Hartley's Grange Read online

  ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake, I’m getting you checked out.’

  ‘There’s no need, really. I’m just a bit bruised and feeling sorry for myself.’

  ‘Well, you have every right to be,’ Violet declared. ‘After today, I reckon you deserve it. So what do you want to do? Shall we get even?’

  ‘No, I just need to lick my wounds for a while.’ Lily gave her sister a small smile.

  ‘How about we fill up Pietro’s car with a couple of bags of manure? I know this farmer who might help us out.’ Violet encouraged her with a grin. ‘Come on, just imagine it when he opens the door and a pile of sheep shit lands on his expensive Italian shoes.’

  Lily couldn’t help but chuckle at the ludicrous suggestion. ‘No, I don’t think so, but thanks for my first laugh of the day. I guess I just need a bit of time to think and try to work out what I’m going to do. You don’t mind if I stay here for a bit, do you?’

  ‘Of course I don’t! You know I’ve always got your back, no matter what.’

  Lily looked over at her sister gratefully. ‘Thanks.’

  ‘It will be great being back together again. And you know that your niece will love it,’ Violet said with a smile. ‘Speaking of which, there’s a little over an hour before I have to pick her up from school, so that’s plenty of time to get you checked out at the medical centre.’

  ‘Violet, I’m fine.’

  ‘Yes, I’m sure you are but I’m still taking you there. The bottom line is that you were in an accident and I need to know that you’re physically okay, even if you don’t.’

  ‘Violet …’

  ‘Do this for me, Lily – please.’

  ‘Oh alright, if it will make you happy.’

  ‘It does. Come on, let’s go,’ Violet said as she stood up.

  ‘You were always bossy,’ Lily said with a faint smile.

  ‘Yeah, that’s what big sisters are for.’

  ***

  Flynn perched on the old leather armchair and stared through the huge bank of windows that ran the entire length of the house. The skinny olive green leaves of the eucalypts in the gully outside were still dripping from the downpour. The storm had passed and left in its wake a soft, drizzly rain. Water flowed fast over the grey rocks jutting out of the creek bed and rivulets ran down the bank, hurrying to join it.

  Hartley’s Grange had been in his family for generations, but over the past twenty or so years the sheep run of almost eight hundred acres had become run-down and was barely making a living, let alone a profit. After his grandfather’s death years ago, the place had fallen into a slow but steady decline. Flynn had been too young to help but even if he hadn’t been, his grandmother had ruled the run with an iron fist – just like she had done in all things.

  When Flynn inherited the place four and a half years ago, he had a decision to make: he could attempt to revive the farm or just walk away. He had toyed with the options for a couple of months. The thought of walking away and beginning somewhere else was certainly tempting, but in the end he just couldn’t do it. But he knew then that if he was going to make it work, he had to try to find ways to save Hartley’s Grange.

  And when it came down to it, the best way to rescue the old place was to sell off a couple of pockets of land. A lot of people in town had been horrified, but it was the only way he could raise the capital he needed for the farm’s improvements and to rebuild the house.

  It had taken Flynn almost four years to restore the original two-storey stone house that dated back to the 1880s. It had fallen into disrepair until only the shell had remained. He’d put in every spare minute and a heap of money to bring the ruin back to life. The house was now a fusion of Victorian and modern architecture. The old facade still graced the front, but the back of the house was all glass and steel and offered an uninterrupted view of the deep gully below.

  Finally, after years of hard work and living on the smell of an oily rag, things were beginning to turn around. Slowly, Flynn had been able to build up his mob of merinos, and last season’s wool cheque had given him a reason to hope that everything was beginning to pay off. There was still a heap to do, but one day he hoped that Hartley’s Grange would be as successful as his best mate Mac’s place, McKellan’s Run.

  It had been a hell of a day and Flynn was glad to be home and in dry clothes. There were a hundred things he could do and even more he should, but for once he found it difficult to get off the chair. Perhaps, just for a few hours, the Grange could do without him.

  The image of Lily Beckett wandered into his mind. She’d been pretty shaken up by the accident and he wondered if he should call to see how she was going. In the distance a magpie sang its maudlin song as Flynn remembered how Lily had trembled in his arms.

  Yeah, the kid had had a fright alright, and she’d been damn lucky. He had run into her several months before when she’d been up visiting her sister and checking out the shop she’d inherited. It had been a surprise because in Flynn’s mind Lily was Violet Beckett’s baby sister, with pigtails, freckles and scraped knees, and, like a smartarse, he had said something to that effect. She’d given him a smile that he still could picture, her head slightly tilted to one side and the sun highlighting her rich brown hair as she answered that she wasn’t a kid anymore.

  Hell, he was more than aware of that. She’d been funny and flirty and countered each of his remarks. Their exchange had stayed with him – it shouldn’t have, but it did.

  He mentally shook the image away and rolled his wide shoulders. Thinking about a woman like that could open the door to all sorts of trouble. Lily was safe and sound with her sister and that was that. Besides, best friends or not, Mac McKellan would skin him alive if he went anywhere near Violet’s little sister.

  Flynn put down his coffee and walked over to the wide panels of glass as he pulled his phone from his pocket. Leaning against one of the frames, he pushed open a window. The fresh, damp air blew over him as he flicked through the directory on his phone and selected a number.

  ‘Hello, Flynn.’

  ‘Hi, Violet. Just thought I’d ring and check how Lily was.’

  ‘Lily’s fine, or at least she will be. I took her to the doctor and, other than a nasty bruised shoulder, she’s shaken up but okay. Thanks so much for helping her, I really appreciate it.’ He could hear the sincerity in her voice.

  ‘There’s nothing to thank me for. Listen, I organised for the garage to tow her car in and fix it. Sam Ogilvy is going to drop the rest of her stuff around to your place after work.’ Flynn glanced at his watch and saw that it was almost 5.30 pm. ‘I reckon he’ll be there pretty soon.’

  ‘That’s kind – you didn’t have to go to all that trouble.’

  ‘No trouble at all,’ Flynn said as he stared out into the bush. ‘Tell her I hope that she’s feeling better.’

  ‘Sure, I’ll let her know.’

  ‘Thanks, Violet. See ya.’

  There was a moment’s hesitation before Violet responded. ‘Bye, Flynn.’

  Flynn flicked off his phone and rammed it back in his pocket. There, the whole thing was done and dusted.

  ***

  Lily glanced up at the vintage clock on the wall. It was almost midnight and she should try to get some sleep. The problem was that every time she closed her eyes she was back in the middle of the storm, spinning out of control.

  She still felt numb, and there was an iciness inside her that she just couldn’t shake. For a few horrifying seconds she’d been sure that she was going to die. Lily scrunched her eyes shut to try to erase the memory of the car spinning around and around, and the sense of helplessness that came with it.

  Then all of a sudden Flynn was there. She’d looked up into his eyes and knew that she was going to be alright.

  Lily sighed. Maybe another cup of tea would help. The painkillers the doctor had given her were beginning to wear off and her shoulder was still sore and stiff; she’d better take another pill if she was ever going to get to sleep.

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nbsp; She would be eternally grateful that Flynn had showed up when he did. Lily had the biggest crush on Flynn Hartley when she’d been an awkward teenager. Back in high school he was popular. No, that was an understatement. Girls trailed after him, guys always thought he was a ‘good bloke’ and even the teachers were charmed by his combination of humour, cockiness and good looks.

  Back then, Flynn Hartley didn’t even know that she was alive, which was understandable given he was four years older than her. But that didn’t stop her from looking, wishing and sighing every time he passed her in the corridors. Not that anyone noticed her. She was nothing more than Violet Beckett’s pimple-faced, freckly, pudgy little sister.

  It was hard growing up in Violet’s shadow. She loved her sister more than anything, but still it was difficult measuring up to her. Violet was pretty much everything Lily wasn’t: beautiful, self-assured, popular … oh, and slim. That was something Lily would never be. Violet was delicate and dainty, sort of like a ballerina. She, on the other hand, was all boobs and hips. Yes, as she grew up she lost the puppy fat, but even now she still felt big when she stood next to her sister. Logically Lily knew she was just a different body type, but still. And of course, she still had what her grandfather had pointed out to her when she was a teenager: good child-bearing hips. Just the type of thing a fourteen-year-old who is lacking any self-esteem needs to hear.

  Yeah, thanks, Grandad, nothing like being totally inappropriate. And had that remark haunted her for years? You betcha. She wanted to believe that it had been an uncomfortable back-handed compliment by a man who knew nothing about tact, but there are some comments you can never quite forgive, let alone forget. Grandad had always been bad-tempered, crotchety and insanely set against the McKellans, individually and as a whole, not to mention past, present and future generations. As difficult as he could be, it was always Violet who bore the brunt of his moods. He’d thrown Violet out when he found out that she was pregnant with Jason McKellan’s baby, and no amount of talking or begging would change his decision – she knew that because she had spent days trying. But Silas Beckett wouldn’t listen to reason and there was no way in hell that Lily was going to let her sister face an uncertain future on her own. So when Violet left, Lily went too and never once regretted her decision.

  Sometimes, Lily thought that her grandfather still managed to affect them from the grave. It was because of him that Violet developed an iron will and refused to depend on anyone but herself – that is until Mac McKellan came along and turned her life around. After a rocky start, Violet and Mac had found each other, and Lily was so happy for them. If anyone deserved a bit of joy it was her sister.

  As for herself, well she toyed with the idea that her taste in men, or lack thereof, had something to do with old Silas. He had been mean-spirited, cantankerous and neglectful when it came to his second granddaughter. So Lily always found herself gravitating towards men who were the polar opposite. If he was amiable, attentive and vaguely interested in her, Lily was already halfway in love. Unfortunately, they always started out charming, thoughtful and romantic but ended up being so very disappointing. There was no way of getting away from it: she was a shit magnet, and Pietro was just another example of her poor choice in men.

  Chapter 3

  Lily woke with a start and frowned when she realised she wasn’t in her own bed. Then, in a nanosecond, yesterday’s events swamped her.

  Lying, cheating bastard.

  She threw off the snowy white doona and pushed herself upright. Her head felt fuzzy and her stomach was a bit queasy as she reached for her dressing-gown.

  Last night Violet had been the perfect sister. She hadn’t bugged her for answers or a blow-by-blow account of the worst day of her life. Instead she kept her distance and allowed Lily to wallow in a big dose of self-pity. But she would have to fess up today – even Violet had her limits when it came to patience.

  Lily shrugged on the blue silk dressing-gown, an embroidered dragon snarling down its back. The sleek material fell to her ankles and was soft and cool against her skin.

  The thing was that somewhere deep inside, she had always known that her relationship with Pietro would end. But it was more than just sensing impending doom. Really, she’d witnessed the beginning of the end a couple of months ago but had been too stupid to see the true ramifications. The overheard conversation had played on her subconscious and reinforced every bit of self-doubt and loathing she carried around inside of her.

  She had arrived back from a quick trip to Violet Falls to see Violet, Holly and her inheritance. She’d been feeling edgy and unsettled ever since she’d arrived back in the city that morning, and it was pointless trying to concentrate on any new designs when she felt like this. After pacing around the flat she decided to swing by Pietro’s shoot before doing a little shopping.

  She’d pulled into the car park next to Pietro’s sleek silver car, picking up the cardboard tray holding three cappuccinos before heading over to the industrial-looking building in the middle of the lot. Built out of glass, steel and corrugated iron, it had once been an old factory but was now divided into half a dozen offices and three display areas. Pietro rented a small office and he’d converted one of the larger areas into his photography studio.

  Lily let herself in the big glass door and hurried up the metal staircase, her footsteps echoing through the vast building. The faint sound of music came from the second floor and Lily followed it.

  Passing a large black and silver sign mounted on the wall – Castell Photography – she opened the steel door at the end of the long corridor and a wave of heat and music swept over her. Inside were racks of clothes, a couple of makeup artists, a hairdresser and a handful of tall, beautiful models. Lily gave a nod and smile as she wove her way through them. Ahead, Pietro was standing with his hands on his hips while his assistant repositioned a large spotlight.

  ‘No, Adam – I need you to point it that way, so the light will bounce off the wall.’

  ‘Like that?’

  ‘Yes, yes – see how it creates those fantastic shadows? Don’t move, Anne, you’re perfect just where you are.’

  The designer, Jessamine, stood to one side. ‘Oh, Pietro, that’s wonderful. Look how the light plays across the silk – it’s so 1930s chic.’

  Pietro nodded his head. ‘Exactly. This is what we want to achieve today.’ He took a rapid series of photos. ‘And now, just turn your head to me – perfection!’

  Lily stood silently and watched. The model, Anne, did look as if she’d just stepped off the set of an old movie. The clothes were stunning; classic but with a slight modern twist.

  But even more beautiful than the clothes was Pietro Castell, Lily’s gorgeous boyfriend. Tall with hair so dark it was almost black, he and his parents had immigrated to Australia from Venice when he was twelve. Beneath his Australian twang there was still the hint of an accent. And the way he whispered her name made Lily hot just thinking about it.

  Lily walked over to a table pushed against the far wall and put the coffees down. Pietro must have caught her movement from the corner of his eye as he whipped around with a frown on his handsome face, but when he saw Lily it disappeared.

  ‘Ah, my Lily!’ he said, striding across the room and pulling her into his arms. ‘You came. I hoped you would.’

  Lily smiled up at him. ‘I brought you a coffee, and there’s one there for Jessamine and Adam as well.’

  ‘You’re amazing – thanks. Are you staying for the whole afternoon?’

  ‘I don’t think so. I thought I would go and buy some fabric. I promised to make Holly a skirt.’

  ‘How are Holly and your sister?’

  ‘Good. Violet sends her love.’

  ‘Look, I’m really sorry about not ringing yesterday to let you know about this. You could have spent another night up there with Holly and Violet.’

  ‘It’s okay, just forget it,’ Lily said with a shrug. ‘So you don’t think you’ll be finished for dinner?’

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p; Pietro stared at her for a second. ‘Yeah, you know, I think I can. Tell you what, why don’t I meet you at home at 8.30? We can go to the new Thai restaurant around the corner?’

  Lily wrapped her arms around his shoulders. ‘That sounds perfect.’

  He bent down and brushed his lips against hers. ‘Good. I can’t wait.’

  ‘Neither can I,’ Lily said as she stepped back. ‘I’d better let you get on with it.’

  ‘Alright, I’ll see you later,’ Pietro said with a wink.

  ‘Don’t forget your coffee,’ Lily grinned before turning away and giving a general wave in Adam’s direction. ‘See ya!’

  She made her way back through the models and ignored their curious glances. As Lily closed the heavy door behind her, the sound of the music was instantly muted. She started to walk down the corridor towards the stairs but changed her mind and doubled back to the bathroom.

  The large room with about a dozen stalls had been updated and tiled in marble and stainless steel, but it somehow still had a factory feel about it. She nipped down to the last cubicle and was just hanging her bag on the back of the door when she heard a set of heels clicking over the tiled floor.

  ‘So who was that?’

  ‘Oh, you mean Lily?’

  ‘Yes, if that’s who Pietro was kissing.’

  ‘She’s Pietro’s girlfriend.’

  Lily stilled and tried to work out whose conversation she was eavesdropping on. She shouldn’t listen, but they were talking about her.

  ‘Well, I didn’t think she was a model. What’s he thinking?’

  ‘Oh don’t be a bitch, Zan,’ said the second voice. ‘Lily is lovely. She’s a designer with Edwina Partell. From what I’ve seen, she’s really talented.’

  ‘I’m not being a bitch, Kate. I was just surprised that someone like Pietro would go out with such a frumpy little thing.’

  ‘Yeah, right – so not being a bitch then.’

  Lily silently cracked open the door and peered out at the two women. One was dark and the other blonde, and both were devastatingly beautiful. Whichever one Kate was, Lily decided she was her new best friend.