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Glancing to the sky, he blew a weighty breath, then bringing his gaze back to hers, smiled slowly, sexily. ‘I’m most certain you’d have been snapped up by a very lucky man if you’d stayed here, Sammie.’
‘Snapped up hey, with how many kids?’ This conversation was going into uncharted territory, and she liked it, way too much.
His shoulder lifted ever so slightly, and something unfathomable crossed his face. ‘You would have a tribe of kids, if you could, I’m sure.’
Bit of an odd answer, she thought, but mentally shrugged the niggle of it off. ‘Yeah, I would’ve liked to have had one or two ankle-biters by now, and maybe another on the way,’ she huffed. ‘But here I am, divorced and childless, so forget Samsung Sammie, you’ll have to start calling me Spinster Sammie.’ Emotions rose and almost overwhelmed her, but she sniffed them back, blinking faster.
Connor sat up and his hand came to her back. ‘Oh Sammie, you’re going to find your happy place, and the person to share it with.’ His voice was deeply compassionate and his smile so heartwarmingly sincere.
‘I don’t know about that.’ The burn of tears threatened, and her throat tightened. ‘But thanks for the vote of confidence.’ She tried to laugh but sounded like a strangled chicken. She sat up and wiped at her watery eyes. ‘God I’m being a sook, I’m so sorry.’
‘Don’t you dare apologise.’ He took her hands in his. ‘Benjamin did love you in his own way, I’m sure, I mean, how could he not? As you know now, though, he just isn’t marriage material, not in the heterosexual sense anyway.’
She smiled sadly. ‘Yeah, well, he had a funny way of showing he loved me if he ever did.’
His thumb was still rubbing against the back of her hands. ‘I can’t say that I’d disagree with that.’
‘Anyway, enough about me and my pathetic life.’ She gave his hands a grateful squeeze, then tucked hers back into her lap. ‘I want to know more about you, like why aren’t you shacked up with some amazing woman with a brood of kids?’
‘I suppose I haven’t met the one.’ He half-shrugged. ‘And to be honest, I don’t think I’m cut out to be a father.’
She was shocked to hear him say such a ludicrous thing. ‘Oh, come on, Connor, you’d make the best dad ever.’
With his Adam’s apple bobbing, he remained silent.
‘I’m sorry if I’ve hit a nerve, Connor.’ She noted how his jaw tensed. Resting a hand on his arm, she offered him a compassionate smile. ‘You’re a good bloke, and you’d make a woman very happy, as well as rocking the dad thing.’
He darted a glance her way and the look in his eyes tore at her heart. ‘Shit, Connor, are you okay?
His posture stiffened even more. ‘Yup, I’m good.’ He smiled but it was tight-lipped.
There was something he wasn’t telling her, but it wasn’t her business to prod, and she didn’t want to make him any more upset than he clearly already was, so she let it be. ‘I’m here if you ever need to talk about anything, anything at all, okay?’
He cleared his throat. ‘I’m good, Sammie, don’t you worry about me.’ He ran a hand roughly through his hair. ‘I best be getting home soon, and letting you get some shut-eye.’
‘Yeah, it is getting late.’ She looked to where the family four-wheel drive was usually parked. ‘Shea and Jack should be home soon, too.’
Connor stood and held out a hand to help her up. She obliged, gathering up the blanket, and they wandered side by side towards the house when an ear-piercing screeching noise, way too close for comfort, caught her attention. Halting midstep, she glanced upwards and sets of beady eyes stared back at her. Flapping ensued. There was a swoop. She swore. Three times. The overhead branches swayed wildly in a flurry of wings as startled fruit bats flew in every direction. Arms flailing, she screamed blue murder. Connor was laughing somewhere beside her, and just when she thought all was lost, his arms came around her protectively, picked her up from the ground and carried her over to the foot of the steps that led up to the homestead’s back door. To safety.
‘Thank you, for saving me from near death.’ She grinned.
‘I think it’s pretty safe to say that they were more terrified of you than you were of them.’
‘Yes,’ she said, her grin wider. ‘Well, regardless, thank you for coming to my rescue.’
‘My pleasure.’ Leaning in, his kissed her cheek. ‘Thanks for an awesome night again, Sammie.’
‘Ditto, Gunn.’
He shoved his hands into his pockets. ‘Night then.’
‘Night.’ She watched him walk over to his LandCruiser, jump behind the wheel, then turn the four-wheel drive around, offering her a wave and a gentle smile as he drove past her and into the night.
***
Tink. Tink. Pitter Patter. A faintly familiar noise had Samantha putting her book down on her chest, and then looking towards the ceiling. The sound quickly intensified into more of a drumbeat. It had been a very long time since she’d heard heavy rain on an Australian tin roof. The scent of renewal and promise floated upon the cool breeze now blowing the curtains aside at the bay windows. Cosying further into the lounge chair, she liked the fact she now had an excuse to lie there for longer. Just a few more pages and she would go and make herself the cuppa she’d been thinking about having for ages but hadn’t made yet because she hadn’t been able to pull herself away from her riveting book.
Almost an hour passed before she finally dragged herself to the kitchen, her nose still in her novel of loss and love and happily ever afters as she blindly wandered. The kettle whistled from the stovetop, making her jump. It was time she placed the book down, for safety’s sake. Carefully grabbing the wooden handle, she carried the kettle over to her mug. As soon as the boiling water touched the tea-leaves, the herby scent of Earl Grey tea rose. She added two sugars and a splash of milk, and headed out of the kitchen. Stepping outside, she padded across the verandah, and leant against the balustrades. The pelting rain had eased to a light shower, and off in the distance mist shrouded the mountaintops. Everything looked clean, fresh, renewed. It was a stunningly beautiful sight.
