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Bella shook her head. ‘The government has promised funding for next year. That includes the employment of a salaried driver. I can survive until then.’
‘But why is it your problem?’
Bella shrugged. ‘Because if I didn’t do it, no one else would. I agree with my sister in the basic goodness of the younger generation. The advantages of the service are worth the effort.’
The conversation came to a halt because the bus had reached the first stop. A large group of young men and women clambered on and the noise level in the bus made conversation between Bella and Scott impossible, which was OK because he had enough to think about. Not the least was how soft Bella had felt in his arms and how hard it had been to let her go. Her support for his dilemma with his son was also surprisingly comforting.
At each stop the bus became more crowded until finally people started to get off and head home. By the time Bella had arrived back at Chisholm Road there were only Melissa and a young man left.
Bella had glanced in the rear-view mirror a few times. Blake—Bella assumed it was the Blake Melissa had befriended—had a sweet smile and laughter-filled eyes. In fact, Bella had liked him on sight.
When they moved to the front of the bus to alight, Melissa’s pleading eyes left Bella in no doubt of the young man’s identity.
‘This is Blake, Bella.’
Bella swivelled in her seat and held out her hand. Blake’s long brown hair looked clean and his goatee was interesting, though she wasn’t sure if she was thrilled with the small scorpion tattooed on his wrist or the skull and crossbones piercing his eyebrow. Scott’s going to love this, she thought.
She met the young man’s green eyes and nodded. ‘Hello, Blake.’ Blake shook Bella’s hand. ‘This is Dr Rainford.’ The two men nodded at each other but neither held out their hand. Bella smiled wryly to herself. ‘Perhaps you could come and see me tomorrow and we can discuss Melissa’s idea.’
Blake nodded. ‘Thank you. I will.’ He glanced at Scott once more and then followed Melissa out of the bus, where they went into a huddle for a minute before he headed off down the street.
Bella realised she’d been swayed to coolness by the fact that Scott was there, and the thought irritated her.
‘What was all that about?’ Scott’s timing was way out.
‘Nothing important.’ She put the bus into gear and reversed it carefully down the driveway. ‘Let’s get this bus parked. I’m tired. It’s been a long day.’
He waited until she switched off the engine in the garage before pushing his luck. ‘For nothing important, there was a lot of eye contact going on all round. What does he want?’
Bella stifled a sigh and measured her answer. ‘Blake has offered to do odd jobs around the house in exchange for lodging. I’m thinking about it.’
Scott frowned and shook his head. ‘I can do odd jobs around the house. I don’t think introducing a young man as a boarder is a good idea.’
Bella held back the comment that it was none of his business. Her voice was sweet. ‘And here I was thinking that having a large country medical practice and most nights on call would be enough to keep you busy. I must start a list of repairs for you.’
She stood up and eased herself from her seat. ‘Goodnight, Scott.’
He followed her out and towered over her beside the bus. ‘I enjoyed your company, Bella. We must do it again.’
‘Any Friday and Saturday night,’ Bella said dryly, and walked away.
Scott’s firm voice drifted across. ‘Then I’ll see you at seven tomorrow night.’
Bella thought of those moments in the kitchen and how much she had cared about Scott’s distress over his son. She closed her eyes and didn’t look back. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ she whispered to herself.
CHAPTER THREE
Saturday
‘BELLA, Blake’s here.’ Melissa’s voice drifted from the front door. Bella put down the morning newspaper and stood up from the kitchen table. She met Vivie’s eyes and Vivie shrugged.
At breakfast, Bella had spoken to Aunt Sophie about the possibility of a male boarder and her aunt had sent the ball back into Bella’s court with a noncommittal shrug. ‘If he’s likeable and honest, it’s not a bad thing to have a man about the house,’ she’d said.
All the other girls except Vivie had met Blake previously and thought it ‘cool’ that he might move in with them. Bella had had to bite back a smile as they’d unanimously agreed to hand the mowing and the garbage-bin duties over to him if he joined the household.
Bella walked into the hallway and smiled at Blake. ‘Come through into the kitchen, Blake, and we’ll have a coffee and see if we can work something out.’
Blake shot a glance at Melissa who nodded encouragingly and hung back to watch them go.
Vivie brought the coffee-pot over and when they were all seated at the kitchen table, Bella looked across at the young man. Tall and good-looking under the ponytail and eyebrow stud, there was something about the square chin under his goatee that invited a smile.
She couldn’t help but like him. ‘You haven’t met Vivie, have you, Blake?’
Blake smiled at the young woman. ‘Hello, Vivie.’
Vivie nodded but didn’t say anything.
‘Vivie runs the house. She shops and is a fabulous cook and we’re very lucky to have her. That’s why she’s in on this discussion.’ Vivie blushed and looked down at the tablecloth.
Bella moved on. ‘If we were to think about inviting you to move in, Blake, it’s only fair that we’d run through the expectations we have for everyone in the household.’
Blake nodded that he understood.
Bella continued, ‘Melissa said you might be willing to do some odd jobs around the house.’
Blake shrugged. ‘I don’t have employment at the moment, and I get bored if I’m not busy. I’d enjoy the chance to do some work around here. In Sydney I worked for the Salvation Army Depot and restored furniture, so I can fix most things.’
Bella nodded and considered his answer. ‘Why did you move to Gladstone?’
He grimaced. ‘When my parents died I went off the rails a bit. The guys I was with started to get into some heavy stuff and I didn’t want to go there.’ He looked embarrassed. ‘I thought it might be a good idea to leave town while I could still drive away. I ended up here.’
Blake smiled sheepishly. ‘I thought if I went to a country town there was more chance of a fresh start. I like the idea of moving into the house.’ He couldn’t keep the anxiety out of his face.
Bella held out her hand. ‘We’ll go for a week’s trial and we’ve room for another car in the garage besides the bus. My car’s just died a decrepit death and it can be relegated to the back shed.’
Blake smiled a huge smile and he didn’t notice that Vivie looked ready to pass out with the brilliance of it. ‘You could drive mine. Maybe I could fix yours, too. I like mucking around with cars.’
‘Don’t give yourself too much to do or we’ll miss you if you decide to move out.’ Bella smiled. ‘Welcome to the house, Blake.’
She looked at Vivie. ‘Would you like to show Blake his room? He can have the end room at the back of the house. That one has its own bathroom, even though it’s pretty rough.’ She looked at Blake with a challenging stare. ‘You clean your own bathroom every week. We don’t do men’s rooms.’
‘I’ll show you how.’ Vivie managed to enter the conversation finally. ‘When you get your stuff I’ll make the room up for you—then it’s up to you. You get clean sheets on a Friday.’ Vivie had moved into housekeeper mode and Blake followed her out of the room.
Bella could hear Vivie explaining about mealtimes and how he had to tell her if he wasn’t planning on being there for a meal. It would do Vivie good to have some male company other than her year-old son, Bella thought with a smile. Vivie had been on the receiving end of a bad experience, like Bella herself, and she needed to practise her feminine wiles. Bella had decided she didn’t need her wiles.
Later Bella was stepping out of her front door for the first bus run of the evening when Scott fell into step beside her.
‘Good evening, Bella. Here we are again,’ he said.
‘So I gather. Hello, Scott.’ She looked up at him. ‘This really isn’t necessary you know.’
‘Humour me,’ he said as they walked together towards the garage.
Bella sighed and waited for the fireworks. She stepped past a fire-engine red, low-slung, two-door SLR Torana with silver mag wheels and BITE ME splashed across the front windscreen. Scott’s eyes widened as he followed Bella onto the bus.
‘Where on earth did that car come from?’ Scott twisted his neck and screwed up his face in disgust.
Bella settled herself into the seat before she answered and didn’t look across at her passenger. ‘It’s Blake’s car. He moved in today.’ She started the bus’s engine and revved it. It was a diesel engine and she shouldn’t do that before it warmed up, but the motor’s noise successfully drowned out Scott’s reply.
Scott glared across at her. When the engine was back at an idle he tried again. ‘Does Abbey know you now have a male boarder?’
Bella could feel the elevation in her blood pressure. At least she assumed that was what the red mist in front of her eyes meant. ‘Excuse me?’ She turned to Scott and spoke softly but the edge was unmistakable. ‘Perhaps you’d like to trot up to the hospital and tell my sister while she’s breastfeeding. I can’t wait for her to tell you it’s none of her business.’ To reinforce her point she opened the door again and waited.
Scott met her eyes and raised his eyebrows at her reaction. ‘That’s not what I meant, but I’m sorry if I upset you.’
Bella said nothing. The door closed again and she put the bus into gear and drove out of the garage.
Scott held his peace as they drove the circuit but mentally he gnashed his teeth. He couldn’t believe she’d been so reckless and invited some unknown youth into her house. And judging by his car, the boy was loud and a hothead as well. Scott remembered the boy’s pierced eyebrow and tattoo and clenched his fists. If anything happened to Bella he’d grind the pipsqueak into a pulp.
They didn’t talk much during the first trip. There were a few more young adults than last night’s early trip and Bella was kept busy stopping and starting the bus.
By the time they were back at Bella’s house she had calmed down enough to accept she might have overreacted and Scott was being careful.
They almost made it to the next bus run as they talked of ordinary things and then suddenly, as they stood up to leave, it was as if he couldn’t restrain himself. Scott threw in a contentious question.
‘So where does Blake sleep?’ The words hung in the air between them.
Bella blinked and raised her eyebrows. How dared he? ‘That’s funny.’ She tilted her head. ‘I was under the impression that the guests in my house had nothing to do with you.’
She glared but this time Scott stared back without expression and wouldn’t be silenced. ‘It’s not unreasonable for your friends to be concerned if we consider you’ve made an ill-judged decision.’
‘Ah,’ said Bella. The red mist was coming back. ‘Patronising! That’s the Scott we all know and love.’
Scott glared back. ‘Don’t avoid the issue. You’re just asking for trouble. You can’t know anything about this person. What if he tries to break into your room in the night? He could have a criminal record as long as your arm. I’m concerned for you, Bella.’
‘I like him and I trust my instinct.’
‘Abbey trusted her instinct with Clayton Harrows and look where that led both of you.’
‘How dare you?’ Bella couldn’t believe he’d brought her sister’s ex-fiancé into the conversation. She’d just managed to get those memories of her attack back in their box after last night, and he was opening the lid again. She couldn’t believe it. Where did this man get off?
Scott wasn’t repentant. ‘I dare because I care.’
‘So what changed you to care?’ The bitterness in her voice made Scott wince. He couldn’t help the step he took towards her and before he knew it he had her pulled against him.
He looked into her eyes and his voice was barely audible. ‘I’ve always cared!’
She smelt of some herbal shampoo and flowery perfume that triggered the response he’d been fighting against all night, and his body quickened with desire and a stupid jealousy that she believed some twenty-year-old over him.
Oblivious to the tightening of his fingers, Bella tossed her hair and glared back at him. This was a Bella he’d never seen. ‘Big effort, Scott. Be careful, or someone will hear you,’ she taunted. ‘I have to watch what I say in case you run to Abbey with it, like you did when I was eighteen.’
The bitterness in her reply shocked them both. Scott lowered his voice. ‘I “ran to Abbey” to protect you. Don’t you realise? I was twelve years older and you were only eighteen. I couldn’t trust myself.’
‘So what’s changed now?’ This was crazy and needed to stop. Bella could hear the scorn in her own voice and she consciously relaxed her shoulders and attempted to step back.
But it was too late.
Scott pulled her against him and lowered his face. His eyes burned into hers as he captured her chin firmly in his hand so she couldn’t step away again.
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