“Why not?”
“No career prospects, no nightlife, no women…” One by one she ticked them off on her fingers.
“No women?” His head jerked up. “Didn’t realize I’d joined a monastery.”
She couldn’t help smiling. Okay, she was wrong there. Wherever Nate went, there’d be women, even in a monastery. She slid him a curious glance. “So why are you moving back?”
“I was due for a change.” He gave a shrug. “I came down this weekend to get the house ready for the movers, but already I’ve hit a few snags.”
“Like what?”
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he brooded at the arc of light carved out by the headlights. Moths danced in and out of the glare. The road stretched empty both ways. They were surrounded by the bush, the night, and the stars.
“I was robbed this evening. I hadn’t been home fifteen minutes when someone stole my briefcase out of my car.”
“Oh, no. That’s terrible. You didn’t lock it?”
“Didn’t think I needed to.”
“Did you lose anything valuable?”
“A few things.” He paused. “Some personal stuff, too.”
The rough undertone in his voice stirred her curiosity. Whatever Nate had lost was important to him. “That’s too bad.”
He angled his eyes toward her, his look intensifying. “You’re being sarcastic?”
“No, I’m really sorry this happened to you.” Nate wasn’t exactly her favorite person, but he didn’t deserve to lose something that meant a lot to him.
“Yeah. So am I.”
He put the car into gear and guided them back onto the road. They were almost on the outskirts of Burronga, and in a few minutes she’d be back in her apartment. The prospect didn’t seem as enticing as it had when she’d been dancing with Paul.
I don’t want to go home because I want to spend more time with Nate. The brain flash curdled her stomach. She didn’t get along with Nate, but there was something about him that triggered…a spark. A spark, just like Nate had mentioned. The spark that had been completely missing with Paul, but with Nate it was there all the time, simmering just beneath the surface, threatening to flare up, and it was exciting, stimulating. Yeah, like a roller coaster, a voice at the back of her mind jeered. And we all know what happens to you after a roller-coaster ride. You wobble all over the place, and then you throw up.
Ally shook her head, trying to dislodge the disturbing thought.
“You look different tonight,” Nate said. “I’ve never seen you so glammed up, with the makeup and heels and that dress.” His quick glance rippled over her, lingering on her bare knees.
Suddenly self-conscious, she tried to stretch the hem of her dress over her knees. What madness had induced her to borrow one of Tyler’s dresses and let her friend doll her up for the evening? “Yeah, I look ridiculous. If you must know, tonight I wanted to look different, act different, but it’s not so easy to change who you are on the inside.”
“I didn’t say you looked ridiculous,” he swiftly replied. “Far from it. Even without the dress and the heels and the makeup, you look terrific.”
“Oh, yeah?” She arched a skeptical brow. “Bet you hardly noticed I had legs before I put on this dress.”
He grinned. “Maybe, but now I can’t get them out of my head.”
A hot flush spread across her skin. What was Nate saying? Did he think she was attractive? Desirable? She gulped and stared straight ahead at the windscreen. “We both know this”—she gestured to herself—“isn’t how I usually look. All I managed to do was send out mixed signals to Paul. It wasn’t only his fault the evening was a disaster. I have to wear some of the blame, too.”
“Don’t write off Paul too soon. I’ll bet you anything you’ll get a call or a bunch of flowers from him tomorrow.”
“You think?” The prospect dismayed her. “Even after I told him to get lost?”
“He’ll apologize, want to make up for it by asking you out on another date.”
“But I don’t want to go out with him again.” She rolled her lips together. “My nana thinks he’s just my kind of man. He might have been five years ago, but not anymore. I’m different now.”
“People change. It’s no big sin. Tonight you found out what kind of man you don’t go for.” They cruised into the center of Burronga, and Ally’s building came into sight. Nate brought the Maserati to a halt just outside her door. “Now,” he said, “you just have to figure out what kind of man you do go for.”
In the intimate confines of the sports car he seemed bigger, more overwhelming. Or maybe it was his scent that was flustering her witless. Nate wasn’t a man you could dismiss or ignore or forget. He was virile, energetic, and assertive. He could also be abrasive and headstrong, but he was never boring. Maybe Nate was just the kind of man she would go for.
No. That couldn’t happen. He wasn’t the type to stick with one woman, or to stick around Burronga for that matter. He would hurt her, just like he’d hurt her all those years ago. She’d fight this sick fascination with everything she had. Her fingers fumbled as she unsnapped the seat belt. “Thanks for the ride. No need for you to get out.” She scrambled from the car.
Slamming the door, she gave him a hasty wave and got herself into her apartment at record speed.
Chapter Six
The potato chip stopped midway to Jess’s mouth. “And Paul sent you flowers this morning and rang to apologize?”
Ally shifted on the couch. “Yes.”
“Did you tell him you took off with Nate last night? In his Maserati?”
Ally groaned. “I didn’t ‘take off.’ We didn’t go anywhere. He gave me a lift back to Burronga and that was it. And it’s got nothing to do with Paul.”
Her sister munched her chip thoughtfully. They were ensconced on Jess’s couch in front of the TV. The twins were asleep, and Brian had gone to a rugby match in Canberra with his mates. After a long day at the gift shop, Ally was glad to be relaxing with her sister, but she wasn’t so happy recounting the details of her blind date.
“I have to admit Paul doesn’t sound very nice,” Jess finally concluded. “Even if he did grovel to you. Nate isn’t my favorite person, either, but I’m glad he was there to rescue you.”
Ally exhaled loudly. “He gave me a lift home, that’s all.” But Nate had done more than that. He’d looked at her in a way he never had before, with admiration and even a hint of lust, and every time she remembered it, a quicksilver thrill went through her.
“It’s a pity Paul didn’t see you driving off with Nate. That would have put him in his place.”
Ally frowned. “But there’s no competition between them. I’m not interested in Paul, and you know how I feel about Nate. I’ve never, ever been interested in him.”
Not strictly true, the irritating Girl Scout in her piped up. She was interested in Nate, but she’d pull out her fingernails before acting on that interest.
“Yes, but Paul wouldn’t have known that. All he would have seen is Nate with his bad boy sexiness and you going home with him.” Jess dug her hand into the foil packet and scooped out another pile of chips. “That would have shown him a thing or two.”
Ally stared at her sister. “You think Nate is sexy? You?”
“Sure. Don’t you?” Seeing Ally’s expression, she shrugged. “Of course I don’t like him one bit, but I’m still a woman.”
“Huh.” Folding her arms, Ally sank back into the cushions. She wasn’t willing to admit to her sister the tug of attraction she experienced every time she bumped into Nate. Cripes, she wasn’t even willing to admit it to herself. “Well, none of that matters because I won’t be seeing Paul again.”
“Nana’s going to be disappointed.”
“No more blind dates!” Ally pushed to her feet and paced around the living room. “I’m going to concentrate all my energies on fixing the shop. I’ll pay back Mr. Cummings all the rent I owe him, and I’ll show Nate I’m a good tenant. And if I fail, well, then…” What about that coffee shop she’d once thought of opening? No, she couldn’t do that if she bungled the gift store. She cast about her, searching for some inspiration, and spied Brian’s Canberra Raiders scarf dangling over an armchair. “Then I’ll move to Canberra and go to university.”
“Move to Canberra? Go to uni?” Jess sat up, spilling her chips. “But…why?”
“Why not? I’ve thought about going to uni before.” She paused as she registered the dismay on her sister’s face. “Oh, Jess. Don’t look so worried. I’m just talking.” But the concept of further study had floated in the back of her mind for some time…she’d just never discussed it with Jess.
“Maybe it would be good for you to make a fresh start, and you’d do so well at uni.” Jess chewed her lip, her face clouded. “It’s just that I… Well, I like having you around. It’s always nice to know you’re not far away, especially now…”