Page 17 of Secrets of Riverside

Heading out the back door and onto the verandah, she sank into the cushion-covered day bed located in prime position for the jaw-dropping views. Getting comfy, she tucked her legs up beneath her. Relishing each sip of her strong cuppa and the lushness of the surrounding tropical landscape, she felt her downtrodden spirit rising. Riverside Acres was so very different to the cityscape she’d grown accustomed to, and yet it gave her the sense that although it was a world away it was one that she belonged within. And that sense of familiarity, of belonging, brought her to ponder, for what felt like the umpteenth time, about the acquainted feeling Jarrah King roused in her. Who was he? And what made her feel so calm within his presence? She didn’t like the fact that he’d been on her mind since she’d found herself snagged by his pensive gaze yesterday, nor did she like how her body responded to his presence when he was anywhere near her. It was as if her body had a mind of its own. She also wondered if the attraction she’d felt in that heart-swooning moment of laying her eyes on him for the very first time the day before had in fact been felt by him too. And if it had, what did she expect to come from it?

Nothing, that’s what you expect to come from it.

Shaking her head, she grumbled at her train of thought. She didn’t even know the bloke, and had no clue if it was him that had sent her the letter and photograph, and yet here she was, wasting precious time and energy worrying herself about him liking her, and vice versa. Sculling the last of her coffee, she hurried back inside, dumped her cup into the dishwasher then, after tugging on her socks and joggers, made her way out the front door, down the steps and out the front gate. Where she literally ran into Tommy while looking over her shoulder to make sure she’d shut the front door.

‘Oh, crap, sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going.’ Embarrassed, she stepped back from him. ‘Morning, Tommy.’ She offered him a friendly smile.

He only lightly returned the smile. ‘Morning, Tillie.’

Grrrrrr, he’s really taking the ... tell him!

‘It’s Millie, Tommy.’

‘Oh, sorry, yup, my bad.’

She could tell he wasn’t sorry. Not in the slightest. He was baiting her, but she wasn’t biting. ‘It looks like we’ll be working together come Monday.’

‘So, you took the job?’ He eyed her curiously.

‘Yes, I did.’ This conversation was gaining in awkwardness by the second.

‘Right.’ He fumbled with his belt buckle as he shifted from foot to foot. ‘I’ll be sure to chat with Jarrah about this when I see him.’

‘Okay, you do that.’ She made steps in the opposite direction. ‘I’ll catch you later.’

Millie felt his gaze pinned to her back until she cleared the corner of the homestead and found shady solace beneath a blooming jacaranda tree. The blanket of purple flowers made for a pretty pathway as she strolled away from the buildings and into the lush heart of Mother Nature. She had no idea where she was heading, just as long as it was away from Tommy, for now. Her gut was telling her that he was somehow behind her being here, but to what extent she was yet to find out. He was too young to have been involved in the death of her family, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t the one who had lured her to Riverside Acres with the contents of the envelope. But then if that were the case, he certainly wasn’t acting like he wanted her anywhere near the place, so that bit of her scenario didn’t add up. Hopefully, soon enough, if she played it cool, she’d be able to piece it all together, and finally find the closure she’d been searching for, for fifteen long years. With all her heart she hoped Jarrah wasn’t a part of that puzzle because she liked him and hoped her instincts were right when it came to him. For once, she’d like to be right about a person’s humanity.

Her fingers pensively rolling the tourmaline pendant swinging from her necklace, she did her best to enjoy her casual morning stroll. The black stone had been her twenty-first birthday gift from Ebony. The handcrafted crystal was apparently meant to keep bad juju away. She wasn’t sure she believed in such things, but it was a kind gesture, and one she held close to her heart. Literally. What she did want to believe, though, was that fate did have something magical, something amazing, in store for her, rather than leaving her living an existence where she was surviving from one catastrophic event to the next, barely having the time to dust herself off before the next tragedy had her falling to her knees.

Wandering along the earthen path, she glanced up at the far-flung mountain ranges adorned with lush green pockets of tropical forest, occasionally dotted with ragged outcroppings of rocks, and she couldn’t help but ponder how the stone formations reminded her of tombstones. Tipping her head to the side, she wondered if people had been buried up there, and if so, when, how and who? Goosebumps rose and covered her skin. Maybe, if she got the time, and found the get-up-and-go, she’d hike up there and check it out. Ebony would be so proud of her if she returned back to Sydney with a thirst for exercise. Ha, yeah, and pigs might fly too.

Deep in her thoughts, a crack of twigs and the rustle of bushes stopped her dead in her tracks. Frozen to the spot, she honed her senses. She’d heard stories of roos and feral pigs attacking people up this way, and the recollection of such tales sent a shot of fear up her spine. Shielding her eyes from the bright sunshine, she looked left and right. There wasn’t a soul, or dangerous creature, in sight, but she couldn’t shake the sense that someone, or something, was following her. The hair on the back of her neck rose. Her mouth was abruptly dry. She spun around, her skin prickling. Turning in a full circle, she confirmed she was alone, and also that she had a very overactive mind. But then, just when she’d relaxed some, a creature exploded from the scrub, racing straight for her. She screamed, and went to run for her life, when she suddenly realised it was Scruff. Panting like billy-o, he pulled to a stop just shy of her, sat, and then eyed her with eager adoration, his tongue comically lolling out to one side.

‘Gee whizz, Scruffball, you almost gave me a heart attack, boy.’ Crouching, she came eye to eye with him, and gave his head a ruffle. ‘Would you like to join me on my mooch about and keep me safe from wild creatures like you?’ She chuckled at his goofy regard of her.

He lifted a paw and placed it on her knee. Her heart melted at the cute gesture. ‘I gather that’s a yes.’ Then she got a whiff of something rotten. ‘Bloody hell, Scruff, you reek to high heaven.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘What in the hell have you gone and rolled in?’

Scruff sneezed, twice, then his lips lifted upwards until he looked like he was actually smiling at her.

‘You really are a one-off, aren’t you?’ She tipped her head and smiled into his kind eyes. ‘Come on then, stinky, let’s get a move on, shall we?’

She straightened and spotted the tractor parked up ahead, with Jarrah nowhere in sight. Disappointment blinked in her heart. It would have been nice to say good morning to him. Maybe she’d be lucky enough to run into him somewhere along her wander.

Noticing Scruff wasn’t at her side, she glanced over her shoulder. ‘Come on then, slowcoach.’ Her dishevelled sidekick chased his tail, before proceeding to join her. ‘You’re a nincompoop, Scruff.’

Laughing at his antics, she moseyed on with him wandering at her side. Enjoying his company and liking how his presence made her feel a little safer, she breathed in the sights, smells and sounds of the ancient tropical rainforest surrounding her. Everything felt so fresh, so alive. With the melody of trickling water luring her, she wandered down a little embankment and after gasping at how pretty it was, followed the meandering creek for a bit, enjoying the sun-spangled water rolling over the jutting stones. A little way along, with her arms outstretched for balance, she made her way over a purposely positioned tree trunk, quietly cheering to herself when she made it over the other side safe and sound.

The sound of horses whickering to one another caught her attention. Curious, she headed in the general direction of the roadhouse, towards the horsey chatter. Tucking the sweaty tendrils of hair sticking to her neck behind her ears, she turned left, past an old barn filled with farm equipment and then the very impressive stables flanked by the round yard where she’d watched Jarrah working the afternoon before. A quick glance to her right gave her her bearings when the homestead came back into her view. Off to her left was the motel, roadhouse and truck parking area. How Jarrah kept this place looking so pristine, and running so smoothly, was beyond her. It would be a full-time job. Seven days a week.

More whinnies snagged her attention. Just up ahead, an energetic Arabian was prancing triumphantly up and down a fence line, his trot magnificent and his silky tail and mane floating. His attention was focused wholly and solely on the neighbouring paddock and its gorgeous occupant. With her head lifted high, the palomino mare strutted along the other side with an equine sashay worthy of a catwalk. She was driving the Arabian wild, and evidently enjoying every second of it. Millie chuckled at her playful, flirty antics as she changed direction and headed towards where she hoped, with a flutter and a skip of her heartbeat, that Jarrah would be.

***

His phone pressed to his ear, Jarrah didn’t realise just how hard he was gripping his desk until he noted his white knuckles. ‘Are you sure it was him?’ This information was mind-blowing and deeply heartbreaking. ‘He was meant to be on a fishing trip out bush, not traipsing around Sydney.’

‘Si, I’m one hundred percent certain, Luca, that it was him, your nephew. He looks just like his father did at eighteen, god rest his soul.’ Vincenzo Lombardo’s Sicilian accent was as thick as the ragu sauce his wonderful, feisty wife was known for. ‘I followed him from the jail the second time he went there, to the apartment block, then watched him get out of the taxi at the Sydney airport.’

‘I can’t believe this is happening.’ Jarrah wished his only friend in the Martino mob wouldn’t refer to him by his birth name, but old habits died hard. ‘Damn it.’ Staring out the window at the rambling river as he paced, Jarrah blew a weighty breath. ‘But if I’m going to confront Tommy about this, I need to know what was in the envelope and who in the hell lives there.’ His words were desperately clipped. ‘And I have to be certain he was up to no good.’

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