All for Love: What a Westmoreland Wants. Brenda Jackson
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know when I have everything in order.”
“All right.”
Callum lifted up his soda glass in a toast. “Here’s to adventures awaiting you in the outback.”
Gemma chuckled as she lifted her glass in a toast, as well. “Yes, here’s to adventures in the outback.”
* * *
A few hours later back at her house, despite her outer calm, Gemma was trying to keep things together on the inside while she explained everything to her sisters, Megan and Bailey, as they sat together at the kitchen table. Megan was the oldest at twenty-six and Bailey was twenty-two.
“And why didn’t you file a police report? Twenty thousand dollars isn’t a little bit of money, Gem,” an angry Megan wanted to know.
Gemma drew in a deep breath. “I’m working with the bank’s security team in trying to recover the funds. The main reason I didn’t get Sheriff Harper involved is because he’s close friends with both Dillon and Ramsey. He’ll probably get a report of the incident from the bank, eventually, but I think he’d be more inclined to keep his mouth shut about it. It would appear more of an official matter then.”
“Oh.”
From the look on her sisters’ faces and their simultaneous responses, she knew they had forgotten that one important piece of information. There wasn’t too much a Westmoreland did in these parts that Dillon and Ramsey didn’t know about. Sheriff Harper, who had gone to high school with Dillon and Ramsey, made sure of that.
“And I didn’t want to hear, ‘I told you so’ from those two. Neither of them wanted me to start my own business when I did. So there was no way I was going to tell them what Niecee had done. Hiring her was my mistake and I’ll have to deal with it in my own way.”
“But will you make sure she doesn’t get away with her crime? I’d hate for her to steal from some other unsuspecting soul.”
“Yes, I’m going to make sure she doesn’t do this again. And to think that I trusted her,” Gemma said with a nod.
“You’re too trusting,” Megan said. “I’ve always warned you about that.”
And she had, Gemma thought. So had her older brothers. “So what do you think about me going to Australia?” She needed to change the subject.
Megan smiled. “Personally, I think it’s cool and wish I could go with you, but I’m saving my time off at the hospital for that trip to visit Delaney in Tehran.”
“I think that’s cool, as well,” Bailey said. “I’m still reeling over the fact that there’s no woman waiting for Callum back in Sydney. If that’s true, then why isn’t he dating? I don’t ever recall him having a girlfriend while he’s been here in the States. He’s nothing like Zane and Derringer.”
“And he’s such a cutie-pie,” Megan added.
Gemma couldn’t help smiling as she recalled how sexy he looked sitting across from her at lunch. “He’d already mentioned the job to Jeri Holliday, but it was contingent on whether or not I would accept his offer.”
“And I’m sure she was ready to grab it,” Bailey said with a frown.
“Of course she was. I wish the two of you could see the size of his house. I can’t believe he’d buy such a place as a single man. Now that I’ve made up my mind about going to Australia, I need to let Ramsey know.”
Gemma inhaled sharply at the thought of doing that, but knew it needed to be done. However, under no circumstances did Ramsey need to know that Niecee had embezzled $20,000 from her. She would let the bank’s security team handle things.
“You don’t have any appointments or projects scheduled for the next six weeks?” Megan asked as they helped her pack.
“No. This job offer came at a good time. I had thought about taking a well-deserved vacation anyway, but now it’s back to work for me. I’ll take some time off during the holidays.”
“If Callum bought a house in Australia, does that mean he’s moving back home?”
Gemma glanced over at Bailey. That thought hadn’t occurred to her. “I guess so.”
“What a bummer. I’ve gotten used to seeing him,” Bailey said with a pout. “I’d begun thinking of him as another big brother.”
Gemma drew in a deep breath. For some reason she’d never thought of him as another big brother.
She’d never felt the need to become as friendly with him as Megan and Bailey had, but she never knew why she’d been standoffish with him. She’d only accepted that that was the way things were. Why now, all of a sudden, did the thought of him returning to Australia to live and her not seeing him ever again seem like such a big deal?
The very thought made her uneasy.
Chapter 3
“Are you okay, Gemma?”
Gemma turned her head to glance over at Callum. What had the pilot just said? They were now cruising at an altitude of 36,000 feet. Was Callum inquiring as to how she felt because she’d suddenly turned green?
Now was not the time to tell him that she had an aversion to flying. Although she’d flown before, that didn’t mean she liked it. In fact, she didn’t. She’d told herself while packing that she could handle the eighteen hours it would take to get to Australia. Now she was having some pretty serious doubts about that.
“Gemma?”
She drew in a deep breath. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
No, she wasn’t sure, but he would be the last person to know. “Yes.”
She turned her head to look out the window and wondered if asking for a window seat had been a wise choice. All she could see were clouds and Callum’s reflection. He smelled good, and she couldn’t help wondering what cologne he was wearing. And he looked good, too. He had arrived to pick her up wearing a pair of jeans, a blue chambray shirt and Western boots. She’d seen him in similar outfits plenty of times, but for some odd reason he seemed different to her today.
“The attendant is about to serve snacks. Are you hungry?”
She turned and met his eyes. They were a beautiful green and she could swear that a strange expression shone in their dark depths. “No, I ate a good breakfast this morning with Ramsey and Chloe.”
He lifted a brow. “You got up at five this morning to do that?”
She smiled. “Yes. All I had to do was set the alarm. I figured if I got up early, then by the time this plane leveled off in the sky I would be ready to take a nap.”
He chuckled. “Does flying bother you?”
“Let’s just say it’s not one of my favorite things to do,” she answered. “There’re other things I prefer doing more. Like getting a root canal or something else equally as enjoyable.”
He threw his head back and laughed, and she liked the sound of it. She’d known him for almost three years and this was the first time she recalled hearing him laugh. He’d always seemed so serious, just like Ramsey. At least that was how Ramsey used to be. She would be one of the first to say that marriage had changed her brother for the better.
“And then,” she added in a soft, thoughtful tone. “My parents were killed in a plane crash and I can’t help but think of that whenever I’m in the air.” She paused a moment. “There was a time after their deaths that I swore I’d never get on a plane,” she said quietly.
Callum did something at that moment she hadn’t expected. He reached out and took her hand in his. His was warm and large and completely covered hers. “How did you overcome that fear?”
She