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Adam almost dropped the fruit bowl when Natalia opened the door. Since seeing her on his verandah that afternoon, the world had almost righted itself and he could breathe easier. He had her support and couldn’t ask for more.
Except perhaps the right to deserve her.
His gaze swept down her glorious figure. She hadn’t been kidding about dressing up. Her long-sleeved, high-cut, dark blue dress wrapped around every inch of her athletic body and hugged her thighs to her knees. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders in long golden waves, she’d darkened her eyelashes, and he longed to taste her pink, glossy lips.
Bloody hell, she wanted to take it slow? It’d be torture, but he’d do it because he didn’t want to rush into unknown territory and stuff it up.
He swallowed the lump in his throat. ‘Hey.’
‘Hey. You look nice.’
He wore his best jeans and a plain red shirt, but whatever. ‘Thanks. I think you outdid pretty. You’re absolutely beautiful.’
She didn’t blush. Instead, her eyes shone. ‘Thank you, Adam. You brought me fruit?’
He’d almost forgotten about the bowl. Chest swelling, he held it out. ‘I made this for you. Just thought fruit would be nice in it.’
Her eyebrows shot up as she accepted the gift. ‘It’s beautiful.’
Adam slipped his hands into his pockets. ‘Thanks. It’s simple compared to some things I can do, but I whipped it up on Wednesday ’cause I wanted you to have something.’
Her smile wrapped around his heart and squeezed. ‘Aww, thank you. Come in.’
She turned and strode towards the kitchen, her sexy hips swaying. Adam kept his hands in his pockets and followed. She placed the bowl on the bench and unloaded the fruit to better examine his craftsmanship. ‘I don’t know much about this sort of work, but I love it.’
His shoulders relaxed. ‘I’m glad.’
She placed the bowl down and picked up the bananas. ‘Did you grow these?’
‘Yep. It’s all from home. Bananas may be our primary business, but we grow other fruit, both commercially and for ourselves.’
‘Well, I enjoy passionfruit,’ she said, placing it back in the bowl. ‘And lemons. What’s this?’
He grinned as she held up a small green fruit. ‘Guava.’
‘I don’t think I’ve had fresh guava, so that’ll be nice.’ She moved in for an embrace. ‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome.’ He wrapped his arms around her and dropped a kiss to her glossy lips, resisting a moan at her taste. Strawberry. The sensual minx. How had she known he had a weakness for strawberries?
Her hands snaked up his back and he shivered. Shit. Better get to the pub and put a table between them.
But when they strode into the Royal, he saw Jordan behind the bar and his chest tightened. Beside him, Natalia hesitated. Unease passed through her eyes and he swallowed.
‘Do you want to go to Smithy’s?’
Natalia bit down on her lower lip. After one agonising moment, she shook her head. ‘We can’t avoid the Royal, Adam.’ She inhaled, then flashed him a smile and placed her hand on his chest. ‘I’ll grab the booth and you get the drinks.’
Watching her weave through the crowd, the pressure inside him eased. Damn, she was wonderful. Natalia had no reason to feel intimidated or threatened by Jordan Kelly. And neither did he.
But he approached the opposite end of the bar from where she was serving and went light tonight with the soda water Natalia loved so much. It’d do him good to have something other than beer.
He joined her at the table and they fell into light conversation, neither of them hungry enough to place a meal order yet.
‘You’re a dancer?’ He raised his eyebrows, ignoring the sudden fire in his belly.
‘I was a dancer. I gave up ballet after uni and ballroom a few years ago because I didn’t have the time anymore.’
‘But still. Dancing. Pilates. Yoga ...’
She stifled a laugh. ‘You’re thinking dirty, aren’t you?’
‘Yeah, I am.’ He shrugged, not ashamed to admit it. ‘Sorry, but you have to expect that.’
Shaking her head, she placed her glass down and crossed her forearms over the table. ‘Oh, Adam. And yes—’ her wicked eyes gleamed ‘—I can put my leg over my head.’
He stared at her. Don’t picture it, don’t picture it. But his mind went there and the thought of what they could get up to ...
He swallowed hard. ‘Tease me much more, Nat, and you’ll find out just how much control a twenty-eight-year-old does not have.’
She laughed. ‘I’ll find out in October, but until then, twenty-seven-year-olds have a lot more, so I’ll tease you all I like.’
‘Then you can forget slow,’ he muttered, taking a gulp of his drink. He could seduce her into needing him within a matter of seconds, but he wouldn’t. ‘Did you do anything else besides dance?’
‘Just running.’
‘How far do you like to run?’
‘I go for forty minutes, which usually gives me eight or nine kilometres. Occasionally I go for longer, but only when I’m training for a marathon.’
He blinked. ‘You’ve run a marathon?’
‘I’ve run a few. I did the Sydney Marathon again last September and was thinking I might try the Cairns one next year. But for now, forty minutes is enough.’
Adam blew out his breath, tired just thinking about it. Sure, he’d hump bananas, saw wood, and do any sort of manual labour, but running ten kilometres? Or a bloody marathon?
‘What?’ she asked, her smile far too cheeky.
‘I understand the obvious health benefits, but I don’t think I could do it. I’d get bored.’
‘You never did sporting activities at school?’
‘I enjoyed PE and sports days. I excelled at sprinting and throwing stuff and liked touch footy. We weren’t allowed to tackle—not in class, anyway. But no one was better than me at the ultimate school activity of all.’
‘What was that?’
‘Truanting.’
Natalia laughed. ‘Wagging school was an activity? Oh, Adam ...’
‘Hey, there was a lot of skill involved. You had to be sneaky and run fast.’
‘Why did you wag school?’
‘Because it was fun. And I hated English. Cade and I had more fun in primary school when it was Aunty Deb handing out the punishment. We still ditched in high school, but it wasn’t as easy in Mareeba. The principal suspended us once and Dad put us to heavy work on the farm for the week. After that, we preferred school.’
‘You stopped ditching?’
‘No. Just did it less often.’
Natalia shook her head. ‘You sure were a rule breaker, weren’t you?’
He grinned. ‘You know it. So, you never did anything rebellious?’
A sly smile crept across her beautiful face. ‘Well ... you’re not the only one who ever wagged school.’
Adam actually felt his jaw hit the floor. Her grin widened. ‘Natalia Hamilton! I thought you were a good girl!’
She laughed and reached across the table to grab his hand. ‘I am. But you will learn that if I choose, I can be very, very bad.’
He dug his fingers into her palm. ‘You’re teasing me again.’
‘You make it so easy. But you must never tell Ana about this. Nobody knows.’
‘In that case, I’m honoured. Now tell me why you did it.’
‘Okay. It was grade twelve and I’d finished my final exams, so my friends and I thought we’d do something wild before graduation. We brought a change of clothes, got on the train, and went shopping in the city. I bought the cutest pair of shoes.’
Adam’s smile had vanished. ‘That doesn’t count.’
‘It does too!’
‘No, it doesn’t. School was practically over. Who would care?’
‘Um, the teachers and my mother. And it was scary, okay? Don’t take this away from me!’
He sighed. ‘Fine. Sorry, Nat. It totally counts.’
She grinned. ‘Thank you.’
‘I see now what you mean about being a very bad girl.’
They both laughed.
‘Ha. You wish. Now, should we order because I’m getting hungry?’
Nodding, Adam slid out of the booth. Locals filled the Royal Hotel as they dined, drank, and chatted over the music blasting from the jukebox. He ordered their meals and returned with fresh drinks. Soda water sucked, so he’d chosen a Coke instead. He and Natalia resumed their discussion, moving on from their high school days to her time at university.
‘So, what are your plans for this week? More “humping” bananas?’
‘Actually, we’re going camping on Monday. Me, Jack, and Jason Taylor, along with a few young farm hands. It’s something we do every few months.’
‘Sounds like fun. Where are you going?’
‘To this spot we have out west.’
‘Is it a campground?’
‘No. We roll out the swags and dig a hole.’
Her eyebrows lifted. ‘Right. So, you’re going to spend, what, a few nights in the middle of nowhere for no reason?’
‘It’s to teach the young blokes about farm safety.’
‘Oh, okay. Why not do that on the farm?’
‘We do, but it’s not as fun. This way, we can escape to the bush and do it with beers around the campfire.’
‘And sleep with the bugs.’
‘And the snakes.’
She visibly shuddered. ‘Don’t say that word.’
‘What? Snakes?’
‘Seriously, don’t!’ Her shoulders straightened and eyes widened with genuine fear. ‘I hate them.’
Adam grinned. Ah, city girls. He hadn’t known many, but they sure were fun to tease about country living. ‘But they’re just innocent little animals. They don’t mean any harm.’
‘They’re poisonous and they slither! Seriously, I can’t bear the name or even look at pictures.’
Since she honestly seemed afraid, he let it go as a waitress arrived with their dinner. Hungry, he shoved a chip into his mouth while Natalia mixed her salad.
But he had to ask, ‘Did you know Ana and Meg found a taipan in the kitchen?’
‘What?’ Her fork dropped to the ground with an audible clutter. ‘A taipan?’
Unwrapping his fork, he handed it to her and tried not to laugh as he reached down to collect hers. ‘She didn’t tell you?’
‘No, she knew I’d freak out. Are you going to eat with that fork?’
‘I wouldn’t expect you to,’ he said, wiping it off on a napkin before piercing his Spanish mackerel.
‘Oh my God. Was it in her kitchen?’
‘No, Meg’s. Jack and I found them huddled on the counter with knives in their hands in case Mr Taipan wanted to eat them.’
Natalia’s knuckles whitened around her cutlery. ‘You took the taipan away?’
‘Yeah.’
‘You touched it?’
He rolled his eyes and chewed. ‘We’re not that stupid. We have snake tongs.’
‘But ... you still go near them and pick them up?’
‘Sure. Why not?’
‘Are you crazy? It could kill you!’
Adam laughed. Damn, she was adorable, freaking out about something as harmless as a little taipan. ‘Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. And I won’t sleep with any snakes while I’m camping. They’re more scared of us, you know?’
‘Yeah.’ Taking a deep breath, she loaded salad stuff onto her fork. ‘So, they say.’
‘I’ll think about you though.’
The glitter returned to her eyes. ‘I’m sure you will while you’re out there in the middle of nowhere lying on the hard ground and I’m warm in my soft bed.’
‘Swags are comfy. I’ve got a double one. Come camping with me and see for yourself?’
She laughed. ‘Yeah. Right. I’m not going camping with you.’
‘Why not?’
‘In the bush with the taipans? Do you want to kill me?’
‘I haven’t slept with a taipan yet.’
‘Hmm ... maybe I could do the backyard one day, but I’m just too city to go without a running toilet.’
‘I’ll hold you to that,’ he said, accepting it as a win. Camping with her in the backyard would be as good as anywhere else. Maybe one day they could move down to the creek?
‘But you know, they made walls centuries ago so that people no longer had to sleep outside. And before then, they found caves and other shelter.’
‘Point taken. How’s your salad?’
‘Good. It’s missing legumes, but I’ll happily eat it again.’
‘I’m glad. Mine’s good too,’ he said, scooping some of the lettuce and tomato off the side of his plate. ‘Although I’m still not a fan of this fancy lettuce stuff. What’s wrong with iceberg?’
‘Nothing if you’re having a sandwich or Mexican. I still like iceberg lettuce on my tacos. But leaf mix is much better in a salad.’
‘If you say so,’ he muttered, munching on his. Thankfully, the sweet tomato masked the bitter taste of the purply lettuce. ‘I still prefer iceberg.’
‘Spinach is much better than this stuff. God, I miss spinach.’
Frowning, Adam bit into a chip. ‘You don’t have spinach?’
‘They don’t sell it at the produce store. I have frozen spinach, so I can use that in curries and pasta, but I’ll have to drive to Mareeba to buy the fresh stuff.’
‘You like it that much?’
‘It’s a staple,’ she said, reaching for her drink. ‘So yeah, I’ve had to resort to iceberg lettuce too, which is no substitute.’
‘No, probably not.’ He didn’t know much about spinach and was only familiar with the frozen kind, but he realised there was a big difference. Besides, spinach was supposed to be more nutritious, which was important to Natalia. So ... ‘Why don’t we grow it?’
She blinked, pausing with her fork halfway to her mouth. ‘What?’
‘Assuming we can.’ He abandoned his dinner and reached for his phone. ‘Let me see ... Ah! Suitable for all climates. Excellent! Should be able to figure it out.’
He placed his phone down and met her gaze. She was still staring at him, her fork lowered.
‘You want to grow me spinach?’
Adam’s heart swelled. He’d hit a soft spot. The good kind that made her all mushy. But what else would he do? Growing food was what he did. It’d been his idea to plant the lemon trees and he had a passionfruit vine in his backyard. Why not spinach?
He reached across the table and took her hand. ‘Yeah. I want to grow you spinach. Hell, you can have a whole veggie patch.’ His blood pumped at the prospect of a new project. He’d dig out a patch of dirt and plant her any damn thing she wanted.
Natalia laughed. ‘Are you serious?’
‘Nat, I like to grow things, and we’ve grown many different foods on Shadow Creek. Mum has her own veggie garden at High Ridge and we’ve always had tomatoes growing outside the homestead. So, if you want spinach, I’ll plant you some spinach.’
‘Oh, Adam.’ Her eyes glittered. ‘You sure know how to woo a girl.’
He laughed. ‘So, we’ll do it, hey? This weekend? I’ll go to Mareeba and get some seedlings.’
‘I thought you guys were going for suit fittings this weekend?’
‘Right.’ Nodding, he resumed his dinner. ‘Leave it with me. I’ll work it out. And if there’s anything else you want, let me know and I’ll see if we can grow it.’
‘Cherry tomatoes might be nice.’
‘No worries. Tomatoes grow anywhere.’
By the time they’d finished eating, they had quite a list of what she’d like in her veggie garden. There were some foods that were too difficult, like strawberries, and he talked her out of carrots because she was better off buying them. But they’d try sweet potatoes, cabbage, capsicums, and plant a few herbs too.
They were sitting cosy in the booth, delighted by their new venture, when their friends arrived unexpectedly. Adam wasn’t sure if he was happy or annoyed to see them.
‘Hey. What are you lot doing here?’
Ana slipped into the booth. ‘Liam and I felt like going out. We did message you.’
Adam had seen her text come through but had been too busy reading about how to grow cauliflower.
‘We were having dinner,’ Natalia said.
‘Good. I’m glad you guys sorted things out. Meg and Jack did too.’
Adam exhaled. ‘Finally.’
Meg beamed. ‘He apologised and admitted he was wrong.’
‘I wasn’t wrong. You agreed I was right.’
‘Yeah, about Scott and I not being right for each other, not that I shouldn’t have dated him.’
Jack rolled his eyes. Adam smothered his grin with a sip of Coke, exchanging an amused look with Lucy.
‘I’m glad I ran into you guys,’ Ana said. ‘Liam and I can’t choose a wedding song.’
‘You can’t choose. There are plenty of great songs.’
Ana shot Liam her bride-look and he shut up.
‘How about Meg, Lucy, and I come over tomorrow to help?’ Natalia suggested.
‘Yeah?’ Ana’s eyes brightened. ‘That’d be great. We need a buffer.’
‘That’s what we’re here for,’ Meg agreed as her eyes locked on the pub’s door. ‘Uh-oh.’
‘What?’ Jack looked up. ‘Fuck.’
‘Ah, Adam,’ Lucy said. ‘Fuckhead and his even bigger fuckhead of a brother just walked in and they have their eyes on you.’