Both women immediately straightened. ‘Yep, fine. I haven’t seen you around in ages, Dean. How have you been?’ Emma asked sweetly, ignoring Bel’s warning glance.
‘Yeah. You know. Working, sleeping … working.’
‘Oh yeah, I hear ya. Craig’s the same. Sometimes I almost forget I’m married, I haven’t seen him in so long.’
‘How’s he doing?’
‘Yeah good, he’s still doing the mine thing. Just for a couple more years, we hope. Then he’ll be back to full-time farmer.’
‘Gotcha. I did it for a while. Must be tough with kids, though.’
‘It can be, but I’ve been a farmer’s wife for a long time now. I’m kind of used to being a single mum,’ she said with an easy grin that would fool most people. Bel knew she was covering up the stress of the bad years of battling to hold on to their property. It was still a struggle with Craig having to work away and still see to the farm when he was back.
‘So what about you?’ Emma asked. ‘Are you married? Divorced?’
‘Gay?’ Bel piped up.
Dean eyed her oddly before looking back at Emma. ‘None of the above,’ he said.
‘So, single?’ Emma prodded.
‘I guess so.’
‘You guess so? What’s to guess about it? You either are or you’re not,’ Bel said with a slight scoff before realising she wasn’t even interested in his answer. She slid her old glasses back up her nose.I really need to get new glasses.
‘I am,’ he said, looking at Bel with a frown.
She pulled a slight face and reached out for the milk and bread he held. ‘Is that all you’re after today?’
He seemed slightly distracted as he nodded and pulled his wallet from his back pocket. She rang up the items and waited for him to tap his card.
‘It was nice to see you again, Dean,’ Emma said.
‘Yeah. You too. Say g’day to Craig for me.’
As soon as the door shut behind him, Emma grabbed Bel’s hand and gave a strangled squeal. ‘He’s perfect!’
‘A perfectdick,’ Bel replied, shaking off her friend’s grip.
‘He is not.’
‘Are you forgetting the time he stuck chewing gum in my hair?’
‘We were ten, Bel.’
‘Give him time,’ Bel said, her eyes following his vehicle as he drove away. ‘A leopard doesn’t change his spots.’
‘Okay, David Attenborough,’ Emma said making fun of her. ‘Once you realise he’s not that kid you remember, you’ll see.’
‘I’ll date Bill Matheson first,’ she said, crossing her arms defiantly.
‘Now there’s an image I won’t be able to unsee for a while,’ Emma said, holding her hand out as she waited for her daughter to climb back down off the chair. ‘Tomorrow night, dinner at my place. No excuses.’
‘Fine,’ Bel agreed. She’d have tonight to read. She sent a longing look at the book on the counter and felt her resolve stiffen. Until she found a man who could make her quiver and swoon the way Jax did, she was happy to stay single. Dean Preston crossed her mind quickly and she gave a small chuckle. If he was her only option, her heart was more than safe.
In the midst of the masquerade ball’s opulent splendour, the air crackled with anticipation and hidden desires. Masks concealed identities while whispers of intrigue danced around the room like a forbidden waltz. Jax moved through the crowd with the grace of a predator stalking its prey.
Then, through the crowd, he saw her—Corrine—her eyes wide with fear, cornered by a man wearing a leering jester’s mask. With a silent promise in his heart, he stepped forward, a dark and enigmatic figure. In one swift motion, he whisked her away from hertormentor, his touch gentle yet possessive as he guided her through the maze of dancers.
