She could probably add a few more details once she’d sought a comment from the police minister and found the most up-to-date rural theft figures. Her mind strayed to Jack. She wondered if she could get him to give her a quote for the story, then dismissed the idea. There’d be no chance at all, she thought.

Getting up, she stretched, before walking to the fridge and pouring herself a glass of wine. As the sun slipped below the horizon, the city lights started to twinkle through the sliding door that led out onto the balcony. She stood watching them for a while, wondering how her mum was coping tonight. She tried to see the stars, but to her disappointment the city lights blocked them out.

Zara had never seen herself as a country girl, even though she had a great love for the bush and had grown up on a farm. She loved the city’s trendy little cafés, where she could get a latte any time of the day, and the cosy wine bars with live music where she could hang out in the evenings. But tonight she found herself longing for the silence of Rowberry Glen and the peace of the star-lit sky.

If she was sitting on the verandah, Trixie would be beside her, pressing her warm body against hers, while Boof and Shadow sat nearby, sighing with contentment. The silence she’d found so awful when Will had been dying had been replaced with serenity and solitude afterwards. Zara had enjoyed the quiet evenings with only the sound of sheep bleating or the wind rustling the trees. She felt closer to Will out there too. That was where his soul would be resting and she could chat with him quietly whenever she needed.

One night after Will’s death, she’d gone back to the woolshed and sat on the board, her legs dangling over the edge, watching the moon rise. It had cast a white glow across the land, throwing long, dark shadows from the gum trees around the homestead. The freshness of the air had cleared her head, and she’d felt the life all around her and found some healing there.

Now she was back in the city, where she wanted to be, she found herself unable to stop thinking about her home.

CHAPTER 24

Chapter 24

‘How can you leave the town without a policeman?’ Kim asked. ‘Is it really that important?’

Dave nodded as he threw some clothes into a bag. ‘I can’t tell you what it is, but don’t worry about the town. Steve is sending someone to cover. Hopefully I’ll only be gone a week. Two at the most.’