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‘I brought the dogs for a walk.’
He grinned and bent down to give the boys a quick scruff around the ears. ‘I needed to get out of the house.’
‘Already? But you’ve just arrived home.’
‘I know.’ His grey eyes sparkled as he looked up at her. ‘But I’ve had this crazy idea rattling around in my head and I needed to get away to think.’
‘Oh,’ Lucy said uncertainly.
The dogs, content with Will’s greeting, went back to hunting for the delectable smells in a nearby lantana bush. Watching them, Will said, ‘I’ve been thinking about your baby proposal.’
‘Will, it wasn’t a proposal. You know I didn’t mean it.’
With a distinct lack of haste, he said, ‘But is it such a bad idea?’
Lucy’s mouth fell open. Surely he wasn’t serious? ‘Of course it’s a bad idea. It’s crazy.’
He looked about him, letting his gaze take in the silent trees and sky, the smooth stepping stones crossing the creek. ‘Youreally want a baby,’ he said quietly. ‘You said so last night, and you’re worried you’re running out of time.’
Now it was Lucy who didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Her heart had risen to fill her throat. She’d never dreamed for a moment that Will would take her flippant comment even halfway seriously.
He stood, blocking her way on the narrow track, watching her carefully. ‘I’m sure you’d prefer your baby’s father to be someone you know.’
She still couldn’t speak. Her hand lifted to the base of her throat as she tried to still the wild pulse that beat there.
Will pressed his point. ‘I imagine a friend must be a better option than an unknown donor in a sperm bank.’
‘But friends don’t normally have babies together.’
She couldn’t see his expression. He’d turned to pluck at a long grass stalk and it made a soft snapping sound.
‘People accept all kinds of convenient family arrangements these days,’ he said. ‘The locals in Willowbank have accepted the idea of Mattie’s surrogacy very well.’
‘Well, yes. That’s true.’
But despite her silly dreams, Lucy couldn’t imagine having a baby with Will. He’d never fancied her. And, even if he did, he was Josh’s brother.
‘Look, Lucy, don’t get me wrong. I’m not pushing this, but I’m happy to talk it through.’
‘Why?’
A slow smile warmed his eyes. ‘We haven’t talked for years and we used to be really good at it.’
Lucy felt a blush spread upwards from her throat. Her mind was spinning, grasping desperately at the idea of Will as her baby’s father and then slipping away again, as if the thoughts were made of ice. ‘But what exactly are you saying? That youwould be willing to – um – donate sperm for another round of IVF?’
Surprise flared in his face. He tossed the grass stalk into the water. ‘If that’s what you want.’
‘I – I don’t know.’
‘Of course, there’s always the natural alternative. If you’ve had trouble with IVF, that shouldn’t be ruled out.’
Lucy bit her lip to cover her gasp of dismay. She watched the grass float away, disappearing behind a rock. The dogs began to bark again. ‘They’re tired of this spot and they want to move on,’ she told Will.
‘Let’s walk then,’ he suggested.
There was just enough room on the track for them to walk side by side, and it should have been relaxing to walk with Will beside the creek – like in the old days. But today an unsettling awareness zapped through Lucy. She was too conscious of Will’s tall, rangy body. So close. Touching close.
She couldn’t think straight. She was so tantalised by the idea of a baby, but how could she even talk about having a baby with Will when she’d never admitted that she’d always had a crush on him?
