She did let me stay overnight, he reminded himself.
That was a big step for Dusty. She was trying. More than that, her action gave him the hope he needed right now. He had to keep the bigger picture in mind. He’d been here for nearly a year and known Dusty for nearly two. He wasn’t about to walk away from her, not when there was a glimmer of change she’d shown. Besides, he’d come into the shower full well knowing that it would stir her up. He couldn’t resist the temptation when he’d woken to an empty bed, then discovered she was in the shower.
He grinned to himself as he took out the soap. It had been a bit of fun.
She can handle it.
Blaise finished in the shower and turned off the water, not wanting to run the tanks low and give Dusty a reason to be cranky at him. Not when things were starting to change in a way that Blaise had been hoping would happen for so long.
The day was already warming, and it wasn’t even nine in the morning. The sun’s rays radiated strong heat with no traces of clouds in the sky reflecting off the galvanized iron sheds, intensifying the heat around them. Dust hung heavy on the air. There’d already been no rain for the month of December, and there wasn’t likely to be much now until next year. The flat landscape revealed a hundred different shades of brown. The only bit of green in sight was some grass growing at the bottom of the tap by the shed.
Molly sat on the back of Dusty’s ute in the shed, looking with hope in her eyes that maybe this was the day she would get to do some sheep work. Ted laid in the shade under Bluey’s ute, stretched out, head resting on his front paws as he pretended to sleep but keeping one eye on the activities in the yard.
Dusty stood nervously watching the mechanic, Bluey, who had come out especially as a favor. He was quiet and hadn’t said a word for the last ten minutes as he looked over the combine. Dusty bit her bottom lip, not wanting to say anything. She was hoping against the nervous knots forming in her stomach that this wasn’t a bad breakdown of machinery, or that it wasn’t going to cost more than she could afford, and that it could be fixed, preferably within an hour.
Blaise stood by her side, hands in his pocket. She wanted to lean into him. Take some of the calm and strength that exuberated from him. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He was wearing the same clothes as yesterday but now a little dirty and crumpled.
Dusty blushed as she remembered what they had got up to in the shed. Then the bit of fun in the shower this morning. The cheekiness of Blaise kept her on her toes. While at times she found it hard sharing her life with him, at the moment she was glad he’d stayed over. He had a way of getting under her skin, of getting her riled up, which her instinct was then to push him away when that wasn’t really what she wanted to do. She needed to come up with a way forward with him or lose him forever. He was getting impatient and rightly so. It’s just that she didn’t want to feel pressured. She needed to be sure.
A ute rattled down the driveway.
Dusty watched to see who the hell might be coming here today. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Her mouth dried when she realized it was Aaron’s ute.
What the hell does he want?
Aaron parked his ute, got out, and sauntered over to them. “Saw your ute from the road, Bluey. Thought I’d drop in. Need any help?” He grinned sideways at Dusty. She shivered despite the warming heat of the day.
Dusty shrugged her shoulders and looked away, her blood beginning to boil merely from his presence. Aaron was a nosy shit. Coming in here to gloat at her for having machinery issues so close to the end of harvest, she just knew it. After all that had gone on between him and her, he was always going to be a burr in her side. He didn’t take rejection well, especially when she’d chosen a city boy as a boyfriend over him.
“We’re good,” interrupted Blaise.
“Lucky I came along and helped your boyfriend yesterday with a flat tire. He was in a right pickle.” Aaron ignored Blaise and kept talking.
“I could’ve handled it.” Blaise changed his stance, putting his hands on his hips, his glare at Aaron was stormy.
Aaron chuckled. “Yeah, right.”
“What do you want, Aaron?” Dusty was trying to think quickly. At this rate, Blaise and Aaron would come to fisticuffs.
“I’m a friendly neighbor checking in to make sure you’re all right and don’t need any help.”
Dusty was about to say she didn’t need any help, and most definitely didn’t need it from him, her ex who had hit her, who had nearly cost her and Blaise starting a relationship together, when Bluey cleared this throat, steeping around from behind the combine.
“You’re not going to like what I have to say.” He ran his hand through his dark hair.
Dusty felt her breath leave her, squashing her lungs. “No?”
“You’re right, it’s a broken bearing.”
Fuck. She forced herself to take a breath.
“You can fix it?” she asked.
“Yep, but I have to order the part from Melbourne. I have none in stock.”
“Fuck it!” This time Dusty swore out loud. Her mind whirled. Today was Thursday. With Christmas Day next Wednesday, it meant it would be cutting it too fine for the part to arrive in time.I won’t get the harvest done before Christmas.
She felt Blaise move to stand close to her, his hand on the small of her back, quietly offering support.
