Night Time Dip

The problem with it being this hot for this long was that it caused a water shortage. The stock needed the water to survive. It was bad enough they had to draw straws at Drovers to find out who could take a proper bath. It had occurred to Becky that there might be another way to cool down.

Brett had agreed without a second's hesitation when she told him her idea. Harry was away overnight. Neither Alex nor Nick were there. Brett would keep watch just in case one of the Ryan's came home which was unlikely. This gave Becky free reign of their swimming pool.

"Come on." She nudged Brett who was sitting beside her on the side of the pool, their legs dangling in the water. "Come in for a swim with me. I promise, I won't let you drown." He had told her on a couple of occasions that he couldn't swim. That he had been scared of monsters in the creek when he was a child.

"No, I've got to keep watch." It was mighty tempting though. If only he could swim.

"I thought you said Harry was out." She knew it was only an excuse because he couldn't swim. Even if he did have a protective streak towards her.

"I ... ah ...just in case." He smiled shyly. He'd never been so nervous in his life. "Beck."

"Yeah." Becky had learned since coming to live at Drovers, that Brett needed time to get what he needed to say, out. Normally he was a man of few words, but other times he came out with some genuine words of wisdom.

This was difficult. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this nervous, but he had a funny feeling it had been something concerning Becky on that occasion as well. "You know the Miss Gungellen ball is in a couple of weeks." Perhaps she would agree to go out with him if they went somewhere her friends would also be. Safety in numbers.

Becky grinned. Brett was cute when he was flustered. "Oh, I think it's definitely too late for you to enter." Actually, just the thought of Brett entering a beauty pageant was hysterical.

"Oh I ah." Great, she was making fun of him. "I was just wondering, you know, you can say no if you want." But he hoped she wouldn't say no. "If you haven't already..."

"Brett. Just say it." They would be here all night if he didn't just spit it out. Which wouldn't be a bad thing until Harry came home . Then they would have a lot of explaining to do.

"Would you go with me?" There. It was out there now. Would she say yes or would she start laughing hysterically?

"Like a date?" It didn't usually take guys this long to ask her out.

"Well, we can go together. We ..." He sighed. So eager to give Becky a way out if she wasn't interested, that he was completely messing this up. "Yeah."

"Yeah. That should work well." She should probably cut him some slack. He was trying so hard to ask her out that he was tripping over his own tongue. "You could give me a lift in."

"Sure." She said yes. Despite all of his stammering. He couldn't believe how lucky he was.

"And then you could take me home again." She smiled. He was so happy that she wondered if he had thought she was going to say no. That hadn't actually occurred to her.

"Yep." Brett was bursting with happiness. He had actually managed to ask her out. Now he had said it, he couldn't believe he had been so nervous.

"Brett. It's a date." She slid into the pool and swam to the other end of the pool. "Coming in?"

With Becky treading water, looking every inch a tempting mermaid he actually considered it. Still, he wasn't tempted enough to join her in the pool. The sight of her swimming in the Ryan's pool was going to feature in his dreams tonight. "Nah, I'll stay here and keep watch."

She had known it was a long shot getting Brett in the water. At least she had found a way to cool down.