Page 54 of Outback Reunion

He whistled. ‘Looks like she’s a natural then.’

Gabi shrugged. ‘She’s always been pretty coordinated and flexible and although she hasn’t played sport as such, her circus work probably helps.’

‘I’ll say,’ Adam said as the ball flew their way and veered dangerously close to the baby. His reflexes were quick; he caught it and hurled it back to the girls, even more impressed when Luna skilfully caught it. ‘Pity you’re not staying. We could use her on our new girls’ footy team. Anyway, I’d best get started on the meat.’

Adam headed over to get the barbecue going, and when the steak and sausages were cooked, Stella put Lily back in her bassinet under the flynet, then brought out two massive bowls of salad and a tonne of fresh, homemade bread rolls.

‘Can you light the citronella candles?’ she asked Adam as he put a squeezy bottle of tomato sauce onto the outside table. ‘The mozzies are killers at this time of the year.’

While casual dinners with friends were clearly regular occurrences for the Burtons, the experience was new for Gabi and Luna. They often ate with Eve and Lorenzo and the other circus people, but she couldn’t remember ever going to dinner at someone’s house. Luna was having the time of her life—eating her fill and chattering with Heidi—and Gabi found she was enjoying herself more than she’d imagined. She and Stella got along well, and she wondered, hoped, that maybe they could stay in contact after she and Luna moved on. Maybe Heidi and Luna could email each other and maybe they could come back to visit one day.

At least next time, she’d be prepared for the possibility of running into Mark.

After they’d enjoyed pavlova for dessert—Luna scoffing three servings—Adam announced he was off to give Lily a bath and Gabi helped Stella pack the dishwasher. When they were done, they found Luna and Heidi watching some animated TV show in the lounge room.

‘Time to go, munchkin,’ Gabi said.

Luna’s happy smile vanished, and Heidi burst into tears. It was the first time Gabi had seen her so much as pout and the sight nearly broke her heart.

‘Oh, angel,’ Stella said, drawing her daughter into her arms. ‘Maybe we can see Luna again before she leaves?’

Gabi nodded. ‘I’m sure she’d love that.’

‘Maybe we can even go to the circus again,’ Stella added.

‘I want her to sleep over now!’ Heidi said, struggling out of her mum’s embrace.

Luna’s eyes lit up as she did a little jig on the couch. ‘I want that too.’

Stella took Gabi aside for a moment. ‘I totally understand if you’d rather Luna didn’t stay, but she’s more than welcome, and I promise we’ll take care of her like she’s one of ours.’

Gabi’s stomach tightened. After only a few hours in Stella and Adam’s company, she believed Stella’s words, but she still felt sick at the thought of a night without her daughter.

And she knew what Dante would say:What kind of mother leaves their child with strangers?

It was this thought that started to sway her. Damn him for making her question her parenting!

‘Are you sure you want to stay, sweetheart?’ she asked.

‘Yes! Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes! I’ve never wanted anything more.’ Luna sprang up and gave Gabi a massive hug.

And as her daughter’s little arms tightened around her waist in a way they hadn’t done in months, she knew she’d made the right decision.

‘Okay then. You can stay, but promise me you’ll be on your best behaviour. I don’t want you giving Stella and Adam any trouble. You go to bed as soon as they say, don’t keep Heidi awake talking too much and remember, you need sleep for the show tomorrow.’

Luna nodded solemnly, vowing to be an absolute angel.

Gabi and Stella arranged for Stella to bring Luna back to the circus in the morning, then the girls stood alongside Stella waving Gabi goodbye. The homestead had barely disappeared in her rear-view mirror before she started to second guess her decision. Since Luna was born, she and Gabi had barely been apart for an hour, never mind a whole night. The thought of sleeping in their caravan without her daughter made her heart race.

What if something happened to Luna while she wasn’t there? People thought circuses were dangerous, but she knew for a fact that far more injuries and deaths—shudder—occurred on farms.

At the end of the long gravel driveway, she almost turned around. Only the knowledge that Luna would never forgive her made her wipe her eyes and force herself to drive on. She’d just have to pray her daughter would be safe and try to find something to distract her foreboding thoughts for the night.

Seconds later, the answer came to her in the form of the sign to Mark’s farm.

She deliberated mere seconds before slowing and turning into his property.

This time as she drove up a gravel track almost identical to the one at Adam and Stella’s farm, she didn’t notice any of the scenery on either side of her. Although her heart pounded at the prospect of what she was about to do, although it was probably a crazy-stupid idea, none of those thoughts and feelings were as strong as her desire to see Mark again. All day she’d been thinking about him and what might have happened if she hadn’t fled from that kiss—Eve’s little pep talk hadn’t helped—and now fate, or rather Stella and Adam, had gifted her the chance to rewrite the night.

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