‘I know. You weren’t in bed yesterday when I was here. The blood helped then, didn’t it?’

‘Yep.’ The talking seemed to exhaust him.

‘Will?’

‘Hmm?’

‘Are you in pain? Like bad pain?’

‘Yeah, it hurts. In my back and abdomen.’ He shrugged. ‘Par for the course, I’m afraid.’ He shifted in his bed and tried to sit up a bit higher.

‘Do you want help?’

‘I can do it.’

‘Okay.’ She paused and watched him struggle before giving up. ‘Hey, can we make a deal?’

‘A deal? That sounds interesting, especially in my state. I mightn’t be around to honour it.’

‘Oh, ha ha! Let’s not even think about that. What I was going to say was, promise me you’ll ask if you need help. I’ll keep Mum off your back if you absolutely make sure that you ask for something when you really need it—whether it’s pain management or doctors or whatever. If you ask, then I’ll know you’re serious.’

Will gathered the doona into his fists and squeezed tightly. Zara held her breath, hoping she hadn’t upset him.

He finally nodded. ‘I think that’s a fair deal.’

She reached out her hand for him to shake, but he just took hers and squeezed it as firmly as he could. ‘Thank you,’ he said quietly, ‘for understanding.’

Zara wanted to say she didn’t understand anything, only that she loved him and wanted to make sure he was looked after as well as possible, but instead she squeezed his hand back. Perhaps some things were better left unsaid.

There was loud laughter from the kitchen.

‘Hey, tell me about this Kim. She seems like a cross between an angel and the town gossip. Knows everything about everyone,’ Zara said.

‘Kim is the kindest lady anyone could ever meet. And Dave, her husband, he’s great too. Kim just loves helping people, and I guess to someone who hasn’t lived in the country for a while, it could seem like she’s a bit of a gossip …’

Zara cocked her eyebrows at him.

He smiled and went on. ‘But she’s far from it. She runs the local roadhouse, as well as the business I told you about. You said she brought food with her today?’

Zara nodded. ‘A huge big basketful.’

‘That’s Kim. Anything she’s ever told in confidence doesn’t pass her lips, which is why she knows so much about people. She’d never break someone’s trust. I hear people talk about her often and it’s always good.’

‘Maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on her. I felt a bit smothered yesterday when she introduced herself.’

‘Can I point out very nicely, sister of mine, that you are exceptionally independent and don’t like offers of help, so perhaps your reaction was your problem, not Kim’s.’

Knowing he was right, Zara gave a rueful smile. ‘I think I’ve just been told.’

‘I like to think of it as informed!’

Chapter 9

Zara pulled on her R.M. Williams boots and gave her hair a brush, before tucking her purse and phone into her handbag. It was only a five-minute walk to the pub and it was five to seven. She didn’t like to be late.