Page 89 of Where the Heart Is

He shook his head, sending her newfound hope plummeting. ‘I’m not interested in housing development.’

‘Oh.’

Her visions for the future, and the two of them living happily ever after, evaporated, leaving her trembling as the adrenaline that had been pumping while she’d harnessed the courage to encourage him to stay drained from her body.

‘But I am interested in developing a new paediatric medical centre in town. A place where specialists could regularly visit, so kids like Brett can get an early diagnosis and the proper intervention to maximise their learning potential and set them up for life.’

‘That’s great, Sawyer.’

Great for the kids of Ashe Ridge, not so great for her, as he’d be pouring money into the construction and outsourcing the labour, all from afar. Leaving her alone and lamenting what might’ve been.

‘To give a project of that magnitude my full attention, I’ve quit my job. I’ll need to stay in Ashe Ridge for the foreseeable future.Perhaps I could help complete that first cottage of your farm stay and rent it?’

As Mila processed his startling revelation, she wondered if helping support kids like his nephew was his only motivation.

‘Or I could move in with you permanently if you like?’

Daring to hope, she scanned his face for confirmation he’d just made a declaration that would change their lives.

‘Are you saying you’re staying in Ashe Ridge because of me?’

He pretended to ponder by screwing up his eyes. ‘Well, catching up with Alli and her family has been great, but yeah. I’m hoping my grand gesture will prove how much I love you and that no matter how hard you push me away I’m not going anywhere.’

But everyone left her eventually. It’s what they did. Her parents.Will. Gran. Even Sawyer.

What if she opened her heart to him completely but he left regardless?

‘What if you get tired of me?’ She screwed up her nose. ‘I can be hard to live with. And I’m too independent for my own good. You’ll probably get annoyed all the time. And what if—’

‘No more what-ifs.’ He held up his hand. ‘There’s only one question you need to answer. Do you love me?’

‘Of course,’ she said, without hesitation.

Sawyer beamed, relief in his eyes, as she strode towards him, slid her arms around his neck, and pulled his neck down to kiss him.

An eternity later, Sawyer said, ‘So that’s a yes then?’

‘It’s a hell yes.’ She placed her palm over his heart, the steady beat a comfort she could get used to. ‘We make a great team, Sawyer Mann. Let’s make it official.’

His eyes widened. ‘Are you proposing, Gumnut?’

Considering how happy she was, she let the nickname slide. This time. ‘No. I was thinking more along the lines of giving you a key.’

He swiped at his brow. ‘Phew. Because if anyone’s doing the proposing around here, it’s going to be me.’

‘Is that so? And do you have a timeline on this proposal?’

‘It’ll be a surprise,’ he murmured, pulling her close again. ‘Stay tuned.’

CHAPTER

54

‘You have a lot of stuff,’ Jack said, holding up a Himalayan salt lamp in one hand and a large tourmaline crystal in the other. ‘Do these go in the keep or discard pile?’

Adelaide smiled and pointed to the ever-growing pile of things she wanted to take back to Ashe Ridge. ‘Keep.’

‘You know the studio I built is for your painting, not hoarding, right?’

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