‘Bree.’The woman angled the knife expertly and sliced the mango onto a plate of other cut fruit.
‘Finn’s ex-wife.’
‘Well, that depends on who you ask.Some days I’m just the town scandal with a Kombi van, or the anvil-bashing blacksmith having a bad hair day.’
‘Right.’Oh, she was awake now.
‘I know who you are, too.The Fed.Fresh from Canberra, sent out here to sniff out cronyism and burn down the cowboy outfit my ex-husband has built.’
Bree sliced into another mango with surgical precision, as her eyes flicked back to Taryn with lazy amusement.‘So, what’s your story, buttons?’
Taryn tilted her head.‘What did you call me?’
‘Buttons.’Bree didn’t miss a beat.‘I heard you arrived in stiff collars and shiny shoes.All tightly stitched and highly strung.Besides,’ she added, with a grin, ‘we both know I’m gonna be pushing your buttons for sport.So, I may as well label the target.’
Taryn arched a brow.‘And if I push back?’
‘Then we’re gonna get along just fine.’Bree handed Taryn the bowl of sliced fruit and a coffee.‘And, if you’re lucky, some man may show up and save you the trouble.’
‘I don’t need a man to save me.’But her stomach growled at the bowl of fragrant fruit and coffee that didn’t smell like mud.
‘Well, kudos to you, buttons,’ Bree drawled.‘But just so we’re clear, I didn’t need one to save me either.I only got married because I needed someone to reach the top shelf.’
Taryn snorted on a mouthful of coffee to grin.‘Does your husband know you say that?’
‘Of course he does.Ryder thinks it’s romantic.’Bree grinned.‘Now sit and let that brain of yours wake up.’
‘I’m awake.’But she was hungry.
The pineapple was so sweet it nearly rewired her tastebuds.Yet the flavour was pure summer—sunlight and sugar, dragging up memories she hadn’t touched in years, from a time of bare feet on warm tiles.Her cousin’s giggle matching her grandfather’s laugh that echoed along the verandah, as the soft brush of a breeze carried the scents of cut grass and summer fruits ripening on trees.
Now, as a grown-up, she sat barefoot at Finn’s plain table, the tiles beneath her toes warmed by the morning.Outside, the scrublands shimmered gold, bathed in that quiet hush of early light that made the whole world feel magical.
‘This fruit is fabulous.’She glanced back at the kitchen bench full of assorted fruits and vegetables that Bree was packing away.‘Is this why Finn calls you the food fairy?’
‘Can’t have the man starve.And this way I get to check on him.’Bree unloaded another set of jars on the counter with a thud beside the beefy tomatoes, capsicums, and a loaf of bread.‘Don’t worry, it’s all organically grown.I’ve got more bloody zucchinis than I know what to do with.Might as well offload them before they form a union.’
Taryn rushed forward.‘Here, let me help—’
‘Nope.’Bree waved her off from behind the kitchen counter as she lifted a cabbage from a box, filled with more fruit and vegetables.‘I ran away from home this morning purely because my husband, his brothers, and half the bloody station’s stockmen, were following me around with pillows and teacups like I’m about to drop the royal heir.If one more man tries to tie my boots for me, I’m gonna set fire to a hay bale and blame it on the hormones.’
‘Okay then…’ Taryn backed away from the heavily pregnant woman.‘Izzy said she was having canning lessons with you.’
‘That we did.’Bree popped the lid off a jar of chutney, gave it a sniff, and nodded like she’d just solved a crime.‘Can’t beat your own recipe, and that little canning session made me realise how starved I am.’
‘Huh?’When there was food everywhere.
‘For news and gossip.Simple chatter on anything and everything that does not involve my pregnancy or baby talk.’
Bree then turned to face Taryn, setting the pickle jar down carefully.‘So tell me, buttons.Did you really come here for an audit?Or was it an excuse to escape the Canberra weather?’
Silence bloomed.
And for a second—just one—Taryn felt caught without her armour, facing a heavily pregnant woman who saw everything.
‘Do you always interrogate barefoot?’A feeble attempt to get the conversation back on track, but the redhead ruled the room.How was that possible?
Bree smirked.‘Only for those who need it.’
