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‘Coffee. Well, it depends.’

‘Yeah? On what?’

‘The barista. I’ve got Graeme in my life now. He’s turned me into a coffee snob.’

He grinned. ‘Luckily I swung by The Billy Button Café and had Graeme fill my thermos then.’

She looked at the battered grey object he’d pulled out of his pack. ‘I can’t believe Graeme condescended to let that grotty-looking thing within eyesight of his espresso machine.’

He winked at her. ‘I think your barista has a sweet spot for me.’

Her posture eased, finally, and he relaxed. The Cody charm offensive hadn’t grown totally rusty with disuse.

‘Graeme has a sweet spot for everyone. He’s like a marshmallow, only buffer and way more talkative.’

‘And he made me donate a twenty into Marigold’s community hall fundraiser.’ He poured a cup of coffee into the mug-shaped lid of the thermos and handed it to her, then took a swig straight from the neck of the bottle. Coffee bounded down his throat like a stroppy kangaroo. Strong and fierce, just the way he liked it.

‘So,’ he said, keeping his tone light. ‘You want to tell me why kissing’s a no-go zone?’

She froze. ‘No.’

Fine, Vera’s life could be off limits for the moment. He searched for a different tack. ‘Okay then. Abrupt change of topic coming up. Did you know I’m hoping to get council approvals back soon for a renovation project for the Cody building?’

Vera perched her lid of coffee in a crack in the granite. ‘Oh? I thought you were underway already fixing up the apartments.’

‘Hannah’s apartment is done. Mine’s a total mess, but no, we’re going to restore the downstairs shopfront to its original condition. The building is a great example of Federation architecture, except for that dodgy plywood and glass front window. I’ve been researching heritage building methods—the Community Hall is home to the historical society archives—and I think it’s totally doable. We might even be able to source some bluestone from the original quarry that was used in the area. It should be a perfect match for the rest of the building.’

‘That sounds incredible.’

He shrugged. ‘Well, as much as being a vet was always my dream, I didn’t hate working construction. But this will be my first building project working on something for me. For the Codys. That building is our history, so it means the world to us.’

‘You’re lucky to have such a strong family connection,’ she murmured.

‘I know. I took it for granted when I was Poppy’s age, but now? I feel like the luckiest guy to have a second chance in Hanrahan.’

‘I guess kids are never interested in old buildings and heritage.’

‘So true. I told you, I think, that Poppy didn’t want me to move back here.’

‘Yeah. And I kinda figured that after the crying episode by the skip bin.’

He stared out over the mountain ridges in the distance. ‘I should be thanking Kelly Fox for making me lose my temper that day.’ He glanced over to see her raising her eyebrows at him. ‘What?’

She shrugged. ‘You don’t seem the type to lose your temper very often.’

He grinned. ‘Well, I did that day. I’m lucky Braydon’s guinea pig didn’t go into cardiac arrest. But Poppy running off, you offering her a job, me worrying about her all afternoon … it was like a dam wall bursting. Poppy and I talked it out, and I think she finally understood that me choosing to move back here to Hanrahan didn’t mean I was abandoning her.’

Vera’s voice was low. ‘Nobody wants to feel that.’

He pulled on a tuft of grass, ran its length through his fingers so the seeds speckled the ground. ‘Who abandoned you, Vera?’

Her eyes shot to his. ‘We’re not talking about me.’

‘We could. If you wanted to. It’s just me and the horses listening, and we can all be trusted.’

‘Trust.’ She said the word like she’d forgotten what it meant. ‘Listen, Josh—’

No conversation that started with the phraseListen, Joshever ended well. He leaned back on his hands, turned his face to the sun.