Xander held the reins in his left hand and mounted the roan gelding with a little less grace than usual. His right hand throbbed, and it was his own damned fault for choosing to miss a scheduled painkiller, but as he watched Jenny settle on the most docile mare in the resort’s stables, he knew he’d put up with a lot more pain to give her this treat. ‘Ready?’
Beneath her brand-new yellow sunhat sticking out beneath the riding helmet, a wide smile lit Jenny’s face. She had flatly refused to wear the helmet until Flick had come up with that suggestion. ‘I’m ready. Are you ready?’ She looked to her right.
Mounted on a bay mare, Flick wore a faded pair of denim jeans that hugged her behind in a way that would keep Xander’s mind off the pain in his hand—if she took the lead. Last night’s kisses had sealed his fascination with her. The promise of more stolen kisses later tonight would help him to put up with any pain during the ride.
‘I’m all set.’
‘After you, Flick.’
‘You’d better lead the way. It will be safer if I bring up the rear; I don’t know the trails around here.’
‘Sure. Jenny’s already learned to trot so we’ll try out that skill now.’ He knew a momentary deflation of spirit as he lightly touched his mount’s sides. The gelding sprang forward and, following his command, turned at the end of the practice yard before moving into an easy trot. Bouncing along on horseback jarred his injury more than he’d expected. The decision not to take a painkiller had had more to do with not wanting to feel drowsy, but he was regretting that choice even more by the time they reached the lookout on the rocky headland.
‘Let’s stop here and check out the view, and Jenny, it’s time we had a drink of water.’ He pulled up and, with a sigh of relief, dismounted and awkwardly tied the reins to the highest rail of the post-and-rail fence. His hand throbbed.
Is dismounting up here a bad decision?
Jenny’s riding lessons had gone well, but mounting was still a bit hit and miss for her. Getting her back in the saddle might be a challenge with only one hand. He looked around for a largish stone she could stand on before turning to assist her down.
Flick was quicker and had already helped Jenny to dismount. Jenny patted her horse’s neck while Flick tied the reins beside Xander’s mount. ‘I’ve got the water.’ She opened her saddlebag and handed Jenny a bottle.
‘Have a drink now before you go walking.’ Xander leaned against the fence, watching as Jenny dutifully drank. She wandered towards the far end of the lookout with her bottle and he called to her. ‘And don’t go past the bush with the red flowers.’
‘I won’t, Xander.’
Flick tucked two bottles of water in the crook of her arm as she closed her saddle pack. She glanced at him and then loosened one cap before offering the bottle to him. ‘You don’t look very comfortable. Is your hand hurting?’
Aware that he was cradling his right elbow in his left hand, he straightened up and rested his injured hand on the top rail.
He hated being injured, hated the feeling of lack of control.
The bulky cream bandage was a nuisance, but it reminded him how quickly accidents could happen. And that he wasn’t bullet-proof, even if he tried to maintain the image for his little sister. ‘It’s nothing.’
‘If you say so.’ Flick turned to the view, but not before he caught a glint in her eye.
So much for his show of stoicism. She knew his hand was caning him but let him have his white lie and the illusion of dignity. ‘I’m glad you could come with us. Jenny was excited when I told her this morning.’
Glad didn’t really explain how he felt. Having Flick join them gave him hope that last night was the first of many they would spend together. And her ban on going public suited him. Less fuss and fewer people to tell when his work on Rainbow Cove Resort ended, as it would in less than two months. New Year was the time limit on the relationship they’d embarked on last night.
If not for work, he would have been tempted to leave it open-ended. There was something about Flick …
‘I’m enjoying myself. It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to ride. My parents used to—’ She bit her bottom lip and turned away again.
Whatever the issue with her parents, it was a biggie, and recent if he didn’t miss his guess. Gently, he steered the conversation back to less contentious topics. ‘Your parents used to what? Own a horse?’
A soft sigh escaped, and she sipped her water before she answered. ‘We used to live in the Redlands area of Brisbane, out where the strawberry farms were. I had a horse when I was in my early teens, back before we moved in closer to the city.’
‘What happened to your horse when you moved? Were you able to keep him?’ Did she know her expression softened when she talked about her childhood? Her shifting expressions fascinated him. Flick fascinated him.
She shook her head. ‘We went from several acres of bushland to a suburban backyard. Before we moved, Karen, our neighbour, bought Dusty for her two boys to learn to ride on. And we opened our restaurant while I was in high school. Pecorino was small, but we made it one of the best family-owned and run restaurants on the east side of Brisbane.’ A definite note of pride coloured her voice. Here was her passion for creating food he’d sensed the day they met, the passion that had led him to mention Christophe.
If not for his idle comment about their similarities, Flick wouldn’t be standing here with him now. ‘Is that how you came to be a pastry chef?’
‘Partly, I guess. Dad encouraged me to pursue my dreams, but Mum—’
She broke off and drew an audible breath that sounded somehow fragile.
‘You don’t get on well with your mother? Is that why she’s the only person who calls you Felicity?’
She stared at him, her mouth open. ‘Why do you remember random things I’ve said?’
Because you fascinate me. Because I want to kiss you right now.
He glanced at the horses and shrugged, reluctant to share words that would lead to kisses she didn’t want. Not in daylight. Not where people or—heaven forbid—Jenny might see. ‘The idea seemed to fit what you told me. Am I wrong?’
‘No.’
Regardless of her family problems, it sounded like she was close to her father. He hoped so. He couldn’t imagine life without his parents and his sister.
Without meeting his gaze, she pointed to the north with her free hand. ‘What’s that peak way off in the distance?’
‘The one closest to the coast? That’s—’
‘Xander, come quick.’ Jenny’s cry was high and urgent. He pushed off the railing and raced to where he’d last seen his sister, calling as he ran. How could he have lost sight of her? How could he have taken his eyes off her long enough that she had disappeared? Fear and desperation tightened his throat while he scanned the bushes for a flash of bright yellow.
‘Where are you, Jenny?’
‘Here. Come see what I found.’ Her voice was high, and her tone didn’t indicate she was in pain, but his gut clenched with worry. Fear gave his feet wings. Dry-mouthed, he prayed she hadn’t found a snake.
He spied her yellow hat and helmet through the branches of a bush and pushed his way through. Concern for her safety lessened, but his anger grew that he’d taken his eyes off her for even one moment.
Beyond the bush, Jenny sat in the dirt, her legs straight out and in her lap sat …
It took him a moment to realise she was petting a young wombat lying on its back in her lap.
‘She’s cute. Don’t you think she’s cute, Xander?’
Behind him, Flick pushed through the bushes and came to a halt beside him. ‘Wow. I’ve never seen a wombat this small.’ She dropped into the dirt beside Jenny and stroked the broad head. ‘Where did you find her?’
‘Under the bush.’ Jenny waved vaguely to her right. ‘Can I take her home with me?’
Xander moved closer, his heartbeat still elevated. Trust his little sister to find a baby animal in the bush. Her menagerie back home occupied a lot of his parents’ energy and most of Jenny’s free time. But this native animal wasn’t about to go home with her. ‘You have to put her back where you found her. Her mother will probably be looking for her.’
Jenny turned her head in that way he knew all too well. She was ignoring him. Sometimes he wondered if it was more like an unconscious choice on her part, her way of making the world suit what she wanted. Catching his sigh before it released, he kneeled beside his sister.
‘Do you think she’s run away from home?’ Jenny looked down at the baby animal and kept stroking the broad head. ‘Did you run away from Mummy? You want to come home with me, don’t you?’
‘Come on. Let’s get her back where she belongs.’ Xander went to lift the wombat from his sister’s lap. Jenny hunched her shoulder and moved an arm to prevent him taking what he rapidly realised she had decided was her newest pet.
Flick put a hand on his arm. ‘Do you have any idea how much a baby wombat weighs—even a small one? You’ll pull your stitches if you try to lift it. Let me.’
It galled letting Flick deal with returning the wombat to where he could see what looked like its burrow, but she was right. Even if he’d taken a painkiller, he’d do more damage if he insisted. ‘Okay. Thanks.’
She hunkered down in front of Jenny and resumed stroking the animal’s head. Keeping her voice gentle, she appealed to his sister’s good nature. ‘Jenny, this little wombat is too small to stay with you. It needs its mother, and I think it needs to sleep. It will be sad without its mummy. Is it okay if I put it back in its burrow now?’
Jenny’s eyes watered, and her bottom lip quivered and when she drew her knees up a little way, Xander was certain she was heading into tantrum-territory. Tears ran down her cheeks, but when Flick set a hand on her shoulder and their gazes met, Jenny sniffed and nodded. ‘Okay. Bye, baby wombat.’
Carefully, Flick scooped up the young animal and carried it to its burrow. Jenny kneeled up in the dirt and watched avidly as Flick set the animal down at the burrow entrance. It stood still for several heartbeats before slowly disappearing into the hole. Flick dusted off her hands, reached for Jenny’s and pulled her up before resting a hand on her shoulder. ‘It’s hard saying goodbye, but you did the right thing. Baby Wombat would have been too sad without its mother. Come on, let’s see if there are some biscuits in my saddlebag.’
Jenny groped for Xander’s hand and turned her face into his chest, which became damp with tears and snot. ‘I miss the wombat. I wanted to take her home to live with me and Mum and Dad.’
‘I know, sweetheart, but think how sad the wombat mummy would be without her baby. Are you hungry for some of Flick’s biscuits? I wonder what sort she’s brought?’ Over the top of Jenny’s head, his gaze connected with Flick’s.
Compassion filled her eyes, and a small wedge of regret flickered through him. If only they’d met when he first arrived in Rainbow Cove instead of two months before he was leaving. Two months felt like too short a time to enjoy one another’s company, but that was all they had before he moved on to his next project.
They strolled together back to the horses and Xander gave Jenny his handkerchief to wipe her face while Flick unpacked a container of biscuits from her saddlebag.
‘I thought you might like Smarties on the biscuits. See, Jenny, they’re green Christmas trees with yellow decorations. And I made some with other colours too.’ She offered the container to Jenny and his sister’s tears dried as she took two biscuits, both decorated with all yellow Smarties. One final noisy sucked-in breath later, she bit into a biscuit before wandering over to the fence. Leaning on the top rail, her face turned towards the coast, she seemed settled and happy again.
Xander breathed a relieved sigh and took a biscuit from the container. ‘Thank you. The biscuits were a smart idea.’
‘Smart-ie idea.’ She grinned and bit into a Christmas tree biscuit topped with mixed colours. Her tongue touched the corner of her mouth, catching an errant crumb.
Memories of their tongues tangling last night blasted through his mind. All he had to do was lower his head and …
Eyes riveted on her mouth, he must have made a move towards her, drawn like iron filings to a magnet. Her eyes widened, her gaze flicked across to Jenny, and she shook her head. She stepped away just as Jenny skipped towards them.
‘Can I have another biscuit please?’
Flick glanced at him for approval before opening the container again. ‘Here you are; one more and then I’d better pack the rest away.’
‘Will you teach me how to make these, Flick? I need to write the recipe in my book.’
‘If your brother can spare you for an hour or so tomorrow?’
His sister’s second-last full day—he needed to make it special. ‘Of course.’ Flick had given a lot of thought to what Jenny liked and was attuned to her needs in ways that, as much as he loved his sister, just didn’t register on his radar. ‘Jenny’s interest in cooking has grown thanks to you. I’ll bet Mum will be delighted she’s learning new skills.’
‘Jenny’s a great student. And she gets to enjoy the end result. I’d call that a win-win situation.’
‘I’d have to agree. You’ve certainly made my life easier this week.’
He’d been concerned all week about the amount of time Flick was putting into cooking with his sister, but now it struck Xander that genuine fondness motivated her.
Jenny smiled up at Flick and rested her head on Flick’s shoulder. Xander blinked at the sight. All her life Jenny had been wary of strangers, but with Flick, it had been different from the beginning. Was it the same kindness and genuine interest in others that had drawn him to her as well? He prided himself on being a good judge of character and in Flick he’d found a strong and positive and caring woman.
‘You say that even after how we met?’ She grinned and put the biscuit container back in her saddlebag. ‘That morning, I needed serious de-stressing. All I wanted to do was get into a kitchen and bake.’ She buckled the strap and turned to Jenny. ‘How about you climb onto that lowest fence railing and I’ll bring your horse to you?’
Xander shook his head. He’d been looking for a freestanding rock. ‘If you help Jenny, I’ll bring her horse alongside.’
When Jenny went home, Xander was going to make the most of the time he and Flick had. There were lots of private places they could go if Flick didn’t want to be out in public with him.
She might have put an embargo on hand holding and public kisses, but privacy had its compensations. He’d promised Flick his full and undivided attention and he was a man of his word. Yes, he would make the most of the time they had.