Annie And The Cowboy (Western Night Series 3) (87 page)

“I’m sorry if I have been less than welcoming to you. I just don’t express myself well,” Jared said, guilt washing over him at the confusion he saw in her eyes. Emily smiled and stroked his cheek.

“I think you just expressed yourself
very
well,” she teased. Jared smiled at her, feeling true happiness fill him. Emily sucked in a sharp breath at the sight. If he was stunning before, he was breathtaking when he smiled. He had two dimples she never noticed and it lit up his face like he was the sun itself.

“Are you hungry?” Jared asked, brushing her still damp hair behind her ear. Emily nodded.

“Starved,” she said. Jared laughed and rolled onto his back.

“Let me shower and then I can fix us some dinner,” he offered. Emily nodded and began looking for her clothes to get dressed. Jared got off the bed and watched her start to pull her pants up.

“You, could also shower with me?” He asked, a little hesitant at the boldness. Emily looked up at him and let her pants drop back to the ground.

“I did get a little sweaty. Maybe it would be a good idea.” She said mischievously, following him to the bathroom.

***

“Where is she? Is she here? Is she crazy?” Sherry said, bursting into the kitchen the following morning. Jared rolled his eyes and flipped the pancakes on the griddle.

“Yes, she’s here. No, she’s not crazy. She’ll be out soon, she’s just getting dressed,” he answered, pulling the cooked pancakes off the stove and flipping them onto a plate. Sherry nodded, still searching his house for signs of the woman.

“So what do you think?” She whispered. Jared smiled, his thoughts going back to the night he had spent with her in his arms. He’d never felt so close to someone before. They didn’t need words to communicate; it was as if her body alone understood him completely.

“I think we need to plan for a wedding,” he said. Sherry gasped, noticing the large smile on his face.

“You love her!” She said accusingly. Just then, Emily appeared in the kitchen. Jared felt a blush come to his face and looked away. Emily couldn’t contain her smile from the brief dialogue she had overheard but didn’t want to make it more awkward for him.

“How’s Sunday for the wedding?” She asked, sitting down at the table. Sherry smiled at her and turned to her brother, waiting for his answer. Jared handed Emily a plate and shrugged.

“How’s tomorrow?” He countered with a large grin.

THE END

BONUS BOOK 5

Alone With A Cowboy

Mail Order Bride

By: Avril Adams

Alone With A Cowboy

Kate idly stared out the window of her office, watching the people below mill about on the street. She swivelled in her chair, playing with a pen when her boss came in.

“
Kate! I have an assignment for you
,”
she proudly declared. Kate promptly spun around to face her boss and smiled.

“
You do? Tha
t’
s great! What is it
?”
she eagerly asked, leaning forward. She had
n’
t had an assignment for four days now and she was starting to get desperate. Sh
e’
d even consider covering a toddle
r’
s fashion show! Her middle-aged boss returned her smile and handed her a large envelope. Kate took it and frowned in concentration as she flipped through it. The packet was filled with weather charts and satellite pictures of the surrounding outback areas. Kate looked up at her boss and gave her a questioning look.

“
What is all this
?”
She asked, gesturing at the packet. Her boss crossed her arms and smiled at her.

“
This
is your assignment. Remember those cyclones that hit back in February
?”
She asked. Kate nodded and frowned in confusion.

“
Ye
s…
but what do you want me to do?
I’
m no meteorologist
!”
Kate said. Her boss chuckled and waved her off.

“
I know that dear. Your assignment is to go check on the areas around Darwin where one of the cyclones hit. Entire villages had to be evacuated. I
t’
ll be good to check in on the progress. How the repairs  are coming; what damage was done to the land, the people? Anything and everything
.”
Her boss explained. Kate nodded, her excitement falling and turning to anxiety.

“
Okay, great. I can do that. When should I leave
?”
She asked, hoping that she had at least a day to pack and prepare. Sh
e’
d always been a city girl and while sh
e’
d traveled to Darwin before, she stayed in the city and hadn't trekked into the outback. Unfortunately for her, the villages that had been hit by the cyclone were all east of the cit
y—
some were even remote islands off the coast. Was she expected to travel to those, too?

“
I already booked your flight to Darwin. You leave this evening at five
o’
clock. Make sure you pack sensibly
,”
her boss advised, walking out of her office. Kate watched her go, her face twisting into one of hesitation and a little bit of disgust. She did
n’
t want to go trekking around the outback. That was no place for a city girl like her. She sighed and glanced over at the clock on her desk. It was ten AM, which gave her plenty of time before she needed to be at the airport for her flight. She started to flip through the envelope, reading through the details to get more information about what her boss wanted her to do. She was aware of the cyclones that had hit, they really had done damage along the Queensland territory and she had read the stories that their news station reported about the damage and displaced people. That did
n’
t mean she desired to travel to those places. Judging by the footage her colleagues had captured, seven months was not enough time to restore the landscape.

She read through the previously published articles about how roads had been closed and Elcho Island had been without power or water. She groaned and continued reading. It was horrible what the storm had done to these territories, and it would make an excellent follow-up story, but her gut was twisting with apprehension and fear at the thought of going out there.
I
t’
s not like i
t’
s about to be hit by another cyclone.
I’
m sure the
y’
ve had substantial repairs in the last seven months. Yo
u’
ll be fine!
She told herself. Letting out a deep breath she turned to her computer and pulled up a search engine. Still, just in case, it might not hurt to have someone a bit more experienced with her. She scrolled through the options of guides until she found one that seemed promising. Picking up her phone, she dialled the number listed and waited for someone to pick up.

“
Darwin Private Tour Guides, how can I help you
?”
An elderly voice answered.

“
Hello, my name is Katherine Porter and I am a journalist with  the Sydney Daily Press. I will be traveling to Darwin and cities east of there for a report on the continual damage of Cyclone Lam.
I’
m hoping to reserve a local guide who will be able to take me through the city and outer territory
.”
Kate explained. The woman on the other line crooned and she could practically hear the excitement in her voice.

“
Oooh, yes. That was a nasty storm, it really did a number on the buildings and roads out this way. What days are you going to be coming out, dearie
?”
She asked. Kat
e’
s shoulders dropped in relief. This might be easier than she thought. With a guide, she could be in and out in no time. Get the story, get back home, and get it published.

“I’
m flying out tonight.
I’
m hoping to get started in the morning. Wha
t’
s your availability like for tomorrow through Sunday
?”
She asked. The older woman made a distressed sound and Kate could hear her furiously clicking on her computer.

“
Oh, so soon. We do
n’
t typically have availabilities that sudden. We usually request at least two week
s’
notice in order to find a local
.”
The woman told her. Kate sighed and tried to think of what to do. It was doubtful another company would be different unless she went with an actual tourist group. But that would
n’
t take her where she needed to go and would be a waste of time.

“
I understand and
I’
m sorry for the short notice. I contacted you as soon as I was given the assignment. Would you mind checking, though?
I’
d love to be able to give your small company a shout out in the article for all your wonderful assistance
.”
Kate said, hoping to trigger some pride in the woman.

“
Oh. Mention us in the article? Well, hm
m…
let me see what I can do. Do you mind if I put you on hold for a moment
?”
The woman asked. Kate smiled to herself and resisted the urge to cheer.

“
Not at all, take your time. I appreciate you looking into this for me
,”
she said politely. The woman put her on hold. Kate listened to the dull music play on the other end while she propped her feet up on her desk and went back to twirling her pen. She gazed out the window again and felt her chest constrict. For the next four days she was going to be looking at an environment very unfamiliar to her.

“
Ms. Porter
?”
The older woman said, picking the line back up. Kate dropped her feet and sat up straighter.

“
Yes,
I’
m still here
.”
She said. The woman seemed to hesitate a moment and fear started to fill Kat
e’
s belly. If she could
n’
t get a guide with this woman she was just going to have to keep calling.

“
So, I checked for you and I do have one possible guide available
,”
the woman said. Kate closed her eyes and let out a relieved breath. She silently mouthe
d“
thank
s”
to the universe and uncapped her pen.

“
Excellent! And this guide will be available for all four days
?”
Kate asked excitedly, ready to write down the details. The woman hesitated again and Kate frowned, wondering what was wrong.

“
Ye
s…
he is
,”
she said finally. Kate pursed her lips and leaned back in her chair.

“
But
?”
She prompted. The woman let out a guilty breath and paused.

“
But, w
e’
ve had some complaints about him before. He has a specific way that he likes to do things and he can rub people the wrong way
,”
she said. Kate tapped her pen against her desk and her eyes flicked to the report lying beside her. She picked up the first page and looked at the demolished buildings and landscape and cringed.

“
Tha
t’
s fine. I can handle it. When will I be able to meet with him
?”
She asked. Unpleasant or not, he was going to be her best chance for getting this story done. Hopefully, he would
n’
t be so brash with her. Who knows, maybe his complaints were
n’
t all that bad and the other woman was just being overly cautious since Kate was from the Newspaper.

“
His name is Lucas Johnston. He can meet you at eight AM sharp at our facility in Darwin. Would that work for you
?”
She asked. Kate let out a breath and looked over at her clock. That was
n’
t going to give her a whole lot of time but it was going to have to do.

“
Yes, tha
t’
ll be fine.
I’
ll see him tomorrow morning at eight AM
.”
She confirmed, writing down his name.

***

Kate arrived at a quaint little store front and looked around. She was running on only five hours of sleep but had made it: eight
o’
clock sharp. She looked around at all the other store fronts which were desolate at this hour. Not seeing signs of Mr Johnston waiting for her outside, she decided to check inside the store. Walking in, she took off her sunglasses and scanned the empty waiting room.

“
Hello
?”
She called out. She heard something shuffling around in a back room and a little old woman came out. Her white hair was fluffy and she wore glasses with a beaded chain attached to them around her neck. Kate smiled at her and gave an awkward wave. This must be the same woman she had spoken to over the phone.

“
Oh good morning, dear. Are you Katherine
?”
She asked, taking a seat at the desk up front and brushing crumbs from the pastry she had in her hand off her blouse. Kate smiled and nodded.

“
Yes, but you can call me Kate.
I’
m here to meet Mr. Johnston, has he arrived
?”
She asked, looking around again for the sign of another person. The older woma
n’
s face blanched and she stood up from her seat instantly.

“
Oh dear, you did
n’
t get the message
?”
She asked, walking over to Kate with frantic little steps. Kate frowned and shook her head.

“
No, what message
?”
She asked. The woma
n’
s face looked horrified and she glanced over Kat
e’
s shoulder. Kate looked over her shoulder just as the door opened and a tall, broad shouldered man stepped in. His face was tanned from hours spent outside and his grey t-shirt looked worn, as if it had seen one too many adventures. He had a black, oilskin outback hat on and pulled down low over his face but she could still make out his wide grin and sharp, dark brown eyes. She turned all the way around and regarded him completely, noticing his long, chocolate brown hair was tied back at the base of his neck with a piece of twine and his cargo pants were as battered as his shirt.

“
Are you Mr. Johnston
?”
Kate asked, eyeing the roguish man up and down. He just raised an eyebrow at her and did the same. Kate suddenly felt very self-conscious with his piercing eyes taking her in and hoped she was dressed appropriately. She glanced down at her tan coloured denim pants, her dark green tank top and light pink button-up shirt. She even bought boots for the occasion and all the articles she had read advised against shorts in case she would be traversing in tall grass. She looked back up at him and he just smirked at her.

“
Yo
u’
re late
,”
he said plainly. Kate squared her shoulders and gave him a disapproving look.