Page 31 of Outback Reunion

Something squeezed inside Mark at the sight of his childhood friend positioning the tiny bundle in the crook of his arm. He still wanted that so badly himself, yet the thought of putting his heart on the line again left him cold.

‘By the way,’ added Adam, ‘on the beach this morning, I met someone who thinks she might know you.’

‘Me?’ Mark’s heart stilled, and he almost choked on his mouthful. ‘Who?’ he asked, even though he already guessed the answer.

His friend seemed oblivious to his shock. ‘A woman from the circus. Think she said her name was Gabi.’

Mark blinked—surprised and slightly annoyed. She couldn’t talktohim, but she could talk to complete strangersabouthim?

‘Is she the woman you were supposed to meet last night?’ Stella asked, leaning back on her hands. ‘How do you actually know her?’

‘We met at a pub years ago.’

Adam looked confused. ‘Didn’t sound like this woman was sure she knew you. Maybe it’s someone else.’

It was definitelynotanyone else.

‘What exactly did she say?’

‘Nothing much. Just that you met in Melbourne years ago. I asked if she wanted your number and she said “yes”, but I’d left my phone in the car, so in the end I couldn’t give it to her.’

What the?

Mark had never felt more confused in his life. He’d assumed Gabriela hadn’t showed up at the pub because she’d changed her mind, but then why would she want his phone number if that were the case?

‘You couldn’t have told her where I lived?’

Adam held up a hand at Mark’s harsh tone. ‘Sorry. I didn’t think to.’

‘Maybe she didn’t stand you up after all,’ said Stella with a smile as Heidi splashed her with water. ‘Hey, missy! You’re gonna regret that.’

As Stella started tickling Heidi and the girl burst into excited giggles, Mark disappeared into his head.

Perhaps Stella was right. The only possible reason for Gabriela’s no-show had to be that something had come up preventing her from meeting him. His pulse pounded at the thought and the woe he’d been languishing in since last night lifted as he contemplated heading back into town and seeking her out again.

He glanced at his watch—it was almost four o’clock—maybe he could catch her before tonight’s show.

‘How many chicks would you like?’ Adam said, jolting Mark from his thoughts.

‘Huh?’

Adam raised an eyebrow. ‘The chooks? How many do you want?’

‘Oh, right.’ Mark shrugged a shoulder. ‘I dunno. Three or four?’ He couldn’t care less about the chickens.

Adam nodded and the conversation moved on to farming and football. He and Stella were trying some different crops between their main harvests, including radishes and legumes, to keep the soil covered all year round and prevent erosion. This was similar to what Mark was hoping to do on his farm, but he could barely concentrate on his side of the exchange, downing his beer in a few quick gulps. All he wanted was to go home, shower off the day’s grime and head back into town to try and catch Gabriela before the show.

Finally, Adam put his empty bottle on the ground. ‘Heids, shall we go help Mark choose some chickens?’

‘Yes!’ She burst out of the pool, splashing water all over Stella, and Mark stood up almost as quickly. Stella wrapped a towel around Heidi and then took Lily from Adam.

‘I’m going to go give her a bath. Nice to see you again, Mark. Good luck with your... ah...’ She smirked. ‘Friend.’

‘Thanks,’ he replied, desperate to get to the chickens.

Now that he knew Gabriela had been asking about him, he couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

Chapter Eight