Lean on Me

Lean on Me

The Mackay Sisters #2

by

Angela Verdenius

(BBW Romance)

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 Angela Verdenius

All Rights Reserved

cover images courtesy of  BerSonnE /istock.com

& tonia_tkach / shutterstock.com

Smashwords License Statement

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Table of Contents

Glossary

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Bio

Other Books by this Author

Glossary

*

I found that some overseas readers were having difficulty with the Australian slang, so I thought a list of the slang I’ve used will help while reading the following story. If I’ve forgotten any, I do apologise! Also, you’ll find some of our Aussie words have different spelling to the US. Interestingly enough, as I’ve grown (gracefully) older, I find a lot of our slang is bypassing the younger generation, so if a young Aussie says they have never heard a certain word, don’t be surprised! But trust me, I’ve used these words all my life growing up, and so have a lot of my family and friends. Does that make me an older Aussie? Heck yes! LOL

Cheers,

Angela

Australian Names/Terms/Slang

AFP - Australian Federal Police

Ambos - ambulance officers

Arse-End Arnold - usually the soldier guarding the rear of a platoon when in the field.

Arvo - afternoon

Barbie - BBQ

Beaut - beautiful, awesome, great, wonderful

Berko - berserk

Bewdy - as in ‘awesome, great’

Biccies - biscuits. The same as cookies

Bikie - biker, person who rides motorcycles.

Bloke/s - man/men

Bloody - a swear word ‘no bloody good’, in place of ‘no damned good’

Blowies - blow flies

Blue - fight, argument - as in ‘they’re having a blue’

Boofhead - idiot, simpleton, etc. It’s an insult, though sometimes we use it as a term of affection. It depends on how it is said and meant.

Boot (of a car) - trunk

Brown nose - currying favour, sucking up. Has a cruder description, but let’s not go into that here. Means the same thing!

Budgie smugglers - men’s bathers, small, brief and tight-fitting

Buggered - many Aussie use it as a slang word for ‘broken’ (it’s buggered), ‘tired (I’m buggered), and ‘no way’ (I’m buggered if I’m going to do that). Just some examples

Bung/Bunging - as in ‘bunging onto something’, putting on something (bung veggies on a plate, putting veggies on a plate), usually in a careless or ‘easy’ manner.

Bush rangers - outlaws/thieves/robbers.

Caramel Crowns - one of Arnott’s totally awesome chocolate and caramel biscuit. Gooey yumminess!

Cark/carked - die, died.

Chips - in Australia we have cold crunchy chips from a packet, or hot chips known in some countries as French Fries

Chippie - carpenter

Crash cart - resuscitation trolley in a hospital or medical setting - used for life threatening situations such as cardiac arrest

Dander – temper

Dial - face

Digger - Australian soldier.

Dill - silly, idiot

Dogs - (as in attached to a truck) - trailers, enclosed or not, that carry goods or are empty.

Dooks - hands

Doona - like a padded quilt that fits inside a cover and lies on the bed. Can have the warmth of two, three or four blankets, etc.

Donger - penis. Also another meaning is a place people sometimes sleep in, such as ‘dongers’ on mine sites.

Dunny - toilet. When used in the terms ‘built like a brick dunny’, it refers to something built solid, unmoveable.

Fire bug - arsonist

Firies - fire fighters

Garbo/s - the person/s who drive and/or load garbage onto the garbage truck.

Gee-gees - horses

Giggle-box - TV, television

Gob - mouth

Got his/her/their goat – annoyed him/her/them

Hardifence - corrugated fibre cement sheets

Hoon/s - person/people who indulge in antisocial behaviour. Great explanation in Wikipedia

Iced Coffee/chocolate - a milk drink flavoured with chocolate or coffee

Jarmies - pyjamas

Jumper - sweater

Kick up a stink - make a fuss, get angry

Local rag - local newspaper

Lolly - sweetie, candy

Loo - toilet

Lug - face

Marie biscuits - Arnott brand of plain sweet biscuit - delicious.

Milo - chocolate malt drink. Can have it hot or cold. Yummy!

Moosh - slang for face/mouth

Mobile phone - cell phone

Mozzie - mosquito

NAD - No Abnormalities Detected

Nong - idiot

Nooky - sex

Paddy wagon - four wheel drive police vehicle carries four police in the double cab and has a filled-in imprisonment section in the back to place prisoners.

Panadol - paracetamol, similar to Tylenol in the US

Pav/s - Pavlova/Pavlovas - best dessert ever!

PCYC - Police and Citizens Youth Club

Pedal Pushers - three quarter pants/knickerbockers

Porking - having sex

Primapore - sticky patch with a pad in it, a medical dressing

Pub – hotel

Quack – derogatory term for a doctor

RAC - Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia. Covers insurance, holidays, loans, etc

Red backs - poisonous spider, black in colour with a red stripe on its back.

Root - sex

Rotty – Rottweiler breed of dog.

Rubbers – condoms

Sack - bed - as ‘in the sack’ meaning ‘in bed’

Sandgroper - slang for a West Australian

Servo - service station

Shag - sex

Sheila – female

Slab – carton of beer.

Smoko - morning tea and afternoon tea break

Snaggers - sausages

Soft drink - soda, fizzy drink

Sparkie - electrician

Spider (drink) - soft drink of choice with a scoop of ice cream in it

Spunk - good-looking man

Stiffy - erection, boner

Subbies - sub contractors

Tea - some people call the evening meal dinner. In my family, we’ve always called it tea, as in breaky, dinner and tea, or breaky, lunch and tea.

Thongs - worn on the feet, same as ‘flip flops’

Tickled pink - delighted

Tim Tams - a brand of Arnott’s Biscuits. Yummy!

TLC - Tender Loving Care

Togs - bathers, swim suit

Torch - flashlight

Toot - toilet

Tradies - tradesmen

Trots - diarrhoea

Tucker – food

Twistie – a brand of cheese-flavoured snack food. Yummy!

Ute - small truck

Vegemite - most Aussies find this spread yummy, many non-Aussies find it too salty. Here’s the hint - if you ever have Vegemite, use it spread thinly, never thickly!

Vollie - volunteers

Wacky baccy - marijuana

Wanger - penis

Waterworks - crying

Whopper - a lie

Yamaha & Suzuki - ‘brands’ of motorcycles.

You wally - silly

Chapter 1

*

She was standing in the rain. The clouds were dark, the wind starting to pick up, and the rain was pattering down more earnestly. And she was just standing there with an umbrella; head tipped back, one hand outstretched.

In the rain.

Situated at the window of his friend’s second story house, Matt looked across at the woman in the backyard next door. At her feet sat an old cat. He knew the cat was old, because he knew the owner. Wanted to know her a lot more, in fact, which was easier said than done. She wasn’t exactly the outgoing type.

Lori’s standing in the rain, he observed, frowning.

Ghost glanced up from where he was trying to stop Abraham, the big tabby, from pawing the spring from the printer. Damn it. She shouldn’t be.

Shouldn’t be, agreed Matt. But is.

What’s she doing? Picking Abraham up, Ghost deposited him on the big armchair as he crossed the room.

Standing in the rain.

I know that, genius. Drawing to a stop beside Matt, Ghost peered through the window. Oh. I see.

Matt raised his eyebrows.

Minx insists on a last walk outside before nightfall, Ghost explained. And as usual, Lori spoils her.

Because you wouldn’t do that, Matt said dryly, casting his eyes over the cat toys littering the floor, one of which was a new feather duster that Mort had decided was dangerous and had immediately dragged upstairs, depositing on the floor when he grew bored attacking it.

Ignoring him, Ghost frowned. Minx is getting a little senile.

Returning his gaze to the figures in the yard, Matt winced as the rain started to come down harder. Lori shouldn’t be out there. Nor should Minx.

Tell that to Lori. Ghost stepped back. Not that she ever listens to me.

Maybe she wouldn’t listen to Ghost, but there was no way Matt could watch her standing in that hellish rain, umbrella and gumboots or not. Swinging away from the window, he started across the room, only to find Ghost heading the same way.

Where are you going? Matt asked.

To talk to Lori, of course.

What’s the point if she never listens to you?

It’s never stopped me before.

They both went down the stairs a whole lot faster than they’d come up.

I have to go home anyway, Matt said. No sense both of us getting wet. I’ll call on Lori.

Front door will be locked, Ghost informed him. She won’t hear you.

Matt arched one eyebrow. So how were you going to get her attention?

Jump the back fence, of course.

Of course.

Jumping the back fence in the rain wasn’t exactly tempting, but seeing as how his friend spoke the truth in regards to Lori not being able to hear him above the rain, it looked like jumping the back fence was the only was he was going to gain her attention. If it meant getting wet to move her out of the rain, then it looked like the back fence was his route of departure.

Not his first choice, but still…it was Lori.

Opening the kitchen door, Matt stepped out onto the veranda. The rain was really starting to pour down now. Good grief, surely she wasn’t still standing out in the rain?

Matt glanced at Ghost, who shrugged and said, She’s a Mackay, as though that explained everything. Seeing as how he was an old school friend of the Mackay sisters and was, in fact, engaged to the oldest sister, Matt supposed Ghost would know what he was talking about.

You sure you want to do this? Ghost glanced towards the fence. Maybe I should-

I’m doing it. Taking a deep breath, Matt looked out at the rain. Damn, it was going to be cold.

Yeah, but-

She won’t listen to you, but I’m a whole other story. And with that, Matt strode out into the rain.

Cripes, it was freezing! Bolting for the fence, Matt grabbed the top of it, pulling himself up and over easily to land in the Mackays’ backyard. A quick glance around showed the backyard to now be empty, so without hesitation he dashed for the veranda. The long, wet grass slapped at his jeans, his sneakers disappearing into a couple of wet puddles.

Swearing, he skipped over a couple of steps until he was running on the cement slabs leading from the clothes line to the veranda. Finally he leaped up the several steps to come to a gasping stop in the shelter of the back veranda. Shoving his dripping hair back from his face, he noticed the gumboots neatly sitting side-by-side not far from the raincoat that was hanging from a hook. The open umbrella was lying on the wooden bench to dry.

Matt?

He looked up to see Lori regarding him in surprise from the back security screen door. Hi, Lori.

What are you doing? Her gaze slid down him. You’re soaked.

Yep. There was no doubting that, not when he was dripping huge puddles on her veranda.

Looking past him to the rain now teeming down, she frowned slightly and opened the door. You’d better come in.

Best invitation he’d had all day, except… I’ll make a mess on your floor.

Take your sneakers off.

He looked down at himself. I’m afraid it’s a bit more than just my sneakers that are wet, love.

So take off your shirt and… Her cheeks coloured.

Pants? he finished dryly. He had no doubt she’d go right up in flames of embarrassment if he did that. Maybe I better just hike over the fence to my side.

Um… She bit her lip.

That luscious lip, so plump and pink. His gaze dropped down to where she worried the tender flesh with small, white teeth. Nibbling on those lips was a huge temptation that he refused to contemplate. Except in his daydreams…his very hot daydreams.

For now.

There was always later, if he could ever get past her shyness and reserve. He just had to go slowly so as not to frighten her off. Taking off his pants to reveal his semi hard boner was not part of the plan.

Yet.

So instead of just ripping off his pants and shirt and waltzing right into her kitchen as he really wanted, Matt smiled at her. It’s all right, Lori.

You’ll catch a cold.

He winked. You can’t catch a cold from getting wet. Old wives tale to get the kids inside out of the rain.

Okay. Those big, beautiful green eyes suddenly took on a wary light. Um…Matt?"

Yeah?

Exactly why are you here? On my back veranda and soaking wet?

Oh. Well, I spotted you standing in the rain with your cat.

She didn’t blink.

I jumped the fence because you wouldn’t hear me knocking on the door above this rain. He pointed at the veranda roof upon which the rain beat down loudly.

One slow blink, the heavy black eyelashes sweeping down and up again as she continued to watch him curiously.

You shouldn’t be out in the rain, he finished, immediately realising how dumb that sounded. You’ll get sick.

I won’t catch a cold, she replied. You just told me that.

Well yes, true, but-

"And I wasn’t technically in the rain. I had on a raincoat and gumboots and stood under an umbrella."

Okay, put like that…

So what was the concern?

For that, Matt actually didn’t have a reply. When he’d seen her from Ghost’s window standing in the rain and so, well, unprotected, it had seemed like a perfectly reasonable idea to come over and tell her off.

Tell her off, a grown woman in protective rain gear who had the sense to go back indoors with her old cat as soon as the rain got too hard.

Closing his eyes, Matt pinched the bridge of his nose. Uh… Opening his eyes again, he found Lori regarding him steadily. Okaaay.

Her eyebrows rose in query.

Now I feel like a fool. Taking a deep breath, he tipped his head back and regarded the veranda roof, absently noticing several cobwebs high up amongst the exposed beams. Hopefully not the cobwebs weaved by red-back spiders. He’d have to come and check it out later.

Matt?

Yeah?

Are you all right?

At the note of concern in her voice, he tipped his head back down to look at her. Yeah, she was watching him with concern. Opening the security door completely, she stepped out to move a little closer.

Man, was she built like a woman. All woman. Her light jumper hugged those big breasts, following the indent of her waist to end at those generous hips which curved out and down to her legs clad in long, cotton pants. When she moved, the ends of that thick brown braid that fell over her shoulder curled around the bottom of her left breast. She had no idea how much that affected him, because he could just imagine that it was his hand curving under that full, heavy breast.

She was all curves. All luscious curves he itched to lay his palms against, to follow the hills and valleys, to draw that rubenesque figure against him and revel in all that soft, woman flesh and her sweet, sweet scent that made him want to bury his nose against her warm neck and just breathe her in and-

A cool hand pressing against his forehead snapped him right out of his unbidden daydream. Refocussing on Lori, he saw her smooth forehead creased in a worried frown. Matt, are you sick?

What? No, of course not. Managing a laugh, he caught her hand and pulled it down.

Such a soft little hand, the stain of oil lingering on the side of her little finger regardless of how she must have washed it after her shift at the only service station in town. Well, soft except for a few small callouses on her palm. A working hand.

Keeping his much bigger hand securely wrapped around hers, Matt smiled down at her. I’m in perfect health.

Going by the dubious expression on her face, she wasn’t so sure.

Honestly. He rubbed his thumb against her palm.

Almost immediately she stiffened, tugging at her hand.

Damn it. Releasing her hand, he stuck his own into his pocket, the cold wetness a rather unpleasant sensation after her warm skin. So. Trying to appear nonchalant, he rocked back and forth in his soaked sneakers. Any plans for this evening?

She stared at him.

Couldn’t blame her really, here he was standing on her back veranda, drenched to the skin and trying to win her over with his friendly smile and sodden body, and there she was undoubtedly thinking he’d lost his mind.

But he was a desperate man trying to appear very un-desperate.

Then his salvation wound her way slowly past Lori’s legs to come to a halt at his feet. Gazing solemnly up at him out of big, gold eyes, Minx looked exactly what she was - a very old cat. Frail, a little tatty, with a wise expression on her furry little face.

Unable to help himself, Matt squatted down, reaching out to let her sniff his fingers. Hey, old girl.

Minx sniffed his fingers before suddenly butting her head against his hand. With a smile, he gently rubbed around her ears and under her chin, rewarded almost instantly by her purring.

How old is she? he asked.

Twenty, Lori replied.

Glancing up, he caught her expression as she gazed down at Minx. Love, softness, and a touch of concern.

Hey. He straightened, unfolding to his full height which was a head taller than Lori. Everything all right?

Sure. She smiled.

You just seemed a little…I don’t know, sad?

Oh, it’s nothing.

Not liking that answer, he continued to watch her.

Lori sighed. For a cat, Minx is very old. She’s been having some trouble getting around lately, more so than usual. I know it’s natural for an elderly cat, but still… Voice trailing off, she lowered her gaze to Minx.

Yeah, there was a definite huskiness in her tone now. She was worried about her old cat and Matt could relate to that, having had animals most of his life. He knew how devoted she was to Minx, how close they were, and it was more than evident in the way she gently scooped Minx up into her arms and cradled her close.

Minx continued to purr and blink slowly at him.

If anything happened to the old ginger cat it would devastate Lori. They were close.

Reaching out again, Matt rubbed under Minx’s chin, smiling as she arched her neck up to take full advantage of the caress. She’s a cutie, all right. His gaze switched to Lori. She’s had a good innings, Lori.

I know. Lori lifted her chin. I’m fine. So, you aren’t working tonight?

It was a definite switch of topics that Matt accepted without comment. I am, actually.

What time do you start?

He glanced at his watch. One hour. Which meant he had to leave so he could shower and change, have a bite to eat and get to the substation on time. Damn it. This was the first chance he’d had in a while to talk to Lori and it was already over, thanks to duty calling. Guess I’d better go. He started to back away.

You could come through the house. She gestured to the door behind her.

And drip all over your floors? Not likely. He grinned. I would never forgive myself.

It’s no problem.

Nah. I’ll just pop over the fence.

You’ve been spending too much time with Ghost. Amusement glimmered in her eyes.

Those beautiful green eyes he’d like to see glimmer with passion.