Moonlight Plains (20 page)

But when she heard Luke sigh, a shiver skittered down her spine.

‘Listen, Sal,’ he said abruptly.

Until now she’d always loved the way he called her Sal. It sounded so relaxed. Easy, yet intimate. Like he was. Like their relationship was.

But now she was nervous.

‘We’re going to have to be careful about this party.’

So it was
the party
that bothered him. Sally felt a flash of relief. ‘Careful?’ she queried. ‘How?’

Luke shifted uncomfortably. ‘The thing is – you wouldn’t want my family jumping to conclusions about us, would you?’

‘No . . . I guess not.’

His green eyes were fixed on her, heated now, and deadly serious. ‘If they think you’re my girlfriend, they could get damn annoying. They could pile on the questions.’

After suffering Megan’s interrogations, Sally knew exactly what he meant. ‘You mean they’ll start checking out my ring finger? Asking you if you’ve set a date for the wedding?’

Luke grimaced. ‘Almost as bad as that, yeah.’

She knew she should be pleased that Luke was making every effort to keep their affair free of expectations, exactly as she’d requested. It was illogical now to feel disappointed.

Carefully, she said, ‘It shouldn’t be too hard to set them straight. I think the older generation accepts that young people in the twenty-first century have different attitudes.’

‘Sure.’ Luke was still frowning. ‘But I wouldn’t like things to get awkward for you.’

Sally gave him a reassuring smile. ‘I’m sure I’ll cope.’

When there was no answering smile from Luke, she forced herself to ask, ‘What are you thinking, Luke? Would you rather I stayed away altogether?’

‘Hell, no.’ Across the table, he reached for her hand. ‘I’m just suggesting that we should be careful. We’re supposed to be friends. You’re the journalist writing about the homestead. Not –’

‘Not your lover.’

‘Don’t get me wrong. I
love
what we have going. I love –’ His eyes shimmered as he rubbed his broad thumb over her knuckles. ‘I love your spontaneity.’ He drew a breath in and out before he went on. ‘But if you want to keep my sisters and my mother off the scent, you might have to be cautious. I reckon little things could be giveaways. With the women in my family, even just a look or a smile could be dangerous.’

Sally might have laughed if he hadn’t looked so adorable when he was concerned, but she felt a mad urge to tell him she didn’t care what the rest of the world thought.

She could hear herself telling him everything. Now. Openly and honestly. How much she liked him, not just in bed, but in so many ways. She’d had a ball getting involved with his project, and she simply liked being around him. He was warm, funny and sexy, and he was also wonderfully steady and reliable. In ways she couldn’t really explain, he made her feel centred.

Was this the right time after all? Should she be brave?

She switched her gaze to a point in the distance as she tried to think this through. An admission about her feelings could be quite a game-changer, and right now Luke was up to his eyebrows with last-minute finishes on the house, as well as getting ready for an invasion by his family and friends.

This party was all about the homestead and Luke’s hard work. It was about Kitty and her husband and the others who’d played a part in its history.

In the midst of all that, wouldn’t it be rather selfish of her to admit to falling in love with Luke? It would be like trying to steal the limelight.

No, she’d travelled a long way to reach this point and she mustn’t stuff it up now.

‘So do you agree?’ Luke asked, watching her.

Now it was Sally who had difficulty smiling. ‘Yes, of course I agree,’ she said. ‘I’d certainly hate to cause any awkwardness.’

‘Maybe you should bring a friend or two along to the party with you.’

‘As camouflage?’

He smiled. ‘It’s just a thought.’

What a prize idiot she’d been to imagine that she might co-host this party with Luke. Her task was to mingle with the crowd, to observe and to be virtually invisible.

If it was a week when Barney was out at the mines, she would console herself with Megan’s company. If Toby, who’d been Josh’s best mate, was available, she might invite him too. She would enjoy bringing them here, and they’d love the experience.

‘Do you know anyone with a tent?’ Luke asked. ‘I’d say most of the guests are going to have to camp out.’ He nodded towards the nearest paddock.

Sally cast a dubious eye over the paddock. ‘I thought people would stay in motels in town, but I guess if they’ve been drinking they’d be better off here. They certainly won’t all fit into the house, will they?’

‘Not a chance. I’ll have to get the furniture out of storage and I thought I’d set up bedrooms for my mother and Kitty – and possibly for Zoe and Mac, seeing they have the little guy.’

‘And the American woman?’

‘Hell, yes. I nearly forgot about her. I offered her accommodation, so I’ll have to have something planned in case she accepts. Thanks for the reminder. I think everyone else will have to be in tents.’

‘Will they mind?’

Luke smiled as he shook his head. ‘That’s how it’s done in the bush. Some folk will probably just swag down under the stars.’

‘Is that what you’ll do?’

‘Probably.’

She imagined lying under the stars with him.
So
romantic. ‘Quite an adventure,’ she said sadly, knowing that she’d probably be in a tent with Megan.

Things went a little crazy for Luke over the following few weeks as an acceptance from Laura Langley Fox arrived and word of the party spread.

With all kinds of last-minute details to attend to on the house, as well as the expectation that he would keep an eye on the cattle, he resented the extra pressure that came with phone calls from family members.

Yesterday it had been his mother. ‘I was speaking to Sheila Douglas and I mentioned the old homestead and how you’d done it up, Luke, and she was
so
interested. She used to go out to Moonlight Plains for parties when she was a girl and she would love to see it again. It would be fine if I invited her to the party, wouldn’t it, dear? She wouldn’t take up much room.’

Mary Davies from the Historical Society also rang, expressing delight in Luke’s achievements. ‘Moonlight Plains was such a lovely old homestead,’ she said, her voice surprisingly warm and gushing. ‘I remember how my mother used to talk so fondly of going out there to play tennis on Sunday afternoons.’

She went on to ask ever so politely if the celebrations would be open to the public. Luke told her no, the party was private, but she was so disappointed he found himself extending an invitation to her committee members and their spouses, and the invitation was, of course, gratefully accepted.

Then Jim Mathieson, his mother’s eldest brother, the lawyer from Brisbane who’d bought the steers that Luke had branded, rang to once again express his gratitude and to check that all was well with the cattle.

Luke assured him the cattle were fine and then asked, ‘Will you be able to make it up here for the party?’

‘Absolutely, Luke. I’ll be there with bells on. I’ve posted my acceptance.’ A beat later, Jim added, ‘By the way, I hear you’ve invited Ed Langley’s daughter.’

Luke was surprised that Jim knew Laura’s father’s name. Most of the family just referred to him as the American airman. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘It should be interesting to meet her.’

‘Interesting indeed. I suppose you ran that by your grandmother first?’

Luke frowned, detecting mild reproach in Jim’s question. Jim was his grandmother’s eldest son, and quite caring despite living at a distance. ‘Sure,’ he said cautiously. ‘I told Gran I was sending an invitation.’

‘Was Mum okay with that, Luke? She doesn’t usually like to talk about those war years.’

‘She didn’t object,’ Luke countered, feeling a prickle of guilt as he remembered that his grandmother hadn’t been over the moon about his proposed invitation.

‘That’s fine then,’ Jim said smoothly. Too smoothly? ‘I’ll look forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks.’

Luke had little time to ponder this call before another of his uncles rang, from Richmond.

‘I’m sure you won’t mind, Luke. I’ve invited my neighbours to our little get-together. They’re good folk and they’ve had a rough trot this past year with bushfires and missed sales and everything, and they could do with a little cheering up.’

What could Luke say but yes?

Of course, he had to make several phone calls back to Zoe with upward adjustments to the numbers expected. Luckily, she took it all in her stride, but she threw her own spanner into the works when she asked Luke if he’d hired a band, or organised one of those portable dance floors.

‘Don’t worry,’ she added quickly. ‘Bella and Gabe have put up their hands to take care of that.’

‘Do you really think we need a band?’ Luke was getting nervous. This party would be bigger than bloody
Ben Hur
if he didn’t draw the line somewhere.

‘Well, the band come with all their own gear and they would certainly liven things up. We think they would really set the scene.’

They were ganging up on him. ‘I guess.’

‘Great. Will I tell Bella to go ahead?’

Luke sighed. ‘Yeah. Why not?’

‘And you know you’ll need to order extra tables and chairs from the hire people, don’t you?’

‘Yep. Already taken care of.’ Actually, Sally had looked after that. One of her friends, a guy – Luke had manfully squashed jealous thoughts – was bringing a truck from Townsville with all the gear from the hire company.

‘You sound tired, you poor thing,’ Zoe said next. ‘But don’t worry. We’ll come early to help.’

‘Yeah, thanks. That’d be great.’

As long as he had the damn homestead ready. He let out a frustrated sigh as he disconnected. The plumber had only just arrived to finish work on the guttering, the bathrooms and kitchen, and the electrician was dragging the chain, always claiming that he was caught up, but that Moonlight Plains was next on his job list.

Of course, there’d been yet more phone calls involved in chasing them up. Luke was ready to throw his damn phone into Sally’s rejuvenated fishpond.

Sally was a welcome sight when she breezed into Kitty’s room with her dog in her wake.

‘So would you like to see some photos of the homestead?’ she asked as soon as she’d said hello and kissed Kitty’s cheek. ‘Or would you rather be surprised when you arrive for the party?’

‘Oh, I’m too old for surprises.’ Kitty fished for the doggie treats she kept in a drawer. ‘Here, Jess, good girl.’ Then she beckoned to Sally. ‘Come and show me what Luke’s been up to. He’s tried to keep me up to date with phone calls, but it’s hard to visualise what’s going on.’

She was pleased to have this opportunity to view Sally’s photos before she arrived at Moonlight Plains. On the off-chance that she didn’t like the renovations, she would at least be mentally prepared and less likely to disappoint Luke with a negative reaction.

Sally had an air of unmistakable excitement as she pulled an album from her shoulder bag and set it in Kitty’s lap.

‘Goodness. Have you filled a whole album already?’

‘It’s not completely full.’ The girl’s fair complexion turned a giveaway shade of pink. ‘I had to take lots of shots. I needed plenty to choose from – for the magazine story.’

‘Of course.’ Kitty hoped her response sounded noncommittal, but she was secretly thrilled that this delightful young woman had developed such a very keen interest in her grandson’s project. It was a promising sign, surely?

‘They’re in chronological order, so you can see the progress,’ Sally said, slipping into the chair next to Kitty and crossing her slim, shapely legs.

Ah, the ease with which young people move, Kitty thought wistfully as she struggled to coordinate her arthritic fingers to get the first page open.

Eventually . . . there it was . . .

Oh . . . 
the nostalgia . . .

In the first photo, the old homestead looked so tired and neglected as it hunkered in a sea of long, brown grass beneath a nailing midday sun. Kitty felt an instant lump in her throat.

‘That’s the “before” photo,’ Sally explained. ‘Luke took that before he started any of the work.’

Kitty extended a shaking hand, almost touching the print, tracing the shape of the roofline, the sagging verandah rail. She had stood on those front steps, feeling that her heart would break as she watched Ed walk away from Moonlight Plains. And she’d stood there four years later with Andy and their eldest son on the day they’d moved in to start their new life. A very happy life it had been, too, for which she was endlessly grateful.

‘After my husband died, this house was virtually forgotten,’ she said. ‘The manager we hired didn’t want the responsibility that goes with an old house. So the stock was looked after, but the house suffered.’

‘I really love these old homes,’ Sally said fervently.

‘Do you, dear?’

The girl nodded, then looked a trifle embarrassed, as if she’d admitted more than she’d intended to. ‘If you turn the page,’ she said, adopting a businesslike tone, ‘you’ll see that Luke had a lot of structural work to do at first.’

Obediently, Kitty turned her attention from the attractive, glowing young face beside her to the pages in her lap. ‘Oh, my,’ she exclaimed over a photo of a ladder disappearing into a half-demolished ceiling. ‘I hate to think what Luke found up there.’

She turned more pages with scenes of devastation rather than restoration. Such a big job this had been for the boy, but Kitty had never doubted he was capable, or that he’d give the task his best shot. He was a very reliable young man. She remembered that he’d been holidaying in New Zealand when his father had his first heart attack, but he’d dashed straight home and had taken over the reins at Mullinjim with extreme competence.

Actually, there were a surprising number of shots of Luke, Kitty noticed, swallowing an urge to smile. Her grandson certainly looked the part with his low-slung toolbelt, battered old jeans and a T-shirt that showed off his muscles as he leaned over a workbench or stretched to reach a high beam.

With an effort, Kitty refrained from commenting on the frequency of these photos, but they were an encouraging sign and they mirrored the pleasing way a mention of Sally had slipped into Luke’s conversation almost every time they’d spoken on the phone.

‘I brought that stained glass back to Townsville to have it restored,’ Sally said as Kitty reached a photograph of the lovely panelled front door with morning sunlight streaming through it.

‘I’d forgotten how pretty it is.’ Kitty might have lingered over the beautiful door, but her attention was distracted by the next page. She gasped. ‘Goodness! He’s opened it all up, all the way to the kitchen.’

‘Didn’t he warn you about that?’

‘I knew he’d knocked out a wall or two.’

‘Do you like the result?’ Sally was leaning forward, watching Kitty intently, her dark-brown eyes round with concern.

‘It’s very modern. Everything’s very clean and white.’ Kitty needed a moment to adjust.

‘But there’s a wonderful feeling of space. Of course, there’s no furniture in there yet. That will make a difference.’

‘Yes.’

‘And Luke kept the beautiful archway between the lounge and the dining room.’

‘Yes, yes. Don’t be anxious, Sally.’ Kitty gave her hand a reassuring pat. ‘I’m getting used to it now. The timber floors have come up beautifully, haven’t they?’

‘They’re gorgeous, and the view from the kitchen is superb. And . . .’ Sally reached over to turn another page. ‘Look at the bathrooms. Luke’s done an amazing job. He has a real gift for restoration.’

The girl spoke with such depth of feeling, Kitty couldn’t help smiling.
I think she’s in love
.

‘So do you have everything you need for your story?’ Kitty asked when she got to the last photograph.

Sally nodded. ‘All I need to wrap it up are a few details from the party.’

‘You must be looking forward to it.’

‘Yes, sure.’

As Sally said this, however, the happy light in her eyes dimmed.

Kitty needed, quite desperately, to know the reason.

‘What’s the matter?’ she asked a little too sharply.

Sally blinked. ‘Nothing. Why?’

‘I fancied that you were worried when I mentioned the party.’

‘No, I’m not worried. I’m looking forward to it.’

Kitty wasn’t entirely convinced but she could hardly argue.

‘I’m looking forward to it too,’ she said. ‘Not only will I get out of this place, but I’ll also have fun watching all of you young people having fun. Dancing under the stars.’

‘Dancing?’ Sally looked more worried than ever.

‘Luke tells me he’s hired a band
and
a portable dance floor.’

‘Has he?’

Good heavens, the girl had gone quite pale. ‘I thought you were helping him with the planning.’

‘Oh, only a little at the start.’ Sally’s lips curved in an approximation of a smile. ‘Don’t forget I’m only a journalist covering the story.’

‘But I thought you and Luke were becoming . . . good friends.’

Sally shrugged, dropped her gaze. ‘We’re friends, sure, but this is a family party. Zoe and Bella are Luke’s backup team. I’m just a helper in the background.’

Fiddlesticks, Kitty wanted to snap, but when she saw the look in Sally’s eyes she stopped herself just in time.

She’d been worried that this girl might break Luke’s heart, but now she was afraid that it might be the other way round.