Adam's Thorn

Adam’s Thorn

By

Angela Verdenius

(BBW Romance)

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 Angela Verdenius

All Rights Reserved

Cover image courtesy of Volodymyr TVERDOKHLIB / shutterstock

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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

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

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. 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’ve 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

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’

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

Dill - silly, idiot

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

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

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

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

Jumper - sweater

Kick up a stink - make a fuss, get angry

Local rag - local newspaper

Lolly - sweetie, candy

Loo - toilet

Lug - face

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’

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

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

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

*

The little Ford Laser whipped past the police patrol car to disappear into the distance.

Sitting inside the patrol car, Adam glanced at the speed camera reading. He half expected it to read 200 kms per hour or something equally ridiculous, but no, the current bane of his existence wasn’t speeding.

Gazing after the Laser, he brooded. He wasn’t a brooding man by nature but since she’d come into town, he’d started brooding.

Barbie Declan. Blonde and busty, with a voluptuous hour-glass figure, she wore pretty, lacy, floaty kind of clothes that hugged or skimmed all those lush curves. A full-bodied woman who exuded a confidence that had more than one man giving her a second glance.

Barbie Declan. The dark cloud on his silver lining, the burr under his saddle, the dark spot in his bright world.

The thorn in his side.

Scratching the side of his jaw, he frowned, wondering just how long she intended to stay in Peeron. It was a quiet little country town and certainly didn’t need the likes of Barbie stirring up trouble. That she was trouble, there was no doubt. Always had been, always would be. She’d blown into town, glared at him, given him the cold shoulder, and brought out every old resentment he’d thought long gone.

Resentment or anger? He’d have thought his actions that night so long ago would have gotten it out of his system, that and quite a few years and a whole hell of a lot of experience.

Shaking his head, he straightened in the seat, clipping on the seat belt with a firm movement. That night was in the past where it belonged and he had no intention of dragging it up into the light of day. It certainly wasn’t one of which he was proud, but it wasn’t, he had to be truthful, one of which he was particularly disgusted.

Starting the car, he checked the traffic before pulling put onto the highway. Deliberately pulling his thoughts from a certain blonde, busty babe, he concentrated on the traffic, following the path he’d mapped out earlier in his mind. Not that there was much pathway, being he was on the main highway which led right through town.

Checking some of the more common side roads leading to the river and up Lovers Lane, he waved to Old Man Parker, who was fishing in the river. His dog lay not far away, snoozing happily. Back up the road, onto the main highway, and down some of the roads leading to the farms.

All was quiet, the occupants of the few cars he passed waving to him. He’d grown up in Peeron, leaving it for a number of years before asking for a transfer back home after having had enough of the cities.

Yep, give him the smaller, friendlier towns, especially one in which he knew almost everyone. It was like working from home, in a way.

Smiling, he turned off a farm road onto the highway, and was still smiling until he turned a corner to find a certain Ford Laser parked on the side of the road, a jack near the back wheel, a certain busty blonde struggling to loosen the nuts holding the wheel on tight.

Not a car was in sight or she’d have had help.

The smile disappeared from his face as, with a silent curse, he pulled in behind the Laser. Duty called, however unwelcome.

The relief on her face when she glanced up turned to something a whole lot less welcoming. Her finely arched brows lowered, those lush lips tightened, and her gaze lowered to the tyre again as she recommenced struggling with it.

Flat tyre? He came to a stop beside her.

Nothing I can’t fix, she replied coldly.

Watching her white-knuckled grip on the tool, he arched a brow. Really?

Yeah, really. She swiped the back of one hand across her brow, impatiently pushing back the heavy fall of blonde hair that tumbled over her shoulders.

Adam held out his hand. Let me.

I can manage. Ignoring him, she applied pressure on the bar.

I can help.

I don’t need your help.

His normally even temper slipped a notch. Give it here.

No. The bar slipped off the nut, almost making her lose her balance.

Why the hell did she have to be so bloody stubborn? Barbie, hand it over.

I said, I can manage. Straightening, she glared up at him.

And I said, hand it over. Without waiting, he grabbed it from her hand. Move aside. Please.

She actually made a grab back for the bar. Unbelievable.

Catching her wrist in a firm hold, Adam looked her right in the eye. Don’t.

Those pale blue eyes flashed, the irises startling against the black of her thick lashes. Adam-

He pointed at her. Step back.

Or what?

There it was, the challenge. The muscle in his clenched jaw ticked, but he turned his back to her instead of replying. Nope, he was more in control now, had a lot more experience in people trying to pick a fight.

Squatting down, he fitted the bar to the nut and exerting a little effort, loosened the nut.

He could almost feel the annoyance rolling off her in steaming waves. From the corner of his eye he could see the floaty material of her dress, the pale peach colour shot through with pastel pink, the breeze fluttering the hem just below her knees. A soft, flowery scent blew right into his nose.

Barbie’s scent. Once she’d preferred harder scents, sharper, but like her clothes sense it seemed her choice of perfume had improved. Her rudeness, however, left a lot to be desired. Regardless, he had been brought up to help damsels in distress, even ones whom he’d - Stop right there!

Focussing on the wheel, he changed it, deliberately avoiding looking at her, trying to breath in the scent of rubber instead of flowers. Moving closer to the wheel, he succeeded.

Hallelujah.

Thankfully, she maintained a chilly silence while he changed the wheel. It wasn’t as if they had much to say to each other anyway.

He’d almost finished tightening the nuts on the new wheel when the sound of a vehicle pulling up had him glancing around to see the ambulance parked beside them, the local paramedic leaning one elbow on the doorframe as he smiled at Barbie.

G’day, Matt greeted. Flat tyre?

Afraid so, Barbie replied.

Adam turned back to the wheel.

Good thing Adam came along, Matt said cheerfully.

Apparently, she replied, a little less sweetly.

Need a hand, Adam?

Nah, I’m done. Straightening, he twirled the bar in one hand before dropping it into the black tool bag lying beside the car.

Barbie looked at Matt. Thanks for offering.

My pleasure. Can’t leave a lady stuck on the side of the road. Right, Adam?

Adam cast him a narrow-eyed look. Yep, his friend had a glint of amusement in his eyes. Bastard. That’s what my mother always taught me.

And mother always knows best, Matt returned blithely.

Hmmm. Adam couldn’t help but cast Barbie a side-long glance.

Her arms were folded beneath her breasts, making the generous mounds rise high against the low neckline of her dress. Jesus, any lower and he’d have to arrest her for indecent exposure.

Catching the direction of his glance, her cheeks flushed pink as she dropped her arms. In a purposeful movement, she gave Adam the shoulder as she turned more towards the ambulance. Thanks anyway, Matt.

No worries. Matt grinned, his twinkling eyes switching to Adam. Still coming over for the footy Sunday?

Yeah. See you there.

The ambulance pulled back onto the highway and drove off, leaving Adam alone with Barbie. Turning around, she moved to the car, kneeling down and reaching for the jack.

Grabbing it before she could, he dropped it into the black tool bag, straightening with it in one hand. Boot?

Without a word she opened the door of the Laser and reached in to pull the lever, popping the hatchback open.

Adam dropped it into the back before heaving the flat tyre in beside it, careful not to squash several boxes that sat on one side. He’d have liked to check the contents more but she suddenly appeared beside him, reaching up to close the hatchback. It was either step back or get brained.

He stepped back.

Once the hatchback was shut, Barbie drew a deep breath, staring at the back window for several seconds before turning to him. Thanks.

He arched one brow. As gratitude went, it was grudging.

For changing the tyre, she continued through clenched teeth.

He gave a small nod, taking a step away.

Even though I never asked for it.

That made him pause. He gazed directly at her, the familiar annoyance seeping through him. The woman was impossible. But he maintained his poise, his role of a law officer and decent man.

Or tried to. Unfortunately, she chose that second to lift her chin, her nose going into the air as she eyed him like some unsavoury insect that had appeared in her presence.

Before he knew it, he’d opened his mouth and the words just fell out. Oh, you ask for it all right. Keep up this pissy attitude, Barbie, and you’ll get it. Again.

Her breath sucked in, those apple cheeks blooming with colour, her eyes flashing a mixture of mortification and fury. You wouldn’t dare!

Oh lady, just keep daring me. Before he could say anything more incriminating, Adam swung around, strode to the car and got in, picking up the sun glasses sitting on the dashboard and sliding them on. Then he just sat there, staring at her.

Good thing he had the sunglasses hiding his expression, because he was stunned that he’d actually let her get a rise out of him. No way he wanted her to notice.

Obviously Barbie didn’t want to hang around him any longer, for she stormed to the Laser, wrenched the door open and practically flung herself inside, yanking the door shut behind her. The engine roared to life and he was surprised she didn’t leave a spray of gravel in her wake as she pulled out onto the road, but the stubborn sheila obviously had some sense of self preservation because she did a perfect manoeuvre out and away.

Leaving Adam to drop his forehead onto the steering wheel and close his eyes. Christ, he’d faced riots, psychotic drug addicts, dangerous drunks, violent men and women, been spat on, called names, and even punched several times while dealing with out of control parties in the city. Never had he lost his temper, never had he allowed anyone to break his control, not once. His calmness and control was almost legendary amongst his fellow cops, his friends and family admired it, his calmness was just inbuilt, a part of him, just like his gut feelings that always steered him correctly. It had been in him from the day he was born, his father had always proudly proclaimed. Calm, unflappable Adam Moor.

And then along came Barbie and blew it all to shit in mere minutes.

Dropping his head back against the head rest of the seat, Adam took off the sunglasses and rubbed his eyes. He just hoped she left town soon. Why the hell she was still here, he didn’t know. Probably could ask her, but in all likelihood she’d throw a bucket of water over him.

When he’d dared to say something to her in the restaurant, she’d accidentally knocked his glass of water into his lap while passing his table. He’d almost lost it then, too, managing to grab her arm and drag her out of the restaurant for a good talking to, having enough sense not to do it in front of the fascinated townsfolk also in the restaurant. Of course, she’d denied it all, maintained it was an accident, and he could do nothing more than warn her and let her go. It wasn’t as if he could arrest her for assaulting a police officer, he’d have been laughed out of town.

Shoving the thought aside, Adam huffed out an impatient breath and started the car. He had work to do, and none of it involved sitting and stewing over Barbie Declan.

~*~

Fingers wrapped around the steering wheel, Barbie drew several deep, steadying breaths, trying to ignore her trembling fingers.

God, Adam Moor could get to her like no one else ever could, not when she was a wild teenager and not even now. She was calm, poised, a little volatile at times, sure, but she’d learned to control herself, to think before speaking. It had taken her awhile but she’d learned, and she’d been proud of it.

Then along came Adam Moor and blew it all to shit in mere minutes.

Easing her grip on the steering wheel, she assured herself it was a temporary slip, she was in control. She was here to sort out her late Great Aunt Penny’s house that had been left to her, and then she was out of this dinky town. It was nice, from what she’d seen of it, but she wasn’t a country girl. Besides, she had things to do back home in the city, a living to make.

Doing her masseuse job here paid a little, but nowhere near enough to make a living. Massages weren’t the ‘in thing’ in Peeron that was for sure. If it wasn’t for the amount of money Great Aunt Penny had left her, she’d have to move back home now, but luckily the house was liveable with enough money to repair it in preparation for going on the market and selling for a good price. Yes, at the moment it did leak a little when it rained, and the stairs creaked something awful, and as for the dark hallway…

Barbie shivered. It was just a big, old house, that was all. She really had to stop reading horror stories in bed.

Pulling into the tyre repair shop which stood beside the one and only service station, Barbie went inside to make arrangements to have her tyre repaired.

The owner was a grizzled man, thin and scrawny with a beaming smile that showed surprisingly white teeth, who introduced himself as ‘Gus, the owner’ before proceeding to take the tyre from the boot and assuring her he’d have it ready the next morning for her to pick up.

Then he leaned against the Laser and studied her. So, Penny’s great niece, huh?

Yep. She edged towards the door.

Seemingly without noticing, Gus slid across until he leaned against the driver’s door. Staying up at the old house, huh?

Resigned to answering his questions, she sighed inwardly but smiled outwardly. Yep.

Doing it up, I hear.

Peeron was a small town and she needed customers. It would be wise to be a little friendlier. Relaxing a little, she put her weight on one foot. It needs some work.

Gus nodded. Penny was always tight with the money, didn’t like spending anything unless it was necessary.

That about matched what Barbie’s parents had said.

Woman wouldn’t even buy a bit of turkey or anything for Christmas dinner, Gus continued. She was caught by Adam one year eating a sandwich.

Curiosity pricked at her. What was he doing at her place?

The first year he came back here, he was working the Christmas beat and decided to check in on the old folks. Always had a big heart, that boy. Gus smiled. She answered the door eating a sandwich. Didn’t take Adam but a minute to realise what was going on. Every Christmas since, he always stopped off at her house with a plate of Christmas dinner and a present.

Barbie frowned.

Gus noticed and mistook her reaction. She had the money, girlie, don’t worry. She was just too tight to waste it on fripperies, as she called it. But I noticed that after Christmas, Adam always had a gift on his doorstep.

Huh, that had to be it. So, he was getting presents in exchange.

Yep. Penny always made her own jam from her strawberries, never shared it with anyone, but Adam always got four jars after every Christmas.

Jam. Four jars of jam. That wasn’t a big or expensive gift. Barbie sighed.

I reckon Penny waited to see if the boy’d turn up with her dinner. Guarantee if he didn’t, he wouldn’t have gotten his jam. Gus laughed. But he never stopped and neither did your great aunt. He looked thoughtfully at Barbie. You make jam?

"I buy jam."

Shame.

She arched one brow. Do you make jam?

Why would I make jam?

Why would I?

Gus scratched his head. Fair enough.

Mentally rolling her eyes, Barbie reached past him for the door handle.

Taking the hint, he stepped away from the car. So, the house.

Opening the door, she got in.

No sooner had she shut it than Gus leaned down, his forearms resting on the windowsill. You going to live here?

No, sir, I’m not. Smiling, she started the engine. I’m fixing up the house and selling it.

Really? He looked genuinely surprised. Why?

Why not? She put the car into gear.

Peeron’s a nice town. You could do worse than settle here.

I have a job back home. Family. Friends.

Huh. He straightened. You could find a nice bloke here, get hitched, have a couple of kids.

Geez, that was a bit forward. Ah…Gus? It is Gus, isn’t it?

He nodded.

I’m fixing the house up to sell. Se gave him a pointed look. I’ll be back in the morning to pick up the tyre.

Driving away, she shook her head. Geez.

Pulling into the supermarket car park, she grabbed a trolley and headed inside. So far she’d picked up a few things, but knowing that she was going to be here for a few months longer at least, she might as well stock up properly.

Not long after she’d had the altercation with Adam at the restaurant, she’d had to go back to the city to take extended leave from her job, close up her duplex, and collect more of her belongings.

Peeron was going to be her home for as long as it took to get the big old house fixed up and sold, then she was returning home to open up her own business. Her old boss didn’t know that and caution stopped her from resigning straight away. One never knew what the future held.

Once she would have been reckless, leaping before she looked, but things had happened since then. That totally unpleasant episode with Adam and her family, and then her mother’s illness. Nope, she’d learned a lot in a very short time and now she was in control of her own destiny - in a totally civilized way.

However, to be perfectly truthful, if she’d known that Adam lived in Peeron, was born and bred there and had returned, she wouldn’t have gone near the town if her life had depended on it, but by the time she’d realised it was too late. She’d made commitments, and one of the things she’d learned was to stand by her commitments.

Besides, she assured herself, studying the section of the aisle containing cat food, Adam meant nothing to her, the past was the past, and all she had to do was avoid him until it was time to go home. It wasn’t as though he’d seek her out, and she sure as hell wasn’t intending to seek him out.

Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders with renewed determination and focussed on the cat food. Fred and Barney had particular tastes in their food and woe betide if she didn’t serve up what they wanted. The two cats knew how to run a guilt trip. More than once they’d had her grovelling and apologising as they’d surveyed the expensive new brand of cat food with disdainful expressions. They knew what they wanted, and so did she.

Besides, she loved indulging them. Grinning, Barbie put tins and packets into the trolley, along with two big bags of kitty litter. They were her babies, her faithful companions, and the loves of her life. She and her cats were a package deal.

As she made her way through the supermarket several people nodded to her, a few new customers stopped her to tell her how marvellous they felt after their massages and to book another time - hadn’t they heard of phoning for appointments? - and several older ladies eyed her with open curiosity.

Yep, she recognised them, all right. She might be relatively new in town, but even she’d heard the gossip when the Mackay girl had lost her temper in the supermarket and had apparently wigged out at two of the ladies, a Mrs Swanson and a Mrs Hubble. Barbie was wary of gossipers and deliberately kept a polite distance from them, only nodding and smiling, answering ‘yes’ and ‘no’, and giving nothing of her plans away.

Though she’d probably blown that up by telling Gus. Not that it mattered, who cared if anyone knew she didn’t plan on staying? Maybe someone would come forward who was interested in buying the house and she wouldn’t have to bother with advertising.

Checking the list in her hand, she continued to move through the supermarket. For a small town it was pretty impressive, but then it catered not only to the locals, but also outlying farms, stations even further out, and passing travellers. It had everything needed as well as a good variety of local fresh produce.

One big bonus point for Peeron. Two actually. It was a pretty place, almost quaint, with its many old buildings and homes dating back to the early nineteen hundreds and older, all mixed in with newer homes.

She guessed she’d kind of miss that, she’d always liked history.

By the time she got to the counter the basket was half full. Hallie, the Goth-inspired teenage checkout-chick, started putting the groceries through. She smiled slightly at Barbie but said nothing.

Having met her couple of times now, Barbie rather liked her. Goth-inspired she might be, but she had a fashion sense all her own. Dark red, almost black lipstick, jet black hair in a tight braid, a black leather collar around her neck, dark eye make-up, and black clothes. But there it ended, her own style appearing in the form of bright yellow button earrings, a fake jewel stuck to the middle of