Page 34 of The Talk Around Town

“Hmm. Youarebecoming friends, I’ll give you that much. But do you really think he helped you and gave you the shirt only because of friendship? To save you from embarrassment? Or, did he do it so noone else could get a look at what he’d just seen, because he liked it and wanted to keep that image for himself?”

Emma’s mouth fell open. “Darby! I don’t need the other guys to embarrass me. I do a fine job of it by myself. Gabe was just being nice,” she affirmed.

She needed to think that, because it was the only way to keep her own attraction to Gabe under wraps. An attraction she didn’t want, or need.

She’d heard it from Gabe’s own mouth that he felt the same way. She wasn’t stupid enough to fall for a guy who didn’t want her. Or at least didn’t want to act upon any attraction he might feel. She’d been down that road before and didn’t like the scenery. As long as she remembered that and kept focused on being friends with Gabe, she’d be fine. She wouldn’t fall for him. Didn’t want to. That’s not why she’d moved to Kurrajong Crossing.

“You’re forgetting he’s my twin brother, Emma. I know how his mind works. He doesn’t look at the other girls in town the way he looks at you. He tries to hide it, but it’s there.”

Emma waved her hand at her friend. She didn’t want to listen to this. It would only make things harder, and Emma didn’t need harder. She’d moved to the other side of the country to get away from problems, from people who placed responsibility on her. People who laid blame and pointed fingers.

Emma shook her head to dislodge those thoughts. It wouldn’t do any good. It wouldn’t change things. She had a new life now. One without blame, without pressure and without the hatred she’d felt increasing by the day. Losing a child was hard enough without people condemning you, people who should’ve been there to support and comfort you in your grief. Her ex-in-laws had a lot to answer for.

Emma rubbed unconsciously at her side. Her scar ached terribly at times, more so when she thought about her ex-family.

A new beginning had been needed, one with new friends.

She looked down at the loving eyes of Ralph staring up at her. A new beginning with a newborn baby calf, of all things.

“I think the looks go in both directions, don’t they?”

Darby’s quiet question brought Emma’s gaze back to hers. Emma licked her lips and frowned, trying to find a way to answer.

Emma could see Darby was itching to add her own insight, but Darby held her tongue, something that must have taken a lot of self-restraint on her part. From what Emma already knew of her, Darby wasn’t used to censoring her thoughts or words.

Darby’s shoulders slumped, resignation winding across her face. “Fine. I’ll drop it. I don’t necessarily agree with you, but I really like you and I don’t want to ruin our friendship before we get started.”

Guilt, shame, relief and not a small amount of thanks rushed through Emma at Darby’s words. She reached over the table and grabbed hold of her hands.

“Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me. Especially after… I like you too. Your family has been so kind to me.”

The slight narrowing of Darby’s eyes told Emma that she had caught Emma’s slip, but Darby sent Emma a small smile and squeezed her hands. Emma still couldn’t talk about her loss. Not yet. Not until she knew Darby better.

“So. When and where is this marvel taking place? Please tell me it’s somewhere I can see the looks on people’s faces?”

Emma’s grin returned. “You bet. Friday night at the Spotted Cow. Just don’t tell anyone you know who it is.”

“Maximum impact, huh?” Amusement laced Darby’s voice. She scratched at her ear, nodding. “I can’t wait to see their faces. Tell me, what did we ever do for fun in this town before you showed up?”

Chapter Fourteen

“Hey, Emma. Youneed some help with that?”

At the sound of a male voice below her, Emma turned and squinted. The bright morning light brought Ryan’s face into sharp relief.

“Hi, Ryan.”

Perched on the top step of her ladder, she looked back at the rusted and worn corrugated iron sheeting of her porch roof, a stark contrast to the shiny new sheets lying stacked on their sides against the railing below. She’d ordered the new sheeting on Monday, and it had taken until today, Thursday, to get it. Something about a shortage of it in Bialga.

She’d managed to lift some of the old stuff, but the nails had rusted into the timbers beneath it, and she was having trouble pulling them out. The last one had broken off in the claw of the hammer in her hand.

“I’ll give you a hand if you like, and rip up that iron for you. I have the day free, so it’s no bother.”

Emma shrugged to herself and wiped her hands on her shorts. Who was she to refuse an offer of pure-male brawn when it was needed? Ed was coming around after lunch to put the new iron sheets on for her. She’d convinced him that she could remove the old stuff herself. An over inflation of her skills, as she now knew. She’d repay Ryan with a drink and something to eat, and that would be that.

Strong, tanned hands grasped the side of the ladder as she made her way down to the bottom.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s dangerous to climb ladders on your own?”

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