Playing for Love (Summer Beach Vets 1) - sweet vacation romance Read online

  The highlights of the week for Sara, though, were the animal experiences. First a visit to the Australia Reptile Park where she met the giant Galapagos tortoise, Hugo, during his daily walk. And then an encounter with the pelican colony living at The Entrance, a quaint town sitting on a strip of land between the Pacific Ocean and Tuggerah Lake, surrounded by beaches and lagoons. The enormous seabirds, with their gigantic pink bills and comical walk, came every day—rain or shine—to a public feeding on the waterfront. Sara was surprised at the huge crowds that turned out to watch these birds during their feeding frenzy. They were a star tourist attraction!

  Craig was recognised several times during their excursions and inundated with autograph and photo requests from fans, but Sara noticed that he was careful to keep the sessions fairly short and she was grateful. She still found it uncomfortable watching him from nearby and tensed up whenever she thought the cameras might be pointing in her direction, but overall, she tried to ignore the attention as best she could. She didn’t know what the magazines were saying about her and Craig now—she had decided the best thing was not to read them—but she guessed, from the envious looks that other women sent her way, that they were probably the subject of nation-wide speculation. Craig was a national heartthrob and any woman who was lucky enough to spend time in his company was a guaranteed gossip item.

  The time slipped by even faster than Sara had thought and, before she realised, it was the night before her last day in Australia. Tomorrow was Friday, and on Saturday she was flying back to the States. They had spent a lovely day along the Gosford waterfront and were now back at Craig’s house. Sara had visited Craig’s place a few times now, but she still couldn’t get over its incredible location at the top of the cliffs overlooking Summer Beach, with panoramic views in all directions.

  She stood looking out of the living room windows at the darkened sea, trying to fight off the feeling of sadness that was overwhelming her. She couldn’t believe that she was leaving in a day’s time. So far, she had succeeded in pushing thoughts of the future out of her mind and just enjoyed each day as it came, but it was becoming harder and harder to ignore the looming threat of goodbye.

  “Wine?”

  She turned to see Craig standing behind her, offering her a glass of chilled white wine. She took it and sipped it. It was a Hunter Valley Chardonnay—she had learned to recognise some of the local wines now—and this was one of her favourites, with a light, peaches-and-cream flavour.

  Sara followed Craig out onto the terrace. A soft breeze ruffled her hair and fluttered the folds of her dress. The sea rushed and murmured far below them and, beyond it, the night sky stretched up like a black velvet cloth covered with a thousand jewels.

  “Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many stars,” said Sara, looking up in wonder. She stretched a hand up. “You almost feel like you could touch them. The sky never looks like this at night back in L.A.”

  “Probably because there is too much light pollution from the city,” commented Craig. “There are actually about two and a half thousand stars that are visible to the naked eye, but you’d be lucky to see more than a dozen if you’re in a really big city.” He took her hand and eased her down with him into the massive papasan chair at the edge of the terrace.

  Sara put her wine glass down on the deck beside the chair and snuggled back against Craig’s body. His arms came around her, encircling her waist and cradling her against him. She had never felt so warm and cherished. She felt his lips brush her right ear and a shiver of pleasure coursed through her body. She turned her head slightly and his mouth captured hers, hungry and possessive. She felt an answering passion rise within her. She twisted so that she could mould her body closer to his, pressing her curves against him, and felt Craig stiffen.

  “Sara… Sara… I’m not made of stone,” he groaned.

  Sara pulled back, slightly ashamed at her own wantonness. Craig had been a perfect gentleman all week and she had been touched and grateful. She had never been the kind of girl to jump into bed with a guy—she just couldn’t treat sex casually, the way many of her college friends did. For her, sex was intimately linked to love and she didn’t feel comfortable giving her body before giving her heart.

  The one time she “rushed things” had been when she met Jeff Kingston. The Hollywood star had pressured her, making her feel like a silly prude, until she had broken down and let him make love to her within the second week of them dating. Sometimes Sara wondered if that hadn’t played a huge part in her blind infatuation with Jeff. Would she have fallen as hard if she hadn’t succumbed so quickly?

  So this time she had held back. Even though she knew that she had lost her heart to Craig already—and what she felt now was ten times stronger than the shallow feelings she had had for Jeff—still, she hesitated. Crossing this last line, giving herself to Craig completely… Sara knew that it would remove the last defence, break down the last barrier And she was scared. She had never felt this way about any man before.

  “Sorry,” she murmured and made as if to move away from Craig.

  His arms tightened around her. “Don’t. I like you next to me. Just maybe lie still, eh?” He laughed and ran his hand lightly over her hips and thighs. “This body of yours would tempt a saint.”

  Sara smiled and settled against him again. “Where’s the Big Dipper?” she asked, tilting her head up and looking languidly at the sky.

  “You can’t see it in the Southern Hemisphere,” said Craig, his voice a deep rumble in his chest. “You can’t see the North Star either.”

  “Oh… how do you find your way if you’re lost then?”

  “You look for the Southern Cross.” Craig nodded up towards a far corner of the sky. “Do you see those four stars together there, in the shape of a cross?”

  “No… I… Oh yes! I see it!” Sara sat up, excited. “They do form a perfect cross!”

  “That’s the Southern Cross. They’re the stars on the Australian flag. Well, there are actually five, but the fifth one is very faint. And see those two bright stars nearby? They’re known as the Pointers because they point towards the Southern Cross. They’re actually part of the constellation Centaurus—the Centaur. Well, in the West anyway. In Aboriginal Dreamtime legends, they represent two sulphur-crested cockatoos.” He chuckled.

  “I could sit here and gaze at the stars forever,” said Sara with a happy sigh as she sank back against Craig’s body again.

  “No worries, I could arrange that.”

  His tone was light, but Sara heard the seriousness in his words. She was afraid to look at him. She knew that at some point they would have to talk about her leaving, but she had been trying to put off that moment.

  “I’m sure the night sky back in L.A. would be just as fascinating if I learned to read it,” she said, trying to match his light tone. “Guess I’d better find somebody to teach me when I get back.”

  He stiffened. “I was hoping that this would be more than just a temporary position.”

  Sara pushed away from him and stood up. She said gently, “Craig… you always knew that this would be coming to an end. I… it’s been wonderful but—”

  Craig made a violent movement. He stood up as well and reached for her, his voice low and urgent, “Sara, listen to me. I know this sounds crazy—I know we’ve only known each other a short time—but I know there’s something special between us. I don’t know how we can make it work… I know you live in the States and I have my practice here in Summer Beach… but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to give us a chance.” He smiled whimsically. “Ever since I met you, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”

  Sara felt her heart pounding in her chest. A part of her wanted to throw her arms around him, to say, “Yes! Yes! Me too!” But another part of her was shaking its head vehemently. She had always told herself that this was just a vacation romance—a brief chance to live out a romantic fantasy in a beautiful foreign country—and it had allowed her to enjoy the past
week without thinking too much about the future. But what was fine for a few weeks on vacation was totally different when it became your everyday reality. If things continued with Craig, if they started to have a relationship, then she would be dealing with a lot more than just a few suggestive photos.

  What happened with the magazine might not have been his fault, but it was a taste of what life would be like as his girlfriend. As the girlfriend of a celebrity star. Did she really want to go through all that again?

  “Craig, I can’t,” she whispered. “I just… I don’t think I’m cut out to be a showbiz girlfriend. I know some people can take those things in their stride, ignore the stuff in the media, but I… that’s just not me.”

  Craig let go of her and stepped back, his face like stone.

  Sara twisted her hands and said, not looking at him, “Thank you again for a wonderful two weeks. You’ve made my whole stay in Summer Beach really special. But… I’m going home the day after tomorrow and I think it would be better if we just keep things light.” Even as she said the words, her heart was shrinking from the thought of never seeing Craig again.

  “Are you really just going to write us off as a holiday romance?” He shook his head impatiently. “I don’t believe it—and I don’t think that you really believe it in your heart either. This isn’t just a fling, Sara!”

  She took a step back from him. “I… I don’t think we should see each other tomorrow. Maybe it would be less painful if we just say goodbye now.”

  Craig swore under his breath and Sara bit her lip. She hesitated, then reached up and pecked him on the cheek. Feeling like something was crushing her chest so that she couldn’t breathe, she turned to go.

  “Wait, Sara…” He caught her hand, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet jeweller’s box. “I wanted to give you this. I don’t want to call it a goodbye present because I don’t want to think that this is goodbye. Call it a keepsake for your first visit to Australia.”

  He opened the box and Sara gasped softly as she saw what was inside. Nestled on a bed of silk was a stunning black opal. In the light from the stars above, it glowed with a kaleidoscope of colours—the fire of ruby, the brilliance of emerald, the shimmer of turquoise, the sparkle of gold. Craig took it out and Sara realised that it was a pendant strung on a delicate silver chain. He reached forwards and clasped the necklace around her neck. Sara looked down. The opal glimmered against her cleavage, changing colours with every breath.

  “So you will always have a little bit of magic in your life,” said Craig with a small smile.

  “It’s beautiful,” whispered Sara. Her throat was tight and she felt tears start to her eyes. She blinked rapidly. “I will treasure it.”

  She stretched up and pressed her lips softly to his. His arms came around her again, crushing her to him, and he kissed her with a desperate passion that was frightening and yet thrilling too. Everything ceased to exist. Nothing mattered except Craig and his mouth on hers, his arms around her, and the feeling that they were alone in this world. She wanted that moment to go on forever.

  Finally, with an enormous effort of will, Sara broke the kiss and moved out of Craig’s arms. She knew that if she didn’t find the courage now, she would never be able to go. She took a deep breath, gave him a sad smile, then turned and hurried out of the house.

  CHAPTER 17

  It had been a tough clinic again today—the usual Friday madness—but Craig was glad. It took his mind off Sara. He kept seeing her face—her soft lips trembling, her blue eyes haunted by pain—as she turned and walked out of his house last night. He couldn’t believe that she was leaving to go back to America tomorrow. He couldn’t believe that she was really going to turn her back on what they had together. The thought of never seeing her again made him want to roar with frustration. Or smash his fist against something. Hard.

  Craig leaned back in his chair and sighed, massaging his stiff neck. He wanted to go over to Ellie’s place and see Sara, but he fought the urge. What could he say? She had made her feelings very clear. And she was right—if she took the spot on his arm, she would have to be in the spotlight. The paparazzi weren’t so aggressive here in Australia, but she would still come in for her fair share of media attention. He had no right to ask her to cope with that.

  And yet his mind kept searching for a way to keep Sara in his life. Was there a way? Any way he could convince her to be with him?

  Sara snapped the locks on her case and heaved it off her bed, setting it on the floor. Ellie watched her from the doorway with a troubled expression on her face.

  “You know you’re welcome to come back anytime,” her cousin said.

  Sara gave her a wan smile. “Thanks, Ellie.” She sighed. “But I can’t keep running from my life forever. And my life is there, back in California… not here.”

  Even as she said the words, Sara could hear that little voice in her head saying: Why not? Why not? She shook her head impatiently and pushed the voice away. She couldn’t think thoughts like that. It was stupid and foolish and pointless.

  “We don’t have to leave for the airport for another hour,” said Ellie. “It’s nearly noon. Do you want to go down to the Laughing Kookaburra and grab an early lunch?”

  Sara shook her head. “No, thanks. But… I might go for a last walk on the beach, if that’s okay.”

  “Sure. I’m just going to make myself a sandwich and catch up on some emails while you’re gone, then.” Ellie turned away.

  Sara smeared some sunscreen on her face, remembering with a pang Craig’s smiling face as he told her about “Slip Slop Slap”. Then she left the house and walked slowly through the streets towards Beach Road. The sky was a dazzling blue, with the sun shining hotly and a few fluffy white clouds trailing across the horizon. There was a relaxed, weekend feel in the air—in the distance, she could hear the sounds of children shouting and playing, and even the musical tinkle of an ice-cream truck.

  Sara arrived at the open view at the end of Beach Road and looked out towards the sea. There were several families on the beach today—stretched out on blankets, building sandcastles at the water’s edge, splashing in the waves. Sara was a bit sorry that she wouldn’t have the beach to herself, but perhaps it was just as well. Less chance of her brooding if she wasn’t alone.

  She went down the rickety wooden stairs and started across the sand. She was just passing underneath the terrace of the Laughing Kookaburra Café when she heard a sharp bark. She looked up to see a familiar little face peering at her over the side of the terrace. Soft floppy ears. Big black nose. Caramel brown eyes. It was Happy the Beagle. He was looking at her excitedly and wagging his tail. Sara felt a rush of pleasure. He recognised her! A minute later, she saw Rob McDonald’s face appear alongside the dog’s.

  “I was wonderin’ why he got so excited,” said Rob with a chuckle. “Great to see you again, Sara!”

  Sara smiled and went up the few steps that led directly from the beach onto the café terrace. It was busy with the weekend brunch crowd and she saw Kylie taking orders from a table of six in the far corner. Here, at this end of the terrace, was a smaller table where a pleasant-faced woman sat. She was obviously Rob’s wife, and she smiled at Sara as Rob introduced them.

  “We’re headin’ back up to Queensland today,” he told Sara. “Just having a bite to eat before we hit the road… would you like to join us?”

  “Thank you, but I’m fine,” Sara said. “I was going for a last walk on the beach. I’m leaving today as well—flying back to the States.”

  There was a movement from behind their table and Sara realised that there was another dog there. In fact, she didn’t know how she could have missed it—the angle of the table must have initially blocked her view—because this dog was enormous. It was a harlequin Great Dane, its body covered in a striking pattern of black patches on white. It had been lying beside the table, and now stood up and ambled over to meet her. It was so tall that it could almost look her in the eye.
r />   Sara gave a delighted laugh. “I didn’t realise you had another dog!”

  “Yes, meet Sleepy,” said Rob with a chuckle. “We named ’em after the dwarfs in Snow White. Fits ’em to a T. Never known a dog as lazy as Sleepy—must sleep about eighteen hours a day, he does.”

  Sara reached out to pat Sleepy and the Great Dane wagged his tail. It whacked against one of the chairs at the table and nearly knocked it over. Rob grabbed the chair and steadied it, then carefully moved several items on the table farther away from the huge, swinging tail. Sleepy moved closer to Sara and she felt a heavy weight sag against her.

  “He’s leaning on me!” She laughed, staggering a little.

  “Yes, Great Danes are leaners. Means he likes you.” Rob gave a wink.

  Before he could say anything else, a couple from the next table got up and rushed over, oohing and aahing over Sleepy. Sara stepped back to let them fuss over the dog and watched as they were joined by a couple from another table, a group of guys from the table on the other side and some children from a table inside the restaurant. Soon a small crowd had gathered around them as everybody wanted to meet and pat the Great Dane.

  “It’s always like this,” said Rob with a laugh to Sara. “Wherever we go. People queuin’ up to meet Sleepy, wantin’ to ask questions about him… how much he eats, where he sleeps, how we walk him, how big he’ll grow to… Since we got him, we’ve never been able to go to cafés anymore or even just out on a walk without people pointin’ and starin’ and wantin’ to come up and fuss over him. It’s almost like goin’ out with a celebrity!”

  “Doesn’t it bother you?” asked Sara curiously. “All that constant attention?”

  “Sometimes,” said Rob with a shrug. “The wife and I talk about it. It would be nice to just go out sometimes and not have to deal with all the fuss and attention. But comes with the territory, you know? I mean, nothin’ in life is perfect, right? Sleepy is one of the best things that’s happened to us. Just can’t imagine life without him now. So I guess it’s a small price to pay to have him in our lives.”