A Dusty Christmas Read online

  “Okay.”

  He paused. “You mean it?”

  “I do.”

  Blaise didn’t want to push the conversation, but since he’d made a step forward, he was willing to take another chance. “I still have the unanswered question from earlier.”

  “What?”

  “Do you think I could move in soon?” Blaise couldn’t believe he’d managed to pluck up the courage to ask Dusty this, now, during harvest, when the combine was broken in the yard. And after she’d rejected the answer earlier.

  Dusty turned and looked at him, her eyes clear like the summer sky. “Yes.”

  He detected hesitation in her voice. “I sense a but coming on.”

  She lowered her voice. “What about Mom?”

  He nodded. “I don’t expect her to move out, you know.”

  “You’d be happy for her to live with us?”

  He wasn’t sure that was the way to word it. He’d much prefer it if they had their own space, but this was a situation that wasn’t the norm. Because of the attraction he had for Dusty, he was willing to compromise. It did help that he got along with Claire very well.

  “This is her home.”

  Dusty nodded. “It’s good to know that you think that way.” Her smile sent a glowing warmth through him. “We can talk more later.”

  “Sure.” He’d pushed her to face this enough for one night.

  “Come on, I’m hitting the sack even though I should have a shower.” She inhaled leaning toward him. “You should, too, but don’t worry about it.”

  “Come here.”

  Dusty wriggled out of his grasp. “Bedtime, and no hanky-panky.”

  “Cross my heart.” He made a cross on his heart as he said the words.

  He didn’t care. All he wanted was to have the night with Dusty in his arms.

  Thursday, December 19th, 2019

  The sound of a magpie calling outside aroused Dusty. She carefully rolled away from Blaise, yawning the last of the sleep away, and sat on the edge of the bed. She wished she could settle back next to him and go back to sleep. She had time. It wasn’t as if she could get on the combine this morning and get started reaping the last paddock of wheat. Not with it broken in the yard.

  Dusty knew that if she stayed in bed with Blaise, it would only be more difficult to get up later. And since later was only in a few minutes, she figured there was no point delaying getting started for the day. Plus, she didn’t want to linger in bed and have the lay-in turn into something more intimate. Not with her mom in the house.

  There will be plenty of time for sleep-ins later, she thought.

  Carefully, she stood so as not to wake him and glanced at Blaise sleeping in her bed, his naked chest from the sheet that covered his lower body, and his arm bent back over his head. He looked peaceful. Hot. Sexy. Desirable. The sort of man she wanted to keep in her bed. Yet, there was a niggling feeling moving inside of her, one that caused her to hesitate.

  There were so many details to sort out. It wasn’t as simple as him moving in. There was also her mom to consider. She wasn’t about to tell her mom to go live somewhere else. How was it really going to work with her mom living with them? This was something she’d been putting off thinking about for the last year.

  At the beginning of the year, all she wanted to know was if things could go smoothly with Blaise. It had gone better than she’d ever hoped for. Much better. What he was asking about moving in wasn’t unreasonable. For whatever reason, it sent her mind blank and her stomach roiling and twisting.

  She shook her head. It was too hard to think about this so early in the morning, especially when looking at Blaise mostly naked in her bed.

  Dusty grabbed a fresh pair of jeans, shirt, underwear, and socks, then tiptoed out of her bedroom to the seventies-style bathroom that was long overdue for an update. There was no money to maintain the farmhouse. She and her mom had to make do, but she didn’t care so much. It wasn’t like she needed a fancy bathroom. This one was small, but there was a nice long bathtub and a tiny shower cubicle. It was clean, and with the water shortage they often faced, it wasn’t as if she spent a lot of time in there.

  Water streamed down her body washing away the grime of the past day and easing the thoughts tangling in her mind. She let her mind drift, thinking of nothing except the water running over her skin.

  A soft knock on the bathroom door brought her attention back to the now.

  “No need to knock, come on in.” Dusty figured it was her mom, and she must need something in the bathroom.

  The door opened then closed.

  Dusty got on with her shower, taking out the cucumber scented shower gel and began to lather up the soap over her body.

  The glass door of the shower began to slide open.

  Dusty jumped. “Hey.”

  “I thought you said it was okay to come in,” said Blaise.

  She noticed how naked he was, all of him, every bit of his skin showing to her. His cock partially aroused. Her body tingled with desire as he stepped into the shower with Dusty.

  “I didn’t think it was you.”

  Water dribbled down his chest, sending her desires wild with need. There wasn’t a lot of room in the small shower, forcing them to be close, and Dusty was unable to step away from him. She didn’t want to. But she did hold on to a sense of propriety.

  “Who the hell did you think it was, then?” He went to wrap his arms around her, but she pushed them away.

  “Not now.” She didn’t like seeing the disappointment in his eyes. They were in a relationship, them in the shower naked should be something they did every day.

  “I can help you get clean.”

  “I’m clean enough,” she shot back as she tried to shimmy around him in the shower to wash off the soap. Moving also stopped her from gazing at his desirable body.

  “Can’t even tempt you with a bit of a massage?”

  Her breath caught in her throat—a massage would be great. Though, they were only just in summer now, and she wasn’t sure the rainwater tanks were full enough for long showers. “Can’t have long showers here. Remember, this is rainwater.”

  He sighed deeply with frustration.

  “How about back at your place,” she suggested, hoping he’d see it as an alternative.

  “But not until after harvest, right?”

  His words squeezed her heart.

  “That’s right. Plus, wouldn’t you rather have privacy and know that it’s just you and me here.”

  “It’s not as if your mom will find out. I can be discrete.”

  “This…” she waved her hands around, “… is not discrete.” Dusty turned to face Blaise.

  The cheeky look on his face flamed her desire toward him.

  “I can tease you. With my mouth, or hands. You can choose.”

  Her lower abdominal muscles clenched tightly. She put her hands on his shoulder, leaned forward kissing him passionately.

  “I knew I could turn you around,” he mumbled, his hands moving along her wet back. His touch felt great, natural, and she wanted more. She stepped in closer to him, leaning against his wet body, feeling the heat of his skin on hers and his hardening cock pressing against her upper thigh.

  She sighed, her own frustration breathing out between them. There was no way she was going to give in to her desires. Or to his request.

  Fuck, it was hard.

  “Oh, you wish. I wish.” She pushed open the shower door.

  “Hey, come back.”

  “I can tease, too.” She shot him a cheeky glance, wriggled her hips, then shut the glass door.

  “No fair.”

  Dusty could see him smiling at her through the glass. She was glad he was taking this well.

  “Jobs won’t do themselves.” She grabbed her towel and began to dry off. Quickly, before she gave in to the strong urges that were thrumming through her and jumped back into the shower with Blaise to finish the teasing they’d started.

  “Not on a f
arm.”

  “Or if you’re running your own business.”

  “No.”

  Dusty slipped on her clothes. She paused. The last thing she wanted to be doing was to be pushing Blaise away. It wasn’t really what she’d planned to do. Juggling Blaise’s needs, their relationship, and the farm work with the harvest was trickier than she thought.

  “Harvest will be finished soon.”

  “I know. But then it will be another job which will have your attention.”

  He had a point. Could she change? Find a way to make time to give to Blaise. Time which he more than deserved as her boyfriend.

  There was one obvious way for that to happen—have him move in.

  Her stomach fluttered with nerves. She could think better once the crops were reaped.

  “I’ll go ring Bluey and see if he can come out this morning. I’m sure he can fix the combine. Then as long as the weather doesn’t get too hot, the harvest should be finished. Then we can finish this conversation.”

  It was the best she could do.

  Even for her, she knew that wasn’t enough.

  Blaise rested his forehead on the cool glass of the shower. The sound of the bathroom door closing jarring to hear. He’d taken a risk to come into the shower like he had. It hadn’t quite played out the way he’d wanted it to.

  A hint of rejection welled inside of him. Blaise had a flashing thought of giving up and going back to Adelaide. Then he inhaled, and the childish thought dissipated as quickly as it had come.

  Blaise knew what he was getting into when starting a relationship with Dusty and how she’d been hurt by Aaron. The running of the farm was her business, and like many jobs, it was her life. He liked that. She was dedicated, a hard worker, and most of all, sassy.

  She did let me stay overnight, he reminded himself.

  That was a big step for Dusty. She was trying. More than that, her action gave him the hope he needed right now. He had to keep the bigger picture in mind. He’d been here for nearly a year and known Dusty for nearly two. He wasn’t about to walk away from her, not when there was a glimmer of change she’d shown. Besides, he’d come into the shower full well knowing that it would stir her up. He couldn’t resist the temptation when he’d woken to an empty bed, then discovered she was in the shower.

  He grinned to himself as he took out the soap. It had been a bit of fun.

  She can handle it.

  Blaise finished in the shower and turned off the water, not wanting to run the tanks low and give Dusty a reason to be cranky at him. Not when things were starting to change in a way that Blaise had been hoping would happen for so long.

  The day was already warming, and it wasn’t even nine in the morning. The sun’s rays radiated strong heat with no traces of clouds in the sky reflecting off the galvanized iron sheds, intensifying the heat around them. Dust hung heavy on the air. There’d already been no rain for the month of December, and there wasn’t likely to be much now until next year. The flat landscape revealed a hundred different shades of brown. The only bit of green in sight was some grass growing at the bottom of the tap by the shed.

  Molly sat on the back of Dusty’s ute in the shed, looking with hope in her eyes that maybe this was the day she would get to do some sheep work. Ted laid in the shade under Bluey’s ute, stretched out, head resting on his front paws as he pretended to sleep but keeping one eye on the activities in the yard.

  Dusty stood nervously watching the mechanic, Bluey, who had come out especially as a favor. He was quiet and hadn’t said a word for the last ten minutes as he looked over the combine. Dusty bit her bottom lip, not wanting to say anything. She was hoping against the nervous knots forming in her stomach that this wasn’t a bad breakdown of machinery, or that it wasn’t going to cost more than she could afford, and that it could be fixed, preferably within an hour.

  Blaise stood by her side, hands in his pocket. She wanted to lean into him. Take some of the calm and strength that exuberated from him. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He was wearing the same clothes as yesterday but now a little dirty and crumpled.

  Dusty blushed as she remembered what they had got up to in the shed. Then the bit of fun in the shower this morning. The cheekiness of Blaise kept her on her toes. While at times she found it hard sharing her life with him, at the moment she was glad he’d stayed over. He had a way of getting under her skin, of getting her riled up, which her instinct was then to push him away when that wasn’t really what she wanted to do. She needed to come up with a way forward with him or lose him forever. He was getting impatient and rightly so. It’s just that she didn’t want to feel pressured. She needed to be sure.

  A ute rattled down the driveway.

  Dusty watched to see who the hell might be coming here today. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Her mouth dried when she realized it was Aaron’s ute.

  What the hell does he want?

  Aaron parked his ute, got out, and sauntered over to them. “Saw your ute from the road, Bluey. Thought I’d drop in. Need any help?” He grinned sideways at Dusty. She shivered despite the warming heat of the day.

  Dusty shrugged her shoulders and looked away, her blood beginning to boil merely from his presence. Aaron was a nosy shit. Coming in here to gloat at her for having machinery issues so close to the end of harvest, she just knew it. After all that had gone on between him and her, he was always going to be a burr in her side. He didn’t take rejection well, especially when she’d chosen a city boy as a boyfriend over him.

  “We’re good,” interrupted Blaise.

  “Lucky I came along and helped your boyfriend yesterday with a flat tire. He was in a right pickle.” Aaron ignored Blaise and kept talking.

  “I could’ve handled it.” Blaise changed his stance, putting his hands on his hips, his glare at Aaron was stormy.

  Aaron chuckled. “Yeah, right.”

  “What do you want, Aaron?” Dusty was trying to think quickly. At this rate, Blaise and Aaron would come to fisticuffs.

  “I’m a friendly neighbor checking in to make sure you’re all right and don’t need any help.”

  Dusty was about to say she didn’t need any help, and most definitely didn’t need it from him, her ex who had hit her, who had nearly cost her and Blaise starting a relationship together, when Bluey cleared this throat, steeping around from behind the combine.

  “You’re not going to like what I have to say.” He ran his hand through his dark hair.

  Dusty felt her breath leave her, squashing her lungs. “No?”

  “You’re right, it’s a broken bearing.”

  Fuck. She forced herself to take a breath.

  “You can fix it?” she asked.

  “Yep, but I have to order the part from Melbourne. I have none in stock.”

  “Fuck it!” This time Dusty swore out loud. Her mind whirled. Today was Thursday. With Christmas Day next Wednesday, it meant it would be cutting it too fine for the part to arrive in time. I won’t get the harvest done before Christmas.

  She felt Blaise move to stand close to her, his hand on the small of her back, quietly offering support.

  “Sorry, I wish I had better news. With Christmas next week, things are getting tight.”

  Dusty nodded. There was no point getting angry at Bluey. She’d had hoped that the harvest would be done, then she would be able to focus on her relationship with Blaise. The breakdown of the combine was putting this all at risk.

  She scuffed her boots in the dirt trying to think—there was one possibility.

  “What if I drive to get the part myself? Would you install the new bearing for me, even if it’s the weekend?”

  Bluey rubbed his scruffy chin in thought. It was a busy time of year for him too with the farmers needing machinery fixed and not wanting to wait.

  “I figure I can leave straight away. If I push it, I’ll get to the store before closing tonight, then I’ll turn around and come straight back. All being well, I’ll have the part tomorrow.�
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  “You can’t drive like that,” said Blaise.

  She ignored the look of concern on his face. This is what needed to be done to finish the harvest, to ensure that she had income for the year ahead, and so she could be present for her and Blaise’s first Christmas together.

  “You’ll be lucky to get there before the shop closes.” Bluey shook his head. “Blaise is right. It’s dangerous to drive like that. You will need to rest. It’s not worth the trip if you end up dead on the side of the road.”

  Dusty felt a chill from his words. She knew the risk. Dammit! Right now, she was willing to take it. There was a lot riding on this. It wasn’t just a matter of finishing the harvest before Christmas, it was the future of her farm, and it was the future with Blaise. She wasn’t going to give up on either of those.

  “How about I go with you,” spoke up Aaron.

  “No way, if anyone’s going with Dusty, it will be me.” Blaise turned to Dusty. “We can share the driving.”

  That would be a much better option than driving with Aaron. “You have time?” She wasn’t sure what his schedule was like with his accounting business. She’d been so wrapped up in the harvest that she’d lost touch in what he was doing.

  “Of course.”

  It was going to be a big drive. She was used to the long hours behind the wheel, but Aaron wasn’t. She rolled her lips in thought.

  “Better to go with someone, Dusty,” piped up Bluey. “That reminds me, I’ve got your tire fixed, you’ll need the space with you.”

  Dusty nodded. And that someone was most definitely Blaise. She was about to turn down Aaron when she noticed her mom rushing toward them. She could tell straight away something was wrong.

  “Mom, what’s happened?” She braced herself for more bad news.

  “Blaise, you need to go back to Adelaide. Your dad’s been in an accident.”

  Blaise felt like someone had punched him hard in the stomach and the wind rushed from his lungs.

  “What happened?” asked Blaise. He could feel the blood draining from his face, and his head felt light with the abrupt news. “Is he okay?”