As if summoned, Spencer barrelled through the door and jogged down the verandah steps. ‘There are going to be some sore heads tomorrow morning,’ he said, assessing the boxes in Clem and Addison’s arms. ‘Need a hand?’
He might be great with teenagers, Shakespeare and school concerts, but the dark circles under his eyes and his weary smile suggested he was way out of his depth in this romantic experiment.
‘All good,’ Clem said, catching sight of Emily waving from the house. ‘But I think someone wants a word.’
She noticed his long exhale when he turned to see Emily beckoning him over. Dolly bounded across the lawn. Was it just Clem’s imagination, or had he looked happier to see the beagle, and even to see her, than he was to see the beautiful—if slightly tipsy—lady on his doorstep?
‘They make a nice-looking couple,’ Clem said brightly, watching his slow walk. It was factually true. His strong shoulders, fair hair and handsome looks paired nicely with Emily’s dusty blonde curls and similarly tall build, but the more Clem saw them together, the more she wondered if their bond was as strong as the other girls thought.
‘He deserves to find love again, even if it’s with the rest of the country watching on,’ Addison said.
‘And do you think he has?’
‘They’re good odds. Though Madeleine said something about moving back to the UK if Spencer was agreeable, and Kyra has a phobia of moths and wasps. She says she’s fine with bees, but it doesn’t bode well, if you ask me.’
Clem nodded thoughtfully. ‘So Emily’s the frontrunner? She seems the most legitimately rural one too. I thought it was all a ratings scam,’ she admitted, ‘and I may have been a bit judgy about reality TV in general, but I’m smart enough to admit when I’m wrong, and I’ll happily eat my hat if that’s the case.’
She turned to see Addison’s quirked eyebrow. ‘Don’t bite into your good Akubra just yet. Emily’s perfect for program ratings. She’s smart, confident and she talks like she’s swallowed a farming dictionary. I’ve heard more about crop rotations, rainforecasts and soil temperatures this week than I have in the decade or so since Spencer moved to the Limestone Coast. And I love her passion for the industry, she’s the real deal. But is she perfect for our Spence? And is there a genuine connection, or is it all just a hype-fest from the producers?’ Addison shrugged. ‘That remains to be seen.’
While she hadn’t set out to fish for information, and she still didn’t have a good read on Spencer, Clem couldn’t help feeling a little happy that things weren’t perfect between him and Emily.
Spencer felt wary as he followed Emily through the house. She wasn’t three sheets to the wind, like Kyra and Madeleine seemed to be, but there was determination in her stride. He didn’t have to turn to know the footsteps behind them were the camera crew, jostling into position.
Louisa called out from the kitchen, her cheerful greeting falling away as Emily reached for his hand and continued down the hallway without pausing. ‘I want to say this before I chicken out,’ she said over her shoulder, tugging him into the office.
He went to close the door behind them before remembering the show rules.Microphones on and cameras rolling unless you’re naked.
Spencer felt on edge.
‘I’m sorry about earlier,’ Emily said, laying a hand on his chest. ‘I like you so much Spencer, and I’m sick of sharing you. I can see great potential here at South Giddi Giddi. Little things the other contestants wouldn’t even notice, and big opportunities to expand the market for your honey, get more lambs on the ground and upscale your tiny orchard. I can recommend some fabulous almond varieties.’
Her eyes had an intensity to them, like she could see it all mapped out with GPS-precision, reinforcing Spencer’s feeling that he was the least farmer-y farmer on this show.
‘Off the top of my head, I couldn’t tell you how many lambs we averaged over the last three winters, that’s been more Ian’s department than mine. Like I said at the start, the producers are ramping up the rural aspect beyond my normal routine.’
Emily waved away the comment. ‘After today, it’s even more important that we talk about a family. I’m getting too old to play the softly, softly game regarding kids, and I get that vibe from you too. I’ll be perfectly frank, after the conversations I’ve had today, I can tell you the other girls are years away from that.’
Spencer felt his breath catch at the fierce strength and truth in her words. Family was something he wanted, and it seemed Emily was as keen as he was. Maybe she was right; maybe she really was the best choice for him.
‘Don’t just take my word for it, but if you come to the end of this experiment and choose Kyra or Madeleine, don’t be surprised if you wind up changing nappies and dealing with newborns in your fifties.’
She pressed a quick kiss on his cheek, then another that landed close enough to his lips that he could smell the wine on her breath. ‘If only there weren’t cameras looking over our shoulder, and microphones capturing every word …’ She stepped back with a wink and a smile that should have sent blood coursing through his veins.
Shouldhave, but didn’t. Spencer rubbed his jaw, so caught up in the revelation that he almost headbutted the camera when he stepped into the hallway.
‘Spencer! That was some proposition. Tell us how you’re feeling right now? Can you hear the pitter patter of little feet in your future, like Emily suggested?’
Dazed, Spencer wasn’t sure what he mumbled to the cameraman, but whatever he said, it got the guy off his back.
Spencer shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and set off in the opposite direction. Kyra and Madeleine had seemed a bit wobbly on their feet, and while they weren’t likely to bail him up for a chat, he increased his pace and headed outdoors, not in the mood to take any chances.
He was on his knees, tugging at oxalis weeds from the opposite side of the rotunda that couldn’t be seen from the house, and trying to clear his jumbled thoughts, when the sound of a sneeze came across the lawn.
He froze.Can’t a guy have a minute’s peace?
Relief washed over him when he heard someone softly singing a tune fromThe Sound of Music.
‘Thank God, it’s you, Louisa. I thought I was in the firing line again,’ he said, rising and then pausing when he saw Clem Crossley at her car, getting ready to leave. ‘Oh, sorry, I could have sworn that was Louisa.’
