Page 49 of Outback Reunion

‘Because her husband only just died.’

His mother gasped. ‘That’s awful. Was it a circus accident? I don’t remember reading about anything like that and I’m sure it would have been all over the news.’

‘No. He slipped and hit his head when he was coming out of the shower.’

‘Oh my, how tragic. That poor woman.’ She paused a moment, then asked, ‘What’s her star sign?’

Huh?Sometimes it was hard to keep up with her. ‘I have no idea. Why?’

‘It’s one of the questions in an article I just read on Facebook about how to tell if you and your partner are compatible.’

Mark shook his head as he forced himself up off the couch. ‘Sounds like a load of mumbo jumbo. Besides, it doesn’t matter if we’re compatible or not because—’

‘Yes, you’re probably right,’ she interrupted as he noticed two of her favourite pairs of shoes—yes, one from each—were now in chunks on the floor.Damn dog!She was probably hiding because she was about to get a bollocking.

‘What do you mean?’ he asked absentmindedly.

‘Well, I’m guessing if she works in the circus, she’ll be hard to pin down to a long-term relationship. You’d be much better getting Grant to help you find someone. He’s had a lot of success with his matches so far.’

He walked into the kitchen to find Rookie rolling about in a broken ten-kilo bag of bread flour like a pig in mud. What a freaking mess.

‘Look, Mum, I’ve gotta go, but please can you give the girlfriend thing a rest. I know you want grandchildren and everything, but I’m not interested in a relationship right now. Say hi to Dad for me.’ He had to put Gabriela out of his head and work out what the hell he was going to do with this dog.

‘Hang on a moment,’ she cried. ‘That wasn’t the only reason I was calling.’

His grip tightened on the phone.What now?‘Yeah?’

‘What are you up to today?’

‘Um...’ Well, first on his agenda was cleaning up this fucking flour, then he’d probably head out to the far end of the farm to fix some fences that his dad had mentioned needed attention. If he wanted to torture himself some more, maybe he’d even attempt some more training with Rookie while trying not to relive the final moments in his ute with Gabriela last night. And he needed to see how the new chicks were settling in. ‘I’m still working through Dad’s list and—’

‘You’ve forgotten about your physio appointment, haven’t you?’ She sighed. ‘That’s why I’m calling. I knew you’d forget if I wasn’t there to remind you. What’s the point of that calendar on the fridge if you and your father never bother to look at it?’

Mark glanced at said calendar where she’d forced him and his dad to write down all their appointments, meetings, and any other engagements, so she knew if they were going to be home or not for smokos, lunch and dinner. He rarely looked at it unless he had to write on it, because, like a normal person, he kept his life in his phone.

‘Of course I haven’t forgotten,’ he lied. The phone would have reminded him but by the time it did, it would be too late for him to make it to Geraldton in time. ‘I was just about to say that when you interrupted.’

The noise she made told him she didn’t believe him, but she didn’t push it. ‘I love you, sweetheart. Take care, and I’ll see you soon.’

Less than a minute after he said goodbye, his phone beeped with a text message. She’d sent him the link to an article entitled, ‘52 Romantic Questions for Getting to Know Your Partner Better’, and the message:File this away for when you’re ready. It’s not mumbo jumbo. Love Mum.

What the?!He couldn’t help but laugh. He’d give her one thing, she was persistent.

Chapter Twelve

Gabi had never seen Luna look so happy as she did after their Sunday matinee show when she ran towards Heidi and threw her arms around her. The younger girl had been waiting with her parents and baby sister until Gabi and Luna were done with their after-show selfies duty.

‘I’m so happy to see you! What d’you think of my act?’ Luna asked.

‘The dancing dogs were so funny!’ cried Heidi, joy radiating off her smiley face. ‘Can I pat them?’

As Luna introduced Heidi to her animal entourage, Adam greeted Gabi. ‘Nice to see you again. This is my wife, Stella, and you’ve already met Lily,’ he said, gesturing to the baby sleeping in the sling attached to his chest.

‘Hi, Gabi.’ Stella’s smile was almost as wide as her daughter’s as she offered Gabi her hand. ‘Heidi’s been talking non-stop about you and Luna since she and Adam got home from the beach yesterday. You’re both amazing. I can barely skip on normal ground, never mind up in the air on a rope.’

‘Thanks. It does take a bit of practice but I’m glad you both enjoyed the show.’

‘Mum,’ Luna called, ‘can I take Heidi to look around?’

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