Sam’s culinary skills in the kitchen got steadily better as each day progressed. She was actually starting to feel fairly confident with a saucepan after a few days and had not had any complaints from the shearers all week. The pat on the back she got from Daniel each day, also boosted her spirits.
“You’re becoming a natural at this,” he said one evening when they were clearing the table. “I think you’d even give my mum a run for her money now.”
“Well, thank you for the compliment, but I don’t think I’d go that far,” Sam answered with a blush.
Daniel had made sure that she felt like part of the team by keeping her up to date each evening on the shearing progress. It looked like the shearers were going to hit their deadline on time, which, to Sam, was a relief. She didn’t relish the thought of having to cook any more meals than were absolutely necessary. It did make her feel good, though, being an important part of something that was such a vital chapter in the year on a sheep station.
Sam took time off every now and then during the week to go and dive into the wool bins and be a kid for a while. Escaping the kitchen for an hour or so at a time probably helped keep her sane. Snuggling up to Daniel each night, didn’t hurt either. They were a team, there was no doubt. They worked in sync with each other, and the shearing was going smoothly. Sam started to feel like she was truly a part of the station, as a whole.
Unfortunately, she was never far away from the nagging thought that, although, she would be very happy to have the shearing finished and over with, the sooner it was, the sooner the Miller’s wouldn’t need her help any more, and the sooner she would have to leave Shalroma, and Daniel.
She didn’t think she could face it until the day actually arrived, so, like a coward she kept shoving it deeper inside. Daniel had not mentioned it either, and Sam wondered if it was something that he ever gave any thought to.
The days flew by. It didn’t seem like the shearers had been there five minutes, when all of a sudden, the last sheep was shorn and the last strand of wool pressed. Daniel and Sam excused the shearers to go and get washed up for dinner early on the final day. They supervised the loading of the wool bales onto the truck that had been arranged to deliver them to the wool sale.
“Well, at least your mum and dad’s livelihoods are safe for another year,” Sam said as they watched the truck being stacked with wool.
It had been probably the hardest job she had ever done, but the sense of achievement that flowed through her at that moment, was overwhelming. She had triumphed over her complete lack of experience and sheer terror in the kitchen, to feed a hungry mob for a week.
Once the truck was safely on its way down the road, leaving a trail of dust in its wake, Daniel leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her lips. His eyes full of appreciation.
“Thank you, Sam,” he whispered when he pulled away. “You made this week a lot more bearable than I ever imagined possible.”
Sam smiled. Her insides were doing cartwheels at the feeling of being so needed and wanted.
They got on their motorbikes and headed back to the house to prepare for the evening. They were going to hold a celebration dinner for the shearers. Dinner was basically a mish-mash of food they had left over. Sam placed it all out buffet style and smiled contentedly as she watched everyone tuck in.
After cracking open a couple of cases of beer, Daniel and Sam thanked the guys for their hard work. The shearers lingered around the table for a while, telling stories of some of the not so smooth sailing jobs they had been to, which made Sam feel even more of a success.
A few beers later, the shearers excused themselves and wandered back to the cottage to pack up their things, ready to leave first thing in the morning after breakfast.
Sam was planning on putting her feet up for a day and doing nothing. They had been a nice bunch of people to have around, but she would not be sorry to see them go, either. She was looking forward to the peace and tranquility that would once again embrace Shalroma upon their departure.
Mr. & Mrs. Miller would be back soon and she wanted to enjoy her time alone with Daniel as long as she could. She knew that she would not be able to share his bed when they returned, and, not long after that, she’d be off on her travels.
They hadn’t heard from Mr. & Mrs. Miller all week, which Sam now thought slightly odd, seeing as their livelihood depended on the shearing going well. She hadn’t really had the time to think about anything other than keeping food on the table before now, but Daniel said he was going to call them after the shearers had gone to let them know everything went smoothly and the shearing was completed for another year.
They finished their usual clean up routine and set the table ready for breakfast the next day. It was getting late after having a few beers with the shearers and listening to their stories.
Sam was standing by the dining table, checking that everything was ready for the morning, when Daniel’s strong arms encompassed her waist, pulling her back to lean on his chest.
“You know, mum and dad will probably be back any day now,” he whispered, pressing delicious kisses to the very sensitive part of her neck.
“Hmmm.” Sam agreed as shivers went scuttling down her spine and turned her legs boneless.
“I thought you might like to take advantage of the time we have left alone,” he said, in between paying luscious attention to the nape of her neck.
Daniel led her out of the dining room, turning the light off on the way out. They made their way, hand in hand, down the hall and into his bedroom where she had made herself at home over the past week.
***
When the incessant buzzing of the alarm woke them the next morning, Sam was relieved that she wouldn’t have to get up that early for a long time after today. They handled breakfast like pros and enjoyed themselves knowing it would be the last time. The shearers filed in for their final meal at Shalroma, and, as usual, wolfed down the entire lot.
“Well, thanks for your hospitality,” said Bruce as they walked out towards the waiting cars that were already loaded up with their other passengers. “You did a great job, the both of you. Your mum and dad would be proud.”
“Thanks.” Daniel and Sam replied together.
They stood in front of the house and waved as the shearers drove off and headed towards the road. As they watched the dust trail in their wake, Daniel put his arm around Sam’s shoulders and pulled her close. She leaned her head on his shoulder and took a deep, cleansing breath.
“Well, thank goodness that is over,” Sam said, relief flooding from every pore. “I’m glad I’ll never have to go through another shearing again.” She looked up at Daniel, his eyes were filled with admiration.
“This was only a success because of you,” he said.
“Don’t be daft.” Sam batted him on the arm. “You worked your butt off, too.”
“I’m serious, I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Sam smiled. “You’re welcome.”
“We make quite some team, don’t we?” Daniel said as he leaned down and kissed her on the nose, then he planted a tender kiss to her lips sending sparks of excitement down to her toes. A heartbeat later, he deepened his kiss. Sam parted her lips to accept the desire he was pouring into her.
Just then a familiar sound caught her attention and she pulled away.
“What’s wrong?” Daniel asked, his eyebrows pulling together.
“Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“That,” Sam said, pointing to a spot in the sky.
“Well, if pigs could fly,” Daniel said as he caught sight of his father’s plane in the distance.
“Well, I’ll say this for them,” Sam mumbled sarcastically. “Their timing is perfect.”
They stood rooted to the spot as they watched the little red and white plane get closer and closer. Within a few minutes, it was circling above the house as it came into land. Mrs. Miller waved at them from the cockpit. They subconsciously waved back at her. After landing safely, Mr. Miller taxied the plane around to the front of the house and got out when the propeller had stopped whirring.
The wiry man walked around to the other side, opened the door for his wife and helped her down from the cockpit.
“Hi, Mum, Dad,” Daniel called over to his parents as they wandered towards their son. He took hold of Sam’s hand and pulled her in their direction. Sam wasn’t so sure they should be holding hands in front of his father, but decided that the season was over now, so she wouldn’t be around much longer anyway, and she didn’t particularly want to let go of Daniel just yet.
Sam caught Mr. Miller looking at their hands still clasped together and let go of Daniel. She wasn’t keen on him making a fuss right at that moment, either.
Daniel gave Sam a pointed glance and scooped up her hand. Holding it tightly in an apparent act of rebellion.
“We weren’t expecting you home so soon,” Daniel said. “Is Aunt Marge better now?”
“Oh, there was never anything wrong with your Aunt Marge,” Daniel’s dad blurted, as though that was common knowledge.
Sam’s eyebrows shot up and she stared at Daniel.
“What do you mean there was never anything wrong with her?” questioned Daniel. “I thought she was really ill.”
Sam looked around at everyone with a blank expression, her confusion growing by the second. She had absolutely no clue what was going on. Mrs. Miller smiled, walked over to them, and linked her arm through her son’s.
“Come on, you two,” she said, leading him and Sam, who was close by his side, towards the house. “We have some explaining to do.”
That was an understatement, Sam thought derisively. If she found out they had just been skiving, she was not going to be a happy bunny. Not that it would make any difference now, the work had already been done. Thankfully, everything had gone smoothly, but why on earth would they lie about something so serious and risk their livelihoods on their young son and an inexperienced stranger?
Sam followed Daniel and his mum up the steps into the house. Mr. Miller was hot on their heels. They walked to the kitchen. Mrs. Miller gestured for them to sit down at the dining room table.
“You’d better sit down,” she said.
“Well?” Daniel asked, after a moment had passed in silence.
Sam was sitting next to him, patiently waiting for the explanation they had been promised. Daniel’s expression was one of confusion mixed with a tinge of annoyance. Sam put a settling hand on his thigh and he covered it with one of his own, giving it a gentle squeeze. Mrs. Miller noticed their connection, and a knowing smile curved her lips, to which Sam felt her cheeks flush, but did not try to pull her hand away.
Mr. Miller sat down next to his wife. They both looked at their son and Sam with an intensity that was palpable. You could cut the atmosphere with a knife. Sam suddenly had a feeling like she was in a job interview for a very important position. A moment of awkward silence ensued, but she still sat quietly, patiently waiting.
“Well?” Daniel repeated. “Why did you lie to us?”
“Son,” Mr. Miller began. “Your mother and I were born into this business and we have run this station for forty years. We had you much later in life than we intended. We didn’t mean to pass the responsibility onto you until you were a bit older, but we are tired, and we’ve wanted to retire from the business for a few years now and move closer to your mother’s sister.”
“We knew we couldn’t pass the station onto you while ever you were on your own,” Mrs. Miller addressed her son. “You couldn’t run it by yourself. So when Sam arrived and we saw the connection between the two of you, we thought our prayers had been answered. We decided to take a chance on you both and put our theory to the test.”
Sam’s jaw hit the table, and she turned to look at Daniel. He obviously felt the same way as his expression mirrored hers.
“You knew about us?” Daniel asked his father in surprise.
“Son, I could see you two were crazy about each other the very first day when we picked Sam up in town. Then when you told your mother she was, in fact, the Sam you had met in Bali, it just all fell into place. After watching the both of you working together over the past month or so, I knew for sure. You work so well as a team, I had no doubt in my mind you were made for each other.”
Sam picked her jaw up off the table and wondered who this man was and what he had done with the churlish sheep station owner she had grown to know. Who knew the heartless old buggar actually did have feelings and could see past the end of his nose. Oh, well, she guessed stranger things happened at sea…maybe.
“So, that’s when your mother and I came up with the plan to leave you two alone through shearing to see if you would sink or swim. We knew it would have to be something serious for you to believe us leaving at shearing time,” Mr. Miller continued. “And, by all accounts, you swam and did a bloody good job doing so.”
“Um, how did you know we did a good job?” Sam piped up, curiosity getting the better of her. “You only just got back a few minutes ago.”
“Bruce kept in touch with us and let us know how you were doing each day.” Mrs. Miller explained.
“Bruce was spying on us?” Sam asked, incredulous.
“Only with the shearing, love. To let us know if you two were alright. We weren’t far away, so if things started to go wrong, we would have come back to help out. We didn’t need to, though. You both did a great job.” Mrs. Miller looked straight at Sam and added, “I have to say, Sam. I was pleasantly surprised at how well you did with the cooking. I did have my reservations after you helped me in the kitchen when your face got hurt.”
Sam felt heat rise in her cheeks again. She really did start out a disaster in the kitchen, but she had survived, and Daniel’s mum was right, she had done a pretty good job. Not that she’d want to do it again in a hurry.
Sam, never having been one to be very quick on the up take, was starting to let the implications of what they were saying slowly sink in.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “What have I got to do with this? I’m just the hired help. I’m going to carry on with my travels as soon as you don’t need me anymore. I thought that would be next week, now that shearing has finished.”
“Sam, we are offering Shalroma to the both of you to manage, and, eventually, Daniel would inherit it. It would make us very proud to hand it over to our son.” Mrs. Miller told her, then looked at her son with pride.
“You are?” Daniel gasped.
“What!” Sam cried, looking at everyone in horror. “No. I-I can’t.”
“Why not?” Daniel asked, his face full of anticipation.
“Because… No! I can’t.” Confusion filled Sam’s head. The implications of what they were asking of her not even beginning to sink in. She couldn’t absorb it all. This wasn’t happening. Her head started to swim. Sam pushed the chair out from underneath her as she stood up sharply and looked around the table at all the expectant faces.
“Sorry,” she breathed before running out of the room and down the hall.
“Sam!” Daniel called after her.
“Leave her, Son.” She heard Mr. Miller say as she fled down the hall. “This is a lot for her to take in. Let her think about it for a while.”
Sam kept on running straight for the place she had grown to feel as her oasis of calm, the pool. She burst into the screen room, breathless. Opening the door to the pool, Sam sat down on the steps leading to the patio.
“Hey, Arthur,” she whispered as she sat down.
Arthur was in his usual place at the end of the pool. She was beginning to wonder if he ever actually moved. Apart from seeing him lick his eye occasionally and catch the odd flying insect, he could have been stuffed, for all she knew.
Sam sat on the steps hugging her knees to her chest. She looked out over the sea of grass that surrounded the house. A warm breeze was blowing, ruffling her hair. A few fluffy clouds moved languidly across the sky. She really had fallen in love with this place, but could she imagine running it? Was she even old enough to take on such a huge responsibility?
Did Daniel’s parents really just offer this place up to Daniel and her? Surely not, they hardly even knew her. They wouldn’t just give the place they had spent most of their lives building over to a near stranger, would they?
Then there was the minor detail that Daniel hadn’t even discussed a future with her. For all she knew, Daniel didn’t want her to stay and would think this was a stupid idea. She heard the door to the screen room squeak, letting her know someone was coming.
A familiar body parked itself next to hers on the step, and a warm hand reached out and placed itself on her knee. Sam didn’t look at him. Her focus held firmly to the sparkles that danced on the water in front of her. Her head was spinning with a thousand questions she didn’t have answers to.
“Thought I might find you here,” Daniel whispered.
She didn’t answer. She was feeling pretty numb and couldn’t think of anything to say.
“Sam, stay with me. Run Shalroma with me.” The words were full of hope and anticipation. “I know you love this place. You could stay, and all of this would eventually be ours.” He gestured with his hands to the surrounding landscape.
“Daniel, I...” Sam turned her head to meet his expectant gaze. “I don’t know the first thing about running a sheep station.”
“Yes, you do,” Daniel said. “You just successfully helped me through the most difficult time of the year. I can teach you everything else you need to know. Mum and Dad won’t leave us until they are certain we know what we are doing.”
Sam turned her attention back to the sparkling sunlit pool water. “I’m sorry, Daniel. I can’t.”
“Why not?” he asked softly.
“I only have six months left on my work visa. You know as well as I do that I can’t stay beyond that. Daniel, I traveled twelve thousand miles to see the whole country. I can’t stop after just seeing a quarter of it. This is important to me. And, besides, we have only known each other a few months, if you count Bali. How do you know if we will even make it? I mean, we haven’t even discussed a future between us.”
“We’ll figure something out.”
“How?”
Daniel gnawed on his lip. “We could get married.”
“What?” Sam turned her head and stared at him in disbelief.
He got up and walked down the steps, dropping down on one knee. He took one of her hands in his.
“Sam, I love you! Please, stay with me for a few more months. If it doesn’t work out, we will, at least, have tried, and you’ll still have time left on your visa to see more of the country. I don’t want you to think I’m putting any pressure on you or that I only want you to stay so you can help me with the station. But, if after a few months you realize what I already know, that we have something special, that we’re meant to be together, then we’ll get married. That will solve all your visa problems with time to spare. I don’t want to lose you, Sam. Stay with me and we’ll work it out. Please, don’t go.”
Sam blinked several times, her mind a whirlwind of confusion. Stay there with the man of her dreams or travel the rest of Australia and fulfill her dreams. She hated tough decisions.
“If I do stay, that still doesn’t solve my issue with traveling around the rest of the country.” she whispered.
“If you stay with me, I promise that we will spend our lives together traveling the rest of Australia until you have seen everything you want to see. Wouldn’t it be more fun to share that experience with the one you love rather than doing it on your own. We can spend our holiday every year going somewhere new.”
“Really?” Sam asked. It was an exciting proposition. Of course, she would rather share the experience of seeing new places with someone she loved. If she took Daniel up on his offer, she would be able to stay with the man of her dreams and spend the rest of her life fulfilling her other dream to travel. “You promise?”
“I promise.”
Tears pricked behind Sam’s eyes, tears of happiness this time. She couldn’t believe what was happening; Daniel was offering her the chance to make Shalroma her home.
“Okay. Yes, I’ll stay with you and help you run Shalroma.”
Daniel stood and scooped her up, twirling her around. A huge smile spread across his face. When he stopped twirling her, he lowered her to the ground.
“There is one condition, though.” Sam stated, looking into his beautiful blue eyes that sparkled with joy.
His gaze turned wary.
“Dare I ask?” he said cautiously.
“We get someone to help me with the cooking when it’s time for shearing again next year.”
Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. “Consider it done,” he said as his mouth covered hers with a passionate kiss, a prelude of things to come.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It takes a lot of people to bring a book to life and mine is no different. With that in mind I am going to mention each and every one of the wonderfully supportive network of people who helped me. So, if you are sitting comfortably, I shall begin.
Although this is the 4th book I have published, it is, in fact, the very 1st book I wrote. If it wasn’t for the encouragement of one person, I may never have put fingers to keyboard all those years ago. Thanks, Brenda.
My wonderful beta-readers (in alpha order). Andi, Carina, Jos, Mary Jo, Merilyn, and Shana. Your feedback and ideas helped me mold and shape the story into what it is today.
Marisa Wagner, my awesome editor. You slayed my run on sentences and took control of my commas. Your attention to detail is amazing. You took my words and made them sing.
The cover design is the creation of Linda Boulanger of Tell-Tale Cover Designs. It was my first experience working with a cover designer and she ‘got’ the feel of the story after only asking a few questions. Linda, you did a wonderful job. I’ll definitely use you again.
And last, but by no means least, my soul mate. Your never ending love and support knows no bounds. I love you.
Thank you to you all.
About the Author
Adrianna Blakeley is the pen name Alison Pensy uses to write her adult romance novels. As the bestselling author of the young adult Custodian series, she decided to do this because she didn’t want to confuse her younger readers or get into trouble with their parents.
Alison was born and raised in England. She grew up near a medieval city, which is where much of the inspiration for her young adult books comes from.
Alison moved to the States in 2001, where she eventually settled near a small town in mid Missouri with her menagerie of animals. She also runs her own tax and accounting business and started writing when she became so fed up with the real world, she decided to create her own. Please visit her website at www.alisonpensy.com. She loves to hear from her readers, so feel free to leave comments or ask questions.