Page 99 of The Vet from Snowy River
She’d had no-one she felt she could confide in, and bottling up all this stuff had been eating her up from the inside out. Jill’s mind was too faded to understand. Her old colleagues she’d been too ashamed to face, too worried about what nasty whispers Aaron had fed into the newspaper’s back office about her sacking.
There was her lawyer Sue, sure, but Sue sent her invoices after every confession … their relationship was based on dollars, not friendship.
A rumble sounded from within the chest she was snuggled up against.
‘Josh,’ she whispered.
‘Mmm.’ He sounded eight parts asleep.
‘I feel happy.’
‘Happy,’ he mumbled.
Make that nine parts asleep, she thought with a smile. It didn’t matter. She was here, in his arms, and tomorrow she would go and see her aunt and take the quilt project with her to finish the next section. Choose some cheerful fabric: sunshine yellow, broccolini green.
Then she’d smile at customers in the café. She’d dance with Graeme when his favourite song came on the radio. Heck, maybe she’d stun Marigold and Kev and rock up to yoga in the park.
Her future had some black spots in it, sure, but with Josh by her side?
She let her lashes flutter shut against his skin. With happiness running through her veins like liquid gold, she could face anything.
Finally, she could see a future that she could look forward to.
CHAPTER
31
The first phone call woke her in the dark. A shrill ringtone she didn’t recognise nearly tore out her eardrum, followed by a muffled oath which startled her even more.
Oh right. She wasn’t alone. There was six feet of man-cake wrapped around her like she was his jam and cream filling.
Josh.
A long arm stretched over her head and silenced the noise.
‘This better be good, Tom,’ said Josh, who kept his eyes on hers for a long moment before whatever he was being told claimed his attention.
‘When did it start? Uh-huh. Nope. Crap. Keep him still, I’m on my way.’
She fumbled for the switch on her lamp and a cone of yellow light spilled over them in the ruins of her bedding. She hoped there wasn’t a squashed cat somewhere in amongst the wreckage.
‘Hey,’ Josh said. A glancing kiss landed on her shoulder, and then he was up, hauling on his jeans and halfway into his shirt before she could remember this was supposed to feel awkward.
‘Hey,’ she said, unable to keep the grin from her face despite the hellishly early wake-up call.
‘Cricket’s got colic again. One of the breeding stock up at Ironbark Station. It’s terrible timing, I know, but I’ve got to go.’
She pushed a hand through her hair. ‘It’s fine. Go. I hope it’s not too serious.’
He sat next to her on the edge of the bed while he pulled on his boots, then rested a hand on her cheek. ‘This wasn’t the wake up I was hoping for. Let’s talk later, okay?’
She held her hand over his. ‘Sure.’
‘Promise?’
She smiled, still bemused by the glow of happiness. ‘You are one pushy one-night stand, Josh Cody.’
He pulled her hair. ‘Pushy but adorable. Kiss me quick, I’ve gotta go.’
