The Road Home (20 page)

‘Lara,’ he warned in a deep, gravely voice, but the glint in his eyes spoke his desire.

It only spurred her closer. ‘Jack,’ she whispered, then closed the gap to kiss him. His lips were warm and tender, more than she’d imagined. Her hand snaked up his singlet, and she revelled in his hard chest. Lara let her tongue flit across his lips, tasting beer and smoke. Firecrackers went off inside her head when she heard Jack moan. He opened his mouth, letting her in. If she’d known that kissing him would be this amazing, she’d have kissed him long ago.

She melted against him and with sheer delight felt Jack’s hands go to her waist, pulling her closer. She moved her other hand to
his neck, where she threaded her fingers into his thick hair, drawing him closer still. She felt like she was flying as her belly tingled from the delicious taste of Jack.

‘Lara,’ Jack murmured against her lips. She felt him lose whatever resistance he’d had as he claimed her mouth, taking control and devouring her like he’d been starved. He found the top of her ponytail and let her hair out, as if he’d been wanting to do it forever. As he wove his fingers through her locks, Lara could feel his desire pressing even more firmly against her. He wanted her; there was no denying it. Her lips tingled and would be sore later from his stubble and the brutal hunger of their kisses. She throbbed with need and rubbed against him, realising just how long she’d been dying to taste him, to touch him. Her hands found their way down to the top of his shorts and plunged under the band to feel his burning erection. Jack shuddered and Lara knew they’d both die if something wasn’t done about their desire now. She unbuttoned her own shorts, let them drop to the ground and stepped out of them.

Jack understood her need. With strong hands, he lifted her up and placed her on the ute tray before sliding her in close. His breath was rapid against her skin, as he tasted every inch of her. Lara felt she’d explode if she couldn’t have him now. With trembling hands, she pulled down his shorts, releasing him. Jack trailed his fingers along her leg, slipped them under her lacy G-string and rubbed her. She bucked eagerly at each brush.

‘Jack,’ she whimpered, unable to wait any more. He needed no more urging. He brushed the lace aside and buried himself deep inside her.

Lara found his mouth again as her legs tightened around him,
pulling him deeper. Jack growled in painful ecstasy. She clung to him, lost in her high as the climax built between them. Her hands dug into his backside, drawing him in with each movement. Her breath was gasping, and she was no longer able to hold her lips against Jack’s. He pushed forward one more time and they both cried out into the moonlit night.

LARA woke alone in her room and found her head buzzing, but it wasn’t from last night’s beer. It was from the memory of being with Jack. And the shock of realising just how much she liked him. When had simple attraction turned into something more?

As far as perfect nights went, last night had been right up there. It was as if Jack had grown another dimension by letting down his guard. He’d opened up, and oh, how she liked what she saw. She wanted to see him again, just to check that she hadn’t dreamt it, that what she’d experienced was real. Would he want to see her again too? Or would he go back to being shut off and distant … unreachable? Her fingers twitched with an eagerness to press the numbers for his mobile. But she couldn’t, not yet. She wasn’t sure what all this meant, or what it would mean to him.

Reluctantly, she pulled herself out of bed and away from her visions of last night. She cooked up a hearty breakfast and was just sitting down to eat when the phone rang.

‘Good morning. Lara speaking.’

‘Well, hello to you too, sis. You sure are chipper this morning,’ said Amanda.

‘Yeah, you could say that. I haven’t burnt the place down yet. So, what’s up at your end of the world?’
How’s Noah?
is what she really wanted to ask. ‘Did Noah tell you that we talked a little at the bucks’ night?’

‘Sort of. Told me he’d seen you and all was good again. I didn’t want to pry and rock the boat any more.’ Amanda sighed. ‘He’s off feeding the cattle and weighing lambs with Dad, while I organise the finer details of the wedding.’

‘I know. Less than a month. Can you believe it?’

Amanda groaned. ‘Really, there’s not much left to do. I’m just ringing up to see if the money cleared okay.’

‘Money? What money?’

‘Noah said he’d transferred the fifty grand a few days ago, to pay you back for what was missing.’

Lara felt like the walls were closing in on her. ‘Into the working account?’

‘Yeah, that’s what he said.’ Mandy’s voice had a worried edge.

‘Nothing has come through yet, and I was online early yesterday. If he did it a few days ago, it should be there by now.’

‘Are you sure? Do you think he could have got the account details wrong or something? Please don’t tell me we have to guess the worst!’

‘Shit, I don’t know, Mandy. We can’t go accusing him without proof. He’ll go ballistic. What do we do?’ Her brain whirled. ‘What if you call the bank and see if they can tell you where it was transferred to? It’s a joint account, isn’t it?’ Lara asked.

‘Yes, it is. Great idea. I’ll call them right now. I have a bit of time before Noah’s due back. I’ll call you when I know.’

‘Thanks, Mandy. I’m sure it’ll just be an error.’

‘Yeah. Talk soon.’

Lara leant back in her chair. She wanted to be optimistic but she had a sick feeling churning in her stomach. She gave the rest of her breakfast to the dogs and wandered through the house doing half-jobs. She was putting the dishes away, a few in the wrong spots, when the phone rang. She just about pounced on it.

‘Hello,’ she said breathlessly.

‘Oh, Lara … do you think he’s still gambling? They said … they said he didn’t transfer that money at all. It’s been withdrawn.
Withdrawn!
He lied to me.’ Amanda was sobbing into the phone. ‘See, if he has the money, then he can spend it without leaving a trace. Lara, he’s been planning a trip to Perth for next week to pick up the suits but I bet he’s off to the casino. What if he’s placing bets today?’ she said, horrified.

Lara’s head was spinning. ‘Don’t worry. Your dad’s with him, you said. Surely he can’t get up to much. But we have to do something.’ Lara stopped to take a deep breath. ‘I know – ring up a helpline. Maybe they can offer assistance on the best way to go about this. He’s not going to take kindly to us ganging up on him.’ Lara sat down before her legs crumbled, wondering just how on earth Noah could have got to this point. She couldn’t understand it at all.

Amanda was fighting back her tears on the other end of the line.

‘Look, do you want me to come down there and help you confront him, or just to help?’

Amanda took a deep, steadying breath. ‘No. He’s going to be my husband. We can sort this out together. I’m a tough girl, too, you know. I can handle whatever he dishes out. If it gets bad, I promise I’ll give you a call.’

Lara sighed. She probably would have acted the same way herself. ‘Okay, but just remember you’re not alone, and you don’t have to do this by yourself. I’m here, in any way you need.’

‘Thanks. I’d better go. I’ll talk to you later.’

‘Take care, Mandy.’

With another deep sigh, Lara looked at the clock. Time to go and get the mail and the milk. She hoped she’d be able to concentrate on a task as simple as that.

Down at the end of the driveway, Lara opened the old fridge and pulled out the milk and the mail. She put the milk on the passenger seat and sorted through the envelopes: mostly bills, plus one yellow A4 envelope from Smithe and Tanner Legal. She opened it, assuming it would be related to the farm.

The With Compliments slip said ‘As requested’. She flicked through the pages, and saw Noah’s name and Jack Morgan’s name. She kept reading, trying to absorb what she’d stumbled upon. In her hands was an agreement for Jack to run Erindale, and to slowly pay Noah for it. Was Noah so pissed off at her that he’d do this? He’d take Erindale from her and give it to Jack? Surely not. He couldn’t do that. He’d promised it to her – hadn’t he? Would he at least give her the money back from the sale of the Perth house?

Is this why Jack had been so mad with her since the beginning? He’d wanted Erindale for himself? She thought back to his snide comments and it all began to make sense. He couldn’t have
his farm in New Zealand so he was going to take hers? Over her dead body! She would never allow this to go through. Jack. That son of a bitch. Just wait till she saw him.

She revved up the ute, changed into gear and planted her foot, spinning the vehicle around in the driveway. Gravel sprayed out behind her as the back tray clipped the strainer post on the side fence. She glanced back to see it still standing and let out her breath. She’d never felt so wild and furious. All this going on, right under her nose.

Jack drove into Erindale with a stupid grin on his face. He couldn’t help it. All morning he’d felt like the fox that had eaten the whole chook pen full of hens. God only knows what Noah would say if he knew Jack had got together with Lara. He’d probably castrate him! He’d caught himself humming this morning. Humming! He’d finally let go of his fear of getting hurt. The Lara he knew was not going back to the city. He’d been delighted to receive her text asking to see him. He was dying to see her again, to make sure that what had happened was real, see if he still felt it. He scratched his chin and wished he’d shaved this morning. Would this meeting lead to more? Now he was all jittery with nerves.

‘G’day, Dippa. Hey, Roy,’ he said to the dogs as they met him at the ute. After a quick pat, he started to bound off towards the gate and saw Lara coming the other way. He felt himself stir just at the sight of her: long legs clad in jeans, a red singlet like a second skin, bright blue eyes …

But with just one look at the fury on her face he had all the wind knocked out of his chest.

‘What the hell is this, Jack?’ she yelled, waving a yellow envelope and papers at him.

Not exactly the greeting he’d envisaged. ‘What —’

She barely stopped for a breath. ‘I don’t know what you thought last night was, but it was cruel to use me like that.’

‘I didn’t … What? I’m confused.’

‘Oh, you’re sure you don’t have any clue what I’m on about?’ Her eyes drilled him like blue steel rods. Hatred. Hurt. Fear. It was all there, swirling like a deadly rip. She shoved the papers at him. Quickly he turned them up the right way.

‘Don’t even think you can kick me off my land. This land has been in my family for years, and you’re not going to run me off it, ever.’

He started to realise what she was saying, and then he saw his name on the paper. The agreement. ‘Oh no. Lara, let me explain —’

‘Don’t bother, Jack. You’ve had it in for me from the start. Now I know why. Well, you know what? I’m not giving up this place without a fight. I may not have had much to do with the farm, but right now I’m trying to earn that right.’ She flung her arms around, her face red. Damn, was she gorgeous. He tried to speak again but she cut him off.

‘Last night was a mistake. Was it all a part of your plan or did you not count on that? It doesn’t matter, anyway,’ she said, pacing in front of him. ‘Just because you couldn’t have your farm in New Zealand doesn’t mean you can steal mine away from me. Taking over Erindale is not going to help you shift that godforsaken chip off your shoulder. You need to go home and sort that shit out. You won’t get rid of your anger until you do.’ She poked
her finger into his chest. ‘You’re a real piece of work, Jack. You’re not even a good friend,’ she growled.

Now she had tears in her eyes. He took a step back from the force of her words. Hell. He’d deserved most of her ranting, but not that last part … He was a loyal friend, always. He took pride in his friendships.

‘What are you on about?’

‘Noah! You know, your supposed-to-be best mate, Noah? The one who’s got a gambling problem?
That
Noah.’ Lara was sobbing between breaths and words.

Jack grabbed her by the shoulders and held her still. ‘For Christ’s sake, woman. What the hell are you saying?’

She drew in a deep breath, calmed herself, sniffed one last time and shot him a hurtful look. ‘Did you know Noah has spent fifty-odd grand gambling, maybe more, and he’s still at it? He has a
problem
! A major problem. And if you were a
real
friend, you’d have known about it, you’d have been able to stop him before it got this bad.’

Jack was too stunned to reply. Noah, addicted to gambling? He would have laughed if Lara didn’t look so terrifying. She started pushing him in his chest, forcing him backwards.

‘Just leave, Jack. You’re not needed or welcome here.’ Her voice dropped, wounded and soft. ‘I thought I saw something in you, underneath all that resentment, but I was deluding myself. I don’t think you want to change, Jack. I think you like being angry at the world for how your life’s turned out. But you know what? You’re the only one in control of it. You want someone to blame, someone to be angry at? Well, go look in a mirror.’ She shoved him
backwards again as her voice grew strong. ‘Now, get off my property.’ She backed away into the yard, slamming the gate behind her. ‘Leave!’ she screamed, watching him from behind the gate.

He was completely floored. Slowly he turned around and headed to his ute, his mind far away. He tried to make sense of Lara’s words, her hurt expression, but it all blurred together. And Noah. It couldn’t be true. But the hatred he saw in Lara’s eyes, the contempt – it said it all. He sat in the ute and put his hands on the steering wheel.

How could he not have noticed? Sure, Noah liked his poker nights and going to the casino, but so did lots of their mates. As he started the ute, he tried to think back to the times they’d been out together. Had he missed important, telltale signs? Noah was always depressed after a loss, but who wasn’t? Maybe he’d been losing thousands and pretending it was only hundreds. Had Jack been so loyal, that he’d been gullible?

‘Shit.’ He hit the steering wheel. How could he have missed it? And Lara? Well, he hated the fact that she thought badly of him but right now Noah came first. Lara would find out the truth soon enough; she was in no state to hear it from him just now. Jack left Erindale and the haunting image of Lara’s tear-stained face.