Page 60 of The Knitting Club at Wagtail Ridge

This time she didn’t kiss his cheek. She smiled such a smile that he felt as if the sun had risen at midnight. Then she walked away into the darkness.

CHAPTER

23

When Bree woke, she heard strange sounds coming from the direction of her kitchen. It took a few moments for her to recognise it as singing. Rose was singing as she—Bree sniffed the air—made coffee. She frowned. Usually Rose was later to rise than Bree. Then the thought struck. Was Nan up early because she wasn’t alone? Had Mike …?

No, that couldn’t be right. She hadn’t seen any extra cars when she’d arrived home last night. Not that she had been paying too much attention. There could have been a herd of pink elephants in the yard and she probably would not have noticed. Her mind had been elsewhere.

She slid back under the doona and closed her eyes again. Matt had kissed her. Really kissed her. And it had been wonderful. The taste of his lips. The smell of his skin. The feel of his body against hers. That should not have surprised her. Her feelings for Matt had been growing stronger every time they were together. But she’d always assumed he needed more time to grieve for Kim. Occasionally, when she’d seen the depth of his grief, she’d given up hope that there might ever be some chance for the two of them.

But then he kissed her.

She might have started it when she kissed his cheek. But that’s all she had done—kissed his cheek in a friendly way. He had pulled her into his arms. He’d kissed her, and not as a friend might. And it had been exciting and wonderful. The feel of his hands on her body. The taste of his lips as they moved against hers. She had felt the passion rising in him and she had longed for more. But beneath it all was the terrible fear that, as he kissed her, he was still thinking of someone else.

And she had turned away. It had been one of the hardest things she had ever done, but it was the right thing.

She wanted more with Matt, but if he was ever to escape his grief and welcome her—or anyone—into his life, it had to be in his own time. She wasn’t at all sure either of them had been thinking clearly. The dance and a few drinks and the dreams she had been building around a slightly run-down store had transported them to some other place. A place where the rest of the world didn’t touch them; where the past didn’t touch them. However good it had felt, it wasn’t real life. But maybe, given time …

The smell of coffee was stronger now, and Bree poked her head above the doona. A glance at the clock told her it was well past getting up time. Thank heavens for Maggie, otherwise the animals would be missing breakfast by now. Still, she couldn’t leave her farmhand to do all the work. She didn’t have time to lie here like some teenager reliving a first kiss. She swung her legs out of the bed and headed for the shower.

When she finally walked into the kitchen, Rose was alone, stirring a pan of scrambled eggs.

‘Good morning, granddaughter. I thought you were never getting out of bed.’

Bree ignored the comment as she poured herself some coffee. ‘A cooked breakfast? That’s not like you.’ She had spotted the strips of bacon warming in the oven.

‘After years of eating sensible muesli and yoghurt, this morning I decided I wanted bacon and eggs. I found the bacon in the freezer. I assumed you would want some too.’

‘Yes, please.’ Bree dropped into a chair and rested her elbows on the table. ‘You seemed to have a good time last night.’

‘I did.’ Rose put two plates on the table and sat down. They immediately started eating and Bree discovered she was hungry too. When breakfast was done, she dropped her fork on her plate.

‘Nan, I don’t want to pry, and please tell me to shut up. But what was it like? Being with Mike last night. After Pops. Did it feel …?’

‘When you say “being with”, just what do you mean? Mike was a perfect gentleman when he dropped me off.’

‘I’m sure he was. But come on, Nan. I saw the way you looked at each other. You don’t expect me to believe he didn’t even kiss you?’

‘And I saw the way you and Matt looked at each other. I could ask the same question of you.’

They stopped eating and looked at each other.

Rose started to laugh. ‘Look at us, both behaving like schoolgirls with a secret crush. Come on, Bree, what’s this all about?’

She should have known that Nan would see through her. ‘Last night. Matt and I … But maybe it was too soon. I’m afraid that when he kissed me, he was thinking of Kim.’

‘What makes you think that? Did he say something?’

‘No. It was—Well, it was rather wonderful. But this morning I got to thinking—’

‘Don’t do that. It won’t help.’ Rose cleared their empty plates and brought the coffee jug over to give them both a refill.

‘But what if he was kissing me and wishing it was Kim?’

‘Bree, did you ever kiss someone you were dating, and wish it was someone else?’

‘Of course not. But I was never in love. Not like Matt and Kim were. They started a family and planned a life together. How could he not wish she was still here?’

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