Page 83 of Whispers of Sweetwater

Tilly listened, and didn’t ask questions. Then she just said, ‘I’m coming.’

And twenty minutes later, her troop carrier turned into the gravel drive. She pulled up, climbed out, and walked with purpose up the front path. Brianna opened the door before she could knock. Tilly took one look at her and stepped forwards, arms open.

And Brianna crumbled.

It was the kind of cry that didn’t shake her body but soaked through her like rain into dry earth while Tilly held her, steady and warm, whispering nothing but being everything. And in that hug, Brianna found a strength she hadn’t known she still had. Then they sat together on the couch, two mugs of coffee between them. Sherlock pressed close at Brianna’s feet, his fluffy head resting on her knee like an anchor. Outside, the afternoon was quiet, warm with the hush of cicadas and rustling leaves. The tropical breeze stirred the curtains at the window, carrying the scent of fresh gum and the soft promise of rain far off. Brianna traced her thumb over the handle of her mug, grateful for Tilly’s presence, for the silent warmth of Sherlock leaning in, for the gentle reminder that she wasn’t as alone as she’d thought. A kookaburra cackled from the clothesline – a sound so familiar it almost cracked her open all over again. She sucked in a shuddering breath, steadying herself, feeling Tilly’s steady presence beside her.

Tilly took a slow sip from her coffee, then glanced at Brianna. ‘Are you still thinking of coming tonight?’ she asked gently.

Brianna looked down into her own cup. ‘I don’t know. Part of me wants to.’

‘But?’ Tilly looked hopeful.

‘But I’m scared I’ll fall apart again. That I’ll say something I regret. Or worse, that I’ll see him and forgive him too easily.’

Tilly smiled, but it was a soft, sad thing. ‘Forgiving isn’t weak, Bri. It’s brave. But you don’t owe anyone that until you’re ready.’

‘I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready,’ Brianna whispered.

‘You will be. When you’ve let all of this tumble and settle into an organised pile, and not a second before. And if tonight’s not that time, that’s okay too.’

Brianna nodded, but something in her chest shifted. A small glimmer of hope. Of a maybe.

She wished she could let this hurt slip from her shoulders, wished she could open her heart and run back to the softness of what she and Hayden had started to build. Because she wanted him. All of him. Now, and always. That truth was a pulse inside her, steady and impossible to ignore. She looked towards the window, towards the trees that lined the edge of Sweetwater, and pictured him over the other side of the distance, working with his horses, showing them love, respect, kindness. She pictured his laugh, the way his eyes softened when they landed on her, and she knew she’d be lying if she said she didn’t want it. All of it. She wanted him in her life. Forever. But that was easier said than done, too. She didn’t know if she was brave enough to let the walls come down.

Not yet anyway.

But what if she never truly could?

* * *

Hayden wiped sweat from his brow as he leant against the fence line of Sweetwater Acres. He’d spent the morning putting Maverick through his paces in the training yard – gentle sessions to get the colt used to his halter and lead. Duchess had watched from the shade, her pride evident. But even then, even with the horses, his mind had wandered back to Brianna relentlessly. And after putting Maverick back into his paddock, needing to keep moving, he’d walked and walked and walked, checking every post, rattling every wire of every enclosure, in an attempt to keep his mind and hands busy.

It hadn’t worked.

No matter how many posts he checked or rails he tightened, Brianna was still there, threaded through every breath, every heartbeat. The ache of missing her pressed in beneath his ribs, heavy and persistent. She hadn’t answered his calls. She hadn’t replied to his texts. That silence cut deeper than any argument ever would. And every time he closed his eyes, he could hear the softness of her laugh, could see the warmth in her eyes when she looked at him like she used to, before he’d told her the truth about their chance meeting. He wanted that back. Wanted her back. More than he’d ever wanted anything.

Trying to gather his emotions into some kind of order, he rested a boot on the bottom rail, staring out across the paddocks where the grass glowed golden in the afternoon light. Although hurt, frustrated, at a loss, he also understood her silence. She needed time, and he owed her that much. Even if she did show up tonight by some miracle, he’d give her all the space she needed.

A ute door slammed, and he turned to see Gavin walking over, a thermos in one hand, his easy grin in place.

‘Mate,’ Gavin called, ‘I figured you’d be out here.’

Hayden gave him a half-smile. ‘Keeping busy. Gave Maverick a bit of my time. He’s growing like a weed.’

Gavin set the thermos and two metal camping cups on the fence post, then leant against it. ‘My sister’s got the kids for a few hours this arvo. Tilly is at Brianna’s. Giving her a shoulder to cry on. Just thought you’d want to know.’

Hayden nodded slowly, his chest tightening at the mention of her name. ‘Is she all right?’

Gavin shrugged. ‘Tilly says she’s hurting, but she’s not shutting down. That’s something. You still coming tonight?’

‘Yeah, of course, Tilly’s been looking forward to us getting together for over a month now. And like the idiot I am, I’m hoping Bri comes along too.’ He heaved a weighty sigh. ‘And if she does, I’ll give her space. She deserves that.’

Gavin clapped him on the shoulder. ‘Give her time, brother. If she shows up, that’s your chance. Just be you. No walls. No excuses.’

Hayden stared out at the horizon again, the ache in his heart deep, but also laced with a little bit of hope. ‘She’s worth every second of waiting.’ He bit back raw emotion. ‘Heck, Gav, to be honest, I’d wait forever if I had to.’

‘I believe you.’ Gavin let out a low laugh and elbowed him lightly. ‘Bloody hell, you’re a big softy, Pierce, you know that?’