“So did you ever find out what her surprise was?” Lachlan asked later as they drove back to town.
“Surprise?”
“Your mother’s surprise.”
“Not for a few months.” April felt a familiar stab of pain at the thought of her mother, but somehow the strength of it was less than usual. “I was having a really bad day, missing them both so much, when I noticed their PO Box key on my key ring. My school was across the road from the post office so Mum had given me the key to check it for them on my way home from school. I hadn’t been able to bring myself to return to school so it didn’t occur to me to check it before, but suddenly I needed to feel a connection to them, even if it was just opening their mail.”
Beside her Lachlan smiled encouragement, and April found the strength to continue.
“There were a few bills and letters from the bank I barely looked at, but there was one letter from a literary agent in Sydney that contained a publishing contract for me to sign. Without my knowledge, Mum had found me an agent and had submitted my first Green Man manuscript. Karen’s letter asked Mum to look over the contract and then have me sign it. When I rang Karen, she told me Mum had planned to surprise me with the news on the day Karen told her my book was going to be published. The same day she died.”
The drive home passed quickly. When he didn’t need his hand for driving Lachlan held hers possessively against his chest, occasionally lifting it to his lips to press kisses across her knuckles. The giddy sensations April had felt in Sydney returned with a vengeance and butterflies tap danced in her tummy every time his lips touched her skin.
As they passed the miniature locomotive that marked the entrance to Peters Junction, Lachlan released his grip on her hand and pulled up the hood of his jacket, concealing his features from any casual glance. An overwhelming surge of gratitude welled up inside her and April couldn’t help leaning over and kissing his cheek in thanks.
“Who would have thought anonymity could be so rewarding,” he chuckled and she smacked him playfully on the arm.
“Pull up outside the bakery, I want to get something for after dinner.” But when she glanced around she realised she’d left her bag at home. “Shit. Never mind, I don’t have my purse.”
Ignoring her, Lachlan pulled up outside the only bakery in town and fished some money out of his wallet.
“Remind me to thank you properly when we get home,” she threw over her shoulder as she climbed out.
“Oh I will,” he chuckled as she shut the door.
Inside the bakery April found it difficult to make a selection. Her thoughts kept drifting to the man sitting in the car outside and how she was planning to thank him later.
“April? Are you okay? Can I help you with something?” Mrs. Gibson’s voice was as good as any cold shower. The woman was an institution, having run the bakery for over thirty years, but she also held the title of Peters Junction Queen of Gossip. Nothing happened in this town without her hearing about it and passing it on to all her customers, and just like any big city tabloid, you could never be certain of how much truth was in the rumours she spread.
“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you, Mrs. Gibson, I’m just finding it hard to make a choice.”
“Do you have friends staying with you?” Mrs. Gibson asked, gesturing to Lachlan sitting in his truck out on the road.
“Uh, yes,” April confirmed, a surge of panic shooting up in her chest. A quick glance out the window revealed Lachlan still wearing his hood and barely visible through the dark tinting of his SUV. “Just for a couple of days. I’ll have the apple pie and two loaves of sourdough. Thanks.”
April walked out a couple of minutes later feeling as if she’d just negotiated a mine field. By the time they arrived home, all she could think about was getting Lachlan inside and away from prying eyes so she could kiss him again. She climbed out of the car, opening the gate for him to park beside her under the carport and then quickly shut it and hurried over to him. He’d barley killed the engine before he was opening his door and jumping out, as eager to get inside as she was.
They burst through the front door together, but Lachlan held her arm to stop her continuing inside. He shut the door with the heel of his boot and pushed her back against the wall, devouring her lips. She couldn’t help giggling at his eagerness. It had been a long time since she’d felt this happy. Eventually a small thought pricked her conscious and she realised Marie and Ben were both somewhere in the house, so she pushed him gently away and reluctantly, he let her go.
She headed down the hallway into the kitchen and stopped short. Marie was standing by the stove stirring a large pot and Ben was casually leaning against the bench beside her, smiling down at her. April felt a different sort of protectiveness grip her, along with the irrational urge to kick Ben out of the house. She quickly stomped down the instinct. Nothing about the scene justified such drastic action.
“You’re back,” Marie said when she saw Lachlan and April. “Oh and you stopped for fresh bread. It’ll go great with the stew.” Behind Marie she could see the quizzical look Ben shot his brother over her shoulder, followed by the broad grin that split his face. These brothers had silent communication down pat.
“So you two have worked things out then?” Ben asked.
“Uh...” April grinned stupidly.
“Really?” Marie squealed, running across the room and throwing her arms around April. “That’s great.”
When Marie returned to her cooking, the bag from the bakery in her hand, April felt Lachlan’s hands slide around her waist and she leant back against him.
“So I guess we’re staying a few days?” Ben asked his brother, and April held her breath for his response.
“I hope so. April?” Lachlan asked. She twisted her head to look at him. There was no way she was letting him go any time soon.
“Stay as long as you like,” she murmured, leaning in to kiss him.
“Uh, Ben. There’s one more thing,” Lachlan said when they broke apart. “You’ve got to keep a low profile while you’re here.”
“Huh?”
“April doesn’t want to draw any attention to herself, so while we’re here I need you to stay out of sight.”
At the frown on Ben’s face, April felt her defences building. “You mean I can’t even go into town?” he asked in disbelief.
“Yes,” Lachlan said firmly.
“Why?”
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Marie said calmly, stirring her pot again. “April’s always liked her privacy. I remember this one time when I was nine I got the Mayor’s Award for organising my class at school to clean up the local reserve on Clean-Up Australia Day and she nearly had a fit when she realised I would have my photo taken for the local paper. You should have seen her…she spent the entire ceremony holding her breath, trying to support me while all the time she was freaking out.”
“Oh Marie!” April gasped. “I didn’t think you noticed, I didn’t want to let it ruin your day.”
“It didn’t. I could see how hard you were trying, so I figured if you could pretend it didn’t bother you then I’d pretend not to notice.” She grinned and April felt a wave of affection go out towards her sister.
“So, is this some kind of phobia?” Ben asked, still frowning.
“Something like that,” Lachlan declared. “Just drop it, all right?” Again April noticed the silent communication passing between the brothers and she guessed Lachlan would have to provide an explanation later. Focusing on Marie, April realised she’d never given her sister a proper explanation. She sucked in her breath. Lachlan had given her the perfect explanation only a few hours ago so she may as well stick with it. She turned to Ben but kept Marie in her line of sight, not knowing the impact her words would have on her sister.
“Look, I know you probably think I’m crazy and overprotective but I have my reasons.” She took another deep breath and felt Lachlan’s arms tighten around her, giving her strength. She turned her head to look directly at Marie, e
ven though she continued to talk to Ben. “After my parents died, I was hounded for months by reporters who wanted to know all the gory details about how they were murdered and how it felt to find the bodies. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I left and came here. Now I do whatever I can to keep my name out of the media so no other unfeeling bastard can come and question me about things that aren’t any of their business.”
Her voice cracked when she saw tears gather in the corners of Marie’s eyes, so she went over and drew her sister into her arms. “I never knew,” Marie whispered into her neck. “You never said.”
April pulled back and smiled wanly. “It wasn’t something you needed to worry about.” Then she stepped away and rapidly changed the topic. “Dinner smells great. Will it be ready soon?”
“Yep, we were just waiting for you and Lachlan to get back.” Together the girls went about dishing up dinner while Lachlan and Ben sat talking at the table. By the time they were all seated, the tension had left the air enough for them to enjoy their meal together.
“So how did it go with your photography project today?” April asked Marie.
Marie’s eyes widened and excitement shone through her features. “It was great! Ben helped me so much and we pretty much got it all done. I’ll show it to you after dinner.” April’s eyes strayed to Ben and she felt her back stiffen at the soft smile he sent in Marie’s direction. The urge to throw him out of her house once again reared up inside her, but she squashed the momma-bear instinct and plastered a bright smile on her face while Marie explained how she’d elicited emotions out of a coffee plunger for her photography project.
She enjoyed seeing Marie this animated about something and if Ben was partly the reason, then she wouldn’t hold that against him. As long as he didn’t cross any lines.