Page 33 of Secrets of Riverside

Going to the fridge, she grabbed the butter, a tomato, a red onion, an iceberg lettuce and a jar of hot mustard. ‘I think this will do.’ Balancing everything, she carried it back to the centre island and dumped it down. ‘I’ll just go and grab the corned beef out. Fingers crossed it’s nice and tender.’

‘I have no doubt it will be.’ Jarrah couldn’t just sit and watch her do everything, so from his post at the bench, he slid the chopping board towards him and started slicing the tomato and onion.

‘I know you’re not putting your feet up over there.’ She’d seemed to be focused on getting the corned beef out of the cooker; it was like she had eyes in the back of her head. ‘You can’t help yourself, can you?’

‘Nope, I can’t just sit here twiddling my thumbs when you’re racing around, doing it all.’ This salt-of-the-earth woman was like an enigma to him. A puzzle he craved to piece together, so he could understand what made her, her.

You’re not going to get the time to, King …

‘Oh my goodness, it’s perfect.’ Gliding across the kitchen, she proudly plonked the steaming serving platter in front of him. ‘Just look at it.’

‘I am, and I have to agree.’ He looked just past her, where drool hung in one long string from Scruff’s mouth. ‘And I reckon our four-legged mate is in agreement with my opinion too.’

‘Would you like some too, buddy?’ Millie’s eyes crinkled in the corners as she fondly regarded Scruffball. ‘Here. Let me get you a bit.’ Taking the carving knife and a fork, she sliced a chunk off the corner, blew on it a little to cool it down, and then held it out.

His paws slipping then regaining traction, Scruff couldn’t get to her quick enough. Basically inhaling the piece of meat, he then spun in dizzying circles, chasing his tail like a loon.

‘Ha, by the looks of you, I’m going to take a wild guess and say you liked it, Scruff.’ She turned her attention to Jarrah. ‘What say you?’

‘I say a big hell yes to that.’ As her smile broadened and brightened, Jarrah marvelled at how beautiful she was. ‘And I also say, why does muggins over there get first dibs on this delicious feast?’

‘Because he’s wayyyyy cuter than you.’ Her cheeky grin was overflowing with sass.

‘Hmmm.’ Jarrah regarded Scruff, who was now watching them both with eager eyes. ‘I beg to differ.’

‘Hmmm.’ Millie pouted playfully. ‘We will agree to disagree.’

Both chuckling, they worked together like a well-oiled machine, making their sandwiches. After popping the butter and lettuce back into the fridge, Millie pulled up a stool and sat opposite him, then they tucked in, lost in their mmms and ahhs as they devoured every last crumb. All the while, Jarrah clamped down on his thoughts of ravishing her, firmly reminding himself that his baggage could cause her a world of trouble, and he didn’t want that for her. Painting himself as the bad guy in his own head was all he could do to stop himself from giving in to his desires.

But she was so disarmingly captivating, without even trying, without even knowing what she was doing to him, or the power she had over him. And that made her all the more tempting, all the more intriguing. He liked the way her mouth curved ever so slightly when she was trying to keep a straight face. He admired how tenacious she was. He loved the sound of her laughter. And he admired the woman she was proving to be – hardworking, caring, thoughtful, intense. Without even trying, she’d caught him off-guard, in so many ways.

Too. Many. Ways.

Pushing aside the way her fierce independence enticed him, there was also the glimpses of vulnerability in her eyes that catapulted him right into her. That made him desperate to protect her. To, dare he think it – love her like she deserved to be loved. She mystified him. Confused him. Intrigued him. She was an epiphany and a mystery, all rolled into one enthralling package. He couldn’t help but wonder: what had brought her here? And what, or who, was she in a rush to get to, after here? He got how she wanted everyone to believe she was tough, capable and fiercely independent, and certainly not in need of anyone. But then there was that agonising sadness in her glorious green eyes which told him just how much she needed someone to hold her close, to tell her that life didn’t need to be heartbreaking and hard, that, if she let her guard down to the right person, her future could be all she hoped it to be, and then some.

He wanted to be that person for her, to have the freedom to put his arm around her burdened shoulders and pull her close, so he could hold her against him for a little while, so she could lean on him and allow the strain of whatever was bearing down upon her to be lightened. But it was a bad idea to try and be her knight in shining armour. He knew deep down in his bones that would send her running for the hills. And he wanted what precious time he had left with her to not be cut short. So he kept what little distance he could between them as they began to clean up after their tasty feast. They, he, couldn’t cross any boundaries, for many reasons.

Too. Many. Reasons.

‘Do you have time for a cuppa and an Anzac or two before you head back out?’ She rinsed the dishes and he stacked them into the dishwasher as she passed each one over.

‘I don’t know, I’m pretty full.’ She looked saddened, and he quickly retraced his rebuttal. ‘But seeing as you’ve gone to so much effort, I reckon I could squeeze a couple in.’

‘Oh, no, all good, we can enjoy a few later; it’s not like they’re going anywhere.’ She waved a hand through the air. ‘I’ll let you get back to it.’

Jarrah sensed the change in the air instantly and regretted his decision to not mention what had gone down just hours earlier with Tommy. Maybe it made him seem hard-hearted. ‘Do you want to talk about what happened here this morning, Millie?’

Busy wiping the bench down with the wet cloth, she swung her gaze back to him. ‘I’d rather not, if that’s okay with you.’

‘Yeah, of course.’ Respecting her decision, he offered her a kind smile. ‘How about a hug then, would that help?’

Shrugging, she tossed the cloth back to the sink. ‘Probably not.’

Her response stumped him. Wounded him. He desperately wanted to leave here on much better footing than earlier on. ‘Oh, fair play, Mills, my hugs are bloody awesome.’

Her smile was small, but sassy. ‘Talking yourself up a bit, aren’t you, King?’

He grinned. ‘There’s only one way to find out.’

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