Page 10 of The Mistletoe Wish

“What’s up? Would you like another coffee?”

“No, thanks.”

She straightened. “I have muesli and long-life milk, although only almond, if you’d like something to eat.”

“Hell yeah. That would be fantastic.” He smiled as he popped his slouch hat onto the hook and wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. Only nine o’clock and already the interior of the shack was like an oven. “I thought we could head into town shortly. See if we can buy that furniture you mentioned. And we need a fridge before we head to the supermarket. I’ll pay and keep a tab. We can talk about how we’ll deal with the money side of things later.”

After a long considering moment, she said, “Alright. I’m all for making this place more habitable as soon as possible.” Sara poured the cereal into a plastic bowl and added a liberal splash of milk, before replacing the items in the cupboard. She handed him the bowl and a spoon.

“Thanks.” He dived right into his breakfast, while Sara put her gloves back on.

“Did you know there was a possum in here this morning?”

“Yeah, I saw the little fella hanging about. I admit, I was surprised not to hear a scream.” Chuckling, he crossed over and rinsed his now empty bowl with the remainder of the water in the kettle. He picked up a bottle of water. He held it up and when she nodded, he broke the cap and drank.

“Anything but mice I’m fine with.” She returned to her scrubbing.

He set down the empty bottle. “Good to know. I’ll remember that.”

“We need an electrician,” she reminded him.

“I hadn’t forgotten. My sister may know of someone. She’s been living here for a few years now.”

“Probably lucky if we get someone here by Christmas.” Sara snorted as she tossed the scourer into a bucket of soapy water and ripped off the rubber gloves she was wearing. Moisture gleamed on her skin giving her face a youthful dewiness he found quite disarming.

Dewiness!What the devil was happening to him?

“I agree, which means we’ll have to make ourselves self-sufficient.”

Leaning against the cupboard, she folded her arms and arched one thin dark brow. “What do you suggest?” Her smile was a trifle crooked, and he wanted to trace the outline of her lips with his fingers.

He stuffed his hands into his pants pockets where they could be trusted. “My daughter will be here on the 5th,” he said abruptly.

“We’ll have to move fast then. Let’s make a list.” She walked to where her duffle bag was placed at the end of the camp bed and pulled out a small notebook and pen. When she sat down on the bed, he joined her, careful to keep the full length between them. “Right. Beds, table, chairs, food and more drinking water of course, and we need a fridge. But that can probably wait until we have the power on.” She scribbled on the pad.

“Agree. I can knock up a timber cubicle for an outdoor shower. So put that down. Is there a hardware store in town?”

“Yes. The Handy Hammer. It’s quite a big store nowadays since the owners moved premises. They’ve got a decent building section.”

“That’s great. Let’s see … I’ve got folding solar panels for limited power plus a bush shower bag we can use. I’d like to drop in at the caravan park and see if there is a van I can hire.”

“Doubtful. The town is chock full of tourists and your army mates’ relatives for Christmas. You may have to go to Armidale or Tamworth for that one.” She shot him a grin full of mischief. “You’ll need a Christmas tree for your daughter if you want to make this visit special.”

He rubbed his hands together. “Add that to the list and include Christmas lights and decorations. I thought an outdoor dining setting would be best. What with it being summer, plus the lack of space. And a couch and a telly would be good.”

That surprised a laugh from her. “Where do you think we can fit a couch? This place is so small.”

“It can go against the side wall when my swag is out of the way.”

She made a note in the book. “We can check the second-hand furniture section in the local gazette if Dodge doesn’t have anything in stock. Could pick up some bargains.”

Her suggestion merely cemented his certainty that her bank balance was low – if she had anything at all. If he dared mention such a thing however, she would probably bite his head off. He was enjoying their easy conversation too much to want to tarnish their surprising rapport. “Agreed.”

She nibbled the end of the pen and he had to push aside thoughts of her nibbling something else entirely. “If we can’t source a couch in the short term, what about some hammocks? There’s plenty of trees we can hang them from. If this heat continues, sleeping outside may be our only option unless we want to roast ourselves like a Sunday dinner.”

Grinning, he clapped a hand to her shoulder. “Now, we’re talking. Nothing like teamwork for getting a job done in record time.”

Her shuttered eyes met his. “I’m not on your team.” She surged to her feet, neatly tucking the notebook into a pocket on her cargo pants. “Let’s move. I suggest we go in separate cars. We’ll accomplish more that way. Plus, I have a couple of personal errands to run. I’ll check out Dodge’s shop, while you deal with the hardware side of things.”

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