Christmas at Candlebark Farm (17 page)

She half-grimaced, half-grinned. ‘Considering most of that advice was unsolicited, Luke, I don't think you need to thank me.'

He stared at her steadily for another long moment. ‘I want to offer some unsolicited advice in return.'

Luke's eyes were gentle, and that particular shade of rich golden-brown that could make her mouth water. She swallowed. He stared at her as if he cared about her.

Of course he cares about you.
As a friend.

She drew her bottom lip into her mouth. His eyes fastened on that action, darkened. Her blood quickened. Her heart skipped. Was it possible that she could get her Christmas miracle after all?

‘Advice?' she whispered. She couldn't do anything about the huskiness that had invaded her voice, or the yearning that invaded her soul.

‘I think you should continue to pursue your IVF treatment.'

She settled her wine glass on the floorboards at her feet, turned to stare out at all that golden wheat, rippling like a
promise across the landscape, and waited for the darkness, the emptiness, to claim her.

A heavy sadness pressed against her heart, and tiredness made her want to rest her head against the wall behind, but the darkness didn't settle over her to block out the sun or the glory of the view or the presence of the man sitting next her.

She blinked and risked a deep breath. The darkness remained at bay.

And then a new thought banished her tiredness. ‘It seems to matter to you.'

‘Of course it matters!' He stared at her as if she'd gone mad. ‘This is important.' He reached out and took her hand. ‘You helped me rediscover the joys of fatherhood. And believe me, it
is
a joy. I want that for you. I want you to experience that blessing. You deserve it.'

Because he cared about her?

‘You'll make a great mum, Keira.'

She left her hand in his because it felt so right. ‘Luke, in the last fortnight I've learned a lot about myself. You showed me how counterproductive it's been to try and follow in my mother and grandmother's footsteps, that I've perhaps mistaken strength for necessity, and for putting a good and brave face on a less than ideal situation. I've finally acknowledged to myself something I've always been too scared to admit before.'

He leaned towards her, eyes intent.

She wanted to take his face in her hands and kiss him. She resisted the impulse. There was too much to say first. ‘I don't want to be a single parent. I don't want to have to do it all on my own. If I had another miscarriage…' She shook her head. ‘I don't know how I would get through that.'

He opened his mouth, but she shook her head again and held up her free hand. ‘I know you're going to say my friends would help me through it, and of course they would. But it's
not the same as having someone by my side who'd hoped for the baby and loved it as much as I did.'

Luke stared out at the view, but Keira wasn't sure how much of it he saw. Those grooves bit deep either side of his mouth. Grief for her and her baby? The thought made her throat thicken.

‘Yes, I want a baby…babies if at all possible. But not at the expense of everything else. I have to decide if I really am prepared to do it on my own, or whether to take my chances and wait. That's not a decision I can come to in a couple of days.'

He turned and nodded.

She smiled, desperately wanting him to smile back. ‘I appreciate your concern, though.'

She squeezed his hand and prayed as hard as she could for her Christmas miracle. Luke's eyes had gone gentle again, but…

But nothing. He didn't lean forward to kiss her. He didn't open his mouth to tell her he cared for her, that he wanted to keep seeing her or…anything.

A faint heart never won a fat duck.

She blinked as those words sounded through her mind. It had been one of her grandmother's favourite sayings.

It hit her then. True strength lay in going after what she wanted rather than hoping it would come to her in some magical way…waiting and hoping because she was too scared to reach out and take it for herself, too scared to open herself up and be vulnerable.

She moistened her lips and swallowed. Did she dare?

Her heart pounded so loud she could hardly believe Luke couldn't hear it. ‘Luke, if I wasn't leaving next week I wouldn't mention this now, but…'

‘But?'

She straightened and met his gaze head-on. ‘I…Luke, I love you.'

His head snapped back. She didn't know what that meant or how to read it. She swallowed and refused to allow herself the luxury of a retreat. Her grandmother had been right.
A faint heart never won a fat duck.
‘I didn't plan on this happening—not in a million years—but I think you care about me a little…and I was wondering if perhaps we might be able to keep seeing each other and see where it might all lead to?'

Her words faltered to a halt. He'd reefed his hand from hers and she knew precisely how to read that. She gripped her hands together to stop their shaking, but there was nothing she could do to prevent her heart from shattering.

 

Luke jerked to his feet, banging his hip hard against the arm of the bench in his haste to move away from her and all her glorious sweetness and warmth. He set his wine glass down, wiped away the wetness that had spilled across his hand.

She was handing him everything he'd ever wanted. No—more than that. Because she was more than he could ever have imagined. But he couldn't accept it.

What he felt for Keira—it wouldn't last. He had a false heart. If he hadn't been able to give Tammy what she'd needed—the woman who'd meant most to him in the world—then he couldn't be trusted with a woman's heart at all. End of story. He would break it—break her.

His chest constricted so painfully he couldn't breathe. He couldn't do that to Keira!

As she stared at him, tears caught on the ends of her eyelashes and hung there like stars. The stars spilled from her lashes and trailed down her cheeks to the corners of her mouth. He wanted to reach out and catch them before they were gone for ever. But he could only do that if he gave her what she asked for.

Air rushed back into his lungs. He clenched his hands together to keep them at his sides. ‘I'm sorry, Keira. I can't give you what you want or what you need.' No matter how much
he wanted to. All he could give her was potential heartache and disappointment.

Keira dashed her tears away, folded her arms and hitched up her chin. ‘Why not? I know you care about me.'

Yeah, he did. But how would she cope when he let her down the way he'd let Tammy down? He couldn't risk it.

Her chin wobbled. ‘Why won't you take a risk on us?'

He didn't want to talk about this, but she'd laid her heart on the line with total honesty. If she saw him for what he really was…

Sourness filled his mouth. Her happiness mattered more than what she thought of him. ‘Keira, my first marriage was hell. I didn't love Tammy.'

She didn't back away. Her eyes didn't widen in horror.

‘No marriage can be happy with that knowledge pulsing in the silences.' At eighteen, he'd had a crush on Tammy. When she'd fallen pregnant he'd done the right thing and married her. But then Tammy had discovered the truth—the fickleness of his feelings. He hadn't even been able to pretend. People stayed together for their children's sakes, but he hadn't even been able to manage that much.

‘Tammy knew?'

‘Not at first.' He forced himself to say the words out loud. ‘But when she found out it broke her heart.'

‘Oh, Luke.' Her eyes turned dove-grey. ‘So that's where all this guilt comes from. This is why you punish yourself.'

She knew how badly he'd failed Tammy, and yet she was still standing here. Didn't she know—?

‘You told me you never cheated on Tammy, or made her feel guilty for falling pregnant, and that you weren't cruel to her.' She took a step towards him. ‘You can't keep punishing yourself like this.'

He dropped back to the bench, head in his hands, and tried to beat back the darkness. She perched beside him. She
didn't touch him, but the scent of vanilla drifted around him, torturing him with its sweetness.

‘You don't get it. I told her I loved her. I thought I did.' If only he could relive that day, spare her. ‘And we…' He lifted his head. ‘I was her first and…'

‘And then Jason happened?'

He nodded heavily. ‘She gave up all her dreams to have him.'

‘No, she didn't. You took her to the city, didn't you?'

He dragged a hand down his face. ‘That didn't make up for lying to her!'

‘You didn't know it was a lie at the time.'

He straightened. The pain pierced his very core. ‘You didn't see her face when she demanded to know the truth—did I love her or not?' Tammy had known him so well. His hands clenched. ‘It was like…the lights went out.'

Keira's eyes filled with tears. For his dead wife? ‘I'm sorry,' she whispered. ‘You didn't mean to hurt her.'

‘Do you think that's any consolation?' The words broke from him, harsh and loud. ‘I loved my home more than the woman I married. I chose
this
—' he flung an arm out ‘—over her. What kind of man does that make me?'

‘Oh, Luke.'

No!
He didn't want her sympathy. He didn't deserve it. The vision of Tammy's stricken face, her tear-swollen eyes, filled his mind. Her mute pain. Her guilt.
Her guilt!

He gave a harsh laugh, leapt to his feet. He'd betrayed her—his best friend. He'd have laid his life down for her in an instant, but he hadn't been able to do the one thing that would have made a difference—love her the way she'd loved him.

And then she'd died and…and the despair…

And the release.

He hated himself for it.

‘I don't deserve a second chance, Keira. I'm sorry, but I
can't be what you want me to be. I might love you now, but in the end I'll do to you what I did to Tammy.'

‘You can't know that!'

He remained silent. There was nothing left to say.

‘And the fact that I love you and that you care about me—that doesn't make any difference?'

The panic that raced across her face snagged at his heart. He couldn't let it make a difference. ‘I can't be trusted.' He had to protect her.

She shot to her feet, stabbed a finger at him. ‘You think you know what's best for everyone, but you're wrong!' Her finger shook. ‘You'll sacrifice your happiness and mine to that belief because you're an emotional coward who doesn't have the gumption to take a risk!' She flung an arm out, swung away only to swing back again. ‘How
dare
you preach to me about going after my dream of motherhood when you refuse to even dream at all?'

She dragged in a breath, and he could almost see her count to three. She took a step away from him. ‘It's been a big day. I'm tired. I'm going to take a nap. There are a lot of leftovers. I propose that if we get hungry later we just make ourselves up a plate.'

With that, she turned and left. Luke realised she'd just become the lodger he'd so desperately wanted two weeks ago. And now—now all he wanted was the warm, vibrant woman that was Keira.

L
UKE
paced the edge of the crowd, astounded at the number of people who had shown up for the auction. Keira's estate agent had drummed up an enormous amount of interest in record time.

He wished he could feel more impressed about that.

He glanced at Keira's great-aunt's house—Keira's house—and a rock settled in his chest. She should have had the chance to live and work there, to have her baby and run her physiotherapy clinic and be surrounded by a community who would have embraced her.

His fists clenched. It should have all been hers!

It still could be.

He pushed that insidious thought away. He couldn't give her what she needed.

And he wasn't an emotional coward. He was trying to protect her!

He glanced at the house again and the rock grew. He glanced over at Keira, who was talking to the estate agent, and the rock developed jagged edges. He'd wanted to bring her to the auction today, but she'd refused to let him. She'd packed up her car, intent on returning to Sydney as soon as the auction was over. He should be out in that boundary paddock of his, demolishing weeds.

He hadn't been able to stay away.

Her red-gold hair gleamed in the sunshine. Darn it, she
wasn't wearing a hat. If she weren't careful she'd burn to a crisp.

You'll sacrifice your happiness and mine.

His happiness didn't matter, and he wasn't sacrificing hers. She'd find someone new, someone worthy of her love, and—

His thought processes stumbled to a halt. He rewound his previous thought, went back over it carefully to test its truth, its validity. Did he seriously mean that—that her happiness was more important than his?

His mouth went dry. If his happiness didn't matter…then…

His head reared back. What a blind fool he'd been! His feelings for Keira were so far beyond what he'd ever felt for any other woman as to be laughable. He'd do anything to give her what she wanted, what she needed. He'd make any sacrifice…

Including Candlebark.

He swore—low and swift—as he tried to counter the panic racing through him. Had he left it too late? Through the crowd he identified the grey hair and sloping shoulders of his bank manager. Without further ado he shouldered his way through the crowd towards him.

‘I mean to bid and I mean to win,' he said without preamble. ‘Will you stake me a bridging loan until I can sell Candlebark?'

The bank manager was clearly stunned. ‘Are you sure?'

‘Yes.'

Luke held out his hand. The other man shook it. ‘Done.'

 

Once the bidding on Great-Aunt Ada's house had started, Keira couldn't look at the crowd. She didn't have the heart for it.

She knew Luke was in that crowd somewhere. She'd sensed
him there earlier, before the auction had started. She hadn't needed to turn around to confirm it, but she had anyway.

He'd stood tall and grim on the outskirts of the crowd, his lips tight and those grooves biting deep into the flesh on either side of his mouth. She'd swung away again, before he caught her staring.

What was he doing here?

Her lips twisted. Maybe he wanted to make sure she really did leave town, and that she no longer meant to trespass on his hospitality?

He need have no worries on that score. She'd made enough of a fool of herself over him already. She was in no hurry to repeat the performance. A girl had to have some pride. She'd be driving away from here some time in the next hour and she would
never
return.

But the thought shrivelled her heart up as hard and tight as a walnut.

Pride be damned! She'd beg him to give their love a chance if she thought it would make a difference.

Only it wouldn't.

All she could do now was studiously avert her gaze from the crowd—from Luke—and try with all her might to stop from falling apart in public. Problem was, that only left her one place to look—at Great-Aunt Ada's lovely colonial-style cottage. A reminder of the dreams that had taken seed there burned and prickled through her. As did the guilt that she was selling off part of her heritage.

She clenched her hands together and did her best to block the rapid-fire bidding from her ears. She didn't have any other options. She couldn't stay in Gunnedah. Living in the same town as the man she'd fallen in love with was not a sure-fire method of getting over him, of that she was certain. And she wasn't a masochist.

‘Excellent,' Julia murmured in Keira's ear, tapping her
clipboard. ‘We've reached the reserve price. Your house is now officially on the market. It will be sold today.'

Keira's eyes burned. She gripped her hands tighter.

‘I don't know what's got into Luke Hillier, though,' Julia continued. ‘He's bidding like a man possessed.'

The iron-bar rigidity left her body on one big out breath.

‘What?' She spun around.

To discover Julia was in earnest.

Luke was bidding on her house!

What on earth…?

‘Will you excuse me for a moment?'

Not waiting for Julia's reply, Keira threaded her way through the sea of bodies to where Luke stood. ‘What on earth do you think you're doing?' she ground out as quietly as she could. She wanted to scream!

‘Buying your house.' He spoke just as low, and then raised his hand to indicate another bid.

She grabbed it and hauled it back down. ‘But… But…you can't afford it.'

‘Yes, he can,' said the man standing beside Luke.

He handed her a business card. Luke's bank manager? But… Her brain wouldn't work.

One thing she did know. ‘I am
not
selling my house to you,' she hissed.

‘Listen here—' the bank manager pitched his voice low ‘—Luke's money is as good as anyone else's, missy.'

Keira gave up all pretence at discretion. ‘What did you just call me? Missy?
Missy!
What kind of Neanderthal—?'

‘Uh, Keira…'

Luke touched her arm. She glanced up to find everyone had turned to stare. Anger that she wanted Luke to not only keep touching her but to haul her into his arms overrode her embarrassment.

She focused on the anger, not the despair. ‘Why on earth would
you
want to buy
my
house?'

She suspected she might well die a thousand deaths over making such a public display when she went back over this scene later. In fact, this was proof positive that she wasn't quite over making a fool of herself where this man was concerned after all, wasn't it?

Her chin shot up. What did it matter? She'd be leaving here in an hour, and these people would never see her again. What did it matter what they thought of her?

‘How on earth can you afford it?' she demanded. ‘Not by renting out that Spartan room of yours—of that I'm certain!'

He shuffled his feet and glanced around. Keira did too. The auction proceedings had ground to a categorical standstill. She gritted her teeth and reminded herself that she didn't care what these people thought of her.

Amazingly, when Luke's gaze returned to her, his lips twitched. ‘I'm guessing you're not going to wait till the auction is over for an explanation?'

She shook her head. ‘Not a chance.'

‘I can afford to buy your house if I sell Candlebark. It's that's simple.'

She gaped at him. He couldn't sell his home. He loved it! It was a part of him. Why would he even
consider
such a thing?

He continued to survey her with that curious half-smile and her mouth went dry. ‘Why would you do that?' she croaked.

‘Because I was wrong.'

Her heart stuttered and threatened to take flight. She tried to rein it in. She planted her hands on her hips. ‘About which bit, precisely?'

He didn't hesitate. ‘The bit about not being able to give you what you needed.' His chin jutted out. He planted his feet. ‘I know I've been blind…an idiot…but just give me a chance to prove myself to you, Keira, and I will.'

She had no hope of restraining the wild hope that gripped her.

‘I know you dreamed of raising children here in your great-aunt's house, of establishing your physiotherapy practice and being part of a community. You deserve to have all those things, and they can still be yours. I
can
be the husband you need. I
can
be the father of your children.' He hauled in a breath. ‘If that's what you still want, that is. If I haven't left it too late.'

He was prepared to sell his farm to give her what he thought she most wanted in life? Her throat grew so thick she couldn't so much as utter one word.

‘What you want and what you need are more important than where I live or what kind of job I have or…or anything. I want to spend my life with you—whether that's here in your aunt's house or in the city. Keira—' he reached out and gripped her hands ‘—I love you.'

She couldn't help it. Her heart burst free with all its hope and joy. She threw herself at him and wound her arms around his neck. All around them cheers and applause broke out. ‘You idiot,' she whispered, resting her forehead against his. ‘I don't need you to sell Candlebark to prove that to me.'

‘Sweetheart, after everything I've put you through I can't expect you to take me on trust.'

She drew back to gaze into his face. ‘Why not?'

His eyes widened.

She threw her head back and laughed for the sheer joy of it. ‘Luke, wherever you are, that's my home. All the other bits don't matter. Please don't sell Candlebark. I would love to raise our children there. My great-aunt's house will make the perfect clinic—just like we said.'

‘Are you sure?' He cupped her face in his hands. ‘I want you to know that I would give it up in an instant for you.'

She knew he meant it. And she knew what he was trying to tell her. She wondered if it were possible to melt from sheer
happiness. ‘I'm positive, Luke. Now…' She cocked what she hoped was a cheeky eyebrow, but her heart pounded in her chest so loudly everyone within a two-metre radius must hear it. ‘You said something about being the husband that I needed. Was that a proposal of marriage?'

His eyes darkened. ‘Yes, it was. But it was a darn clumsy one.'

He went down on one knee in front of what felt like the whole town. Heat surged into her cheeks, but whether from embarrassment or happiness she couldn't tell. ‘Keira, will you do me the very great honour of making me the happiest man on the planet and becoming my wife?'

‘Yes,' she said simply, pulling him back to his feet. ‘Now, kiss me.'

And he did.

Then it seemed everyone was crowding around them to shake Luke's hand and to kiss her cheek and to offer congratulations.

Julia bustled up. ‘Do I take it that the house is off the market?'

‘Oh, yes!' Keira seized the other woman's arm. ‘Julia, I'm so sorry. I've put you to an awful lot of trouble for no reason.'

‘Not at all,' the agent said with a laugh, patting Keira's hand. ‘I wouldn't have missed this for the world. Congratulations to both of you. I don't doubt that once word gets out our next auction will be packed to the rafters.'

‘I do hope so!'

Before she could say anything more Jason came racing up, his grin wide. With a whoop, he picked Keira up and swung her around. ‘That was fully sweet, Dad!' He put her down to clap his father on the shoulder.

That was when Keira saw Brenda, standing on the fringes of the crowd. She hesitated for a moment, before moving
towards the older woman and taking her hand. ‘That must've been terribly difficult for you to witness.'

Brenda squeezed her hand. ‘It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.'

Keira led her across the road to a park bench. ‘Are you okay?'

Brenda sat. ‘I think so.'

Keira sat too. She stared at the sky, at the house opposite, at the crowd. ‘I don't know if this is common knowledge yet or not. I don't know how quickly news spreads in a country town…but a couple of weeks ago I had a miscarriage.' She paused. Stared at the sky again. ‘I wanted that baby so much…and then I had the miscarriage…'

She let the words trail off. She knew Brenda would understand. ‘But I never held my child in my arms. I never waved her off on her first day of school, waited in the emergency room while she had a broken arm set, watched her grow up and blossom into a woman with a child of her own. I can't begin to know how terrible and difficult your grief must be, Brenda.'

‘And yet,' Brenda said slowly, ‘we had our Tammy to love for thirty years.' She stared down at her hands. ‘Jason was right. I've let my bitterness twist me. I wanted to blame someone and I fixed on poor Luke. I know what happened wasn't his fault.' She lifted her head and met Keira's gaze. ‘The thing is, while I've missed Tammy more than I can say, I've missed Luke too. He and Tammy were thick as thieves when they were growing up. He spent as much time at our place as he did at his own. He was always like a son to me.'

Keira swallowed and moistened her lips. ‘So…you wish him well?'

‘I hope the two of you will be very happy, Keira.'

Keira's heart soared. ‘And will you and Alf come to our wedding?'

‘We'd be delighted to.'

‘And dinner next week?'

‘That would be lovely.'

Both women stood as Luke made his way across to them. Brenda reached up and kissed Luke's cheek. ‘Congratulations, Luke.'

‘Thank you.'

‘Now I must be off, to tell Alfred the news.'

‘I'll call you,' Keira said.

‘You do that, dear.'

Luke's jaw dropped. Keira reached up and tapped it closed. He swung to her. ‘I swear, woman, you're a witch!'