The Mighty Quinns: Teague
Kate Hoffmann

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Table of Contents

Cover Page

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Copyright

KATE HOFFMANN has been writing for fifteen years and has published nearly sixty books. When she isn’t writing, she is involved in various musical and theatrical activities in her small Wisconsin community. She enjoys sleeping late, drinking coffee and eating bonbons. She lives with her two cats, Tally and Chloe, and her computer, which shall remain nameless.

To Dr Greg B, DVM, for his insights

on equine veterinary medicine.

And for taking such good care of

Chloe and Tally!

Prologue

Queensland, Australia—August 1996

TEAGUE QUINN STRETCHED his arms over his head and closed his eyes against the sun, the warm rays heating the big rock beneath him. The wind rustled in the dry brush. The sounds of the outback were so familiar they were almost like music to him.

He’d managed to escape the house before anyone noticed he was gone, saddling his horse and riding out in a cloud of dust, the shoe box tucked under his arm. When he wasn’t working the stock with his father and brothers, he was tending to some other job his mother had conjured out of thin air. He wondered what it might be like to live a normal life, in a grand house in Brisbane, where daily chores didn’t exist.

There’d be girls and parties and school and sports—all the things fourteen-year-old boys were supposed to enjoy. Teague sighed. Most boys his age didn’t like school, but real classrooms with real teachers, chemistry and biology and physics and math, these were things he’d never experienced.

Instead, Teague was stuck on a cattle station in Queensland, with his parents, his two brothers and a rowdy bunch of jackaroos. Classes took place at the kitchen table, him and his brothers gathered around the radio listening to School of the Air. The closest town, Bilbarra, had a library and a small school, but that was a two-hour drive, much too far to make it practical day to day. Some of the kids on the more profitable stations were sent away to boarding school, but Kerry Creek wasn’t exactly swimming in cash. Though the Quinn family wasn’t poor, they weren’t in the big bickies, either.

Teague heard the sound of hoofbeats and pushed up on his elbows, scanning the approach to the big rock and cursing to himself. Would he ever be able to get away from his brothers, or would they be following him around the rest of his life?

When he didn’t see a rider coming from the direction of the homestead, he glanced over his shoulder and watched as a horse galloped full bore from the opposite direction, its rider hunched low in the saddle. Scrambling to his feet, Teague stood on the rock, ready to defend his territory against the interloper.

The boy drew his horse to a stop, the animal breathing heavily. From beneath the brim of a battered stockman’s hat, he stared at Teague, a grim expression on his face. He wasn’t very big, Teague mused, sizing up his chances if it came down to a fistfight.

But then suddenly, the boy smiled. “Did I scare you?” In one smooth motion, he brushed his hat from his head and a tumble of wavy blond hair revealed not a boy, but a girl. His breath caught in his throat as he stared into her pale blue eyes. Teague swallowed hard. She was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen.

“I scared the piss out of you, didn’t I? You should see your face. You’re as pale as a ghost.”

Teague scowled, embarrassed that she’d noticed his reaction. “Nick off. I wasn’t scared. Why would I be scared of a mite like you? You couldn’t knock the skin off a rice pudding.”

She slid off her horse. “Oh, yeah. Well, you’re so stupid, you couldn’t tell your arse from a hole in the ground.”

Teague opened his mouth, shocked to hear that kind of language from a girl. But then, he really had no experience talking to girls. With no sisters, he wasn’t sure how girls were supposed to talk. On the telly, they always seemed to act so proper and prissy. This girl was acting more like his brothers.

She hitched her hands on her waist and stared up at him. “Well, are you going to give me a hand up or are you going to be mingy about the view?”

Teague studied her for a long moment. There wasn’t much to fear from her. She was at least a head shorter than him and a few stone lighter. Though, in a verbal sparring match, she’d probably slice him into dinner for the dingoes. He reluctantly held out his hand and pulled her up beside him.

She scrambled to her feet and took a good look around. A frown wrinkled her brow, then she plopped down and sighed deeply.

“You don’t like the view?”

She shook her head. “I thought I might be able to see the ocean.”

Teague laughed, but when he saw the hurt in her eyes, he realized the depth of her disappointment. “Sorry,” he mumbled as he sat down beside her. “You can’t see the ocean from anywhere on this station. Even if you get up to the highest point. It’s too far away.”

She cursed beneath her breath before turning away from him. “I used to live near the ocean. I could see the water every day. I wish I could see it again.”

A long silence grew between them. “That must have been nice,” he finally ventured.

“It was better than living out here. Everything is so…dusty. And there are flies everywhere.”

“Yeah, but you don’t get to ride horses in the city,” Teague offered, surprised to find himself defending the outback. “Or keep cattle. Or have a lot of dogs. And you don’t see lizards and ’roos like you do here.”

“You like animals?” she asked, her disappointment forgotten as suddenly as it had appeared.

Teague nodded. “Last month I found a bird with a broken wing. And I healed it.” He pointed to the box beside him. “I’m going to let it go today.”

“Can I see?” she asked, bending over the box.

Teague picked the box up, said a silent prayer, then lifted the lid. The sparrow immediately took flight and the girl clapped her hands as it flew into the distance. He felt his cheeks warm. “Maybe it healed itself. It’s only a sparrow, but I kept it alive until it could fly again. I find hurt animals all the time and I know how to make them well again.” He paused. “I like doing that.”

A tiny smile tugged at her lips. “All right, there is one good thing about living on Wallaroo.”

Teague swallowed hard, wondering if she’d just paid him a compliment. Then her words sank in. “You live on Wallaroo?” He hadn’t even considered the possibility. But now that he thought about it, this was the girl his parents had had been talking about. “You’re Hayley Fraser, then.”

She seemed surprised he knew her name. “Maybe,” she replied.

He’d heard the story by way of eavesdropping. Hayley’s parents had been killed in an auto wreck when she was eight years old. She’d been moved from foster home to foster home, until her grandfather had finally agreed to take her. According to Teague’s mum, old man Fraser hadn’t been on speaking terms with his only child since Jake Fraser had run away from home at age eighteen. And now, his poor granddaughter was forced to live with a cold, unfeeling man who’d never wanted her on Wallaroo in the first place.

Teague’s mum had insisted that Wallaroo was no place for a troubled young girl to grow up, without any women on the station at all, and with only rowdy men to serve as an example. Yet there was nothing anyone could do for her. Except him, Teague mused.

“You ride pretty good,” he said. “Who taught you?”

“I taught myself. It doesn’t take much skill. You hop on the horse and hang on.”

“You know your granddad and my father are enemies. They hate each other.”

Hayley blinked as she glanced over at him. “No surprise. Harry hates everyone, including me.”

“You call him Harry?”

She shrugged. “That’s his name.”

Teague felt an odd lurch in his stomach as his eyes met hers. She had the longest eyelashes he’d ever seen. His gaze drifted down to her mouth and suddenly, he found himself wondering what it might be like to kiss such a bold and brave girl.

“It’s because of that land right over there,” Teague said, pointing toward the horizon. “It belongs to Kerry Creek, but Har—your grandfather thinks it belongs to him. Every few years old man Fraser goes to court and tries to take it back, but he always loses.”

“Why does he keep trying?”

“He says that my great-grandfather gave it to his father. It’s part of the Quinn homestead, so I don’t know why any Quinn would ever give it away. I think your grandfather might be a bit batty.”

Hayley turned and looked in the direction that he was pointing, apparently unfazed by his opinion of her grandfather. “Who’d care about that land? There’s nothing on it.”

“Water,” he said, leaning closer and drawing a deep breath. She even smelled good, he mused. He reached up and touched her hair, curious to see if it was as soft as it looked, but Hayley jumped, turning to him with a suspicious expression.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing!” Teague said. “You had a bug in your hair. I picked it out.”

She sighed softly. “I better get home. He’ll wonder where I am. I have to get supper ready.”

Teague slid off the rock, dropping lightly to his feet. Then he held his hands up and Hayley nimbly jumped down. His hands rested on her waist as Teague took in the details of her face, trying to memorize them all before she disappeared.

Hayley quickly stepped away from him, as if shocked by his touch. “Maybe I’ll see you again,” she murmured, looking uneasy.

“Maybe. I’m here a lot. I guess if you came out tomorrow night after supper, you might see me.”

“Maybe I would.” She glanced up at him through thick lashes and smiled hesitantly. Then she gave him a little wave and ran to her horse. Teague held his breath as she hitched her foot in the stirrup and swung her leg over the saddle. “So what’s your name?” she asked as she wove the reins through her fingers.

“Teague,” he said. “Teague Quinn.”

She set her hat on her head, pushing it down low over her eyes. “Nice to meet you, Teague Quinn.” With that, Hayley wheeled the horse around and a moment later, she was riding back in the direction from which she’d come.

“Shit,” he muttered. Now he knew exactly what his mother had been talking about when she’d insisted that someday he’d meet a girl who would knock him off his feet.

“Hayley Fraser.” He liked saying her name. It sounded new and exciting. Someday, he was going to marry that girl.

1

THE DUST FROM the dirt road billowed out behind Teague’s Range Rover. He glanced at the speedometer, then decided the suspension could take a bit more abuse. Adding pressure to the accelerator, he fixed his gaze down the rutted road.

He’d finished his rounds and had just landed on the Kerry Creek airstrip when the phone call had come in. Doc Daley was in the midst of a tricky C-section on Lanie Pittman’s bulldog at the Bilbarra surgery, and needed him to cover the call. It was only after Teague asked for details that he realized his services might not be welcomed. The request had come from Wallaroo Station.

The Frasers and the Quinns had been at it for as long as he could remember, their feud igniting over a piece of disputed land—land that contained the best water bore on either station.

In the outback, water was as good as gold and it was worth fighting for. Cattle and horses couldn’t survive without it, and without cattle or horses the family station wasn’t worth a zack. Teague wasn’t sure how or why the land was in dispute after all these years, only that the fight never seemed to end. His grandfather had fought the Frasers, as had his father, and now, his older brother, Callum.

But all that would have to be forgotten now that he was venturing into enemy territory. He had come to help an animal in distress. And if old man Fraser refused his help, well, he’d give it anyway.

As Teague navigated the rough road, his thoughts spun back nearly ten years, to the last time he’d visited Wallaroo. He felt a stab of regret at the memory, a vivid image of Hayley Fraser burned into his brain.

It had been the most difficult day of his life. He’d been heading off into a brand-new world—university in Perth, hundreds of miles from the girl he loved. She’d promised to join him the moment she turned eighteen. They’d both get part-time jobs and they’d attend school together. He hadn’t known that it was the last time he’d ever see her.

For weeks afterward, his letters had gone unanswered. Every time he rang her, he ended up in an argument with her grandfather, who refused to call her to the phone. And when he finally returned during his term break, Hayley was gone.

Even now, his memories of her always spun back to the girl she’d been at seventeen and not the woman she’d become. That woman on the telly wasn’t really Hayley, at least not the Hayley he knew.

The runaway teenager with the honey-blond hair and the pale blue eyes had ended up in Sydney. According to the press, she’d been “discovered” working at a T-shirt shop near Bondi Beach. A month later, she’d debuted as a scheming teenage vixen on one of Australia’s newest nighttime soap operas. And seven years later, she was the star of one of the most popular programs on Aussie television.

He’d thought about calling her plenty of times when he’d visited Sydney. He’d been curious, wondering if there would be any attraction left between them. Probably not, considering she’d dated some of Australia’s most famous bachelors—two or three footballers, a pro tennis player, a couple of rock stars and more actors than he cared to count. No, she probably hadn’t thought of Teague in years.

As he approached the homestead, Teague was stunned at the condition of the house. Harry Fraser used to take great pride in the station, but it was clear that his attitude had changed. Teague watched as a stooped figure rose from a chair on the ramshackle porch, dressed in a stained work shirt and dirty jeans. The old man’s thick white hair stood on end. Teague’s breath caught as he noticed the rifle in Harry’s hand.

“Shit,” he muttered, pulling the Range Rover to a stop. Drawing a deep breath, he opened the window. His reflexes were good and the SUV was fast, but Harry Fraser had been a crack shot in his day. “Put the gun down, Mr. Fraser.”

Harry squinted. “Who is that? State your name or get off my property.”

“I’m the vet you sent for,” Teague said, slowly realizing that Harry couldn’t make him out. His eyesight was clearly failing and they hadn’t spoken in so many years there was no way Harry would recognize his voice. “Doc Daley sent me. He’s in the middle of a surgery and couldn’t get away. I’m…new.”

Harry lowered the rifle, then shuffled back to his chair. “She’s in the stable,” he said, pointing feebly in the direction of one of the crumbling sheds. “It’s colic. There isn’t much to do, I reckon.” He waved the gun at him. “I’m not payin’ you if the horse dies. Got that?”

They’d discuss the fee later, after Harry had been disarmed and Teague had a chance to examine the patient. He steered the Range Rover toward the smallest of the old sheds, remembering that it used to serve as the stables on Wallaroo. Besides that old shack on the border between Wallaroo and Kerry Creek, the stables had been one of their favorite meeting places, a spot where he and Hayley had spent many clandestine hours exploring the wonders of each other’s bodies.

Teague pulled the truck to a stop at the wide shed door, then grabbed his bag and hopped out. The shed was in worse condition than the house. “Hullo!” he shouted, wondering if there were any station hands about.

To his surprise, a female voice replied. “Back here. Last stall.”

He strode through the empty stable, each stall filled with moldering straw. A rat scurried in front of him and he stopped and watched as it wriggled through a hole in the wall. While the rodent startled him, it was nothing compared to the shock he felt when he stepped inside the stall.

Hayley Fraser knelt beside a horse lying on a fresh bed of straw. She was dressed in a flannel shirt and jeans, the toes of her boots peaking out beneath the ragged hems of her pant legs. They stared at each other for a long time, neither one of them able to speak. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, Teague thought, his mind racing. He’d always imagined they’d meet on a busy street or in a restaurant.

Suddenly, as if a switch had been flipped, she blinked and pointed to the horse. “It’s Molly,” she said, her voice wavering. “I’m pretty sure she has colic. I don’t know what else to do. I can’t get her up.”

Teague stepped past Hayley and bent down next to the animal. The mare was covered with sweat and her nostrils were flared. He stepped aside as the horse rolled, a sign that Hayley’s diagnosis was probably right. Teague stood and reached into the feed bin, grabbing a handful of grain and sniffing it. “Moldy,” he said, turning to Hayley.

“I got here last night,” she explained, peering into the grain bin. “When I came in this morning she was like this.”

“She might have an impaction. How long has she been down?”

“I don’t know,” Hayley said. “I found her like this at ten this morning.”

Teague drew a deep breath. Colic in horses was tricky to treat. It could either be cured in a matter of hours or it could kill the horse. “We need to get her up. I’ll give her some pain medication, then we’ll dose her with mineral oil and see if that helps.”

“What if it doesn’t?” Hayley asked. “What about surgery?”

Teague shook his head. “I can’t do surgery here. And the nearest equine surgical facility is at the university in Brisbane.”

“I don’t care what it costs,” she said, a desperate edge to her voice. “I don’t care if I need to charter a jet to fly her there. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

He chuckled softly at the notion of putting the horse on a jet. “We’ll cross that fence when we come to it,” Teague murmured. “Help me get her up.”

It took them a full ten minutes of tugging and prodding and slapping and shouting before Molly struggled to her feet, her eyes wild and her flanks trembling. The moment she got up, she made another move to go down and Teague shouted to distract her, slapping her on the chest and pushing her out of the stall.

He handed the lead to Hayley. “Keep her walking, don’t let her go down again. I’ve got to fetch some supplies.”

Teague ran toward the stable door, then glanced over his shoulder to see Hayley struggling with the mare. Thank God they had this to focus on, he mused. It was difficult enough seeing her again without demanding answers to his questions and explanations for her behavior.

He opened up the tailgate on the Range Rover and searched through the plastic bins until he found a bag of IV fluid, which he shoved in his jacket pocket. He took a vial of Banamine from the case of medication. Then he grabbed the rest of the supplies he needed—a hypodermic, IV tubing, a nasogastric tube and a jug of mineral oil—and put everything into a wooden crate. When he got back to the stable, he saw Hayley kneeling on the dirty concrete floor with Molly lying beside her.

She looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I couldn’t stop her. She just went down.”

Teague set the crate on a nearby bale of straw, then gently helped Hayley to her feet. In all the years he’d known her, he’d never seen Hayley cry. Not a single tear, not even when she’d fallen from her horse or scraped her knee. He’d never thought much about it until now, but it must have taken a great deal of strength to control her emotions for so long.

“Don’t worry,” he said, giving her hands a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll get her up.”

Then he brushed the pale hair from her eyes, his thumbs damp from her tears. It had been so long since he’d touched her, so many years since he’d looked into those eyes. But it seemed like only yesterday. All the old feelings were bubbling up inside him. His instinct to protect her had kicked in the moment he looked into her eyes and he found himself more worried about Hayley than the horse.

Teague didn’t bother to think about the consequences before kissing her. It was the right thing to do, a way to soothe her fears and stop her tears. He bent closer and touched his lips to hers, gently exploring with his tongue until she opened beneath the assault.

Cupping her face in his hands, he molded her mouth to his, stunned by the flood of desire racing through him. They were teenagers again, the two of them caught up in a heady mix of hormones they couldn’t control and emotions they didn’t understand.

He drew back and smiled. “Better?” Hayley nodded mutely and Teague looked down at the horse. “Then let’s get to work.”

It was as if the kiss had focused their thoughts and strengthened their bond. Though he wanted to kiss her again, he had professional duties to dispatch first. And saving Molly was more important than indulging in desire. They managed to get the horse on her feet again and pushed her up against a wall to keep her still as Teague inserted the IV catheter into her neck. Drawing out a measure of the painkiller, he injected it into the IV bag.

“There. She should start feeling a little better. Once she does, we’ll dose her with mineral oil. If it’s an impaction, that should help.”

They walked back and forth, the length of the stable, both of them holding on to Molly’s halter. At each turn, he took the time to glance over at her, letting his gaze linger.

Without all the slinky clothes and the fancy makeup and hair, she didn’t look anything like a television star. She looked exactly like the fresh-faced girl he used to kiss and touch, the first girl he’d ever had sex with and the last girl he’d ever loved. Teague clenched his free hand into a fist, fighting the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her again.

“So you got home yesterday,” he said.

Hayley nodded, continuing to stare straight ahead. He could read the wariness in her expression. If she was feeling half of what he was, then her heart was probably pounding and her mind spinning with the aftereffects of the kiss they’d shared.

“I’ve seen you on telly. You’ve become quite a good actress.” This brought a smile, a step in the right direction, Teague thought. “I heard you won some award?”

“A Logie award. And I didn’t win. I’ve been nominated three times. Haven’t won yet.”

“That’s good, though, right? Nominated is good. Better than not being nominated.”

“It’s a soap opera,” she said. “It’s not like I’m doing Shakespeare with the Royal Queensland.”

“But you could, if you wanted to, right?”

Hayley shook her head. “No, I don’t have any formal training. They hired me on Castle Cove because I looked like the part. Not because I could act.”

He wanted to ask why she had decided to run away from home. And why she hadn’t come to him as they’d always planned. Teague drew a deep breath, then stopped. Molly had settled down, her respiration now almost normal. “See, she’s feeling better,” he said, smoothing his palm over the horse’s muzzle. “That’s the thing with colic. One minute the horse is close to death and the next she’s on the mend. Have you ever twitched a horse?”

Hayley shook her head. “I don’t want you to do that. It will hurt her.”

“It looks painful, but it isn’t if it’s done properly. It’s going to release endorphins and it will relax Molly so she won’t fight the tube.”

“All right,” she said, nodding. “I trust you.”

Three simple words. I trust you. But they meant the world to him. After all that had happened between them, and all that hadn’t, maybe things weren’t so bad after all.

As they tended to Molly, they barely spoke, Teague calmly giving her instructions when needed. Hayley murmured softly to keep her calm, smoothing her hand along Molly’s neck. Once the mineral oil was pumped into the horse’s stomach, Teague removed the tube and the twitch and they began to walk her again.

“She is feeling better,” Hayley said. “I can see it already.” She looked over at him. “Thank you.”

Teague saw the tears swimming in her eyes again and he fought the urge to gather her into his arms and hold her. The mere thought of touching her was enough to send a flood of heat pulsing through his veins.

He’d kiss Hayley again, only this time it wouldn’t be to soothe her fears, but to make her remember how good it had been between them. And how good it could be again.

HAYLEY STARED OUT at the setting sun, her back resting against the side of the stable. A bale of straw served as a low bench. Teague sat beside her with his long legs crossed in front of him and his stockman’s hat pulled low to protect his eyes from the glare.

They’d spent the last hour walking Molly around the stable yard, and to Hayley’s great relief, the mare seemed to be recovering quite well. Hayley wanted to throw herself into Teague’s arms and kiss him silly with gratitude. But she knew doing that would only unleash feelings that had been buried for a very long time—feelings that could sweep them both into dangerous waters.

She’d already turned into an emotional wreck over Molly. Since she’d returned to Wallaroo, she’d rediscovered her emotional side. It had disappeared after her parents died, when she’d stubbornly refused to surrender to sorrow or pain. But in these familiar surroundings, her past had slowly come back and she’d found herself grieving, for her parents’ deaths, for her difficult adolescence and for her fractured relationship with Harry.

There was no telling what might happen if she and Teague revisited their past. With so many unresolved feelings, so many mistakes she’d made, she’d likely cry for days.

Now, it seemed so clear, his leaving. He’d been going off to university, starting his life away from home. But at the time she’d seen it as a betrayal, a desertion. Though she’d known he’d be back, Hayley’s insecurities had overwhelmed her without Teague to help hold them in check.

From the moment she’d met Teague, she’d found a home, a family and someone she could trust. She’d come to depend on him. He had been the only person who loved her, the only person who cared that she existed and suddenly he was gone. She’d been angry. And though she’d tried to tell herself she’d be all right on her own, she’d been terrified.

So she’d run, away from the place that held so many memories, away from the boy who might not want to return.

She snuck a glance at him. He’d grown into a handsome man. Working in television, she’d met a lot of good-looking blokes, but none of them possessed Teague’s raw masculinity. Teague Quinn was a flesh-and-blood man, seemingly unaware of the powerful effect he had on women.

“She looks almost frisky,” Teague commented, nodding toward the horse.

“I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you,” Hayley said.

“Don’t worry. I’m glad I could help. I know how much Molly means to you. I remember the day you got her.”

“My sixteenth birthday,” Hayley said. “My grandfather was never one for birthday celebrations. He’d shove money into my hand and tell me not to spend it on silly things. And then, he gave me Molly and I thought everything had changed.”

“You rode her over to Kerry Creek to show me. You looked so happy, I thought you’d burst. You immediately challenged me to a race.”

“Which I won, as I remember.”

“Which I let you win, since it was your birthday. You were such a wild child. Looking back, I wonder how you managed to survive to adulthood. Remember when you were determined to jump the gate near the shack? You were sure Molly could do it. You even bet me my new saddle against your Christmas money.”

“That wasn’t my finest hour,” Hayley admitted, wincing.

“She stopped dead and threw you right over the gate. It took a full minute for the dust to clear from your fall. And what about that time you decided to try bull riding?”

“Another embarrassing failure,” she said with a giggle. “But at least I tried. You didn’t.”

“You were crazy. But I thought you were the most exciting girl I’d ever seen. You were absolutely fearless.” He paused, then reached out and touched her face. “What’s going on here, Hayley?”

She turned away, staring out at the horizon. “What do you…I don’t know what you mean.” Was he talking about the kiss? About the attraction that they still obviously felt for each other?

“Look at this place. It’s a bloody mess. He’s feeding your horse moldy grain. And she doesn’t look like she’s been exercised or groomed in weeks. Your grandfather used to take such pride in the place.”

“I—I didn’t know it was getting this bad,” she said, grateful that she wouldn’t have to analyze the kiss. “I haven’t been home for three years. I thought Benny McKenzie was taking care of everything. I was sending money and they were cashing the checks. But then, I spoke to Daisy Willey last week and she told me Benny’s mother had taken sick and Benny had left to tend to her. He’s been gone a month. But this couldn’t have all happened in a month.”

“What about the other stockmen?”

“There are no others. My grandfather ran them all off. He thought they were lazy and not worth their pay. And when there was no one left to care for the stock, he sold it. Molly is the last animal on Wallaroo, besides the rabbits and kangaroos and dingoes.” She forced a smile. “I’m going to try to convince him to sell the station. Or maybe lease out the land. His health is bad, he’s still smoking and he hasn’t been to a doctor since I came to live on the station thirteen years ago.”

“You’re not going to get him off this station,” Teague said.

“I have to try,” she said, her voice tinged with resignation. “And if I succeed, I want you to take Molly and find her a good home.”

Teague nodded. “But until then, I’ll bring some decent feed from Kerry Creek when I stop by tomorrow to check on her.”

“You’re coming back?” Hayley asked, unable to ignore the rush of excitement that made her heart flutter. She’d see him again. And maybe this time, she wouldn’t be weeping uncontrollably.

“Follow-up visit,” he said. “It’s part of the service.”

Joy welled up inside her and Hayley couldn’t help but smile. Her arrival on Wallaroo had brought nothing but sorrow. And though she knew it would be best to get her grandfather off the station, she’d thought that selling the land would cut her last connection with the boy she’d once loved.

Now that connection was alive again. He was here with her, touching her and kissing her and making her feel as though they might be able to turn back the clock. “Thank you,” she said again.

“You need to exercise her,” Teague suggested. “Easy at first. A nice gentle walk. You could always ride out to the shack. That’s not too far.”

Surprised by the suggestion, Hayley couldn’t help but wonder if it was an invitation. The shack had been their secret meeting place when they were teenagers. The place where they’d discovered the pleasures of sex.

“Maybe I’ll do that.”

“I mean, I don’t know how long you’re planning to stay, but—”

“I don’t know, either,” Hayley said. “My plans are…flexible. A week or two, at least.”

This seemed to make him happy. He looked at his watch. “I really should go. Don’t feed her tonight. Just water. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She quickly stood up, wanting him to stay but unable to give him a good reason. “Tomorrow,” she repeated. Hayley glanced down, wincing inwardly. There were so many things she needed to say, but now didn’t seem like the right time. She looked up to find him staring at her. And then, acting purely on impulse, she pushed up onto her toes and kissed his cheek.

She slowly retreated, embarrassed that she’d shown him a hint of the emotions roiling inside her. But then, an instant later, Teague crushed her to his chest, his mouth coming down on hers in a desperate kiss.

In a heartbeat, her body came alive, her pulse quickening and her senses awash with desire. He was so familiar, and yet this was much more powerful than she’d remembered. Her knees wobbled but he was there to hold her.

They stumbled until she was pressed against the rough siding of the stable. His hands drifted lower, cupping her backside and pulling her hips against his. Hayley felt herself losing touch with reality. How many times had she dreamed of this moment? Over the years, she’d wondered what it might be like if they saw each other again. And now, the time had come and she wanted to remember every single second, every wild sensation.

Hayley clutched his shirt, fighting the urge to tear at the buttons. She wanted nothing more than to shed her clothes and allow him to have his way with her. She knew, just by the effects of his kiss, what he could do to her. It had been so long since she’d felt such unbridled passion. Was Teague the man she’d been waiting for all this time?

His palm slid beneath her shirt and up to her bare breast and she arched closer. Cupping her warm flesh, Teague ran his thumb over her nipple until it grew hard. God, it felt so good to have his hands on her body again. All the years between them seemed to drop away and the world was right again.

Hayley worked at the buttons of his shirt and when she pressed her hand against his chest, she could feel his heart pounding in a furious rhythm. “Make love to me,” she pleaded.

Her plea seemed to take him by surprise and he stepped back and stared down into her eyes, as if searching for proof that she’d spoken at all. She saw confusion mixed with his desire. Had she made a mistake? Had she moved too fast?

“Hayley! Where are you, girl?”

The sound of her grandfather’s voice shocked her into reality. She quickly straightened her clothes and brushed her hair from her eyes. “Here,” she called.

Teague reached for the buttons of his shirt as she turned to wait for her grandfather in the doorway of the stable. “We’re watching Molly,” she said with a bright smile. “She’s better. See?”

He stepped out into the late-afternoon sun, shading his eyes as he searched the paddock. His eyesight had been failing for years, yet he refused to get glasses. Sometimes his stubbornness was downright silly, she mused. At this moment, though, it was convenient. “Where’s that damn vet?”

“I’m here, sir.”

Hayley steeled herself for what she knew would be a litany of harsh words between them. A Quinn setting foot on Wallaroo was unthinkable. “Grandfather, I don’t think—”

“What’s your name, boy?” he demanded.

Teague glanced at Hayley, sending her a questioning look and she frowned. Hayley quickly cleared her throat, stunned that her grandfather hadn’t recognized Teague. “His name is Tom,” she said. “Tom Barrett.”

It was the name of one of the characters on Castle Cove, but her grandfather had never seen the program so there wasn’t much chance of him recognizing the name.

“Dr. Tom Barrett,” Teague said, holding out his hand.

“How much is this going to cost me, Dr. Tom Barrett?” her grandfather asked impatiently, ignoring Teague’s hand.

“Don’t worry, Harry,” Hayley replied. “I’ll pay for it. Molly is my horse. My responsibility.”

“Suit yourself,” the old man muttered. He squinted into the sun, then said something under his breath before turning and walking into the barn. Hayley released a tightly held breath. “He didn’t recognize you.”

“No,” Teague said. “Good thing, since he was waiting on the porch with a rifle when I arrived.”

She laughed softly, then shook her head. “I knew his eyesight was bad, but not that bad. For a second there, I thought I’d have to break up a fistfight.”

“I think I could have taken him,” Teague said. He slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. “Meet me tonight,” he said. “I’ll wait for you at the shack.”

“I’m not sure I remember how to get there.”

“There’ll be a moon.” He pointed toward the east paddock. “I’ll meet you right there at the far gate. Just like we used to. Nine o’clock. We’ll ride over together. Molly needs the exercise.”

Never mind what Molly needed, she thought to herself. Hayley needed the touch of Teague’s hands and the taste of his mouth, the feel of his body against hers. “What if I can’t get away?”

“It’s all right,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for almost ten years. Another night isn’t going to make much difference. ” With that, he kissed her again, only this time he lingered over her mouth, softly tempting her with his tongue.

A sigh slipped from her lips and Hayley lost herself in the sweet seduction. Every instinct she had cried out to surrender to him, to be completely and utterly uninhibited with her feelings. “Tonight,” Hayley said.

He stole one last kiss, then walked backward into the stable, a wide grin on his face. “I sure am glad to see you again, Hayley Fraser.”

At that moment, he looked like the boy she’d loved all those years ago. “Stop smiling at me,” she shouted, a familiar demand from their younger years.

“Why shouldn’t I smile? I like what I see.” He picked up his bag and the crate of supplies and continued his halfhearted retreat.

She rubbed her upper arms, her gaze still fixed on his. When he finally disappeared through the door on the opposite end of the stable, Hayley sighed softly. She’d never expected to feel this way again, like a lovesick teenager existing only for the moments she spent with him.

She knew exactly what would happen between them that night and she had no qualms about giving herself to Teague. Of all the men she’d dated, he was the only one she’d ever really loved. And though time and distance had come between them, they were together now. And she was going to take advantage of every moment they had.

2

“WHAT DO YOU WANT to drink?”

Teague glanced up from the plate that Mary had placed in front of him. “Whatever you’ve got,” he replied distractedly. “Beer is good.”

She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle, then twisted off the cap with the corner of her apron. Mary had been keeping house at the station for years, hired a few short weeks after Teague’s mother had decided that station life was not for her.

He took a long drink of the cold beer, then picked up his fork and dug in to the meal. Dinnertime at the station was determined by the sun. When it set, everyone ate. But Teague had missed the usual stampede of hungry jackaroos tonight. The return trip from Wallaroo had taken longer than he’d planned after he stopped to fix a broken gate.

“Where is everyone?” he asked.

Mary shrugged. “Brody took some dinner out to Payton earlier. And Callum and Gemma disappeared after they helped me with the dishes. They said they were going for a walk.” She sat down at the end of the table and picked up her magazine.

“Well?” Teague said. “Aren’t you going to offer your opinion? I’ve met them both and they seem perfectly lovely.”

She peered over the top of her magazine. “They add a bit of excitement to life on the station, I’ll give them that. At least for Brody and Cal.”

Teague chuckled. “Women will do that.”

Women could do a lot of things to an unsuspecting man. Since he’d left Hayley at Wallaroo, his thoughts had been focused intently on what had happened between them. He’d replayed all the very best moments in his head, over and over again. The instant that he’d first touched her. The kiss they’d shared. And then the headlong leap into intimacy. His fingers twitched as he thought about the firm warmth of her breast in his palm. “There’s nothing wrong with a little excitement every now and then, is there?”

“What about you?” Mary asked, slowly lowering the magazine. “Have you had any excitement in your life lately?”

Teague glanced up. “Excitement?” He chuckled softly. “Are you asking me if I’ve cleared the cobwebs in the recent past?” Though Mary had served as a mother figure to the three Quinn brothers, she was a bit of a stickybeak, insisting that she know all the relevant facts regarding their personal lives. “Not lately, but I’ll let you know if my fortunes change.”

She sighed. “I want to see you boys happy and settled.”

“Why?” he teased. “So you can get off this godforsaken station and have a life of your own?” Teague watched her smile fade slightly. Mary had always been such a fixture in their lives that they’d hardly considered she might want something beyond her job at the station.

He took another bite of his beef and potatoes, then grabbed a slice of bread and sopped up some of the gravy. “You know, I think it’s about time you had a little holiday. I’m going to talk to Callum about it. You could take a week or two and go visit your sister. Or go on a cruise. You could even rent a bungalow on the ocean. Get away from this lot of larrikins.”

She shook her head. “There are too many things to be done on the station this time of year. Besides, we have guests. There’s not a chance I’d leave those ladies to your care. Now, eat your dinner before it gets cold. My program is on in a few minutes.” She stood up and wiped her hands on her apron, then slipped it over her head and hung it across the back of her chair. “Are you going to watch Castle Cove with me tonight?”

Teague shook his head. “No, I thought I’d take a ride. There’s a full moon and I need to work off some excess energy.” He pushed away from the table, then wiped his mouth on his serviette and tossed it beside his plate.

“You barely ate any of your dinner,” Mary commented.

“I’m not hungry. Save it for me. I’ll eat later.” He pulled his saddlebags from the chair next to him, then crossed to the refrigerator. He’d already put the necessities—matches, bottled water, condoms—in the bags. He added a bottle of wine from the fridge and then tossed in a corkscrew from the drawer next to the sink. He and Hayley had never shared a drink before, but they were old enough now. Maybe she liked wine.

Mary arched an eyebrow. “Do you plan on doing some entertaining tonight?”

“No.”

She studied him for a time, then shook her head. “I heard Hayley’s back on Wallaroo. But then, I expect you know that already, don’t you?”

Teague shrugged, avoiding her glance. “I do. But how did you know?”

“I talked to Daisy Willey today. She called from the library to tell me my books had come in and she mentioned she’d heard Hayley was on her way home. Daisy’s cousin, Benny McKenzie, helps take care of the place for old man Fraser, and Benny had to leave to see to his sick mum. So Daisy told Hayley she might want to check up on her grandfather while Benny is gone. Hayley makes a regular donation to the book fund at the library, so she and Daisy keep in touch.”

“News travels fast,” Teague said.

“Take care,” she warned. “You know how your brothers feel about the Frasers. And with the lawsuit heating up again, you don’t want to be stuck in the middle. Why Harry Fraser is starting this all over, I don’t know.”

Teague suspected he knew. If Harry planned to sell Wallaroo, it would be much more valuable with that land attached. “Hayley doesn’t have anything to do with that mess,” he said. “The land dispute is between Callum and Harry. Besides, I’m a big boy. I know what I’m doing.”

“Like that time you did a backflip off the top rail of the stable fence and broke your wrist? As I remember, that was on a dare from Hayley Fraser.”

“I’m older now.” But not much wiser, Teague thought as he slung his saddlebags over his shoulder. He strode to the door and pushed it open, then stepped onto the porch.

He jogged down the steps and headed toward the stables. It was still early and the moon hadn’t come up, but he could find his way to the shack blindfolded. When he stepped inside the stable, he flipped on the overhead lights. A noise caught his attention and he squinted to see Callum and Gemma untangling themselves from an embrace.

Gemma tugged at the gaping front of her shirt and Callum pushed her behind him to allow her some privacy. “What are you doing out here?” Callum asked.

“I’m going for a ride.” Teague pulled his saddle and blanket from the rack and hauled it toward the paddock door. “Hey there, Gemma.”

“Hello, Teague.” She peeked around Callum’s shoulder and waved. “Nice night for a ride.”

He heard Callum mutter something beneath his breath and when he looked back, he saw his brother and Gemma making a quick exit from the stables.

Since the genealogist from Dublin had arrived, Callum had been besotted. Every free moment he could find away from running the station, he spent staring at Gemma. And Brody had brought home a girl of his own, Payton Harwell, a pretty American he’d met in a jail cell in Bilbarra.

Teague threw his saddle over the top of the gate, then whistled for his horse. A few seconds later, Tapper came trotting over, a sturdy chestnut gelding he’d been riding since he’d returned to the station a year ago. He held the horse’s bridle as he led it through the gate and into the stable.

It only took a few minutes to saddle his horse and when he was finished, he strapped his bedroll on the back of his saddle, then slipped his saddlebags beneath the bedroll. Every month that he’d been home on Kerry Creek, he’d taken a ride out to the shack. Occasionally, he’d spend the night, sleeping in the same bed where they’d first made love, remembering their sexual curiosity and experimentation.

At least he and Hayley still had a place where they wouldn’t be disturbed, a place that would conjure all the best memories. He pulled his horse around and gave it a gentle kick. It had been a long time since he’d felt this optimistic about a woman. And maybe it was silly to think they could return to the way things had been all those years ago. But he hoped they could start over.

As he rode into the darkness, Teague couldn’t help but wonder what the night might bring. Would they discuss their past or would they simply live for the moment and be satisfied with that?

HAYLEY STOOD beside Molly, slowly stroking the horse’s neck. She’d been waiting in the dark for ten minutes. And for every second of sheer, unadulterated excitement she felt, there was another of paralyzing doubt. Stay, go, wait, escape. She wanted to see Teague again, yet every shred of common sense told her she was setting herself up for heartbreak.

He’d called her fearless. But deep down, Hayley knew that wasn’t true. Her childhood bravado had been a way to hide her fears, to divert attention from everything that terrified her. Though she still felt the urge to challenge him, to dare him to prove his devotion to her, she knew better than to risk bodily injury to get his attention, the way she had as a teenager. The only part of her body in peril this time around was her heart.

Over the years, the crazy memories had faded and she’d been left with just Teague, sweet and protective, loyal to a fault. She’d tried to convince herself that they had shared nothing more than a teenage infatuation. They’d discovered sex together and, naturally, there had been a bond between them. But they would have gone their separate ways sooner or later.

Teague had been there to help her through the difficult times. She’d been so confused and angry when she’d arrived on Wallaroo. Her life had been nothing but chaos since the death of her parents, most of the upheaval caused by her rebellious behavior.

Harry had been her only living relative, since her mother was orphaned at a young age, as well. But Harry had refused to take her, and she’d ended up in a series of foster homes. All of them had been fine places, but she’d wanted to be with her grandfather. She’d been constructing a perfect life for the two of them in her mind and was determined to make it happen.

But when he’d finally given in and allowed her to stay at Wallaroo, Harry had wanted nothing to do with her. He was cold and dismissive, barely able to carry on a conversation with her. It had been Teague who had given her a reason to go on with her life, a reason to accept her circumstances and make a place for herself on her grandfather’s station—and in Teague’s heart.

That’s why his desertion had hurt so badly. For months before he’d left for university, she’d tried to tell herself their feelings were strong enough to survive their time apart. And then, after only a few weeks, he’d forgotten her. No letters, no calls. Every letter she’d written had gone unanswered.

Isolated as she was on Wallaroo, she’d assumed the worst of Teague. In the years that had passed after she’d left the station, she’d often wondered what had really happened. Maybe now she would find out the truth.

Hayley had wanted to go to him back then, to demand answers. She’d packed her meager belongings, said goodbye to Molly and hitchhiked as far as Sydney before she ran out of money. After a month there, she’d decided she didn’t need anyone to depend upon—or love. She could fend for herself. And in the end, that’s where she’d stayed, starting a new life, a life that didn’t include anyone who could possibly hurt her.

The sound of an approaching horse caught her attention and she stepped out from behind Molly and peered into the darkness. She held her breath as he came closer, wondering how long it would be before he kissed her again.

Teague maneuvered his horse up next to her, then held out his hand. It had been forever since they’d ridden together. It had been this way when they’d spent nights at the shack. They’d ride out on the same horse, Hayley’s body nestled against his so they could talk and touch on the ride home. A few hours before sunrise, Teague would return her to the gate.

He wove Molly’s reins through the leather strap on his bedroll, then settled Hayley in front of him. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he gave his horse a gentle kick and they started off at a slow walk.

For a long time, they didn’t speak. Hayley felt her heart slamming in her chest and she found it difficult to breathe with Teague so close. She focused her attention on the spot where his arm rested against her belly, shifting back and forth and creating a delicious friction as the horse swayed.

Even after all the time that had passed, this felt safe and comfortable and right. Hayley sighed softly and leaned against him. He nuzzled her neck and she tipped her head to the side to allow him more freedom. His mouth found a bare spot of skin.

Arching against him, Hayley wrapped her arm around his neck, drawing him closer. She was almost afraid to speak for fear she might break the spell that had fallen over her. There was no need to revisit past mistakes and dredge up old resentments. They were here, together, and that was enough.

Teague pressed his palm to her stomach, his fingers splaying across the soft fabric of her T-shirt. But as they continued their silent ride, he slipped his hand beneath her shirt to caress her breast. Hayley inwardly cursed her decision to put on her sexiest underwear. She wanted to feel the warm imprint of his hand on her flesh like she had that afternoon.

The night was chilly and the moon shone golden as it rose over the outback. She had lived so long in Sydney she’d forgotten how desolate it was on Wallaroo—and how incredibly beautiful.

By the time they reached the shack, the silence between them had become part of their growing desire. She didn’t need to speak. There’d be time for words later. Teague slid off the horse, then held out his hands for her. Grasping her waist, he held tight as she dropped to the ground. Her breath caught in her throat as he looked down into her eyes. She couldn’t read his expression in the dark, but the moonlight outlined his mouth and she fixed her gaze on it, waiting for him to make the first move.

He drew a slow breath, then reached down and ran his fingers through her hair. His lips met hers in a kiss so soft and sweet that it caused a lump in her throat. He took his time, drawing his tongue along the crease of her mouth, teasing until she allowed him to taste more deeply.

Her body pulsed with desire, a current racing through her bloodstream. She shuddered, anticipation nearly overwhelming her.

“Cold?”

Hayley shook her head.

“Scared?”

“Never,” she replied, her voice breathless. It was true. She had nothing to fear from Teague. Whatever happened between them, she could handle it.

He took her hand and tucked it inside his jacket, pressing her palm to his chest. “Nervous,” he whispered, a smile curling the corners of his mouth.

“It’s been a while,” she admitted. “For you, too?”

He nodded. Teague took his horse’s reins in his other hand and led Hayley toward the shack. He untied Molly’s reins and secured both horses to the hitching rail before grabbing his saddlebags. Then he took her hand and they walked up the steps. Hayley paused on the porch. If this shack looked anything like Wallaroo did, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go inside.

“It’s all right,” he said, opening the door.

Hayley waited as he lit an oil lamp. A wavering light filled the shack and she walked inside. Nothing had changed. It was exactly as it had been ten years before. She’d expected cobwebs and dust, but the interior was surprisingly tidy.

“I come out here every now and then and do a bit of housekeeping,” Teague said. He set his saddlebags on the small table in the center of the room. “I guess maybe I was hoping I’d find you here one day.” He pulled her into his arms. “And here you are.”

Teague pushed the door and it swung shut. He slowly drew her jacket down over her arms then tossed it aside. He shrugged out of his own jacket, letting it drop to the rough plank floor behind him.

When he paused, Hayley reached out and began to unbutton his shirt. She wouldn’t be satisfied until they both were naked and lying next to each other in the narrow bed against the wall. As soon as he saw what she wanted, Teague grabbed the hem of his shirt and yanked it over his head.

Hayley’s breath froze as she looked at his body in the soft light from the oil lamp. This was no boy. He was Teague, but a different Teague—tall, broad shouldered and finely muscled. Where he’d once had a dusting of hair on his chest, there was now a soft trail from his collarbone to the waistband of his jeans.

Her hand trembled as she smoothed her fingers over his torso. He reached for her T-shirt and pulled it over her head. His gaze immediately dropped to her breasts and he smiled, running his finger beneath the lacy edge of her bra. “Pretty,” he said. “I now have hair on my chest and you have expensive underwear.”

“I guess we really have grown up,” Hayley teased.

Slowly, they continued to undress each other, tossing aside items of clothing one by one. When he was left in his boxers and she in her panties and bra, they stopped. Years ago, she’d always been a bit apprehensive about getting completely naked. It was the only thing that made her feel vulnerable.

But Hayley wasn’t a girl anymore. And she wanted to show Teague she was ready to make love to him as a woman, completely free and uninhibited. She reached back and unhooked her bra, then let it slide down her arms. Catching her thumbs in the lacy waistband of her panties, she pulled them down over her hips. Then, without hesitating, she reached over and skimmed his boxers down, his erection springing upright as the waistband passed over his groin.

Hayley straightened and let her eyes drift over his body, taking in all the details. Teague had been a lanky young man, but now he was a fully formed male, with a body that would make any woman weak in the knees.

“God, you are beautiful,” he murmured, reaching out to run his hand over her shoulder. “But then, you always were.”

“We’ve both changed,” she said.

“One thing hasn’t changed,” Teague countered. “I still want you as much as I did the first time we made love.”

“And I want you,” she said.

Teague pulled her against him, soft flesh meeting hard muscle. He was so much taller now, and stronger, and she was surprised by how fiercely he took control. But this was still Teague, still sweet and gentle as he laid her on the bed, then stretched out beside her.

How many times had she fantasized about this? And it had always been the same, the two of them, here in this place, lying naked in each other’s arms. Now that her fantasy had come true, she didn’t want it to end. Was it possible for the scene to play out again and again, not in her head, but in a brand-new reality?

THE SENSATION OF Hayley’s skin meeting his set Teague’s desire ablaze. Though he’d often thought back to their times together, he hadn’t remembered feeling this incredible. Her skin was silk, her scent like an exotic aphrodisiac. And her body was made to be slowly explored.

Making love with her now would be different from when they were teenagers. They’d both had other partners, and experience was always the best teacher. He stretched out above her, bracing his weight on his hands as he kissed her. But he was like a man parched with thirst. There had been no other women for him, not like Hayley. Desire had been fleeting, something easily satisfied by a one-night stand. But this was much more. As their mouths met again and again, teasing, tasting, he challenged her to surrender.

Her hands smoothed over his face, and every time he drew back, her eyes met his. There was no doubt about what she wanted. Desire suffused her expression, from her damp mouth to her half-closed eyes.

Teague slowly moved his hips and the friction of his cock against her belly sent currents of pleasure shooting through his body. He was hard and ready and longing for the moment when he’d bury himself inside her. But there was no telling how he might react. It felt like the first time, as if every sensation were multiplied a thousand times over. And if he responded as he had that night so long ago, it would be over before it really began.

Her hands drifted down his chest, then grasped his hips, pulling him into each stroke. She moved beneath him, twisting and arching, deliberately taunting him with what she offered. He wanted to take it, right then and there. But Teague fought the impulse and slowly slid down over her body.

The bed was narrow, not made for full-scale seduction. In the end, he knelt beside it, his lips trailing kisses from her belly to her thighs. Everything about her was perfect. This was his Hayley, the girl who had owned his heart for all those years. And yet, she was something more now. She was a woman who had the capacity to break that heart all over again.

Teague didn’t care. He didn’t care if she disappeared from his life tomorrow. Tonight was all he needed. It was a perfect ending, a way to close the book on all the questions. He would be satisfied and he’d sure as hell make certain she was, too.

Hayley’s fingers tangled in his hair as he continued to explore her body with his lips and his tongue. He waited, wanting her to guide him. And when she did, when she drew him to the spot between her legs, Teague didn’t hesitate.

He knew exactly how to make a woman writhe with pleasure, how to bring her close to release and then draw her away from the edge. She moaned and whimpered as he took her there, controlling her pleasure with each flick of his tongue.

But Hayley was impatient with the teasing, and every time he slowed his pace, she tightened her grip on his hair. The pain only added to his need to possess her. Teague brought her close one more time, then slid up along her body.

He was breathless now, his need driving him to seek her warmth. She reached down between them to stroke his cock and Teague held his breath, determined to maintain control. He knew he’d have to retrieve a condom, but her touch felt so good that he didn’t want her to stop.

She rolled on top of him, her fingers still firmly wrapped around his shaft, then straddled his thighs. Teague watched her as she bent over and placed a kiss on his belly. As she moved up his chest, his fingers tangled in her hair and he relaxed, grateful for the respite.

Yet Hayley wasn’t about to stop. She was damp from his tongue and when she shifted above him, he found himself suddenly buried inside her. A tiny gasp slipped from her lips and Teague clutched at her hips, determined to stop her.

He should have known better. When Hayley wanted something, anything, there was nothing that could stand in her way, safety be damned. And it was obvious what she wanted. “Should we stop?” he whispered. “I brought condoms.”

“It’s all right,” she said. “I’m on the pill. And you’re the only person I’ve ever had unprotected sex with.”

He smiled. “So are you. We’re safe, then.”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she began to move above him. Hayley braced her hands on his chest, her hair tumbling around her face as she focused on her need. Her eyes were closed and a tiny smile curled the corners of her mouth. Teague watched her, taking in the sheer beauty of her face and body. It was as if she’d been made purely for his eyes. Everything about her was perfect.

Hayley slowed her rhythm, then rose on her knees, until the connection between them was nearly broken. Then she opened her eyes and moaned as she slowly, exquisitely impaled herself once again. The sensation was more than he could handle and Teague felt himself nearing the edge.

She bent down and kissed him as she repeated the motion. He tried to stop her, holding tight to her hips, but she brushed his hands away, grabbing his wrists and pinning them above his head.

It was no use, Teague mused. She was in control and he had no choice but to enjoy it completely. Her breasts brushed against his chest and he found himself lost in the feeling. He refused to close his eyes, to shut himself off from her beauty.

As Hayley began to increase her rhythm, he knew she was close. He knew her body, her reactions, probably better than she knew herself. He’d taught her how to surrender, how to let go of her inhibitions and fears and experience her first orgasm. The signs were still there—her brow knitted and her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

Teague concentrated on her face, allowing himself to move as she did, closer and closer to the edge. He wanted to share in her release and when the first spasm hit her, he was ready.

She came down on him hard, arching her back as the shudders rocked her body and crying out in pleasure. It came just as quickly to Teague and he grasped her hips as he exploded inside her. He tried to maintain a grip on reality, but the sensation was too overwhelming.

He’d made love to a lot of women since Hayley, but there was something about being with her that seemed to go beyond mere physical gratification. When he was inside her, he felt a connection deeper than shared pleasure and mutual passion. It was like a silent promise between them, that this intensity, this release, bound them together forever.

It had been nearly ten years since they’d made love, with almost as many lovers in between, but here with her again, time seemed to drop away. He pulled her down beside him and ran his fingers through her hair. Hayley kissed him, still breathless, her face flushed and her lips pliant.

“I guess it’s true what they say,” she whispered. “It’s just like riding a bike. You never forget how to do it.”

3

HAYLEY SNUGGLED into the warmth, floating between sleep and consciousness. She opened her eyes, waiting for her vision to clear before completely comprehending where she was.

It all returned to her in a rush, his body, his touch, the feel of Teague moving inside her. And then the overwhelming pleasure of her release. She had wondered what it might be like between them, now that they were both more experienced. But she’d never anticipated the earth-shattering encounter that they’d shared tonight.

How had she ever believed it would just be sex between them? She’d known her desire for Teague was undeniable, something so powerful it had to be satisfied. But she’d been so sure that, once sated, she’d be able to walk away. After all, they no longer loved each other. And without an emotional attachment, sex should be sex and nothing more. That’s how she’d approached all the men in her life since Teague—they were useful for physical gratification, but she wasn’t interested in emotional attachments.

Yet now that she was here, all she wanted to do was stay safe in Teague’s arms and in his bed. Hayley drew a shaky breath. This was not the smart choice, she reminded herself. It had taken her years to forget him, or at least put him out of her day-to-day thoughts. And now she’d be forced to fight that battle all over again.

It would be so easy to depend upon Teague, to believe that he’d always be there for her. But they lived completely separate lives now, with miles between them, both physically and emotionally. And the only person she could truly depend upon was herself.

Hayley pushed up on her elbow and stared down into his face in the dim light from the lantern. If she concentrated hard enough, she could push aside her memories of the boy she’d loved and see the man capable of breaking her heart. She was stronger now, independent and in charge of her own life. She had a career and plenty of money to assure her security. Everyone told her she had a future in films. There would be no time for a man in her life.

But all the money and fame in the world could never feel like this, Hayley thought—the pure exhilaration and freedom of being herself, the Hayley she’d been before her role on Castle Cove had made her a celebrity. She picked up the edge of the blanket and, holding her breath, slipped out of bed.

The early-morning air was chilly against her naked skin as she tiptoed around the shack retrieving her clothes. The sun was already brightening the eastern horizon and if she wasn’t back at the house by the time her grandfather got up, he’d come looking for her.

Hayley dressed quietly, watching Teague as she pulled on her clothes and stepped into her boots. She fought the urge to wake him and kiss him goodbye before she left. But she wasn’t sure what to say to him. Perhaps it was better to let this settle in before trying to explain it all.

Shrugging into her jacket, she turned for the door. Molly was tied to the rail next to Teague’s horse. She unwrapped the reins, then swung up into the saddle, gently wheeling Molly around and pointing her toward Wallaroo.

Hayley drew a deep breath. Though she enjoyed living in Sydney, there were times when she missed the solitude of the outback. The air smelled sweeter and the sun shone brighter on Wallaroo. Though she’d run away from this place, she still considered the station home.

Hayley glanced over her shoulder, taking one last look at the shack, then prodded Molly into a slow gallop. The horse’s step was quick and energetic and Hayley was amazed at how Molly’s circumstances had changed from the day before. Once again, Teague had been there to save her from certain disaster, to set things right and to make her happy.

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