“We want the complete package, son.” His dad sighed.
Blaise could tell his dad was getting tired. “I’ll let you have a rest.”
“Not yet. First you need to show me those photos of the combine you’ve been driving. I need to believe that my accountant son has been getting his hands dirty.”
“Gee, thanks, Dad,” said Blaise sarcastically as he took out his cell. The first thing he noticed was there were no messages from Dusty. It wasn’t easy not knowing. He vaguely remembered Claire telling him that this was the way it was often on the farm.Could I get used to this?He flicked through the pictures to the one where he was standing near the combine and showed his dad.
His dad whistled. “Big, eh?”
“Yeah, and I couldn’t believe how tired I was after driving it for only a short time.”
Blaise flicked through a few more photographs from the farm, noticing that his dad was getting more and more sleepy.
“I’ll go now. Rest up, Dad.”
His dad nodded and closed his eyes. “Looking forward to seeing you and Dusty together.”
Blaise hoped so too.
Dusty and Aaron stopped at a service station to refuel the ute and get some food. To have a break from sitting, they stood by the ute, eating their burgers. They were four hours away from arriving at Acaia Plains.
Dusty rolled up the paper and threw it in the bin. “That was deliciously disgusting.”
Aaron chuckled. “It was.” He licked the barbecue sauce from his fingers.
“I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed tonight,” said Dusty.
“I could join you?”
“Like hell. How many times do I need to tell you no?”
“The way I see it is that I’ve now got leverage, so maybe you need to reassess things.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can tell your city boyfriend that, you know… you just couldn’t resist me.”
“That’s a lie.”
“He won’t know that.” Aaron smirked.
How dare he.
“I thought you were being neighborly? Turns out that really isn’t in your nature.”
He stepped toward her, arms out, trying to embrace Dusty. “You just need convincing of who is the real man you should choose.”
Dusty kicked him. Hard. In the balls.
Aaron doubled over, gasping in pain.
“I have chosen the real man. Now, he will believe me because, let’s just say, you’re going to be walking as if injured, and Blaise will believe me that I kicked you right where it hurts.”
Aaron stared blankly at Dusty. It was her turn to smirk. She’d got him. Messed up his plans.
“You’ve got three seconds to get in the ute, or I’m leaving you behind.” She walked around the ute, and got in, starting it up.
Aaron limped into the passenger’s seat. He didn’t say a word.
Dusty felt a surge of confidence go through her. She’d chosen her man, and now it was time to make sure that he was going to be around for the future.
That’s if she hadn’t left it too late.
