34. Dallas
34
DALLAS
I reach the end of the aisle, my long strides eating up the distance between me and the door, and hopefully Katie.
The confrontation with Max was too much. Katie tried to keep it calm, but in the end, she shouted at Max, right as Tilly appeared around the corner.
The devastation on both their faces made me want to go back in time and eviscerate Toby Sheridan for what he did to Katie.
No wonder she hates this town, and Max. No wonder she took so long to let her guard down with me.
She wanted to face Max though. She wanted to settle whatever was between them, so she could move on.
So she could be here with me.
I reach the counter and skid to a stop.
A woman is standing in front of it, staring out the door with confusion written all over her face .
She turns to face me and the world slows down, each second that passes feels like a year.
“Dallas?” she asks, stunned.
“Abi.” I choke out the single word. I stand and stare at her, both of us frozen to the spot. I wasn’t sure I’d ever see Sadie’s mum again. I sure as hell didn’t expect to find her standing in the middle of a farm supply store in Kauri Creek.
“I — I didn’t expect to see you,” she says, stumbling over her words. She looks fantastic, not at all like the last time I saw her, when she was heartbroken and exhausted.
“You knew where we were, though. You know we live here. Why are you here?”
Something flashes across her face and I want to punch myself for how that came across.
“I have a job interview,” she says. “I was going to see how that went, then get in touch.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” I run a hand through my hair. “A lot of stuff has just happened.”
“That girl, is she okay?”
Katie. “No. I don’t think so.”
“Are you going after her?”
“Yes, I have to, but … God, Abi, we need to talk.”
“I know we do, but it looks like you need to go after her first.” I nod. “First though, can you give me some directions?”
“Of course, walk with me. I need to catch up to Katie.” I turn and head for the door, hoping Abi will keep pace beside me. She does.
We head out into the sunshine. There’s no sign of Katie. I expect to see her waiting beside my ute, but the carpark is empty.
My ute is gone.
My heart rate spikes, adrenaline flooding my body.
“Shit,” I curse and kick at the gravel. I took too long. I was too slow. She thinks I wasn’t coming after her.
I go to pull my phone out of my back pocket, but it’s not there. Because I left it in the centre console of the ute when we went inside.
“Shit, shit, shit, shit.” I thrust my hands into my hair and grip the strands so tightly it stings.
“Dallas.” Abi presses a hand to my forearm, dragging it down. “Take a breath. Where’s she gone?”
“I don’t know. Maybe to her house, maybe the farm.”
“Come on, I’ll drive you.”
“You have your interview.”
“I’ll let them know I’m running late due to an emergency and if they have a problem with that then I really don’t want to work with them anyway.”
I crack a tiny smile. That little bite of sass is so much like the old Abi, the one I first fell in love with. It’s nice to see the part of her we lost after Sadie’s accident.
“It’s so good to see you,” I say and wrap an arm around her in a quick, tight hug.
“You don’t hate me?”
I blink down at her and shake my head. “I don’t hate you Abi, but we do have to sort some things out, especially if you’re hanging around. Sadie’s going to have a lot to process. ”
I slide into the passenger seat of her car. It’s nothing flashy, but it’s clean and relatively modern. She must be doing alright for herself. I’m relieved. I always worried where she was at and if she was okay.
“I know she is. Does she know about you and …?”
“Katie.” I sigh and run a hand through my hair again as Abi pulls onto the road. “Not yet.” I twist to face her. “You’re not …” I trail off, unsure how to phrase the question without sounding like a total jackass. Instead of finishing my question, I show Abi where to turn so we can drive past Katie’s house. If she’s there, then perfect. If not, I have to hope she’s seeking refuge with Olivia and Flynn at the farm.
“No, Dallas. I’m not back to cause trouble in your relationship.” She gives me a soft smile. “I want you to be happy, and I know I lost my chance with you when I left you and Sadie.”
“But you’d like to see Sadie?” I hold my breath as I wait for her answer.
“Yes. If you think that’s a good idea. It’s totally in your court.” Her voice wobbles.
“She’s not here,” I mutter as we approach Katie’s house. It’s just her car in the driveway, right where we left it earlier. “Keep driving, take the next left,” I say.
Abi resettles her hands on the steering wheel and accelerates as we leave the town boundary and enter a higher speed zone. “Can I ask why Sadie doesn’t know about Katie?”
I sigh and rest my head against the window. “Because it’s new. Katie wasn’t sure she was sticking around and we didn’t want to tell Sadie anything until she was sure.” My voice cracks and I heave in a strangled breath, fighting against a sob that’s threatening to escape.
A pain stabs through my chest as I realise the potential repercussions of the altercation with Max. Will Katie want to stay? Or is she going to leave me after everything anyway?
Abi doesn’t respond. She must know me well enough from our history to understand I’m out of words and need to stew in my feelings for a bit. I close my eyes and rest my head against the glass of the window. There’s silence in the car, just the rumble of tyres on the rough road surface.
After a while, I feel the car slow and crack my eyes open. We’re approaching the Wildflower Ridge gate.
“It’s this one,” I say, my voice rough.
Abi slows further and turns into the driveway, pulling to a stop and staring up at the wooden sign announcing the property name. There’s a matching one hanging over the function centre door—handmade gifts from Henry to Violet after he renamed the farm for her.
“This is where she works?”
“Yeah, and me.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Of all the places.”
She accelerates again, still muttering under her breath about coincidences and chances and how it’s a small fucking world.
I’m too distracted looking for any sign of Katie to pay her much attention. The main house comes into view, but my ute isn’t parked outside. Olivia is just climbing out of the side-by-side though, and we come to a stop beside it.
I jump out of Abi’s car and glance at my cottage. No sign of the ute over there either. I’m sure I’d be able to see it through the trees.
She’s not here.
My heart plummets.
Olivia is staring at me open mouthed. “Dallas. Why are you here?”
I spin to face her. “Do you know where Katie is?” The desperation in my voice is clear and she snaps out of her confusion.
“No. She’s supposed to be with you. What happened?”
“Max happened,” I rasp and Olivia’s eyes slam closed as she takes a deep breath. “Did you know all the things Toby did to her?” I ask.
“I know some of them,” she whispers. “What happened today?”
“Max had a go at her again. She told him the truth, but Tilly was there and she heard everything.”
Olivia lets out a long sigh. “Oh, the poor kid.”
“Yeah. Katie was horrified. I think Tilly overhearing was more upsetting for her than having it out with Max. Katie took off and before I had a chance to catch up, she’d taken my ute and gone. She isn’t at home. She isn’t here. Where else could she be?” My words spill out of me, tumbling over each other so fast I’m amazed they even sound like words anymore.
A hand on my back slows my rapid breathing. “Take a breath, Dal,” Abi says softly. “You’ll find her.”
Olivia has her phone out and she’s tapping the screen so ferociously I think she might be about to smash right through the device. A moment later a motorbike skids to a stop beside us and Flynn climbs off, looking harried and panicked.
“What’s the SOS?”
“We can’t find Katie,” Olivia whispers and Flynn’s face goes white.
“Wasn’t she with you?” He turns on me and the always cheerful, loveable Flynn I’ve always known has vanished. He’s looking at me like something gross he stepped in. Like I’ve done something to hurt his best friend and he’s going to murder me for it.
“She was. But we had a run in with Max.”
Flynn clenches his fists. “That bastard. I’m going to?—”
“No, you’re not. Focus.” Olivia snaps and we both turn back to her. “My interview just flaked, so I’ve got plenty of time and Mum’s picking up Sadie this afternoon so she’s taken care of. We’ll find her.”
“Um,” Abi says, voice hesitant. “I’m sorry, but if you’re Olivia, I’m your interview.”
Olivia stares at Abi and so do I.
“Your interview is here ?” I say and now I understand all the mutterings about coincidences.
“Yeah, managing the function venue.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Olivia waves her hands in the air. “You’re Abigail?” Abi nods. “And you happened to run into Dallas and give him a ride? He’s the emergency.”
“Yeah, except, well … I won’t be able to work here. I’m sorry to mess you around.”
There’s too much going on in my brain. I need to find Katie. I need to deal with the Abi situation and Sadie. Shit. Sadie.
“You can’t be here when Sadie gets home,” I blurt and all eyes land on me.
“Dallas,” Abi says, one hand landing on my shoulder, the other reaching up to cup my cheek. “Take some more breaths … slow … that’s it.” I focus on her eyes and let her voice wash over me. She’s always had a way with calming me down when I get panicked. I’ve always regretted not being able to do the same for her, especially when she needed me most after Sadie’s accident.
“I won’t be here when Sadie gets home,” she says. “Olivia has my phone number, or use the email address you send the updates to, and get hold of me later. Go and find Katie.” She reaches up and presses a kiss against my cheek, then turns to Olivia. “I’m really sorry to have wasted your time.” Then she turns, climbs back into her car and heads down the driveway.
“Who was that?” Flynn breaks the silence that’s hanging over us as we watch the dust from the car settle.
“Sadie’s mum,” I say, voice strangled.
Flynn’s eyes almost bug out of his head. “Holy shit. She’s?—”
“Focus, Flynny. Where would Katie go?” Olivia snaps her fingers in front of his face.
“The waterfall,” he says abruptly. “She’ll have gone to the waterfall to throw rocks at it and echo-scream.” He moves to swing his leg over his motorbike but I grab it in midair.
“Waterfall? Echo-scream?” I gently push him out of the way and climb on the bike myself.
“The bush block above the back stream paddock. There’s a waterfall in there. If you stand in just the right place and yell, it echoes around you. We used to go there and scream when we were upset,” Olivia explains .
“I can’t believe I didn’t know there was a waterfall in there,” I mutter.
“You do now. If she’s anywhere, I’ll bet she’s there,” Flynn says. “I’m not even going to be offended that you’re stealing my bike right now. But go, make sure she’s okay and bring her home safe.”
I kickstart the bike and rev it to get the motor running. “I will.” Then I release the clutch and I’m gone.