Three hours later and he could not get those dark brown eyes out of his mind. He imagined pulling the pins out of that neat little bun and letting her hair fall around her shoulders. That British accent was such a turn-on. It would be much better for him if Doctor Wilson came back or he might be making an indecent proposition to his temporary doctor. That was enough daydreaming for now because he needed to get back to work.
He had a job on, fixing a handrail for Mrs. Jenkins across the street from his cottages. The steps down to her beloved rose garden at the front were getting a bit wobbly and she was not as steady on her feet these days. Her name was Dorothy and she would supply him with biscuits and tea while he worked. As usual, he would not charge her full price, which was mad as her house was probably worth a million dollars. His dog, Bluey, had sat and watched him work with an occasional bark of encouragement.
Once Brett finished the steps, he would spend the afternoon working on his place. It had been a great investment to buy the two rundown miners’ cottages next to each other. One was finished and the real estate agent had said they had someone coming this afternoon who might rent it. Brett had spent a lot of money, time, and energy on it, so he was keen to get some cash back to put it into his place. He was currently living in a tip with building materials all over. If he didn’t get next door rented soon, he would be moving back in there just for the comfort.
It was getting on four when he called it a day. His work was done and he was packing up his pickup when a car pulled up across the road. The vehicle had the real estate logo on the side. Dereck got out and waved as he walked across to him.
“Glad to catch up with you, Brett. I have someone keen to rent the cottage. They’re looking for six months to possibly a year rental, which would be perfect.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Give me a call later and let me know how you go.”
Brett grabbed his tools and headed back across the road to his cottage. He got Bluey his food and then grabbed a beer from the fridge and went out into the rear garden to sit. Both cottages backed onto a paddock and the bush beyond. It could be a bit scary in a bushfire, but he reckoned they had enough of a firebreak. He had had a friend come around from the local country fire service and he said it was all good. If a fire got really bad, he would get out early.
Brett sat on the bench he had made a while ago and listened to a kookaburra. Life was good and he could not complain. He just hoped his results came back clear.
Voices drifted over from the garden next door. One he recognized as Dereck, and the other one sounded British and female. Brett couldn’t keep the grin off his face. Surely the prim doctor was not moving into his cottage? If she was, he might ask if she would pay him an after-hours visit. Then again, his place was a mess and she would probably tell him to take a hike.
Brett stared out at the paddock as he took another gulp of beer. There was a kangaroo and her joey hopping past the end of the gardens. The mother stopped and looked up as if to check out who was there and then bounded off with her baby following behind.
“Oh, my God. That’s it. I have to rent this place. Trust me, it’s just what I need. I can sit here with a cup of tea and watch the local wildlife go by,” the good doctor said.
The kookaburra cackled away again and flew over and landed in the gum tree in the next-door garden. It was as if Brett had ordered and trained the local wildlife to gain him a tenant. It wouldn’t have worked with an Aussie though. They would have been aware there were plenty of animals around if you only went looking. Some of them not so cute as a kangaroo. The bird remined him he needed to get some chicken wire to go on the pond in the backyard next door before he put fish in it again. The bloody kookaburra had eaten all the last ones before he’d had a chance to cover it. Bluey was crap at protecting them.
The back door shut and Brett finished his beer. As he wandered inside to shower, his cell phone pinged. It was his mate Drew. There was a bunch of them meeting at the local pub at seven. Brett did not need an excuse for a drink. The place was only a ten-minute walk away so he wouldn’t have to worry about being pulled over by the cops for drunk driving.
When he came out of the shower, there was another message. This time it was from Dereck.
Dereck: You have a new tenant who has signed a contract for six months with the possibility of extending to a year. She should be moving in tomorrow afternoon. Let me know what time I can pop by to get you to sign the contract. Obviously, from now on you will need to arrange any visits for repairs to the property through me.
This was great. With the extra money coming in he could get his place finished. Damn. The back-door lock on next door’s cottage was broken.
Brett had bought the darn thing weeks ago and had kept meaning to do it but had forgotten. He would pop in tomorrow morning and replace the old one before she moved in.
Yep. A new tenant, a new lock and most likely a clean bill of sexual health.
What could possibly go wrong?
Brett’s alarm went off. Shit. He had left the curtains open and the light was streaming in. That was what happened when you had a beer too many and fell asleep as soon as your head hit the pillow. He had a busy day of jobs and wanted to get next door sorted before he headed off. Brett let Bluey out the back to do his business.
It didn’t take too long and both he and the dog were fed and watered. The pickup was still loaded from the night before which saved him time.
He headed next door and walked through the cottage to the rear then he got to work on removing the old lock and making the hole bigger. His drill powered away until he had made a hole big enough for the replacement. He put the drill down. Damn it, there was water running somewhere.
Shit. That was all he needed. A new tenant and a water leak. If he didn’t find the darn thing now, the place could be flooded by the time she moved in. His cell phone pinged. Brett didn’t have time to check it now. He had a leak to fix, and he had better do it faster than a cut snake.
The kitchen sink seemed okay so that left the bathroom. As he walked down the hallway, someone screamed. What the hell? There was a woman in the house and from the sound of that scream, they were in trouble.
Chapter Three
Autumn adored the cottage so much she didn’t want to spend another night in the motel. The motel owner had found out she was a doctor and a long list of ailments was looming. She wanted to help but needed to relax when she finished work at the end of a day.
In the long run, it would save her money to move. The place was vacant and she had a key, so she might as well take advantage of the fact.
Autumn had loved the look of the cottage from the outside the minute she saw it. It had a picket fence and a beautiful garden full of what she assumed were Australian native plants. One had little white flowers on it and smelled like honey as she brushed past.
Unlike English cottages, it had a weatherboard covering instead of brick. She hoped it had heating and cooling because she had been told the area experienced extreme seasons.
Inside the furniture was modern and functional. The kitchen looked as if it had been made by a craftsman and with love, and she admired the granite worktop. Autumn was not much of a cook but could appreciate a great workspace when she saw one.
There were two bedrooms and one bathroom, which was plenty as she didn’t intend on having many visitors. The shower was in the bath which was a pain as it meant she would have to struggle to get in and out. Oh well. Beggars could not be choosers. And she was not exactly roughing it, but she was paying a great price, which meant she could do other things like travel.