Page 85 of The Knitting Club at Wagtail Ridge

‘I may have said certain personality traits may have skipped a generation. But—’ Rose’s voice firmed, ‘—your mother is a good person. She means well. It’ll be fine. Once she gets over the initial shock.’

‘It wasn’t her I was worried about.’

When they arrived at the pub, it was bustling. ‘Jake’s cooking tonight,’ Bree explained as they made their way to a table big enough for five. ‘His food is great. Nothing too fancy, but really good.’

She introduced her parents to Deb, who told them their room was ready, but she was busy with meals right now and they could collect their key after the dinner rush was over.

Margaret looked at the menu and left Gary to struggle a bit with the fact that the wine list was more a colour choice than an actual list.

‘Hello, Mike.’ Rose’s lips curved into a welcoming smile.

Bree watched her mother’s face as this tall, sexy man bent down to kiss Rose in a way that made their relationship very clear. To say Margaret looked shocked was an understatement.

Mike sat down beside Rose.

‘Margaret, Gary. This is Mike Stowe.’

Gary seemed oblivious to his wife’s shock. Or his mother-in-law’s cheeky grin. ‘Nice to meet you, Mike.’ He held a hand across the table and Mike shook it.

‘Nice to meet you, Gary.’ Mike nodded. ‘And you too, Margaret. Hi, Bree. How’s Sky?’

‘She’s doing fine.’ Bree explained to her parents, ‘That’s the alpaca you saw earlier today. The one expecting twins.’

‘Mike works with alpacas too,’ Rose said, clearly enjoying her daughter’s confusion.

‘Oh. Are you a breeder like Bree?’ Gary asked.

‘No. I’m actually a shearer. My team and I travel around shearing during the season. I shear for Bree. That’s how Rose and I met.’ The glance Mike cast at Rose was as sweet as it was possible to be for someone with his rugged looks.

‘Which is harder, sheep or alpacas?’ Gary seemed genuinely interested.

As the men talked, Bree watched her mother gather her composure. By the time they ordered their meals, there was no sign at all of how shaken she’d been by the idea that her sixty-six-year-old mother was dating. Bree had a feeling that when her parents retired to their room, there would be much conversation about her wayward grandmother.

CHAPTER

33

‘What you have to understand, Matt, is that under law, you do not have any rights regarding your daughter.’

‘What? I’m her father. Of course I have rights.’

‘No. The law gives rights to the child. Not to the parents or grandparents.’ The woman sitting opposite him paused to give that time to sink in.

This meeting with Bree’s mother was taking place in Matt’s home. He’d closed his office and Bree had Vicki with her, setting up the hall for knitting club, giving Matt and Margaret time to talk freely. The small part of Matt’s mind that had been worried in case Sally showed up at the hall again was not fully focused on this conversation with his new lawyer. Or it hadn’t been, until this moment.

‘What does that mean?’

‘The Family Law Act says that a child has the right to have regular contact with people who are important to their care and development. That is the parents, of course, but the law also specifically mentions grandparents.’

‘Then I can’t stop Sally’s interference?’

‘You can. She doesn’t have any automatic rights to see Vicki, but if she thinks she is being unfairly restricted from seeing her, she can apply to the court for access. Or custody.’

‘Custody? No!’ Matt felt his world crumbling beneath his feet.

‘We’re a long way from that. Don’t be too concerned. The court, if it gets that far, will consider the welfare of the child in all things. If seeing her grandmother is not in her best interests, then the court will not force you to give her access. And they certainly wouldn’t remove her from your custody without good cause.’

Matt buried his face in his hands, trying to block the words. This couldn’t be happening. He had lost Kim; he couldn’t bear it if he lost Vicki as well.

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