Page 60 of Lime Tree Hill

What?He turned anyway.

Safely on the other side of the bridge, Tayla followed himup the half-dozen well-worn steps to a lookout point. And, there before them, flowing like a bridal veil, the Clifton Falls hit the pool below with an unusually quiet rumble, while the moon watched from the midnight-blue sky above.

“We haven’t had much rain here lately.” Mitch leaned on the railing in front of them. “That’s why she’s a little shy.”

“She?”

“Well, she wears a veil, is mysterious and beautiful, so the feminine fits, don’t you think?”

Tayla smiled at his reply. Mitch was in tune with his feminine side. Who would have thought? She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the dampness of the surrounding native bush. And as she turned off her headlamp and looked skyward, a sense of freedom hit her with a jolt. “It’s so peaceful.”

“Yeah. One of my favorite places on the planet. This is what life’s about, don’t you think? These moments?”

“You’re right. We’re so lucky to live where we do.”

“So you’re okay with being back?”

Tayla looked at him, unable to read his expression in the darkness. “For now.”

He grabbed her hand. “Come on. Let’s go to the bottom and feel the water.”

“But it will be freezing.”

“Yeah. Too cold for a skinny dip, that’s for sure. You’ll have to keep your clothes on for a change.”

She stopped still. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Mitch chuckled. “Not a thing.”

The air had cooled dramatically by the time they returned to his truck, and as Tayla climbed into the cab, Mitch grabbed a blanket from the back seat and passed it to her.

She lay it over her legs and looked at him. “Thanks. I’d like to say something before we go back,” she said, her hands busy in her lap. “About Norman’s will.”

Mitch shifted in his seat and leaned his back against the door. “Sure.”

“I always thought it was you who held back the money Norman left for my education. I’ve only just found out the truth.”

He glanced away, his fingers tapping the steering wheel. “Who told you?”

“Ruby. We’d had a couple of wines and conversation flowed, as is often the case after the second glass. She assumed I knew.”

Shifting his gaze back to her, he nodded but remained silent.

“I just want you to know it meant everything to me. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be paying off my student loan. But there’s one thing I don’t understand.”

“What’s that?”

“Why did you do it?”

“It was what the old man wanted. You made his life more tolerable, and he loved you for it.”

Tayla smiled at the memory of her elderly friend. “I loved him too. I’m sorry I misjudged you. Turns out, I blamed the wrong man.”

Mitch shrugged. “Unfortunately, Ken can be just as pedantic as Norman was, maybe even more so. That’s why he didn’t want you to have the money. It wasn’t personal. And apology accepted.”

“I never expected anything. From his estate, I mean…” Tayla searched for the right words. “Now I know the truth, I want to pay you back.”

“What? No way. It was your money.”

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