Going out for dinner at the Royal Arms with the McRaes and Maddie’s journalist had seemed more like duty when Levi asked him. He’d said yes only because going was important to Maddie who was, in turn, important to Levi. Sam figured he’d get a good steak dinner out of it minimum. Maybe a laugh or two.
But he hadn’t figured on Sarah Lewis.
He’d had his back turned towards the door when she’d entered. Maddie’s face lit up at the sight of her, and she’d rushed to welcome the woman. Sam took his time turning around to take a look and as he did so, Ms Lewis used her secret super power to stop the space-time continuum. Or at least that’s what he thought she’d done. Everything slowed down and complete silence fell across the pub. Like in one of those Marvel movies. He’d half expected to see Stan Lee wander past in a cameo role.
It was the woman from the airport.
Her eyes, like liquid amber, met his and the world had started up again, the noise crashing in on him like a wave at the beach. He’d needed a moment to gather himself. If Kylie had been like a fine spring day after a long winter, this woman brought the sun in all its fiery warmth. She wore a pale pink button-down shirt, her dark chocolate hair pulled up in a high ponytail. Her jeans hugged her obvious curves and she oozed sexual energy the like of which he’d never encountered before. Not even with Michelle.
All that in a minute.
He stood awkwardly by as Maddie made the introductions, leaving him until last. The moment arrived for him to hold out his hand and shake hers. Maddie sounded like she was speaking underwater. Amber eyes, a warm smile and the softness of her hand in his crowded out the entire pub. He said something inane about it being nice to meet her. She looked amused, which had to be a good thing, right?
They all sat down around the table and Sam let the small talk flow around him. He needed to recalibrate. His world had become oddly unsteady and he needed to find solid ground.
‘What do you know about Longreach?’ Joe McRae addressed Sarah from across the table.
She sat next to him at the too-crowded table and he was conscious of the warmth radiating off her. Even her perfume smelled warm and spicy, as if delivering an invitation to romance straight to his brain in case the rest of his body hadn’t got the message.
How could two women be so different? Make that three. His thoughts leapt from Michelle to Kylie to Sarah. At least he could say quite truthfully that he didn’t run to a type.
‘I know only the basics,’ she said. Her voice was pitched low and husky. He liked it, imagined listening to it while lying in the dark.
‘Tell me what you know,’ Sam said. He hadn’t meant to speak up. What he really wanted to say was, tell me all about yourself.
She took a deep breath. ‘Okay, I know this is Banjo Paterson country, although “Waltzing Matilda” was written outside Winton not Longreach.’
‘Correct.’ He nodded as he kept his eyes on the tabletop, longing to watch her mouth as she spoke.
‘I know the name Longreach came about because of the length of the Thomson River. I know this is where Qantas started up and there’s a Stockman’s Hall of Fame out here too. After that,’ she held her hands palm up before letting them drop to her lap.
‘All good information,’ said Joe. ‘Let’s add to it with some town trivia.’
‘I’ll go first,’ said Maddie. ‘All the streets are named after birds. Streets going east are named after water birds, streets heading north are named for land birds. No one knows why. It’s always been that way.’
Sarah laughed. ‘I guess they had to name them after something.’ The heady scent of her perfume waylaid every reasonable thought in his brain, replacing them with deliciously unsuitable ones.
Like a fifteen-year-old school boy, he wanted her attention focused on him. ‘The town of Blackall has streets named after flowers. Barcaldine’s streets follow trees. Jericho’s streets are all about scientists.’
She turned to look at him. ‘I did not know that and it’s weirdly intriguing.’
He smiled. ‘I know, right?’ Sarah smiled back and something shifted in his gut, something fundamental.
‘You have to meet Tank while you’re here,’ said Charlene McRae, Maddie’s mum.
‘Tank is a bit of a legend in these parts. She drives the local cab and makes the best peach blossoms in town. She could tell you a story or two,’ said Joe.
‘We’ll have to take you for one, won’t we, Mr C?’ Maddie piped up.
‘Sure.’ He met Sarah’s eyes briefly. ‘Providing Ms Lewis is up for it.’
‘Call me Sarah, please,’ she said and a little frisson of pleasure shot through him. ‘And I’d love to try a peach blossom, whatever that is.’ She laughed, a throaty sound that set off an arousal in him, one he’d been trying to keep in check from the moment he met her.
‘It’s like a cupcake and a lamington had a love child,’ said Maddie.
The look of surprise on Sarah’s face made Sam laugh.
‘Great description, Maddie. You’ll make a good journalist,’ she said.
Sam caught Maddie’s blush of pleasure. He could barely make Levi out, hunched over in the corner doing his best disappearing act. The boy seemed strangely disinterested in their guest, as if he’d rather be anywhere else but here.
‘Can we go order now?’ Levi said.
‘Sure we can,’ said Joe as he struggled to stand up. ‘Dinner is on me, just tell me what you want.’
As might be expected, Joe couldn’t remember everyone’s orders and to give him his due, all of them speaking at once didn’t help.
‘I’ll come with you,’ sighed Charlene.
‘We’ll all come too and give you a hand, won’t we? Levi? Ariel?’ said Maddie, practically dragging her little sister out of her chair.
‘Mum! Tell Maddie to stop,’ said Ariel.
After a brief flurry of movement Sam found himself alone with Sarah. He could not screw this up. Say something witty and charming!
‘Where are you staying?’ Total failure.
She looked at him quizzically as if he should already know. ‘At the Longreach Motor Inn,’ she said. ‘I’m guessing you know where that is.’
‘Yep, sure do.’ Lame again. Try harder.
Sarah didn’t miss a beat. ‘I bet farming out here is more challenging than I can imagine.’
‘Try parenting a teenage boy,’ he said, grateful for the small talk.
‘I got the moody vibe. Were you like that when you were his age?’
‘Of course not. I was the poster boy for perfection.’
‘Maddie seems to be a firecracker.’
Sam chuckled. ‘She certainly is. I can’t help thinking that Levi might be a little in love with her.’ Why did he go and tell her that? Levi would kill him if he’d heard.
‘I can see why. She’s beautiful and dynamic, a potent combination.’
‘She likes to organise people.’ By rights, he ought not to be sitting here dishing gossip about the kids with a journalist. She was so damn easy to talk to that the words kept tumbling out of his mouth. Anything to keep her with him a moment longer.
‘She’s organised me,’ Sarah said. ‘I believe she’s also lined up some people I can interview for my “Love In the Outback” article while I’m here.’
‘Sounds like Maddie. She is nothing if not thorough. Helps she thinks of herself as the town’s matchmaker.’
‘She hasn’t managed to matchmake you yet?’
He laughed at the thought. ‘No, she has not. No one in town who is really my type.’
‘Hence the need for internet romance.’
‘I guess.’ He shrugged. ‘Folk have got to do what they’ve got to do. It’s hard out here where the distance between neighbours and towns makes it tough to meet new people.’ Not that it’d ever crossed his mind to find love online.
‘Well I, for one, am glad of it otherwise I wouldn’t get to meet you.’
‘The world has certainly gotten smaller. Your newspaper is online, right?’ Levi had mentioned something and he regretted not paying more attention at the time.
‘Sure is,’ she said.
‘The internet has changed everything. I can’t imagine what kind of world my grandkids will grow up in.’ He sighed, not wanting to sound like some old fogey yet some days he struggled to keep up with technology and all the changes it brought.
‘I think it’ll be a while before you have to worry about that.’
‘Can you imagine if Levi married Miss Maddie?’ He looked at Sarah as the reality that thought presented sunk in.
‘The look on your face!’ She burst into laughter and his heart rose on the sound of it, like a bird catching a thermal updraft. She had a smattering of freckles across her nose and one right on the edge of her mouth. His eyes were drawn to it like a magnet. Kissable and very tempting.
The McRaes returned like a noisy flock of galahs, dragging Levi in their wake. With a flick of her ponytail, Sarah looked over her shoulder at them. He wanted to see her hair out in all its glory again, imagining the weight of it in his hands, inhale the warm spicy scent of her. Sam watched as she rose and made to help Levi with the drink tray he carried. He could not help but admire her derriere in those jeans, careful to quickly avert his eyes in case anyone caught him staring.
Sarah would be lying if she hadn’t considered turning and going back to her motel room as she stood outside the Royal Arms. All she had to do was walk in that room and she’d know if Lonely Sam of Longreach might be the man for her. It took her a full minute to gather the courage to push the door open and step inside.
Maddie ran up to her, full of excitement and for a moment Sarah thought she might hug her. The girl restrained herself, barely, taking Sarah’s hand instead and leading her into the room. She bobbed along in Maddie’s wake, taking in the faces of the people assembled to greet her.
Levi gave her a shy nod of hello. Joe and Charlene McRae welcomed her warmly, clearly proud of their little girl. Maddie’s sister, Ariel, was introduced next. Sarah barely registered anything they said due to the presence of a man waiting quietly for his turn. She longed to get a proper look at him, but needing to give her full attention to her hosts meant she’d have to wait.
Finally, it was Sam’s turn to be introduced. She turned very slowly. Time stretched like it does in that moment at the Oscars when they open the envelope and pull out the card with the name of the winner printed on it. Everyone holds their breath. And the winner is …
‘Oh!’ Her startled response popped out of her mouth before her brain had the chance to get past the fact that the sexiest man she’d ever seen stood right in front of her.
‘Hello.’ He held out his hand. ‘I’m Sam Costello, Levi’s dad.’
Sarah’s hand disappeared inside his warm, firm handshake. His blue eyes twinkled at her as if he knew the effect he had on her and was enjoying every minute.
‘I’m … I’m Sarah Lewis.’ She’d nearly forgotten her own name.
‘It’s nice to meet you. Journalist extraordinaire, I hear.’
‘Something like that.’ She looked down at her shoes, already covered with a light layer of dust. She looked at the faces around her. She looked anywhere but at Sam Costello. He exuded male energy of the kind yet to be studied by quantum physics. The kind that could, without a doubt, be used to prove Entanglement Theory because she sure as hell wanted to get entangled with him. He had an aura that charged every particle in her body.
Sarah looked up to find four pairs of eyes trained on her, as if waiting for something. She blinked, at a loss as to what to say next. Sam’s presence overwhelmed her. Was this what her mother had felt the night she’d met Dad? This weird shift of gravity as if the whole universe had moved sideways when you weren’t looking.
Thankfully they’d all sat down and Joe McRae had begun the kind of lighthearted banter she could deal with while her insides calmed the hell down.
She only half listened, caught up in Sam Costello. She wanted to study every inch of him. He looked like his profile picture, thank God, only the real-life version offered more than she could possibly have imagined.
So much more. She began to take mental notes to tell Fiona. His broad shoulders strained under his blue polo shirt which, by the way, matched the colour of his eyes perfectly. He was tall. Another point in his favour. And those arms. Wait until Fiona got a look at those guns. She’d have to find a way to take a photo of him. If what she felt wasn’t love at first sight, it was definitely lust and that was a good start in her book.
The McRaes went to the bar to order food and drinks, leaving them alone. She wanted to say something pithy and clever, to let him know how excited she was about finally meeting him. He got in first with a standard question, warming up as they moved the topic to Levi. She sensed him relax a little, reminding herself that he’d be as nervous as she was, especially with Levi looking on.
They were only getting started when the McRaes returned to the table. Sarah took the opportunity to help Levi, mostly because the rising sexual tension she sensed between her and Sam made her feel vulnerable. She helped pass around the drinks and sat back down, every nerve in her body straining towards him.
Please God, don’t let anyone notice. At least until she could be sure he felt it too.
‘How’s the heat treating you?’ Joe asked, as he picked up his bottle of beer. Charlene slapped at his wrist.
‘Glass please, Joe. You’re in polite company,’ she said.
Joe rolled his eyes and did as she bid.
‘The heat feels different to the coast,’ she said, instantly kicking herself mentally. Of course the heat had a different quality to it. They bordered the desert here while the coast was fringed with a lush green courtesy of the rain blowing in from the ocean.
‘It’s not the only thing you’ll find different from home,’ said Joe with a wink and Sarah wondered what he meant exactly.
‘I’m taking it you’ve never been to the outback before,’ said Sam, throwing her a lifeline she grabbed gratefully.
‘No,’ she said. ‘I’m from Newcastle originally and I live in Sydney now. I haven’t travelled Australia all that much. Frankly, if it’s not been on the coast I haven’t seen it.’ Sam knew all that already but confessing her parochial travelling habits to the rest of the table sent a bolt of shame through her. This wide open country stretched for miles in every direction. The sky above arced in a brilliant blue dome. A stillness settled over the land in dramatic contrast to Sydney, a city that never slept.
He regarded her with those laughing blue eyes as if assessing her. ‘You’re here now and that’s all that matters.’
Yes, it was.
Maddie nudged Levi under the table with her foot as their food arrived. He looked at her, confused, and she wiggled her eyebrows at him in a semaphore he clearly didn’t understand. She’d seen a bona fide spark arc between Mr C and Sarah. Surely, Levi had seen it too.
‘Ms Lewis.’ Maddie sat up a little taller and put on her brightest smile. The one that always got her what she wanted. ‘How are you finding Longreach so far?’
Sarah laughed, her long dark hair so glossy it reflected light. Maddie made a mental note to ask her how she got it that way.
‘I haven’t had much time to really soak up the ambience,’ she said. ‘What I can say is the people are lovely.’ Sarah cut a glance at Mr C as she spoke.
Maddie wanted to fist pump her victory. Sarah liked Mr C for real, not only on the internet. Now she had to gauge how Mr C felt. She watched him carefully, looking for romantic tells. Everyone had them. She speared a chip on her fork and chewed thoughtfully.
‘Longreach is a very friendly place,’ said her mum. ‘We wouldn’t live anywhere else.’
‘I can see the charm,’ said Sarah. ‘Sydney is becoming so overcrowded and noisy that my ears are ringing with the silence out here.’
Mr C tucked into his steak without giving any indication he was interested in the conversation. She ought to have sat them opposite each other so she could watch them better. She searched Mr C’s face for clues.
Nothing.
‘It’s great of you to come out and speak to the kids about a career in journalism. The local radio and newspaper are great support, although it’s nice to get the broader perspective.’ Maddie’s dad used his best-behaviour voice, the one he saved for phone calls to the power company or the bank.
‘I’d planned to make a trip out here for research anyway, so when I got Maddie’s email it seemed like fate.’ Sarah smiled at her with what Maddie liked to think of as gratitude. Of course Fate led her here. Maddie was merely Fate’s handmaiden.
‘What are you researching?’ Her mother picked up a cherry tomato with her fork and popped it delicately into her mouth. She knew exactly what Sarah was researching because Maddie had told her.
‘I’m doing a series on love in the outback.’ Sarah tucked her hair behind one ear as she spoke. ‘I want to explore the challenges of dating in the country and how people get around them. If people use the internet and that sort of thing. If you know anyone who might be willing to tell me their story I’d be grateful.’
‘Do we know anyone?’ Mum looked at Dad with her squinty I’m-thinking look. Totally pointless because they’d done nothing but talk about who they might suggest as potential interviewees all the way over.
‘Let me think.’ Dad played on the charade like a seasoned actor. She wanted to scream. Helping Sarah find interview subjects was not the point here. Helping Sarah and Mr C fall in love was the main focus.
‘There’s Pete. He tried online dating.’ Maddie’s sister, Ariel, talked with her mouth full. Maddie wanted to kick her under the table, only she couldn’t be sure which leg was hers.
Mum laughed. ‘Poor Pete. The date turned out to be a total disaster.’
‘The girl was a bit of a stalker, wasn’t she?’ said Dad.
‘That’s exactly the type of story I want to hear.’ Sarah lit up with excitement.
‘Pete’s in Rockhampton,’ Maddie said.
‘I don’t mind. Maybe he’ll agree to talk to me over the phone or on Skype or something.’
‘I’ll give him a call and see if he’ll be up for it,’ said Dad. ‘Might have to change his name to protect the innocent and all that.’
‘Dad,’ groaned Maddie. ‘It’s a story on dating, not murder or organised crime.’
‘How about those friends of your parents? You know, Monica and Bruce.’ Mum levelled her butter knife at Dad’s chest like it had a target painted on it.
‘Great memory,’ said Dad. He seemed to be getting right into the spirit of things. ‘They’d both been widowed and met recently. Things are really going well. Hard when you’re older to find someone new to replace the person you lost.’
The table fell silent and all eyes swivelled to Mr C, who stopped mid-chew.
‘I’m sorry, Sam,’ said Dad, his cheeks turning red and a faint sheen of sweat appearing as if by magic on his forehead. Maddie cringed. ‘I didn’t mean any offence …’
Mr C shook his head while he swallowed his bite. ‘It’s okay,’ he said. ‘None taken.’ He turned to Sarah. ‘My wife died of cancer a while back.’
Maddie held her breath.
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ said Sarah softly.
Maddie blew her breath out and sagged in the middle. Thank God.
‘It’s okay,’ said Mr C.
‘He’s officially back on the market, aren’t you, mate?’ Dad had to go and have a dig. ‘Look out, Sarah. Not many eligible ladies in town for Sam Costello. You might find yourself swept off your feet.’
Her dad could be so embarrassing.
‘I am out here to experience the romance of the outback,’ said Sarah, rising beautifully to the occasion.
‘Not a great deal of romance out here,’ said Mr C.
Why did he have to go and dampen the moment? She had to do something before things got off track.
‘I beg to differ,’ she said. ‘There’s the Thomson River. A boat ride on that is romantic, especially at night under the stars. There’s even a paddle wheeler you can take.’
‘What’s more romantic than a paddle wheeler?’ said Sarah.
‘You should totally go on it while you’re here,’ said Maddie. ‘Mr C can take you.’ There, she’d said it. If he backed out now he’d look like a total dick. She waited with her fingers crossed beneath the table.
Come on, come on.
‘Um … yeah, sure. Why not?’ Mr C took the bait. Hard not to when the entire table stared him down.
‘Thank you,’ said Sarah in a tone of voice Maddie recognised. She’d used it herself on Wayne, and look where it had got her. A date to the senior formal. Score!
‘There’s the Cobb & Co Stagecoach ride,’ she said, trying to push the advantage home.
‘And the Qantas museum,’ piped up Ariel. Typical. Who on earth thought the Qantas museum counted as a romantic date? Maddie rolled her eyes, making sure Ariel saw her.
‘I’m up for it all.’ Sarah laughed and Mr C got this peculiar look on his face for a second. Long enough for Maddie to see. She knew what that look meant. That kind of knowledge was her stock-in-trade as a matchmaker.
‘Let me have your phone number and we’ll organise something for early next week. Let you get settled in first,’ said Mr C.
A shiver of excitement shot through her. Mr C liked Sarah. This was happening. It was all Maddie could do to stop from squealing with happiness.
Notes for ‘Finding Love in the Outback’
Interview #2
Callum (45) and Jenna (42) both from Emerald,
Queensland. Met during a taxi ride.
Jenna: I’d been divorced about a year when I decided to get back into dating. I figured if not now, when? Soon I’d be too old and saggy for anyone to find attractive. I’d set up a date at the local pub. Just a drink. Callum turns up at my house to pick me up and, well, the rest is history.
Callum: I picked her up in me taxi. I’d worked in mining originally. Got made redundant so took up taxi driving until I could figure out what to do next. The last thing I’d reckoned on was falling for a fare. I mean, what are the chances in a town like this?
Jenna: To be clear, he was not my date.
Callum: Nah, I was only the bloke driving her there.
Jenna: It’s a pretty short drive from my place to the pub but that’s all it took to know.
Callum: She got in the front seat and I dunno, something happened, like an electric shock. The whole situation was mad.
Jenna: I made him drive around town. I didn’t want to get out of the car.
Callum: I ended up taking her to another pub for a drink meself.
Jenna: I felt awful about standing the other guy up. In my defence, how many times do you find a connection like that? I couldn’t let him get away.
Callum: I ain’t going nowhere, sweetheart. You’ve got me for good now.
Jenna: My perfect rough diamond.