Family Farm by Fiona Palmer

he warned as he kicked the bike into a noisy rumble. Then he reached back, grabbed her hands and drew them around his waist.
    Izzy didn’t want to touch him. She quickly withdrew her hands and opted to hang onto the back of the bike instead. ‘Don’t worry,’ she told him. ‘Claire could never toss me off a bike.’ Izzy mentioned Claire deliberately. It worked. Will rode her home in silence.
    In front of her house, Will stopped the bike with a small skid and her chest slammed into his back. He shut down the motor as Izzy quickly jumped off, slightly embarrassed that her chest had been embedded into his back. She was about to walk away when Will reached out and grabbed her. His long fingers curled easily around her narrow wrist. He took off his sunnies, as if knowing how the mesmerising blue of his eyes would weaken her.
    ‘All this hostility isn’t good, Izzy. How long are you gonna hold a grudge for?’
    Will searched her eyes. They were set hard, but they didn’t fool him. Behind them was the real Izzy, the girl who would laugh hysterically at a good joke or go out of her way to help anyone in need. He’d forgotten how much time he and Claire used to spend with Izzy. When she came home from boarding school they’d have great times corrupting her. Like the time they dared her to move everyone’s cars around outside the hall during a busy function late one night, so when everyone went to go home there was complete confusion. It had been hell funny to watch and was easy to do as almost half the district still left their keys in their cars. They used to sneak Izzy drinks out the back of parties when she was around fifteen or sixteen and laugh when she got pissed, then frantically try to sober her up so they didn’t get busted. Izzy had definitely changed since then. She’d hardened, that’s for sure. But Will hoped that the carefree, fun-loving side of her was still in there somewhere. He wished she knew the truth about him and Claire. It would be so much easier for them to make amends and move on, but he figured Izzy couldn’t fight him forever. No matter how long it took, he would thaw that block of ice she held between them. Claire would have known how to get through to her sister. God, he missed her. And Claire wouldn’t want him to give up on Izzy either.
    As he looked up, he noticed Izzy had been studying him. Her eyes were fixed and wide as if reading his thoughts. The hairs on his neck prickled. He felt like she’d opened his personal diary, but he’d had enough practice in shutting down his emotional thoughts to know how to handle it.
    Izzy glanced at his hand, which he still had gripped around her wrist. ‘I’ll hold a grudge for as long as it takes. Don’t think you can win me over with that smile of yours, Will Timmins, because it won’t work on me. Thanks for the ride.’ She pulled away and headed towards the house with her head held high.
    Will watched her go, a mixture of puzzlement and sadness on his face. He was about to start the motorbike when he heard a car coming down the driveway. Will eyed off the new Toyota Hilux ute as it pulled up and a tall man got out. He walked over to where Will sat upon the bike.
    ‘G’day there. You lost?’ Will asked.
    ‘Nah, mate. I’m looking for Izzy, Izzy Simpson. Is this her place?’
    Will’s ears pricked up and his eyes roamed over the guy – his short black hair and two-day-old stubble. He wore a simple T-shirt and jeans with a pair of workboots, and had a wide stance and his arms crossed. Will would bet a fiver that this bloke was a farmer, and he looked to be in his late thirties. What was he doing here chasing Izzy?
    Will was about to reply when Izzy beat him to it. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ He felt a gust of air as she stormed past, like a miniature cockeye bob.
    ‘You won’t answer my calls. What else was I supposed to do, Izzy? I —’
    Izzy threw her hands up in the man’s face. ‘Don’t you start, Rob. I’m not