Page 48 of Whispers of Sweetwater

‘Great. We’re aiming for six-thirty. Want me to swing by and pick you up? Seeing as you’re still waiting on the Hilux.’

Brianna smiled. ‘Yeah. That’d be nice, thanks, Hayden.’

A few hours later, she stood in front of her bedroom mirror, fussing with a strand of hair that refused to behave. The rest of her outfit was simple, clean jeans and a soft blouse, but she’d changed three times before settling. It wasn’t a date, she reminded herself, just dinner with friends. And yet her heart had other ideas. From his usual spot on the end of her bed, Sherlock watched her with his head tilted, eyebrows drawn in amused judgement.

‘Don’t look at me like that,’ she muttered.

He gave a soft whuff in response.

‘It’s not like I’m nervous. I just want to look, you know, decent.’

There was another tilt of the head from her doggy mate.

‘Fine. Maybe I’m a little nervous, but only because I’m meeting Tilly; it’s certainly not because of Hayden.’

Sherlock yawned in reply, then rolled onto his side, clearly unconvinced.

She was about to argue back when the sound of tyres in the driveway reached her ears, and her heart skipped a few beats.

She gave Sherlock a look, half-annoyed, half-flustered. ‘Not. A. Date. Mr Sherlock.’

But despite what she was saying out loud, she was halfway to the door before the diesel drone of Hayden’s LandCruiser cut out. She checked her watch. He was right on time. Moments later, there was a soft slam of a car door, and the sound of boots alighting her steps then crossing her verandah. Drawing in a deep breath, she exhaled then opened the front door just as Hayden reached it. He glanced at her, then did a small double take. Brianna felt the heat rise to her cheeks as his eyes lingered for a second longer, and she caught the way he subtly cleared his throat, like he was trying not to stare. It was flattering, and mildly infuriating, how easily he could rattle her with a look.

‘Howdy,’ she said with a smile, trying to keep her voice even.

Hayden’s eyes warmed the second they landed on her, flicking briefly over her before returning to her face. Something unreadable, something heated, sparked in his gaze, but all he said was, ‘Evening, Doc Steele.’

Sherlock padded up beside her, tail wagging in slow approval. Hayden crouched without hesitation, scratching behind the dog’s ears. ‘G’day, mate.’

Sherlock huffed, leaning in to the attention.

Brianna rolled her eyes, but her lips betrayed her with a twitch of a smile. Traitor, she thought light-heartedly, though the warmth in her chest betrayed her again. Sherlock was a great judge of character.

With dog and man bonded, Hayden stood, and for a beat his eyes locked onto hers and the space between them became thick with something she couldn’t name but felt in every nerve ending. The easy, safe air when she was around him felt different tonight. Charged. Like one wrong move could tip them both into something neither of them could undo.

‘Ready?’ he asked, his voice low, a touch huskier than usual.

‘Yeah,’ she managed. ‘I’ll just grab my bag and lock up; won’t be a sec.’

And she was no more than ten, and in that very short time it felt as if her heart had beat ten times that. Hayden stepped ahead without another word and once they reached his LandCruiser jogged around to open the passenger door for her.

The simple, old-fashioned gesture made her pulse flutter even harder. ‘Chivalry’s still alive in Sweetwater, I see,’ she teased lightly.

She climbed up and into the luxury four-wheel drive, hiding the small, involuntary smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth. The Highwaymen’s version of ‘Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys’ lasted almost the entire drive from her front door to the Rusty Rooster’s – everything was so close in this little country town.

Hayden pulled into a park out the front and flicked her a sideways glance. ‘Here we are.’ Then, in a flash, he was out and circling around to open her door again.

She tried not to think about how natural it looked, him standing there, waiting for her. ‘You don’t have to keep doing that, you know,’ she said as she slid down, her ankle boots landing on the gravel.

‘Maybe I like doing it,’ he replied simply, his hand brushing hers as she steadied herself on the step.

Her stomach flipped at the casual honesty in his tone, but before she could reply, he nodded towards the pub doors. ‘Come on then. Let’s get in there before Gavin drinks the place dry.’

She laughed, falling into step beside him. Their shoulders brushed as they crossed the short distance to the entrance, and though neither mentioned it, the spark of contact lingered all the same.

The quaint, cosy pub was already humming with locals winding down from the day, the scent of fry oil and beer curling beneath the ceiling fans. Gavin was at the bar, leaning casually with a schooner in hand, chatting with a woman Brianna gathered was his wife. She was striking – tall, with a dark braid slung over one shoulder and a direct, knowing gaze. Her blue sundress was simple but stylish, and her laugh carried across the room with warm confidence.

As they approached, Hayden greeted her with a grin. ‘Bri, this is Tilly, Gavin’s better half.’