Fresh Beginnings Read online

  He stopped and looked at her. "This money thing is important to you, right?"

  Nodding, she said, "Very."

  "Not sure what I've got in the motorhome, though."

  She shrugged. "It'll do me."

  With a raised eyebrow, he stepped closer and whispered into her ear, "If I don't get enough food I might start nibbling on you."

  The unfortunate choice of his words became apparent to him straight away. Ivy stepped back and her face turned pale.

  With hands up, he quickly said, "Only kiddin'. I swear I'd never touch ya inappropriately, if at all." To emphasise his words, he moved back to put even more distance between them. "Sorry if I upset ya. I'm honestly not that kinda man."

  "It's okay," she reassured him. "All good."

  "Still happy to check out the food in the motorhome?"

  She nodded. "Yes, very sure. And if you have a bit of salt I'd appreciate a handful."

  "Say what?"

  "I'd like to rub some salt on me so your nibbling will be short lived."

  That cracked him up, and he laughed aloud. He sincerely enjoyed this bit of humour from her. "Mate. You're one in a million!"

  They walked back to the motorhome and prepared a simple lunch. With a beautiful day, Jared got some chairs out, and they ate outside. In silence.

  Jared couldn't believe he was sitting in America having lunch with this gorgeous girl who he had met only a day earlier.

  "A penny for your thoughts."

  Ivy's question hauled him back into the moment.

  He shrugged. "Sittin' in America with a nice girl."

  Her laugh was music to his ears. "Do you have a girl at home?"

  "Would I be sittin' here with you?"

  Her time to shrug.

  "Nah, no girl. Haven't got time for that."

  "I don't believe you."

  Jared chuckled as he stood. "Ya think you know me?"

  "I think deep down inside this Aussie bloke wants a girl."

  When he turned to answer, Ivy stood in front of him. She'd followed him inside with her dishes. There was hardly any space between them. Her cheeks were slightly pink from the sun, and her chocolate brown eyes were staring up at him. It would take only the slightest move, and his lips could be on hers. The idea played in his mind for a moment and, the way her breath was coming in shallow gasps, he could tell she was having the same thought.

  "Once burnt, twice shy," he said quietly.

  "She left you?"

  Ivy was still close, and it seemed she didn't feel uncomfortable at all with the situation.

  As he leaned in a little bit more, he replied, "Yup."

  "Why?" Her voice was so quiet, he nearly missed the question.

  "I snore."

  That made her laugh, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as well. But he'd averted the situation nicely. There was no way he was going to kiss her. No way to start a little flirt and hurt her even more. Or even hurt himself. He could see himself falling for her. She wasn't dumb, he knew that. To him she was a beautiful woman with her brown eyes and her wild, curly blonde hair. He'd love to discover her skin with his tongue.

  Letting out a small sigh, he stepped back and grabbed a soft drink.

  "Thanks," she said.

  He met her gaze, not knowing what the thanks had been for.

  "For being a gentleman and not taking advantage of the situation."

  Her comment made him pause. And, quite to his surprise, she stepped closer and touched his lips with hers. She tasted good. Sweet. Sexy.

  "What are you doin'?" he asked against her lips.

  The blush on her face was instant, and she increased the distance between them. "I… … I'm—" A heavy sigh escaped her.

  He moved towards her and cupped her face. "Never ever apologise for a kiss, mate."

  Her eyes were like an open book. They told him she was worried about being stuck in a National Park far away from the nearest town.

  "I… I don't—"

  Then he kissed her. And when he heard her moan, he deepened the kiss. It'd been years since a kiss had stirred so many emotions in him. Emotions that'd lain dormant somewhere so deep inside and hidden away he'd often contemplated whether he'd ever find them again. Yet Ivy had had no problems locating the direct route.

  Chapter Seven

  Ivy's heart was still pounding like she'd completed a marathon. She'd promised herself that she'd be over men. There was no way she'd wanted to be lured by a man's touch, or by his words, let alone by his kisses.

  Inhaling a deep breath, she watched him for a moment, staring into those beautiful eyes. The eyes of a stranger. A stranger from the end of the world. Literally!

  "Jared?"

  He didn't answer, but gave a big smile.

  "I've just walked away from a relationship. Dylan was good to me, but—" She didn't know how to explain that she wanted more in life. Not wanting him to think of her as shallow, she chose her words as best as possible. "He'd lost his job a few months back and started drinking. He never hurt me, not even verbally. Dylan was a good man." She shrugged. "Think of me as a selfish person. I suppose I'm expected to support him through this difficult time, but I became too tired."

  Trying to hold back the tears, she blinked as she looked out the small window, watching people go past. Everyone seemed to be so excited to be at this place. And so should Jared have been. Except, she was ruining it.

  "I became tired of living in a trailer. Tired of chasing specials to create a nice meal at night. And I became so tired of the relationship, and tired of not knowing whether I loved or pitied him."

  Ivy met his gaze dead on. "But I am not ruthlessly selfish. I wouldn't kiss someone to… I'm… I didn't—"

  Her voice broke.

  Jared finished the sentence for her. "You didn't kiss me out of the need to get a lift."

  All she was able to do was nod.

  When the tears finally hit her cheeks, she felt his arms around as he took her into his embrace. It felt so good to finally lean on somebody else.

  He kissed her forehead and then said, "Wanna see a bit more of the Canyon before headin' back for the night?"

  Lifting her head, she said, "I'd love to." Not wanting to even think about what was going to happen later that night.

  She went to the sink and quickly washed up the few dishes. When she got outside, Jared was on his phone. She tried not to listen, but his voice and accent was like a magnet to her ears.

  "No worries mate… I'll see ya in Salt Lake City… Have a safe flight and tell Mark he owes me big time."

  His smile went right up to his eyes which made him look younger, although she had no idea what his age actually was.

  When he saw her, he smiled. "My friend's daughter. Actually, she's his sister-in-law."

  There was a big difference in how he had explained the relation, but she wasn't sure whether to point it out or to stay quiet. She decided on pointing it out.

  "Is that Aussie speak for—"

  Not sure what it could be she held up her hands in defeat.

  His now familiar low chuckle sent goose bumps over her entire body. "Mia's my best buddy's—"

  "Sister-in-law. I remember. She's coming here as well?"

  The expression on his face changed, and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it. There hadn't been any reason for her to doubt that he didn't like Mia, but somehow her joining him on his tour didn't go down very well.

  Stomping past her and towards the RV, he replied. "Yup! I'm meeting her in Utah."

  It wasn't at all what he wanted. "So you're going to travel with a teenager through the States?"

  He stopped in his step and gradually turned around. Slowly she became aware how the sentence could've been misunderstood.

  "I mean, as in her mother doesn't mind you travelling with her?"

  "Her mother is dead," he said and went inside, indicating the conversation was over.

  With nothing else to do, she sat down and tried to remember wha
t he had told her about his friends. Not really sure what the right reaction should be, Ivy sat outside the RV and watched the world go by. The parking lot was near overflowing, and tourists were eager to squeeze their vehicle in the tiniest spot. Some of the children were hopping with excitement, while others seemed bored and tired. What she would give to explore other countries, or in fact her own. It would have to remain one of her dreams. Thanks to Jared, though, she'd been lucky enough to have seen the Grand Canyon. She'd never forget him just for that. Well, for that and his kiss. He certainly kissed like a man who knew how, one who knew women.

  "Do ya eat steak?" he asked from inside.

  Not putting one and one together, she simply replied, "Of course I do."

  He stepped outside. "Of course?" Another little chuckle. This guy could see the funny things in everything. There was a constant chuckle on his lips. And yes, that was exactly what drew her in. His positive mind-set.

  "Mate, ya have no idea how complicated women are."

  Considering, whether it was a statement or a question, she grinned and said, "Of course, I don't. After all, I'm… well… how would you explain it?"

  Shaking his head in amusement, he said, "Ya mockin' me."

  "Me? Never!"

  "Payback is a—"

  She quickly held her hand up. "Not in front of a lady. Please!"

  People around glanced at them when they heard Jared's laughter. She couldn't care less. It was much better than when the neighbours had knocked at their whimsy trailer door asking whether she was okay. Dylan had never hit her, had never been abusive, but they had had their fair share of arguments.

  "There ya have it. A lady." He winked and went back into the RV.

  "What are you doing in there?"

  "Taking stock. I did the groceries for one, not an extra lady."

  "Jared?"

  "Honey blossom, if you give me the blah-blah-blah again about how bad you feel about the money, I'll lock you into—" He looked around, and his shoulders sagged when he wasn't able to figure out where to lock her.

  "Somewhere!" he said as he looked back to her.

  Not sure as to why her lower body had gone tight, she drew in her lips. Was it the Honey blossom, which was so ridiculously cheesy but sounded so endearing coming from him? Or was it that he couldn't care less about the money and had known straight away that that was exactly what had been on her mind?

  "I wanted to say thanks," she finally said.

  Shaking his head, he came closer. "Rule number one. Ya don't have to thank me all the time. Rule number two. Drivin' is one of your responsibilities, feeding you is mine. Are we clear?"

  "Crystal," she said with a smile.

  "Good. Let's catch one of those buses to see more of the Canyon."

  ****

  When they arrived at the campground later that evening, Jared set up the motorhome and prepared the dinner while Ivy had a shower. Angry with himself that he had let himself go that afternoon and kissed her, he let out the frustration by mashing the potatoes. Who was he kidding, though? He'd enjoyed the touch of her lips, not to mention the little noise she'd made. Yet, reminding himself that she lived in a different country, actually a different continent, didn't make it any easier. She didn't even live somewhere. Left everything behind to start a new life—and bumped into him. Exactly what she didn't need, him causing even more havoc with her messy life.

  "Oh that smells good," he heard her say a little while later as she stepped into the motorhome with only a T-shirt on and hopefully something underneath. The sight of her bare legs made him momentarily stare like a teenager. Until he burnt his finger in the campfire.

  "I remember when mom was with Toni, we went camping a lot. I loved sitting by the campfire and sing songs," she said from the inside. Hearing some additional noises he assumed, or hoped, she got dressed.

  "Ya need a jumper. It's pretty cold out here."

  "Ya not kiddin'," she mocked him again.

  He smiled and kept himself busy with turning the meat on the fire. It took all his effort to not stand up and join her in the small vehicle. All his effort and so much more.

  "Honey blossom, behave or you have to—"

  She stuck her head out of the motorhome. "Ya goin' to lock me up again?"

  Choking back a chuckle, he stood and walked towards her but stopped when she paled. Taken aback by her reaction, he stared at her, not sure what to say.

  He cleared his throat. "Wanna get some plates and bring out the mash as well?"

  With a slow nod, she said, "Okay."

  Her previous reaction was definitely something he'd wanted to ask her about. Why did she seem afraid when he stepped closer to her? There was something that held her back.

  They ate their dinner in silence. Except for Ivy's occasional groans to express how much she enjoyed the dinner.

  "Toni's meat tasted exactly like that," she said after a while.

  "He's not your father?"

  She shook her head. "No. Dad left—" She shrugged. "No idea. I can't ever remember a dad. And Mom never really talked about him."

  "So Toni was it?"

  Again, she shook her head. "No, he didn't stay around long. A couple of years, before Mom hooked up with someone else." She paused for a moment and then continued, "Can't actually remember his name."

  Jared watched her. Her eyes became distant and somehow had lost all the expression he was used to and liked so much. The colour had changed from chocolate brown to a dull grey.

  "What about your parents?" she piped all of a sudden.

  "Me mum and dad are retired and live at the east coast of Tasmania."

  "You see them often?"

  He nodded. "Yup. As often as I can. I get a bit of business from that end of the state."

  That wasn't a lie. The relationship between him and his parents had always been good. Admittedly, he hadn't been a choirboy at school or during university, but never strayed too far off the path to make trouble.

  "Was Dylan the first man in your life?" he asked hesitantly.

  The question didn't go down well he noticed when she busied herself with collecting the plates and taking them inside the motorhome. When she returned, she stood hands on hips in front of him. He wasn't sure whether he was supposed to be intimidated or whether she was making a point of what she was about to say.

  "Are you asking whether I'd slept around?"

  It was certainly to make a point.

  "Nope," he said without feeling unsettled by her body pose. "Dylan didn't hit ya. You don't know your dad. Toni was a nice bloke, but yet, whenever I come too close too quickly, the blood rushes out of ya head as if you're gonna faint. Is all I'm sayin'."

  Eyes wide open, she stared at him for a moment or even two, until he noticed she crumbled inside and was fighting tears. He felt bad. As much as he reminded himself that it wasn't his business, he knew it was way too late. He cared for her. Whether too much he wasn't sure, but he did. In one smooth motion, he stood and slowly walked towards her.

  With a half-hearted shrug, she replied, "The first guy who gave me a lift was touching me." Ivy looked away as she sighed heavily. "I know you wouldn't do that, but—"

  She didn't have to finish the sentence. He got the idea of what she wanted to say.

  "How about we get the bedding organised. Night falls quickly in this place."

  She nodded and let him place his hand on the small of her back to gently push her inside the motorhome.

  "I'm not going to sleep with you," she said with a sob like a stutter in her words.

  "Well, good to know."

  She turned around to look at him. "I'm serious, Jared."

  "So am I. Now get inside."

  As much as Jared felt like being a gentleman, he wasn't able to bring himself to offer her the bed. They made up the sleeping area above the driver's seat, which seemed comfortable and big as well. He was sure she'd be all right up there.

  "I suppose if I say thanks for letting me sleep here, you'll be gett
ing all uptight again, right?"

  He nodded. "Right."

  A smile spread across her face and she cupped his face with her hands. "Such a shame that I'm in-between places, and you're from the other end of the world."

  He couldn't agree more. It was a shame indeed and, although his mind said no, his arms moved around her waist and pulled her tight against him, bringing her face so close he could feel her breathing. The next thing he felt was his lips on hers.

  Chapter Eight

  When Jared woke the next morning, he had his arms wrapped around Ivy with her snuggled tightly to him. He tilted his head back a bit and watched her sleep. At that moment, he thought it was the first time he'd well and truly seen her relaxed since he'd met her. Then he did a mental check—he'd kissed her the previous night. Deep and slow. Right. He hadn't had any alcohol last night. Right.

  Carefully his hand moved down her arm and onto her hips. She wore clothes and so did he. A rush of relief flooded through him. He quietly slid his legs out from underneath the duvet and stood. With his clothes in his hands, he walked to the showers and dressed, but not before he threw some cold water into his face. This was going to be trickier than he thought. He'd expected a great holiday, but this hadn't been part of his expectations at all.

  Ivy was awake by the time he got back to the motorhome and hastily dressing. He looked at her and for the brief moment they locked eyes he noticed her watery eyes.

  "I'm so sorry," she said as she slipped the jumper over her head. "Please—"

  "Ivy!" he said to get her to focus.

  "I was so cold," she explained. "And I wasn't able to sleep, so I… I… I'm truly sorry, Jared."

  Moving towards her, he placed a hand on her arm. "Relax. Whatever happened, ya need to relax. Okay?"

  She stopped looking for the next clothing item and gazed at him. Her whole body was tense, and her face expressed the obvious distress she felt.

  "Let's have brekkie and then I find the heater in this thing. I remember the girl telling me, but I can't remember where it actually is." He lifted a shoulder. "Didn't think I'd need it."