“It’s complicated,” Payton replied.

“I can handle complicated. Is it Brody? You two seem to be…attracted.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Payton said. She crawled out of bed and crossed the room, then sat down on the edge of Gemma’s bunk. “Can you keep a secret?”

“Of course.”

“A month ago this last Saturday, I was putting on my wedding gown in Fiji and getting ready to walk across the beach and get married.”

Gemma gasped. “Oh, goodness. What happened?”

“I got scared and ran away.” She frowned, searching for the words to explain her actions. “I just wasn’t sure he was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. There was no…fire. Do you know what I mean?”

Gemma nodded. “Yes,” she said. “I know precisely what you mean.”

“So I grabbed a few things, stuffed them in my bag, exchanged my honeymoon ticket for a flight to Brisbane and…disappeared into the outback.”

“And here you are,” Gemma said.

“Yes.”

“Have you called your family?”

Payton shook her head. “I left a message at the hotel in Fiji after I landed in Australia. I said I’d call them soon, but they’re going to be so angry with me that I don’t even want to think about that now. The embarrassment and the expense of the wedding. The gossip will be awful.”

“What of your fiancé?”

“I can’t imagine what he’s thinking. I’m sure he doesn’t want anything more to do with me. Not that I want him to. I made my choice and I can live with it.”

“Well, there it is, then,” Gemma said cheerfully. “As Callum would say, no worries.”

“Oh, I have plenty to worry about. Like this thing with Brody. I’m sure it’s just a reaction to what I did. I was a little…repressed and now I’m testing my boundaries. And the attraction will probably fade soon. But then, I’m not sure I want it to.” Payton paused. “He’s like a rebound guy, but I think he might be more.”

“A rebound guy?” Gemma said. “I understand. But wouldn’t any man who came after your fiancé be a rebound guy? So, in theory, it would be better to go out with some git after you break up so you don’t waste a good bloke as a rebound guy.”

“I suppose that would be sensible. So you think I’m wasting Brody?”

“Or perhaps, you could consider the possibility that fate has put this man in your path and the reason you ran away from your wedding is that you were really meant to be with him all along.”

“No,” Payton said, the notion too absurd to consider. “You think so?”

“I think it’s silly to try to figure out a relationship before it’s really begun. Maybe you should just let it happen.”

Payton considered Gemma’s point, then slowly stood. “Thank you,” she said. She walked over to her bunk and grabbed her jacket from where it hung on the bedpost. “I’m just going to visit Brody for a few minutes. Don’t wait up for me.”

“I won’t,” Gemma said with a sly smile.

Payton slipped her shoes on and pulled the jacket over her T-shirt and flannel pajama bottoms. The night was chilly as she ran from the bunkhouse to the main house. Mary had left a light burning over the sink in the kitchen, but the house was silent. Tiptoeing through the kitchen, she headed toward the stairs. But when she reached the top, she was faced with two choices.

Brody had said his bedroom was the first door at the top of the stairs, but she couldn’t remember if he’d said on the right or the left. She reached for the door on the right and opened it carefully. To her relief, she found a linen closet stacked with towels.

Drawing a deep breath, she opened the opposite door and slipped inside. The bedside lamp still burned and Brody’s hand rested on a sports magazine that he had been reading before he fell asleep. He slept in a tangle of blankets, his chest bare and his hair tousled.

Payton slowly undressed, dropping her clothes on the floor. When she was naked, she stepped to the side of the bed and gently moved the magazine from beneath his hand. He looked so relaxed, almost boyish. His brow, usually furrowed into an intense expression, was now smooth, and his lips, so perfectly sculpted, were parted slightly.

Payton carefully pulled the covers back and slipped into bed beside him. He awoke with a start and stared at her for a long moment before he comprehended what was going on. Then, with a soft sigh, he rolled her beneath him and kissed her.

There was no need for words. They communicated with taste and touch, with soft moans and quickened breathing. Payton slid her hand down and wrapped her fingers around his rigid cock and at the same moment, he found the damp spot between her legs.

All the while, as they teased each other closer to the edge, he kissed her gently, murmuring her name and telling her how good it felt to touch her. At first, Payton was a bit inhibited talking about such things. But then, she let her insecurities go and began to take part in the highly charged conversation.

She could feel his body tense as she brought him closer, his breath coming in short gasps. Carefully, Payton drew him back from the edge, becoming more skillful with every caress. Brody took his cues from her and did the same until they were both almost frantic for release, writhing against each other, their limbs tangled in the sheets.

And when her need finally overwhelmed her, Payton knew that it was exactly what she was searching for. He surrendered a moment later, her hand becoming slick with his orgasm.

Brody’s mouth found hers and he kissed her gently. Such a simple thing, Payton mused. And yet, every time they surrendered to each other, she felt the bond between them growing. It wasn’t just sex. They were discovering each other and with each new experience, Payton found herself wanting more.

“Are you going to stay?” he asked, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke.

Payton nodded. It would be easy enough to sneak out before morning. But then, why even bother to deny what was happening between them? They were both free to enjoy each other. They were both consenting adults. Any shame she might have felt about sleeping with a man she barely knew was just residual guilt left over from leading a rather sheltered life.

She wasn’t the same Payton who had flown to Fiji for her wedding. She wasn’t even the same Payton who had run away in the middle of the ceremony. Every day she was on her own, she was learning more and more about the woman she really was inside.

She’d spent so much time in familiar surroundings, safe among family and friends, her every need met, her every worry soothed, that she hadn’t really bothered to question who she was or what she wanted. But now, each day was a choice, a choice to go backward or to move forward.

“You’re not a dream, are you?” Brody whispered, running his fingers through her hair.

“No,” she said.

“You won’t be gone the next time I open my eyes?”

“No.”

Satisfied, Brody pulled her against his body, tucking her backside into his lap and wrapping his arms around her. His lips pressed to her nape and Payton closed her eyes, a warm feeling of contentment washing over her.

The world she’d once known seemed like another lifetime. She was happy here in Brody’s arms. And whether it lasted a day or a year, she wouldn’t question it again, for perhaps Gemma had been right. Perhaps fate had brought them together.

5

BRODY PARKED the Land Rover in front of Shelly’s coffeeshop, waiting for the dust on Bilbarra’s main street to settle before stepping out of the truck. He had just enough time for a late lunch before heading back to the station.

Gemma and Payton had taken off with Teague at sunrise for their girls’ day out in Brisbane. To keep his mind off Payton, Brody had driven into Bilbarra to pick up a part for one of the windmills that had gone down the previous week.

But the long ride in had left him plenty of time to think about the past five days. It had only been five days since he’d first set eyes on Payton. Hard to believe considering what had passed between them. It wasn’t just the desire, Brody thought. He’d felt that way about other women, at least in the beginning. But he found himself focused on different matters when it came to Payton-like how long she’d stay and whether she had any reason to go home.

They seemed to fit so perfectly, understanding each other’s needs without even having to speak, focusing on the present instead of the future. He needed a woman like that, a woman who wouldn’t insist on plans and promises.

She’d spent the last three nights in his bed, though she hadn’t been brave enough to face the group at the breakfast table. Instead, she’d slipped out in the hour before dawn, while the house still slept.

Oddly enough, his brothers wouldn’t have even noticed her comings and goings. Teague hadn’t bothered to come home the past two nights, only just turning up to grab a shower and change clothes. And Callum had his own preoccupations, disappearing with Gemma the night before last and returning the next morning.

It was strange that all three of them were suddenly involved when not one of them had bothered with dating for months. He headed toward the post office, but a shout stopped him in the middle of the street.

“Brody Quinn!”

Brody turned to see Angus Embley lumbering after him, his tie undone and his hair standing on end.

“I haven’t done anything wrong,” Brody said, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

“I’ve been wanting to speak with you,” Angus said. He motioned Brody toward police headquarters and Brody jogged across the street, joining him on the porch. “Why have you been dodging my calls?”

“I’m sorry,” Brody said. “I was just planning to go over to the Spotted Dog and pay Buddy for that mirror I broke last weekend.”