Page 50 of Secrets of Riverside

Convinced she was being followed, she left her trolley and took hurried steps so she could glimpse up every single aisle in quick succession. There were people, like her, out doing their shopping, but nobody stood out as suspicious. Shaking her head, she considered leaving, but she needed the groceries in her trolley to make Jarrah dinner tonight, like she’d promised. Her chilli con carne topped with spicy guacamole was her way of saying thanks for all the meals he’d cooked for her, so she wasn’t going to let some unnerving hunch have her leaving here empty-handed. She was also going to let him know she’d be leaving as soon as he found a replacement for the cook’s position. She’d already extended her stay a few weeks longer than planned, so a week preferably, two weeks tops, was the limit of her time left here. It was a conversation she’d been avoiding the past couple of days, but it had to be done.

Returning to her trolley, she sucked in a breath, squared her shoulders and took determined steps. Gathering what she needed, along with an impromptu few ingredients to make Eton mess with fresh berries, she lined up at the tills. A commotion behind her had her spinning to see a pile of cereal boxes that had just been knocked to the floor, and then she caught sight of Tommy out of the corner of her eye, slipping through the sliding front doors of the IGA. Apprehension filled her. Fear whispered in her ears. Everything she’d been feeling while wandering the aisles slipped into place. Tommy had been her stalker. She was certain of it. But why? What did he think he was going to uncover by sneaking around, following her? With her suspicions, shouldn’t it be her that was spying on him?

After placing the bags of groceries into the back of her Jimny, she climbed behind the steering wheel and took a moment to gather her nerves and her thoughts. She’d been suspicious of Tommy the second she’d met him, and all throughout her three weeks at Riverside Acres he’d done nothing but made her feel extremely unwelcome. What did he know? How was he tied to the night her family died? What did he gain by dragging her all the way here, only to treat her like crap? Surely there was more substance to the letter, and the photograph, than that. She had to find a way to unearth the buried secrets here. And when she did, because by hook or by crook she was going to, there’d be consequences for whoever thought it would be gratifying to drag her over the hot coals of her past to be here. And all for what? A sick joke? Revenge? To harm her? Well, she’d be ready. So bring it on.

Standing out the front of her motel room a couple of hours later, she savoured the scent of her chilli con carne simmering away on the little two-burner stove inside. The sun had hit its peak, blasted heat, and now, thankfully, late-afternoon shadows stretched out as it sank away, providing shade from what had been a day of relentless sunshine. She glanced at her watch. Jarrah would be arriving soon, and she marvelled at how she wasn’t wearing a bit of make-up, not even her usual brush of lip gloss, her hair was a tousled mess, and she was dressed in baggy shorts and a sloppy T-shirt, and she didn’t care one bit. It felt good to feel so comfortable around a man, especially one as eye-catching as Jarrah. She just hoped her chilli lived up to his expectations – she’d built them up a fair bit over the last couple of weeks.

Tossing the stick for Scruff, she put her hands to her hips as she waited for him to retrieve it and bring it back for what felt like the hundredth time. She’d come out to her patio to sit back and enjoy the views, to enjoy some Zen-like downtime before she had to have a difficult conversation with Jarrah about leaving, but her doggy mate had other ideas. Not that she minded – his antics distracted her, made her laugh, and made her love him even more. It was going to be hard, saying goodbye to Scruff. He’d given her nothing but love from the second they’d met. Flopping beneath the shade of the old gum tree, Scruff finally dropped his stick and panted like billy-o. He’d clearly had enough for the afternoon. Crossing the driveway to be nearer to him, she leant on the rustic timber railing of the paddock opposite, and her gaze fixed to the two palomino horses that called it home, and then towards the thick tropical landscape beyond. She loved how the rainforest remained untouched by man’s hand, and how it was filled with so much of everything that made her feel whole.

If only she could stay.

‘Millie.’ Her name carried on Jarrah’s voice.

Turning to see him wandering towards her, she felt an easy smile break out on her face at his kind-hearted regard of her. ‘Hey, Jarrah.’

He tugged the brim of his hat in greeting. ‘What’s appertaining?’ His eyes crinkled from the glow of the setting sun as he stepped into her space and leant against the same railing as her.

‘I’m just admiring Mother Nature’s handiwork again,’ she admitted, smiling dreamily.

‘Mmm, nice.’ He leant his chin on his folded hands. ‘I don’t mean to brag, but I reckon this place is her pièce de résistance.’

‘I’d have to agree with you.’ She quirked a brow as she straightened. ‘And why not brag, you have the right to, being the sole owner of Riverside Acres.’

‘Ha, yeah, I suppose I do.’ Jarrah dropped his arms from the railing and turned to her. ‘Something is smelling bloody good.’ His deeply ingrained smile as he drank her in made her insides shiver. ‘I’m guessing that’s our dinner?’

Did this man want her no matter how rough and unready she looked? ‘It sure is, let’s hope it tastes as good as it smells, hey.’

‘My bet is that it tastes even better.’

‘Oh, no pressure.’ Chuckling, she shifted her gaze and studied him for a few seconds. ‘Jarrah, I have something I need to tell you.’

‘Okay.’ His relaxed posture stiffening, concern twisted his handsome features. ‘I’m all ears.’

She was standing stock-still, but her heart was careening out of control.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit …

‘I think Tommy was following me around the grocery shop today.’ Not exactly the ‘I’m leaving as soon as you find a replacement’ she had been planning on saying. ‘And I have no idea why.’

His head tipped. ‘Following you?’

‘Yes, following me.’ It felt strange, saying it out loud. ‘I could feel someone behind me the entire time I was in there, but every time I spun around whoever it was had gone, and then, as I was finishing up my shopping, somebody knocked over a stand of cereal boxes in their hurry to get out of there, and I spotted Tommy, looking very suspicious, hightailing it out the front doors.’

‘That’s really odd.’ His frown deepened as he drew in a pensive breath. ‘Are you sure he wasn’t just doing a bit of shopping?’

‘Not one hundred percent sure, no, but my instincts aren’t usually wrong.’ Her mouth feeling as if it was suddenly full of cottonwool, she shrugged and took a second to swallow down her tension. ‘Let’s face it, Tommy has never liked me, but why would he want to follow me?’

As Jarrah considered this, she watched his expression closely, looking for a sign, a hint, anything to tell her he knew something she didn’t. There was a passing moment when she thought she spotted perception, realisation even, but it was so fleeting she couldn’t be sure.

‘Do you think he’s out to get me for something I’m not aware of?’ She knew the question was a little loaded, but she’d started the ball rolling and she didn’t want it to come to a dead end.

‘There’s no way in hell that’s possible.’ Jarrah shook his head. ‘Tommy might be a moody bugger, but he’s not someone that purposely sets out to hurt anyone.’ He eyed her solemnly. ‘And you’re sure someone was following you?’

She nodded and said quietly, ‘Fairly certain, yes.’

‘Okay, I believe you, I’m just not one hundred percent convinced that Tommy was your stalker.’ A flash of something surged through his gaze. ‘But whoever it is, I’ve got you, Millie. Nobody will want to hurt you, especially in my line of sight.’

‘Hopefully not.’ She offered a grim smile. ‘It really rattled me today, feeling like I was being shadowed by some weirdo with an agenda.’

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