Kate Hoffmann - Australian Quinns

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.

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.”

“I’m not worried about Buddy’s damn mirror. I’m on the organizing committee for Bachelors and Spinsters and we’re going to hold an auction this year. You’re the only celebrity we’ve got in Bilbarra besides Hayley Fraser and I don’t think we can convince her to participate. You’d fetch a pretty penny. All the proceeds go to the library book fund. And you don’t have to sleep with anyone, just have dinner together.”

Though every unmarried person within a two-hundred-mile radius looked forward to the annual Bilbarra “ball,” Brody and his brothers suddenly had three very good reasons not to attend—Payton, Gemma and Hayley. “I heard Hayley was back on Wallaroo Station,” Brody mentioned, hoping for some additional news.

Angus looked surprised. “Really.” He appeared to weigh his options for a moment, then shook his head. “Naw. She’s a big telly star. She’s probably got a whole building full of people telling her what she can and can’t do.”

“I think I’m going to have to pass,” Brody said.

“Hey, there is something else.” Angus braced his arm on the porch post. “There’s a private detective hanging about.”

“Looking for me?”

Angus chuckled. “One would think that might be a good bet. But he’s looking for that lady you bailed out of my jail. Payton Harwell. What did you do with her after you bailed her out?”

Brody considered his answer for a long moment. He could trust Angus, but the man was an officer of the law. If Payton was a fugitive, Angus might not have a choice in taking sides. Brody shrugged. “I gave her some money and sent her on her way. She said she was headed back to Brisbane. That’s the last I saw of her.”

Angus frowned. “There’s a reward for information. Ten thousand American.”

“What did she do?”

“He wouldn’t say. You could ask him yourself. He was looking to have a bit of lunch, so I pointed him toward the coffeeshop. He may still be there.”

“Thanks,” Brody said, starting off down the street.

Hell, this was all he needed. He was lucky he hadn’t brought Payton to town with him. He’d been concerned about her flying to Brisbane with Teague, but she seemed almost anxious to get off the station and spend time shopping with Gemma. The testosterone-heavy atmosphere on the station did require time away occasionally.

If she was running from something—or someone—then who could say when she’d just up and disappear again? Maybe she planned to use the trip to Brisbane to make her escape. He shook his head. She’d promised to say goodbye before she left. He’d have to take her at her word.

The bell above the door of the coffeeshop jingled as he stepped inside. “Hey there, Shelly!” Brody slid onto one of the stools at the counter and picked up a menu.

Shelly Farris wiped her hands on a towel and strolled over to him. “Brody Quinn. What brings you into town on a weekday?”

Brody set the menu down and watched as she poured him a cup. “I’m picking up a few parts for Callum. I thought I’d check up on you. See if you made any of my favorite meat pies today.”

“We have steak mince, steak and mushroom, and a few of our breakfast pies left.”

“I’ll have a steak mince,” Brody said. “Make them takeaway.” He closed the menu and glanced over his shoulder. There was only one other customer in the place. “Tourist?” he asked, nodding in the man’s direction.

Shelly shook her head. “No. Private investigator. Looking for that girl who stiffed me on the bill last week. The bill you paid. I don’t think you did society any favors there.”

“Why? What did he tell you?”

“Nothing. Only that he’s offering a reward for information. I couldn’t give him more than what I just told you. Do you know where she is?”

Brody shook his head. “No, how would I? I was just doing a good deed.”

Shelly disappeared into the kitchen to get his order while Brody sipped his coffee. If he wanted to know more about Payton Harwell, all he had to do was ask. But by asking, he might create undue suspicion. Still, idle curiosity wasn’t out of the ordinary.