The Football Whisperer by Mel A Rowe

Author:Mel A Rowe [ROWE, Mel A]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Australian Rural Romance, Rural Romance, small town love, Sports Romance
Publisher: Mel A Rowe
Published: 2019-10-22T14:30:00+00:00

Sixteen

O

ut front of Ward’s house, at four in the morning, Zara pulled up her ute with the empty horse float in tow. ‘Well, here we are.’

With his face highlighted by the dashboard’s lights, Ward toyed with a stray lock at her nape. ‘Do you do that drive every day?’

‘Depends on my clients, who are all at the racetrack, which is fifty minutes for me on the other side of the city.’ The streetlights beamed like yellow spotlights among dark houses that followed the curve of the long road. So different from the open farm that slept under moonlight. ‘I don’t deal with peak-hour traffic with my work hours and the drive allows me time to think. Or I sing really badly at the top of my lungs to some random radio tune.’

‘No one sings as bad as me. No, wait, you haven’t heard my sister’s screech—it creates voice-quakes.’

She smiled at the playfulness shared between them. All morning on the drive into town they’d talked, sang, and joked around. After an intense day yesterday with Ward on her couch, then in her bed, it was time to say goodbye.

His amber eyes focused on her as he raised the back of her hand to his lips. She almost melted in her seat.

‘When can I see you again?’

‘Um…’ She swallowed her heart that was wedged in her throat. He didn’t mean that, did he? ‘You’ve recovered now, and you’ve got your appointment with the specialist today.’ And her job was done.

‘Are you still betting on a carton of beer he’ll give me the all clear?’ He grinned wide with chin up and chest out.

She giggled at his infectious cocky confidence. ‘I should double my bet.’

‘I had an amazing time with you this weekend and I want to do it again, Z.’

It’d been incredible, but she couldn’t let it go on. ‘At the moment, you need to focus on you.’

‘Yeah, but—’

‘You’ve got the doctors and the coach to talk to today, and soon you’ll be back in training. You’ll be so busy getting yourself ready to play your next game, you’ll need to focus on you.’ Not her. She was prepared to be a blip on his radar, where she’d watch him from afar. He would then become her secret story to keep for decades to come.

‘But…’ His frown faltered, brushing her fringe to the side. ‘I want to see you again. Don’t you?’

With everything inside her, she did. But she also wanted to avoid the risk of heartache. ‘Brendan—’

He winced. ‘I’m not in trouble am I, Z?’

‘No.’ Zara was the one in trouble, falling for a guy she couldn’t have. ‘You’re better now. How do you know what you’re feeling isn’t part of the treatments?’

‘Was sex part of the deal?’

‘No.’ Zara sat back horrified.

He slapped his forehead with the heel of his palm. ‘Sorry. I’m so sorry I said that. Please forgive me, we both know I’m an idiot.’

‘It’s okay.’

He sat back wiping his mouth. ‘No, it’s not. I should never have said that.

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