Chrissy and the Burroughs Boy

Book 4: A Levenham Love Story

by Cathryn Hein

Genres: Contemporary Romance; Small-town Romance; Western Romance; Second Chance Romance; small town romance; Second Chance Romance; rural romance; australian romance

Synopsis

No girl forgets her first crush. The least he could do is remember it.

Chrissy James has only been home in small-town Levenham a few weeks when her teenage crush plays hero and saves her from an aggressive drunk. Seven years ago, Nick Burroughs was the school hottie while she was the overweight girl with braces, bad hair, and an unrequited obsession with the sports star every girl in school wanted. Her failed efforts to attract Nick's attention still burn.

Chrissy sure has his attention now, but she's older, smarter and focused on settling into her new dream job as wine marketer. No matter how sexy he's grown, or how keen his interest, Nick will need to do a lot more than see off a drunk if he wants to win her over.

But Chrissy doesn't count on the determination of a Burroughs boy in love. Nick will do anything to recapture Chrissy's heart, even if it means acting the romantic fool and embarrassing himself in the process.

Will Nick's efforts to make amends for the past backfire or will Chrissy's career thwart everything? Grab this this cute small-town romance and find out!

For readers who enjoyed Romantic Book of the Year finalist Santa and the Saddler by Cathryn Hein.

Release date: August 22, 2017

Print pages: 185

Sample

One

 

After three years in a row of being runner-up in the Mount Pitt Australian Rules Football Club’s ‘best and fairest’ award, dislocating a shoulder was not the start to the football season Nick Burroughs had planned. This year was meant to be his.

Instead, halfway through the first quarter of the first game and playing arch rivals the Gerrinton Giants, that oversized peanut Eddie Argyle stuck a boot in Nick’s back and launched himself skyward in an attempt to take a screaming mark, only to stuff it up and land the entirety of his great weight directly on Nick. One loud crunch and a roar of pain later, and Nick’s best-and-fairest dream was over.

If his shoulder hadn’t been so on fire he would have thumped Eddie, but the ignorant lump had galloped off after the ball, leaving Nick on his knees with his teeth jammed together, and his other hand cupping his elbow as he tried to hold his sagging arm in place.

Now, two weeks after the injury, he was propped in the front bar of the Australian Arms Hotel, watching Friday-night footy on the big screen, sipping a beer and brooding over the physio’s prognosis.

Another six weeks before he’d be back playing. Half the season gone. Bloody brilliant.

Not.

‘You still sulking, Numbnuts?’ called his younger brother, Danny, across the bar.

‘Piss off,’ said Nick.

Danny grinned at the man he was serving. ‘Yeah, he’s still sulking.’

‘It’s bad luck,’ said Josh Sinclair, who, despite being captain of the Gerrinton Giants, was a top bloke and good footy player. ‘You would have been a shoo-in for best and fairest this year.’

‘Oi!’ said Danny, who was now red-hot favourite. Again. Stuff him. If he and Danny weren’t brothers and teammates, Nick would wish him an injury, too.

Josh laughed and paid for his beer. ‘Mate, you’re so in love you can barely tie your bootlaces, let alone play decent footy.’

The truth of that, at least, gave Nick some satisfaction. Since meeting his Australian-born, English-raised girlfriend, Beth, last Christmas, Danny had been floating around like one of those dopey cartoon characters with clouds under their feet and love hearts bursting all around their head. Now that Beth had moved permanently to Levenham, where she helped run her grandfather’s saddlery, Danny was even worse, hellbent on building a dream life for them both. Footy training was cut short in favour of extra shifts at the pub on top of his regular job of manufacturing and servicing agricultural windmills, so he could afford to buy an even bigger and better love nest than he’d planned. It’d be sickening if the pair of them weren’t so happy and mad for each other. Nick was an unsentimental blokey bloke and even he thought them cute.

‘What are you doing down here anyway?’ Josh asked Nick.

‘Chops’s girlfriend is over from Warrnambool.’

‘Sex in every room,’ quipped Danny.

Nick grimaced. ‘As long as they’re not doing it in mine.’

Josh threw Nick a look of sympathy. ‘Stacey here for the whole weekend?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Bugger.’

Nick shrugged. ‘Footy Saturday and we’re seeding, so I’m out at the farm anyway.’

‘Digby’s been flat out at his place, too,’ said Josh, referring to his brother-in-law, who had a grazing property and vineyard to the east of Levenham. ‘This early rain’s been good for everyone. Anyway, I’d best get back to Em before Mum chews her ear off with more parenting advice. I’ll catch you boys later.’ He grinned. ‘I’d wish you luck for tomorrow, but you know how it is. Not that it’d matter. The Giants have this year’s premiership in the bag.’

‘Yeah, yeah,’ said Danny. ‘You keep on talking it up, us Pitt boys’ll just keep on winning.’

Nick glanced at the telly and sighed. Hawthorn were belting the bejesus out of poor St Kilda and it wasn’t even half-time. He checked his watch and made a face. Not yet nine pm and he’d told Chops he’d stay out until ten-thirty. Normally, Nick wouldn’t be so generous on the eve of a game, but what did it matter if he turned up at the ground tomorrow a bit tired? He wasn’t playing.

Stuff it.

There weren’t many occasions when Nick regretted moving from the farm into town, but this was one of them. He and Charlie Oppenheimer – Chops for short – had been mates since school, and seven months ago sharing a house and a few adventures had seemed like a great idea. As much as Nick adored his family and his mum’s cooking, he was twenty-six years old and due some privacy. The rented house meant no worries about bringing a girl home, no one to frown at him if he wandered in a bit under the weather or ate cold pizza for breakfast, and no teenage sister sticking her nose into everything. Just him and Chops, being boys.

Except five minutes in, Chops had ruined it all by finding himself a girlfriend.

Most of the time it was fine. Stacey was studying accounting at the Warrnambool campus of Deakin University and only came home every three weeks or so, with Chops returning the favour when milking allowed. Which was just as well. Nick wasn’t sure he could have coped with more of them together. On the weekends Stace was in town Chops was worse than a randy bull, with Stace not much better if the noises Nick had had to endure were any indication.

Tonight wasn’t Chops’s fault. Nick should have gone to another mate’s or the farm rather than the Arms, but with footy on the telly and Danny behind the bar Nick figured he’d have no problems killing a few hours. Instead, he was bored and feeling sorry for himself, his shoulder kept throbbing from the physio’s manipulation, and his brother was too busy serving punters to chat for long.

He gazed around for someone to talk to, only to find the crowd was made up of half-cut eighteen-year-olds who made him feel old and grim. Most of the regulars around his own age were upstairs in the pub’s private function room at Connor Viccary and Leah Henderson’s engagement party. Nick hadn’t been invited. No surprise with him being Leah’s ex-boyfriend and Connor harbouring the stupid idea that Nick still had feelings for her, but the bloke always was a peanut.

His brother paused in wiping a spill off the bar to stare at the ceiling, as if worried it might cave in – something he’d been doing all evening. Nick suspected it was more concern about having to deal with drunks from the party later. Connor’s mob liked to booze it up.

‘You think they’ll be a problem?’ he asked with a nod upstairs, when Danny came to pick up Nick’s empty glass.

‘Should be all right. Steve and Barry are up there,’ replied Danny, referring to the Arms’s burly publican and its bar manager. He lifted Nick’s glass and tilted it towards him. ‘Want another?’

‘Yeah.’ After all, Nick had nothing else to do. ‘But make it a light.’

He watched football, eking out his beer and trying not to think about his aching shoulder. He hoped Chops and Stacey had worn themselves out. It was going to be hard enough sleeping without their racket adding to his misery.

When Nick could stand it no longer, he slid off his stool, waited to catch Danny’s eye, and gave a brief nod of farewell. Danny tossed him a ‘you sure?’ look that Nick returned with one of his own, communicating that he’d had enough in the wordless way of people who knew each other’s quirks instinctively. Danny shrugged a ‘suit yourself’ and returned to serving.

Careful to protect his shoulder from any accidental bumps, Nick manoeuvred his way through the back of the bar to the rear exit. The barely legal teenagers were getting a bit rowdy but appeared otherwise good-natured. As he passed the wide door to the bistro, he spotted Josh with his wife, Em, relaxing with Josh’s parents after their meal. He had his arm slung around Em’s shoulders and she was leaning into him, her cheeks flushed with happiness. Josh’s mum, Michelle, was rocking a pram back and forth in blissful grandmotherhood, while her husband, Tom, looked on with equal pride.

The sight sent a throb through Nick’s chest. Seemed like everyone was in love, except him.

He pushed out into the crisp night and was immediately assaulted by party noise – that raucous, discordant mash of music mixed with people trying to talk over it and each other. Nick wandered further away from the door to peer at the upstairs windows, but the curtains were drawn.

He hoped Leah was having a good time. She was a great girl, pretty and funny, and Nick had liked her a lot, just not in that special forever way. Although it dented his ego, it had been a huge relief to discover Leah felt the same way, and their eventual breakup had been about as amicable as breakups could get. That Leah had found someone to love her properly made Nick glad, even if that someone was Connor Viccary.

The Arms was a corner pub on Levenham’s main shopping strip with its own small rear carpark that was well-lit and monitored by several security cameras. Years before, the council had built a large, adjoining carpark, but had run out of funding for lights. Most people parked close to the rear of the main street shops, where there was at least security lighting, but with a waning moon and cloud cover keeping the night dark, and shade trees adding to the shadows, the rest of the asphalted area spread as black as the sky. Not that it bothered Nick. It was early, country town Levenham was hardly a hotspot of violence, and he was more than capable of fending for himself, busted shoulder included. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he stepped out of the halo of light, head down and brooding, the darkness suiting his mood.

Nick was nearing the far side of the carpark when he heard raised voices. He stopped and looked back. A long-legged girl in jeans was hurrying down the strip near the shops, a sloppy-looking bloke on her heels. As she passed a security light, Nick caught a flash of glossy hair and pale, pointed chin and felt a vague tug of recognition. He frowned, trying to place her, then blinked as the bloke who was behind her snatched the girl by the arm and jerked her to a stop. She turned furiously, lifting her arm to tug against his hold, but his grip held.

This didn’t look good.

Not letting his narrowed gaze leave either of them, Nick strode quickly back across the carpark.

‘Let. Me. Go,’ said the girl, gritting out the words.

‘Nah, not until you come back inside. You owe me a drink.’

‘I told you, I’ve had enough and I’m going home.’

The girl twisted and yanked hard, but her attacker merely laughed. The hairs on the back of Nick’s neck stiffened.

She glanced at the pub only to see the area remained empty. ‘Please.’ This time there was no grit, only fear.

Her attacker smiled.

Nick broke into a jog.

 

Two

 

Nick slowed to a brisk walk, keeping his stride long and his eyes locked on the man in front of him. He recognised the bastard now; Todd Leppington, one of Connor’s cronies. He’d been a mean little shit at school and nothing had changed afterwards. Last Nick had heard, Todd was working at the timber mill, where he sat on his arse all day driving a forklift.

Taking advantage of the distraction of Nick’s approach, the girl jerked her arm free and stepped backwards. Nick angled towards her and kept his voice casual. ‘Everything okay here?’

‘Fine,’ said Todd, one corner of his lip curled.

‘Wasn’t asking you.’ Nick checked the girl’s face and dropped his voice so that she knew how seriously he was taking the situation. ‘Are you all right?’

She nodded, although her expression said otherwise. Nick glanced at her hand. Protruding between her fisted fingers was the long, jagged edge of a key.

Pretty and smart. Impressive. He’d have to ask her name when this was over.

‘Come on,’ he said, ‘I’ll walk you to your car.’

Todd planted himself in front of them and stabbed a finger at Nick. ‘Why don’t you mind your own frigging business?’

‘Nah, I don’t think so.’

‘Todd,’ said the girl heavily, ‘just go back inside.’

Todd’s drunken gaze lasered in on her. ‘What, now he’s here you don’t want anything to do with me?’

‘Like there’s a surprise,’ said Nick, unable to help himself.

‘Fuck you, Burroughs.’

‘I’d rather you didn’t. You’re not my type.’ He touched his hand lightly to the girl’s back. ‘Let’s get you out of here.’

He went to step past Todd, but the peanut blocked his way. Nick suppressed a sigh. He wasn’t in the mood for a fight. Todd, on the other hand, seemed to be raring for one. Not that it’d be much of a contest, even with his weak shoulder. Nick was tall and heavily muscled from years of farm work and sport. With his slight beer gut, Todd looked as fit as a pig. Nick had handled calves that were more threatening.

‘Don’t be a dickhead, Leppo.’

‘Who you callin’ a dickhead, fuckwit?’

‘You. Now get out of the way before I make you.’

The girl shook her head. ‘Don’t, Nick. He’s not worth it.’

‘Yeah, right,’ said Todd, as if she hadn’t spoken. ‘I’d like to see you do that with your busted shoulder.’

Nick had had enough. Hands clenched, he stepped towards Todd, gaze like granite. ‘It’s my left shoulder that’s busted. My right fist still works fine.’ He took another step. This close, Todd couldn’t miss Nick’s height and weight advantage. His next words emerged dangerously quiet. ‘You want to try it?’

Todd hesitated, then did the smart thing and put his palms up. ‘She’s all yours, mate.’ With a sneer, he began to walk away. ‘She’s a pricktease, anyway.’

Only the girl grabbing a handful of his shirt stopped Nick from going after him.

‘Nick, don’t. He really isn’t worth it.’

She was right, although that didn’t stop him wanting to belt the bastard. He turned back and took proper stock of her. Her blue eyes were wide and her lips were pressed together, and she was rubbing one arm as though cold, but overall she looked fine enough.

‘Feeling okay?’ he asked. ‘Want me to call anyone?’

‘No need, I’m good. Thanks.’ Then she smiled, and the impact of it was like a cow kick to the chest, stealing Nick of breath and scrambling his brain. This girl wasn’t just pretty, she was gorgeous.

He grinned back dopily until her fading smile made him realise he was acting like a village idiot. No surprise. Right now, he felt like one.

‘So, ah …’ He pointed vaguely towards the line of cars. ‘I’ll walk you?’

‘Sure.’

Nick followed as she stepped out, casting an appreciative gaze over her bum as he probed his soupy brain for who she could be. She wasn’t the kind of girl he’d forget in a hurry, yet he was stuffed if he could place her. It was clear she knew him though.

‘How did you know my name?’

‘Everyone knows the Burroughs boys.’

Nick blinked. This was news. Sure, he’d had his photo in the paper a few times for footy, but that didn’t mean anything.

‘They do?’

‘Of course.’

‘Huh. How ’bout that.’

Suddenly the girl whirled around, causing Nick, who’d been admiring her bum again, to almost crash into her. ‘You haven’t got a clue who I am, have you?’

He took in her stance: weight on one hip, arms crossed, chin slightly jutted. Trouble. Except the curve of her lips suggested more amusement than anger.

‘I feel like I should, but …’ Nick gave a lopsided smile. ‘Sorry.’

For a long moment she stared at him, then she huffed out a breath and threw her hands in the air. ‘What a waste.’

‘A waste?’

‘Yeah. A big, fat, gigantic waste.’

Nick gave the back of his neck a scratch. ‘Not sure I follow.’

‘No, you wouldn’t.’

He eyed her warily, the feeling that he’d done something horribly wrong creeping up his belly, which was unfair. He’d saved her from Leppo, done the hero thing. Girls were meant to go for that.

Weren’t they?

‘I’m Christina James.’ She paused, her name hanging, but Nick was clueless. ‘Chrissy? From school?’

‘Right.’

She tilted her head back to the sky. ‘Oh, God, this is too funny.’

It was? Nick was finding it all a bit weird, truth be told. ‘Want to fill me in?’

She shook her head again in disbelief. ‘You really don’t remember me?’

‘I feel like I do, but I’m buggered if I can figure it out.’ He grinned. ‘Which is a bit disturbing because there’s no way I’d forget someone like you.’

‘Someone like me?’

‘Yeah.’ He shrugged. ‘Beautiful.’

She laughed. ‘Thanks. A pity you didn’t think that seven years ago, but thems the breaks.’

Seven years ago? That meant …

‘We were at school together?’

‘Different grade. I was a year below you.’

He frowned. Chrissy was gorgeous. Even with a year’s difference he wouldn’t have missed her. ‘Were you there for only a short time or something?’

‘No. I started in Year Eight. Went right through.’ She bit the corner of her lip. ‘I’ll give you a hint: I played netball. Bells ringing yet?’

Netball. He’d always liked netballers. They were sporty, like him, and wore tight lycra uniforms with short skirts that showed off their legs. Two of his girlfriends from back then had been on the school team, and one had even played for Mount Pitt in the league division, which meant he’d watched his fair share of games. Yet he still couldn’t place Chrissy.

Nick studied her face. A perfect heart shape with a cutely turned-up nose and clear skin with a sexy flush of pink over her cheeks. She tucked her dark hair behind her ears and angled her head left then right, showing off her profile. Nick rubbed his jaw. Why couldn’t he work it out?

She sighed and indicated her perfect white teeth. ‘I had braces then. And my hair wasn’t like this and I was,’ she screwed up her nose and the pink over her cheeks deepened, ‘a bit overweight.’

Braces, overweight … Nick’s eyes widened. This was chubby Christina? Seriously? A unicorn crossing the carpark farting rainbows couldn’t have poleaxed him more.

‘Bloody hell.’

‘Yep.’

He looked her up and down, gobsmacked. ‘You’ve changed.’

‘Not that much.’

‘Yes, that much. You’re … you’re a babe.’

Chrissy tilted her head and raised a single eyebrow. ‘Which made me what, back then?’

Nick swallowed. Any bloke with half a brain could tell this was dangerous territory. ‘Ah, young?’

‘Very diplomatic. Well done.’ She walked on.

Releasing a breath, Nick followed. ‘So, what was the big waste you were talking about before?’

She glanced at him sideways without pausing a step. It was a slyly sexy look, but Nick noticed she was still clutching her keys in her fist. He hoped it was because her car was near and not that she had plans on jabbing him.

‘Oh, nothing. Just that I had a thumping great crush on you at school and did all sorts of dumb things to get your attention.’

He winced. ‘And I never noticed.’

‘Nope. Not once.’ She threw him another look. ‘I thought you might have at least remembered my name though.’

‘Sorry.’

‘It’s okay. It was just school. Life got so much better after that.’

‘I dunno. I thought school was fun.’

‘You would.’

This time it was his turn to halt. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Well, you were Nick Burroughs, weren’t you? Just about every girl in school had a thing for you, or your brother.’ She began ticking things off her fingers. ‘Good-looking, talented sportsman, not completely stupid, nice … most of the time. Everything was roses for you.’

‘But not for you?’ He couldn’t imagine this beautiful girl not enjoying life. From what he remembered – which wasn’t much – Chrissy seemed happy enough then. She’d had friends, and no one had bullied her that he could recall.

‘I had plenty of fun times, sure, but when you’re a teenage girl and a bit fat and have braces and bad hair, things can get a bit miserable. Especially when the boy you’re crushing on doesn’t even know you exist.’

‘What can I say? I was an idiot.’ He bloody was, too. Biggest idiot ever. Then again, maybe it wasn’t a bad thing that he hadn’t noticed her. Knowing what a peanut he could be back then, Nick probably wouldn’t have treated Chrissy right anyway. At least now he was in with a chance.

And he wanted one. Badly.

She laughed. ‘Yes, you were. Doesn’t matter now. All water under the bridge.’ A small white hatchback beeped as Chrissy unlocked it. She paused by the driver’s door and smiled at him. ‘Thanks for … you know.’

‘You’re welcome.’ It was time to go, but Nick couldn’t make his feet move. She was too pretty, too full of humour and forgiveness. He squinted at the pub and back at Chrissy. ‘What was Leppo’s problem anyway?’

‘I don’t know. I was at Leah and Connor’s party, and he was in the group I was chatting with. We had a couple of dances, then he bought me a drink and from that seemed to think he was in.’

She crossed her arms and looked down, making Nick wonder how much of a fright she’d had. And if Chrissy was worrying, like he was, about how the situation could have turned out if he hadn’t been walking home at the same time. His hand twitched with the urge to touch her, but she dropped her arms and looked up brightly.

‘Never mind. Everything’s fine now … thanks to you.’

‘I don’t know about that. From how you were holding that key, I suspect you would have managed all right without me.’

She held up the key and inspected it. It was a post office box key, long and jagged. ‘It might look nasty, but I’m not sure how much damage it would have done.’

‘Enough to make Leppo think twice,’ he quipped.

‘And for me to make a run for it. After I’d kneed him where it hurts, that is. Hard.’

‘Right.’ Nick cringed inwardly at the relish with which she’d said ‘hard’. ‘Remind me not to get on your bad side.’

They lapsed into silence. Nick racked his brain for something clever and came up blank. By the time it occurred to him to ask how long she was in Levenham for, Chrissy was opening the car door.

‘You’re on your way home?’ she asked.

‘Yeah.’

‘Can I give you a lift?’

Nick considered. There was nothing more he’d love than to extend his time with her, except his house was so close that getting a lift would only make him look lazy. ‘Thanks, but I only live around the corner.’

‘I don’t mind.’

‘It’s okay. My housemate’s entertaining his girlfriend.’ His mouth twisted wryly. ‘The longer I take getting home the better.’

‘Ah. Well, thanks.’

‘Any time.’

Chrissy nodded and slid into the front seat, flashing a smile when Nick closed the door for her. He stepped back, watching her strap the seatbelt over her chest and lock it in.

With a final small wave, she started the engine and put the car into gear. She was leaving, and Nick was swamped with the horrible idea that he mightn’t ever see her again. That whatever goodwill he’d gained by seeing off Todd would be lost by morning.

He couldn’t let that happen.

As the car edged out, he tapped the window and made a ‘wind down’ motion. After a brief hesitation, she obliged.

‘What did you do? To get my attention, I mean.’

Chrissy’s gaze scanned his face. ‘Why?’

He shrugged. ‘Curiosity.’

Her eyes never left his face, but her bottom lip was drawn in by the scrape of her top teeth. Seconds passed. Nick tried to keep his expression innocent.

Finally, her gaze shifted to the windscreen and then down. ‘You remember the anonymous birthday cards you found in your locker?’

‘That was you?’

‘Yep.’ She gave an embarrassed smile and twisted her hands back and forth around the steering wheel. ‘And the Valentine’s cards.’

‘Jesus.’

‘I used to parade up and down in front of you quite a bit, too.’ She made a sound like a cut-off laugh. ‘You know, in the hope you’d look at me and think, “Jeez, she’s hot”.’ She looked at him square on then. ‘Fat lot of good that did me.’

‘What can I say? I was young and stupid.’

‘No, you were just you. It was me who was young and stupid. I used to have these jeans that I thought made my bum look skinny. Every casual day I’d wear them and whenever I spotted you I’d do this special walk, one that made my bum wiggle. You know what happened?’

He shook his head.

‘The school nurse took me aside and asked if I had a problem downstairs that I needed to talk to someone about.’ Chrissy put her palms to her cheeks, fingers covering her eyes. ‘I could have died.’

‘I bet,’ he said, his expression pained. That must have been horrible.

She splayed her fingers and looked through the gaps at him. ‘There’s more.’

‘More?’ Bloody hell.

She pushed her fingers together and nodded. ‘Notes tucked into your football kit.’

Nick remembered those. ‘They were sweet.’

‘That time when I bought every one of your raffle tickets?’

‘Hang on, weren’t they for your parents?’

‘No. I bought them, just so I could stand near you and breathe the same air for a while.’ She dropped her hands to her lap. ‘Remember the phone calls? The ones where some girl would call and then say nothing?’

Okay, so they weren’t so sweet. They were weird. Except for one time.

‘I just needed to hear your voice,’ said Nick, recalling her words. He’d puzzled over that for weeks, eavesdropping in on conversations, but he’d never recognised the voice.

‘That was me. Teenage crushes suck.’

‘They sure do.’ He curled his hand around the edge of the window. ‘I’m going to make up for it though.’

‘Oh yeah? How?’

‘You’ll see.’ Nick straightened and grinned down at her. ‘I’ll see you around.’

She laughed and this time when she drove away he didn’t stop her.

It wasn’t until he was striding across the carpark that Nick realised his mistake and could have thumped himself. Not only did he not know if Chrissy was single, she probably didn’t even live here, ’cause he sure would have noticed if she did.

Which was going to make atoning for his adolescent stupidity pretty difficult.

Bloody peanut.