Page 37 of Wedding Bells By the Creek

The other woman had obviously been waiting for her.

‘Just what do you think you’re up to?’ Stephanie challenged her.

‘That’s none of your business.’ Helen ducked her head and made to walk around the other woman, but Steph was having none of it and stepped into her path.

‘I saw you. You were with Ed. You stay away from him. He’s my husband.’

Helen felt a surge of anger. ‘Really. Well, you haven’t been much of a wife, have you? You gave up any rights to make demands when you walked away all those years ago.’

‘Well, I’m here now, so just back off, lady.’

Stephanie’s voice dripped venom. Once Helen would have run away from the confrontation. She would have taken heed of Stephanie’s threats. But not anymore. A lot had changed in the past couple of weeks.

‘I’ll do whatever I want.’

‘Yeah. And I bet you’ve been running me down to Ed all evening.’

Helen almost laughed. ‘Running you down? We didn’t even mention you. We had far better things to talk about. And besides, I think Ed is more than capable of seeing right through you. Now, if you don’t mind, my daughter is waiting for me.’ Helen pushed past a shocked Stephanie and entered the bar, her head held high.

Chapter Seventeen

Tia resisted the urge to slide the Harley at high speed into the service station workshop. Instead, she drew up next to the bowsers and killed the engine. She needed petrol, but that wasn’t why she was here.

She removed the cap from her petrol tank and started the pump. She looked over towards the workshop. No sign of Ed. Was he that much of a coward that he was frightened to face her? Tia’s temper, which had been rising steadily since leaving the pub last night, rose a fraction more.

Her tank was almost full when Ed finally appeared. She snapped the pump off and slapped the lid back on her tank. Ed was standing by the workshop door, almost as if he knew what was coming.

‘Ed.’ Tia marched over and stood in front of him. ‘We need to talk. About my mother.’ Tia was tiny compared to Ed. She barely reached his shoulder, but at that moment, her anger made her feel tall enough to tackle anyone.

‘Then I guess we’d better go inside,’ Ed said slowly. ‘Trish is due back this morning.’

Tia opened her mouth to protest, and then thought better of it. She didn’t want everyone – least of all her mother – to know she’d come to talk to Ed.

She followed him inside. Ed propped himself against the counter.

‘Okay. Let me have it.’

‘What the hell do you think you are doing, kissing my mother?’

Whatever response Tia expected, it wasn’t the slow smile that lit Ed’s face. ‘She told you?’

‘Of course she did. Mothers and daughters talk, you know.’

‘What did she say?’

‘She said …’ Tia caught herself. This wasn’t going the way she’d planned. Ed looked … well … he looked different. This wasn’t the taciturn, almost rude man she’d met when she first came to the Creek. This Ed seemed years younger. He looked … nice. And he seemed happy. Something was going on.

Tia shook her head, struggling to regain her focus. ‘It doesn’t matter what she and I talked about. It’s none of your business. I just want to know what the hell you think you are doing, carrying on with my mother.’

‘That’s not really your business either, is it?’ he said gently.

‘Yes, it is.’

Ed leaned back against the counter and didn’t say a word.

Tia let out a frustrated sigh. ‘All right. I’m sorry, Ed. I know I shouldn’t have come barging in here like this. But my mother is vulnerable right now. She’s had a tough life. We are only just finding our way as a family again. I don’t want her to get hurt.’

‘Neither do I.’

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