*Daisy heaved the frame of the sofa bed back into place, tucking in the trailing sheets and squashing it down by sitting on the couch cushions. She spread the bright pink scatter cushions over the navy seats and stood back, satisfied there was no sign of her presence in the room. The real estate agent was doing an inspection today and Molly was already frazzled by her car not starting when she’d wanted to go to the shops first thing. Daisy had loaned her the wagon, but there hadn’t been time to transfer the car seat, so she’d stayed home with Lara.
The baby seemed content enough throwing her toys out of the fold-up playpen in the corner of the lounge room, but she’d been there the whole time while Daisy cleaned up. There was no reason they couldn’t go out and greet her mum now that she’d heard the car pull into the driveway.
With Lara on her hip, she manoeuvred her way through the screen door and frowned at the strange Landcruiser on the driveway where her wagon should be.
“Molly?”
She skirted the vehicle and recoiled at the sight of Connor bending over the engine of Molly’s Focus. After what happened on the weekend, there was no way she wanted to confront Connor O’Brien in any way, shape, or form. In this case, form was exceptional. He was wearing the khaki green overalls he wore for maintaining the buses and planes, and the way they fitted over his butt was a visual feast. Even worse than talking to him was being caught eyeing him off. With a baby on her hip. She backed away, but Lara had her own ideas.
“Coco.”
Connor straightened and turned with a broad smile on his face. It faded immediately when his gaze rested on her.
“Hi, Lara-bun. Hello, Daisy. I didn’t realise you were here.”
That was telling her.
There was none of the heat in his eyes she’d seen on that night. She’d never realised hazel eyes could look so cold. Maybe it was the blue-green tinge that made them chilly, swamping the gold brown.
She forced her tongue to form normal words. Not the ones that came first. Whiny needy ones. “Hi, Connor. Molly isn’t here. She borrowed my car. Are you fixing the Focus?”
“You think?”
The sarcasm was unusual for easy-going Connor. He’d always been a solemn guy, not chatty. Lately it seemed like he’d turned into a grinch. But maybe it was only around her.
“Sorry. Just making conversation.”
He grunted, wiping his hands on his thighs, drawing her attention to the way they filled out the overalls. Damn. She loved a man in uniform, even a mechanic’s uniform. Generically speaking. It wasn’t only Connor. Yeah, right?
Lara tilted forward, trying to reach Connor. He stepped back. “Sorry, possum. I’m covered in grease and your mum would never forgive me for trashing your pretty clothes.”
Daisy glanced at her watch; the masculine band was heavy on her wrist, but it withstood any amount of rough treatment in the workshop. Connor had given it to her after she’d wrecked one too many cheapies. She’d told herself it was too valuable and too useful to discard, and Connor would refuse to take it back, like everything else he’d given her.
The time was getting away. She should be gone, but until Molly came back with her car, she was stuck. Lara poked out her tongue and made a raspberry noise at Connor. He returned it with interest, causing the little girl to chortle with laughter.
So, it was just with Daisy he was a grinch. Watching him make faces at the baby tightened that pain in her chest that never quite went away. For a man who never wanted children, he would make a wonderful father. Maybe it was her that was the problem. Maybe he just didn’t want to have children with her.
He turned back to the engine, fiddling with something. She and Molly were not mechanically minded, so Connor had always maintained their cars. Seemed like he’d kept doing it for Molly, even after Daisy left town. He’d even taught them both to drive. He couldn’t believe Daisy got to eighteen without her licence. After he’d taught her, he made sure Molly had hers on her seventeenth birthday. Just like a big brother.
He’d helped Molly find the Focus, once she’d got her licence, checking it over at Cavallo’s car yard before he’d let her spend her savings on it. He’d done some kind of deal with Mr Cavallo to cut the price if they bought the old wagon for Daisy as well, because neither of them had much cash. The seventies-era wagon hadn’t even been roadworthy, but he’d spent weekends rebuilding it for her, telling her it would be useful for her business.
She debated hanging around or taking Lara back inside. She didn’t want to look like she was avoiding him after what happened the other weekend, which she kind of was. But hanging around might look like she wanted his attention. Either way, she was stuffed.
The distinctive sound of her wagon came just in time, turning the corner and slowing. The engine whined a little as Molly crawled to a stop half across the end of the driveway. She scrambled out, dragging a couple of brightly coloured shopping bags with her.
“Sorry I took so long. Everyone, like everyone, decided to go shopping this morning. Hi, Connor.”
He waved one grimy hand without taking his head out from under the bonnet. He had a smallish toolbox sitting on the front of the engine, resting precariously, blocking the view of what he was doing.
Her sister dumped the bags at the door and came back to take Lara. “Is everything clean for the inspection?”
Daisy felt exposed without Lara to absorb Connor’s attention. “You’d never know I was ever here.”
Connor grunted. “Hop in and start the car, seeing as you’re here.”
Handing Lara back, Molly scooted around and did as he asked. The damned car started first time. It was close to twenty years old and still went like a dream.
“Spark plugs. Should have called me before this. It’s overdue for a service.” He wiped his hands on his thighs again and packed up the toolbox.
Molly retrieved her daughter again. “I know. It’s been so busy and then Lara was sick, and I kept forgetting.”
“I’ll put it into the system when I get back to the office. Then I can remind you.” He grinned, chucking Lara under the chin. “Can’t have you running around in a shonky vehicle, can we?”
Molly kissed him on the cheek before heading inside.
Pain dug into her chest. Connor loved kids. He was good with them. He loved Molly, too. The ache in her gut distracted her, and she hardly heard him speaking.
“What?”
“I said: Are you still staying with Molly? Isn’t that a risk? Eleanor Cavallo is pretty flexible, but she can’t ignore a breach in a lease agreement forever. It’s not something you can hide in a small town.”
Guilt brought her chin up. “It’s only temporary. I’ve hardly been here all year.”
“You’re back for good now, aren’t you? You can’t sleep on the couch and expect to function.”
“I know I’ll have to find something, but I can’t afford anything until I get the business back up and running properly. I’m behind on everything.” She waved her almost-healed wrist at him. “I’ve only been able to do mostly small stuff at work in the last twelve months. The absolutely essential stuff.”
“Is it fixed now?”
“Still doing exercises to strengthen it, but it’s good.”
He indicated the car with a jerk of his head. “The wagon’s okay? I heard you were in it when you had your bingle.”
So, he had been listening to gossip. Though Molly probably told him. She was a talker, and she treated Connor like a brother.
“I had it fixed down at Byron.”
“I should check it over, all the same. I noticed a whine when Molly drove up.”
“It’s fine, really.” She didn’t want him doing things for her. It could become a habit. Again.
“Bring it over to the depot sometime. I can run you back to work.”
He had a possessive streak about the light green wagon, having brought it back from the dead.
The man trusted no-one else with his engines. Not even his dad or his brothers. Not that any of the other brothers were qualified mechanics, like their dad. Connor did his apprenticeship in the army, building on the knowledge he’d gained growing up in the business to get his formal qualifications. He reckoned it was financially way better. By the time she’d met him, he’d done his tour of duty and come home. There’d been some worry in the family that he had PTSD, but he never talked about it.
He’d shown no aggression to her. He was almost too passive, always backing away from an argument. It had made her wonder if he cared about anything when he wouldn’t fight. Her own parents had fought constantly, probably giving her an unbalanced view of arguments as communication.
“Daisy?”
She dragged her thoughts back. “I should go. Heaps to do for the opening next weekend.” He knew that. His band would be performing.
“You could always move into our place. It’s within walking distance of the old church.”
He looked odd. A kind of waiting expression, as if he expected something bad to happen.
“Are you asking me to get back together?”
“Shit, no. You wouldn’t want that. I’m not stupid.” He scrubbed one hand through his hair and then swore again. “The place is big enough for the two of us to rattle around without seeing much of each other. I’m mostly at the depot until late, anyway.”
“I told you I can’t afford rent at the moment.”
Staring off at something along the street, he huffed out a breath. “You know all that rent you were paying?”
“Yeah. What of it? Do I owe you for running out without paying for that last couple of weeks?”
“Damn it, Daisy, you are so stubborn. Did you even look at all that paperwork when you signed the lease twelve years ago? I put the rent you paid against the house loan. It said it explicitly in the documents you signed. I had Calvin do up a legal agreement. You signed it. You own part of the house. By the time you moved out, you’d paid about fifty thousand in rent all up, so that’s a fair whack.”
She knew she shouldn’t have trusted Trey’s dad. “I thought that was only the rental agreement.”
“You never read it, did you? I figured that out after what happened at Byron.”
“I hate that kind of stuff. You know that. Calvin Cruikshanks was all legal and pedantic. He said it would protect both of us, so I signed it.” He was a pompous ass. So patronising. Not at all like his son.
Connor’s groan was familiar. Not a grumpy groan, but a little exasperated. She’d heard it a lot when he was helping her set up her business accounts. Once she knew what to do, she was fine, but she wasn’t great with all that stuff.
She’d missed too much school in those early years when they’d been travelling with the circus. It hadn’t changed a lot with their mum sick and dad struggling to find work. Molly had been younger when they settled in the Crossing and had done well at school. Daisy had made sure she never missed a day.
“Look. You own part of the house, so you have equity. You can live in it without paying rent.”
She had equity? Mind blown. Her belly bubbled, sending acid to the back of her throat. She should have known this. Though she’d avoided everything to do with the legal stuff back then. Her own fault. But this was major. Equity in Connor’s house.
She knew about equity now. The paperwork around the sale of the business side of things at Byron had taught her the basics. She had more confidence, too, after years of running her own business. She’d actually read the stuff and understood enough of it. “If I have equity, that means I could ask you to buy me out. Then I’d have cash in hand to pay rent and put towards getting my business up and running.”
He was silent, frowning down at her. She shifted awkwardly, wondering what was making him so edgy.
“Is that what you want? Me to buy you out?”
“Well, we aren’t together. I thought that would be the logical thing to do. You can’t really want to live with me again. In the same house, I mean.”
“No. I can see you think it unacceptable.” He nodded and picked up the toolbox. “I’ll get onto Trey, and he can sort it out. Fortunately, real estate is doing well here, so you won’t lose out.”
She watched him walk back to the Landcruiser. There was something about him that niggled. A slump in his broad shoulders and the limp was accentuated. As if he was disheartened. Or maybe he was tired. He worked hard, and running over here first thing would be extra work.
As he backed down the driveway, she realised her car was in the way. She darted forward to move it, but he twisted the wheel and went over the gutter, the big four-wheel drive making light of it.
It was time to go to work. Molly was in the kitchen and Lara was napping in the playpen. “I’ll head off.”
“What was Connor talking to you about?”
“He wants to check over the wagon. Make sure it’s okay after the bingle.” She hesitated. “He said I could go stay in the house with him, but I said no.”
Molly nodded. She would understand. “It should be all right here for another few weeks.”
“I might have more options in a few weeks. Connor said I had equity in the house. Something to do with the rent I was paying when I lived there. I asked if he would buy me out. It should be enough to keep me going for a while until the business is back up to speed.”
Her sister was standing behind the counter with a carving knife in her hand, looking dangerous. Sputtering.
“What did I say?”
“You selfish bitch.” The words spat out and Molly was shaking. “Why would you do that? Hasn’t he done enough for you?” She swallowed down more words, resting the hand holding the knife on the bench, her knuckles white.
“It was him who said I had equity in the house. He was trying to explain why I wouldn’t need to pay rent.”
“You expect him to sell his house? The house he bought before you even met him and did up with his own hands. Just to get your hands on a few thousand dollars.”
“Why would he have to sell it? He’s always been well off.” Not like her and Molly. “He seemed to think it would be a decent amount. He said I paid in about fifty thousand. All the rent I was paying while I lived there, I suppose. He said something about real estate doing well.” She trailed off. “He was talking about selling it, wasn’t he?”
“Well, duh. He doesn’t keep the kind of cash you’re talking about in his pocket.” She put the knife down carefully on the breadboard. “I happen to know he’s outlaid quite a bit recently. The house has a mortgage on it, now. There’s no way he could pay you out without selling it. Then he’ll be left with not enough to buy another place. How could you? I knew you hated him, but to destroy everything? I don’t understand how you could do that. He loves that house. Dreamed of buying it from when he was a kid.”
Daisy struggled to find a breath. “He never told me that.”
But then she’d not wanted to talk about the house once they’d argued about the rent. She’d fought him all those years ago about paying rent and he’d turned it into equity. What a hypocrite she was being, grabbing at the money without thinking. Money she’d forced on him when he didn’t want to take it. It was an odd thing to do, now she had a moment to think about it. Like he’d expected her to be around forever. He would have known it was a risk if they broke up. That couldn’t be right.
“It’s not that I hate him. I didn’t know he’d have to sell the place. I just don’t think I could live with him.”
“You managed before, and this time you don’t have to sleep with him.”
“That’s the problem. I don’t know how I’d go, not sleeping with him.”
Molly eyed her narrowly. “You’ve slept with him, haven’t you?”
“I wouldn’t say slept. It was a quick shag at the back of the bistro last Saturday. It was bizarre. We were both there with someone else.”
“You were jealous.”
“Of course not. It was … unfinished business. We’re good now. I just feel embarrassed.”
“Did he mention it this morning?”
“No. It was like it never happened.” Which was kind of depressing.
Molly snorted. “Well, you can be sure he isn’t inviting you to live back with him for sex then. What’s the problem? It has about a zillion rooms and umpty dozen bathrooms. You’ll never see each other.”
“It’s not that big. Six bedrooms and three bathrooms. And the little one for guests. There’s only one kitchen.”
“Pretty sure you could work out a timetable. Free accommodation. A proper bed. Think about it.”
“I’d have to pay my share of electricity.”
“It’s fully solar. It won’t cost a cent.”
“Rates and water.”
“You are so annoying. It’s still got to be cheaper than rent. This place was the cheapest I could find. It’s taking a lot to keep up with while I’m off work. I can’t risk losing it.”
That was the crunch. Her staying here would put Molly and Lara’s home at risk. “I suppose it would only be for a few weeks. Until I catch up on all my orders. I was doing okay until the hand thing, and I had a fair bit of regular stock. I’m lucky re-enactors are patient, but that’s where the big money is in my business.”
“They know you do quality goods. They’ll wait to make sure it’s right.”
Daisy forced back a sigh. “I’ll ring Connor and tell him I’ll board at his place for the time being.”
“He’ll be relieved.”
She had a feeling Molly was keeping something back. Her reaction was so over the top. It was probably true about things being tight. Replacing buses and planes was a massive expense, even with a well-established business. He’d probably tied up his funds on something like that. Or maybe it was to do with the investment at Byron. There was something that niggled about the name on the lease papers. Connor’s company name. She’d seen it recently somewhere else. It would come to her. Sometimes if she let it alone, it would work its way back to the surface. She snorted. She’d made it sound like a rose thorn embedded under the skin.
In the meantime, she could reassure Molly. “I’m not sure I’m relieved, but it’s the logical solution.”
Her sister beamed at her. “It’s the right solution. You’ll see.”
She hoped so. It certainly wasn’t an easy one. Living in the same house as Connor was going to be all kinds of difficult. But she could get through a few weeks. Maybe by Christmas, or sooner, if the opening went well, the business would be back on track to be financially viable, and she could find her own place. She crossed her fingers like she’d done as a child. It hadn’t worked then, but you could live in hope.
*
“You’re thinking of selling your house? Why the hell would you do that?”
Connor pushed the beer glass across the table to his youngest brother before sliding into the old-fashioned booth. Cormac had overheard his phone conversation with Eleanor. Unfortunately. He was a nosy bastard. “Because I need the money.”
Joe Junior took his own beer and gulped down a mouthful. “You’ve barely finished the reno. Why now?”
His twin rolled his eyes. Gerard was always the calm one, looking on at the world from a faintly cynical viewpoint where Joe would get all het up over nothing. “What’s the problem, guys? Connor’s a grown-up. He can make his own decisions.” He picked up his orange juice and tipped the glass in Connor’s direction. “Here’s to a life without family interference.”
Connor wished like hell he hadn’t bounced that thought into the cosmos with all his brothers in the room. Apart from Fergus, but he was never home, anyway. When Cormac texted him the invite to meet at the Railway Hotel for a pub meal, he’d thought it was a good way to take his mind off his problems. Especially seeing Cormac was going to be there. His kid brother wasn’t in the band, so they didn’t see as much of him, working the hours he did.
“Just forget it. It was a random thought. It’s not like I need anything that size for only me.”
“You love that place. Though I suppose you don’t like the memories now Daiz is out of the picture.” Cormac at least had some understanding of his feelings.
Though if that had been the problem, he could have sold it a dozen times since Daisy left. Acreage on the edge of town was in high demand. Eleanor Cavallo was always emailing him with the latest sales figures for similar properties around the Crossing. It wasn’t exactly nagging, but she wouldn’t want him to take such a lucrative sale elsewhere. He could sell it and bank an acceptable amount, even with the mortgage and the equity payout to Daisy. Could even buy something smaller in town or maybe something a bit run-down further out of town. Start all over again. Except he loved that house. He’d fallen in love with it as a kid, when he’d seen it across the river from home. He’d told his mother he’d buy it one day so he could stay near her forever.
She’d died not long after that, but the determination to own the house had remained. He’d got it at a good price, because the old owner didn’t have any family left. The house had fallen into disrepair, and most of the land wasn’t productive farmland. It had gone to auction to raise the money to buy into a nursing home a couple of years before Connor finished his tour of duty. Mal Forster had been after it, too, and they’d ended up going into partnership rather than enter a bidding war that would drive up the price. The guy had been happy with the amount he received, and Connor had been pleased to have a project to work on once he was out of the army. That had come sooner than he expected, but he couldn’t regret it. He wouldn’t have had the time with Daisy if he hadn’t been ready to come home.
Taking over the bus side of the family business was one thing, but he’d wanted something for himself. He’d thought he had it, had everything he wanted.
*
“Earth to Connor? What are you eating?” Cormac’s voice penetrated the fog of his memories. Eezee was waiting patiently with her notebook to take the order. Egita Zvirbulis was her real name, but hardly anyone used it. He couldn’t blame her for preferring the nickname, considering what the other kids had called her at school. He only remembered it because he’d dated her older sister in high school. Olga had married and divorced since, with three kids. Another thing to make him feel old. Everything did that lately.
He glanced at the laminated menu. “Grilled fish and salad.”
The others gave their order to Eezee, and he noticed Brendan eyeing her off. He couldn’t blame his brother. The bar manager was easy on the eyes, living up to her name in one sense, with her Dolly Parton big hair and lush curves. Very easy to look at. She would have been totally his type, if Daisy hadn’t sent his world upside down at that first meeting some fourteen years ago.
It was a full house at the Railway Hotel tonight. This was the bar the footballers patronised after matches. It was straight across the road from the playing fields, and nobody seemed to care if the crowd got rowdy. Most tourists didn’t even know it existed, situated as it was on the edge of town beside the rarely used railway station on the wrong side of the tracks.
It could use a face lift, but the owner wouldn’t want to spend that kind of money when the current rush of extra customers went back to the more central Spotted Cow after it was rebuilt. The karaoke nights were the big draw here. Connor rarely attended, because he and his brothers were usually playing elsewhere on Friday and Saturday nights.
It was Joe Junior who brought up the topic again. “Okay, Connor. Tell us why you’ve suddenly decided to sell your dream home.”
The meals had arrived, and they would be safe from interruption in this corner of the room. “I told you. I need the money.”
“Can we help?” Joe Junior probably had money in the bank. He went nowhere, did nothing that cost money. Not that Connor would take it. This was his responsibility.
“I’m good, really. It will take some juggling around.” And the sale of the house. The cheque from the sale of the building in Byron was in Trey’s trust account. Once that was released, he might have more flexibility, but there would still be a big mortgage to deal with. Most of his money was tied up in the craft centre project he was doing with Daisy and her mates. A property with a church, a decent-sized hall and a spacious minister’s house right on the water was valued high these days.
They’d named it Wyvern Faire, but it sounded a bit airy fairy to him. Something to do with dragons meaning the same as the river name. Their choice. In the meantime, he couldn’t see a way out of selling the house if she wasn’t prepared to wait. Daisy’s share would amount to way more than the original fifty thousand, considering the current value of the property.
Cormac paused in the act of putting a piece of steak to his mouth. “This is because of Daisy, isn’t it? You’ve overextended with that investment project you were doing with Trudie Weiss. Now Daisy needs money. I heard she hasn’t been able to work because of an injury.”
He was a bit close for comfort, though he wouldn’t know exactly what the investment entailed. Only Ewan and Trudie knew the details. He suspected Molly had an idea, too. “Who told you about the injury?”
“I’m a cop. I know everything.”
Connor cuffed him lightly on the shoulder. He could be such an annoying jerk sometimes. “Think again, Ballet Boy.”
Cormac just laughed at the old nickname. “Correct answer. Molly told me back when it happened. Daisy wanted advice on dealing with the police department down at Byron.”
Seemed like everyone knew more about Daisy’s life than he did. He shouldn’t resent it, but he did. Molly had become like one of the family when he and Daisy were together. He should have expected the rest of the family to keep in touch with her, especially Cormac, who’d done ballet classes with her when he was a kid.
“Anyway, I’m still looking into it. I’ll talk to Trey, because there are legal ramifications if I sell.”
The conversation moved on, once the guys realised he really wasn’t interested in talking about it. It had only been because he’d received the valuation he’d asked for from Eleanor when he’d barely taken a seat that it had blurted out.
Normally, he enjoyed time with his brothers, but tonight he was glad to go home.
It wasn’t far as the crow flies. Across the railway line, skirting the empty site where the Spotted Cow had been, out past the new shopping centre and bypassing the housing estate.
The house was in darkness, but there was a light gleaming on the front drive. His heart thumped hard once when he recognised the wagon. The light was Daisy’s phone, reflecting off the windshield.
She was out of the car by the time he pulled into the carport to one side of the house.
He found her standing at the bottom of the wide timber stairs leading up to the verandah that stretched across the long front of the old building. Waiting like a guest at a house that used to be her home.
“I tried to ring earlier. You didn’t answer, and I didn’t want to leave a message.”
He checked his phone and there were two missed calls. “I had it on silent while I was eating. I’m not on call. Sorry. How can I help?”
It had to be urgent if she made the effort to come and find him. He led the way up the stairs and the security lights came on.
“I was thinking about your offer. Molly and I talked it over after the rental inspection. If it’s still okay with you, I’ll come and stay at the house.”
“I don’t understand. I thought you wanted the money.”
A faint colour showed in her cheeks. “I need to find somewhere now. Molly got a warning from the real estate agent.”
“And the equity?”
“It’s not a hurry if I have somewhere to stay for the moment. I should be back on track with my orders in a few weeks, so I’ll be able to afford rent.”
He wondered if Molly had something to do with her change of heart. Beyond the urgency caused by the rental agency. “I have to admit, it would make things easier for me if you didn’t need your payout straight away.”
She ducked her head. “So, when could I move in?”
“Right away if you want.” He opened the front door. “Come through and choose a room. Not all of them are fully furnished, but we can move things around once you know which one you want.”
He flicked on a couple of light switches that covered the hall and the corridor that went off to the left towards the guest rooms. The main suite where he was established was along the right-hand corridor, at the other end, well away from where Daisy would be staying.
“Does the one at the end have its own bathroom?”
“Yes. All the bathrooms are finished.”
“I’ll have that one.”
He tried not to smile at the obviousness of the choice. The furthest away from where he was. “I’ll move a bed in tomorrow, if that’s all right.”
“It’s not too much trouble? The place at Byron was fully furnished, so I’ve got nothing.”
“No trouble. Ten minutes tops. There’s plenty of linen in the usual place. Just help yourself. I’ll be at work until late. One of my regular drivers is off on parental leave.”
She looked like he’d hit her for a moment, but then she forced a smile. “That’s nice. Anyone I know?”
“No. New family in town.”
She hovered in the hall. “I should go.”
“I’ll give you the keys.” He pulled a drawer out on the hallstand and handed her a set of keys. It was her own set, with the leather fob she’d made herself.
She stared at them for a few long seconds. Finally, Connor closed her hand over the cool metal, using both his hands to steady hers, sending sparks along his nerve endings. This was such a bad idea.
She tugged her hand away. “Thanks, I’ll see you around then.”
He stood for a long time watching her car travel slowly along the driveway and then faster once she turned onto the road into town. His guts were tied in knots. It might have been better to just sell the damned house. Living in close proximity was going to kill him. Or make him stronger. He wasn’t sure that saying counted in this situation.