*A few weeks ago." She listened to a tirade from Rosemary, and when her sister ran out of words, said simply, *It"s what I want to do, and it"s too late to change, even if I wanted to, and I don"t."
To her relief, Rosemary and her husband were about to go away on a trip to Europe, and once Louise moved down to Margaret River, she was three hours" drive away. And, actually, there was nothing Rosemary could do to interfere.
Her sister knew that too. So she sulked.
Louise sometimes wondered what she would have been like without Rosemary. Would she have been quite so sensible? Or would she have let her sense of humour loose occasionally and had a bit more fun?
The day after Louise moved into the run-down cafe, there was a knock on the door. She opened it to find a man clutching a bloodstained hand.
*I"m your neighbour. I"m sorry to trouble you, but I"ve cut myself pretty badly."
She drew him inside and examined it. *It needs st.i.tches."
*Oh." He looked at it doubtfully. *I don"t think I can drive. Could you possibly-"
*Take you to a doctor? Of course."
*My name"s Richard, by the way."
*Louise."
She had him in the nearest doctor"s surgery in ten minutes flat. *I"ll wait and drive you back."
*I"m really grateful." He smiled at her.
He had a lovely smile. It lifted his face from ordinary to attractive. She found herself responding to it and for a moment the two of them just stood there, smiling. Then the nurse came to take him into the small operating theatre.
A little later the receptionist came across. *The doctor wants to tell you how to look after your husband"s hand."
*He"s not my .a.a." But the woman was already leading the way back.
The doctor looked exhausted. *Ah, Mrs Crossley!" He then proceeded to explain rapidly how to look after the hand. He had gone off to see the next patient before either of them could correct the misunderstanding.
Richard grimaced at her. *Sorry about that. I tried to explain, but no one would listen. They"ve had a bit of a busy day, I gather."
Louise shrugged. *It doesn"t matter. I"m happy to help you. That"s what neighbours are for, isn"t it?"
*I"m your nearest neighbour, actually. I have a two-acre block next to yours."
As she parked she noticed that the gardens were stunningly beautiful, but the house had an unloved air.
*It"s a bit messy," he said apologetically when she took him inside.
*Never mind that. Come and sit down. You look as white as a sheet. I"ll make you a cup of tea."
*I prefer coffee, actually."
*So do I. Where"s your percolator?"
*I haven"t got one, only instant. Will you join me anyway?"
Good coffee was her biggest weakness. She tried not to pull a face at the thought of instant coffee, but he looked so pale she didn"t like to leave him alone yet. Anyway, he seemed a nice man and it always paid to get on good terms with your neighbours.
As she made the coffee, she lectured herself. Stop trying to be sensible, Louise. You like him. You want to get to know him. Admit it. It was the smile that had done it. And the long, lean lines of his body. Attractive. She"d always liked tall men.
He sipped the brown liquid. *Aaah! I can never get it to taste like that. But then, you"re a trained cook, aren"t you?"
She shook her head. *No. But I do love cooking." It had been her secret pa.s.sion for years. Luckily she was the sort who stayed slim, because she was famous for her chocolate cake.
*If your prices aren"t too steep, I"ll probably come next door quite often for my meals." He gestured towards the window. *I"m addicted to gardening, but I don"t often bother to cook for myself."
Within two weeks, Louise had the cafe open. Not for fancy meals, just snacks. Her own beefburger recipe; fresh salads; crusty bread; home-made cakes. It wasn"t hard to organize. She"d been working out her business plan ever since she signed the contract for the house.
She soon grew accustomed to seeing Richard every evening and began to look forward to it. He was her last customer, he always joked, there to help eat the leftovers.
It was lovely to have someone to talk over the day with, to laugh with over the absurdities of the customers, many of them from the holiday rentals just down the road, or pa.s.sing traffic from cars. She and Richard had a similar sense of humour, as well as their mutual addiction to coffee and chocolate cake.
And when his body brushed against hers accidentally, well, he couldn"t tell how her pulse speeded up, could he?
When his hand was better, Richard asked, *What about the gardens?"
She was thinking out a new sandwich list. *Mmm? What?"
*The gardens here. What are you going to do about them?"
She stared out of the window. *I"ll have to hire someone. I hate gardening, but I can"t leave it like that, I know."
*Can I apply for the job?"
*You?"
He looked at her with that steady expression on his face. *Yes. Me."
*I can"t pay much."
He grinned. *I"m fairly self-sufficient financially. I was thinking more of payment in kind. Meals. You"re a very good cook, Louise."
*Oh." And why she should start blushing, she didn"t know. For heaven"s sake, she told herself as she fussed over one of the displays. What"s got into you, woman? He"s only interested in your cooking.
When the colour in her cheeks had died down, she turned back to him. *Sounds like a good idea. We"ll give it a try."
After that, Richard seemed to be popping in at all times of day. It was nice. It was .a.a. neighbourly. He put in some fast-growing border plants and the gardens quickly began to look better.
The next time she went into town, she took the opportunity to buy herself some new clothes, younger styles, more attractive. She had a good figure, after all. Why had she not made more of it before? Because she"d been brought up to wear sensible clothes that lasted.
The change was nothing to do with Richard, it was just a well, you had to look smart when you were meeting the public, didn"t you?
Three months after Louise took over the cafe, her sister got back from Europe and came to visit within a couple of days. Until now, Louise had been free to do what she liked and it had been wonderful not to receive those sharp phone calls, not to hear Rosemary"s strident voice telling her what to do.
Typical of her sister! thought Louise, fuming. No warning. Turned up right in the middle of the busiest time, with her two teenage daughters in tow. And she expected Louise"s instant attention.
*Lovely to see you," she said, showing them to the only empty table. *Can"t stop to talk till I"ve finished serving this family."
She came back a few minutes later. *Sorry about that. Do you want a cup of something?"
*The coffee smells heavenly."
When she went into her kitchen, Louise leaned her head against a cupboard and thumped the wall with her fist.
*Is something wrong?"
Two strong arms turned her round and Richard peered at her anxiously. *Are you all right?"
She leaned against him for a moment and it felt good. His body was every bit as firm as she had fantasized. Fool! She told herself. He"s just being kind to you. Will you never learn that men don"t think of you like that? You"re an eternal sister as far as they"re concerned. But she didn"t move away, because it felt so good to be held like that.
*It"s my sister and nieces, actually," she confessed. *They"ve just turned up out of the blue and I"m rushed off my feet. Kerry couldn"t come in today. I think I"m going to have to hire a more reliable part-time waitress." The cafe was doing quite well, better than she"d expected at this stage.
*Can I apply for the job?" His voice was as gentle as ever, his brown eyes soft with concern.
*Only if you"ll let me pay you. Could you manage a few hours at the weekend?"
He gave her a quick hug that sent her heart tangoing round inside her chest. It was a moment before she could speak and then her voice sounded softer than usual, but she couldn"t help it. *You"re hired, Mr Crossley."
*That"s great. It"ll give me plenty of time to see to the gardens during the week. Now, you get some coffee ready and I"ll take it out to your sister. Which one is she?"
They peered through the gla.s.s porthole together. His arm was still round her shoulders, and his body was still close to hers. Stop it! she told her imagination. Stop it right now! She pointed. *That"s her."
His breath fanned her cheek as he spoke. *She looks a bossy sort."
*She is. People think I"m bad, but she"s worse."
He grinned. *You"re not bossy, just efficient. I love to watch you work. You"re so neat about everything and you move gracefully."
It was a long time since a man had given her a compliment. Any sort of compliment. Two compliments at once made her blush bright pink.
He chuckled and touched her cheek with his fingertip, painting a trail of liquid fire down it that had her gasping for breath. *And I like a woman who can blush, too."
Bemused, she watched him carry the tray into the cafe. Was it possible? Was it really possible?
When the cafe was empty, Louise stood in the kitchen, reluctant to go out and talk to her sister. Richard seemed to understand. He stopped stacking plates in the dishwasher and came across to give her another hug. *Want me to stay around, in case you need help with the dragon lady?"
Louise nodded. *Please. I"m such a a a coward where she"s concerned."
*Family can be more difficult to deal with than anyone. Wait till you meet my Aunt Jennifer."
*Here I go, then." Louise drew in a deep breath, squared her shoulders and went to face Rosemary, grateful for his presence behind the scenes.
*Ah, there you are at last, Louise. Who is he?"
*I beg your pardon?"
*Who"s the man? We all thought you"d gone mad when you bought this place, but I can see there"s more to it. Who is he?"
*Shh!" Louise looked round, worried that Richard would overhear. Rosemary"s voice had such a carrying tone to it. *He"s just a neighbour."
The two girls snickered and exchanged knowing glances.
*What does he do for a living?" Rosemary demanded, picking up the last little cake and taking a greedy snapping bite at it.
*He does the garden for me. And serves in the cafe occasionally. Apart from that a I don"t know."
Rosemary stiffened. *He"s after your money, then. I knew we shouldn"t have let you do this." She made no attempt to lower her voice.
Louise winced.
The door banged open and Richard came striding out of the kitchen, his expression very determined.
Louise stared at him in panic. He"d heard! Oh, heavens, he"d never speak to her again!
He walked across the cafe with a firm tread, winked at her when Rosemary couldn"t see and put an arm round her waist.
He wasn"t angry, then. Louise leaned against him gratefully. She had never been able to cope with Rosemary in this sort of mood.
*Why don"t you introduce me, darling?" he said in his deep velvet voice.
Darling! What did he mean by darling? Louise turned her head and Richard grinned at her mischievously. Biting off a protest, she played along, her spirits lifting.
Rosemary"s expression registered shock and the nieces looked like two baby birds, mouths open, waiting to be fed.
*Didn"t Louise tell you?" Richard said, easy and smiling. *We"re engaged. I"m Richard Crossley, by the way."
*No. She didn"t tell me. She didn"t tell me anything." Rosemary stared at him, eyes narrowed suspiciously. *This is all very sudden, isn"t it?"
*That"s how it happens," he said. *You see a person and you fall madly in love." He nudged Louise. *Don"t you agree, darling?"
*Yes," Louise said faintly. *Darling."
Rosemary looked down at Louise"s hand. *Where"s the ring?"
Louise pulled herself together. She was not going to let Richard down. *We"re going to get it after the weekend rush. We want to take our time, find something really pretty." Suddenly she was dying to laugh. For the first time ever, she wasn"t afraid of her elder sister. Filled with mischief of her own, she stretched up to kiss Richard"s cheek.
He stared at her and, for a moment, the two of them seemed to be alone in the cafe, and though her sister said something, Louise couldn"t tell what it was.
Then he pulled her closer and kissed her back, a long, soft communion that was far better than any of her dreams. When he moved his head away, he mouthed, *All right?" and she said the first thing that came into her head.
*Wonderful."
There was the sound of a throat being cleared, a sound that Louise had always dreaded. Now, it was nothing. She turned back to Rosemary. *We"ll let you know when we name the day. For the moment, we"re not rushing anything." She put her arm round Richard"s waist and leaned there while Rosemary talked at them.