Page 12 of Jillaroo from Jacaranda

He had an idea, but he had to act quickly. He hoped the powers that be were going to be nice to him.

* * *

Rose woke to the melody of Christmas music, the scent of coffee and the reverberating squeals and thundering footsteps of her little sister tearing down the hallway – the racket pounded through her skull like a cattle stampede. Pulling the sheet up and over her head, she closed her eyes and wished for another eight hours of sleep. Being tired was going to make being happy today way harder. She’d always loved Christmas, but this year, with her great-grandma gone, along with Finley, it just didn’t feel the same. If she imagined hard enough, she could feel the indent of him lying beside her, his breath upon her cheek as he wished her merry Christmas. But that was just torturing herself, and Finley had done that enough. She’d done that enough. Add to the mix her slight hangover after enjoying an extra-large glass of red wine upon returning home, to try to help her fall asleep, and she was going to have to try hard today not to burst into tears at the drop of a hat. Her weariness was self-inflicted, though, so she didn’t deserve any commiserations.

As she blinked the day into focus, like a sharp slap to the face, she recalled inviting Ty to share Christmas Day here, at Jacaranda Farm. She sat bolt upright.

Holy crap, what have I done?

How was her family going to react to some strange bloke turning up for Christmas lunch? What were they going to think of her? Oh god, she didn’t want them to get the wrong impression, nor did she want Ty to think she was keen on him. It had seemed like a real good idea at the time, but now, in the light of day …

Rolling over, she went to message him and talk her way out of the invitation, when a text from Finley stopped her in her tracks.

Hey Rose, I hear you were out with Ty Parker last night … gee whizz, you move fast. Good luck with that because word is he’s a player. And FYI, I ran into Madeline Hew at the fish and chip shop yesterday – and now I’ve finally given her the time of day, without you breathing down my neck, I have to say she’s actually a really nice chick.

While she caught her racing pulse, a buzz alerted her to another message, yet again from Finley.

Oh, and merry Christmas xo

The son of a bitch was baiting her.

Fuming, she went to stab a message back, but stopped herself – no reply was going to annoy Finley so much more. Besides, she didn’t owe him an explanation.

Maybe this separation was a godsend. Maybe she could find the pieces of herself she seemed to have lost in the past few years as Finley’s girlfriend and fiancée, and start to clearly see her path ahead without him telling her how to take every single step. Yes, that’s what she had to do; she needed to grab hold of the reins of her life, before it was too late.

And right this second, she needed to stop wallowing in self-pity, get the hell up and throw herself into the festivities of the day. Her beautiful family deserved the best of her, as did her invited guest, the very charming Ty Parker. First things first, though. She needed to freshen up – there was no way she was going to look like this when he arrived.

Twenty-five minutes later, wearing her red dress and dangly tinsel earrings, she tiptoed down the hallway. She took a breath, put on a happy face and exploded into the lounge room. ‘Merry Christmas, you noisy lot.’

‘Yay, sissy’s up! Now we get to open presents,’ Lizzy squealed while running in circles.

‘Yeah, about time, sis,’ Angus added, munching down on a fruit mince tart. ‘I thought you’d gone and fallen down the plughole.’

While chuckling at her siblings, Rose found herself scooped into the arms of her GG. Hugging him tightly, she pecked his cheek. ‘It’s really nice to see you smiling, GG.’

‘How could I not be, with all of you around me?’ he said with a chuckle.

‘Merry Christmas, my darling daughter.’ Placing her mimosa down, Molly stood and gathered her into her arms.

‘Hey Mum, merry Christmas.’ Pulling back a little, Rose smiled awkwardly. ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve invited a friend I ran into at the rodeo. All his family live overseas and I felt sorry for him, not having anyone around to be with today.’

‘Him?’ Molly’s brows rose in question.

‘Yes, Mum, my friend is a him. And no, nothing’s going on. We’re just mates.’

‘Okey-dokey.’ Molly flashed her a smile. ‘Of course I don’t mind him joining us, my love, you know us lot; the more the merrier.’

‘Merry Christmas, Rosie posy.’ Heath came in beside her and brushed a kiss on her cheek. ‘Sorry I couldn’t be there to see it, but congrats on the win last night, sweetheart. Your mum’s super proud, as am I.’

‘Thank you, Heath.’ Her stepfather had always been so supportive, and she adored that he and her father got on like a house on fire. ‘How was the flight back from the mines?’

‘Yeah, good.’ He sank down beside GG. ‘Was it a big night at the Bull Bar?’

‘Yeah, kind of.’ She grimaced and flopped down into the beanbag. ‘I didn’t drink much but talk about lack of sleep. I think I crawled into bed around two-thirty.’

‘That good, huh?’ Heath chuckled. ‘Well, you’d better down some Berocca then.’

‘Yeah, true,’ she said with a chuckle, barely avoiding the ball of wrapping paper Angus had just tossed in her direction. ‘Oi, you little turd-burger!’