Page 15 of Where the Heart Is

‘We could talk while I’m in town.’

He thrust his hands into his pockets, stretching the flannel across his shoulders. He’d worn nothing but flannies when they’d been married, reluctant to change his fashion—and every other aspect of his life. Jack had been a quiet, stubborn, old-fashioned, stick-in-the-mud in his early twenties and she’d never expected the fun-loving charmer she’d fallen for at that B & S ball to morph into a non-communicative grump so quickly.

She knew he’d taken his farming responsibilities seriously and had done her utmost to support him. But the more Jack retreated inward, the greater the emotional distance between them, until she’d had no option but to leave.

Simply, she’d woken up one day and given up trying.

‘Fine. We’ll talk.’ Jack’s soulless monotone made her wish she could go to him, wrap her arms around him from behind, and rest her cheek against his back like she used to. But she’d given up the right to comfort or do anything else with this man a long time ago and she needed to harden up for what was to come. ‘Is your number the same?’

‘It’s the same,’ she said. Of course it would be, considering a small part of her had never given up hope in those first few years after she left that he’d come to his senses and call. ‘Speaking of phones, can I call Mila please?’

He swung back to face her, his expression carefully blanked. ‘Probably best to give her a bit of space today.’

Adelaide had never liked being told what to do, especially by this man, but Jack was probably right. Though she’d been hoping to stay on the farm with her granddaughter. A farm Mila apparently owned but had never told her. It hurt that her granddaughter, who she thought she had a close bond with, had kept something so monumental from her.

Then again, if Mila had told her about buying the farm, her granddaughter would’ve had to field questions about where Jack had gone and maybe she didn’t want to get caught in the middle.

‘Okay, I’ll call her tomorrow. But can I use your phone to call a tow, then the motel?’

She assumed Shazza still ran the motel. It had been her pride and joy back in the day and Shazza treated every guest like they were staying at a five-star hotel rather than an ageing motel.

Jack’s frown returned. ‘Want me to take a look at the car?’

She wanted nothing from him—discounting a divorce—but if something simple had caused the breakdown, maybe Jack could fix it and she could be on her way sooner rather than later. He’d always been tinkering with the tractor or some other piece of equipment on the farm and had been adept at fixing them.

‘That’d be good, thanks.’

‘Let’s go.’ He picked up his keys from the coffee table and pressed a button on a small rectangular remote control, to open the garage presumably. ‘I’ll call a tow from the car if I can’t fix it.’

‘And the motel?’

The strangest expression crossed his face, one she had no hope of interpreting. ‘I’ll drop you there.’

He’d crossed the living room before he paused, shooting her a glare that made her heart sink. ‘Though if you ever gave half a shit about me, you’d realise that staying at the motel will make me the talk of the town and you’d reconsider where you’ll shack up while you’re here.’

His low tone barely above a growl held a tonne of hurt and made her feel lower than she already did.

‘I’ll talk to Mila.’

But that meant bothering her granddaughter at the worst possible time, when she’d been dumped on her wedding day—though what other option did she have?

‘She needs her space,’ he muttered, his lips compressing into a thin, unimpressed line. ‘There’s a room out the back you can use for tonight if you want.’

Her jaw must’ve dropped a little because Jack barked out a laugh. ‘Don’t worry, it’s a good distance from the house and is self-contained so you won’t encounter me.’

An enormous gratitude welled in her chest, and she couldn’t speak for a moment. She’d treated Jack badly when she’d walked out on him, testing him, expecting him to come after her. When he didn’t, it had vindicated her choice to walk away. She must’ve hurt him badly yet here he was, offering her a place to stay when she didn’t deserve it. It made her want to bawl.

She blinked away the tears stinging her eyes and cleared her throat. ‘Thanks, Jack.’

‘You’re welcome,’ he muttered, gruff and surly as he turned away and headed for the internal access door leading to the garage.‘Follow me.’

She had once, all the way to a rundown farm in Ashe Ridge. And look where that had got her. A broken heart, broken dreams, and a broken marriage about to end in divorce fourteen years too late.

CHAPTER

10

Mila had walked Sawyer to his car—not a moment too soon, considering their old camaraderie had taken little to flare to life—when Phil pulled up in his ute.

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