About the Author

MAXINE MORREY has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember and wrote her first (very short) book for school when she was ten. Coming in first, she won a handful of book tokens – perfect for a bookworm!

She has written articles on a variety of subjects, as well as a Brighton Ghost Walks book for a Local History publisher. However, novels are what she loves writing the most. After self-publishing her first novel when a contract fell through, thanks to the recession, she continued to look for opportunities.

In August 2015, she won Harper Collins/Carina UK’s ‘Write Christmas’ competition with her romantic comedy, ‘Winter’s Fairytale’.

Maxine lives on the south coast of England, and when not wrangling with words loves to read, sew, and listen to podcasts. As she also enjoys tea and cake, she can also be found either walking or doing something vaguely physical at the gym.

Her website is: www.scribblermaxi.co.uk

Email: scribblermaxi@outlook.com

You can also find her on Twitter @Scribbler_Maxi

On Facebook www.facebook.com/‌MaxineMorreyAuthor

On Instagram @Scribbler_Maxi

On Pinterest @ScribblerMaxi

Second Chance at the Ranch
MAXINE MORREY

HQ

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2018

Copyright © Maxine Morrey 2018

Maxine Morrey asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

E-book Edition © September 2018 ISBN: 9780008318505

Version: 2018-09-21

Table of Contents

Cover

About the Author

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Acknowledgements

Coming Soon

Dear Reader

Keep Reading …

About the Publisher

To all those who still love to read a Happy Ever After …

Chapter 1

‘Yes! Just like that! More! More!’ Hero Scott turned her head this way and that, lifted her arms up, then down, the movements almost automatic now as the photographer prompted her unnecessarily. Her long dark hair swayed like a glossy curtain as she tilted her chin down further, maintaining the serious look the photographer had demanded for the shoot.

The studio was lit, almost over-lit, in accordance with the style wanted for the designer’s advertising campaign. Loud music by the hottest current DJ blasted from speakers. Hero closed her eyes briefly from the glare, trying to halt the progression of a headache that had been rumbling in her skull for the last half an hour. Her throat was dry and she turned to one of the assistants hovering around the set and made a quick mime of drinking. The assistant grabbed a bottle of water, undid it and stuck a straw in the top. Just as she stepped towards Hero, the photographer roared.

‘What are you doing?’

The assistant froze, colour immediately flooding her face as she stood, half on, half off the background roll.

‘I … erm …’

‘You’ve ruined the perfect shot! Ruined it! Where do we find these people, for God’s sake?’ he asked, turning on one of the others hovering around the shoot.

‘I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,’ came the reply from a short but perfectly dressed woman, as a vicious glance was sent towards the assistant whose eyes were now brimming with tears.

‘I cannot work with such—’

‘It’s my fault, Armand.’ Hero’s educated tones rose above the noise, interrupting the photographer’s rant mid-flow.

Everyone turned to look at the supermodel. She casually tucked one hand behind her, the pose confident yet aloof. Behind her back, her other hand balled into a tight fist.

‘I was thirsty and asked her to get me a drink. I’m sorry if it upset your process but I thought you were taking a break for a moment. So, the fault is completely mine, not hers.’ Hero gave the briefest of smiles as she turned back to the young woman and took the bottle from her, placed the straw between glossy, deep-plum-coloured lips and took a brief sip. It wasn’t enough, but Hero knew better than to test this particular photographer. He was well known for his diva-type tantrums and had the ability to end a budding career with just one vicious text. Hero had known him for over fifteen years now, both of their careers blooming at a similar time. Unfortunately, as Armand’s career had blossomed so had his ego – something which hadn’t been all that small to begin with.

No one spoke. No one moved. All were waiting for the explosion they knew was to come.

Instead, Armand let out a dramatic sigh and made a Gallic ‘pfff’ sort of noise. Hero met his eyes, the short nails on the hidden hand biting in to the soft skin of her palm.

‘Fine. Let her keep her job. This time!’ He held up his finger, highlighting the magnanimity of his decision. Hero nodded, and beside her the young assistant let out a strangled sob of relief.

‘OK. Now! Can we get on?’

Hero dropped back into action as the shutter continued on and on, the music still pounding, her throat still dry and the headache now full blown. Armand had returned to the shoot with even more drama than it had already been infused with. Hero had been there since 5 a.m., having make-up applied, touched up, and completely changed as fashion editors assigned assistants to curate outfits for the shoot. Hero stood patiently, being handed various clothes to try. Belts put on, belts taken off, her body moved this way and that as if she were no more than a shop mannequin. Which, in some ways, she supposed she was.

The incessant shutter finally ceased as Armand scrolled through a few of the last frames, his thin face becoming even more pinched as he frowned at the back of the camera. Hero took the opportunity to stretch her body, trying to ease the tension in her back and neck as she did so. Glancing across the studio, she smiled as she saw her best friend, Anya, a blonde, willowy Swede, talking to the assistant from earlier. Anya gave her a hug and bent to say something private to her. Whatever it was, Hero was glad of the smile it brought to the young woman. There were days she hated this world. But she knew she couldn’t leave. Not yet.

Anya glanced up and over at Hero, her beautiful smile and funny double thumbs up making her friend grin and giggle.

‘What are you doing?’ Armand’s attention, and ire, was now directed at Hero. She’d protected someone else, but Armand had to be seen to win. She knew the game.

‘What is this?’ he yelled, pulling a sarcastic version of the supermodel’s wide smile. ‘I do not want this! I want serious. Sultry! Mysterious! I do not want Coco the Clown! If I want to photograph clowns, I will go to the circus! Yet today I am wondering if the circus has not been brought to me!’

The photographer blustered on through his tirade. Hero knew Anya was trying to catch her eye again, but this time she refused to meet it. Instead, she blanked her expression, applying the metaphorical mask of disinterest she wore in these, and many other, situations now. They wouldn’t get to her, she told herself. At least they wouldn’t see, even if they had.

‘Hey!’ Anya hurried over to her friend once the photo shoot finally ended, and gave her a hug. ‘You OK?’

Hero nodded. ‘Yes, fine, thanks. You know what he’s like.’

Anya rolled her eyes in agreement.

‘Is that assistant all right?’ Hero asked as Anya waited for her to change back into her own clothes.

‘She’s fine. I know her boss pretty well and had a gentle word.’

Hero flicked a glance up as she sat and tied the lace on her designer boots. ‘Gentle?’

Anya shrugged, then grinned. ‘The poor thing. Armand can be so awful sometimes. He thinks far too much of himself.’

Hero stood and pulled her hair into a low ponytail before pulling a baseball cap on. They had dinner reservations at a restaurant’s opening night and, now that the photo shoot had run on far longer than it was supposed to, she didn’t have time to go home and change. The make-up was much heavier than she would normally wear for something like this, but it would have to do now. The cap lent an air of casualness to her look and she knew, like so much in this world, if she acted like she was confident about it, no one would know the truth.

***

‘How’s your head?’ Anya asked as they stepped out from the Tube carriage and into the mass of life that was a London Underground station at rush hour.

‘It’s going off, thanks.’ Hero smiled.

The women exited the station within a swarm of others before managing to disentangle themselves from the crowd to walk the short distance to the restaurant. Anya tugged on her friend’s sleeve to slow her.

‘What’s the matter?’

Anya looked at her. ‘You.’

Hero frowned.

‘You still have a pounding headache, don’t you?’

Anya was one of only three people who could read Hero. Everyone else was kept away from knowing what she really thought, or felt.

‘No.’

Anya raised one fair and perfectly shaped brow.

‘OK, fine.’ Hero laughed. ‘Yes, I still have it, but it is less now, I promise. Probably half of it is just dehydration.’

‘Let’s just go back home then,’ Anya said, her voice soft and kind.

To Hero, that sounded like the perfect suggestion, but she knew Anya had been looking forward to this restaurant thing for ages now. Cooking and baking was sort of her thing. Not an ideal hobby when you were trying to keep your weight to a number decreed by the modelling agency. Hero had started running for longer since she and Anya had bought this flat together, and her friend demanded she be her guinea pig for each recipe she trialled in the gleaming steel and granite kitchen of their Kensington home.

‘No, honestly.’ Hero reached out for Anya’s hand and gave it a brief squeeze. ‘It really is going off now. I just need some water and some food and I’m sure that will take care of the rest of it. Come on.’ She moved and linked Anya’s arm through her own before tugging her along.

‘OK. But if it gets worse again, just let me know and we can leave.’

Hero nodded in agreement. ‘Promise.’

***

When Hero had begun modelling full-time, the world she had entered scared her and wore her down. She would sit at the castings, knowing that everyone there was analysing her, judging her, comparing her. She hated it. Finally, on a summer afternoon, she got up in the middle of one such go-see and walked out.

Hero sat on the wall of the ornate fountain in the gardens of the location and let out a huge sigh. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Another replaced it almost immediately. If she wasn’t going to model, she had to find a job. The summer breeze blew the fountain into a mist and the fine spray was cool as it landed on her face. She closed her eyes to enjoy its soothing touch.

‘Hello.’

Hero’s eyes flew open and she found herself looking up into the face of a beautiful blonde. She was of a similar age to Hero, and looked vaguely familiar.

‘Hello.’

‘Are you coming back in?’

Hero looked warily at the door, then back at the blonde, then back at the door again.

She shook her head. ‘I don’t think so.’

The blonde took a seat next to Hero and held out her hand.

‘I’m Anya.’

‘Hero. It’s nice to meet you.’ Hero’s etiquette switch engaged automatically.

‘What a lovely name.’

‘Thanks. My parents really liked Shakespeare.’ She smiled awkwardly.

‘It’s very romantic.’ The blonde smiled warmly again. There was an accent there, something Scandinavian, and she was the epitome of the stereotype with long, shiny, natural platinum hair, pale blue eyes and porcelain skin. Hero now remembered that she had seen her at other go-sees. That was why she looked familiar. Anya had a fantastic figure, a little curvier than Hero’s. She wore no make-up, as per the preference for castings, allowing the clients to see bone structure and skin tone. Her long legs were clad in tight jeans and a white T-shirt clung to her upper curves. Anya dug in the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a fresh pack of chewing gum. She unwrapped the outer packaging then offered the pack to Hero.

‘Thanks,’ Hero said and began to pull a stick out of the casing. Halfway through, she stopped. ‘You bite your nails!’ she blurted, before looking up at Anya, suddenly realising her comment had sounded like a criticism, which it hadn’t been. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—’

Anya laughed. ‘It’s OK! I do! Terrible habit. They have to keep sticking on false ones if there’s any chance my hands are going to show in a shot. Or I have to place them where they won’t see them. It’s a bad habit but I can’t stop. I just tell myself there are worse habits to have!’ She laughed but both of them knew that the statement was true. Drug habits were rife within their world so, as a vice, nail biting was pretty damn tame.

Hero quickly stuck out her hands in front of her, showing her own bitten nails – a connection of imperfection with her new friend in a world of false flawlessness. She laughed properly, easily, for what seemed like the first time in ages.

Anya persuaded Hero to return to the studio, which had resulted in bookings for both of them. The encounter marked the beginning of a strong bond of friendship between the two young women. They travelled to go-sees together and eventually shared a flat, both dismissing the financially available option of each girl purchasing one separately. Anya came from a close family in Sweden and missed the company. Hero had almost no family and also missed the company. Anya kept Hero’s spirits from sinking and Hero returned the favour.

‘Hello, gorgeous!’ Rupert Thorne-Smith wrapped his arms around Hero from behind and gave her a big kiss on the cheek. The physical contact made a difference from all the air kisses she had received this evening. ‘You look bored as hell,’ he said, sliding into the empty seat opposite her.

Hero smiled. ‘Of course I’m not.’

Rupert screwed up his nose and made a loud ‘oink oink’ noise, startling the group of older, clearly loaded, women sitting next to them.

‘Stop it!’ Hero laughed, batting her friend on the arm.

Rupert gave one more oink for good measure before lifting his champagne glass to his lips, a devilish grin on his face. ‘That’s what happens when you tell porkies to Uncle Rupert.’

Hero shook her head. ‘Uncle Rupert’ was seven years older than her and the only man she trusted.

‘You on your own?’ he asked.

‘No, Anya’s here … somewhere,’ she replied, looking around the now packed restaurant. ‘I think she went off to try and talk to the chef. You know what she’s like.’

‘I also know what the chef is like. Real penchant for blondes. You should have brought a man. It’s unlikely you’ll see Anya again for some time yet.’

Hero shrugged.

‘So?’

‘So what?’ She frowned.

‘I wondered if there had been any change in the Ben Gale/Hero Scott situation.’

Hero fixed him with a look. ‘No. And there won’t be.’

Rupert’s face became more serious – the joker dispensed with for the moment. ‘You two seemed really happy. Is it not worth trying again?’

‘No. We were. Mostly. But between my career and his, it just wasn’t working out.’

‘But couldn’t you—’

‘No, Rupert. We couldn’t. Besides, he’s with someone else now, and so am I.’

‘If you’re referring to that sugar daddy, Jonathan Von Dries, then you already know my opinion of him, and your “relationship”.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t need a sugar daddy!’

‘And yet you have one.’

Hero blew out a sigh. ‘I don’t. And anyway, you’re hardly one to talk. I’m not sure there’s a lot of meeting of the minds in your current “relationship”.’ She made air quotes just as he had done, purposefully letting her gaze drift over to the peroxide blonde perched on the edge of a chair. His date was now on her fourth champagne and getting louder by the minute. Rupert followed his friend’s eye line before looking back at her, unrepentant.

‘That’s completely different.’

‘Of course it is. And how is that?’

‘Because neither of us are wishing there was more to it than there is.’

‘So, exactly the same then.’

Rupert looked at her and Hero did her best to hold his gaze. She couldn’t.

‘You deserve more than that, Hero.’

Her throat felt tight, and she looked away, out of the window at the passing foot traffic. Crowds of people hurried in all directions. A horn beeped and the wailing siren of an ambulance became louder as the blue lights flashed, competing with the huge neon signs for dominance. Sometimes she just wanted to get away. She didn’t know where exactly but somewhere that was the direct opposite of all the noise, lights, crowds – all the constant demands on her senses. Sometimes she just wanted to sit and hear nothing but silence.

Rupert’s hand caught hers across the table. ‘You know it’s just because I care about you.’

Hero nodded, her gaze still fixed on a point outside the window. ‘I know.’ And she did. Unlike most of the people she spent time with, she knew where she was with Rupert. He didn’t take shit from anyone, including her, and she loved him for it.

Rupert Thorne-Smith’s relationship with the model Hero Scott had always been cause for gossip. He was wealthy, good-looking, and successful with a reputation that was best described as gentleman playboy. Rupert adored Hero, but she was closer to being a younger sister to him than anything that the papers could dream up.

They had met at a party early on in Hero’s career when he had found her sitting outside in the garden, away from the house and the noise and the beautiful people. She was extremely shy but something about her had made Rupert persevere – a new experience for Rupert and women – and it wasn’t just her beauty. There was no doubt that the girl was stunning, but there was something else. She had looked lonely, and when he began to talk to her and ask her opinion on subjects, Rupert had never seen a person look so surprised at the interest. That night, a deep, enduring friendship was formed. Rupert took Hero to see a close friend of his, a financial whizz kid, who owned one of the top investment firms in London, and together they went over the best path for Hero to choose when it came to taking care of her earnings, which were rapidly becoming substantial. Thanks to Rupert, and Thorne-Smith Holdings, Hero’s financial future was secure. She was already a very wealthy woman.

Rupert knew how the darker side of the glamorous career sometimes got to his friend. This was the side people didn’t want the public to see. And to a certain extent, that wish was mutual. People didn’t want to hear about the humiliation models sometimes felt, the lack of support from those who should have their backs. They didn’t want to know about the drugs, the eating disorders, the ever-present knowledge that you could be the brightest star today and completely ignored tomorrow when a new star ascended. All that most people wanted to see were the highs. The glamour and glitz. The beautiful people living their beautiful lives, wearing the beautiful clothes. On days Rupert saw Hero or Anya looking exhausted, he urged them both to think about leaving modelling. Thankfully, Anya had already been thinking the same thing and was now making plans to return to Sweden and train as a chef. Having been lucky enough to sample some of her recipes, Rupert had absolutely no doubt of her success in her second career. It was Hero that held his concern.

He knew she was aware that, through savvy investments and careful control, she never had to work again. But whenever Rupert broached the subject, she would just smile and tell him not to worry. He knew that somewhere there was a reason she pushed on through, but neither he nor Anya had ever been able to find out what it was.

Hero stretched her long legs out in the hushed atmosphere of the first-class cabin. She’d come to enjoy long-haul flights, delighting in the fact that she was unobtainable for those hours. Her phone stayed switched off and in her bag – something Anya, who had completely embraced the whole Insta-life thing, teased her about relentlessly. It wasn’t like Hero was stuck in the Dark Ages, although according to some of those within her circle, the fact that her phone wasn’t glued to her hand and kept under her pillow meant she might as well have been. Hero smiled at their comments, but privately thought that neither of those actions seemed the healthiest and carried on doing her own thing.

And now, she had no one to answer to or anywhere else she needed to be except right here. Snuggling down under the duvet, she felt the stress leaving her body as she opened the new novel she’d bought at the airport and began reading.

When her sister, Juliet, had rung her a few weeks ago to say she had become engaged to a man she’d met on her holiday in Australia, Hero wasn’t terribly surprised. Juliet had always been the most impulsive of the two sisters, and as Juliet had recounted the story of how she and her new fiancé, Pete, had met, Hero could hear the difference in her voice. Juliet was almost giddy with happiness as she told her about the sheep station that he owned and ran with the help of his younger brother, Nick, and the warmth of his mum and dad when they’d met her. A warm, welcoming family unit was something both Juliet and Hero knew very little about.

‘He’s a what?’

‘A sheep farmer. His family own a sheep station outside Adelaide. They farm sheep. Merino sheep. Organically too,’ she added, knowing how much of an animal lover her little sister was.

‘Jules, I know models have a dumb reputation, but I think even I can work out what sheep farmers farm.’ Hero’s voice was teasing.

‘I just thought you might appreciate knowing where your favourite sweater might have begun its life.’

‘I’m pretty sure I knew it started off on a sheep, Jules, but thanks.’

Hero smiled under her lashes at her older sister. Despite the temptations having been scouted by a model agency when she was fifteen, Hero had continued her education, achieving good grades and fitting in modelling assignments around her academics until she was in a position to model full-time. Her looks, added to the fact that she was easy to work with, if a little distant, meant she hadn’t stopped working since.

‘Are you ready to be a bridesmaid for your big sister?’

‘Ready and waiting.’

They had decided to marry in Australia as Pete had a large family and Juliet had almost none, only Hero. Her sister had been back in the UK finalising details on the sale of her flat, and was about to return back to Australia, and Pete. The wedding was in a month’s time. Apparently, Pete’s mum had been a godsend when it came to the arrangements, and Juliet was loving spending time with her and Jack, Pete’s father. They in turn had loved her immediately.

‘Are you really sure you’ll be able to make it?’ Juliet asked again.

Juliet was desperate for Hero to be with her on such a special day, but she also knew that her sister’s job took her all over the world. As they said their goodbyes at Heathrow, she couldn’t help checking one more time.

Hero waggled her phone. ‘I have the date here and I’ll book the time off with the agency first thing tomorrow. No problem. If someone wants me that bad during those weeks, they’ll just have to wait. And if they don’t want to wait, then that’s their problem.’

Juliet looked concerned.

Hero laughed. ‘Oh, stop worrying. I love you. You’re more important than any shoot. I wouldn’t miss this for anything! And I can’t wait to meet Pete either. He sounds wonderful.’

‘He is.’

‘Jules?’

‘Yes?’

‘I’m going to miss you.’

Juliet pulled her little sister into her arms. ‘I’m going to miss you too,’ she said, holding Hero close, not wanting to let go.

‘Call me when you get home.’ Hero paused for a moment and looked at her sister. ‘I love you.’

‘Don’t! I’ll cry!’

‘I know. You always do, you big blubberpuss.’ Hero giggled and gave her sister a huge squeeze.

‘I know. I’m a wimp! And I don’t care.’

Hero grinned, her own eyes dry. ‘I’ll be there in a month.’

Hero nodded at the dedicated first-class security area in front of them. ‘You’d better go. Don’t want to keep him waiting.’

Juliet reached up to hug her baby sister again. At five foot eleven, Hero was three inches taller than her elder sibling and today she wore boots with heels that took her to over six feet. Juliet’s feet were snug in trainers. Hero had upgraded her sister, despite Juliet’s protests, but she still had a long flight ahead, and then another hop to Adelaide. Comfort was a priority.

‘I hope you’re not wearing those on the day?’ Hero nodded down at her sister’s footwear. Juliet followed her gaze, then laughed.

‘No. Definitely not! With the groom and best man at six foot three and six foot four, I’m definitely wearing heels!’

‘Good. Then if I wear flats, I won’t tower over you.’

‘You can be quite sweet when you want to, can’t you?’

Hero pulled a face. ‘Don’t tell anyone!’ she whispered, and then winked. ‘Go on. Get on the plane, and I’ll see you in a month.’

Four weeks later, Pete was back at the airport, waiting with his fiancée to meet her sister. Excited to see her, Juliet was incapable of standing still, constantly checking the screens and looking around.

Pete was intrigued. Juliet had told him all about Hero, her jet-set lifestyle, and her personality. From what he knew, it seemed that the sisters were a little like him and Nick, different in their make-up but close and reliant on each other. Even more so as a result of their parents’ relative disinterest in them.

Hero stepped through the doors to Arrivals, a wheeled Louis Vuitton suitcase trailing behind her. Pete saw the difference immediately. He’d seen photos obviously, but it wasn’t quite the same thing. The sisters might be similar in heart, but they didn’t share such similarity in their looks as Nick and Pete did.

Pete watched as his sister-in-law-to-be glided through the crowds to meet them. Hero’s brunette, waist-length hair fell in a shimmering sheet of rich brown as she crossed the space, her walk conveying absolute confidence. Her shoulders were strong and straight, with no hint of the roundness some tall people gain as they attempt to blend into the crowd. Hero certainly didn’t blend. Couldn’t blend. She was stunning. Completely, undeniably stunning.

Whereas Juliet’s beauty was soft and crept over you, Hero’s hit you straight away, right between the eyes. Pete watched the people around her and nudged Juliet as one poor guy, whose eyes were glued to Hero, got a whack from his girlfriend. Juliet pulled a sympathetic face.

‘Oh dear! She can have that effect.’

Pete shrugged. ‘She’s very beautiful,’ he said truthfully, ‘but she’s not you.’ Juliet reached up and kissed him.

‘You just remember that.’

‘I hope that’s Pete.’ Hero appeared in front of them, a wide smile playing on perfectly painted lips. Juliet hugged her and introduced her fiancé.

‘Pleased to meet you, Hero.’ He leant down a placed a kiss on her cheek. It struck Hero that few men she met had to bend to do that. It felt rather nice.

Pete took control of the luggage and led the way back to the car. They loaded themselves into the off-roader and started on the long drive back to the station. Juliet filled Hero in on the wedding arrangements and their plans for after the wedding.

Chapter 2

‘So that’s it really. The hotel has been great about the reception considering it’s such short notice.’

‘That’s because they don’t get many weddings. Can’t believe their luck at all the cash we’re handing over.’ Pete’s eyes were on the road, and a small smile was on his lips. Juliet turned towards him.

‘Maybe they’re just excited. Weddings do that to some people, you know.’

‘Right-oh.’

‘Cynic.’

‘Never.’

Juliet rested a hand on her fiancé’s thigh and placed a kiss on his cheek.

Hero listened to the exchange with interest. She didn’t really date as much as the media liked to make out but the men she did go out with pretty much did their best to always be in agreement with her, or let her do her own thing. That was an unconditional part of the deal. Hero Scott had known the pain of rejection before. A pain that still sliced at her heart even now, when she was in demand from all angles, commanded thousands of pounds for a shoot and could pretty much have whatever she wanted. But the pain was still there. No amount of money, investment, or any of the other trappings could soften it. Whenever she thought about it, it burned as deep as ever.

Of course, not everyone agreed with her views on dating. Rupert, for instance, usually just sat and rolled his eyes, then, with a mischievous twinkle, would tell the man in question to ‘stop bloody fawning’. To their face. Hero was never surprised when she didn’t see them again.

But Juliet and Pete clearly had a different relationship. From the moment they’d met, she’d been able to see that he was just as smitten with her sister as Juliet was with him. Hero was happy to see it, the knowledge allaying the remaining worry she had about her sister’s whirlwind romance.

Vivid terracotta dust kicked up from the unsealed road as the vehicle drove on through the landscape. Hero watched it fill the air and swirl around the car. They’d left the city far behind them some time ago and now drove on through the countryside. Looking past the dust, she saw that this part of the country was much greener than she had expected. She’d travelled to Australia a couple of times before for work, but both of those trips had been centred in Sydney, and she was enjoying getting to see more of the country, thanks to her sister.

Pete would point out something of interest every now and then. Hero smiled and nodded, absorbing the information. Juliet had told her that she loved how laid back he was, and how his calmness seemed to seep in to her, just by being in his company. Hero could see that. Certainly, her sister looked happier and more relaxed than she had seen her in a long time. If this man and this country were the reason for that, she was immensely grateful to both of them.

Turning back from the window, she cast a glance at the front seats again and thought again about the teasing banter between Juliet and Hero’s future brother-in-law. There was such love in their eyes; it had been obvious the minute she saw them together. It struck her that her sister’s marriage would be what Rupert was always saying a relationship should be. Despite the fact his own were most definitely not. But she knew, when the time came, even Rupert would settle down. It was what people did, wasn’t it? And it was already happening. Anya now had her five-year plan pinned to a wall in the kitchen. All the details of the training she wanted to do, and when she would do it, before finally leaving London to return home and open up her own restaurant. Juliet would be starting a new life out here. And once Rupert found the right woman, he too would have his own life. Only she would be left. Alone. A frown creased her face as she balled her fists, pushing the thoughts out of her head.

Still, it was often the differences between the two sisters that made them close.

Hero wasn’t looking for that sort of commitment anyway. Among all the men she’d met in her time as a model, she’d never yet met a man who could hold her attention the way Pete held Juliet’s. And deep down, she knew that there was also a fear that she would never be able to hold a man’s attention in the same way that Juliet clearly did Pete’s.

Hero stole another glance. For all their wealth and status, the men Hero had dated held little interest for her. But she knew that it was a two-way street. She was a pretty trinket to be worn; they didn’t know her. Not really. She wouldn’t let them. She knew that real relationships meant trust, and broken trust was painful. Her past taught her that. So, she kept her feelings locked away behind a public persona that everyone thought they knew.

Juliet, on the other hand, was an open book. She even had what people called an ‘open’ face, although neither of them had ever quite worked out the true definition of that one. And whilst both girls had been blessed with looks, Juliet’s beauty was gentle, approachable, whereas Hero’s was more obvious. Occasionally it had the effect of causing people, men and women, to feel intimidated. Juliet rarely wore make-up whilst Hero never opened the door without it. Cosmetics had been banned at their school and so when Hero began her career, it was a novelty. And now it was habit. Protection. All part of the armour.

Although beautiful, Hero had been a shy child, awkward in company and content to cling to her older sister who was, by nature, at ease in any situation. When Hero’s modelling career began to take off, she felt physically sick before every show at the thought of the huge numbers of people all staring up at her. But once she had been painted and preened, she was behind a mask, a character in a play. Then she could deal with the photographers, the bookers, the editors, the designers – and the world – because they weren’t seeing the real Hero, just a public persona. And she’d always had Juliet to come back to. Until now.

Juliet glanced back to see her sister gazing out of the window. She was so beautiful, but Juliet wished she had left the make-up off today. To her, Hero’s natural beauty was softer and even more stunning. Her sister turned and caught her.

‘What?’

‘What?’

‘You’re staring.’

Juliet smiled. ‘I would have thought you’d be used to that by now.’

Hero shrugged and looked back out of the window. Pete caught the action in the rear-view mirror. He hadn’t yet decided whether he was going to like his new sister-in-law or not. As a true supermodel, she led a completely different lifestyle to them, a lifestyle Pete couldn’t even begin to comprehend. She did indeed have that appearance of serenity that Juliet had mentioned when she’d first told him about her sister’s career, but there was something else, a coolness that was so different to Juliet’s warmth. Pete pondered as to whether it was even an intentional projection. Hero had been a hot property from day one. After years of being told she was fabulous, with only Juliet to occasionally bring her back to earth, perhaps it wasn’t surprising she believed a little of her own press, if that was the reason. Not that it really mattered. With Juliet living out here, and Hero jet-setting all over the world, the chances of them seeing her a lot were low, although Juliet had told him on numerous occasions how close the sisters were, and it was obvious she felt it was her job to protect and worry about her sibling. Pete could understand that. His brother could more than take care of himself, but it didn’t alter the fact that Pete would always look out for him.

Still, he wanted to like her, for Juliet’s sake. He cast a glance at his fiancée. She felt his gaze and turned, the same smile on her lips as the day he’d met her. The day he knew she was the one.

Juliet placed her warm, small hand back on his leg and his large tanned one curled gently around it. As the miles passed, he cast his mind back to that day. He’d entered the house with wedding bells already ringing out clear in his head, but his younger brother hadn’t been convinced.

***

‘I’m telling you, mate. She’s the one,’ Pete said as he washed his hands under the kitchen tap.

Nick opened his mouth to contradict him and remind him, ‘hadn’t he said that about so-and-so’ when it struck him that, actually, Pete had never said that. Not once.

The brothers had both inherited their mother’s good looks and their father’s height. They were well built from working on the station and well educated from attending a top school in the city. The whole package made them very popular with women in the district and, between the two of them, they’d dated a good percentage. Those interested in more of a bad boy persona tended to home in on Nick whilst Pete had a more strong, silent type of reputation going on. Neither was accurate, but if it worked, they weren’t complaining.

Juliet had arrived on a blistering summer’s day with an Outback Discovery tour that sometimes took in the Websters’ Merino sheep station. Jacob, their leading station hand, had the gift of the gab, and was therefore assigned to answer questions on the tour. He was doing his normal good work when Pete returned from mending fences out on the west paddock and caught sight of a blonde trailing at the back of the group. She wore loose cotton trousers with trainers, and her top half was swamped under an over-sized shirt. A ponytail bounced from the back of a peaked cap. Definitely not what Pete would call his usual type but something about her caught his attention.

Throwing the fencing he’d been about to unload back in the ute, Pete walked up behind the group. The blonde had fallen behind a little more now and was staring out at the vista as up in front Jacob waxed lyrical about wool fineness and weight.

‘Hope we’re not boring you.’

The woman jumped at the sound of Pete’s voice. She turned and tilted her head back in order to meet his eyes.

‘Weren’t you ever told that it’s rude to sneak up on people?’ The admonishment came in a well-spoken English accent, accompanied by a wide smile, and teasing laughter in the gentle green eyes.

‘Sorry,’ Pete replied, grinning and not looking sorry at all.

The blonde smiled again and turned back to the view she had been admiring before he had interrupted. Fields stretched away to the horizon. From here, it looked and felt like they were all alone on the planet.

‘I can’t get over the size of it all.’

‘Yeah, all the girls say that.’

The blonde looked up again and met his eyes, laughter showing in her own, ‘Yes,’ she said slowly, ‘but I’m surprised at how big everything is.’ She kept her emphasis on the word ‘big’ and raised one eyebrow. With that she turned and walked off to catch up with the rest of the group, leaving Pete standing on his own, a big grin plastered on his face. And already more than a little in love.

A short time later, Pete watched the group depart, his eyes focused on the mystery blonde. He didn’t even know her name but, no worries, he would. The driver helped the women into the back of the tour company’s four-wheel drive. Another tourist of similar age to the blonde waited to get in. She made a point of declining the driver’s assistance and hopped into her seat. Pete shook his head. He was all for equality but there were people that took it to extremes and just ended up looking plain rude. He watched as the blonde took the proffered hand with a smile of thanks and disappeared into the cool, air-conditioned interior of the tour vehicle.

‘We’re going into town tonight,’ Pete announced as he finished washing his hands at the sink.

Nick shook his head as he chewed a mouthful of beef stew. Pete dished himself out a portion and sat down opposite his younger brother. Nick was still chewing.

‘What do you mean, no?’ Pete asked as he forked up some of the stew.

‘I’m knackered, mate!’ Nick complained. ‘Jacob was meant to be helping with the new shed until those flippin’ tourists showed up. Joe and I ended up doing it on our own.’ He took a swig from his beer and swallowed forcefully before peering suspiciously down at his stew. ‘Do you know how long Mum’s had this in the freezer?’

Pete looked up from his plate as he chewed. He shook his head and kept on chewing. He gave his plate a questionable look. Nick leant back and grabbed another beer from the fridge. He flipped the top off and pushed the bottle towards his brother. Pete swallowed with the help of the cool drink, glancing down at his own plate.

‘Too long.’

Gathering the crockery, Nick scraped their contents into the bin, then placed the china in the dishwasher. He made a mental note to remember to turn it on before their parents returned from their weekend viewing prospective retirement properties in the city.

‘Anyway, that’s why we’re going to the pub,’ Pete announced.

‘What?’

‘The tourists. Or rather, one in particular.’

Nick rolled his eyes. ‘Oh right. The girl you’re going to marry.’

‘Yep.’

Nick let out a sigh as his stomach rumbled and complained. ‘Yeah, all right. Let’s just hope they’ve got something other than beef stew.’ He left the kitchen and headed up the stairs towards the bathroom for a shower. ‘You’re driving.’ He called back.

The Outback tour group was in the pub when the two men entered a while later. Nick watched as his brother’s eyes scanned the crowd for the blonde. Pete saw her. She was sitting at a small table by the window, writing. Her baggy clothes from earlier had been replaced by a long pink sundress with tiny flowers on it, and a pale lemon cardigan. The ponytail had been freed allowing soft blonde curls to bounce on her shoulders.

‘There,’ Pete stated, as he flicked Nick on the arm to get his attention before making his way over to her table.

‘Hello again.’

The blonde looked up. She seemed surprised, but not unhappy, to see him.

‘Hello.’

They looked at each other for a minute, neither quite sure what to say next. Nick looked between them, then made a small roll of his eyes.

‘Hi.’ He stuck out his hand. ‘I’m Nick.’

‘Pleased to meet you, Nick. I’m Juliet.’

Nick sneaked a look at Pete from the corner of his eye. He didn’t appear to be about to speak anytime soon. His brother bailed him out.

‘Pete tells me you were on the tour today. I hope you enjoyed it.’

Juliet slid her eyes back to the elder brother. ‘Yes, I did.’ She paused. ‘Very much so.’

Pete’s grin got wider. Nick smiled. He had never seen him like this. He really did have it bad. Again, there was a pause.

‘I was just writing to my sister and telling her about the trip to your station.’

Pete bobbed his head happily.

Nick rolled his eyes again and couldn’t help smiling. ‘Well, I’m going to get us a couple of beers. Would you like a drink?’

‘A beer would be lovely. Thank you.’

As Nick turned to cross to the bar, he nudged Pete and spoke in a loud whisper.

‘Mate, stop just bloody grinning and say something intelligent or she’s going to think you’re the village idiot.’

It was busy at the bar, but Nick was happy to wait. His brother finally seemed to have got some oxygen back into his brain and was deep in conversation with the lovely Juliet. Nick had to agree there was something about the woman that made you want to know her. She was certainly beautiful, but not in a slap-you-in-the-face, obvious, movie star kind of way. It was gentle and warm but no less appealing for its softness.

Nick took the drinks over to Juliet’s table.

‘Here we go.’ He sat for a few moments before seeing a neighbour he urgently needed to talk to and left them alone.

‘Your brother is very tactful,’ Juliet observed.

‘Yeah, he’s all right.’

Having not only learned her name, as he’d promised himself he would, Pete was also successful in persuading Juliet to change her itinerary and stay in town for a few extra days. He was up to his ears in debt to Nick for all the jobs his brother covered him for on the station whilst he showed his new love around. Juliet had been working in Adelaide for six months after leaving a job she hated in London and had taken some time off to see a little more of the expanse outside the city.

‘I just decided to leave,’ she told Pete when he asked how she had ended up temping in Adelaide. ‘I was in London, working at a job I didn’t like and I’d had enough. It was cold and it was raining so I went onto the internet, thought of somewhere sunny, and booked a flight out here.’

They were sitting on a blanket underneath a clear night sky. Juliet shifted a little and gazed up at the stars now showing themselves. ‘Of course, it gave my sister a complete panic attack. She’s so much more organised than me, and likes to plan everything as much as possible. We’re so different in some ways but very similar in others. Does that make sense?’

‘Sure. Sounds a bit like me and Nick.’ Pete nodded. ‘So, what does your sister do?’

‘She’s a model. It all seems to be going very well, although it’s rather a weird choice for her really, as she’s quite shy. It certainly wasn’t a career she’d ever thought about taking up but she’s doing great! She has this “something”… I don’t have it, I don’t know, a sort of serenity almost. They love that. Oh, that and the fact that she’s achingly beautiful!’ Juliet laughed. There was no jealousy in Juliet’s tone, only pride.

‘Do you see her much?’

‘Yes. Quite a lot. Well, until I came out here that is, but she managed to visit me a couple of months ago after she did a shoot in Bali.’

‘Nice work if you can get it.’

Juliet laughed. ‘Yes! We text and call and email all the time, but I do miss her dreadfully. I worry about her too. She’s nowhere near as tough as she likes people to think she is.’

‘What about your parents? Do they worry as much as you do?’ Pete asked, watching Juliet, and falling further and further in love with every word she spoke.

A shadow flitted across her expression before she answered. ‘They passed away. Quite a while ago now.’

Pete pulled himself up. ‘God, I’m sorry, Juliet. I didn’t—’

‘It’s all right.’ Juliet touched his arm and then let her hand rest there. Pete covered it gently with his own. ‘We weren’t close. It was a few years ago now. My parents did everything together, went everywhere together. My mother was diagnosed with cancer and passed away nine weeks later. It was all a bit sudden. Six months later we buried Dad. He just sort of faded away.’

Pete put his arm around Juliet as they sat watching the stars glisten in the clear sky. She snuggled into his warmth. ‘My father was a diplomat, and they travelled a lot. I was a novelty, and Hero was … I don’t know. They took so little interest in her, I couldn’t help but wonder why they had her at all sometimes.

‘It was heartbreaking to watch her try to please them … but she never seemed to be able to. It made me so mad. I’d look at her sometimes and there was such confusion written on her face. I know it certainly affected her confidence.’

‘But being a model must make her pretty confident?’

Juliet raised an eyebrow. ‘Looks can be deceiving. But yes, she’s better these days. She has a couple of very good friends. And she has me.’

‘So, there’s just the two of you?’

‘Yes.’

‘What did you say her name was?’

‘Hero.’

Pete paused. ‘Your parents really liked Shakespeare, didn’t they?’

Juliet laughed. ‘Yes.’

‘So she made it through school with that name?’

‘We went to quite a posh school. Unusual names were par for the course.’

Pete nodded.

Juliet continued, ‘Actually, it’s been useful with her chosen career.’

‘Easy to remember.’

‘Hard to forget a Hero!’ Juliet laughed.

‘So why Australia, apart from the fact it was somewhere sunny? Or was that our sole attraction?’

‘My father was Australian. Hero and I both have dual citizenship. We were born here but left young to be educated in England whilst my parents had various postings all over the world. I’ve not been back so I thought it was about time I spent some time out here myself.’

Pete sat up. Juliet followed and touched his arm.

‘Pete? Are you all right?’

‘Would you consider spending some more time out here?’

‘I don’t really know. I’d planned on staying about a year and then seeing—’

‘I mean out here.’ Pete waved an arm to take in the Websters’ land. ‘I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, being a bit remote like this but …’

Juliet shifted position on the rug. ‘What exactly are you saying?’

‘Juliet, will you marry me?’ He paused, and then made to push away. ‘What was I thinking? I should have done all this properly. You’re not just some—’

‘Yes!’

‘What?’

‘Yes!’ Juliet laughed, catching his hand, and holding it up to her face. ‘I will marry you.’

Pete felt his legs give way and flopped back onto the rug from the kneeling position he’d been in. He landed on his backside, and Juliet grinned, moving across the rug and plopping herself down on his lap.

‘You seem surprised.’

‘I am a bit.’

‘At me saying yes, or the fact that you asked me?’

‘Both. I think.’

Her face clouded a little. ‘Do you want to take it back?’

‘No!’ he said, reaching for her, and pulling her close. ‘God, no!’

‘Then what’s the problem?’

‘I just – you deserve a better proposal than in the middle of a paddock on a lumpy old rug.’

Juliet smiled and raised her eyebrows. ‘Actually, I think it’s pretty much perfect.’

Pete recognised the smile and pulled her closer still.

‘Is that so?’

‘Very much so.’

Pete dipped his head, brushing the warm, soft lips of his fiancée as her fingers began working quickly at the buttons on his shirt.

***

‘Here we are,’ Pete announced as they pulled into the long driveway. A sign told them that they had reached ‘Hill Station’.

Hero peered through the dusty windows of the vehicle and looked around. ‘Where’s the hill?’

‘Sorry?’

‘The sign said “Hill Station”, but there’s no … hill.’ She tailed off, suddenly feeling stupid for voicing the question.

Pete smiled at her in the mirror. ‘You’d be amazed at how many people don’t even notice that.’

‘Really?’ Hero asked.

Pete’s eyes flicked back up to the mirror and in that second, he saw everything he needed to. Under that apparently confident exterior was the girl his fiancée adored. For a split second, he saw through the mask, heard the hint of real pleasure in her voice at his compliment. Pete glanced back again but the childlike glint of delight had gone.

‘The name’s kind of a joke. My parents are Jack and Gillian. When they took over the station, it didn’t have a great reputation so they wanted to change the name, do away with the stigma. One night in the pub, some bright spark said something about Jack and Jill going up the hill, and it kind of stuck.’

Hero was peering out through the dusty glass of the window as the evening sun lowered itself behind the horizon, making way for dusk to wind its way over the land.

‘Jack and Gill went up the hill,’ she said softly, smiling.

Juliet cast a glance at her sister and then at Pete. He met her eyes and smiled, with an almost imperceptible nod. She smiled back and released the breath she didn’t even know she’d been holding. The two people she adored most in this world were right here and she hadn’t realised how anxious she had been for their meeting to go well until that moment. But her fiancé’s gesture told her all she needed to know.

Nick Webster watched the visitor exit the 4x4, her movements fluid. She stood for a moment and looked about her as his brother moved to the rear of the vehicle to deal with the luggage. Nick’s grooming of the mare’s coat slowed as he studied their guest. She was certainly taller than her sister and undeniably beautiful. Pete had mentioned something about her being some hotshot in the modelling world. Nick had let the comment roll off. Fame didn’t impress Nick. People impressed him – what they did, not who they were. The brush came to a stop and Nick felt a nudge on his shoulder from the mare.

‘Yeah, yeah. All right,’ he soothed, taking up the motion again, his eyes never leaving the new arrival.

Juliet was showing Hero the land, pointing in various directions. Nick watched the weak remnants of the evening sun catch subtle highlights in the sleek, swinging sheet of hair. They were looking towards the west now, gazing at the low fire of the setting sun. Long, elegant fingers reached up and dropped sunglasses down in front of her eyes, freeing the hair they had secured. As he watched, she reached into the bag swinging off her lower arm and pulled out a mobile phone. Nick’s mouth twitched in a smile.

‘Good luck with getting a signal on that,’ he said under his breath.

Chapter 3

The two women walked towards the house. Juliet’s words carried gently on the same breeze that ruffled Nick’s shirt and hair and he smiled at the excitement in her voice. From the corner of his eye, he saw his parents emerge from the coolness of the house and step out on the verandah to meet their new guest. His mother hurried towards the two, followed at a more leisurely pace by his father. Pete had now re-joined them after retrieving the luggage from the car. Nick watched as Juliet’s sister pushed her sunglasses back up onto her head and held out her hand. His mother took it, and then swept her into a huge hug. The visitor had her back to Nick, so her reaction to his mother’s normal, effusive display of emotion couldn’t be seen by him but he saw Juliet subtly take her sister’s hand and squeeze it.

Jack was now introduced. He was a man not given to overt shows of emotion, but he shook the young woman’s hand and smiled as she said something. Nick blinked in surprise, watching as his father placed his other hand on top of their linked ones for a moment and, smiling, spoke some more to the new arrival. For Jack, that action was the equivalent of a massive hug.

‘Guess she has a way of making people think she’s something pretty special, eh girl?’

The mare bumped Nick’s shoulder and rubbed her nose up and down, causing him to stagger a little.

‘Oi. I’m not your scratching post,’ he laughed, moving away.

‘Well, that’s all of us, except Joe and Nick. Joe’s still out with his dad at the moment but Nick should be around …’ Gill’s words drifted off as she scanned the surroundings for her youngest son.

‘There he is.’ Gill spotted him. ‘Nick!’ She hollered across the yard.

Nick poked his head around the mare’s neck and saw his mum waving him in energetically. He raised a hand in acknowledgement and gave the mare a final check before leading her back towards the stable block.

Gill was just pouring out the tea as he entered the kitchen. The others were all seated at the worn pine table that made up the heart of the kitchen. Nick walked straight to the sink and began washing his hands.

‘Tea, love?’

‘Please.’

Gill topped off the final mug as she announced Nick’s arrival. ‘And this is Nick, our youngest.’

Nick turned around to find himself looking into vibrant green cat-like eyes. They were the same as Juliet’s but different. Under the blonde bobbing curls, Juliet’s sparkled with mischief, whilst her sister’s, framed by the sheet of dark glossy hair, had an intensity that made him catch his breath.

‘Nick, this is Hero, Juliet’s sister.’

‘Pleased to meet you.’ Her voice was soft, and the accent crisp.

Nick shook her hand and smiled. ‘G’day.’

Hero held his gaze for a moment. There was a flicker of a smile before she dropped her eyes. Nick cast a private glance at Pete whose brief nod in return told him everything was good.

Nick wished he could be as sure as his brother. Something about Hero Scott already bothered him, although she’d only been there five minutes. The last thing his brother, or any of them, needed right now was some diva model swanning around and expecting to be waited on hand and foot. Typical that the first thing she did was check her phone for service, he thought, wondering just how many selfies she had taken in the car.

Nick stole another glance. This woman was certainly different from her sister, with none of the ease and openness that drew people to Juliet. He already thought of Juliet as a sister. But Hero? That act of cool aloofness she had going on already had him rubbed up the wrong way. He’d seen that moment of hesitation before she took his proffered hand as his mum introduced them. He guessed it was pretty unlikely she’d had many dealings with men who worked the land to make their income. More likely she surrounded herself with alphabet celebrities and wealthy hedgefunders, with the occasional titled aristocrat or two, just to mix it up a bit.

After seeing that everyone had a drink and assuring them all that dinner wouldn’t be too long, Gill soon began talking weddings again with the girls. Nick took a seat next to his dad, and kept his gaze purposely diverted from the supermodel.

***

Dawn was breaking as Hero sat in one of the rocking chairs on the large wraparound porch of the house. She’d slept well, surprisingly for her. Not being a great sleeper, she had expected to toss and turn as she usually did, but after a soothing shower and in the homely comfort of the Websters’ guestroom, she could barely remember her head touching the pillow last night. But thanks to jetlag, her body was totally out of sync so after half an hour of lying awake early this morning, thoughts racing, she’d got up, done her teeth and make-up and then pulled on an easy-to-wear maxi dress she’d been given by one of the designers – which one exactly escaped her memory – before walking quietly down the stairs and heading outside. The air was still cool at this time, and it felt fresh and clean. Hero tried to remember the last time she had smelled air like this, and failed. Streaks of orange, purple, and blue mixed in the sky as the sun tentatively poked its head above the horizon. She sat and watched, for once not thinking about the next item on her schedule. Here, she had no schedule. She repeated that thought and smiled. The patter of a dog’s toenails caused her to look up and her smile became wider as the collie, Biscuit, scooted up to her and laid his head in her lap.

‘Good morning to you too!’ she said, her voice even softer than it usually was in deference to the still sleeping household. The collie wriggled, his tail beating faster and faster at the attention.

‘Biscuit, stop bothering the guests.’

‘Oh, he’s really n…’ Hero looked up as she spoke, her hand still stroking the collie’s head as he gazed up at her with adoring, bright blue eyes. She faltered as she realised the request had come from Nick Webster. Something about this man unsettled her and had done since the moment they’d met. The smile he’d given her as they were introduced yesterday was the last she’d seen from him, at least the last in her direction anyway. Then, as now, he had a detachment about him.

Hero cleared her throat. ‘He’s not bothering me at all.’ She tried to smile but suddenly struggled with something she could usually do on cue for camera, feeling self-conscious and awkward. Nick said nothing.

‘I…’ Nervously, she cleared her throat again. ‘I always think it would be nice to have a pet. But I know it wouldn’t be fair to an animal with the amount of travelling I do.’

‘He’s not a pet. He’s a working dog.’

‘Oh. Oh yes, well, of course. I didn’t mean …’ Hero trailed off, suddenly unsure what she meant.

The dog turned and sat down, his body pushed as close to Hero as he could get it, relishing the attention. From the corner of her eye, she saw Nick give a shake of his head.

‘I guess he heard you were a celebrity too. As you can imagine, we don’t tend to get a lot of those around here.’

‘I’m not a celebrity,’ Hero replied.

Nick tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. ‘Sure you’re not. I’m making coffee. Do you want one? Biscuit, come here.’

The dog padded over quickly to his master.

‘I don’t want to put you out.’

Nick shrugged. ‘I’m making coffee anyway. One more is no big deal.’ He turned and walked off down the porch, disappearing into the kitchen.

Hero took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she’d been taught in her Pilates class. It was supposed to help you relax, but right now it wasn’t really helping anything. Nick Webster’s presence seemed far stronger than any relaxation techniques she’d learned. And she had no idea why. Yes, he was tall, and good-looking and that dark shadow of stubble on his jaw this morning did nothing to diminish that fact. In truth, it only enhanced it. But so what? It wasn’t like Hero didn’t mix with good-looking people very often. Her world was practically made up of beautiful people, and none of them had ever caused the tight, fluttery feeling in her stomach before. And certainly, none of them had made her stumble over her words like a teenager before. She took another breath and began to feel her pulse rate slow. His comment about celebrity floated in her head, as did the slight disdain she detected in his voice as he’d said it.

Pushing herself up off the chair, she turned and followed the way he’d gone. As she got to the door, she hesitated. Inside she saw Nick crouched down, grinning as he ruffled the dog’s fur up and down and Biscuit thumped his tail in delight.

Not a pet, huh?

Hero gently rattled the door handle a little more than she needed to, alerting Nick to her presence. He stood quickly, picking up the dog’s empty breakfast bowl as he did, transferring it to the dishwasher.

‘Coffee’s there.’ He pointed to one of the two sunny yellow mugs now sat on the worktop. ‘I didn’t know if you took sugar or not, but it’s there on the side if you do.’

‘No. Thank you.’

‘Guessed not, but thought I’d ask anyway.’

‘Do I look like a no-sugar coffee drinker then?’ she asked a moment later, feeling the need to fill the silence.

Nick picked up the other mug and took a sip of the steaming dark liquid before answering.

‘I imagine you don’t consume any calories you don’t have to.’ His eyes met hers.

‘Well, I … there is a certain amount of being aware of that,’ she replied.

He raised his eyebrows briefly in reply as he looked away.

‘What does that mean?’ Hero asked, already knowing she was going to regret asking.

‘I didn’t say anything,’ Nick replied, puzzled.

‘Well, no. Not out loud but it’s very clear you’re thinking something.’

‘I don’t know what it’s like in your world, but out here, men are allowed to have their own thoughts.’

‘That’s the same anywhere.’

He did the expression again.

‘Clearly it can’t be a very strong opinion if you don’t want to share it. I get the impression you’re not the type to keep your views to yourself.’ Hero’s voice was low but there was no doubting the annoyance behind it. What was it with this man? Why was she allowing him to get under her skin like no one else she’d ever met?

He gave a brief smile, but Hero doubted its sincerity. ‘Well, then I guess that shows just how much you know me.’ He drained the last of his coffee and transferred that, too, to the dishwasher. His apparent domestication felt at odds with his character – as far as Hero had been able to actually make that out. ‘Come on, Biscuit. Time to work.’

Hero’s hands were still wrapped around the mug. She watched Nick take a well-worn cowboy-style hat from a coat rack holding several of them and squash it on to his head. As he got to the door he stopped and turned, watching her for a moment. A flash of something crossed his face but as Hero was still struggling to make out his character, she had no clue as to what it might be.

He nodded at her and there was the faintest hint of a smile … maybe?

‘Enjoy your coffee.’

She nodded back. ‘Thank you.’

With that he and the dog were out the door and she was left alone. Normally this wouldn’t bother her, but today it was different. It was as though Nick Webster had taken some of the air out of the room when he left. Hero shook her head, forcing the thought to fall away. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her phone. The message she’d typed quickly to Anya to let her know she had arrived still sat in her outbox. She’d ask Juliet later if she could connect her phone to the Wi-Fi just so that her friend wouldn’t worry. After that, she was more than happy not to get messages. Anya was already half in love with the chef she’d met at the restaurant opening and wasn’t coming up for air all that much right now. Rupert was doing some deep-sea diving off the coast of somewhere she’d never heard of and, from what he’d told her, was even further from civilisation than this place. With the only other person she ever really wanted to hear from being Juliet, being unavailable actually sounded quite wonderful. No one else needed to know that she had Wi-Fi and if anyone stressed at her when she returned that they hadn’t been able to get hold of her, she had the perfect excuse.

Hero rinsed her own mug and followed Nick’s example of putting it in the dishwasher, then wandered slowly back out to take up her position on the porch once more. It was a shame the dog had gone with Nick. Just in those couple of minutes of stroking him, she’d felt her body relax. That was until Nick Webster had appeared.

The sound of hooves caught her attention and she looked to the right to see that very man astride a horse the colour of warm caramel. Jules had mentioned the stables yesterday when they’d got there. She could have asked Nick to show her where they were, she supposed, but somehow she got the feeling that he considered her presence here disruptive enough. From Juliet’s description of him, Hero had thought she would be meeting a man of the same ilk as her soon-to-be brother-in-law. But where Pete was warm, Nick Webster was wary. From what he’d said this morning, it sounded like he had already made up his mind about her own character. The thought frustrated her more than it should. She was, after all, used to people all over the world judging her. Why should it be any different here? She scuffed the warm wood of the porch with her shoe. The answer was that it shouldn’t be any different. But it was.

***

The days passed and Hero spent most of the time with her sister, knowing that she would see her far less than she was used to once she left the station for her flight back to London. It had taken just a short Tube ride in the city to visit her sister back in London. Now, any visit would have to be far more planned and calculated. Planning things wasn’t an issue – Hero always had her schedule well organised. Having everything neatly arranged helped her feel in control. Besides, spontaneity wasn’t really her thing. She left that to Juliet, who did it so much better. And so much more dramatically, the upcoming wedding being a prime example. Hero had worried initially but having been here for almost a fortnight now, her fears had been well and truly allayed.

Pete Webster was a good man, and he was head over heels for her sister. Although she would miss her terribly, she was glad that it was because of someone like Pete.

‘You OK?’ Juliet asked as she stood at the stove, preparing the evening meal. Gill and Jack had gone into the city to sign some documents in connection with the apartment they had just bought there, and the two brothers were still out working.

‘Mm-hmm,’ Hero replied, concentrating on peeling the vegetables in front of her.

‘You don’t have to do that, you know.’

‘I know.’

Juliet pulled out the chair opposite her sister and sat down. ‘You are happy for me, aren’t you?’

Hero quickly looked up, distress showing on her face. ‘Of course I am!’ Juliet heard the hurt in her voice. ‘Why would you ever think that I wasn’t?’

‘It’s not that. It’s just … you know. You can be quite reserved and sometimes it’s not always easy to know what you’re thinking, even for me who probably knows you better than anyone. I couldn’t be happy here, knowing that I’d made you unhappy. We would have to work something out so that …’ Juliet stopped as Hero put down the peeler and laid her elegant, wedding-ready manicured hands over her sister’s.

‘Jules. I am happy for you, I promise. I’m thrilled, honestly. You’ve found a wonderful man who clearly worships the ground you walk on, and I couldn’t lose you to anyone less than him.’

Juliet blinked tears and Hero smiled. ‘You’re not losing me,’ Juliet said, accepting the piece of kitchen towel her sister handed her and wiping her eyes.

‘I know. But you know what I mean.’

‘I do. But you’ll always be welcome here, you know that. Gill and Jack are going to be moving to their apartment in the city as soon as we’re back from honeymoon, now that they’ve officially retired, and there will always be a room for you here. I love Pete to the moon and back, but I can’t help wishing I could somehow still be close to you.’

‘We have apps and email and Skype, Jules. You’ll probably get sick of me calling.’

Juliet pulled a hand out and laid it over the top of her sister’s. ‘Hardly. But I know the time difference will make things a bit more tricky.’

Hero gave a mirthless laugh. ‘Since when did my schedule ever stick to the 9 to 5 anyway. And you know what a bad sleeper I am. It’ll be nice to have someone to talk to next time I’m padding around at home at three in the morning.’

Juliet smiled but there was concern in her eyes. ‘How have you been sleeping here?’

Hero raised her perfect brows. ‘Surprisingly well, actually. Must be the air.’

‘Or maybe you’re more relaxed here, without so many people desperate for your attention.’

‘Desperate is a bit of an overstatement,’ she replied, glancing away.

‘I’m not sure it is.’

Hero poked at the vegetables. ‘How many more of these do you want?’ And with that, the subject was changed. Juliet frowned at the escape her sister had made but the last thing she wanted to do was start a fight with her. It already broke her heart to know she wouldn’t be physically close to her anymore, and she didn’t want her worries to come across as criticism. Her sister had an incredible work ethic, but sometimes Juliet thought it too much. She was always travelling, whether that was across the city or across the world. She didn’t eat anywhere near as much as she should, and when she did, it was often at strange times, or on the run. Hero wasn’t stupid. Jules knew her sister acknowledged the fact that her diet wasn’t the best it could be, but it wasn’t something that was easy to change. It was one of the reasons she’d brought up the subject of cutting back on the modelling jobs a few days ago. Tactfully, she’d wrapped it in the wish for Hero to be available to visit more often. Her sister had nodded and said she would definitely plan to get over when she could, but dismissed the idea of working less.

‘I will in time,’ was all she ever said when the subject came up.

‘But when will that be?’ Juliet had pushed her this time.

In return, Hero had smiled that big, beautiful smile of hers before hugging her sister, kissing her temple as she pulled back. ‘Stop worrying.’ The glossy hair swung as she shook her head, the smile still in place.

‘Well, that’s never going to happen,’ Juliet huffed.

Hero merely rolled her eyes and smiled.

***

The sun was fading as Hero made her way over to the stables, an apple in each hand. She approached the open door and smiled as Chester twitched his ears and clip-clopped over to her, his head already dipping down to find the food he smelled.

‘Wait a minute,’ Hero laughed.

‘He’s not great at manners.’ A deep voice came from behind her. ‘Sorry about that. We don’t tend to get many fancy guests out this way.’

Hero didn’t reply, but Nick could tell by the way her body tensed that she’d heard him. She held up the apple and the horse snaffled it with his lips, transferred it to his mouth, and proceeded to chomp his way noisily through it. Hero stroked his nose gently as he pushed his head against her, searching for the other treat he knew was still out there. Behind the curtain of her hair, Nick could just about see the smile on her face. It didn’t seem to be something she did very readily, although, to be fair, she seemed to do it far more in the company of others than with him. He shifted his weight as that thought jabbed at him. The land was quiet now, with only the odd ‘baa’ of a sheep or two carried on the soft evening breeze. Chester broke the silence once more with his crunching as Hero gave him the other apple.

‘I’d say I wasn’t a fancy guest, but I think you’d probably disagree. To be honest,’ she said, pulling a white handkerchief from her pocket and wiping her hands, ‘I think whatever I said you’d find a way to disagree with me.’ Hero glanced up, meeting his eyes.

A half smile hovered around his mouth. ‘You’re pretty fancy for around these parts,’ he replied, ignoring the rest of her comment.

Hero turned back to the horse who was now nuzzling her neck. She tilted her head to the side and leant against him as she stroked his nose. ‘I’m no different to Juliet and you seem to have adjusted to her being out here without any snide remarks. She seems to think you’re absolutely wonderful, although for the life of me, I can’t see why.’

The deep, throaty laugh took her by surprise. Looking up, she saw what appeared to be genuine amusement on Nick’s face.

‘I guess I deserved that.’

‘Deserved what?’

Nick shook his head at the confusion on her face. ‘Being put in my place.’

‘Oh …’ She wanted to come up with a witty retort, but right now the only thought in her brain was how sexy Nick Webster’s laugh was. Along with the rest of him. Hero shook her head, telling herself she must have been out in the sun without a hat for too long. She wasn’t attracted to Nick Webster! In fact, she couldn’t think of anyone more inappropriate to have a crush on!

He tilted his head at her. ‘Looks like you’re having a real conversation with yourself inside your head. Care to share?’

God, no!

‘I wasn’t thinking anything particularly,’ she said, doing her best to sound casual.

‘Mm-hmm, OK.’

Hero risked a glance, and in that moment she could see that Nick clearly didn’t believe a word of it. Well, tough luck to him, because there was no way she was going to tell him what she’d actually been thinking. She was pretty sure he and that ego of his would dine out on that little nugget of information every time she visited for the next several years. Instead she went back to the soothing, repetitive smoothing of the horse’s nose.

‘Isn’t this one of those Instagram moments?’ Nick asked, one dark brow slightly raised as he indicated her and the horse with his chin.

‘A what?’

‘An Instagram moment. Isn’t that what they call it? You take a selfie with the horse and then post it with something inane like “Hashtag blessed”.’

‘Oh. Maybe. I don’t really know. It’s not something I do.’

Nick let out a puff of air through his nose that signalled either amusement or disbelief or, seeing as it was him, quite possibly both.

‘Instagram or selfies?’

Hero dropped her hand and stood back from the stable door. ‘Both, I guess.’

‘You’re kidding, right?’

She shook her head, her face serious. ‘No. Why would I be?’

‘I don’t know. Maybe because everyone seems to be doing that these days?’

‘I’m not. Are you?’

‘No, of course not.’

‘You seem to know an awful lot about it,’ Hero prodded.

‘I don’t,’ Nick stated, his voice firmer this time. ‘I just had a fi… girlfriend who was heavily into all that stuff. It’s hard not to learn by osmosis when you never get to eat a meal until it’s been photographed and filtered and uploaded.’

Hero’s interest was piqued at Nick stumbling in his wording. For a moment she thought he was going to say fiancée, but she’d heard nothing from Juliet about him being engaged, which, knowing her sister, she most certainly would have. Maybe it was just all the talk of weddings and fiancées in general filtering through his head after a long day out working. ‘It’s pretty hard to work out which are the genuine emotions and which are faked just to make a good picture these days.’

She watched him as he took off his hat and ran a hand through his dark hair. For a moment the confident, tough guy carapace seemed to crack.

‘I think you’re right.’ This time it was Nick’s turn to look surprised.

‘Wait. Did we just agree on something?’ That hint of a smile became less of a shadow and more real.

‘I suppose it had to happen sometime.’

‘I suppose. You can write that in your blog.’

Hero rolled her eyes at him. ‘OK. So, I don’t have a blog. I do have an Instagram account, but mostly to keep in contact with my best friend who absolutely loves it and practically documents her whole day on it. And lastly, I am not a fan of taking selfies.’

They’d started to walk slowly back towards the house but as she spoke the last sentence, Nick halted.

‘Now that I do struggle to believe.’

‘Why?’

Nick smiled at her. ‘You’re seriously asking me that?’

‘I am,’ she replied, irritation creasing her brow.

‘You’ve seen yourself, right? How would someone who looks like you not love selfies?’

Beneath the make-up, which she apparently never took a break from, Nick thought he could detect the faintest blush.

‘There are plenty enough photos of me out there already. I hardly need to add to the pile.’

‘That doesn’t seem to stop some people.’

‘Some people isn’t everyone.’

‘That is true.’

They’d resumed their walk, but Hero could tell Nick still didn’t believe her. She let out a sigh and stopped.

‘What’s up?’ he asked.

‘Clearly you don’t believe me, so here! Look for yourself.’

‘I don’t need to do that.’

‘I want you to.’

‘Why?’

‘Because …’ Hero had no idea why, but for some reason, she wanted Nick to know she wasn’t as vain and shallow as he seemed to think she was. The idea of being bothered by this was utterly ridiculous. Those two words were applied by half the planet to anyone in the modelling world. And yes, sometimes it was true. There was vanity there just as there was anywhere else. But it upset her to think that she had been tarred with that same brush by Nick Webster. When he didn’t take the phone, she quickly opened the photos tab and held it up to him.

‘See?’ she asked, scrolling through the photos. ‘Hardly any selfies.’

He glanced at it and nodded. ‘OK.’ He let out a breath, something gnawing at him about the air of desperate sincerity Hero had. She clearly felt the need to prove to him that she wasn’t what he thought she was. Why would one of the world’s top-earning models who had people fawning at her morning, noon, and night care what a sheep farmer in rural Australia thought? Hero Scott was definitely an enigma and, beautiful as she was, Nick knew that wasn’t his puzzle to work out. There was way too much potential hurt that way.

He squinted at the phone and angled it slightly, his own hand closing around hers for a moment. ‘You know you have flight mode enabled on this thing?’ He’d heard her asking Juliet about Wi-Fi when she’d arrived and remembered that the first thing she’d done as she stepped out of the car was type into her phone.

Hero nodded. ‘Yes. I know.’

‘But I thought you wanted to be on the Wi-Fi? I mean, when you’re in the house.’

‘I did, but only to send a message to my friend, Anya. She’d asked me to let her know that I’d got here safe.’ She turned to him with a brief, shy smile. ‘She worries about me.’ Hero smiled and shook her head, as if the notion of anyone worrying about her was ridiculous. But just at that moment, Nick realised that he could easily spend a whole lifetime worrying about this woman. And that was exactly why he needed to keep as much distance between them as possible. He’d been pulled into that trap once before, and certainly had no plans to let that happen ever again, and definitely not with this woman. She had danger written all over her.

OK, so maybe she didn’t take as many selfies as he’d supposed. And yes, sometimes, when she thought no one was looking, her beautiful face took on an expression that spoke of such insecurity and loneliness, and it pulled at his heart. None of that changed the fact that she was a world away from real life as most people knew it. Even when he’d bumped in to her at dawn, she already had full make-up on. Who did that in the back of beyond, when they were just hanging around a sheep station all day? There was still far too much coolness about her for his liking. She held herself at a distance – at least from him. And he hadn’t forgotten the hesitation in the action of shaking his hand when she’d arrived, even though he’d just washed them. He guessed she wasn’t really experienced in dealing with people she likely thought of as staff, up there in her ivory tower. Besides, in a couple of days she’d be back in London, with people ready to preen and pamper her at a moment’s notice, and men swarming around her, desperate to be the next one in her bed. His stomach twisted at the last thought. He ignored it, telling himself it meant nothing. Of course he found her attractive. Any bloke who had a real-life supermodel come to stay with them was going to be knocked sideways a little bit. Par for the course. It was just because she was a novelty. The next time she came, it’d be different. And once the wedding was done with tomorrow, she’d be on her way, and things could finally get back to normal.

Chapter 4

Later that evening, Nick glanced down the end of the verandah to where the Websters’ visitor sat on a wicker sofa, opposite Joe, playing Scrabble. His parents were in town catching up with friends, and Pete and Juliet were inside finishing off packing for their honeymoon. Nick turned his attention back to the setting sun, watching it sink slowly amidst a riot of warm colours behind a clump of distant trees. The sound of laughter pulled his gaze back; he was almost surprised to discover that it emanated from Hero Scott.

Nick knew the opinion he’d formed of her wasn’t entirely flattering, and nowhere in the description did it include an enticing, carefree laugh. She’d certainly never done that in his company anyway. Was there a chance that he was wrong? What else had he missed? The rest of his family seemed to have taken to her and she to them, though not as unreservedly as she had taken to their Joe.

Joe Carter was the son of Jacob, the Websters’ leading station hand. Jacob and his wife had been resident at Hill Station ever since it had acquired the name. Nick knew that the Carters had been instrumental in helping the station become the success it was today. Jacob and Maria had soon become more than employees, even more than friends. They were as much part of the Webster family as true blood, and so when Maria had finally fallen pregnant, the Websters had been as overjoyed as they were themselves.

Gill had known Maria for years. She’d always been a fragile girl, catching whatever virus passed her way, but rarely complaining. Gill and Jack knew that Jacob, although delighted about the baby, had concerns for his wife. An infection years previously had weakened her immune system, and although the doctors hadn’t entirely ruled out having children, they had voiced their fears for Maria’s own health should she ever fall pregnant. But the petite and fragile frame belied the strength of her will. Years of trying had persuaded her that children were not to be part of her life. Instead she had doted on the Webster boys, and that didn’t change when, to her surprise, she finally became pregnant with her own child.

The young boys had been among the first visitors to see baby Joe and their acceptance and interest in him completed Maria’s happiness. She knew in her heart that she would not be there to watch her boy grow into a man. The labour had been long and arduous, and every hour had taken more and more out of her. Maria had gripped Jacob’s hand with more force than anyone would have credited her with. And then when the baby finally arrived, he was silent, choking on the placenta cord that had become wound tight several times around his neck. The doctors worked swiftly until, suddenly, Maria heard the most blessed sound; the sound of her baby’s first cry.

Maria had taken a chance and although her body had lost, she knew as she looked down into the peaceful, happy face of her son that, given the chance, she would make the same choices. Three weeks after Joe’s birth, Maria passed away.

Now, Nick watched Joe’s animated face as he listened intently to something Hero was saying, smiling at his surrogate younger brother’s concentration. Nick cast his mind back as he sipped his cold beer straight from the bottle, his feet balancing on the rail and his chair tipped back. It had taken a while for anyone to notice anything was different about Joe, but as he began to struggle more and more with his schooling, even Jacob could not ignore the fact that his son seemed to have more trouble with learning than the other children. Tests were run and eventually the doctors said that it was more than likely caused by the lack of oxygen at the time of his birth. If the delivery staff hadn’t worked so quickly, Joe could have been a lot worse. As it was, he was several years behind his contemporaries. The local school was small, understanding, and made allowances, eventually teaching him with pupils who were closer to his mental age, rather than his physical one. There were, naturally, difficult times; Joe was a big lad for his age and being put with younger children only made the difference more exaggerated. But he had one good thing going for him – his nature.

Joe was the angel Maria had promised her husband he would be. His smiling face brought cheer to a room and every time Jacob looked at his son, he saw his beloved wife, and for that he was eternally grateful. He knew that he’d never be able to repay the kindness he had received from the Websters who had adopted both him and his son. The two boys looked upon Joe as their own brother. They’d not only stuck up for him at school, but also taught him how to look after himself, should the need ever arise. Joe had also claimed another unlikely set of allies, thanks largely to his gentle nature: girls. The girls in Joe’s class had been fiercer than even the Webster boys when someone tried to pick on Joe. And that was saying something.

Joe glanced up and saw Nick looking his way. He waved with a huge smile and beckoned to him. Nick pondered, then dropped his legs from the rail, at the same time dropping the chair back onto all four of its legs. He ambled down to where the others were sitting.

‘Hope you’re letting our visitor win, Joe.’

‘This is great! Hero’s teaching me some new words and stuff. Why don’t you play, too, Nick?’

‘Nah, you’re all right, mate.’ He glanced at the space next to Hero, then lowered himself into it. ‘So, what new words have you learned? I hope they’re the kind you can say in polite company.’

Joe chuckled. ‘Of course they are.’ From the corner of his eye, Nick noticed Hero focusing on turning the letter tiles over in the lid of the box. ‘And Hero says she’s going to bring me some books next time!’

Nick turned his attention to the bowed head of their guest. ‘So, you’re coming back then?’

‘It will probably be a little while, Joe. I might have to send them,’ she answered without looking at Nick.

At her reply, Joe’s face fell briefly before he covered it up with a smile, an expression that fooled neither of his companions. Nick instinctively knew Hero’s reply had been influenced by his own presence. The look on Joe’s face twisted at his insides.

‘OK,’ Joe agreed.

Hero leant over and touched the young man’s face gently. ‘But I’ll see what I can do. I’m sure I can steal a few days away, and I promise to bring the books then. How’s that?’

Joe’s brave smile turned to one of genuine pleasure and he beamed it around as he took the lid of the box that Hero had now filled with upturned word tiles and shook it around to mix them up.

‘Sure you don’t want to play?’ Joe asked again.

Nick smiled and shook his head, then stood and walked off in the direction of the stables. As he walked, he mused over the exchange – how Hero hadn’t looked at him once throughout the conversation, how eager she had been to settle Joe, and the gentle touch she had laid on Joe’s cheek. What surprised Nick most of all was that he’d found himself wondering how that touch would feel on his own skin.

As Joe shuffled the letters, Hero lifted her eyes and watched the retreating figure of Nick Webster as he strolled away. As he’d sat close beside her on the little wicker sofa, the clean smell of soap had drifted on the air and she could still smell it now. She didn’t know if it lingered for real or just in her mind. Nick Webster unnerved her. She couldn’t read him. He was edgy. Dangerous. An unknown quantity. Hero didn’t like unknown quantities. She liked exactness. She was glad he hadn’t taken up sweet Joe’s offer to play Scrabble with them. She was glad that he had gone, even more so knowing that part of her had wanted him to stay.

***

‘So, this time tomorrow, you’ll be Juliet Webster.’

Pete’s mother was almost bouncing up and down with excitement as they sat at the dinner table. Although she worshipped her two boys, Gill had always wanted a little girl. Unfortunately, complications had set in after Nick’s birth and the requisite surgery meant that further children were no longer an option. In Juliet, Gill was finally getting the daughter she had always wanted.

Juliet leaned over and took Gill’s hand. ‘Then there’ll be two of us!’

‘Oh hell!’ Jack groaned with a tease.

Hero watched, smiling at Jack’s comment as Gill’s tumbled around in her mind. Mrs Webster. No longer a Scott. No longer in England. No longer just hers. Hero looked at Juliet and felt her heart swelling as the happiness emanated from every fibre of her sister’s being. Although having her move halfway around the world wasn’t what Hero would have chosen for her, Pete was definitely the sort of man she would have. Pete was handsome, kind, witty, and would clearly walk through fire for his fiancée. If Hero had to lose her sister, she was glad it was to someone like him – and at least she’d had the sense to fall for him and not his rather younger brother.

Hero slid her eyes across to Nick. The brothers certainly had some similarities. Nick was also tall, had the same dark hair cut in the same short way, a warm smile and liquid brown eyes topping a strong, muscular body. It was a combination that Hero was sure must have swept many a girl off her feet and into his bed. His bed? The last thought popped uninvited into her mind, and Hero blinked, stiffening in her chair as she mentally forced the unsettling thought back out.

The slight movement across from him caused Nick to glance at their guest. He’d done his best to try and like her – although his brother had disagreed on that point. Nick had shrugged the criticism off. He didn’t appreciate that snooty attitude she had, and whenever he thought maybe he’d misjudged her, he’d turn back only to find that same look of indifference on her face. Pete had defended her, saying there was more to her than that, and that Nick had to give her some leeway, citing her kindness and attention to Joe as an example. Nick had to concede on that point, but he was still wary. What was her motivation in the time she spent with Joe? Was she going to go back and tell all her friends about the charity case she’d taken on? Was it all some forward planning for yet more attention? Nick’s jaw tensed at the thought that anyone would try and use Joe in that way. But as much as he’d thought about this, there was something in her face, in her touch that night he’d joined them as they played board games, that made him hesitate. If she was putting all that on, then she ought to go land a movie deal, because it had looked pretty damn genuine to him.

Still, putting that aside, they lived in completely different worlds. Nick’s involved other people and, as far as he was concerned, Hero’s only involved herself, perhaps Juliet, and now Joe. When it came to those two, she certainly gave the appearance that nothing was too much trouble. Anyway, the sooner she went, the better he’d feel. As a rule, Nick knew he was pretty easy on people, so having to work at something like this was a new experience, not to mention distracting. He was looking forward to getting station life back to its normal routine.

Hero moved again as she mentally tried to push the unexpected and entirely unwanted thought of Nick Webster naked in a bed out of her mind. Her gaze lifted as she did, and she found that very man watching her. She stopped mid-shift. Even with her make-up and the soft lighting of the dining room, Nick could see it. She was blushing. A smile slid onto his lips. This might be fun. He sat back in his chair, tipping it until it balanced on the two back legs.

‘I reckon with me being best man and you being chief bridesmaid, we probably ought to have at least one dance together tomorrow.’

Hero smiled back sweetly, wondering if it was bad that she was secretly hoping his chair would tip over, just to wipe the smug look off his face.

‘Oh, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of women clamouring for your attention already, Nick.’

‘Probably,’ he agreed languidly, his broad shoulders lifting in a shrug, ‘but I’m sure I can make space for you.’

Hero’s eyes widened in disbelief at his arrogance. Under the table, he got a hard kick from his older brother. Pete knew Nick was only winding her up, but it was obvious to everyone this wasn’t a game Hero Scott had ever played.

Make space! She could have slapped him.

‘Well, I’m sure that’s very kind of you but I wouldn’t want to cramp your style.’ She purposefully kept the tone light. Only two more days and she’d be gone, back to civilisation and her own world. She ignored the fact that, for some reason, she didn’t feel as happy about that as she probably should have. But on the plus side, it did mean she only had two more days to put up with Nick Webster and his judging looks and suppositions about her and her life. For Juliet, Hero was prepared to be civil and play along with his silly little game.

Nick shrugged and smiled as he bounced the chair back onto the floor, garnering a reprove from his mother about the furniture as he did so. He apologised politely to her with a smile, then glanced back to their guest. She was listening to his brother rattle on about her sister. Nick smiled to himself. No matter how well she covered it, he’d got a reaction. Maybe there was hope for Hero Scott after all.

***

Hero was enjoying the wedding celebrations far more than she had expected to. What she was most thankful for was the fact that hardly anyone seemed to know, or care, who she was, outside of being the bride’s younger sister. The relief in that alone was almost like a physical burden had been lifted. The only attention she’d felt unsure about was from one of the waitresses. A blonde, busty woman of a similar age to her, she guessed, whom she recognised as a barmaid from the local pub. Hero had noticed a few looks come her way from that direction when she’d been into town with Juliet. Her stomach tensed at the thought of this woman posting something on social media about her being here. Hero had always been so careful to protect Juliet’s identity. The world could judge her, but her sister was entirely out of bounds. The world’s obsession with social media had definitely made protecting her more difficult but, so far, Hero had managed it. The last thing she wanted now was someone giving out information about her, and the location of the Websters’ place.

She’d mentioned her concerns to Juliet, who had apparently then mentioned them to her new family, as the subject had soon come up one night over dinner. Hero had given Juliet a bit of a look, feeling awkward and worrying that the Websters might think she was spoiled and full of herself, assuming people would automatically want to talk about her. She could understand an outsider thinking that. But she operated within that world, and she knew how it worked.

Thankfully, the Websters had been very understanding, telling her not to worry about it, and that they would do their best to make sure everyone’s privacy was protected. That was apart from Nick. Throughout the whole conversation, he’d kept his eyes down, concentrating on his food, staying out of the conversation. It was clear that he was as keen for her to leave as she was.

Pete’s parents had been very kind at introducing her to people at the wedding venue and then again this evening, but it was their son’s wedding and they had plenty of their own mingling to do. The Websters were well known and well liked in the area, and Juliet was already becoming a favourite in her own right.

Glancing around the room earlier, Hero had noticed a few jealous looks being thrown her sister’s way. It was understandable. Pete was handsome, solvent and a decent man – an ideal combination, and one that wasn’t always that easy to find in a busy city, let alone in a remote location like this, she imagined. Even if she saw them, Juliet wouldn’t take it to heart. She understood that all they saw was that an outsider had come along and snapped up one of the few eligible men in the area. In time, they’d get used to it, and her. Hero had pulled a face at her answer when they’d talked about it yesterday, wondering at the ability her sister had to always see the best in people. Hero’s nature and life path had combined to make her see things differently. It was one subject that they had agreed to disagree on, several times:

‘The trouble with you, Jules, is that you think everyone is like you.’

‘And the trouble with you is that you don’t.’

The reception was heaving, and Hero took the opportunity to step outside, breathing in the warm air of the evening as she looked up, gazing at the huge sky, stars now appearing, sparkling like diamonds on the deep blue canvas of twilight. It was years since she’d last looked up at the stars and really been able to see them as she did now. The light pollution in London, and all the other major cities she’d worked in around the world had meant she’d almost forgotten they were up there. But there they were. Hero breathed in deeply, as if by doing so she would be able to take away some of the peace and beauty with her when she left. As if by photographing this moment in the camera of her mind, she’d hold on to the feeling of calm she felt settling around her as she gazed up at them.

She jumped as a door burst open behind her, the sounds of the party within tumbling out in the night.

‘All right, love.’ One of the many people Gill had introduced her to earlier tapped her on the shoulder as they passed, before taking one of the chairs under an awning nearby. Next she heard the click of a lighter, and then the rhythmic movement of an ash glowing, then cooling as it moved up and down in the smoker’s hand. She was thankful he’d not stopped to chat, as unsociable as she knew that sounded. Hero had never been good at small talk, a quirk that worked fine in her usual surroundings. Most people, she found, were more than happy to talk about themselves ad infinitum. Their compliments about her being such a good listener, which Hero always waved off with a smile and a headshake, felt unwarranted. She knew the truth was that she should be thanking them. The less she had to talk about herself, the better. Magazines and social media, not to mention Anya, had told her that apparently she was looked upon as mysterious. Hero knew that others were less kind, thinking her behaviour spoke more of snobbishness and that she considered herself far too high and mighty to ever engage with those outside her immediate circle. If only they knew, Hero thought. What she’d give to have the easy-going, sociable nature of her sister, instead of the awkward, shy confines of her own.

The door behind her banged again, and several more people, in various states of intoxication stumbled out and headed towards the smoking area. Hero knew she should go back in. She didn’t care about strangers thinking she was snooty, but she didn’t want her own behaviour to reflect badly on her sister in her new life out here. Taking one last look at the starlit sky, she drew a deep breath and headed back inside.

Nick had intended to ask Hero to dance. Initially it had been a joke but after the wedding breakfast was over, Pete had told him he had to make good on the tease.

‘She’ll never go for it,’ Nick replied, dismissing his brother’s request.

‘Just ask her, will you, mate?’

‘Yeah, yeah. Right-oh.’ If it had been anyone else, he’d have probably done it a lot sooner. But three minutes worth of awkward dancing with this particular woman didn’t exactly fill him with glee. That was assuming she even accepted. She certainly hadn’t been keen when he’d brought the subject up at the dinner table. OK, so maybe he hadn’t phrased it in the best way he could have. Even behind that cool exterior she projected out to the world, he’d noticed the surprise in her eyes at his jest. Understandable, he supposed, when you were one of the world’s most beautiful women and people were desperate to be in your company, even just be noticed by you, let alone anything else.

After receiving yet another loaded glance from his older brother, Nick nodded and resigned himself to going off to find Pete’s newly acquired sister-in-law. It took him a little while to find her among the many guests, although he had to admit that he hadn’t put too much effort into the actual act of looking, finding himself easily, and willingly, distracted. One of those distractions being in the shape of the barmaid, Susannah Dagmar. And what a shape! She’d always had a bit of thing for Pete, so Nick felt a bit sorry for her having to wait tables at his brother’s wedding when she probably felt that, by rights, it should have been her wearing the white dress, not some interloper. He finally tore himself away when his mother sent him a dagger-laden glance, before making a nodding gesture. Nick sighed. Gill had never liked Susannah.

Following the direction of his mother’s nod, Nick caught sight of Hero. She was sitting alone towards the back of the room looking absolutely stunning. Whether he liked her or not, Nick couldn’t deny that she was beautiful. But he understood the possibility that that same beauty might keep people at a distance. Men might be intimidated and women might be jealous, wary, or both. Then again, it could just be that she was a stuck-up pain in the arse. Nick excused himself from Susannah and made his way towards Hero. Her hands were folded on her lap as she sat, back straight against the wall, looking for all intents and purposes in utter control. Out of her sightline, he hesitated as he noticed her thumb rubbing back and forth at a hangnail. Her gaze was fixed at no clear point, as though she wanted to evade making eye contact with any other guest. The gaze alone he might have put down to her reluctance to mingle in lowlier company than she was used to. But he hesitated in his judgement as he watched her hands. His time in the city had given him more than enough opportunity to observe the habits of the stressed, and he was pretty sure that was exactly what he was watching now. Damn woman. Why couldn’t she just be one thing or another?

‘You ready for that dance now?’ Nick asked. ‘I looked for you earlier, but I couldn’t see you.’

Hero looked up, surprise in her eyes. The look confirmed what he’d begun to think. Yeah, you were hoping no one would notice you sat back here all alone, weren’t you?

‘I went outside for a little while,’ she said, gathering herself a little as she took the hand he offered and stood. Her relief at seeing a familiar face seemed to cause that mask of confidence and indifference to slip. Nick tilted his head.

‘You all right?’ Even with the heat of all these bodies, her smooth, porcelain skin looked a little paler than usual.

Hero caught the concern in his voice and felt something rush through her. Looking up into the intense chocolate-brown eyes now studying her, she gave a small, embarrassed smile.

‘I’m not really very good with crowds. They make me nervous.’

Nick didn’t reply. He was just looking down at her.

She smiled shyly and lifted their joined hands. ‘Are we going to dance or just stand here holding hands all night? Right now, I’m happy either way.’

Nick glanced down at their hands, before turning towards the dancefloor. Their path was crowded as he led the way, holding tightly to her hand, clearing the way for her with his broad shoulders. His eyes were on the way ahead, but his mind was still reeling from the smile Hero had given him.

For the past couple of weeks, they’d done nothing but rub each other up the wrong way, with a large proportion of their conversations edged with sarcasm and spikes. In company, they had silently but mutually agreed to concentrate on being polite for the sake of their respective siblings. Nick struggled with the constant control she kept about herself. There was none of the spontaneity of her sister, none of the laughter and fun Juliet seemed to naturally inspire. He’d even begun to doubt that the woman even had real emotions – something about her seemed so false, so brittle. Pete and his parents had taken to her like she was a wounded bird, but all Nick saw was self-importance and privilege.

But the smile she had just given him had blown all his beliefs about her to bits. For the first time since he’d known her, he saw what the others had been privy to all along.

They reached the dancefloor and squeezed into a space as Nick raised their joined hands and wrapped his other arm around her narrow waist. The crowd of people on the floor meant that Hero was pressed close to him. He could smell her perfume, feel her fragile build beneath his hands as well as her now uneven breaths. Looking down into her face, he saw that striking green gaze dart around as it desperately tried, and failed, to find something familiar to focus on. She felt his own gaze on her and looked up, his eyes holding hers as his arm tightened a little closer around her.

‘Just breathe,’ he said, softly. He kept his eyes on her until her erratic breaths steadied. Feeling his arms strong and steady around her, Hero closed her eyes and felt the world slide away. With just one movement, and with the last person she ever expected, Hero no longer felt alone.

Too near the speakers for any real conversation to take place, Hero was glad. She was tired of keeping her mask in place with Nick, but something about him had unnerved her from the beginning. He hadn’t tried to bow down to her every whim like most men she knew. He made her laugh, although she did her best to hide it. The many conversations she had sat in on proved that he was an intelligent, well-informed man. She’d desperately wanted to take part in them but, despite Pete and Juliet giving her plenty of openings, she kept her participation limited, afraid to make herself look stupid in front of this man who already caused such a torrent of emotions within her. But it seemed that the less she said, the more it irritated Nick. And as much as she had tried to deny it, his reaction upset her. She’d spent the last fortnight convincing herself that he was arrogant and of no consequence. But the truth was that he excited her. She’d never felt like this about anyone. And that fact alone both thrilled and frightened her.

As Hero and Nick moved to the music, she felt the strong hand on her back. Many of the men she knew were muscular, but they were false muscles, born from spending hours in the gym, admiring themselves in huge floor-to-ceiling mirrors as they pumped iron. Nick’s body was strong from hard work and hard play. She felt the slight roughness of his skin against her hand as it held her own. It felt good. Something about those men with their soft, smooth, overly manicured hands had always made her feel slightly queasy. She turned her head slightly against his chest to look at the hand holding hers. The nails were short and had been scrubbed clean. Hero smiled to herself at the effort this must have taken, knowing Nick had spent most of yesterday under the bonnet of the old ute they used to drive out into the fields.

‘They are clean.’ Nick leant in close to her ear when he’d worked out what Hero was studying, a smile in his voice.

She looked up, embarrassment showing on her face at being caught. But then she felt it, deep within herself, like a revelation she wasn’t even aware she was waiting for. There it was, shining clear in her mind as bright as any neon sign. There was no need to be embarrassed anymore. Not here. Not with Nick. She didn’t need to be afraid anymore. She didn’t need to be anything but herself. As this realisation dawned within her, she turned and smiled at him again, for once not holding back. For once not smiling on someone else’s cue.

Looking up at him, Hero smiled, wide and beautiful. The power of it made Nick catch his breath. This. This was what she was hiding from the world. The question was why? The smile hit Nick square in the face and didn’t stop until it got to his toes, detouring several times on the way down. He pulled her closer, the surroundings too noisy for him to hear. Bending his head towards her, she repeated herself close to his ear, so close that he could feel her warm breath on his skin as she spoke.

‘You have nice hands.’

The simple, almost childlike compliment only added to the feelings racing around his body. His head spun with it all. How the hell did she survive in that cold, shallow world she lived in? Nick saw now what she did her best to hide from the world at large – the shy, insecure young woman who fooled people into thinking that she was in control, completely sure of herself, and everyone around her. But now he knew differently. This girl wasn’t in control at all. She was barely treading water, just trying not to drown.

Nick squeezed her hand a little in a gesture of reply and saw the corners of a smile play upon her mouth. He looked up for a moment and caught the eye of his elder brother who was standing with his new bride, talking to some relatives who had flown in from Sydney for the wedding. He nodded at them and grinned. Nick gave him a brief smile in return. As his gaze left his family, it landed on Susannah. Susannah was also watching them, but she wasn’t smiling. Her eyes were on Hero, and there was something far colder in her expression.

Nick turned back to his partner and steered them away from the main crush, as well as Susannah’s glare.

‘Don’t take this the wrong way.’ He smiled as he pulled away a little in order to look into those hypnotic eyes. ‘Do you want to go outside and get a bit of air?’

He felt her body relax a little in his arms as he said it. That was more than enough answer for him. In a reverse of their earlier journey, Nick once again led the way through the thrumming dancefloor and out into the cool, quiet night.

Chapter 5

Once outside, they found a bench a little away from the doors, and the smoking area, and sat down. Nick still held Hero’s hand and, surprising herself, she didn’t pull away. Didn’t want to pull away.

‘Not something you’ve ever fancied then, all this?’ Hero nodded in the direction of the reception room they had just left. ‘By the amount of six-foot-under looks I’ve been receiving, I get the impression that you’re not short of offers.’

Nick shrugged his eyebrows. ‘Nope. Not really sure it’s for me.’

Hero turned a little, kicking off her shoes as she did so, and tucked her legs up in front of her. Resting her chin on her knees, she pulled a face at his reply. ‘The good-looking man with a fear of commitment – isn’t that rather a cliché?’

Nick caught the twinkle in those mesmerising, cat-like eyes of hers. He tilted his head at her.

‘Was that a compliment? The “good-looking” part I mean?’

Hero just smiled.

‘And who said I had a fear of commitment? Or is that a little projection on your part?’

Hero ignored the second question, focusing on the first. ‘Don’t you?’

‘No.’

She echoed his head tilt. ‘So how come you’re not happily ensconced somewhere with a clan of little Nicholases running around?’

‘Perhaps I’m just enough of a good bloke not to want to show up my big brother by getting there first.’

‘Well, that’s very considerate of you, if it’s the case.’

‘I thought so.’

‘But I’m not buying that as the reason for a moment.’

‘No?’ He laughed.

‘Definitely no.’

‘OK. So maybe I just haven’t found the right girl yet.’

Hero considered that. ‘From what I’ve heard, you’ve conducted plenty of research in that department.’

Again, Nick saw the eyes twinkle. She was enjoying this. As much as he was? It was hard to tell.

‘Research can be a very valuable tool.’

‘This is true.’

‘Want to help me with said research?’ He flashed a grin, enjoying this rare, unguarded version of Hero.

She laughed. ‘No, but thank you for offering me the chance to take part in such a prestigious and vital project.’

‘No worries.’

Silence fell between them for a few moments, but it was companionable. From the open windows, they heard the DJ transition one song seamlessly into another. She turned to the sound, then looked back at Nick, a question in her eyes. She didn’t really want to go back in. Not just yet. She wasn’t even comfortable at parties where she did know lots of people. When you barely knew anyone and were also receiving openly questionable looks from certain females, the discomfort tended to grow. Nick understood.

‘Got somewhere else to be?’

A pause. His companion shook her head. The movement was almost imperceptible, but its ripples caused the shining locks to sway gently, catching the light of the outdoor lamp. Nick smiled softly at her, and Hero returned it. She shifted on the bench. The back slats were uncomfortable on her back. Keeping hold of her hand, Nick ran his other arm around her waist and shifted her body until she rested on him, rather than the bench. Much better.

‘Truth is, I thought I had found the right one,’ he said after a few moments.

Hero waited.

‘Turned out I was wrong.’

When he said nothing more, she spoke. ‘What happened? If you don’t mind me asking?’

He didn’t mind her asking. Strange really, because until this moment, he would have thought that Hero Scott would be the last person on earth he’d open up to.

As close as they were together, Hero felt the deep breath he took and then exhaled slowly as his mind worked.

‘I don’t know. To be honest, I thought everything was fine. I thought we were happy. We’d talked about getting married and she seemed stoked. I bought the ring, did the whole down-on-one-knee thing, she accepted, said she couldn’t be happier. Then, next thing I know, I’m walking in on her in bed with her boss. Stupidly, I’d never questioned all that overtime she was doing.’

‘Oh, Nick! I’m so sorry.’ She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. ‘I would never have said anything if …’ She trailed off and looked awkward. Nick laid his cheek against her head. She felt the smile as he returned the reassuring squeeze.

‘Don’t be daft. It’s fine. I didn’t know if Juliet had told you, but I guess not.’

‘No! No, she hadn’t!’ She pulled herself up and twisted so that she could see him. He was surprised to see she looked genuinely upset. ‘Nick, I know you think I’m rather cold, but I’d never make light of something like that … of you being hurt.’

One hand gently cupped her face, the expression in his eyes soft and warm under the low light.

‘I know you wouldn’t. And just for the record, I don’t think you’re cold.’

She smiled at him almost shyly. Their initial distrust and differences had been put aside – at least for the moment. It seemed so obvious to her now. What she first thought was conceit and arrogance wasn’t that at all. It was part of a defence mechanism, a shield. Creating an armour against the world was hardly something she could criticise him about when she spent so much time, perhaps too much, behind her own. She could see, feel, that it was a relief for both of them to have a break from it, even for a just a few moments, revealing themselves to each other, if no one else.

‘So,’ Hero began, ‘you do actually have a fear of commitment, just not your own.’

He thought about that for a moment, then gave her a lopsided smile. ‘I guess so.’

She nodded, understanding, empathising, before breaking eye contact with him. Nick drew another deep breath before pulling her back closer. Without thinking, Hero let her body follow, feeling the warmth of him through the fine material of her gown. His slow, steady breaths soothed her. She knew she was on dangerous ground. But right at this moment, she didn’t care. Right now, it felt as though this was exactly where she should be. Resting her hands on the warm, muscular arm that encircled her waist, she didn’t need – didn’t want – that mask she usually wore. And as she felt his lips softly brush her hair, Hero closed her eyes and let the moment envelop her.

‘You tired?’ Nick’s deep tones drifted close to her ear.

‘A little,’ she replied. The truth was she could so easily stay here with this man, feeling his strength and his comfort, and not move for the next several days. It had been a long, although beautiful, day. Emotions had run high and Juliet had burst into tears on more than one occasion, especially with Hero. Hero’s eyes, as always, remained dry but Juliet knew it wasn’t because she didn’t care. Crying just wasn’t something she did. Not for a long time. She’d smiled as the ceremony came to its climax and everyone cheered, welcoming Juliet into her new family and her new life. Again, Hero had smiled. Smiling was the only way to stop the panic rising in her. Suddenly she felt alone. Out here in this land where their father had been born but that had meant nothing to either of his daughters. Now, to one it meant everything, and Hero felt cast adrift.

‘What’s up?’

‘Nothing.’ She closed her eyes again, pushing away the panic that had begun to creep towards her again. Her hands tightened almost imperceptibly on Nick’s arm.

‘So why don’t I believe you?’

She shrugged against him.

Feeling the soft kiss on her hair, her breaths gradually slowed. What was it with this man who could make her mad one moment and chase away her demons in the next.

‘You know your sister is worried about you.’ His words were a statement, not a question.

‘I know. She doesn’t need to be though. I’m fine.’

‘She thinks you work too hard.’

‘I like keeping busy.’

‘There’s keeping busy, and there’s back-to-back assignments.’

Hero drew in a breath and let it out slowly, concentrating on the glittering stars and the warmth of Nick’s body behind her.

‘A girl has to pay the rent,’ she said, trying to lighten the mood, not to mention deflect the enquiry.

‘I don’t mean to be nosy, but I’m pretty sure you’ve probably got that covered.’

‘Maybe. But I like to be sure.’

‘Why do I get the feeling there’s more to this?’ Nick asked, getting his answer as he felt Hero’s body tense within his arms.

‘Of course there isn’t. I just like to be sure I’m financially prepared and independent. I know that’s still quite a radical view to take in some parts, but that’s what happens when you invite outsiders into your world.’

Nick smiled. ‘Not me. I’m all for that.’

‘Good to hear.’

‘So, what do you do to relax?’

‘I …’ What did she do to relax? She spent time with Anya shopping, and visiting restaurants. She liked to read but the only times she ever seemed to be able to sit down with a book was on a long-haul flight like the one that had brought her here, although even then she never seemed to get far as fatigue overtook her and sleep won over reading.

‘What do you do to relax?’ Hero turned the question on him.

She felt the deep rumble of laughter as he squeezed her a little more. ‘Oh no, you don’t. I asked first.’

She sighed dramatically.

‘And don’t try and pull that diva stuff on me. I know you better than that now.’

She could hear the smile in his voice as he teased her.

‘I suppose I go out with friends to relax.’

‘And do you?’

‘Do I what?’

‘Relax. It’s just that you’ve seemed as tight as a wound spring all day here.’

‘No, I haven’t.’

Nick tipped her up and twisted positions so that her legs now lay over his and she was looking up into his face in surprise.

‘What are you doing?’

‘If you’re going to fib to me, you have to look me in the eye when you do it.’

Hero drew herself up. ‘I’m not fibbing.’ Was she?

In the low light from the function room’s porch, she met his eyes and he knew that she was.

‘I don’t know anyone here. It’s different.’ Her voice was soft, and Nick pulled her a little closer, not just so that he could hear her but because there was something so hurt, so fractured in that tone that made him want to wrap his arms around her and protect her from whatever it was that had created that pain.

‘You know me.’

A flicker of a smile danced on her face. ‘I think that probably goes for most of the women in this district from what I’ve witnessed today.’

He grinned at her, even white teeth showing against the dark shadow on his jawline.

‘Point taken. OK, so you know all our family, and most people here are pretty easy going and I find it hard to see that someone would turn down the opportunity of talking to a stunner like you.’

She dropped her gaze, knowing that, in a way, he was right. What she’d got used to at home, though, was wondering whether they were talking to her because they were interested, or whether it was because they wanted to be seen to be talking to her, or because they thought she might be useful in furthering their own cause. She knew how cynical her slant on it all was. Unfortunately, it seemed to prove itself over and over. Although, maybe here it was different.

‘I didn’t really know what to say to anyone.’

‘You probably don’t need to say much at all. Just ask about them and you’ll be golden. Most people love an opportunity to talk about themselves.’

Hero let out a breath of laughter. ‘That is true.’

The silence settled between them but there was nothing awkward about it. It felt natural. Companionable.

‘I’ve never seen Juliet as happy as she is here.’

‘I’d never seen my brother get such a dopey look on his face before she walked onto the property.’

‘I hope they’ll be happy.’

‘I have no doubt about it. Although, it does mean I’m going to have to get my arse in gear and get my own house built now.’

‘They’re kicking you out?’ Hero pulled back from his chest and stared at him, her mouth an ‘o’ of surprise.

‘Nah, not at all. But the house should be theirs. All theirs. Of course, it’s going to take a while to do anyway, but if I get started, I’ll feel better.’

‘Where will you be moving to? Won’t it be difficult if you’re still planning to help run the station?’

He wrapped his arms a little tighter around her, warmth flooding through him at her gentle, unguarded concern. Hero rested her head back against the solid wall of his chest.

‘I’ll still be on the property. When the place was built, I think there was some delusion of grandeur going on, and they had a gatehouse put in, near the start of the driveway.’

Keeping her head on his chest, Hero raised her eyes to Nick. ‘You’re not talking about that ruin on the left-hand side as you come in, are you?’

‘That’s the one.’

‘You’re rebuilding that?’ The astonishment that the feat was even possible was clear in her voice.

‘Mostly, plus I’ll be extending it a bit.’

‘That seems like a lot of work. Are you doing it on your own?’

‘I’ve done the plans and had them approved, but not the rest. I’ve just been getting enough money together to make it happen.’

‘Did you enjoy planning it? Juliet said you were an architect. I was kind of surprised when she went on to say you’d moved back here from the city to go in with your brother on the station.’

‘Yeah, it was a change of direction, that’s for sure, but sometimes things happen to make sure you end up where you’re supposed to be, don’t they? Sometimes all the bright lights, big city thing can wear you down.’

‘It can. That’s true.’

‘After the whole engagement debacle, I realised I didn’t want to be there anymore. I’d brought up the subject a couple of times with my ex, but it never really came to anything. We came out a few times to visit and I could tell that she was desperate to get back to the city about ten minutes in.’

‘People change though. I never thought I’d see Juliet out here, on a place like this. We’ve only ever lived in big cities, and yet now it’s hard to imagine her anywhere else. She looks completely at home.’

‘I think the key is that you have to try. You have to have an open mind when it comes to change. It’s always scary but sometimes you just need to give it a chance.’

‘She’s very lucky, and I know she knows that.’ Hero smiled up at him briefly before resting her head back against him.

‘Ah, I think we’re the lucky ones. Finding someone as great as Jules to take Pete off our hands.’

Hero giggled, and he held her a fraction tighter, trying to remember when he’d heard her laugh like that in his company. He couldn’t.

‘I’m so glad your dad agreed to walk her down the aisle. She was nervous about asking him, I know.’

‘Dad was thrilled. From the first time they met Juliet, they already loved her like a daughter.’

‘You have a lovely family.’

‘Thank you. I know I’m lucky.’

‘You are.’

‘It seems a shame that she had to ask Dad though. That your own dad wasn’t here to do that with his daughter.’

As Hero’s body stiffened, he realised there was a raw nerve there. ‘He wouldn’t have deserved that honour, even if he had been alive.’

Nick felt the change in her breathing. So relaxed a moment before, and now short and staccato. The tension he’d felt drift away from her was back and he kicked himself for breaking the spell. Unsure what to do, he remained still, his arms around her loosely, leaving her free to move away from him, should she want to. Slowly he moved one thumb rhythmically back and forth over the bare arm beneath his hand.

Inside Hero’s head, memories spilled out. Memories that she had carefully stored away and done her best to hide. Her chest felt tight with hurt and anger that those memories still had the power within them to make her feel like she was nothing. Nothing but a burden.

‘I’m sorry if I said the wrong thing, Hero.’ Nick’s tone was low, almost a whisper, and even without looking at his face she knew it would be full of concern.

‘You didn’t.’

‘I know I’m a bloke, and therefore, at times will be able to put my foot in it whilst still being completely oblivious to that fact. But I’m pretty sure now isn’t one of those times.’

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