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‘Yeah. They spent the night in Graeme’s toolshed, then the sick ones went to the vet in Cooma and the rest back to their homes.’

She looked down at the dog seated by his feet, gazing lovingly upwards. ‘This animal doesn’t look like she’d leave you willingly.’

He shrugged. ‘Unlike some. Two days you’ve been gone, Vera.’

She drew back. Oh, wow. She must seem like the most selfish cow in the southern hemisphere. She had a quick flash of the people who had gathered in the park when the clinic was on fire—all of them there to help or offer support. And she’d just driven away.

Sure, she’d had to … but Josh didn’t know that, did he? Because she was too ashamed of herself to share her secrets.

She cleared her throat. ‘If I can do anything to help, I hope you’ll let me know.’

He glanced at her. ‘Last time I asked you for help, you weren’t so keen to oblige.’

Oh my god. The council by-laws he’d wanted her help to research to stop the nuisance complaints about the practice. A horrid thought came to her. ‘You don’t think … holy hell, was this firedeliberate? Oh, Josh, I’m so sorry.’

He frowned down at her. ‘Where have you been the last few days? The gossip wire’s been running so hot, I’d have thought your café would have heard all the news. It was definitely arson and the really fun part, Vera, is that someone called the cops and dobbed me in for doing it.’

‘What? That’s crazy.’

He let out a long sigh that sounded as tired and dispirited as she felt. ‘We’re just lucky the damage was limited to the reception rooms.’

‘You don’t need to demolish the building?’

‘No. But the insurer’s dragging their feet while the investigation plays out, so I’ll probably have to refit the clinic myself if we want to get the business up and running again. Once we’re allowed back in the front room, that is.’

‘That sounds like a big job.’

‘Marigold’s set up a working bee to clean the smoke smell out of the upstairs apartments, and we have a smoke extractor running in there now. It’ll take time, but we’ll get there.’

Time. The one thing she didn’t know if she had.

‘Where will you stay?’

‘You remember the Krauss family?’

She remembered getting the lips kissed off her on the mountain above Ironbark Station, home of the Krauss family. She was going to be remembering that moment until the end of her days, so yeah … she knew who they were.

‘Richer than they need to be, but also super happy to help anyone out. They own the old Hanrahan Pub. It’s two planks of wood away from being derelict, so there’s only a caretaker been living there for a couple of years now. Me and the Doe family have moved in there.’

‘Hannah too?’

Josh shook his head. ‘Hannah would rather sleep in a wet ditch than accept a roof over her head from Tom Krauss.’

‘That sounds like a story.’

‘So I keep telling her. She’s not shared it with me yet. She’s staying with her friend Kylie for a few days until we know what’s what.’

She turned and studied his face in the low light. ‘This building must mean a lot to you.’

‘You have no idea.’

Her words came out unfiltered by the caution she usually had clamped tightly in place. ‘I’d like to hear. Tell me.’

Josh turned to her and then cocked his head. ‘You know, you blow a little hot and cold, Vera. I can’t quite see my way through it.’

She deserved that. And he deserved better, but after the long days she’d had in Queanbeyan, facing court, the ugly scene with Aaron in the restroom, the endless meetings with Sue, her willpower to resist him had puffed out. ‘I know,’ she said quietly. ‘I’m sorry I’ve been so all over the place. I have a reason, but it’s a long and ugly story, and it’s … shameful. I’m ashamed.’

‘I’m not here to judge you, Vera. I like you. I don’t know why, sometimes,’ he said, with that easy smile on his face which took the sting from his words and made them almost, god help her, affectionate. ‘And call it my highly tuned male intuition, but I think you like me too. Sometimes. When you’re not busy giving me the brush-off.’