Chapter 11 The Email
The Email
Nyree plunged into work for the afternoon, too busy to think about what had happened with Tāwera.
During the odd spare moment, she forced herself to ponder what she might do once the summer ended.
Her job with George Taniwha & Sons challenged her, and she enjoyed her workmates and their camaraderie.
It had been the one thing she’d kept, despite Ari’s unreasonable demands.
Even though he’d coveted the money she earned, more recently, he’d wanted her to stay at home and start a family.
A dodged bullet.
Customers tromped into the store and kept her busy with post office duties. She sold dozens of stamps for postage to far-flung corners of the world. After her tour, which Tāwera attended again, she stocked up, ready for the following day before heading home.
“My tattoos make me stand out,” he said when they met in her kitchen.
“Perhaps a touch of makeup might disguise them,” Nyree suggested and opened the fridge to study the contents. If she focused hard, she wouldn’t try to drag his scent of green and nature and soap deep into her lungs.
“Would it mean I would fit in better?”
“Yes. You might need to cut your hair or wear it in a different style too.”
“I will think on this. What will we eat for dinner?”
“The cooks on the cruise ship gave us a supply of fresh vegetables. Keith said he has a bag for me. I’ll collect it, and we’ll work out what to have once I see the bounty.”
“I wish to fly tonight,” Tāwera said.
“Me too. We must make sure it is fully dark before we sneak out.”
“You do not seem so grumpy,” Tāwera said, and it was obvious he’d chosen his words carefully.
“No. Thank you. I did not deserve your generosity.”
Tāwera beamed. “Touching you in that way reminded me of better times when I assuaged the moonlust with Aroha and later flew with my mother.”
Nyree pushed aside the instant turmoil that occurred as she imagined Tāwera with another woman. Slippery slope. “You must miss them. Manu should’ve replied to my email by now. I’ll check after we eat. I’d better get those vegetables before Keith delivers them in person, and you need to hide.”
There, that was better. She hadn’t offered a hint of the jealous shrew.
Once Nyree returned, her inner chaos almost had her grabbing Tāwera for a repeat of earlier. It was his delicious scent. It did things to her. “I need a shower,” she muttered and strode to the bathroom without looking back.
The moonlust… For the first time since the sex with Tāwera had happened, Nyree allowed herself to pull up memories. Awe-inspiring and so unlike her interactions with Ari. The bedroom problems she and Ari had suffered hadn’t been her fault.
She wasn’t a terrible lover.
At least, Tāwera hadn’t complained.
And she had to stop thinking about sex with Ari or with Tāwera. She yanked at the shower tap and jumped under the stream of water before it warmed. Four minutes later, she was out and drying herself. She dressed rapidly and walked out to join Tāwera, her armor firmly in place.
When she powered up her tablet, Tāwera turned to her with eagerness.
“Can I push the buttons to make the letters come through?”
“Emails,” she said as she shunted the tablet across the table.
His forehead scrunched into concentration lines as he tapped in her password and the correct apps to pull through her email.
He looked so cute, despite the tattoos that made most people take two steps backward to avoid contact with him.
He was a good man, a kind one, yet a fierce warrior lurked beneath his skin.
“You have new letters,” he said. “Emails.”
“Who are they from?” At first, he’d stumbled over words, but he was a fast learner.
“You have one from Manu, your cousin.”
“Do you remember how to open the email?”
“Yes.” Eagerness flashed in him, making her want to laugh.
“Open it for me and read it aloud while I start dinner preparations.”
He frowned. “Is it not private?”
“I wrote to Manu for answers. They are to help both of us.”
Tāwera nodded. “Dear Nyree,” he began. “The contents of your email came as a tremendous surprise. I confided with Hone and his father, and they started an investigation. Your new friend came from a part of the world where the local missionaries kept excellent records, which has helped us considerably. Tāwera’s sudden disappearance caused consternation amongst his tribe and the local missionaries, and one minister wrote about him in his diary.
He disappeared on the eve of his wedding to a woman called Aroha, and the last person to see him was his half-brother, Rāwiri. ”
Tāwera paused, his low growl filling the lounge. “Because he tricked me and trapped me inside the rock.”
“I know.” Nyree patted his shoulder. “At least you’re out now that we’ve broken the curse, and you can start living. What else does he say?”
“Rāwiri told everyone he’d completed the tattoo for Tāwera, and they’d parted.
Tāwera had gone to meet with friends while Rāwiri said he’d strolled to the waterfront to see the new sailing ship that had arrived in port.
” Tāwera lifted his head to glance at her, anger digging into his features and hardening his jaw.
“He spoke the truth. He walked to the port, but he took me with him and sold me to a sailor who worked on that ship.”
“What else does Manu say?”
“The locals continued their search for several months. Tāwera’s disappearance was a mystery that shocked everyone because of his popularity. Eventually, Rāwiri married Aroha, and they had three sons.”
Tāwera released a grunt. “Your friend says he hasn’t had time to trace the family tree. Rāwiri died in a drowning accident when a waka overturned. Aroha lived with her youngest son and his wife until her death at ninety-two.”
“She married your brother. That’s terrible,” Nyree said. “Even though hundreds of years have passed, it must seem like yesterday to you.”
“I still can’t believe Rāwiri did this,” Tāwera muttered.
“He was jealous of you and coveted what you had.”
“Rāwiri asked Aroha’s father if he could court her but later assured me he was fine when he learned Aroha and I were close and had been for some time.”
“He lied.”
“Yes,” Tāwera agreed. “Your friend says you must take a photo of me if possible and send it to him. What is a passport?”
“It is a travel document. We can do that after dinner.”
Tāwera nodded. “Manu says that once he has organized a passport, he will arrange airfares for me.” He raised his gaze to stare at her. “He offers me a place to live while I become used to the modern world and any support I require. I am a stranger to him.”
“My cousin, Manu, is an excellent leader.” Nyree chopped a carrot, her knife slicing through the vegetable with a distinct crunch.
“His family has helped our tribe become strong, and we support each other. He provides financial assistance for those who require it, helps with housing, jobs, and gives emotional aid when any of us have the need. He is a better leader than his mother.”
“A woman led your tribe?”
“Yes, Manu had to kill her when she tried to murder his cousin’s mate.
I only know the basic details of what happened that night, but it took Manu a long time to move past the traumatic events.
His father blamed him, but his brothers stood by Manu.
His friends. Under Manu’s direction, our tribe has become prosperous and started new initiatives to help the youngsters. ”
“Where were they when you needed help?”
“I’m beginning to understand I should’ve approached Manu earlier and asked for help when Ari became difficult. My pride got in the way. I thought I’d handle the situation, but everything escalated and became worse.”
“Will we fly after dinner?”
“Yes, we’ll go as soon as it is dark.”
“I shall look forward to flying with you.”
A dart of awareness pierced her then, and she wondered if she was imagining things or if Tāwera had meant more than what he’d said.
Shaking her head, she continued dinner preparations.
Tāwera was right about one thing. The sexual release had left her more grounded and more herself.
Definitely in a better frame of mind. Unfortunately, it had also left an acute yearning to repeat the experience, which wouldn’t do at all.
Tāwera continued reading Manu’s email. Manu asked if he wanted to learn of his brother’s children and what had happened to them.
The knowledge that Rāwiri had married Aroha and they’d had children together bothered him.
It was as if Rāwiri had stepped into his shoes and stolen Tāwera’s life.
He’d like to learn of his mother’s fate if that was possible.
Nyree had explained she’d leave here at the end of summer and return to New Zealand.
He must be ready to go with her, and that presented problems now that he was conspicuous.
While he enjoyed learning new things and mastering the machines Nyree used, he found the rapid pace disconcerting. The sheer number of things he had to learn scared him, although he hadn’t confessed this to Nyree. He hated her to worry, but perhaps he could ask her friend.
The thing that bothered him the most was what would he do when he finally reached Aotearoa?
The world he’d known no longer existed, and the busy place where he’d lived was now a sleepy town called Russell.
It was full of people called tourists. He’d been a skilled fighter and hunter, but Nyree said most people lived in towns and cities.
Fighting skills were no longer required in their homeland.
If people disagreed about land, they settled the dispute in court. They negotiated a settlement.
How did he support himself? Where would he live, and how would he occupy his time?
And the most burning question of all—how could he walk away from Nyree?
Even before he’d helped her with her moonlust, he’d ached to touch her, to kiss her.
He frowned. The strength of his need bothered him, given it was even greater than his memories of desiring Aroha.
He’d been younger, and they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other.
With Nyree, the urges were stronger. Fiercer, and he struggled with restraint.
Tāwera mentioned none of this to Nyree because he hadn’t wanted to worry her when he’d already caused a massive disruption in her life. Her agreeing to his touch had been a tremendous relief. He’d been hanging onto his control with difficulty.
With this in mind, he turned to the only source he had. He slowly and painstakingly composed his own email and sent it back to Manu. He’d confess everything to Nyree after Manu sent him a reply, but he’d feel better to have advice from the tribal leader.