Page 59 of Where the Heart Is

They laughed and, thinking about their friendship and how close they’d got to marrying, she felt obliged to tell him about her new housemate. ‘By the way, Sawyer’s moving in here while he’s in town.’

Surprisingly, his lips thinned, and he frowned. ‘Won’t that get people talking?’

‘No more than they’re talking about you moving on after ditching me.’

‘Touché.’ His laugh sounded forced. ‘It’s your business, Mila. I’m just looking out for you.’

‘I appreciate your concern, but it’s unwarranted.’

He nodded before heading to his ute, so she turned away and strode towards the homestead, grateful they were still friends and relieved he’d called off their sham wedding.

She now had an investor providing her with funds for her project and she had sexy Sawyer for as long as he was around.

Win-win.

CHAPTER

36

After leaving Hills Homestead, Sawyer wanted nothing more than to speed back to the motel, pack, check out, and head back to Mila. But she’d pricked his conscience when she’d asked if he’d visited Allison yet and he knew what he had to do.

He’d put off visiting his sister since he’d arrived in town for the simple fact they rarely spoke anymore. He saw Phoebe and Jocelyn annually, but that’s only because he moved around the country for work and they caught up for a quick drink. But the last time he’d seen Allison had been at their dad’s funeral five years ago, and even then it had been awkward. Faking grief didn’t lend itself to bonding, and his sisters had been as relieved as him when the wake ended so they could all go back to their lives.

With the big age gap between him and his sisters, he wondered if their father had always been a prick, or if it had been his unexpected birth that set Henry off. The thing is, his sisters weren’t close to their father but that could be because Phoebe and Jocelyn moved away as soon as they turned eighteen and, like him, they never returned. Only Allison had stuck around, and he had a feeling that’s because she’d made the mistake of marrying a man like Henry.

He thought they might talk about it at the wake, but they’d made small talk mostly, stilted conversation centring around their respective careers while nibbling on stale cucumber sandwiches and drinking watered-down alcohol. Their mother hadn’t attended the funeral and none of them blamed her. Bernadette had called them on the day, a group chat where she offered her condolences for losing their father but hadn’t wanted to accept any in return. At least his mother had finally grown a backbone and put the past behind her once and for all.

Jocelyn and Phoebe didn’t have kids, but Allison had two, Brett and Aimee, who he sent digital gift cards to on their birthdays and Christmas. They were ten and eight, but he’d never met them. They hadn’t come to the funeral, staying at home with Alli’s husband Mick instead, and his sister didn’t seem to care. During their occasional text or phone call, she never asked when Sawyer might visit. Like everyone, she assumed once he left Ashe Ridge he’d never return. Which had been his intention, until Will had coerced him into attending Mila’s wedding.

Life had a funny way of kicking him up the arse when he least expected it. Returning to town had been shocking enough without adding falling for Mila to the mix.

Not that he was stupid enough to fall in love, but she’d captivated him in a way he’d never expected, and he couldn’t get her out of his head. If their night together had been spectacular, this morning in the cottage … he got hard just thinking about it.

Not the best when he intended on visiting his sister, so he stopped by the motel for a quick shower—a cold one—before packing and checking out. Thankfully, Shazza wasn’t around, and Maggie didn’t care he was leaving earlier than expected. With his bags in the boot, he made a stop at the bakery and toy shop before heading to Allison’s, keen to get this obligatory visit out of the way so he could head back to Hills Homestead.

He should’ve called to alert his sister, but he didn’t, for the simple fact he wanted to see if she was okay. If his suspicions were correct, and Mick resembled Henry in the husband stakes, knowing anyone would be dropping in meant putting on a show.

He’d seen his parents do it countless times—usually when one of his sisters’ friends were coming over, even a teacher on the odd occasion. Henry would be on his best behaviour, acting like a solicitous husband and a caring father, when nothing could be further from the truth. During those visits, his mum would be more chatty than usual, but her laughter would be forced and he often wondered if anyone saw beneath his family’s brittle surface to the festering wound beneath.

In reality, Henry was an abusive drunk who despised his wife and loathed his kids, and Bernadette put up with it for the sake of the family. Sawyer hated himself, wondering if he hadn’t come along when he did would his mum have escaped Henry years earlier. Sawyer loathed his father. Ironic, considering he was the only one at his father’s bedside in that nursing home in Melbourne as Henry drew his last breath. He’d done it because he had been in the city at the time and couldn’t see the point in Jocelyn and Phoebe flying in or Allison making the long drive, when Henry wouldn’t have recognised them anyway. Dementia had ravaged him at the end and his passing made it easier on everyone.

As Allison’s house came into view, a pang of guilt made Sawyer grip the steering wheel tighter. Run-down to the point of dilapidation, the weatherboard cottage with a tin roof had seen better days. Though the garden appeared well kept, and the kids’ bikes propped against the side wall looked newish. An older SUV sat under a listing carport and he could’ve sworn it resembled his mother’s old car.

He parked under the shade of a towering eucalyptus, grabbed the apple tea cake and the newest handheld video gaming devices. The gifts for the kids were excessive, and Allison would probably chastise him for trying to buy his way into her kids’ good graces, but he didn’t care. He hadn’t given his niece and nephew much thought over the years beyond the obligatory gifts and now that he was here, it didn’t sit well with him.

What kind of a selfish prick hadn’t met his sister’s kids after a decade?

Dread settled in his stomach as he knocked on the front door. This visit could be a disaster and he braced for a confrontation. Of his three sisters, he’d been closest to Allison, but that had been a long time ago and if she didn’t appreciate him lobbing on her doorstep, she’d let him know.

The door opened and he smiled at his sister’s open-mouthed shock. ‘Surprise, Alli.’

‘I was wondering when you’d show up.’ She folded her arms and glowered. ‘Brett said he thought he saw you in town the other day, but I said he had rocks in his head.’

Sawyer grimaced. ‘Sorry. I should’ve popped in earlier but there’s been a bit going on.’

She arched a brow. ‘Like?’

‘If you let me in, we can demolish this apple cake and I’ll tell you all about it.’

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