Nothing to Fear Read online

  Nothing to Fear

  A Blackbridge Novel

  Claire Boston

  Table of Contents

  About Nothing to Fear

  Dedication

  Dear Reader

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Nothing to Gain

  About Nothing to Fear

  The gifts are innocent… at first.

  After a traumatic assault, Hannah Novak returns to her home-town hoping for a fresh start. However, when strange gifts turn up on her doorstep, and a stalker fixates on her, she discovers that Blackbridge isn’t the safe haven it once was. With no family left to turn to, she’s forced to seek help from the brooding new cop in town.

  Ryan Kilpatrick has travelled across the country to create a stable home for his young son, but being a police officer makes that hard. He doesn’t need Hannah’s problems added to his own, yet her courage and vulnerability awakens the protector in him.

  With time running out, can Hannah learn to trust again before it’s too late?

  Because this time, there are no second chances.

  Dedication

  To you, my reader - because you’re awesome!

  Dear Reader

  This book is set in Australia and as such I’ve used UK English spelling rather than US English. What this means is that my US readers might notice words spelled differently to what they are used to: colour, not color, realise not realize and towards rather than toward. I can’t guarantee there are no spelling mistakes in this novel (because one or two always slip past me), but many of the differences you may notice are because of the differences in UK and US spelling and grammar.

  There is also a little bit of Aussie slang and terms that may be unique to Australia. I think most are understandable from the context, but if there’s anything you get stuck on, send me an email at [email protected] and I’ll be sure to add a glossary to my website.

  I really hope you enjoy visiting the south coast of Western Australia while you’re getting to know Hannah and Ryan and all the wonderful people of Blackbridge.

  Happy Reading!

  Claire B

  Chapter 1

  The numbers in front of Hannah Novak blurred as she stared at them, but they didn’t change into the numbers she wanted. She sighed. Not once had she thought building a luxury retreat was going to be easy, but she hadn’t expected it to be quite so hard either. She shouldn’t have let her grandparents push her into it so soon. She wasn’t ready, but she couldn’t tell them that – not without them asking why.

  Her skin tightened.

  That was something they never needed to know.

  The phone’s ring was shrill and she reached for it in relief. “Blackbridge Holiday Park. How may I help you?”

  “Help me, Hannah Banana. You’re my only hope.”

  Hannah grinned at the plaintive tone in Lincoln’s voice. “What can I do for you, Sergeant Zanetti?”

  “You can tell me you’ve got an onsite cabin free for the next few weeks.”

  She laughed. “The summer holidays start next Thursday,” she said. “We’re booked solid until February.”

  Lincoln swore. “Everyone is booked solid.”

  “Glad I was the last one you came to,” Hannah joked. “Why do you need accommodation?”

  “It’s for our new senior constable. Do you remember Ryan Kilpatrick? He lived here for a couple of years during high school.”

  Hannah’s heart fluttered. “Yeah, I remember him.” She’d never forgotten her first crush. He’d arrived in town when she was eleven and he was a much older sixteen. She’d been so in love with him that she’d ridden into a ditch one day when she’d seen him unexpectedly. That most mortifying experience had morphed into the best day of her eleven-year-old life, when he’d picked her up and taken her home to her grandparents to have the grazes on her knees tended. She smiled at the memory. He’d been good-looking then, what would he look like now?

  “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Lincoln said. “The government house he was supposed to stay in has been trashed by the last tenants, and with Christmas coming up, we can’t get it repaired in time. The closest accommodation available is in Albany and it’s a reasonable drive if he needs to come out in an emergency. Plus, he can’t leave his kid at home.”

  “He’s got a child?” She ignored the flash of disappointment. Of course Ryan would be married by now.

  “Yeah, an eight-year-old boy.”

  She hesitated, glancing at the spreadsheet in front of her. “When’s he due here?”

  “Sunday night. Have you got something in mind?”

  It would be tight to get the cabin finished, but it was possible. It would give her a boost of funds, and having a family as her first guests would give her a chance to get used to having someone else on her property. A way to ease herself into the situation.

  “Hannah, I’ll be forever in your debt if you find me a solution,” Lincoln pleaded.

  The idea of taking the next step sent her pulse racing, but his plea twisted her arm. “Ah, well it’s not ideal …”

  “What have you got?”

  “It’s kind of small for a family.” She winced at her tone. She was supposed to be trying to rent the cabin not trying to make him change his mind.

  “It’s just Ryan and his boy.”

  Hannah froze, her chest tight. “What about the boy’s mother?”

  “Ryan’s divorced. Have you got a place for them to stay?”

  No Mrs Kilpatrick. That wasn’t good. Her breath came in short pants and she closed her eyes, concentrating on her breathing. She’d be out there on her own with only Ryan and his boy. It was too risky. She couldn’t be alone with any man these days. So few could be trusted.

  “Hannah? You gotta help me.” Lincoln wasn’t going to let up.

  She opened her eyes. If she was ever going to make the retreat succeed, she had to do this.

  Ryan had been kind to her when she was a child. She had trusted him then, and now he had a son. Surely, he wouldn’t do anything bad with his son around.

  Hoping she wasn’t making a mistake, she said, “The first cabin at Hideaway Retreat is almost finished. It needs the flooring and curtains installed, and the walls painted. I might be able to get it done by the weekend.” She still hoped he would refuse.

  “Can I take a look at it?”

  She sighed, checking the time. Lynette would be starting soon. “I’ll meet you out there in half an hour.”

  “Perfect, I’ll see you then.”

  Hannah hung up and put her head in her hands, hating the nausea in her stomach. She should have kept her mouth shut.

  The back door rattled as Lynette came into the office. “Morning, Hannah,” she said. “It’s already shaping up to be a scorcher today.” She hung her wide-brimmed straw hat on the hook in the hallway and wiped her forehead.

  “Morning.” Quickly, Hannah went over the work that was required around the park.

  “I’ve got this,” Lynette said. “You’ve got plenty of work on your construction site.”

  Hannah forced a smile to her fac
e, thinking about Lincoln’s request. “I sure do.” The summer holidays would cut into the time she had to work at the retreat as the caravan park would be full and there were always guests needing something. She whistled for Joe, her brindle-coloured bull mastiff who was lying on his bed in the corner, and grabbed her keys. “Shirley will be in at ten. I’ll see you this afternoon.”

  The warmth hit her as she stepped outside, holding the door open for Joe to follow her. She breathed deeply. It was still early so there was no one in the pool, and no kids in the playground. Most of the people staying in the park at the moment were grey nomads – retirees who travelled the country in their caravans. Many of the park sites nearby were empty, but there was a red car parked at one of the onsite cabins. By the end of next week, the park would be full of people who wanted to get away before Christmas. The southern coast of Western Australia was a popular tourist destination. Breathing out, some of the tension left her. Having grown up at the park with her grandparents, she knew every bit of this ground. It was her safe zone, the place she’d fled to after both traumatic events in her life.

  She wanted her retreat to feel like that for her guests – a safe haven, a place to get away from it all and just be.

  With that in mind, she headed for her car.

  Lincoln was waiting at the entrance to her property when she arrived ten minutes later. She waved at him as she drove in and he followed her in the police car. Her four-wheel drive shuddered as it bounced over the potholes. She’d have to grade the gravel drive if Ryan took the cabin. It had been on the list of things she had to do before she made the cabins available, along with setting up more of the facilities – the nature walks, widening the path to the beach and fencing off the lookout area so no one fell off the steep cliff. She would have to do all of it at once if she rented the cabin. She’d hate for Ryan’s son to wander off and hurt himself.

  The scent of peppermint trees floated through her open window, reminding her of how much she loved this land. On a quiet night she heard the waves washing up against the shore, and the cows from the next property quietly mooing. It was the perfect location for a retreat, for people to get away and relax.

  When the road forked, she took the left branch and pulled up in front of the wooden cabin. It looked good, comforting, quaint. There was a short path up to the front door and she still needed to plant the garden beds under the windows with some hardy Australian natives, but aside from that, the outside was finished.

  Getting out of the car, she waited for Joe to jump down before facing Lincoln.

  “You’ve done a great job, Hannah.” He stood at a comfortable distance from her with his hands in his pockets, looking at the cabin.

  “You haven’t seen inside yet.” She opened the door. The concrete floors and bare walls needed a good clean to remove the remaining building dust before they could be finished. “The kitchen’s small, but equipped with stove, oven and microwave.” She led him into the main room, making sure Joe was with her. “There are two bedrooms in this one, both with ensuite.”

  Lincoln peered into the bathroom and grinned. “Very nice!”

  She smiled. “I can get the painting finished by Sunday, but the flooring isn’t due to go in until the end of next week.” They wandered back out into the main living area.

  “What about furniture?”

  “Hasn’t Ryan got his own?” she asked.

  “He left most of it with his ex,” Lincoln said.

  Damn. She’d been hoping to spend the furniture budget on grading the road. “All right. I’ve got pieces picked out and on order in Albany. I’ll ask if they can deliver it this week.”

  “This is perfect, Hannah. Ryan said he didn’t need a lot of room. How much do you want for rent?”

  She hesitated. No, she had to do this. She had to get over her fear of being alone with men. If she was going to run this facility, she needed to be comfortable with people coming and going. Though her target market were couples and groups, there were sure to be times when singles came to stay. Still, she added a little more to the price than she needed, in the hope Lincoln might refuse.

  “That’s perfect,” Lincoln said as they walked back out to the police car. “I finish work at five. I’ll come around and help you paint.”

  “Oh, no, you don’t have to.”

  “You’re doing me a huge favour here. I’ll rustle up a few more people to help and we’ll be done in no time.” He got into the car and drove off before Hannah thought of some way to dissuade him.

  “You’ll be fine,” she told herself. “It’s Lincoln and if he brings others, it’ll get done twice as fast. You’re safe here.”

  Joe nudged her hand and licked it.

  She had Joe to protect her as well. Joe was a complete softie, but a great deterrent. Arguments tended to end pretty quickly with him by her side.

  Everything would be all right.

  She just wished the tightness in her chest would ease.

  Ryan Kilpatrick pulled in to the Zanetti property early in the afternoon on Sunday. The driveway was lined with towering eucalyptus trees that shaded the road from the hot summer sun. The cheese factory off to the right was a large silver building that reflected the sun’s light, and the little shop next to it was a quaint rammed earth building with outdoor seating and a small playground for children. As he rounded a bend in the road, the farmhouse came into view. It was nestled amongst a lush garden, lovingly tended by Mrs Z and had a huge tin roof that came down to a wooden verandah, which wrapped all the way around it.

  “Are we going to live here?” Felix asked, the hope in his voice clear as he peered out the window at the farmhouse and surrounding land.

  “No, mate. This is Lincoln’s parents’ place. He said he’d meet us here and show us where we’re going to be staying.” After driving for four days, Ryan was exhausted, but for the first time since he’d made the decision to leave Karratha and move his son two thousand kilometres away from his ex-wife, he relaxed. The farmhouse was like coming home. It was the only place where he’d ever felt he belonged. The tension eased out of his shoulders.

  “There are so many trees.”

  “Sure are.” It was vastly different from the red dust of the Pilbara, the only landscape Felix had known. It had been an amazing car trip south as Felix had exclaimed over every new thing he saw.

  A couple of dogs came racing out from around the side of the house and they were followed by a tall, dark-haired man. Ryan grinned. “There’s Lincoln. Let’s get out.”

  Felix scrambled out of the car and ran over to the two dogs, patting them enthusiastically. Perhaps when they were finally settled, he could get Felix a dog. Paula had always hated them.

  “You made good time.” Lincoln held out a hand.

  Ryan shook it and they hugged. “Yeah. Once we got through Perth I just wanted to get here.” Felix slipped his hand into Ryan’s. “You remember my son, Felix.”

  “The last time I saw you, you were about this big,” Lincoln said, holding his hand to his thigh. “Why don’t you both come inside? Mum’s putting on the kettle and I heard mention that she’s made her famous cassata cake.”

  Felix perked up.

  Ryan grinned. He fondly remembered Mrs Zanetti’s cake. “Lead the way.”

  They followed Lincoln inside the farmhouse. The scent of the trailing honeysuckle on the verandah took Ryan straight back to his teenage years when he and Lincoln would sit out there after a day of surfing and talk about what they were going to do after high school.

  “Ryan!” Mrs Zanetti rushed over and embraced him.

  His chest swelled as he wrapped his arms around the small woman, inhaling the scent of roses. She’d barely changed in the nine years since he’d seen her last. “It’s great to see you, Mrs Z.”

  “And who is this?” she asked as she stepped back.

  “My son, Felix.”

  Felix looked up at her wide-eyed. “Hello, Mrs Z—”

  “Zanetti,” Ryan prompted.


  “Nonsense. Call me Nonna.” Mrs Z cuddled Felix. “I’ve been waiting for grandchildren for years, but neither of my boys is willing to give me any.” She took his hand. “There’s a piece of cake in my kitchen with your name on it.”

  Felix glanced over his shoulder at Ryan, his expression one of excitement as he followed Lincoln’s mother down the hallway.

  Ryan’s eyes watered at her instant acceptance of him and his child, and he blinked rapidly. Mrs Z had been more of a mother to him than his own had been. He shook his head. “She hasn’t changed.”

  “No,” Lincoln agreed. “She was thrilled when I told her you were moving back.”

  He swallowed hard and forced a smile to his face. “We’d better get in there, or Felix might not leave us anything to eat.”

  Lincoln clapped his hand over Ryan’s shoulder. “It’s good to have you here.”

  “It’s great to be here.” He’d been stupid not to come back sooner. No, he’d been naive, hopeful … delusional more like it.

  He shook his head. He didn’t want to think about Paula now.

  He was going to enjoy his homecoming.

  Hannah checked her watch for the third time. Lincoln had promised they would be there by three and it was coming up to half past. She had half a bathroom tiled at the other cabin and wanted to finish the rest before she called it a day.

  Finally, she heard tyres on the gravel road and Joe barked. She scanned the room one more time to make sure everything was in place. Aside from helping with the painting, Lincoln had called in a few favours and got the flooring done early, and picked up the furniture she’d ordered. She was pleased with how it had turned out – it was comfortable but with touches of luxury in the bathrooms and bedrooms. The perfect little getaway. With a deep breath to brace herself, she went outside to greet her new neighbours.

  The white four-wheel drive that pulled up was covered in a film of red dust. There was a winch on the front that meant business, and a heavy-duty roof rack on the top full of containers. Ryan climbed out of the driver’s side and her stomach flipped. He had definitely improved with age. His thin, wiry frame had bulked out into lean muscle, his skin was brown from the summer sun and his short brown hair was trimmed neatly. He smiled at her and it was the same as she remembered – slow and sweet.