“If I’m to live here with you, and this is our life together, and our family, don’t you go anywhere until I come back.”
“Make sure you hurry then.”
“Stay,” she said, her voice firm as if talking to a dog.
“I think you’re learning a lot about farm life already.”
She’d obviously heard him talking to his Blue Healer dog, Bluey. It amused him hearing her tone.She was adjusting well to farm life. At least he hoped so.
“And I want to learn more by coming with you. So, wait for me.” She turned and left, not letting him have the final say, something else which he was used to doing with women. He wasn’t sure what it was about her, if it were her youth, how blunt she was or her sass, maybe all of the above, but he found it incredibly attractive.
While he waited, he finished his breakfast, made a flask of tea to take with them, and put some food in the Esky—banana muffins his mom had made and dropped in the other day, along with some strawberries. Zoe had taken over the cooking, which he was delighted with initially, until finding out that she wasn’t at all the best cook. He didn’t have time, and he didn’t bake, so he’d been relieved when his mom had stopped by the other day with muffins. They’d been surviving on meat and three vegetables, and he often missed lunch. He had a sudden thought that he hoped Zoe wasn’t skipping meals. She was pregnant and needed to keep up her strength.
“Ready?” Zoe asked as she came back into the kitchen. She was dressed in a skirt, top, and sandals on her feet.
“Ummm… you’re going like that?”
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“I must say you look totally hot, but you do know that we’re going to do farm work and not heading into Burra on a social visit.”
“I can’t fit into my jeans.”
It took Max a moment to realize why. “Sounds like you need to go shopping for new clothes to accommodate this growing baby.” He walked up to her and put his hand on her belly. He could feel the firm bump.
This was real.
His life was going to change so much in a few months.
“There’s nowhere to shop for maternity clothes in Burra.”
Max could believe that. “I’m sure my mom and sister will take you to Adelaide for a shopping trip.”
She sighed. “You’re not going to let me out to help you?”
“Not wearing that?”
“It’s just checking the water. That doesn’t sound at all dangerous.”
“Yeah, but you know I’m wearing jeans to protect my legs. There are poisonous snakes around here.” He expected the mention of snakes to put her off. Instead, her expression darkened with determination.
“You’ll need to come up with a better reason than that.”
Max could feel himself getting a little hot under the collar.Couldn’t she see that he wanted to keep her and the baby safe?
“Harrumph.” She stalked toward the door. “I’ll meet you in the ute.”
He stared at her, partly aroused from her defiance toward him and partly in frustration that she could be so stubborn about this. He shook his head, trying to work out how to convince her to stay behind. He had to admit he thought the suggestion of going shopping would’ve side-tracked her away from wanting to go with him.
“Maaax.” The shrill tone of Zoe’s voice set his pulse racing and he rushed to the back door.
“What?” He pushed on the screen door and froze.Fuck.
“Don’t move,” he suggested, not believing what he was seeing in front of him.
“Wasn’t thinking of moving an inch.”
Zoe stood frozen on the concrete footpath that led to the back fence which marked the boundary of the farm homestead. A five-foot-long brown snake was slithering across the path, moving from one side of the dying lawn to the other.
