The Sunburnt Country (5 page)

Renae’s smile dropped. ‘Oh, Jonny. Maybe he used to talk with Alana and now he doesn’t know what to do. He might take a while to open up with you again. I don’t know how men work. They’re a bloody mystery. All you can do is stay close and let him know you’re there.’

‘I guess. I just hate seeing him hurting. It’s just so sad, what he had to go through. Thank God they didn’t have kids.’

Nae tapped her fingers on the desk. ‘Guess there won’t be any romance for you any time soon. Shame.’

‘Nae,’ growled Jonny as she glanced around. ‘Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. I don’t need a man.’

‘Sure you don’t,’ whispered Nae.

‘Look, I’ve got tyres to fit. If you need me, I’ll be in the workshop.’

‘Okay, I’ve got an appointment with Mrs Dardanup’s hairy legs anyway, but after that we’re talking about how
my
weekend went.’

Jonny was expecting a blow-by-blow description of someone’s waxing or a new plant variety she’d found and wasn’t really looking forward to the talk. She clomped back out the front to reverse Carlo’s Territory into the workshop, with Renae following close behind.

‘Don’t worry. You’ll hear every detail,’ Renae said with an excited squeal.

Jonny waved her away, groaning. That’s what she was dreading.

DANIEL
had a late start as the bank didn’t open until nine, so he decided to get his now-flat spare tyre fixed. He drove around the streets twice looking for a tyre shop, and finally stopped alongside the oldest-looking shed in town. A little truck was parked out the front with a few boxes on the back, and the glass door to the office part was wide open. Carefully, so not to dirty his shirt, he got the flat tyre out of the boot and headed towards the office area.

Inside, among the chaos of old signs that lined the walls, he placed the tyre at his feet just as a man with a towelling hat limped his way. ‘Um, excuse me. I have a tyre that needs repairing.’

‘Don’t look at me,’ said the guy, tucking a folder under his arm. ‘I’m just delivering a parcel. Jonny’s in the workshop, just through there.’ He pointed to a doorway beside the desk.

‘Oh, sorry. Thanks.’ The delivery guy nodded his head and walked off towards his little truck, leaving behind a trail of BO.

Dan held his breath, grabbed the tyre and made a beeline to the workshop area. Inside were more old signs, ones for Valvoline, Shell, Mobil and even Bushells tea, as well as old black and white numberplates. Dan took a moment to look up at the signs. He was fascinated by them, the numberplates especially, and wondered what types of cars they came from. Uncle Mark, his mum’s brother, was responsible for his love of cars. Not that either of them knew anything about cars, but they both had a deep appreciation for the classics and Dan was a diehard V8 racing fan. Uncle Mark had always taken him to watch the V8s when the races toured Perth. It was their annual event, decked out in red, waving the Holden flags, but since he’d stopped seeing his mum, after he moved out with his dad at nearly sixteen, he’d lost contact with everyone on his mum’s side of the family, including Mark. It was such a shame. He’d spent more of his childhood with his uncle than with his own dad in those early years.

The sound of the rattle gun made him flinch. It was coming from behind the Ford Territory in the middle of the workshop. ‘Hello,’ he said, as the noisy gun drowning out his words.

Resting the tyre on the ground, he stepped around the car and saw the boots and blue overalls of the mechanic. ‘Excuse me?’ he said, a little louder this time.

The mechanic looked up. ‘You!’ Dan said, surprised. It was the girl he’d seen on the side of the road, only this time she was minus the cute dress. ‘Y-y-you work here?’

‘Daniel,’ she said, quickly standing and brushing her blonde hair back off her face. In the process she managed to smear a streak of grease across her forehead. He struggled to hide his smile. At least she looked as surprised as he felt.

He’d hoped he might bump into her again, but he thought the chances were slim to none. Yet here she was. Just as gorgeous as he remembered. A little dishevelled, but just as pretty.

She waved her gun thing around like a toy and rested her other hand on her hip.

‘Yep, this is my workshop. The
Jonny’s Mechanical
sign didn’t give it away?’

‘Oh, Jonelle, Jonny . . . Right. Sorry, I’m still a little . . .’ Dan stopped, collected his thoughts and tried again. It wasn’t often that he was caught off guard by a gorgeous girl in a pair of grimy old overalls. He took a deep breath. ‘Let me try that again. Sorry. I didn’t realise this was your place, but it sure makes sense considering how quickly you changed my tyre the other day.’ He couldn’t help but smile in awe of this fascinating girl. She still took his breath away – maybe it was the way she held the power tool.

‘At least you took my advice to get it fixed,’ she said, nodding at the flat.

Dan smiled, just a little. ‘Advice?’ He looked around her workshop. ‘I’m starting to think you were just drumming up business.’

She broke into smile. He no longer saw her dirty overalls, just her beaming heart-shaped face, which kept him captivated.

‘Well, I can certainly use all the work I can get at the moment.’ Resting the rattle gun on the ground, Jonny stepped across to his tyre and looked it over. ‘You’re going to need a new tyre. I can replace it but I’d have to order it in.’

Even in baggy men’s workwear, all her curves were still visible and his mind wandered to what she might be wearing underneath.

‘Are you in a hurry for the tyre?’ she asked, facing him. Her hair had a slight curl to it, even when swept up in a loose bun.

‘Uh, no. I’m hanging around in town for a while, just a few months. There’s no rush. So . . . maybe you’ll let me thank you properly for sorting out my flat? A beer at the pub some time?’ The words were out of his mouth before he could even consider them. So much for his rule about not mixing work with pleasure.

‘You’re hanging around in Bundara?’ she asked breathlessly. ‘What are you doing here?’ Her words trailed off and her vibrant green eyes widened as they took in Dan’s attire. ‘Oh my God. Please don’t tell me that you’re the new bank manager.’

‘Yeah. How did you guess? Was the shirt a giveaway?’ Automatically he checked it was still tucked in. ‘Come on. Don’t be offended just because I don’t own a truckie singlet or boots,’ he said in jest. The smile she’d been so generous with had disappeared. Something else now flickered across her eyes, and it wasn’t just from his bad joke.

‘Leave it with me. I’ll get it to you by the end of the week.’ Jonelle bent down, picked up the air gun and began to tighten the last few nuts on the wheel, dismissing him in the process.

Dan took a step back, his polished black dress shoes sliding across the dusty floor. With her one free hand Jonny waved goodbye, her eyes never leaving the job. Dan turned to leave, confused by her frosty dismissal. Hoping for another glimpse of those playful green eyes and her great Hollywood smile he turned back to Jonny, hoping she’d glance his way. But she never took her eyes off the tyre. There was something entrancing in the way she worked.

Giving up on the chance of a last smile, Dan headed for the door. On his way out, he spotted a few photos on a pinboard in among Jonelle’s certificates for motor mechanics and heavy diesel. In one of them, an old guy with grease on his face and a rolled cigarette hanging out his mouth had his arm around a little girl. He’d know that smile anywhere. It was burned into his mind since their first meeting on the side of the road. She looked barely a teenager and already she was holding a new spanner set like it was a beloved Christmas present.

The other photo was of the same guy, much older now, with his arm around Jonelle, a freshly painted workshop in the background. She was kissing his grubby cheek and holding some papers. Dan felt like he knew so much about her already. The weird thing was he could walk into his ex-girlfriend’s house and look over every inch of it and the only thing he’d know was that she liked stainless-steel kitchen appliances. Jessica never had anything personal on show and hated public displays of affection, too.

Daniel went back to his car, the sun already sucking his skin dry, and headed to the bank. He parked under the shade of the big lilac tree.

Jean greeted him as he came through the front door.

‘Good morning, Daniel. Welcome to Bundara’s Sovereign Bank. Here’s your set of keys.’ Jean was dressed in a navy skirt and the bank’s white and red pinstriped shirt. The Sovereign logo was stitched in red on a fake pocket at the front, and her hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail. It was a stark contrast to the tracksuit pants and boots she’d worn on Saturday.

‘Thanks, Jean.’

She nodded her head. ‘Follow me. So, I take it you got settled in all right?’

‘Yes, thanks. I had some local help.’

‘I saw Zac and Rick. Good to keep those boys busy – keeps them out of mischief,’ she said. When she saw Daniel’s pointed look she added, ‘Not much goes on around here that we don’t all get to know about. And the stuff we don’t see personally quickly makes it through the grapevine.’ Jean waved to a girl at the front counter. ‘Now, this is Gemma, our customer service officer. She’s Rick’s girlfriend and has been with us for six months. Gemma, this is Daniel, our new manager.’

‘Temporary manager,’ he corrected. ‘Hi, Gemma.’ He offered the girl a smile as she nervously tucked her dyed red hair behind her ear.

‘This way, Daniel.’ Jean pointed out her own office on one side and his on the other, as well as where he could find the vault, the toilets and the all-important coffee room. ‘We also have another girl, Marina, who works part-time since having her kids. We call her in if we need her.’

Dan walked into his office, a small room just large enough for an L-shaped desk. He cringed at the dingy cream walls. The feeling of confinement was broken by the ornate high ceilings. Folks would pay a fortune for period features like these now.

‘Would you like a coffee?’

‘Um, thanks, Jean. White with one would be great.’

While they drank their coffees they discussed how the branch was going and where all the files were located. Dan requested a few of the more critical reports to start with.

He had two months to get this branch into shape and to impress the company heads and, more importantly, his father. Over the years Dan had learned that a promotion was the only way to get any kind of emotional response from his father – a handshake, a slap on the back, even a night out for dinner. His father rewarded the dedicated, and Dan knew he could be just that.

There was a tap at his door.

‘Um, sorry to interrupt,’ said Gemma, poking her head into his office. ‘But Jean said you wanted these reports?’

‘Sure,’ he said, taking the pile of documents from her. He wondered whether he ought to mention Rick, make idle chitchat with her, as she seemed timid and unsure around him. But he thought better of it. He wasn’t here to make friends, and Gemma would just have to get used to him being the boss for a while, along with everyone else. ‘Thanks, Gemma.’

When the door clicked shut, Dan glanced over the papers. There were some big numbers on them, and lots of them from different clients. So many people were in way over their heads. He opened his satchel, fished out his monogrammed fountain pen and began to make notes of the most critical cases.

Dan sighed. Some of these would need some major action, and without even looking into things deeply, he could already tell that the bank would need to take over some of these farms. With no break in the drought predicted, these problems just wouldn’t, couldn’t, be easily fixed. ‘Welcome to Bundara. Home of the growing debt,’ he said to himself.

IT
was just about lunchtime when Renae came back from her appointment with Mrs Dardanup. Jonny had almost forgotten that Renae had wanted to talk about her weekend. When Renae had free time between her jobs, she’d often come down to the workshop to chat, mainly because Jonny listened to her ramblings.

After Daniel had left her workshop this morning, Jonny had been left feeling crappy. At first she’d been shocked to see him again, in Bundara of all places and in her workshop. God, how grubby did she look? Then the thoughts of ‘what if’ came – did she have a chance with this handsome stranger? Could this be her guy, her chance? But then to find out he was just the fill-in bank manager, well, it ruined everything. Why was it that the first new eligible guy to find his way to Bundara would turn out to be a banker? And then he’d be leaving town shortly anyway. He was so good-looking, too. Just the right jawline and chiselled features that elevated him to a Brad Pitt kind of handsome. Even with shaggy hair and stubble he’d still be striking, and in Jonny’s opinion, twice as hot.

Renae bundled past Jonny, carrying a plastic bag. ‘Okay, I brought us lunch. Let’s go,’ she said. Jonny followed her through the rear door, which opened up to her private room. It was where Coot had once lived, and Jonny divided her time between here and her old room back at the farm. At home she was so spoilt by her mum. This place gave her a sense of independence, of having left the nest, and sometimes she worked late and it was handy having a bed close by. It was also walking distance from the pub. Renae went straight to the old square air-conditioning unit and held her hand against the vents. ‘I swear this thing is useless,’ she said, ‘but it beats eating in the workshop. Here,’ she said, opening the bag and taking out two salad rolls. They sat at the little four-seater table with its mismatched wooden chairs. The room was barely five-by-five but it could fit a double bed in one corner, which also doubled as the couch when Jonny watched TV. In the other corner was a tiny kitchenette. Large cream lino tiles covered the cement flooring. Coot had laid the lino himself before Jonny moved in. He’d told her she was too good for a cement floor. He’d even painted the walls, which were now filled with photos of her family and old metal farm parts that her brother JB had welded together into artworks. At the opposite end of the room was another door, which led to the shower and toilet.

Renae pulled out two Cokes from the bag and cracked hers open. ‘Man, Mrs Dardanup took way longer than I thought. I had to hear all about her new grandson. I swear I could spot that baby in a line-up now.’

Jonny nodded absent-mindedly as she picked at her lunch.

Renae studied her. ‘Hey, you were supposed to crack a smile. I know that look. What’s going on inside your head?’

Jonny poked some lettuce back into her roll. ‘You know when you meet someone and you instantly click and the sparks are flying and the moment seems so perfect, but then fate throws a curve ball? Your mind fills with the possibilities and then reality comes crashing down?’

Chewing her mouthful quickly, Renae swallowed. ‘I’m guessing we’re not talking about Ryan. So what are you saying? You found a potential suitor and then didn’t?’

‘Something like that. Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be.’ Jonny took a huge bite from her roll, hoping that was the end of this talk. ‘So how was your weekend? Please tell me that it was more exciting than mine.’

‘No changing the subject. Come on, you can’t leave me hanging. You actually liked a guy. He must have been something – tell me more.’

Jonny shrugged. ‘There’s no point, he’s not staying. Nothing could come of it.’

Renae studied her expression and figured it was a dead end.

‘Hmm, damn shame. Well, I can cheer you up. My news – Friday night at the pub, a very hot guy booked in. He has this cheeky smile and a butt so hard you could bounce coins off it. Thank God, too. It’s about time we had something fresh around here. I’ll never have kids at this rate.’

‘So did you hit it off or scare him outta town?’ Jonny joked.

Her friend screwed up her face. ‘I tried my “you can have me” smile but he didn’t bite. I must be losing my touch. Daniel wasn’t even interested. In the end he spent most of the night chatting to Zac.’

Jonny choked on her mouthful of Coke. Coughing and spluttering, she wiped her face on her overalls. ‘Daniel is the guy you’re talking about? Good-looking, tall bloke from the city?’

Renae’s forehead creased. ‘Yeah, how did you . . . ? Oh my God. Is Daniel the guy you were talking about?’

Jonny could only nod as she wiped soft drink from her nose.

Renae held her hands up. ‘You mentioned him first, so you get first dibs.’

‘No, really . . . I don’t think . . .’

‘Come on, as if I’m going to try for a guy that you’ve said is hot. Do you know the last time you found a guy attractive? Yeah, it’s been a while. I was starting to have doubts about you, Jonelle Baxter.’

Jonny rolled her eyes at Renae’s exaggeration. ‘No, seriously. I’m backing off – he’s all yours. But he wasn’t even interested in me, so maybe he’s gay.’

Jonny smiled, trying to hold back a chuckle. Renae had never had a knock-back her whole life. ‘I don’t think so, Nae. He was giving me some signals and for me to notice, that’s saying something.’ She remembered his hand firmly holding hers, not wanting to let go, and his open admiration of her. No, Jonny would bet her Torana that Daniel was straight.

‘So tell me why you’ve given up on him when it seems he’s taken with you already?’ Renae asked as she toyed with her lunch.

‘Yes, he’s unbelievably gorgeous and new and different and I
was
interested but you know I can’t do flings and I’ll never leave Bundara and he’s here for, what, a month or two, tops? You’ve seen him, total city bloke, it’s never gonna work. Just look what happened to Ryan and Alana.’

Renae waved her finger, her brow creased. ‘Don’t you use Ryan’s marriage as an excuse. I’m not asking you to marry the bloke, just live a little, Jonny!’

‘But he’s the bank manager. You know I’ve got issues with the bank.’ Jonny ground her teeth together. Just the words ‘bank’ or ‘loan’ could send her into a mixed-up, angry, anxious mess.

‘So? Zac didn’t have any problem with him. They’re practically best mates already.’

‘Yeah, well, for one, Zac forgets easily and two, he doesn’t owe the bank money. After what happened with Uncle Rex and the bank . . .’ Jonny could only shake her head.

‘You’re just too loyal, Jonny, and it’s becoming a character flaw. Give Daniel a break. It’s just his job. Live, Jonny, live.’

Jonny raised an eyebrow. ‘I can’t, Nae. I like things simple, basic. I can’t start anything knowing he won’t be around long.’

Renae waved her off with a brush of her hand. ‘I know, I know, you’re a big-hearted girl who doesn’t do anything lightheartedly. Unlike myself, who is quite happy to try before I buy.’

‘It’s why you still work at the pub, isn’t it?’ Jonny teased.

Renae went serious, her expression turning stern. ‘To tell you the truth, Jonny, I haven’t had a one-night stand or anything casual in ages. I’m not sure why, maybe I’m getting too old for this game.’

‘Yeah, I’ve noticed. Are you okay?’ Jonny laughed. ‘Are you coming down with something?’ She sat back, watching her friend. They’d only ever had one fight over a boy and that was in high school, and Tommy Rickter hadn’t liked either of them. ‘Seriously though, you know I think this is a good thing. You need to find someone who loves you for you, who loves your heart just as much as I do. It’s time you found someone serious, someone in for the long haul.’

Renae smiled and her face glowed with warmth. ‘Thanks, Jonny. Maybe we both should.’

*

By the end of the week, Jonny had fixed Daniel’s tyre and had put off returning it to him for long enough. She hadn’t seen him all week, not that she’d been trying to see him. But the town was talking – and he was the hot topic. The men were all wondering how soon they’d get a visit, while the women were trying to determine if he was single and who they could possibly set him up with. None of this talk made Jonny feel comfortable and she was becoming adept at finding an excuse to leave before anyone pressed her for her opinion. Mrs Webb even gave her the eye, as if sizing up her potential compatibility with Daniel. That was when Jonny had grabbed her shopping and left in a rush.

And she still had the issue of the tyre. She’d come up with a plan to dump it and run, so after lunch she drove to the bank and parked behind his car. She tried to open the boot, but of course he’d locked the damn thing. City folk. She would have to go into the bank and see him after all.

With a groan, she pushed open the bank door.

‘Hi, Jonny,’ said Gemma, who was sitting at her desk biting her lip when Jonny entered.

‘Hi, Gem. Is Daniel here?’

She nodded. ‘That’s his office just there,’ she pointed.

‘Thanks. I’ll catch ya later.’ Jonny walked to the end of the counter and knocked as her heart began to race.

‘Come in,’ Daniel called.

His voice gave her little shivers as she pushed the door open just enough to pop her head in. She wished her body wouldn’t react like that to him.

‘Sorry to bother you,’ she began.

‘Jonelle, come in, please,’ he said, standing up and waving her in.

She held up her hand. ‘No, I’m just here to bring your tyre back, but your car’s locked. If you just give me your keys, I’ll put it back on and put your spare in the boot. You can keep working.’ Daniel moved towards her. Even though it was another hot day, Daniel wore suit pants and Jonny couldn’t help noticing that he wore them well.

He pulled his keys from his pocket as he glanced back at his desk piled high with files. ‘It’s okay,’ he said. ‘I need a break anyway.’

Jonelle led the way outside, grabbed the tyre off the back of her ute and waited as Dan unlocked his boot. ‘Good parking spot,’ she said, standing in the shade of the small carport behind the bank. She tapped her fingers against the tyre and wondered why she was nervous. Maybe it was knowing she had his attention when Renae hadn’t been able to get it. Which was weird, everyone loved Renae.

What would Dan see in her, besides a grease-stained tomboy?

‘Being boss has some perks,’ he said with a smile she didn’t return. She didn’t want to lead him on.

As she went about her job, Daniel leant against the roo bar on her ute.

‘So, how’s your week been?’ he asked as she struggled with the jack. She felt the heat of the day creep up her neck and over her skin, or was that just Daniel getting on her nerves? She could do this job blindfolded, yet today she was fumbling like a novice.

‘Fine, thanks.’ His fancy cologne was wafting in the warm breeze and it wasn’t helping her already jittery state.

‘So, are you doing anything tonight? I hear the pub’s a happening place and I owe you a drink for helping me out the other day.’

Jonny didn’t dare meet his eyes; instead she shrugged and made it look like changing the tyre was taking all her concentration. ‘Um, I’m not sure yet.’

‘Well, I hope you can come.’ Dan shifted his stance as he glanced down the road. ‘Not much really happens here, does it? Everything seems to move so slowly. What do you do around here?’

That’s right. Come to our town and make fun of it
, Jonelle thought. She’d have to charge him an inflated price after that. ‘Ah, you know, shoot a few roos, eat a few snakes and crack cans with our heads,’ she said dryly.

Daniel’s laugh was light and airy. He obviously didn’t realise she was annoyed, or maybe he just chose to ignore it.

‘Seriously, what do you do with your time?’

‘Lots of things. There’s always something to do if you’re up for it.’ She stood up to put the jack in the boot; he stepped into her path and stared her down.

‘Is that a challenge?’ His smile was gentle, the glint in his eyes brave and testing.

Jonny didn’t have time to play with him. She had oil to change in Mr Dixon’s ute, so she moved past him, putting away the car jack, the spanner and the spare.

Slamming down the boot, she turned and said, ‘Shall I send the bill to the bank?’

‘Oh.’ Dan fumbled around in his pocket, pulled out his wallet and handed her his card. ‘Here’s my name and number, but yeah, just send it to the bank. Thanks.’

‘Daniel Tyler. Got it.’ She slipped the fancy business card into the pocket of her work overalls, where it would probably stay until it disintegrated in the wash.

Jonny climbed into her ute and started the engine. Daniel lifted his hand in a wave goodbye but Jonny barely raised her finger off the steering wheel in a weak attempt at a farewell. She drove to her workshop muttering under her breath the whole way. ‘What an idiot. He thinks he’s so much better than us.’ If only he didn’t set her heart racing whenever she saw him.

Yeah, she could wait a few months until he was gone and she could handle the sparks that he ignited inside her. But she just didn’t understand how this could happen: how could she be physically attracted to someone she didn’t even like? And she sure as hell didn’t like Daniel Tyler. Jonny could smell danger a mile off, even if it was Calvin Klein–scented.