Free Breaking The Drought by Lisa Ireland Page A

lazy-bones, you need to get out of bed and get ready. Maggie’s made a pot of tea if you want some sustenance before we go.’
    â€˜Okay, I’ll be out soon.’
    â€˜Not so fast, sunshine. You didn’t answer my question. How was your night?’ Brooke looked at Jenna expectantly.
    â€˜I told you. It was fine.’
    â€˜Don’t think you’re getting off that easily. I know the gorgeous Luke brought you home. I thought I sensed some sparks between you two. Am I right?’
    Jenna sighed. ‘I have no idea what’s going on. There’s definitely some chemistry there, I’ll admit that much.’
    Brooke smiled. ‘That’s great, Jen. Just what you need, a bit of sizzle in your life.’
    â€˜Don’t get too excited. Nothing’s going to come of it.’
    â€˜How do you know?’
    â€˜We kissed last night. He seemed interested at first, but then he pulled away like I had burnt him. He said he couldn’t do it. Obviously, I repelled him in some way.’
    Brooke frowned. ‘That’s strange.’
    â€˜Maybe I’m repulsive to men.’
    â€˜Don’t be ridiculous. He must have a reason. Maybe he has had his heart broken, or maybe he’s seeing someone else and didn’t want to do the wrong thing by them.’
    Jenna shrugged. ‘I don’t think it’s another woman. Everyone in town seems to have him pegged as Barlow’s most eligible bachelor.’
    Brooke leaned over and squeezed her hand. ‘Well, he’s an idiot then. It’s the only explanation. Never mind, there are plenty more fish in the sea, or cowboys in town, to be precise.’
    Jenna smiled despite her melancholy mood. ‘At least this trip has been a success for one of us. I’m glad you found Rob.’
    â€˜Oh, he’s just a bit of fun. Still, I can’t wait to see him today so we’d better get a move on.’
    Brooke bounded off and left her to get ready for a day she did not want to face. First there was the recovery barbeque, which was being held at the cricket ground. Afterwards the visitors were invited to watch the Barlow first eleven play nearby Curlewis. Normally Jenna enjoyed watching a game of cricket, but today she could think of nothing worse.
    Reluctantly she headed for the shower.
    * * *
    The morning sun streamed through the windscreen of Luke’s black four-wheel drive as they all headed into town. ‘Looks like it’s going to be another scorcher,’ said Maggie.
    â€˜I can’t believe how hot it is already,’ said Brooke. ‘I mean it’s not even eight o’clock yet.’
    â€˜The weather bureau predicted it would get to 40 degrees today,’ Maggie replied. ‘That must be some type of record for November, surely?’
    Luke was grateful for the mindless chatter. While Brooke and Maggie prattled on about the weather nobody seemed to notice his silence. Or Jenna’s.
    He longed to be alone with her. He desperately wanted to explain the abrupt end to their evening. The look of pain on her face when he recoiled from their embrace had haunted his dreams and as a consequence he had not slept well. Today she was carefully avoiding his gaze, smiling, pretending that nothing had happened. But when he looked in the rear vision mirror a moment ago, they had locked eyes, just for a second. The hurt in her eyes made him ashamed. The last thing he wanted was to cause Jenna grief, but already he had made her unhappy.
    * * *
    By ten o’clock the barbeque had taken on a party-like atmosphere. Most of the visitors and their hosts had managed to drag themselves out of bed to attend. Jenna was grateful for the high turnout. Avoiding Luke should be easy in this crowd. He was the day’s head chef and due to the Total Fire Ban, the barbeques had been swapped for electric hotplates set up inside the cricket pavilion. There would be no need for the two of them to cross