He’d have to decide just how to discuss his discovery with Payton. Though his rule regarding married women still stood, it seemed rather pointless to avoid sex now that that horse was already out of the barn.
Hell, the only way to avoid wanting her was to leave Queensland altogether. He could no more control his desire for Payton Harwell than he could stop breathing.
THE PLANE TOUCHED DOWN as the afternoon sun hovered near the western horizon. Payton peered out the window, catching sight of one of the station’s utes, the name she’d learned to call the pick-up trucks that nearly everyone drove. She saw Callum leaning against the truck as the plane taxied to the near end of the runway, but Brody was nowhere to be seen.
When Teague had turned off the single engine, Callum approached and opened the door. He helped Payton out, grabbing shopping bags as she jumped lightly from the plane. He then turned back to wrap his hands around Gemma’s waist. Payton watched as their gazes met and he gave her a quick kiss.
Though Gemma hadn’t said anything about her relationship with the eldest Quinn, it was clear to everyone that something was going on. Callum didn’t smile much, but he always seemed to be smiling when Gemma was present.
Callum helped Teague secure the plane before all four of them hopped into the truck and headed toward the house. Payton had hoped to find Brody standing on the porch or lounging on her bunk, but she was disappointed.
“He took off about a half hour ago,” Callum said. “On horseback, toward the west. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”
Payton forced a smile. She’d been looking forward to seeing Brody all day. She’d bought a sexy new swimsuit for the hot tub and some lacy underwear that she was certain he’d appreciate. Her nails and toes looked perfect and her hair smelled like fruit. In short, she was almost irresistible.
She set her bags inside the door of the bunkhouse then turned and jogged down the front steps. “I’m going to ride out and meet him,” she said.
“It’s getting dark,” Callum warned.
“Don’t worry, I won’t go far. I can see the lights of the station from pretty far away.”
She ran to the stables and found a gentle mount, then quickly saddled the horse. She tied a bedroll on the back in case she and Brody decided to make a stop at the swimming hole again. Then, after swinging her leg over the saddle, she steered the horse out of the stable and into the waning light.
Though she’d ridden to the pond with Brody the other night, this was the first time she’d been on a horse alone since her fall nine years before. “Like riding a bike,” she said, settling into the rhythm.
She urged the horse into a relaxed gallop, letting the wind whip her hair into a riot of curls. It was still easy to see where she was going, the last rays of the sun shining on the red dirt of the outback.
As she rode, her thoughts wandered to Brody, to spending the evening alone with him. Brisbane had been so busy and exciting that she’d wished he’d been there to share it with her. Maybe next weekend they could go together, as he’d suggested. They could spend some time at the beach or find a comfy hotel room and revel in absolute privacy.
As the sun dropped lower, the air became chilly and Payton drew her horse to a stop. She scanned the landscape for Brody, but it was difficult to see. Tugging gently on the reins, she turned the horse around. Her breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t see the station anymore.
Rubbing her eyes, she squinted into the distance, searching for the lights that would guide her back. Slowly, she realized she’d ridden too far, lost in her thoughts and unaware of the passing time. Everything looked the same. Starting off in the direction she’d come from, Payton kicked the horse into a gallop again. But a moment later, the horse stumbled in an unseen gully and she found herself thrown forward.
Payton hit the ground with a hard thud, knocking the wind out of her. Groaning, she lay back in the dirt and took a quick inventory. Her limbs were still intact, no broken bones, just wounded pride. Levering to her feet, she brushed the dirt off her jeans and remounted, but as soon as she spurred the horse forward, she could feel the animal favor its right foreleg.
Sliding off again, she bent down and ran her hands over his leg. “What happened?” she cooed. There was no swelling and no broken bones. She’s seen enough stumbles in her show-jumping career to suspect that it was probably just a bruise. Though riding was possible, there was no need to put the horse under any more stress. She mentally calculated the distance and figured she probably had at least an hour’s walk.
Payton stared up at the stars, trying to remember what she’d seen in the night sky. The last traces of the day were visible on the horizon, so she grasped the reins and began to walk the opposite way, east, toward the station.
The outback looked deceptively flat, yet as she walked, she realized that a gentle rise could easily hide things in the distance. She tried to keep moving in a straight line, finding a cluster of stars to keep over her right shoulder. But it was difficult to maintain her bearings in the dark. In the end, she decided to give her horse its head. He knew how to get home better than she did.
But, to her surprise, the horse didn’t lead her back to the station. Instead, she found herself standing at a low iron gate. She hadn’t come through any fence on her way out, but the horse seemed to know what it was doing. “Do I trust the horse or do I trust myself?”
In the end, she opened the gate and led the horse through. A few seconds later, she noticed the outline of a small building, just barely visible in the growing moonlight. Obviously, the horse had been to the spot in the recent past. “What is this?”
The front door was unlocked, but she could see nothing in the black interior. Closing her eyes, she felt around with her hands, stumbling over what felt like beds along the walls. She wandered back to the porch, then noticed a lantern hanging beside the door and a tin box of matches nailed below it.
The match flared and she lit the lantern, then walked back into the small shack. It was obvious it was some kind of remote bunkhouse, though it seemed to be awfully close to Kerry Creek to be of much use. She found a couple more lanterns and, after lighting them, took the first one out onto the porch to serve as a sign that she was there.
Someone would come looking for her sooner or later. And if they didn’t come tonight, she’d simply wait until the morning and then head toward the sunrise. Payton walked over to her horse and took off his saddle, dropping it onto the front steps of the shack.
She folded the saddle blanket and threw it on top. Then she carefully tethered the horse to a hitching rail in front of the cabin before stepping inside.
The interior of the cabin was cozy and almost as comfortable as the bunkhouse, though a bit dustier. From what she could tell, the place had been used recently. There was a stack of firewood next to the cast-iron stove and canned food in the small cupboard above the dry sink. She picked through the assortment and found a can of nuts.
A shelf of paperback novels, mostly mysteries, caught Payton’s attention and she chose one and sat down at the small wooden table. Though it was hard to read in the flickering light, she managed to finish a few pages before her eyes grew tired. With a frustrated sigh, she laid her head down on the table and closed her eyes.
She wasn’t sure whether she’d fallen asleep or not, but a loud crash brought her upright. She saw a shadow in the doorway and screamed. But a moment later, Brody stepped into the light.
He
