Page 22 of Where the Heart Is

‘If you don’t want to be alone, I’m happy to come back to the farm.’

She quirked an eyebrow. ‘Are you propositioning me?’

The corners of his mouth kicked up. ‘No. I’d never take advantage of a vulnerable woman.’

‘Who said I’m vulnerable?’

She couldn’t afford to be, not when she had a massive mortgage and a dream to fulfil.

‘This is me you’re talking to.’ He leaned forward a little and rested his forearms on the table. ‘You forget, I’ve seen you at your best and your worst.’

Therein lay the problem, because the way she was feeling—wrung out and a little unsteady—having an old friend, someone who knew her almost as well as she knew herself, be supportive and kind, might undo her completely.

The thought of Sawyer coming back to the farm with her, comforting her, beckoned like the Southern Cross guiding a weary traveller home, but she had to resist. Because if Sawyer held her in the way she yearned to be held, she’d end up making a mistake she’d regret tomorrow. She had enough to worry about without adding ‘sleeping with my brother’s best friend’ to the list.

‘Thanks, but I’ll be fine,’ she said, injecting confidence into her tone. ‘You’ve done enough by meeting me here.’

‘My pleasure.’

They glanced around the bistro that had emptied in the last half hour. But Mila had seen the sideways glances of a few couples who came in after them, and the odd pitying expression—thankfully, no one approached like that busybody Anne had. No matter what Phil had told people, she still came out the loser in this scenario. A jilted bride in a small town provided enough gossip fodder to last a few weeks yet.

‘Actually, do you mind if we call it a day?’ She faked a yawn. ‘I’m beat.’

‘I bet.’ He topped up two glasses with lemonade and held one out to her. ‘But not before we make a toast.’

‘To?’ She accepted the glass with a smile, remembering the time they’d tried to make homemade lemonade and ended up putting so much sugar in it their teeth ached.

He paused for a moment, screwing his eyes up like he was thinking, before a grin crept over his face. ‘To you having better taste in grooms next time.’

‘There won’t be a next time,’ she muttered, before clinking glasses with him. ‘To old friends, who should know when to shut up.’

He laughed and raised the glass to his mouth. ‘I’ll drink to that.’

They finished their lemonade quickly and as Sawyer walked her to her car, his hand in the small of her back, she willed herself not to do something insane, like grab the lapels of his jacket, tug him close, and kiss him senseless.

‘You sure you’ll be okay?’ he asked when they reached her car.

‘I’m sure,’ she murmured, not sure in the slightest.

He leaned forward and Mila could’ve sworn the air between them crackled with electricity. Heck, was he thinking along the same lines she was and wanted to kiss her? Maybe she should’ve popped a mint after her parma or had that choc-mint parfait for dessert.

‘Take care, Gumnut,’ he said, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek before straightening, leaving Mila practically swooning. ‘It’s been really good to see you again.’

Mila managed to mumble, ‘You too,’ before Sawyer ambled away, taking a little piece of her teenage heart with him.

CHAPTER

14

Sawyer gripped the steering wheel hard and counted to ten, using every ounce of his meagre self-control not to get out of his car, jog back to Mila, and insist on taking her home.

When they’d parted, he’d never seen her like that: lost, bereft, vulnerable.

He’d wanted to insist he accompany her but knew she’d never agree. Mila was too proud for that. Hell, the fact she’d agreed to lunch had been a big deal. They’d made small talk all through the meal, skirting the big issues—namely, what she’d do now to ensure financial security for the farm—and it had been surprisingly easy. Reminiscing about funny times during their youth had been a blast, but he’d seen the glimmer of anxiety in her eyes despite the levity, and it made him want to slay whatever demons haunted her.

Thanks to Will, he knew she’d done an accelerated marketing degree online after she’d finished school and had worked alongside her grandfather on the farm the entire time. Farming was tough for the most hardened and he couldn’t imagine Mila assuming ownership of Hills Homestead on her own.

An average lentil farm in the Wimmera had between three to five thousand hectares, making Hills Homestead barely viable at a thousand. Jack had done a lot of niche marketing to turn a profit. Sawyer assumed Mila had continued that trend, but she must’ve gone into a lot of debt with the bank to keep the farm afloat, and now hoped expanding into the farm-stay market would do the same.

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