‘I might have known you’d take his side. You won’t even give me an appropriate amount of time to decide on a sandwich. You probably think Scotty should have proposed after their first date.’ Claire pouted slightly for effect.
Jackie laughed. ‘I’m on your side, you nutter,’ she said, giving Claire’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. ‘Which is why I don’t want to see you driving yourself crazy over this. Want to swim a few more laps?’
‘Nah. I’m going to grab a juice and head home before it’s too hot to set foot outside,’ she said. ‘I could use a nap, too. Didn’t get much sleep last night.’
Jackie smiled and plunged back into the water. Claire climbed out of the pool, towelled off and threw her loose T-shirt dress over her damp swimsuit. Scotty’s a grown man, Jackie had said. She was right – he was nearly thirty and more than capable of making his own decisions. But he had always been a grown-up, really. Even when they were teenagers, Scotty had seemed older than his years. Decisive to the point of stubbornness – it was almost impossible to unmake Scotty’s mind once he’d made it up. He was sensible when Claire was brash, reliable when she was flighty. He unravelled every mess she got herself into. She could always count on him. Scotty was her safe harbour.
Now she felt like she didn’t know him at all. This just wasn’t the Scotty she knew – and even though they hadn’t been in each other’s lives for a while, she did know him. They knew each other better than anybody. She was missing something, some piece of the puzzle that would explain why he was two weeks away from doing something so completely illogical. If only she could spend some more time with him, talk some sense into him, try to make him see why this wedding was a colossal mistake.
Claire picked up her bag and fumbled inside for her mobile phone. A missed call flashed up on the screen.
Vanessa.
A pang of guilt caused her stomach to clench as she dialled her voicemail and played her aunt’s message.
‘Hello, darling, it’s Vee,’ Vanessa’s melodious voice said. ‘I just called you at work and they said you’re off until the new year. I’m sure you already have plans, but sweetheart, if you’re free we would love to have you come back to Bindy for Christmas. Do give me a tinkle when you can. Love you!’
The excitement in Vanessa’s voice was palpable. Her heart felt heavy as she thought of her sweet aunt spending another Christmas in that dustbowl town with her daughter, Claire’s cousin Augusta, and nobody else. Since Claire’s father had died, Vanessa and Gus were all that remained of the Bindallarah Thornes.
She knew she should go back. It wasn’t Vanessa’s fault that Claire was an outcast in Bindallarah. But she couldn’t spend Christmas in Bindy – she’d told Scotty she couldn’t possibly come to his ridiculous wedding because she was working. There was no way she could sneak into town for the holidays without word getting out that she was there, without him finding out that she’d lied.
But if she did go back, maybe she could talk to Scotty, reason with him. Maybe there wouldn’t be a wedding at all. She couldn’t let him marry a virtual stranger. She just couldn’t. Maybe she could stop this runaway train before it did some real damage.
Claire dialled Vanessa’s number.
CHAPTER FOUR
‘Well, if it isn’t the groom-to-be. Heard the news?’
Scotty put the four-wheel drive into park and turned off the engine. ‘Nuh,’ Scotty told his brother. ‘Reckon you could let me open the door before you tell me about whatever crisis has unfolded while I’ve been away?’
Chris stepped back from the driver’s side door and Scotty pushed it open. He stepped onto the hard-packed gravel driveway that wound from the highway up to Cape Ashe Stud’s state-of-the-art stables and stretched. Whatever Chris wanted to tell him, it could wait. Scotty was in no mood for small-town drama right now.
It should have been a six-hour drive from Tuncurry, where he’d spent last night, to the Shannons’ farm in the hinterland behind Bindallarah, but Scotty’s cautious driving and frequent stops to check on Autumn meant it had been closer to eight. The mare had made a remarkable recovery during her two-night stay in Sydney, where Claire’s blood tests had confirmed malignant hyperthermia. She was healthy and relaxed now – especially after her swim on Nine Mile Beach that morning – but Scotty hadn’t wanted to take any chances. Autumn had a long road ahead.
‘Tough trip,’ Chris said as he walked to the rear of the horse float. ‘Thanks for bringing her back, big brother. She wouldn’t have made it if it’d been anybody else.’
Scotty nodded but didn’t reply. He was exhausted, stiff and achy. He’d planned to be back in Bindallarah on Saturday night; Autumn’s emergency meant it was now Monday evening and he’d missed a day of work. His nerves were frayed and it wasn’t just because he was worried about the horse. He couldn’t stop thinking about Claire. He’d spent the long hours behind the wheel replaying their Friday-night meeting. He couldn’t shake the feeling that gnawed at him when he thought about the way she had congratulated him on his engagement. He knew what the feeling was.
Guilt.
It was obvious that Claire had been blindsided by his announcement. She’d tried to hide it, but Scotty had seen the stricken look that had crossed her face. It had lasted just a fraction of a second before she’d replaced it with a smile, but it had been like a farrier’s knife to his heart. Of course Claire was shocked. He’d felt pretty stunned himself as he heard the words tumble out of his mouth. He shouldn’t
