“I’ll be back in a bit.” Brody leaned over and dropped a kiss on her lips. “Don’t let Davey boss you around.”
She smiled. “I won’t. I’ll see you later.”
Brody kicked his horse into a gallop and headed toward the house. This had damn well better be an emergency. The ride back to the homestead was almost fifteen minutes. As he rode, Brody’s thoughts rewound over the past few days. He and Payton had settled into a life of sorts.
She’d managed to charm Davey into working the stables for the day while she worked the station with Brody. They enjoyed the long ride together and Payton had been fascinated with discovering new plants and animals in the outback. She’d nearly fallen off her horse when she’d spotted her first kangaroo.
He liked having her with him, and Callum hadn’t seemed to mind that they’d paired up. After greasing two of the windmills, they’d eaten some lunch, then set off to ride the fence lines. Payton had quickly learned how to handle herself on a stock pony, eagerly taking tips from Brody when he offered.
Still, her fascination with station life worried him. Was she happy here or was she just avoiding her real life with Sam Whitman? He needed answers, yet he couldn’t bring himself to ask the question. Was she married? And if she was, did it make a difference anymore? He wasn’t sure that it did for him. Not now.
Brody had been considering his options, specifically another surgery on his knee. He was still covered under the team’s insurance and he really didn’t have anything to lose, except a month or two off his feet and at least a year spent in rehab. He cursed softly. The more time he spent with Payton, the more confused he became about his future.
He’d always trusted his gut instinct when it came to any decision, and his gut had never steered him wrong- until the accident. The rain had made the roads slick and he’d already been late for practice, caught up in an argument with Nessa. He hadn’t been paying attention and had taken a turn far too fast. As he went down, his only thought had been that he ought to have trusted his gut and taken the Land Rover to work.
Right now, every instinct told him that Payton belonged in his life, that he should to do everything in his power to keep her there. So why couldn’t he just say that to her? Why couldn’t he tell her how he felt? Brody had never doubted himself until now. Maybe his feelings weren’t as strong as they seemed. Or maybe, this was something more than just infatuation.
As he rode past the horse paddock and into the yard, he saw Callum standing on the back porch, pacing nervously. He waited for Brody to come to a stop before jogging down the steps. Brody hopped off, gathering the reins in his hand.
“Come on,” Callum murmured.
“What’s up?”
“Teague is in the house. There’s a private investigator here looking for Payton.”
“Shit,” Brody muttered. “How did he find her?”
“You know about him?”
“Yeah, he was in Bilbarra trying to track her down. I talked to him. I thought I sent him off to Sydney to look for her.”
“Well, he’s a little bit smarter than you reckoned,” Callum said. “Payton used her credit card at David Jones in Brisbane. And Teague bought something right after her with his card. The clerk mentioned that they were together, so that’s why he’s here. Teague is feeding him some story, but I’m not sure if he’s swallowing it.”
Brody frowned. Payton had spent time in jail for dining and dashing. Why had she suddenly chosen to use a credit card? Had she wanted to be found? Was she looking for an excuse to leave? Or was she unaware that a detective had been sent to find her? “We have to get her out of here,” Brody muttered.
“What the hell has she done?” Callum asked.
“I don’t know.” Brody cursed softly. “She was supposed to get married in April. She ran out on her wedding. And I’d assume her fiance or her husband wants her back, since he sent someone to fetch her. Bit of a problem there since I don’t want to give her back.”
“Brody, she’s an adult. She should make these decisions for herself. If she wants to stay, she can just tell the guy to get lost.”
“And what if she doesn’t?” Brody asks. “What if she decides to leave with him?”
“Then that’s her choice. You can’t keep her here if she doesn’t want to stay.”
“She may want to stay,” Brody countered. “Only she isn’t ready to admit it yet. She might need more time.”
“Did you ever think about asking her straight out?”
“I’m not going to ask her unless I’m sure she’ll give me the right answer.”
“Bloody hell, Brody, just talk to the girl.”
“I will,” Brody promised. “Soon. But right now, I have to get her off the station. I’ll go back and get her and we’ll ride to the airstrip. I need you to go to the bunkhouse and gather up her things and put them in your ute. Teague can meet us out there.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Callum asked.
The backdoor squeaked and Teague stepped outside. The moment he saw Brody, he grabbed him by the arm and pulled him around the side of the house. “What the hell is going-”
“Don’t ask,” Brody said. “I’ll explain it all later. Can you get away or is this guy going to follow you wherever you go?”
“I think I can lose him. Why?”
“I need you to fly Payton and me to Brisbane. I’m going to go and get her and we’ll meet you at the airstrip. Callum is going to put her things in his ute. Whenever you can, get away and meet us there.”
“All right,” Teague said, nodding. “I better get back in there. He thinks I’m making coffee.”
Brody jumped on his horse and turned it away from the house. “We’ll be at the airstrip in a half hour,” he said. “Don’t let him follow you.”
The ride in had taken twice as long as the ride back. He rode as hard and as fast as he’d ever ridden, as if his life depended upon it. In the end, his life did depend upon Payton. He’d grown attached to her and he couldn’t imagine losing her, especially to another man.
He found them where he’d left them, working on a broken gate that led to the east horse pasture. Davey was holding the gate off the ground while Payton twisted the turnbuckle. They both stopped what they were doing and watched as he approached.
“Get on your horse,” he told Payton. “Come on, we have to go.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I’ll tell you after we get to the airstrip.”
“Why are we going to the airstrip?”
“Payton, don’t ask any questions. Just get on your horse and let’s ride.”
She studied him for a long moment, then handed Davey the spanner she was holding. Snagging her jacket from where she’d thrown it over the gate, she kept her gaze fixed on him. Then, in an easy motion, she put her foot in the stirrup and swung her leg over the saddle.
Brody didn’t take the time to explain any further. He simply wheeled his mount around and took off, hoping she’d follow. A few seconds later, she caught up to him and they rode through the scrub, a cloud of dust forming behind them.
Their horses were winded by the time they reached the airstrip. Brody dismounted and then helped Payton do the same. He slapped both horses on the rump and sent them running, knowing they’d find their way back to the stables on their own.
“Are you going to explain what we’re doing here?” Payton asked.
“First, you have to tell me something. And I want you to be completely honest, because I’ll be able to tell if you’re lying to me.”
“All right,” she said softly.
Brody grabbed her by the arms and pulled her toward him, his mouth coming down on hers. He softened the kiss immediately, hoping that it would serve as a last attempt to prove his feelings for her. Then he drew back and took a deep breath. “Are you married? Did you go through with your wedding or did you walk out before you said ‘I do’?”
Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him in utter shock. “How do you know about-”
“Just answer the question. Are you married?”
