AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Just curious.’ She grinned. ‘I was your biggest fan back then, but you know that, right?’
Morgan chuckled. ‘I do remember that. You were always cheering me on from the stands.’
She smiled at the memory. ‘I still can’t believe you gave it all up to become a pilot.’
Morgan shrugged. ‘It was time for a change. Besides, flying for the RFDS is a whole different kind of rush.’
‘I bet it would be,’ she said, looking to the sky he called home when he was at work.
She missed the days when they used to do everything together: daily chores, living life, sharing love. They’d shared a wonderful life, until it had all fallen apart. The days when she’d go to every rodeo with him seemed like a lifetime ago, before everything had unravelled between them. Now they stood at a crossroad, and she wasn’t sure what the future held for them. Morgan Savage had seen her at the best, and worst, and everything in between, and his love for her had never faltered. Even now, she knew he loved her still. In his own unique way.
‘Want to walk with me?’ Morgan snapped her from her thoughts as he gestured over his shoulder. ‘I just have to go and grab something from over yonder.’
‘Yeah, sure.’ She ducked beneath the railings.
They wandered towards the tack room. Morgan ducked inside and reappeared with a bucket of lucerne hay. ‘A bit of a treat, for all her hard work.’ He held the bucket up, smiling.
‘She’s going to love you for that,’ she said, tucking her hands into the back pockets of her denim shorts.
When what she really wanted to say was,I love you, Morgan.
Nooooooooo!
She mentally slapped herself for thinking such a thing as Morgan stayed in the round yard, and she slipped back on the other side. She didn’t want to be distracted by her feelings for him. But at times it felt as if it was out of her control. As ifshewas out of control. All she could think about right now was the two of them. Naked. In bed. Making up for all the years they’d lost. As she watched him taking the saddle off Malibu’s back, she wanted to storm over and grab him by his collared shirt and haul him to her, nice and close, so she could whisper her deepest desires against his neck.
Stop it, Jess, right now, before you do something stupid, again!
Her mind racing, she let go of the breath she was holding. Her heart was pounding so hard she was surprised it hadn’t beaten its way out of her chest. She might be feeling insanely reckless, but she wasn’t stupid enough to follow through. Heat rushed to her cheeks while she did her best to swallow past the lump in her throat. How did he have this power over her, while standing five metres away? And how was she meant to fight him off, for the remainder of her stay, when the chemistry between them was through the roof? She had no idea how she was going to continue to resist him. It felt like she was playing with fire and, like some pyromaniac, she couldn’t help but feel drawn to it. Mentally, emotionally, she knew she had to keep her distance, but her body had other ideas.
Less than an hour later, having driven over to Shanti’s and finally told her what her best friend already knew about her feelings for Morgan, Jess stared at her across the coffee table and grimaced. ‘Surely I’ll meet another bloke who makes me feel like Morgan does, right?’
‘There may be plenty of fish in the sea, Jess, but none of them come close to Morgan.’ Shanti sighed and tipped her head a little, regarding her with compassion and understanding. ‘My advice is, don’t walk away from him a second time, Jess, not without really thinking about how your life is going to be without him in it.’
Jess knew she was right. Morgan was one of a kind, and he would make her the happiest woman, for the rest of her days. But with the secret she was keeping, and the miles of ocean between them, as well as the fact that they’d tried once, and failed, she truly felt like the odds were stacked against her, and against them.
She couldn’t help the way she felt about him, but she could do her best to make light of it. ‘I totally get what you’re saying, but I think that ship has already sailed, Shanti.’ She nodded at her own words. ‘Therefore, you can give up wishing for us to be back together, little miss cupid.’
Shanti shrugged. ‘What can I say, I’m a romantic at heart.’
Jess chuckled at her response, but inside, her heart felt immensely heavy. She knew Morgan was the one that got away, the one she let slip through her fingers, and she didn’t think their relationship could ever be. Although Shanti was right to say she had been handed a second chance, because of her secret she was going to have to disregard it. For now, at least. And she hated the fact. Her throat clamped with raw emotion and she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Morgan made her feel things she didn’t even know existed inside her anymore.
‘Jess,’ Shanti said, her gentle voice breaking through her thoughts. ‘You love him, and he loves you, and that’s a fact.’
She looked at Shanti and tried to smile. ‘I know what you mean,’ she said. ‘But sometimes love just isn’t enough.’
Shanti cocked her head to the side, studying Jess with a shrewd gaze. ‘Is that what you really believe, or are you just scared?’
Jess opened her mouth to protest, but Shanti held up a hand to stop her. ‘I’m not judging you. I just want to know what’s holding you back.’
Jess sighed and looked away. ‘I don’t know,’ she said softly, feeling terrible for not telling Shanti why she wasn’t just scared, but was absolutely terrified. ‘It’s just … complicated.’
Shanti nodded understandingly. ‘Love is always complicated. But it’s worth it, too, if it’s with the right person.’
Jess nodded. She knew that her best friend, and soon-to-be sister-in-law, was right, but it didn’t make things any easier. Her heart felt heavy, like a weight was pressing down on it, and it made it terribly hard to breathe. Flopping back against the couch, she couldn’t help but replay sweet memories in her head. Memories of Morgan’s touch, the sound of his deep laughter, the way he looked at her like she was the only person in the world. But those reminiscences were overshadowed by a deep-seated fear and crushing doubt. Not a good combination for trying to revive a long-ago love with another. They’d be doomed from the get-go.
She sat up again, and flashed Shanti a smile. ‘Right, I better get a move on if I want to get to the end of my list before the shops close.’
‘Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?’
