you don’t put on airs when you’re with Gemma?” He paused. “And why aren’t you with Gemma? How come you’re all alone here, crying into your beer?”
“She’s shut herself in the library. I can’t understand what’s taking her all this time. It’s not like we’re royalty. But she’s going over every single journal and account book in there.”
“What does that have to do with our family history?”
“Don’t ask me,” Callum said.
“She’s pretty. Not as pretty as Payton, but pretty.”
“I beg to differ,” Callum said. “Gemma is much prettier.”
“Payton told me she spoke with Teague today. He was talking like he’d started things up with Hayley Fraser again. And he took off in the middle of the night last night on horseback.”
“Shit,” Callum said. “When I heard she was back, I wondered if he was going to see her again. What do you think she’s up to?”
“You never liked her, did you?”
Callum shrugged. “She put Teague through hell the first time they were together. He has a blind spot when it comes to her.”
“Maybe that’s our problem,” Brody mused. “We’ve never had a blind spot when it comes to a woman. Maybe we’re missing out on something.”
Callum took a drink of his beer. “Maybe.” He pulled his feet off the railing and stood. “I’m going to go check on Gemma. See if she might need some help.” He stepped over Brody’s outstretched legs and walked back inside the house.
Brody glanced over at the light shining from the window of the bunkhouse. If Gemma was in the library then that meant Payton was alone in the bunkhouse. He drank the last of his beer as he wandered off the porch toward the light.
When he rapped on the door, there was no answer from inside, but he heard the sound of running water and walked around the corner of the bunkhouse to the rough wooden shower. He pulled the door open and stepped inside, slipping his hands around Payton’s waist.
She screamed, but he stopped the sound with his kiss, his tongue delving into her damp mouth until her surprise was subdued.
She brushed her soapy hair from her eyes and looked at him. “Your clothes are getting all wet,” she said.
His fingers skimmed over her naked body, deliberately tempting her. “I just wanted to say good-night.” He leaned forward, his lips barely touching hers.
“I thought you did that already,” Payton said.
“I wanted to leave you with something a bit more memorable,” he said. His hands slid around to cup her backside and he pulled her hips against his, making his desire completely evident.
Brody’s mouth found Payton’s again and he felt her melt against him. “If you want more, I’m in the first room at the top of the stairs.” With that, Brody stepped out of the shower. “Good night, Payton. Sleep tight.”
She didn’t return the courtesy. He imagined that she was considering his offer. But Brody really didn’t expect her to follow through. Not tonight. But maybe tomorrow night. A grin curved the corners of his mouth. He could be bloody persuasive when he wanted.
THOUGH SHE WAS EXHAUSTED, Payton couldn’t sleep. Her head spun with thoughts of Brody. She wanted to go to him, to crawl into his bed and into his arms and just fall asleep with him beside her. The need was so acute it had become an ache.
Cursing softly, she tossed aside the bedcovers and swung her legs off the edge of the bunk. Gemma had come in an hour before and Payton had assumed she was asleep, but then she spoke.
“Can’t sleep?” she called from across the room.
“No. You can’t, either?”
“No.”
A moment later, the light on Gemma’s headboard came on. She sat up, crossing her legs in front of her, then ran her hand through her thick auburn hair. “Would you care to talk?” she asked. “I’m a good listener. All my friends tell me so.”
“It’s complicated,” Payton replied.
“I can handle complicated. Is it Brody? You two seem to be…attracted.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Payton said. She crawled out of bed and crossed the room, then sat down on the edge of Gemma’s bunk. “Can you keep a secret?”
“Of course.”
“A month ago this last Saturday, I was putting on my wedding gown in Fiji and getting ready to walk across the beach and get married.”
Gemma gasped. “Oh, goodness. What happened?”
“I got scared and ran away.” She frowned, searching for the words to explain her actions. “I just wasn’t sure he was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. There was no…fire. Do you know what I mean?”
Gemma nodded. “Yes,” she said. “I know precisely what you mean.”
“So I grabbed a few things, stuffed them in my bag, exchanged my honeymoon ticket for a flight to Brisbane and…disappeared into the outback.”
“And here you are,” Gemma said.
“Yes.”
“Have you called your family?”
Payton shook her head. “I left a message at the hotel in Fiji after I landed in Australia. I said I’d call them soon, but they’re going to be so angry with me that I don’t even want to think about that now. The embarrassment and the expense of the wedding. The gossip will be awful.”
“What of your fiancé?”
“I can’t imagine what he’s thinking. I’m sure he doesn’t want anything more to do with me. Not that I want him to. I made my choice and I can live with it.”
“Well, there it is, then,” Gemma said cheerfully. “As Callum would say, no worries.”
“Oh, I have plenty to worry about. Like this thing with Brody. I’m sure it’s just a reaction to what I did. I was a little…repressed and now I’m testing my boundaries. And the attraction will probably fade soon. But then, I’m not sure I want it to.” Payton paused. “He’s like a rebound guy, but I think he might be more.”
“A rebound guy?” Gemma said. “I understand. But wouldn’t any man who came after your fiancé be a rebound guy? So, in theory, it would be better to go out with some git after you break up so you don’t waste a good bloke as a rebound guy.”
“I suppose that would be sensible. So you think I’m wasting Brody?”
“Or perhaps, you could consider the possibility that fate has put this man in your path and the reason you ran away from your wedding is that you were really meant to be with him all along.”
“No,” Payton said, the notion too absurd to consider. “You think so?”
“I think it’s silly to try to figure out a relationship before it’s really begun. Maybe you should just let it happen.”
Payton considered Gemma’s point, then slowly stood. “Thank you,” she said. She walked over to her bunk and grabbed her jacket from where it hung on the bedpost. “I’m just going to visit Brody for a few minutes. Don’t wait up for me.”
“I won’t,” Gemma said with a sly smile.
Payton slipped her shoes on and pulled the jacket over her T-shirt and flannel pajama bottoms. The night was chilly as she ran from the bunkhouse to the main house. Mary had left a light burning over the sink in the kitchen, but the house was silent. Tiptoeing through the kitchen, she headed toward the stairs. But when she reached the top, she was faced with two choices.
Brody