Home Before Sundown by Barbara Hannay

exam.’
    â€˜It’s not really.’ Bella told him her favourite. ‘I’m at breaking point – she snapped.’
    She couldn’t help smiling when she said this, and although Gabe groaned, she insisted on telling him another one. ‘I’m bursting with anger – she exploded.’ Bella giggled now. She loved these. ‘It’s time to eject – the pilot ex-planed.’
    Gabe groaned even more loudly at this one. ‘You’ve spent a whole year at uni and this is the best you can come up with?’
    Bella pouted a little, thinking of names to call him as they lay there with the sun warm on their skin.
    And then Gabe said lazily, ‘Okay. How about this one? I’m going to kiss you – he lisped.’
    Bella was sure her heart stopped beating.
    She knew Gabe was just getting into the swing of the game and he wasn’t actually going to kiss her, but his words still sent her into orbit.
    â€˜Not bad,’ she said shakily. ‘But lisped isn’t quite right.’ Now her heart was galloping so fast, her voice was squeaky and breathy. ‘It’s pretty good, though. Lisped is almost like lips, and I guess you were trying to––’
    She stopped talking when she realised how close Gabe was.
    He was resting his weight on one elbow as he leaned in closer. His gorgeous face was only inches from hers.
    â€˜How about – I’m going to kiss you – he mouthed?’
    â€˜That . . . ’ Bella gulped. ‘That’s pretty close.’
    But she couldn’t laugh, couldn’t even smile because she knew what was going to happen. This was it! The moment she’d been waiting for, the big moment she’d dreamed of and longed for and prayed for. The moment she’d feared might never happen . . .
    Gabe kissed her and his lips were warm and dizzyingly wonderful.
    â€˜Wow,’ he whispered.
    â€˜What?’
    â€˜Nothing . . . I can’t kiss you and have a good vocabulary at the same time. Just . . . wow.’
    â€˜Are you going to kiss me again?’
    â€˜Might have to.’
    His kiss was assured and confident, but gentle and dreamy, too . . . and when his tongue touched her lips . . . wow only went halfway to describing the thrill that swept through Bella. She’d never been so turned on. Every part of her responded . . . her bones, her skin, her insides . . .
    Anything might have happened then if they hadn’t heard the thudding of horse’s hooves signalling the arrival of Luke and Gabe’s sisters.
    â€˜We wondered where you two had got to,’ Sarah Mitchell complained as they scrambled to their feet.

13.
    â€˜Are you the lady piano teacher?’
    Liz winced and she might have hung up on her caller if he hadn’t sounded so young and somehow . . . earnest .
    â€˜Are you looking for a piano teacher?’ she asked carefully.
    â€˜Yes.’ There was a moment’s silence. ‘I used to learn the piano in Sydney.’
    Liz frowned and despite her wariness, she was intrigued. ‘In Sydney? So where are you now?’
    â€˜Lansdowne Station near Dirranbilla. I used to live in Sydney with my parents, but I live with my grandfather now. There  . . . there was an accident.’
    This last sentence was said so softly Liz only just caught it.
    An accident . She felt a little lost for words. A week ago she’d given Declan Browne his first piano lesson and the child was due for another one this afternoon. She had thought it was harmless enough to take Declan on, but already here was another call. She’d come to Mullinjim, temporarily, to support Bella and to run the homestead, not to start a music school.
    â€˜What’s your name?’ she asked the boy.
    â€˜Alex. Alex Costello.’
    It wasn’t a name she recognised. ‘And how old are you,