Page 64 of Jillaroo from Jacaranda

So she did what she had to, and turned the hot water off, hoping the cold would help her snap out of her lust-filled trance. She sucked in a sharp breath from the sudden coolness, mentally slapping herself for allowing such thoughts to gather momentum.

They were friends. She was leaving. He was staying. That was that.

CHAPTER

18

Rose woke in the pre-dawn darkness to the shrill ringing of her mobile. Snatching it from her bedside table, she groaned when she spotted no caller ID. She clutched the phone, weighing up whether to answer it. It was probably some salesperson from overseas, a scammer trying to talk her into handing all her personal details over. How stupid did they think people were? Then again, what if it was someone she knew, or an emergency?

Stabbing the answer button right before it went to her message bank, she pressed it to her ear. ‘Hello?’

‘Oh my god, Rose! Finally.’ Finley’s voice dripped with desperation. ‘I’ve been trying to get hold of you for weeks. I was going out of my mind with worry.’

‘I’m fine, Finley.’ What on earth was he calling for?

‘What’s up?’ ‘What’s up?’ he said, a little harshly. ‘Are you seriously asking me that?’

‘Yes, I am.’ Rose couldn’t believe how detached she felt from him. The weeks away had done her the world of good. ‘It’s four in the morning and you’re calling me from a private number.’

‘I want you back, Rose, that’s what’s up.’

‘Huh. Well, Finley, I don’t want you back.’ Man, that felt so good to say. ‘Sorry to be blunt,’ she added.

‘But … Rose, we’re good together.’

‘That’s what I thought too,’ she said, stifling a yawn. ‘But now I’ve had some time to really look back on things, I’ve concluded that us breaking up was inevitable, and the right decision.’

‘Please don’t say that, Rose. I can’t bear to think we don’t have a chance.’

Rose frowned. ‘Do I need to remind you that you’re the one who wanted us to split up, Finley?’

‘I know I was, and I’m kicking myself for it.’

Rose decided that now he was trying to make things right with her, the rumour he’d bedded her archenemy was, in fact, her business. ‘Is it true that you slept with Madeline?’

Her question was met with ear-ringing silence.

‘I thought as much,’ she said with a sigh. ‘I’ve got to go.’

‘Rose, please. I need to see you.’ A sense of absolute urgency came down the line. ‘I can explain everything, in person.’

‘There’s nothing you can say or do that will change my mind.’

‘Damn it, Rose! You’re my fiancée.’ His voice suddenly had that familiar, hard edge to it.

‘Was your fiancée. Take care, Finley.’ And she ended the call before she gave him the inch that would lead to a mile.

For the next two hours, she tossed and turned before giving up on the notion of anymore sleep. She needed fresh air, and plenty of it. The sun was rising high when she tossed her phone into the kitchen drawer and made her way towards Buck’s paddock. The sky was a crystal blue, and the air carried with it a hint of coolness. It was going to be a perfect morning for a good gallop around the countryside. She didn’t have much time left to enjoy all that was Wildstone Station, so she was going to do her very best to make the most of it, as she would the short time she had left with Ty. The very thought of driving away from here, and him, made her heart and soul ache.

Saddling Buck up in record time, she hopped up and got herself settled. Despite the little voice in her head telling her repeatedly that she should pack her things and leave a few days early, before she went and did something silly like throwing herself at Ty, Rose dug her boot heels in and gave Buck the cue to go for broke. He gladly did, his gait opening beautifully as they soared across the open paddocks. She loved it here, and she loved every second she’d spent getting to know Ty. Yes, he’d slipped behind her barriers and caressed her heartstrings, and yes, she was dreaming more and more about a life with him … but no, she didn’t have to follow through on her feelings. Because just look where they’d landed her before. Finley’s call had firmly reminded her how things could turn sour.

A good two hours later, she returned to the stables, unsaddled Buck and gave him a well-earnt hose down. Releasing him back into the paddock, she leant on the railings and was watching him race over to his new girlfriend, Gretchen, when the sound of an approaching vehicle caught her attention. She turned and waved at Ty. He looked so good with his five o’clock shadow and arresting smile, she momentarily forgot all about her promise of willpower over her lust.

‘Hey, I’ve been looking for you,’ he said as he pulled up beside her, then patted the passenger seat. ‘Hop in. We’re going to go and have ourselves some good old-fashioned country fun.’

Her gaze roamed over him. Even covered in mud and god knew what else, he still looked hot as hell. ‘We are?’ Heat rushed to her cheeks at the memory of her fantasies in the shower the night before.

Ty sucked in a breath and nodded. ‘Yup.’