all together â Billy, Trav and Jacinta â reminded her of what a family was supposed to look like, which gave her pangs in her gut. If only. She sighed and focused on the two adults on the other side of the kitchen bench. It made for a cosy twosome, the pair of them standing there. Jacinta came up to Hunterâs nose, all fragile and feminine.
Tammy peered down at her own jeans and shirt. Always jeans and a shirt. Then back at the schoolteacher. No wonder men went for women like Jacinta Greenaway and Joanne, who really knew how to work it. Pull on a tight, shortish skirt, a shirt with buttons or a V-neck to drip cleavage that didnât need a Wonderbra to enhance the look. Spend an hour in the bathroom with a hair straightener, slather on some makeup and pull on a pair of killer high-heels and voila ! There you had it, a dick magnet. Tammy sighed. She couldnât handle the man she had let alone attract anyone else.
âIâll be going then. Iâll leave you to it . . .â she said with a mocking smile. âWhatever it is. Iâll let myself out.â
Tammy turned to go but as she made it through the sliding door she found Hunter right behind her. âNot so fast, Ms McCauley.â He shut the door after him, cutting off Jacintaâs voice as she called Billy down for tea. âThis really isnât what it looks like. She came to talk about Billy and then . . . well . . . didnât leave.â
Tammy stuck a hand in the air. âMr Hunter, you donât owe me any explanations. You can do whatever you damn well like. If you want to spend your nights with someone half your age who looks like Lady Gaga, then go right ahead.â
âTrav.â
âWhat?â
âMy nameâs Trav.â
âWell, Trav ,Iâll be off. Thanks for the interesting entertainment. That was better than SBS TV.â
âLady Gaga, huh? Never heard of her but she sounds interesting.â A half-smile crossed the manâs face. It transformed him. Tammy sucked in her breath. Christ. âIt must have looked pretty funny.â There was a husky edge to his voice, as though it wasnât used to being tuned in to normal conversation for extended periods of time.
It made her remember the other reason why she was up on top of McCauleyâs Hill at this time of night. âIÂ also came to apologise.â
âWhat for?â
âFor this afternoon. IÂ was way out of line, yelling at you. What you do with your kid is your business. Iâve got enough troubles of my own without messing with yours.â
âHowâd you get here?â
âOn foot. Did you hear what IÂ said?
âOn foot?â
âYes, IÂ used my legs,â said Tammy exasperated. âIÂ said Iâm sorry!â
âYeah. Yeah. No worries. You mean you walked all the way up here by yourself? In the dark?â
âItâs hardly dark. The moonâs out.â Tammy could feel her hackles rising again, damn the man. âIâm not precious, you know. IÂ can look after myself.â Her eyes flicked back towards the house and the shiny red car.
âIâll run you home.â He moved towards his ute.
âNo! Iâm fine.â She did not need him doing anything for her. âThanks all the same,â she added before setting off down the drive.
She tripped on a rock. Trav went to help her back up. âIâm really fine,â she said as she righted herself and took off at a clipping pace, only to just miss a renegade branch sticking out from a gum tree at head height.
âVery fine,â she said again. Move, McCauley. Get the hell out of here before you make a complete fool of yourself.
âThanks for bringing the stuff for the kid.â The yell came floating down the hill to settle around her shoulders as she tripped on yet another rock.
No worries, Trav , Tammy muttered.
She was just about at her own
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