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 at the station.
He took another bite of his beef and potatoes, then grabbed a slice of bread and sopped up some of the gravy. “You know, I think it’s about time you had a little holiday. I’m going to talk to Callum about it. You could take a week or two and go visit your sister. Or go on a cruise. You could even rent a bungalow on the ocean. Get away from this lot of larrikins.”
She shook her head. “There are too many things to be done on the station this time of year. Besides, we have guests. There’s not a chance I’d leave those ladies to your care. Now, eat your dinner before it gets cold. My program is on in a few minutes.” She stood up and wiped her hands on her apron, then slipped it over her head and hung it across the back of her chair. “Are you going to watch Castle Cove with me tonight?”
Teague shook his head. “No, I thought I’d take a ride. There’s a full moon and I need to work off some excess energy.” He pushed away from the table, then wiped his mouth on his serviette and tossed it beside his plate.
“You barely ate any of your dinner,” Mary commented.
“I’m not hungry. Save it for me. I’ll eat later.” He pulled his saddlebags from the chair next to him, then crossed to the refrigerator. He’d already put the necessities—matches, bottled water, condoms—in the bags. He added a bottle of wine from the fridge and then tossed in a corkscrew from the drawer next to the sink. He and Hayley had never shared a drink before, but they were old enough now. Maybe she liked wine.
Mary arched an eyebrow. “Do you plan on doing some entertaining tonight?”
“No.”
She studied him for a time, then shook her head. “I heard Hayley’s back on Wallaroo. But then, I expect you know that already, don’t you?”
Teague shrugged, avoiding her glance. “I do. But how did you know?”
“I talked to Daisy Willey today. She called from the library to tell me my books had come in and she mentioned she’d heard Hayley was on her way home. Daisy’s cousin, Benny McKenzie, helps take care of the place for old man Fraser, and Benny had to leave to see to his sick mum. So Daisy told Hayley she might want to check up on her grandfather while Benny is gone. Hayley makes a regular donation to the book fund at the library, so she and Daisy keep in touch.”
“News travels fast,” Teague said.
“Take care,” she warned. “You know how your brothers feel about the Frasers. And with the lawsuit heating up again, you don’t want to be stuck in the middle. Why Harry Fraser is starting this all over, I don’t know.”
Teague suspected he knew. If Harry planned to sell Wallaroo, it would be much more valuable with that land attached. “Hayley doesn’t have anything to do with that mess,” he said. “The land dispute is between Callum and Harry. Besides, I’m a big boy. I know what I’m doing.”
“Like that time you did a backflip off the top rail of the stable fence and broke your wrist? As I remember, that was on a dare from Hayley Fraser.”
“I’m older now.” But not much wiser, Teague thought as he slung his saddlebags over his shoulder. He strode to the door and pushed it open, then stepped onto the porch.
He jogged down the steps and headed toward the stables. It was still early and the moon hadn’t come up, but he could find his way to the shack blindfolded. When he stepped inside the stable, he flipped on the overhead lights. A noise caught his attention and he squinted to see Callum and Gemma untangling themselves from an embrace.
Gemma tugged at the gaping front of her shirt and Callum pushed her behind him to allow her some privacy. “What are you doing out here?” Callum asked.
“I’m going for a ride.” Teague pulled his saddle and blanket from the rack and hauled it toward the paddock door. “Hey there, Gemma.”
“Hello, Teague.” She peeked around Callum’s shoulder and waved. “Nice night for a ride.”
He heard Callum mutter something beneath his breath and when he looked back, he saw his brother and Gemma making a quick exit from the stables.
Since the genealogist from Dublin had arrived, Callum had been besotted. Every free moment he could find away from running the station, he spent staring at Gemma. And Brody had brought home a girl of his own, Payton Harwell, a pretty American he’d met in a jail cell in Bilbarra.
Teague threw his saddle over the top of the gate, then whistled for his horse. A few seconds later, Tapper came trotting over, a sturdy chestnut gelding he’d been riding since he’d returned to the station a year ago. He held the horse’s bridle as he led it through the gate and into the stable.
It only took a few minutes to saddle his horse and when he was finished, he strapped his bedroll on the back of his saddle, then slipped his saddlebags beneath the bedroll. Every month that he’d been home on Kerry Creek, he’d taken a ride out to the shack. Occasionally, he’d spend the night, sleeping in the same bed where they’d first made love, remembering their sexual curiosity and experimentation.
At least he and Hayley still had a place where they wouldn’t be disturbed, a place that would conjure all the best memories. He pulled his horse around and gave it a gentle kick. It had been a long time since he’d felt this optimistic about a woman. And maybe it was silly to think they could return to the way things had been all those years ago. But he hoped they could start over.
As he rode into the darkness, Teague couldn’t help but wonder what the night might bring. Would they discuss their past or would they simply live for the moment and be satisfied with that?
HAYLEY STOOD beside Molly, slowly stroking the horse’s neck. She’d been waiting in the dark for ten minutes. And for every second of sheer, unadulterated excitement she felt, there was another of paralyzing doubt. Stay, go, wait, escape. She wanted to see Teague again, yet every shred of common sense told her she was setting herself up for heartbreak.
He’d called her fearless. But deep down, Hayley knew that wasn’t true. Her childhood bravado had been a way to hide her fears, to divert attention from everything that terrified her. Though she still felt the urge to challenge him, to dare him to prove his devotion to her, she knew better than to risk bodily injury to get his attention, the way she had as a teenager. The only part of her body in peril this time around was her heart.
Over the years, the crazy memories had faded and she’d been left with just Teague, sweet and protective, loyal to a fault. She’d tried to
