She turned her head to look up at him. ‘You’re not intruding. I enjoy your company, which was why I asked you to come here to convalesce.’

To Zac it suddenly seemed natural when he lifted her hand to take it in his as they began to walk. Her fingers sat cool, despite the heat, and strong beneath his. He wrapped his hand around her palm and she fitted perfectly.

She didn’t pull free when he thought she might, especially with Mim watching. ‘You’re a confusing man, Zac Logan,’ she muttered, and she shook their clasped hands to illustrate her point.

He looked down at their entwined fingers. ‘This is just to stop me from falling over.’ He squeezed gently and contentment surged like a fluid wave of warmth, unexpectedly sweet and calming.

‘At least you’ll have some control over the danger if I start to wobble,’ he said.

‘What? We both fall together, is that your idea?’

‘That would be the best scenario,’ he quipped.

She stopped in her tracks, shaking her head at him. ‘So what are we up to now?’

He thought of Mim. ‘We’re getting warmer. How does that sound to you?’

She tossed her head. ‘Boring. Let me know when it gets hot.’

‘You sound like your grandmother.’

‘Oh dear,’ she said and laughed.

Chapter Twenty-nine

Ava

Her flippant comment notwithstanding, Ava thought that ‘getting warmer’ sounded promising. There was that hint of amusement in his deep voice and Ava savoured the spread of euphoria that reminded her of how she’d felt with him on the plane and after that. This wasn’t a shared memory, but it was perhaps a shared connection rebuilding.

‘Do you remember anything when you hold my hand?’ she asked.

‘It feels good,’ he admitted, ‘but no. It feels like the first time.’

Ava swallowed the disappointment. She should just be happy that he was here with her and try not to wish for the stars. They were walking down the side of the bank that led to the bottom of the river, arms swinging, fingers clasped. The day shone blue and clear, with no sign of a new dust storm or rain. The demon of drought aside, the magic of the moment swelled inside her with the scent of crumbling red earth under her feet, the leaves of the tall gum they were passing under, and home. She loved the smell of home. Unexpectedly, joy opened like a desert flower inside her.

Zac swung her hand. ‘You have slim fingers, fingernails not too long, a little rough at the edges from constant washing, like all health workers, but the whole hand fits nicely in mine.’

The air seemed to vibrate between them, in spite of his clinical assessment. What the heck was that?

He lifted her fingers to his face and kissed her palm, then repositioned her arm back by his side and they continued walking. ‘It’s a particularly nice hand.’