By the time Terry had dropped her at the airport, she’d managed to completely clear away twelve months of her life, barely leaving a sign that she’d ever been there. It was a strange feeling.
‘It was good that you could come back. How long are you staying for?’ Dean asked as they drove, breaking into her thoughts.
‘As long as I’m needed.’
‘I heard you were working in a bookstore. They must be okay if they’re giving you so much time off work.’
She glanced across at him. ‘I’ve been working for myself for a while now. Luckily I can do it from pretty much anywhere.’
He looked different. He’d trimmed back his beard to a dark stubble and she found herself intrigued by his newly visible jawline. It had always amazed her how facial hair—either the removal or the growth—could make such a huge difference to a man’s appearance.
‘What kind of business are you in?’ he asked.
‘I do a bit of copyediting and content writing. I have a lot of corporate and business clients as well as creatives.’
‘Yeah? Wow. That sounds impressive.’
‘I kind of fell into it, but I really love it.’
‘That’s great.’
‘Yeah. What about you? Still farming?’
‘Yep. Can’t see that changing any time soon.’
‘I heard you’ve been helping out on Craig and Emma’s property. That’s really nice of you.’
‘It’s what we do,’ he said simply. ‘There’ll be more neighbours and mates lending a hand whenever they can. Everyone’s a bit snowed under with the harvest, but we’ll get it done. Em’s been amazing. Can’t imagine how hard it’s been to keep it together for the kids the way she has. She’ll be glad you’re here, that’s for sure.’
‘Em told me you were the one who found him,’ Bel said.
He glanced across at her briefly. ‘Yeah. Not that I could do much. I noticed the harvester hadn’t moved in a while and thought he might need a hand. But when I got there, I found him on the ground. He must have climbed up top to clear a blockage or something and slipped. He was in a bad way. Em and the kids arrived a few minutes later.’
‘I can’t imagine how terrifying it would have been for her, and with them there …’ she said.God, poor Em.She quickly turned to look out the window, blinking hard.
‘Everyone’s been doing what they can. I heard there’s a fundraising page being set up to help with some of theexpenses,’ he said, lifting a finger from the steering wheel in acknowledgement of a passing ute driver. ‘People chip in however they can when someone’s going through a rough patch.’
That was the thing Bel loved the most about her community. They’d always band together to take care of one of their own. Something she’d noticed wasn’t always the case in a big city—she’d been lucky to have met Terry, who had been her saving grace.
‘It’s still strange seeing you like this,’ Dean said after a short silence.
‘Like what?’
‘Like that,’ he said, giving her a brief look up and down. ‘You look like a whole different person.’
Bel let out a small huff. ‘I swapped glasses for contacts and cut my hair. I don’t look that different.’
‘It’s not so much the look,’ he said slowly. ‘It’s everything. You seem more … I don’t know … confident or something. Like one of those models.’
‘A model?’
‘I don’t know,’ he said, sounding flustered. ‘It’s your attitude. Everything seems to have changed. The way you walk and even how you talk. It’s like the old Bel disappeared and you’re someone else now.’
She wasn’t sure how to respond. She tried to work out if he thought this was a good or a bad thing, but she really couldn’t tell.
As they came into Wessex, Bel caught sight of the latest addition to town and her eyes widened. ‘Whoa.’ The huge object grew even bigger the closer they got.
‘You like the Big Cock?’ Dean asked with a smirk.
