And no caterer.
Clem Crossley had popped into his mind at the most inopportune occasions, pressing a variety of emotional buttons.Driving out of South Giddi Giddi and spotting Dolly in the rear-view mirror, digging a hole in the rotunda’s freshly mulched garden beds. Walking through Adelaide’s domestic terminal with the cast and crew to see a stand of gourmet orange peel marmalade in the airport shops.
The strangest things made him think of Clem.
The phone buzzing on his bed brought him back to the present.
A text message from Emily flashed across the screen.
See you soon handsome x Em
He stared at the phone. Emily was born in the same decade as him, her farming background dovetailed nicely with the life he could see in front of him, and she wanted to get started on a family.
On paper, they were a solid fit, closer in age and interests than he and Kyra. He’d spent the last few months changing his life to make this experiment work, and more than a few sleepless nights deciding who to keep in the experiment and who to send home … So why was he even thinking about Clem?
It’s only because she looks like Belle,he told himself—the exact same reason he’d steered clear of her at the Angelinos’ barbecues, birthday parties and even Reggie’s christening.
He studied his reflection.
He was the wrong side of forty, with hair that had started turning grey in his thirties, and a wonky nose, and he’d kept his distance from Clem for so long, actively avoiding her in social settings up until this winter. No wonder she hadn’t made a move.
His phone buzzed again, this time with a message from Addison.
How’s the decision-making going? Yours isn’t the ugliest mug I’ve ever seen, but remember this’ll be your one andonly shot at a show likeLove on the Land. You deserve someone special to come home to, and love can grow from far shakier platforms than seven weeks of intense, on-camera speed dating. If you survived that, you can do anything.
His sister was right.You’ve started this, you need to finish it. And if everyone else can see there’s a future for you and Emily, then bloody get over yourself and make it happen.
There was a knock on the door, and Spencer opened it to find Jonah, the twenty-five-year-old pineapple farmer from Queensland, in a tuxedo.
‘You got a minute, mate?’
Despite the age difference, Jonah was more mature than the other farmers on the show, the barrel-chested beef farmer from Colbinabbin, Victoria, and the contract harvester from Joondalup, WA. Spencer had fallen into an almost mentoring role with the young Queenslander.
‘Sure, cameras and mikes will be here in five though.’ Spencer looked at his watch. ‘What’s up?’
Jonah shook off his jacket, loosened his tie and peeled back the collar of his crisp white shirt, revealing a round pink mark.
Spencer bit back a laugh.
‘I thought only teenagers gave hickeys. Don’t worry, the producers will probably be delighted. Evidence that this love experiment is working.’
Jonah flushed. ‘Problem is, neither of my contestants had anything to do with it. It was one of the other girls, from Farmer Nate’s original group. We’ve been texting since the country show weekend.’
Spencer groaned, his opinion of the lad plummeting. He’d heard rumours about off-screen shenanigans, but he’d pickedthe outspoken West Australian guy to be the shady one, not this clean-cut, quiet Rockhampton lad who seemed lost for words whenever a woman spoke to him. ‘She really gets me,’ Jonah insisted. ‘She’s super shy too.’
Spencer raised an eyebrow, shooting a pointed look at the red mark hidden by Jonah’s collar. ‘I wouldn’t call that shy. But if that’s the lady you like, why are you stringing the last two contestants along with home visits and this high-stress dinner tonight? That’s not fair on anyone.’
Spencer felt a little hypocritical as the lad squirmed in front of him. Hadn’t he been thinking of Clem Crossley ten minutes ago?
‘They’re not entirely innocent themselves,’ Jonah said, straightening his collar. ‘Luciana was all over the producer at the home visit and Gypsy admitted she was only here to boost her TikTok followers and score free stuff. I tried to pull the pin a month ago, but the producers convinced me to stay, like they did with Emily.’
‘What?’
Spencer’s stomach churned with the sushi he’d eaten for lunch.
‘You know, when Emily was upset last month? The producers gave us all a spray about staying focused. They said to keep playing along and keep our noses clean, then we could do whatever we wanted when the show was over.’
Spencer’s mind went straight to the twenty-four-hour date he’d taken Emily on, and the tense few days that followed. He thought they’d smoothed things out.
