her clothes and brushed her hair from her eyes. “Here,” she called.
Teague reached for the buttons of his shirt as she turned to wait for her grandfather in the doorway of the stable. “We’re watching Molly,” she said with a bright smile. “She’s better. See?”
He stepped out into the late-afternoon sun, shading his eyes as he searched the paddock. His eyesight had been failing for years, yet he refused to get glasses. Sometimes his stubbornness was downright silly, she mused. At this moment, though, it was convenient. “Where’s that damn vet?”
“I’m here, sir.”
Hayley steeled herself for what she knew would be a litany of harsh words between them. A Quinn setting foot on Wallaroo was unthinkable. “Grandfather, I don’t think—”
“What’s your name, boy?” he demanded.
Teague glanced at Hayley, sending her a questioning look and she frowned. Hayley quickly cleared her throat, stunned that her grandfather hadn’t recognized Teague. “His name is Tom,” she said. “Tom Barrett.”
It was the name of one of the characters on Castle Cove, but her grandfather had never seen the program so there wasn’t much chance of him recognizing the name.
“Dr. Tom Barrett,” Teague said, holding out his hand.
“How much is this going to cost me, Dr. Tom Barrett?” her grandfather asked impatiently, ignoring Teague’s hand.
“Don’t worry, Harry,” Hayley replied. “I’ll pay for it. Molly is my horse. My responsibility.”
“Suit yourself,” the old man muttered. He squinted into the sun, then said something under his breath before turning and walking into the barn. Hayley released a tightly held breath. “He didn’t recognize you.”
“No,” Teague said. “Good thing, since he was waiting on the porch with a rifle when I arrived.”
She laughed softly, then shook her head. “I knew his eyesight was bad, but not that bad. For a second there, I thought I’d have to break up a fistfight.”
“I think I could have taken him,” Teague said. He slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. “Meet me tonight,” he said. “I’ll wait for you at the shack.”
“I’m not sure I remember how to get there.”
“There’ll be a moon.” He pointed toward the east paddock. “I’ll meet you right there at the far gate. Just like we used to. Nine o’clock. We’ll ride over together. Molly needs the exercise.”
Never mind what Molly needed, she thought to herself. Hayley needed the touch of Teague’s hands and the taste of his mouth, the feel of his body against hers. “What if I can’t get away?”
“It’s all right,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for almost ten years. Another night isn’t going to make much difference. ” With that, he kissed her again, only this time he lingered over her mouth, softly tempting her with his tongue.
A sigh slipped from her lips and Hayley lost herself in the sweet seduction. Every instinct she had cried out to surrender to him, to be completely and utterly uninhibited with her feelings. “Tonight,” Hayley said.
He stole one last kiss, then walked backward into the stable, a wide grin on his face. “I sure am glad to see you again, Hayley Fraser.”
At that moment, he looked like the boy she’d loved all those years ago. “Stop smiling at me,” she shouted, a familiar demand from their younger years.
“Why shouldn’t I smile? I like what I see.” He picked up his bag and the crate of supplies and continued his halfhearted retreat.
She rubbed her upper arms, her gaze still fixed on his. When he finally disappeared through the door on the opposite end of the stable, Hayley sighed softly. She’d never expected to feel this way again, like a lovesick teenager existing only for the moments she spent with him.
She knew exactly what would happen between them that night and she had no qualms about giving herself to Teague. Of all the men she’d dated, he was the only one she’d ever really loved. And though time and distance had come between them, they were together now. And she was going to take advantage of every moment they had.
2
“WHAT DO YOU WANT to drink?”
Teague glanced up from the plate that Mary had placed in front of him. “Whatever you’ve got,” he replied distractedly. “Beer is good.”
She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle, then twisted off the cap with the corner of her apron. Mary had been keeping house at the station for years, hired a few short weeks after Teague’s mother had decided that station life was not for her.
He took a long drink of the cold beer, then picked up his fork and dug in to the meal. Dinnertime at the station was determined by the sun. When it set, everyone ate. But Teague had missed the usual stampede of hungry jackaroos tonight. The return trip from Wallaroo had taken longer than he’d planned after he stopped to fix a broken gate.
“Where is everyone?” he asked.
Mary shrugged. “Brody took some dinner out to Payton earlier. And Callum and Gemma disappeared after they helped me with the dishes. They said they were going for a walk.” She sat down at the end of the table and picked up her magazine.
“Well?” Teague said. “Aren’t you going to offer your opinion? I’ve met them both and they seem perfectly lovely.”
She peered over the top of her magazine. “They add a bit of excitement to life on the station, I’ll give them that. At least for Brody and Cal.”
Teague chuckled. “Women will do that.”
Women could do a lot of things to an unsuspecting man. Since he’d left Hayley at Wallaroo, his thoughts had been focused intently on what had happened between them. He’d replayed all the very best moments in his head, over and over again. The instant that he’d first touched her. The kiss they’d shared. And then the headlong leap into intimacy. His fingers twitched as he thought about the firm warmth of her breast in his palm. “There’s nothing wrong with a little excitement every now and then, is there?”
“What about you?” Mary asked, slowly lowering the magazine. “Have you had any excitement in your life lately?”
Teague glanced up. “Excitement?” He chuckled softly. “Are you asking me if I’ve cleared the cobwebs in the recent past?” Though Mary had served as a mother figure to the three Quinn brothers, she was a bit of a stickybeak, insisting that she know all the relevant facts regarding their personal lives. “Not lately, but I’ll let you know if my fortunes change.”
She sighed. “I want to see you boys happy and settled.”
“Why?” he teased. “So you can get off this godforsaken station and have a life of your own?” Teague watched her smile fade slightly. Mary had always been such a fixture in their lives that they’d hardly considered she might want something beyond her job
