Coming Home (15 page)

"Rooney." He
stood looking down at her, his tall frame towering over her petite height.
"Heard you were back in town." Stevie stood with his hands on his hips,
watching her with dark brooding eyes.

"Yes, Father died
and we had to come back, but you probably knew that anyway." Her voice
came out in a squeak and she took a deep breath before saying anything else.
"I see you’ve done well for yourself."

"Well it was kind
of overdue, wasn't it? Either join them or get on the wrong side of the
law." He looked at her lips and clenched his together.

"What did you
want, Stevie?"
Please leave, before I dig by hands into your shirt and
pull you inside.

"Just to check up
on you. I'm sorry about your father."

"No you're not. He
was a bastard to you." She coughed and cleared her throat. "I hear he
gave you a belting too when I left home."

Stevie threw his head
back and laughed, digging his hands into his back pockets. "You could say
that." He looked back at her, his gaze travelling the length of her body.
"I guess I deserved it, although at the time I didn't think so."

Rooney kept silent and
watched the emotions race across his face.

"Why didn't you
tell me you were going, Rooney?"

"Let it go,
Stevie. What's past is past and I want it to stay that way." She swallowed
and looked down, finding it hard to look into his face.

He turned and walked a
few paces before turning back. "I might not be the kid I was when you left
but nothing’s has changed for me, Rooney, nothing at all. See you around."
He walked to the unmarked police car and got in, slamming the door behind him.

Rooney watched him peel
away, spraying gravel as he left. She slid down the door frame to sit on the
step. Her breath came in small gasps and her heart was pounding.
Nothing had
changed for him. Does that mean he still loves me after all this time? Oh my
God, what am I going to do? I should have told him. Damn it, Rooney, you’re
such an idiot.

She sat clutching her
arms around her stomach while different scenarios ran through her head. Stevie
would be bitter that she hadn't told him, Rooney could see that. It was her
decision to cut all ties with home when she left, including those with the
boyfriend who hadn't stood up for her. Although he didn't get off scot free as
she had thought, he still had a lot to answer for. If he’d been a man at the
time, their lives would be so different now.

No point in crying over
what might have been. I have a life now and a child to provide for. I'll tell
him when I can do it without breaking down.

Rooney wiped her face
and realised she was crying. She grabbed a tissue from her pocket and blew her
nose before standing up. It was time she left, Tam would be getting worried.
Taking a quick look around, she grabbed her car keys and clicked the lock on
the door before pulling it closed behind her.

On the drive home,
Rooney argued with herself. Too tired to even think it through rationally, she
gave up and concentrated on planning her new business schedule instead.

Russ pulled up outside
the small Victorian cottage on the outskirts of Singleton ten minutes early to
pick up Elizabeth for their date. He glanced over the wrought iron fence at the
small manicured garden. He could imagine her living in something like this. It
was neat and tidy, everything in its place.

He hoped she approved
of the restaurant he was taking her to. It was small and cosy, close to home
and not over the top pretentious. She hadn’t wanted a fuss. Happy to have her
company for the night, Russ had agreed and booked at the Italian restaurant.

Before he could open
his door, she appeared in the small garden. Russ smiled and got out of the car,
walking over to meet her at the front gate. The simple dark blue dress hugged
her curves and accentuated her long legs. Her throat was bare and the front of
the dress dipped to a point between her breasts. "You look lovely tonight,
Elizabeth."

A blush raced up her
cheeks and she smiled. "Thank you."

Russ opened the gate
and took her hand, walking her to the car. He opened the door and waited until
Elizabeth was settled before closing it again. When he slid into his seat and
started the car, she looked over at him. "Thank you for taking me out.
I've been looking forward to it."

"I hope you like
the restaurant I've booked. La Casa, the small Italian place in town. You did
say somewhere nice and not over the top if I recall, Elizabeth." He
indicated and pulled the car out into the road.

"Call me Lizzie
please." She smiled.

His fingers ached to
touch the smooth line of her neck. To trace the length to her collar bone where
he imagined the skin was as smooth as it looked. Russ gripped the steering
wheel and kept his gaze on the road ahead. He pulled up at the restaurant into
a parking spot out front. Before Lizzie could open her door, he was there to
help her.

She took the hand he
offered to help her out of the car and then withdrew it when she stood. "Thank
you. It's rather refreshing to find there are still a few gentlemen left in the
world."

"My father
wouldn't have it any other way. We grew up opening doors for my mother and any
other ladies we met along the way. Heaven forbid if we slacked off and forgot."

"Why, what
happened if you did?"

"My father
believed in punishment and not behaving like he expected us to would often mean
the cane." He smiled and guided her into the restaurant. They stood
waiting at the reception desk for their table until the waiter noticed them.
"Table for Williams."

"Follow me, Doctor
Williams."

Russ walked behind
Lizzie as they were shown to a quiet corner of the restaurant. When they were
seated, the waiter handed them menus and took their drink order. Finally, they
were alone.

"Where did you
grow up, Lizzie?" Russ raised his glass of wine and took a sip, savouring
the smooth red liquid.

"Sydney.
Paddington to be exact. My parents were both in medical research. They spent
their life looking through microscopes and writing about their findings."
She looked down and made patterns on the tablecloth with her finger.

"Do I detect a
note of disdain there?"

"Not really. They
were great parents. I guess I had it better than most. At least we were a
family." She smiled and her whole face lit up when her gaze met his.
"Tell me about you. I bet you had a great childhood."

"Well, I was born
here but you probably know that."

A small twitch curved
the her lips more. "I actually don't really know much about you at all. I
told you I don't listen to gossip but if I did, I somehow doubt they would get
it right."

"Fair comment. My
parents owned a farm just outside Lorn. It's a beautiful property that’s been
handed down over generations. Full of history and the perfect place for
children to grow up. I have one brother, Cade who is a football star and a
sister, Rooney. She’s a vet and opening her own practice soon. She has a
daughter, Tamara."

The waiter arrived with
their entree and Russ stopped talking until he’d served them before continuing.

"My mother was the
kind of person who encouraged us no matter what we wanted to be when we grew
up. Sadly, my father was cut from a different cloth and wanted us to follow in
his footsteps and continue the farm. He stipulated in his will that we all live
on the property or it goes to the state. So here I am." He speared a piece
of prosciutto and popped it into his mouth. Chewing slowly, he groaned in
pleasure. "That’s just perfect. How is yours, Lizzie?"

"It's lovely,
thanks. So, your brother, would I know him?"

"Depends if you’re
a footy fan, I suppose. Cade Williams, plays for the Sydney Gulls."

"It's actually my
guilty pleasure, Saturday night football." She frowned. "Just a
minute, wasn't he injured a couple of weeks ago?"

Russ looked at her, hoping
this wasn't going the way it used to when he dated a girl and they found out
who his brother was. "Yes, he was."

"That’s such a
shame. I do hope he’s going to be alright although from my take on things, I
somehow doubt it. The news reported a suspected medial collateral ligament, not
sure if it’s torn or not though. Could be a career ending injury." She
gave him a puzzled look. "Don't you know what happened?"

"No. I don't watch
sport much, too busy working and Cade hasn't told me what the damage is. It's
kind of a touchy subject with him."

"That's
understandable." Lizzie cleaned up the remains of her entree and sat back
with a smile on her face. "That was pretty special."

"This was one of
my mother's favourite restaurants when she could drag my father away from his
work."

"So, tell me more
about yourself. Do you prefer cats or dogs?" Russ smiled at the shocked
look on her face. "Come on Lizzie, I won't ask you anything you can't ask
me. I think it would be nice to get to know each other a bit better." He
held his breath while she pondered his suggestion. Russ was attracted to her
but that didn't mean he wanted to make anther commitment just yet. "Look
at it like this, we work together, we can be friends. No strings, Lizzie, I
promise. Not yet."

After waiting for what
seemed far too long, Lizzie spoke. "Cats."

"Chocolate or
cheese?"

She laughed. "Can
I have both please?"

"Silver service or
back yard barbeque?"

"You will think
I'm rude if I say back yard barbeque. But I'm really enjoying being here tonight
too." She rested her elbows on the table and cupped her chin with her
hands.

"I am too. I may
as well tell you, my divorce papers are barely dry. One of the reasons I moved
back home to a small town. I needed a change of pace and time to get my head around
being single again. I promise I won't rush you, Lizzie, but I would like to get
to know you much better."

Her mouth opened and
Russ watched the small pink tip of her tongue trace her bottom lip. She
swallowed before speaking again.

"So, Russ. Cats or
dogs?"

Russ managed to get
more out of Lizzie than he’d hoped. She’d loosened up after a couple of glasses
of wine and relaxed.

When he took her home,
they stood on the front porch talking. "I'd better go in," Lizzie
said. "It's way past time I was asleep."

Russ cupped her chin in
his hand and lifted her face up to his. Her eyes closed and he dipped his head
touching her lips with barely a breath between them. She parted her lips with a
soft sigh and gripped his arms as she fell into him. Lizzie groaned and Russ
slid his arms around her waist holding her firmly against his chest.

With a passion he
didn't expect, she ramped up the kiss leaving him shaky at the knees with lust.
When she unexpectedly pulled back, Russ was left with an dull ache in his
stomach.

"I'm sorry. I
don't know what came over me." Her cheeks were red and she couldn't meet
his gaze.

"No, I have to
apologise. I said I wouldn't rush you and I'm afraid I did." He smiled and
stepped back. "Thank you for a wonderful evening, Lizzie. We'll have to do
it again sometime soon." He squeezed her hand and walked away, leaving her
standing on the veranda watching him.

He risked a glance her
way as he drove off. She stood where he’d left her, a look of regret on her
face.

On the way home, Russ
debated with himself about what he thought was the right move. If he’d stayed
any longer, it would’ve been difficult to leave. Lizzie was different. She gave
the appearance of being self-assured as one in a position as she was, but he
wondered if it was a front she used to keep people especially men, at arm's
length. The way she had reacted to his kiss goodnight made him think there was
more to her than she said. He aimed to find out more about Nurse Lizzie
Stanley.

When he drove up to the
house, the lights were still on, sparkling against the cloudless night. Russ
parked his car and walked up the yard from the barn, used to the track from the
many nights of being outside after lights out.

"So Romeo
returns." Cade sat in the back garden on a stone bench under a Jacaranda
tree. "Good date, brother?" He slurred and lifted the bottle to his
lips, taking a long drink.

"Yes I did,
thanks." Russ stopped in front of his brother. "So what is it this
time, a celebration or just your normal drinking to deal with life?"

"Fuck off, Russ.
You have no idea what's going on in my life."

"So tell me then.
You aren't doing yourself any favours getting drunk every night, mate."

"Why don't you
mind your own bloody business, brother?" Cade glared at him before taking
another swig from the bottle. "I can drink when I want to."

"Is there
something you want to talk about, Cade? Maybe what's happening with your leg?
So far you haven't said anything."