Chapters (48)
- Cover
- Praise
- About the Author
- Also by Tricia Stringer
- Title Page
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Author’s Note
- Acknowledgements
- Excerpt
- One
Bree looked at Owen and nodded her head towards the door, adding a slight wave of her hand.
“Hang on, Dad,” she said. “I want to have a quick word.”
“I’ll say good night then.” Owen took her hint and left them to it.
Milt turned back. “What’s up?”
Bree could see his eyes were red and weary, partly from a hard day’s work and partly from the red wine, which had also added a ruddiness to his cheeks.
“I’m going to go to Marla while Owen’s there.”
He scratched his head. “It’s a long way to go for a visit but we can work it so you get some extra time, maybe take a week. See what happens after tailing.” He went to turn away.
“No, Dad, I mean I’m going up there to stay while Owen’s there. It could be several months.”
Milt turned back, the look on his face suggesting he didn’t understand what she was saying. “But you’ve got work here.”
“I spoke to Graeme. He’s happy to fill in for me.”
Milt’s head went up, understanding dawned. “At a cost.”
“You can pay him what you pay me.”
“And what will you live on?”
“Owen reckons I could get work at the roadhouse. Or maybe on a nearby station.”
Milt shook his head. “Owen’s leaving next week.”
“I’ll wait till tailing’s finished. Give you time to work something out with Graeme.”
Milt’s shoulders drooped. In the silence the fridge began to hum. “If it’s what you want,” he said brusquely and turned away. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Bree stood alone in the kitchen. Pleased to have finally told her father, excited to admit she was going on this adventure with Owen, and yet there was a part of her that felt as if she’d lost something and she wasn’t sure what it was.
The cup of tea Kate had brought Natalie sat cooling on the bedside table. She watched Milt now, his tall frame stripped naked. He carried a few extra kilos around his middle but he was still fit for a man approaching his sixtieth birthday. She’d always loved his body, even when they’d gone through the rough patch after the affair. Her head and her heart had found it easy to feel the pain of his infidelity but her own weak flesh had found it difficult to reject his body. Eventually it had been the sex that had brought them back together and then they’d worked hard to make the rest right.