Oh, she was polite and said the right things, but inside her heart pounded with regret, and she had to force herself not to hope he never got his memory back, because she could also see that he wasn’t returning the affection. He really had forgotten Ava, and despite her misgivings, she could see it was causing her daughter pain.

Karma had come back to slap her for her dishonesty, because now her daughter had fallen in love with a man from the city like she had and the same struggles would be hers, and Stella hadn’t warned her. If Zac did get over this temporary memory loss, he’d remember he loved Ava, too, and then he’d want to take her back there with him and Ava would be miserable like Stella had been, and history would repeat itself.

Maybe she deserved it. Ava, however, did not. Stella could only hope this city stranger would decide not to come back to Setabilly.

Chapter Seventeen

Ava

That afternoon in Alice Springs, Ava watched the side of the road flash past as her mother drove her from the hospital to the family flat. It wasn’t far, and despite their protests that she should travel back to the station with them, they were dropping her off against their better judgement, and heading back to Setabilly before dark.

Ava said again, ‘I’m fine. If he agrees to come, I want to bring Zac back myself.’ More importantly, she wanted the alone time in the car with Zac to see if they could find the rapport from their previous closeness. It wasn’t much of a plan, though, and it relied on both Zac agreeing to convalesce at her home, and also the privacy while they became acquainted before then.

There was silence from her mother and a nod from Mim. Her mother would have to deal with whatever reason she had for her tepid response to Zac.

‘So you met him on the plane back from Sydney?’ Stella finally spoke from the front.

‘Yes, and then we worked together in Alice.’ It was the second time she’d asked, and Ava thought again that her mother was behaving oddly.

‘Hmmm,’ said her mother. ‘And he’s going back to Sydney in a month?’

Mim interrupted. ‘I think the idea of bringing him back to the station is a good one, Ava. You’ll be able to look after him and show him around. I think that would help take his mind off the horrible feeling of losing a slice of his life. Don’t you, Stella?’

Ava smiled her thanks at the back of her grandmother’s head. Every few minutes, Granny Mim would turn and give her a little smile. She needed to have her family’s understanding, but when her grandmother’s sympathy came her way, she felt reassured that her heart would not break. That things would turn out well.