Page 66 of Outback Reunion

‘I bet I could train her,’ Luna volunteered. ‘I can train any dog, can’t I, Mum?’

‘You do have a knack,’ Gabriela said, ‘but training a dog to perform and training one to work on a farm are two different things.’

Luna refused to be deterred. ‘Does Rookie do basic commands like sit and stay?’

Mark snorted. ‘Not well.’

‘Then start with that.’

He stifled a smile at her matter-of-fact tone—she only looked about five but seemed way older. ‘What are your dogs called?’

‘Well, there’s Basset who Mum says is a big softie. She can’t say no when he wants to sleep in our bed. And then there’s also Princess, Cruella and Russell.’

By the time they were halfway back to town, Mark knew the personalities and life stories of all four dogs who had all come to the circus in much the same way Rookie had to him. Luna sure was chatty—much more than her mother, who seemed to consider everything she said—and he couldn’t help liking her.

‘If you’re Dad’s friend, why didn’t you come to his funeral?’ Luna asked as the few lights of Bunyip Bay appeared in the distance.

‘They only met once,’ Gabriela told her.

Luna’s shoulders drooped. ‘Oh. But Mum said you were friends on Facebook.’

Mark raised an eyebrow as he glanced over at Gabriela again for direction. He didn’t want to lie to Luna, but he didn’t want to put her mother in hot water either.

‘Luna, it’s late,’ she snapped. ‘Everyone’s tired. Leave Mark alone.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Luna said, not sounding sorry in the slightest.

He smiled at her. ‘It’s fine. I wish I could have gone to your dad’s funeral, but unfortunately, I was busy playing football and couldn’t get away.’

‘I thought you were a farmer.’ Again, this came out like an accusation.

‘I am, now, but I used to play AFL professionally.’

‘That’s cool.’ Luna’s pout morphed into a smile again. ‘Heidi was teaching me how to kick a ball today.’

‘I think what you do is way cooler.’

Luna beamed at the compliment, and it struck Mark again how odd it was that Gabriela hadn’t mentioned her. In his experience, people with kids never shut up about them. His mates who had children couldn’t go five minutes without mentioning something funny, cute or naughty their offspring had done.

And then an alarming possibility struck him.

But no, she looked too small for it to be true.

He glanced into the rear-view mirror again. ‘How old are you?’ Beside him, he sensed Gabriela stiffen.

‘Seven. But I’ll be eight in April. I’m small for my age, but Granny says what I lack in height I make up for in personality, just like Princess.’

Mark barely heard this last bit, his chest squeezing as he did the calculations. He knew pregnancy was about nine months and he had the date he and Gabriela slept together burned into his brain. The maths fit.

Was Luna his? Was that why he’d thought she looked familiar the first time he’d laid eyes on her? Did he recognisehimselfin her? He glanced into the rear-view mirror again, trying to scrutinise the girl’s features but it was too dark to see anything but a flash of bright orange hair every time the moon broke through the trees on the side of the road.

He looked back to Gabriela.

As if she could read his mind, she shook her head slightly.

What did that mean?No, it’s not what you’re thinking—she’s not yours.Orplease leave it? We’re not talking about this right now.

Holy fuck.

---