Page 12 of Where the Heart Is

A blush stole into his cheeks and he looked away, unable to meet her eyes. ‘You were the only one who believed in me.’

She wanted to ask so much—why he’d hid his intelligence behind banter in school, why he’d never applied himself, why he’d antagonised teachers—but it wasn’t her place. They hadn’t seen each other in fifteen years, hadn’t spoken once in all that time, and they were more like acquaintances now rather than the friends they’d once been.

‘Thanks,’ he murmured, staring at the farm-stay cottage ahead of them. ‘You were a good mate back then.’

‘You’re welcome,’ she said, surprised by the lump of emotion in her throat. If he only knew how much she’d wanted to be more than a mate, how many nights she’d lain awake fantasising about him kissing her, how hard she struggled with her overwhelming feelings.

‘Can I ask you something?’

‘Sure,’ she said.

‘Why did you stay?’

‘In town, you mean?’

‘In town. Here on the farm.’ He paused and shot her a sideways glance. ‘You were smarter than Will and could’ve been anything.’

‘Don’t let Will hear you say that,’ she said. ‘He’s got a bigger ego than you.’

He chuckled. ‘Nice deflection, but you didn’t answer the question.’

‘It’s simple, really. I love this farm. There’s no other place I’d rather be.’

Which is why she had to come up with a solution to save it—fast.

CHAPTER

8

Sawyer couldn’t believe it.

Mila had done all this?

‘My vision is to have three cottages, spread out across this acre.’ She gestured at the scrub bordering a fence on their left. ‘I’d love to rent out this first cottage once it’s completed but it’s not very relaxing for guests when construction is happening on the other two.’ Her nose crinkled adorably. ‘Not to mention that slight problem with funding to get the other two to lock-up stage.’

‘You’ve done a great job so far,’ he said, blown away by what she’d managed to build on her own with the help of a few tradies and her grandad. ‘What’s your vision?’

She eyed him with respect, like he was the first bloke to ask such an enlightened question. ‘Ultimately, I’d like to cut back our crops. I know the lentils are my major money-spinner but the instability of the market is stressful. And I’m already in enough debt with paying off the mortgage, so the income from the farm stay when regularly booked will be a nice earner.’ She tapped her temple. ‘I’ve done the maths. It’s going to work, if I can ever get it off the ground.’

‘You’ve got a business plan?’

She nodded. ‘A solid one. There’s an accountant in town who crunched all the numbers for me. Freddie’s the best.’

A surprising stab of envy made him study her closely. Freddie? The way she said the nerd’s name sounded way too familiar. As for Freddie being the best, Sawyer didn’t like that. Not one bit.

‘Freddie, huh? You two close?’

‘Like this.’ She intertwined her index and third finger, and that stab came again, more potent this time.

Crazy, because he had no right to be jealous. Mila was a mate. A mate he hadn’t seen in fifteen years. If only his libido could get with the mateship program.

She’d been cute as a kid, tempting as a teen, but now … Mila had a way of looking at him with those big blue eyes that made him feel like the only man in the world. Those minuscule gold flecks in her eyes glowed when she was angry—he’d borne the brunt of her tirades several times growing up—and now he couldn’t help but wonder if they’d glow in the throes of passion too …

‘Hey.’ She snapped her fingers in front of his face, her guffaw loud in the descending dusk. ‘I’m kidding, but for a second there it’s nice to think you were jealous.’

‘Dream on, Gumnut.’

She rolled her eyes, but they hadn’t lost their sparkle. ‘If you call me that one more time, I may have to take drastic action.’

---