‘Yes.’ Before she’d left his four-wheel drive last night, he’d traced her cheek and said he’d see her tomorrow night. She’d only managed a nod as she’d had to unclip her seatbelt before she kissed him. ‘I know. I’ve got it. I’ll play the friendship card.’

  ‘Aubrey.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Do I have to state the obvious? Friends don’t look at each other the way you two do.’

  ‘Pfft. It’ll be fine. I’ve been able to stay away from him before. I’ll just think of him in a purely platonic way. How hard can it be?’

  Grace laughed again. ‘After your fireworks kiss, good luck with that. Now I’d better go before my kitchen cupboards end up in the bathroom.’

  Aubrey ended the call. It was the perfect plan. She was sure Trent would see the wisdom of making sure they were only friends. His life would remain simple and quiet, just how he liked it. As for the quilting club, they would eventually accept that their matchmaking would never be a success. As for her, work would soon consume her. She banished a sense of loss that she wouldn’t again feel the strength of Trent’s arms holding her or the heat of his kiss.

  When she arrived in town, she parked near the red brick clock tower. This end of the main street was still decorated but a little less busy. She’d never been a shopper, but she loved the concept of buying local to support rural businesses. So whenever she was in the mountains she’d stock up on things she needed.

  Her first stop was the candle shop. She filled her basket with her favourite scents and a few new ones to try. When she walked by a table laden with Christmas candles, she hesitated before taking a closer look. The scent of the Christmas tree Rowan had given her made the cottage feel fresh and she wouldn’t mind her city apartment smelling the same way. She selected a fragrance reminiscent of a newly cut Christmas tree. Then she added one of cinnamon and gingerbread. If she didn’t end up perfecting Grace’s gingerbread man wreath, then a candle would make the mansion smell a similar way.

  In the gift shop she found presents for Frank and Rowan. For Frank she chose a pair of chess cufflinks and for Rowan a massive jar of lollies. A stand of Christmas ornaments caught her eye. When she saw an ornament of a small brown dog sitting in a Christmas stocking, she couldn’t stop her hand from reaching out and unhooking it. The dog was very similar to the toy one Lydia had loved and always carried with her. Feeling her grief rise, she concentrated on what other decorations there were.

  By the time she’d moved away from the display she’d found a glitter-covered snowflake for her mother to celebrate having had a white Christmas and a tiny goat in a Santa hat for Grace. She’d also deliberated over an embroidered mistletoe ornament that said merry kisses. On impulse she’d added the item to her purchases. When she was an eccentric spinster and godmother to Grace and Rowan’s kids, she’d have something to remind her of Trent’s kiss and what it had felt like to be free for a brief moment.

  She left the gift shop and was on her way to the bookstore when Vernette suddenly popped out of the florist.

  ‘Aubrey. What a surprise.’

  Aubrey had no doubt she’d been ambushed. Vernette had appeared just as she’d passed, and the older woman’s hands were empty of flowers. The florist had also sent Aubrey a sympathetic look through the open doorway.

  Vernette took hold of Aubrey’s arm. ‘Be a dear and walk with me to the café.’

  The older lady had practically leaped out of the shop, but now she hunched her shoulders as though every step took effort.

  ‘So,’ Vernette said as she tugged at Aubrey to walk slower. ‘What were we talking about at that lovely young Trent’s Christmas party? That’s right, why you are perfect for each other.’

  ‘How could I forget? But as perfect as you think we might be, we’ll still only ever be friends.’

  Vernette stopped to examine Aubrey’s face. ‘Many couples start as friends.’

  ‘Not in this case.’ Aubrey kept her voice firm. ‘It goes without saying that even as friends we will rarely see each other. That’s what happens when one lives in the city and the other in the country.’

  Vernette’s tranquil expression didn’t waver. ‘You have so much in common.’

  ‘As friends.’

  Vernette shook her grey-permed head. ‘Pish posh. You both drink coffee.’

  ‘Most people drink coffee.’

  She did not want to think about the older lady knowing why they’d gone to Trent’s cow shed. It was bad enough that she and Trent would have been seen leaving the town celebrations early.

  ‘Bundy adores you both.’

  ‘That’s a given. He enjoys everyone’s company.’

  ‘I can assure you he doesn’t.’ Vernette paused, her eyes sparkling behind her glasses. ‘But, most of all, you and Trent like mistletoe.’

  Aubrey fought to keep her expression from changing as the suspicion grew that somehow Vernette had found out about what had happened in the cow shed.

  ‘Sorry to burst your matchmaking bubble, but while Trent might like mistletoe, and I have no idea if he does or not, I definitely don’t.’

  Vernette started to walk again. ‘Well, dear, you might want to tuck that Christmas tree ornament back in before it falls out.’

  Too late Aubrey saw the merry kisses ornament hanging over the edge of her reusable bag. She silenced a groan. It would be fruitless to think Vernette might believe she was buying it for someone else.

  Vernette’s pace picked up and she walked upright, her shoulders no longer stooped. ‘It’s almost morning tea. Let me buy you one of Beck’s famous chocolate brownies. It’s my treat.’

  ‘Only if Trent’s name won’t be mentioned.’

  ‘I promise.’

  Aubrey hoped she hadn’t heard what she thought she had when Vernette then murmured, ‘My work here is done.’

  Chapter 12

  Thursday proved to be another day that Trent barely had a chance to scoff his lunchtime sandwich. He returned from scanning a pregnant mare and x-raying a laminitic pony’s front feet to an emergency where a cattle dog had fallen off the back of a ute. But despite the frenetic work pace, he hadn’t been able to get Aubrey off his mind.

  Now that his workday was over and he had no patients to distract him, he had no hope of clearing his head of any thoughts of Aubrey. He leaned back against the bench seat Taite had made out of the old tools he’d found in the sheds behind him. Usually when he went to the block, he’d have a coffee and sit and watch the sunset. But tonight, despite the seep of saffron and magenta across the twilight sky, the view failed to hold his attention.

  Just as he knew it would, his kiss with Aubrey had wrecked him.

  Beneath her quick wit and strength was a sweetness and honesty that cut through the last remnants of his self-preservation. Despite already knowing how it felt to touch her soft skin and the dark fall of her hair, he hadn’t been prepared for the reality of kissing her. Having Aubrey in his arms made him feel alive and proved more powerful than any adrenaline high he’d chased with Eva.

  He slipped his phone out of his shirt pocket. The question was, where did they go from here? He had no doubts about what he wanted. The answer was easy. Her. Not only did Aubrey challenge and intellectually engage him, she didn’t play games. He’d always known where he stood with her, even when she hadn’t wanted anything to do with him.

  But if being with Eva had taught him anything, it was to take his time and to not rush in. Aubrey wasn’t only dealing with being unwell, she was working through the loss of her baby sister. So, he’d play the long game.

  His finger hovered over Aubrey’s name on his phone screen. He could text to see how her day had been, but then he wouldn’t hear the husky cadence of her voice. He could call, but then he’d miss the flash in her eyes when she sassed him or the hint of a dimple when she tried not to smile.

  He tapped his phone to initiate a video call, telling himself he’d be lucky if she picked up. Their kiss had spun them both out of control. There’d been no mistaking how large and conflicted her eyes had been when they’d broken apart.

  He swatted as a mosquito flew too close. A crackling noise sounded from his mobile and then Aubrey’s face appeared.

  To hide the need that rushed through him, he looked past her shoulder to where summer grass swayed. She had to be out for a walk.

  ‘Hi. If now’s not good I can call you back?’

  ‘It’s fine. We’re heading home.’ She switched her camera to show Bundy and Rebel ahead of her on a dirt track. The little goat danced and leaped before pirouetting to headbutt Bundy. Unfazed, the kelpie continued on his way.

  Aubrey flipped the camera so Trent could see her. ‘So far Rebel has given me heart failure by jumping off a boulder and then bouncing into the long grass. Please tell me snakes won’t bite her. Bundy in comparison has been a model walking companion.’

  ‘Rebel will be fine. Bundy will let you know if there’s a snake around.’

  Aubrey shuddered. ‘Snakes will never be on the list of country things that I’ll ever like.’

  Her words gave him hope that their different worlds might one day have a chance to merge. There also didn’t appear to be any post-kiss awkwardness, even though it was hard to read Aubrey’s non-verbal cues over a video call. Behind her Trent glimpsed a wooden fence. She must be close to the stables.

  Aubrey focused on something in front of her. ‘Now Rebel manages to go in a straight line. I swear she does this on purpose. She ends every walk being an angel so I’ll forget how much she made my blood pressure spike.’

  Aubrey opened a gate and filmed Rebel as she jumped on the wooden stumps spread across the goat paddock.

  ‘Before I forget …’ Aubrey said, after closing the gate and heading towards her cottage. ‘Our mission to remain unmatched has had to have a little tweak.’

  ‘How so?’

  As much as nothing had changed about either of them not wanting to be on the quilting club’s radar, for him, everything else had shifted.

  The simple, peaceful life he’d been fighting to protect no longer seemed appealing. Without Aubrey’s energy and vitality, the solitude he’d wrapped himself in to keep himself safe felt lonely and claustrophobic. But now wasn’t the time to tell Aubrey that he was wrong about what he’d thought he wanted.

  Her gaze briefly met his. ‘As we would have been seen leaving town together last night, when I saw Vernette I confirmed we were just friends. But I stressed that was all we could ever be.’

  While he couldn’t exactly tell from Aubrey’s face what she was thinking, he could hear the subtle lowering of her tone. It wasn’t only Vernette she had this message for.

  He kept his reply casual despite the tension gripping his shoulders. He’d expected Aubrey to go into damage control. He’d also known he needed to be patient and to give her space. He just hadn’t thought he’d feel as though he was already losing her.

  ‘Good call. And Aubrey … I hear what you’re saying. I’ve no regrets about what happened under the mistletoe, but I know it can’t happen again.’

  She blinked. ‘You do?’

  He nodded, keeping his expression neutral. ‘If you need me to be your chauffeur after the harvest festival, there won’t be any detours unless it’s purely for coffee.’ He panned his camera to catch the last of the lavender sunset behind the mountain peaks. ‘Speaking of my cow shed, this is the view you missed last night.’

  ‘It’s stunning. I can see why you want to build a house there.’

  By now Aubrey had reached her cottage and had stopped in the doorway.

  Trent switched the camera back to himself and nodded. ‘Give Bundy a belly rub from me and I’ll see you tomorrow.’

  Her eyes seemed to hold his, but it might have been the weak phone signal freezing the video picture. ‘Will do. Night, Trent.’

  Just as he had for the tree lighting, Trent went to park at the dance studio for the harvest festival. The main street was closed to make it safe for pedestrians to wander into the shops and past the Christmas market stalls. Even though the district wasn’t an extensive cropping area, the summer harvest name had stuck.

  But unlike when he’d last parked at the dance studio, this time Aubrey, Grace and Rowan were meeting him there. Bundy had wisely stayed at home with Bagel and Frank. The harvest festival with its live entertainment and excited festive crowds was both busy and noisy.

  Trent left his four-wheel drive and walked over to where the others waited. Rowan wore a long-suffering look along with jeans and a very bright Christmas T-shirt that was a shade too tight. Grace too was dressed in a festive shirt with a white skirt, while Aubrey had on a plain red shirt with jeans. On her ears he caught a glimpse of red-and-white-striped candy cane earrings.

  Grace cast him a smile, while Aubrey gave him a businesslike nod.

  Trent grinned across at Rowan’s colourful shirt. He’d worn a plain black T-shirt with jeans.

  ‘Don’t look too smug.’ Rowan reached into the bag Grace carried to pull out an identical shirt to the one he wore. ‘Grace bought two.’

  Resigned, Trent reached for the shirt. Thanks to his three sisters he knew better than to refuse to wear anything Christmassy.

  He tugged off his own shirt and the warm evening breeze washed over his bare back and chest. As he pulled the Christmas T-shirt over his head and pushed his arm through the left sleeve, his phone vibrated in his jeans pocket. Even though it was a Friday night and he wasn’t working, Dr Nina was on call and there might be an emergency. He slipped his phone free to check the message, which had indeed been from her.

  He tapped off a quick reply before pushing his arm through the right sleeve. Just like with Rowan, the shirt proved a snug fit. He’d only pulled it halfway over his chest when Nina replied with another question.

  He went to type an answer when from the corner of his eye he saw Aubrey move towards him with a fierce frown.

  ‘Are you serious,’ she hissed as she reached for the front hem of his shirt. ‘There are children around. Get dressed.’

  As she yanked the fitted T-shirt down her fingers brushed over the ridges of his stomach. As brief as her touch was, it triggered an onslaught of need.

  Their eyes met and held before she stalked away with a toss of her head.

  He glanced around. There were no children, just three teenage girls who stared at him as though disappointed he was fully clothed. Grace hid a smile with her hand before following Aubrey.

  Rowan chuckled. ‘It’s official, your abs have superpowers. I swear for a minute there Aubrey was lost for words.’

  From the gestures Aubrey now made to Grace, her words had well and truly returned.

  Trent refocused on his text to Nina before accompanying Rowan through the cobblestone alleyway to join the festival crowds. When they caught up to Grace and Aubrey outside a market stall selling handmade craft items, he didn’t miss how Aubrey walked as far away from him as possible.

  Thankful for the respite, he worked on rebuilding his self-control. It would be impossible to follow through on their friends-only agreement while he was obsessing about how her hands would feel sliding over his skin.

  All around them people were in a celebratory mood. Children, smiles wide, ran beneath colourful lights draped across the main street. Dogs, often with a Christmas collar, sniffed the air to catch the delicious aromas wafting from the food vans. The merry strain of Christmas carols soon gave way to the music from the band set up outside the post office. At the end of the street, people sat on hay bales waiting for the stagecoach pulled by two draft horses to collect new passengers for a Christmas lights tour.

  Every so often Trent and Rowan would stop to eat or chat while Aubrey and Grace disappeared into a store. Even though Aubrey continued to keep her distance, Trent kept watch on how she was coping being surrounded by Christmas chaos. It wasn’t until they’d finished the gelato from the stall Rowan had made a beeline towards that Aubrey came to his side. She stifled a yawn, fatigue dulling her eyes.

  ‘Ready to go?’ he asked.

  ‘I am, if you don’t mind dropping me home.’

  He nodded. A pram passed by with a smiling toddler inside. For a moment Aubrey returned the child’s smile then the light in her face ebbed.

  Trent brushed his little finger against hers. The gesture would be missed by anyone watching them.

  ‘Thanks,’ she said, voice weary. ‘I’m okay.’

  After Aubrey gave Grace a farewell hug, Trent took her back to the car park via a shortcut that directed them away from the main street. The more the noise and Christmas colour receded, the more Aubrey’s shoulders relaxed. Once inside his four-wheel drive, he turned on a quiet country music playlist.

  She gave him a weary smile as they drove out of the car park. ‘I don’t say this often, but you’re a good man, Trent Windsor.’

  He returned her smile. ‘With the harvest festival traffic, it might take us a while to leave town. Why don’t you have a sleep?’

  To his surprise Aubrey didn’t rubbish the idea or say she wasn’t tired. Instead she said in a hushed voice, ‘I think I might.’

  When he next looked at her, her eyes were closed. They didn’t open even when they reached Crookwell Park and he stopped near the jacaranda tree.

  ‘Aubrey, you’re home.’ He kept his voice low.

  She didn’t stir or respond.

  He cupped her cheek. Her skin was petal-smooth, her lashes dark crescents and her mouth relaxed. Whether awake and filled with sass or asleep and peaceful, she was beyond beautiful.

  She murmured and turned her face into his palm as if seeking his touch.

  His breathing stalled. A tide of emotions coursed through him. He’d been resisting giving his feelings for Aubrey a label. But he’d only prolonged the inevitable. He loved her, and with an intensity and depth that he’d never come close to feeling for Eva.

  He pressed a feather-light kiss to her forehead.

  He wasn’t just playing the long game. He’d wait forever if he had to.

  Chapter 13

 

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