Page 1 of Where the Heart Is

CHAPTER

1

Mila Hayes took one look at the expression on her groom’s face and quashed her quip about how it’s bad luck to see the bride in her dress before the ceremony.

Phil Baxter, her neighbour and a man she’d known since she was a kid, looked like he’d been kicked in the balls by his prized ram.

‘Is something wrong, Phil?’

A redundant question, considering he couldn’t meet her eyes. It gave her time to study the man she was about to marry. For a guy approaching fifty, he’d weathered the years well. While wrinkles crisscrossed his forehead and fanned from the corners of his eyes, his dark brown hair only had a few streaks of grey and he hadn’t gained a middle-aged pound. He scrubbed up well too, the tux giving the farmer an air of polish.

‘Phil?’ she prompted again, and when his gaze finally met hers, Mila’s stomach dropped.

He didn’t look like a guy about to get married in a few hours.

He looked like a guy being tethered against his will to a ball and chain.

‘I’m sorry, Mila.’ He reached for her before thinking better of it and thrusting his hands into his pockets. ‘I can’t do this.’

Mila’s heart pounded and her skin grew clammy.

This couldn’t be happening.

‘Everyone gets cold feet on their wedding day, Phil.’

She’d second-guessed her decision to marry a man seventeen years her senior who she didn’t love many times over the last three months since they’d decided to seal their business deal via matrimony. But she knew it was the only way to save her farm and family legacy.

Though there was more behind this marriage, and they knew it.

Life on a farm could be rewarding but the loneliness … it made her chest ache some nights. Having a frank conversation with Phil, a good friend she’d spent many evenings sharing a wine around a bonfire with, about what marriage could bring to them both had been the best thing she’d ever done. They’d been realistic during that initial discussion. Feelings may not be front and centre in their marriage, but their mutual respect as friends would make for a solid bond, and if either of them fell head over heels for someone else, they’d figure it out. Whatever that entailed.

But the last thing she expected was Phil to back out on their wedding day. They’d both wanted this marriage: Phil needed more land for his growing sheep flock; she could provide it at a cost. So it seemed logical that once they marry, he helped her financially with as much as he could and she allowed him use of the land to expand his farm and bring in more money.

It seemed like a win-win at the time, with the bonus of marrying a mate who she liked and respected. She’d never been a hearts and flowers kind of girl—far too practical for that—and marriage hadn’t been part of her grand plans. But necessity had changed all that, and with time, who knew how happy she and Phil could be together? Partners in business and life. It had a nice ring to it.

‘Have a beer, Phil. It’ll settle your nerves.’

He shook his head. ‘It’s not that, Mila.’ He grimaced and took a step back, like he expected her to slug him. ‘I’ve met someone. On a dating app a while ago. We’ve been chatting for months and we finally met in person a few days ago … I think she’s the one.’

Mila struggled not to laugh at the irony of her bachelor neighbour, who’d been single for over a decade, meeting someone when he was about to marry her.

‘We discussed this, Phil. As long as you’re discreet—’

‘She’s amazing and could be the love of my life, and I want a chance to explore a relationship with her,’ he blurted, flushing crimson. ‘I don’t want to risk something real for a business deal.’ As if sensing a battle, Phil squared his shoulders. ‘I know this leaves you in the lurch, but I can still help you financially—’

‘That won’t be necessary.’

The last thing Mila needed was to be in debt to her neighbour. It would’ve been easier if she could simply sell him the land in the first place, but some ancient subdivision clause that would cost more money than she had to work around it meant she couldn’t. Hence their unconventional marriage deal.

So to have Phil offer her whatever money he could now … no, she’d rather take a bank loan; if they’d approve it, that is. She’d tried, twice, which is why she’d devised her last-resort marriage plan in the first place.

‘I truly am sorry, Mila.’ Phil shrugged, sheepish. ‘I’ll make the phone calls now and tell people not to come.’

‘You do that,’ she snapped, instantly regretting her churlish behaviour when he flinched. Because deep down, even though Phil reneging on their wedding meant she’d probably lose the one thing that meant everything to her, she was relieved.

Marrying a mate for companionship and sound business practices rather than love had seemed like a good idea at the time when she’d exhausted every avenue to save the farm, but this morning, when she’d slipped into her wedding dress, pinned her hair in a loose up-do, and slathered makeup she rarely wore all over her face, she’d been plagued by doubts that left her nauseous.

What if their friendship soured once they lived together? What if they grew apart rather than closer? What if their marriage ended in a costly divorce? So many ‘what-ifs’ that left her second-guessing the wisdom of marrying, and now, Phil had taken the choice away from her.

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