Page 45 of Sharing Forever in Hope Creek (Hope Creek #2)

Callie was sitting on the swing seat on the verandah the following morning, watching the morning sun chase the shade away from the front lawn.

It was probably due more to stress and lack of sleep than hormones but her morning sickness had flared up again.

She wished her nausea would settle down so she could enjoy a hot cup of tea.

‘Callie darling, Jim and I are going into Lancaster this morning—we’re taking the dogs to the vet to get their annual shots,’ Margaret said from the doorway. ‘Blue will be out in the northern paddock supervising the re-fencing for most of the day. Will you be okay by yourself?’

‘I’ll be fine,’ she said. ‘But tomorrow I’m going to drive back to Melbourne.

I’m due back at work on Monday anyway, and if I’m in Melbourne I can at least visit Jack every day.

’ If she hadn’t wanted to be at the community meeting the night before, Callie would’ve stayed in Melbourne rather than returning to Hope Creek with Jim and Margaret.

‘Oh well,’ Margaret replied with a light shrug, ‘let’s play it by ear and see what today brings. I understand you’re anxious to see Jack.’

Yes, she was. Having been to prison to see her mother and then seeing that the place where Jack was being held wasn’t much nicer, she could only imagine how horrid every hour was for him.

Although she knew Mitch would’ve been in touch with Jack’s counsel and he’d know by now that Gary had passed on Kade’s vital information to the police, Callie needed to see him and let him know that everyone in Hope Creek was rooting for him.

‘I’m worried about him and how all this is going to turn out, but apart from that, I miss him, Margaret.’

Margaret walked out and sat down on the swing seat next to her. ‘Do you love him, Callie?’

‘Yes.’ She swallowed as she saw the understanding in Margaret’s blue eyes.

The next second, her hands were engulfed in Margaret’s. ‘I know you do. I’m glad you realise it.’ Her foster mum smiled. ‘When did you realise?’

Callie’s laugh was barely audible and possibly a bit self-conscious. ‘I knew when I’d made the decision to go to see Julie.’

‘I beat you then,’ Margaret said with a wink.

‘You couldn’t have. I only realised it then.’

Margaret tipped her head back and her laughter rang around the wide verandah. ‘Oh darling, I could see how much you loved him at Stella’s wedding.’

‘As the song goes, love was in the air that night. It was all around us.’

‘I hope the videographer took some footage of you dancing in Jack’s arms.’ Margaret laughed again.

‘Every time Jim or I looked your way—right from the wedding ceremony itself—we pointed out how you two couldn’t take your eyes off each other.

’ She swatted a fly away. ‘Besides, although you didn’t know him well enough to love him when you first met him in Melbourne, there had to have been some special connection between you or you wouldn’t be expecting a baby in a little under six months! ’

Callie felt her cheeks heat and she took her hands out of Margaret’s hold to place the palms of her hands against them to try to cool them down.

‘Have you told him yet that you love him?’

‘No,’ Callie said. ‘I thought he was going to say he loved me the other day when I told him what I’d found out about Marcus Covington. He started to say it, but he bit it off. But, Margaret, I was looking straight at him and I could see his feelings hit him. I’m sure I’m right.’

‘Hm. Well, if he didn’t tell you he loves you, maybe it was because he was trying to process it, or maybe he decided that prison wasn’t the most romantic place for his declaration?’

‘I hope you’re right.’

‘The other thing I wanted to ask you about was your visit to your mother.’ She tilted her head to one side. ‘Apart from providing you with the all-important information for Jack, how are you feeling after you met her again after all this time?’

‘I’m not ready to talk about it yet,’ she admitted. ‘I think I’m still working through it.’

‘That’s not a problem at all. You don’t ever have to talk about it, but if you do need an ear, you know I have two for you.’ She patted Callie on the knee then glanced at her wristwatch. ‘Jim’s a patient man, but if you’re sure you’re okay, I’d better not keep him waiting any longer.’

‘I’m fine.’

‘Do you need anything from Lancaster?’

‘No, thanks.’

A magpie started singing from a tree close to the house.

‘In that case, I’ll leave the birds to sing to you. We’ll be back around lunchtime, but I do have my mobile phone with me today in case you think of something you need.’ She went to turn away then stilled. ‘Remember, Callie, we love having you home with us and this is always your home.’

Callie loved being home.

The love and care that had been passed down from one Richardson generation to the next was steeped in the sandstone walls of the building.

Just like the homestead, the families who lived here had weathered storms and might have experienced slight cracks from time to time, but they’d stood as solid as the building.

A tangle of emotions weighed heavily in her chest. For a long time after she watched Margaret and Jim’s car disappear down the long driveway that led out of the property, she sat where she was but resisted rocking back and forth because of her nausea.

When Stella had returned to Hope Creek to recover from her traumatic injuries and to map out her future, she’d told Callie how soothing she found it here.

Her sister was right. The Australian land could be harsh, but there was a raw beauty to it that was soothing.

And being nestled in a valley, the homestead felt uniquely protected by the surrounding hills that were clear now but would be hazy when the day warmed up.

So much had happened in such a short period of time. It was incredible to think that two weeks ago she hadn’t even known how to contact Jack to tell him about her pregnancy.

A low rumble broke the peace.

Callie frowned as she identified the sound of a helicopter.

Moving off the swing seat, she went to the edge of the verandah and looked up into the clear, blue sky. The sound grew louder as the chopper got closer then, as she shaded her eyes with her hand, she saw its metallic blades flashing in the sun like a strobe light at a disco.

It got closer and louder, circling the homestead then the paddock beside the house that currently had no cattle.

My God, it’s going to land.

Surely not a news crew?

There was no marking on the chopper that identified it as belonging to a news network, but Callie’s anxiety ramped up. If a television station had sent a crew here, did it mean they’d learned about the development in Jack’s case?

The aircraft hovered before it started to land.

Standing motionless, Callie watched transfixed even though her instincts told her she should bolt inside, lock the door behind her, phone Jim and ask him to turn around and get back here.

Maybe Blue would be able to see what was happening and he’d come back to the homestead to intervene?

Curiosity held her still for now, but she was prepared to turn around and run inside if she saw a camera pointed at her.

The whirring blades whipped the grass flat as the skids touched the ground.

The engine noise seemed less intense but the blades had hardly slowed before the side door opened and a figure emerged.

Oh my God.

Callie’s breath hitched and her feet carried her off the verandah and out towards the paddock of their own volition.

Jack!

Even from this distance, she recognised his confident figure immediately, the same way she would recognise a song she hadn’t heard for years but could still sing by heart.

Disbelief, relief and tremendous joy overwhelmed her and his name cracked through her dry throat, even though she knew he wouldn’t hear her from this distance and over the sound of the helicopter.

She ran faster as he separated the barbed wire lengths of the fence to make room for himself to bend and move carefully between them.

He turned back towards the chopper and gave a small wave, signalling to the pilot that he should take off again, then Jack was running towards Callie at breakneck speed.

‘Callie! Sweetheart!’

‘Jack! You’re free,’ she sobbed as he caught her in a swift, tight embrace, lifted her off her feet and turned around with her jubilantly before he put her back on her feet again.

‘I’m free!’ he told her. ‘The charges have been dropped.’

‘Thank God.’ Her words were muffled against his shirt as she snuggled into the warmth of his embrace and couldn’t stop half-laughing and half-crying with relief.

Oh, thank you, God.

She ran her hands over Jack’s back, reaffirming to herself that he was solid and real rather than a figment of her imagination. Then she pulled back just enough that she could see his face—see his fabulous blue eyes crinkling at the edges as he smiled down at her.

‘Thanks to you, I’m free,’ he told her as his hand slid up to cradle the back of her head.

Callie realised tears streamed down her face.

‘Hey!’ he said softly, before reaching into the pocket of his trousers and giving her a handkerchief. ‘You’re in luck, this handkerchief came with the new suit that was dropped off to me this morning!’

Callie laughed at his comment but then grew more serious. ‘It’s overwhelming you’re here. It’s wonderful,’ she told him tremulously as she tried to dry her eyes.

‘It’s all thanks to you, Callie.’ His voice was thick with appreciation and his own unshed tears.

‘I can’t tell you how much I admire you.

I’ll never be able to fully express how I appreciate what you’ve done for me.

’ When she would’ve brushed it aside, he cupped her face in the palms of his hands so she couldn’t look away from him.

‘Don’t think for a second that I don’t realise the magnitude of what you did in going to the prison and coming face to face with your mother when you’d managed to block her from your life for two decades. ’

‘I … You’re worth it, Jack.’