move to another country for this man? Maybe they were both crazy. Why not? a little voice questioned. It wasn’t as though she’d never made a spur of the moment decision before. She’d packed up and moved based on far less reliable relationships than this. But now it counted. This time there was more than a casual fling at stake. This time her heart was on the line.
Savannah had been trying to tell her for a long time she was heading down a destructive path. Cash had always thought of partying and men as things to make her feel good, to fill that void where her family should have been. It wasn’t until she’d seen Savannah and George together, and then met the Callahans, that it had hit her how much better her life could be.
She’d changed, and no one was more surprised by the transformation than she was. There’d been only one thing missing over the last three months, and she was looking at all five foot nine inches of him.
‘I’d have conditions,’ she said, managing to sound relatively calm despite the thundering of blood that had begun coursing through her veins.
Linc’s slow smile made her stomach flip. ‘Okay. Let’s hear them.’
‘Firstly, you wouldn’t be keeping me,’ she stressed. ‘I’ll find a job.’
‘Providing I check it out and think it’s safe,’ he added.
‘These are my conditions,’ she reminded him.
‘I work in risk management and security—I’m pretty sure I know what I’m talking about here.’
‘Fine,’ she huffed. ‘I’ll find a job in a safe part of town,’ she conceded, ‘and contribute to all expenses.’ He opened his mouth to protest but she held up a hand. ‘Secondly, you’ll call your parents and let them know you’re okay.’
‘Okay.’
‘I’m not finished yet,’ she told him. ‘Thirdly, you will never, and I mean ever, try and handle anything else alone.’ She took him by surprise, pushing his chest until he sat back down on the edge of the bed. She sat down beside him and took his hand. ‘If we’re going to do this, then you have to tell me when things are getting on top of you, and you have to tell me what to do to help. If that means you need some space, or you have to get out and go for a run, that’s fine, but I don’t want to be shut out. It’s all or nothing,’ she said and heard her voice shake a little. ‘Is that something you can do?’
‘That’s definitely something I can do,’ Linc said, moving his hand so that he could tug her closer. ‘I agree to all those terms. So we have a deal?’
Cash gave a small chuckle. For a life-changing moment, it had all happened rather fast. ‘I guess we do,’ she smiled as his lips covered her own.
Maybe this was where life had been trying to lead her all this time.
And maybe she hadn’t ended up with the wrong Callahan after all.