Page 25 of A Chance to Believe

He turned onto the road and slowed immediately. His men were still rounding up the sheep who’d found their way through the damaged fence, aided by a couple of kelpies. The kangaroos had slowly wiggled their way through at a weak spot until the mesh had pulled away from the stay wires near one of the wooden posts at the corner of the paddock. Once a single sheep found the gap, it was inevitable the rest of the flock would follow.

A soft sound dragged his attention from the milling sheep, and he glanced over at Cassie. Another whimper had him pulling over to the side of the road, heart thumping.

‘Is there a problem?’

‘I’m fine. Fine.’

But she wasn’t. Beads of sweat were forming on her upper lip and forehead. She was terrified.

‘It’s quite safe. The sheep will scatter if I go slowly.’

She nodded, her eyes fixed ahead, looking at the sheep on the road. ‘I know. It’s not … rational.’

Her hands were clasped protectively over her stomach. ‘Have you been in an accident? Did you hit a sheep at speed?’

The head shake was jerky and uncoordinated. ‘Not me.’

Something clarified as their earlier conversation came to mind. ‘Your family? Is this what happened to your family?’

She dashed a tear from her cheek, but her hand went straight back to the mound of her pregnant belly. A single nod gave him his confirmation. There was still something he didn’t understand.

‘Have you been pregnant before?’

Her head twisted to face him, her dark eyes luminescent. ‘Why do you ask?’

‘I don’t know.’ How did he explain what was pure instinct? Something about the way she clutched her belly. ‘The thought suddenly came to me.’

Dropping her chin, she stroked her stomach. ‘It was a long time ago.’

Everything for her seemed to happen a long time ago. As if she’d lived in stasis for years. And now he’d made her cry. ‘I’m sorry.’

He reached down to unclip their seat belts. Shifting in his seat, he reached for her, dragging her to rest her head on his shoulder. There was no resistance. Her body melted against his, her arms releasing their hold to lie loosely around his waist. The console kept their lower bodies apart, but hopefully this would be enough contact for her. ‘I shouldn’t have probed. It wasn’t the time.’

Yet if he hadn’t, he might never have learned the truth. Part of it, at least. There was more to learn. Why she hadn’t been with them? What was the story behind her lost child and how did it connect to the long-ago engagement?

The men were moving the flock further along the road, aiming for the gate into the next paddock. The road would be clear in a few minutes, but he wasn’t sure if Cassie was up to socialising.

‘Would you like to go home? You can come to my parents’ place another time.’

As if this breech of hospitality had broken through her grief, she sat up. ‘No. I’ll be fine. If I can freshen up.’

He missed the warmth of her against him. Bringing his mind back to practicalities, he dug into the console and found some fresh wipes and she took them with a shaky smile. ‘Always prepared.’

‘A habit from when Kimberley was young. I always needed to clean her up.’

She scrubbed her face and hands and presented it for inspection. ‘Do I look all right?’

He took her chin between thumb and forefinger and twisted it gently from side to side. ‘Beautiful as always. A little red rimmed, but it will settle by the time we get into town.’ On impulse, he leaned forward and kissed her full on her ripe mouth. The softness and taste pulled him in, and it was a struggle to release her. It almost felt like her lips clung. He straightened up on the seat and reached for his seat belt. ‘Sheep are gone. If you’re certain you’ll be fine.’

‘I’m always fine. You should know that by now.’

The wry tone reassured him, though he wondered exactly what fine meant in her case. One more thing to find out.

Chapter 6

Not quite trusting Shayne’s impartiality, Cassie turned down the visor and checked her own face. Blotchy and her eyes and nostrils had a touch of pink, as he’d said. Who would have thought a man could be honest? It was too hot to powder her nose so she would have to rely on the time it took to drive into town to settle her colour. If she kept her mind off what happened, it might even work.

‘Who will be at the barbeque? You said family.’

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