Page 9 of Sharing Forever in Hope Creek (Hope Creek #2)

The stillness of the summer night with its faint hint of wattle blossom ordinarily wrapped around the homestead like a comforting blanket, but tonight the calm merely emphasised Callie’s inner turmoil.

This scene had greeted her countless times.

The twinkling stars of the Milky Way arching gracefully overhead as they had since the beginning of time.

Tonight, however, although she could see the Southern Cross constellation, she may as well have been in the northern hemisphere because her world had tipped upside down three nights ago when Jack had turned up.

Actually, she amended, her world had been upended the night she’d met Jack.

Soothingly, she rocked back and forth gently on the verandah swing seat and took long, slow breaths as she waited for Jack to join her. The rhythmical creaking of the swing provided a steady percussion to the chorus of crickets that played in the lawn and steadied her fraying nerves.

Hearing the screen door open, she stopped swinging and turned her head to watch Jack emerge from the house, his steps quiet but confident against the wooden boards of the verandah.

Her nerves jangled, unsure of how they proceeded from here.

This afternoon they’d been called to the doctor’s surgery in Lancaster and Jack had been presented with the results of the DNA test.

He’d been very quiet on the drive back to Hope Creek and they’d only had time to confirm the results with her family before Mitchell had whisked Jack away to help clean out the huge barn, where the wedding reception was to be held.

Jack had left her with an apologetic smile and a We’ll talk later .

Margaret and Stella had kept her busy making the last of the wedding decorations for the backs of the chairs.

Then, there’d been dinner—a slightly more relaxed occasion than the first time Jack had been a guest, thanks, in no small part, to Morgan having been unable to join them.

She’d been rostered on flying duty from the middle of the night and had stayed in her apartment in Lancaster to sleep before her shift.

Jack had been hit with the confirmation of his impending fatherhood hours ago. Now he’d had time to absorb it, Callie was anxious to learn his thoughts.

‘Hey,’ he said softly, choosing to sit beside her rather than on the other swing seat next to hers.

He was so close his masculine scent mingled with the scent of the land and she found herself inhaling deeply, wanting to absorb everything about him.

God, give me strength to not dissolve in a pool of desire at his feet.

The soft light from the exterior lamp on the homestead wall enhanced Jack’s incredibly good looks.

Every time she saw him, her mouth dried.

Her fingers itched to reach over to unbutton his blue country-style linen shirt and to expose the muscular expanse of his chest with its fine smattering of dark hair.

Everything in her ached to explore his body again and to re-familiarise herself with every masculine contour and hard ridge of muscle packed into his frame.

He must still make time to work out because his body was more that of a professional athlete like Mitch and didn’t reflect the hours Jack must spend behind a desk.

‘You look lovely,’ Jack told her.

Swallowing hard, she ordered her heart to stop skipping beats.

‘Thanks.’ She ran her hand over her floral-print dress.

Even though she had no baby bump yet, her breasts were larger since her pregnancy and this was one of the few outfits she had that wasn’t too tight around her chest. The feminine cut of the skirt was a boost to her self-confidence.

‘Thanks for waiting up for me. Although Mitch and Stella left early to get Kade to bed, I wasn’t sure Jim was ever going to say goodnight and let me come out to join you.’

Callie grimaced. ‘Did he give you another grilling?’

‘He’s a father who cares about his daughter,’ he said ambiguously.

Jack’s tolerant words shot him further up in her estimation.

‘Now had it been my family—my sister in your position and my father still alive—Dad would’ve probably demanded to see the prospective father’s bank accounts!’

She smiled but had no idea what to say next as she wondered about his family. Apart from going into Lancaster together for the test and results, they’d pretty much had no time alone since Sunday night, so she didn’t know Jack any better now than she had then.

After a few moments of silence, Jack let out a long breath. ‘So, we’re going to have a baby.’

She nodded. ‘I’m relieved you know.’

‘How long have you known?’

‘A month.’ She bit down on her lip before she rushed out, ‘I’ve always been very regular with my cycle so when I missed two periods in a row, I did a pregnancy test.’

‘Do you know whether it’s a boy or a girl? Not that it matters but—’

‘No. I don’t. I haven’t decided whether I want to find out at the next scan or leave it as a surprise.’

‘Fair enough.’ He raised his hand and rubbed the back of his neck. ‘You’re not showing yet. Can you feel the baby moving at all?’

‘Not yet, but the books say I should start feeling movement somewhere between sixteen and twenty-four weeks.’

‘I guess I’d better start reading those books. This is going to be a really steep learning curve.’ He looked down at her tummy again.

Should I ask if he wants to put his hand there to feel some sort of connection ?

She decided against it. That would be way too intimate and inviting his touch was bound to be like dropping a burning match on dry tinder. The flames of desire had started licking low down inside her the second he’d appeared. Add any fuel to the fire and she’d probably incinerate.

Wanting to make the baby more real for him, she reached inside the pocket of her dress and pulled out a small image. ‘I had my first ultrasound last week.’

Jack stared wordlessly at the picture she held out, hesitating before he took it from her.

‘Wow,’ he said at last.

There was awe in that single syllable and she noticed that his breathing seemed shallower as he stared at the picture.

‘Thank you for showing it to me.’ He handed the photo back. ‘I’d like to come to the next appointment if that’s okay with you?’

‘Of course.’ Warmth spread through her at the suggestion.

She’d felt a little sad and self-conscious last week when she’d had to go for the scan alone.

When she’d seen the image of the baby on the screen frissons of excitement had overridden fear and uncertainty but it would’ve been wonderful to share the moment.

Would Jack have been similarly excited?

Judging by his reaction when he’d first found out her news, she doubted it, but now? Maybe something had shifted in him when he’d been presented with the proof this was his child? She could only hope it was true.

She looked at the image once more before she slipped the photo into her pocket.

‘When’s the next scan scheduled?’

‘About six to eight weeks’ time.’

‘Give me as much notice as you can so I can juggle my work schedule and be there.’

He stretched out his long legs and she had to swallow against the sudden tightness of her throat because his action reminded her of how muscular his legs were. Not to mention how they felt when—

‘You waited a while to tell your family the news. Were you worried about their reaction?’

She clasped her hands together in her lap self-consciously, then unclasped them to stop herself from wringing them together as she remembered how nervous she’d been when she told everyone the news.

‘When I had the pregnancy confirmed by my GP in Melbourne, she said that miscarriage occurs fairly frequently in the first trimester so I decided to wait.’

‘It must’ve been difficult to shoulder the news on your own.’ His voice was heavy with regret.

‘It took a bit for me to work through and accept.’ That was the understatement of the year and sounded way too calm to describe what she’d really gone through. ‘You know you were careful. I feel so guilty knowing that it was something I did in my inexperience that led to this.’

‘There’s no point beating yourself up about it now, Callie.’ He stood up and paced the short distance to the verandah rail before turning around to face her as he leaned back against it. ‘This whole situation is difficult to take in—your pregnancy, the fact you’re Stella’s sister.’

‘I know. I can’t believe you’re even in Hope Creek—let alone that you know Mitchell.’

Surely the odds of getting hit by a meteorite would be lower?

‘I’ve always considered myself fairly pragmatic but this seems either like divine intervention or destiny.’ Jack spoke the words she’d thought.

How else could this series of events be explained?

Lost in the enormity of the situation, she stood and joined him over at the verandah rail, but faced outward, staring up into the vastness of the universe.

Who really knew how things worked? If she hadn’t met Jack at the nightclub, she would’ve met him through Stella and Mitch, so their meeting had been an inevitability.

I should never have run out.

He cleared his throat. ‘Do you regret that night, Callie?’