Wide, startled eyes, dark with some suppressed emotion, flicked up to his and away. Was it guilt? Surely not.
‘Could I have some more water, please?’
Silently, he rinsed away the suds and handed her a cloth.
‘I’m between jobs,’ she said, finally. ‘I thought…. It seemed like a good opportunity to see something of Victoria.’
The answer was reasonable. But her reaction told him it wasn’t the entire story.
‘Are you staying locally? I can recommend somewhere that makes a good base for sightseeing.’
‘Thank you, but…no. I—I have…plans.’
The change from competent, compassionate professional to tongue-tied uncertainty seemed odd. The frown pleating her forehead, the tight line of her mouth, the agitated way she dried her hands all screamed, No trespassing. Had he unwittingly touched on something personal…painful?
His gaze drifted over the rapidly clearing mist in the paddock as he mentally replayed the conversation. Nothing he’d said seemed unforgivably insensitive.
She was about to disappear from his life. Bemused by the compulsion, he nevertheless wanted to say something to tempt her to stay. But he’d already stumbled in a way he didn’t understand. Regret tugged at him, leaving him off balance. Perhaps it was just as well she was moving on.
A kookaburra began to laugh, the great whooping chuckles echoing into the air. Abruptly, the sound stopped, leaving a profound silence in its wake.
He forced his mouth into a smile. ‘If you’re ever out this way again, look us up. We’d like that, wouldn’t we, Nicky?’
‘Yes!’
‘You’re very kind.’ She smiled gently at his son.
By the time her grey eyes transferred their gaze up to his, there was no trace of warmth left. She handed him back the cloth. ‘Perhaps you could invite your wife. We could make it a family outing.’
No puzzle about his misstep here. ‘Ex.’
‘Sorry?’
‘Ex-wife. I’m divorced.’
‘Oh. I’m sorry.’ Pink spots flared in Caitlin’s cheeks, her eyes shadowed with vexation. ‘I didn’t mean…’
‘Don’t be.’ Matt said, wanting to make sure she understood. ‘It’s old history.’
Caitlin’s mouth opened, then closed, her teeth biting her full bottom lip.
‘Mum lives in Melbourne,’ said Nicky, with a complete lack of awareness of the undercurrents in the conversation. ‘She hardly ever visits.’
‘I…see. Well, I—I should be going.’ She looked towards the paddock. ‘Please, be sure to tell Mr Neilson he shouldn’t trailer the mare and foal for at least a week.’
‘I’ll tell him. It’ll be a while before the tow truck gets here to pull him out. He’ll have a chance to get used to the idea.’
There was a brief silence, then Caitlin held out her hand. ‘It’s been an interesting morning, Dr Matt Gardiner.’
‘It has, Dr Caitlin Butler-Brown.’ He squeezed her hand gently, reluctant to let her go. ‘Drive safely.’
‘I will, yes.’ She retrieved her hand.
‘Goodbye, then.’ She smiled at Nicky. ‘You were great over there at the foal’s birth.’
‘All I did was hold your jumper.’
‘That, too, but mostly you were cool and calm when things weren’t going so well. That’s a big thing.’
‘Thanks.’ Matt watched as his son all but wriggled with pleasure.
Caitlin turned and walked to her car, aware of a lingering regret to be saying goodbye.
Her fingers were still warm from the pressure of Matt’s hand. She’d been prepared for the zing of his touch this time. And it had helped. Just.
Father and son were watching as she slid into the driver’s seat. She winced about her embarrassing mistake—though who could blame her for thinking there would be a wife and mother waiting for them at home? What woman in her right mind would let such a darling pair go?
But, then, her own mother had demonstrated time and again how much more important research was when weighed against a husband’s or a daughter’s welfare. Only the dogged persistence of Caitlin’s father, following his wife around the globe, had kept the family together.
She started the car, put it in gear and accelerated away.
A glance in the rear-view mirror revealed Matt was still there, one hand on his car roof, his head tilted slightly. He’d gathered Nicky to his side with his free hand.
A shadowy shiver surprised her as she took a final glance in the mirror. Matt and Nicky’s figures were now tiny. She shook her head, irritated by the illogical trend of her thoughts. The feeling that the man was important to her in some way was plain daft. As was her wayward delight that he was single. Single didn’t mean available. He certainly wasn’t available to her. No man was. Especially not a family man.
She turned the corner, almost relieved to be able to dispose of the last tiny physical trace of them.
Matt’s presence lingered in her mind, though. A secret mission, he’d suggested. He’d been joking but the words had held enough truth to tip her off balance. She was here for a reason. Not underhand but not straightforward and open either.
How do you introduce yourself to an aunt who doesn’t know you exist? How do you tell a woman that her long-lost brother died with an apology on his lips?
‘Da, you’ve left me in an impossible situation.’
Caitlin sniffed, blinking away the quick rush of moisture that blurred her vision.
She was here to gather information, to decide how to handle this delicate family matter. There was going to be pain, that was unavoidable in the circumstances, but she wanted to minimise the suffering if she could…for herself, for her unknown aunt, for whoever else might be involved.
The last thing she needed was a complication in the form of a man. Especially one with a child. Regardless of how charming they both were.
It wouldn’t be fair to them. She didn’t do relationships or family well.
She didn’t know how to make them work, had no blueprint to guide her. Her mother hadn’t wanted children at all. While Caitlin knew her father had loved her, his first priority had always been his wife.
A grey cloud of gloom settled over her. Because now here she was in rural Victoria to see if she could reforge the ties her father had cut with his family decades ago.
And experience showed she’d inherited her parents’ inability to make family relationships work.
No, she had no business wishing she could see more of Matt and his precious son. None whatsoever.
CHAPTER FOUR
STRUCK out big time. Matt’s mood dipped as the MG rounded a curve and disappeared behind a stand of scrubby bush. Once upon a time, he might have managed a phone number.
Nicky shifted. Stifling a sigh, Matt roused himself.
‘She’s nice.’ Nicky looked up. ‘I like her.’
‘Me, too, mate.’ Perhaps just a tad too much. He couldn’t put himself on the line in a relationship again, leave himself vulnerable the way he had with Sophie. That had nearly destroyed him. If he hadn’t had to pull himself together for Nicky’s sake, Matt wondered how he’d have ended up.
Since