“So crisis averted?”
“Crisis number two.” I glanced back down the hall. “Do all Americans get into this much trouble or is it just Mackenzie?”
“Not sure. They don’t really come down here to check out the sights. So Phil didn’t have any work for her?”
“Wrapping up picking for the season,” I replied, considering whether I should bring up what happened at the pub. Trouble was, everyone around here talked too much, so it was better Charlie heard it from me. “Saw Beau at the pub today.”
A little intake of breath, that was the only indication of what she felt. The peeler started to move twice as fast, stripping the spuds of their skins.
“Yeah? Did you punch his teeth down his throat?”
That had me smiling.
“Got close. Vance wasn’t happy.”
“That why you had a change of heart about Mackenzie?” Her eyes met mine. “There’s not a lot of work going right now, but the… stud is always looking for people.”
Because the Argyles were such pricks workers left in droves. Raised fast horses, though.
“Yeah.”
Her lips twitched, which helped ease the tension in my chest.
“You’re not such a bad guy, you know that, brother. Like you try to hide it behind that very, very, very grumpy facade, but…” She dropped the potato into the bowl and picked up another. “Underneath it all, you’re not a complete arsehole.”
“Hey.” Before I could snap back, Mackenzie emerged, looking pink cheeked, damp, and most importantly, dressed. “I managed to get through a shower without incident. Didn’t fall over and crack my head on the tiles or anything. So did you want me to start chopping up some vegetables?”
“Be careful with sharp knives.” The words just slipped out and Mackenzie stared at me. “Hospital’s at least an hour away and my knowledge of first aid is a bit rusty.”
“What?” Her eyes narrowed. “You?—”
“Ignore him.” Charlie dumped a bowl of pea pods in front of Mackenzie. “These are fresh from the garden and need popping.” Her sly smile when she looked up at me had me stiffening. “Troy could give you a hand.”
There was no way Charlie knew what I was feeling. That all I wanted to do was to sit down with the two of them, listening to their words wash over me as I performed the repetitive chore of shelling peas. But I didn’t give into that urge.
“Windmill in the east paddock is down,” I said in a gruff voice. “I’m heading up there to see if I can fix it.”
“Then we’ll see you at dinner?”
I was halfway out the door when I heard Charlie’s mocking question.
“I’ll be back.”
No matter what state the windmill was in, I’d be at the dinner table, hands and face scrubbed clean by the time foodwas on the table, and why was that? Wasn’t just the fact my stomach was rumbling due to missing lunch. What my mouth wanted, it wasn’t Charlie’s roast or steak or whatever. No, as my lips pressed together, then whistled for Sparky, I imagined them closing around those rosy pink nipples I saw just for a split second. My face scrunched into a frown as I realised the sight of them was seared into my brain like a brand.
“C’mon, Sparks.” I got into the ute and he was there in the passenger side seat. “We’ve got a job to do.”
Getting the hell away from the house, that was what I needed to do, so I turned the engine over and drove off.
Chapter 7
Mackenzie
I flashed my tits at my new boss.
Wouldn’t have thought there was something more horrifying than seeing a spider as big as my head running across the wall, but apparently I was able to top even that. My mouth tightened, the jaw muscle twitching as I paused part way through setting the table. It was then I used some of the strategies my therapist taught me.
Name the emotion rather than engage in secondary thoughts about what happened. Shame, that was the first feeling, then followed by horror and embarrassment. I recited the words over and over, creating a space to feel them as I completed the task, but right as I was beginning to self-regulate, the front door slammed open.
