The Farmer's Perfect Match

by Marilyn Forsyth

  ‘Family dramas.’

  Time would prove it wasn’t exactly a lie.

  * * *

  Broome Retirement Village

  April 18

  ‘Adam? What on earth …?’ May reached for the clock and held it up close, scanning the dial with one eye. ‘It’s the middle of the night, love.’ She wrestled her way into an upright position in the bed. ‘And you’re not supposed to show your face around here until the shooting finishes.’

  His mother had a way of making Adam feel like a naughty kid again. But he also knew no matter what he’d done, however bad he’d been, this tiny, feisty woman would always be there for him. And if the only way for her to hear his confession and grant absolution involved driving to Broome in the depths of night then getting home before dawn, so be it. He wasn’t spending much time sleeping these days anyway.

  He placed the car keys on her bedside table, the only spare surface in the compact room. ‘It’s called a shoot, not a shooting, Mum, and I know I shouldn’t be here but I’ve got things I have to talk to you about.’ He sat on the edge of the bed and took a gnarled hand in his.

  The words didn’t come easily. He swallowed, mustering up his strength. Confessing that he’d lost his heart to a woman he shouldn’t have fallen for, explaining all the complications arising from that, and the terrible mistake he’d made in sending Evie home for something she hadn’t even done, was difficult at first; he’d never been this open with his mother before. But then as he continued on, giving all the reasons why he loved Evie, admitting she’d helped him face up to emotions in a way he never had before, the words began pouring out, a deluge held way too long behind a dam wall rapidly disintegrating.

  When he finally finished, having outlined what he intended to do to set things right, May gently squeezed his shoulder. Instead of the censure he’d expected over the mess he’d got himself into, her wide smile, as warm as one of her cuddles, reassured him of her unconditional acceptance.

  ‘I’m not surprised at your feelings for Evie,’ she said, so much love in her crinkled eyes. ‘The enthusiasm in your voice whenever you spoke about her over the phone was priceless. When I met her, I liked her instantly. It was so easy to see you were attracted. Your eyes didn’t light up that way with either of the other girls.’ She lifted his chin with her frail fingers to look straight into his eyes. ‘You were never going to give your heart to just anyone, Adam. She must be something special.’

  ‘She is.’ The images of Evie in his head were so powerful, for a moment he couldn’t stop grinning. But then the huge relief of his mother’s approval was overshadowed by the thought of what had to be said next.

  ‘The thing is, if I choose Evie, I’ll be reneging on my contract. I could go through the charade of pursuing a relationship with Chrissy or Meg for the next three months, but I won’t. It wouldn’t be honest. And I don’t want to hurt either of them.’

  May validated his decision with a sombre nod.

  ‘But you need to know, there’s a distinct possibility I’ll be taken to court by the network. Being sued by a big corporation means big bucks.’

  Did his mother understand where this was leading? He shifted his gaze away, afraid he’d see accusation in her eyes. ‘If that happens, I’ll lose everything Dad worked for. Mum … I could lose the farm.’

  He paused for the information to sink in then risked a look down. Her expression had dimmed slightly, her forehead creasing into a hundred tiny, tight folds. She sighed and patted his arm. ‘Let’s have a cuppa.’

  She hauled herself out of bed and wordlessly busied herself boiling the jug and making them both a hot black tea. In the confines of the small room it smelled strong and sweet and brought back nostalgic memories of so many mornings in their old kitchen.

  ‘The way I see it,’ she said at last, handing him a teacup, ‘you don’t owe Larry or me anything. You were—you are—the best thing that ever happened to two lonely old people. You made our lives complete. What we provided was a safe home but what you gave us was so much more—yourself. You made us a family.’

  Her words moved Adam deeply. His throat closed over and tears filled his eyes. He couldn’t respond from the effort of holding them back.

  ‘My gorgeous boy, I’m so happy you’ve found the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. You need to make a family of your own. It’s what makes life worthwhile.’

  He had to get the words out. ‘But if I lose Paradise? It’s a big deal, Mum. It’s home.’

  ‘And it was a wonderful place to live, and I know you love it there. But a home, a true home, is wherever the people you love are. The farm is just a place. You’ll always have those memories of our life together there—’ she pressed her crooked fingers to his heart, ‘—in here.’ Her other hand went to her own chest. ‘As do I.’

  There was so much wisdom in those ancient eyes. She spoke from experience; how could he not believe her?

  ‘So you’re okay with all this?’

  ‘I am. When you get to my age you realise how useless regret is. With a loving heart and without hurting anyone, do what’s best for you. If that results in forfeiting the farm, so be it. You’ll miss it, but look what you’ll have gained. All that matters to me is your happiness.’

  ‘Yeah, I will miss it. But without Evie there I feel like I’m just treading water. Every moment of every day feels like it’s wasted. It’s not how I want to spend my life.’

  ‘Exactly. No regrets.’ May sipped her tea.

  ‘I don’t even know if she’s going to be willing to hear me out. Or if she still feels the same way about me she did before. And if she does, whether she’s prepared to move up here. Or—’

  ‘That’s a lot of ifs, love.’

  ‘It is. And I don’t know the answer to any of them. I just know I have to give it a shot. I’m grounded now. I need to be the best version of me I can be. For Evie as well as for myself.’

  May set down her teacup and regarded him earnestly. ‘You’re different. There’s an inner strength in you I haven’t seen before, and that terrible loneliness has gone. You’ve finally forgiven yourself for what that man did to you, haven’t you?’

  Adam acknowledged his mother’s insight with a growing smile. Yes, he had. Evie had prodded, poked and jabbed that unconscious internal healing process into working its wonders. There was no way to alter the facts of his early childhood, but there was no longer any need to turn it into the stuff of nightmares—that very past had made him the man he was today. A man with a healthy acceptance of his own emotions, willing to lay his heart on the line.

  ‘I love you, Mum.’

  She gathered his shoulders between her wizened arms and gave him a fierce hug. ‘Me too,’ she said, echoing the words he’d always used in response to her declarations of love.

  There was a catch in her voice. Maybe she’d just realised, as he had, it was the first time he’d ever told her that.

  CHAPTER

  25

  Evie’s apartment, Perth

  April 23

  The knock was so soft Evie wasn’t sure she’d even heard it. This was a secure building, after all. Just to be sure, she put an eye to the peephole.

  In the time it took to blink, a churning cascade of emotions thundered through her. Confusion. Trepidation. Apprehension.

  Hurt.

  Her sister stood in the tiled foyer outside the door.

  They hadn’t spoken since the Nick fiasco, over a year ago. Why was Lulu here? Had she come to gloat or to commiserate? Heart thumping with uncertainty, Evie twisted the door handle.

  Lulu flew at her, arms reaching out to encircle her waist, pressing her face to Evie’s chest. ‘Oh, sis. Mum told me what happened—she finally wormed it out of Dad—and I know I’m probably the last person you want to see but I just had to come because you need to know that I’m here for you, even though you have every reason to hate me still,’ she blurted out before stopping on a loud sob. ‘And I just had to see you because I can
’t stand it any longer. You have to forgive me, you just have to, because I miss you—I miss us. You were my shoulder to cry on, my partner in crime, and no one else could—’

  ‘Stop,’ Evie instructed her gently. ‘Take a breath.’

  The rapid speech and shaky voice reeked of desperation. She took her little sister by the shoulders and held her at arm’s length. One look into those tear-bright blue eyes and she felt like crying as well. Not because she was sad but because a huge bubble of joy had suddenly filled her heart. ‘I’ve missed you, too.’ She realised it was the truth as she spoke the words.

  ‘You have?’ Lulu hiccuped and Evie grinned.

  ‘I have.’ She took her hand to lead her to the sofa. ‘I wanted to make contact with you when I first got back from the farm but, to be honest, I just couldn’t face you.’

  Lulu’s head dropped. ‘I understand. What I did was unforgivable.’

  ‘No, no. Not because of Nick,’ Evie assured her, patting a space beside her on the black leather lounge. ‘It’s because you know me too well. If I tried to cover up what happened up there, like Dad insisted, you’d know I was lying. I didn’t want that between us. Not if we’re going to patch things up.’

  ‘Patch things up?’ A slow smile spread over her sister’s tear-stained but still perfect features. ‘Really?’

  Making peace with Lulu was something Evie had known she had to do, for both their sakes, but it wasn’t until now that the word ‘forgive’ rang true in her head. Coming to terms with the hurts of the past, settling unresolved issues, was the only way to move on; hadn’t she said as much to Adam?

  Time to take her own advice.

  ‘I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I said it didn’t still hurt a little but, yes …’ Evie dragged in a deep breath, ‘… I forgive you.’ As she said the words she knew her sister needed to hear, the bubble of happiness in her chest burst to flood her entire body.

  ‘It doesn’t feel enough to just say thank you,’ Lulu whispered, her mouth quivering. ‘But I mean it, and I am so, so sorry for the misery I caused you.’

  Evie enfolded her in her arms, the old instinctive urge to comfort kicking in. ‘I know. It’s okay. In fact, in a weird kind of way, I owe you.’ She pulled back to meet her sister’s eyes levelly. ‘If you hadn’t done what you did I might never have found out what real love is … I may never have met Adam.’

  Unprepared for the wave of misery that crashed over her at saying his name aloud, she couldn’t prevent her face from contorting into the ugly cry. Dammit!

  ‘Oh, sis.’ Despite her tiny size, Lulu’s hug was bear-like in its intensity and revealed just how much her sister truly loved and cared for her. Even through the sadness, it was a good feeling.

  ‘Do you want to tell me about him? About Adam?’

  Drawing strength from the firm grip of her sister’s hand, Evie told her story. Every word was a struggle to begin but, as she continued on, the release of finally confiding in someone became cathartic. There’d been no one to talk to about all that had happened to her and it wasn’t something she was handling well on her own. She poured out her heart and Lulu listened, offering silent solace, only asking questions now and then for clarification.

  It was such a relief to finally get it out: how she’d fallen for a man she had no right to fall for, her humiliation at his rejection, the constant conflict with Neil and escalating animosity between herself and Chrissy on the shoot, the discovery of the pair’s illicit relationship and, lastly, her plan to save Adam from the inevitable heartache choosing Chrissy would bring.

  ‘I hate that he hurt you, but I can also see how much you love him. And I understand why you need to do what you’re going to do, but it’s a massive risk. Are you sure you’re prepared to wear the consequences? You’ll probably lose your job.’

  She’d already accepted that. ‘I will, for sure.’ Somehow the demise of her all-important career no longer held the terror for her it once had.

  ‘But following in Dad’s footsteps was all you ever talked about.’

  ‘I thought it was all I wanted, but I’ve learned a lot about myself over the past couple of months. I finally realised I’ve made this career of mine the centre of my world for all the wrong reasons. To win approval, not because it was what I really wanted to do with my life.’

  ‘So you’re going to chuck it all in.’ Despite the concerned frown, Lulu sounded resigned. ‘Well, you’re a braver person than I am, sis. But then you always were, as Dad constantly pointed out to me while we were growing up.’

  ‘He did?’

  ‘Yeah.’ She said it like it was a given. ‘You were the go-getter. It earned you his respect. That, and the way you’re so good with people. Probably because he’s so hopeless with them. We both know how abrupt he is.’

  ‘I think you’ve got your wires crossed. You’re the one he always bragged about. His beautiful daughter.’

  Lulu shook her golden bob vehemently. ‘Dad liked to show me off but he made it clear I was there only to be seen, not heard. You were the one he talked to, the one he involved in his work. I loved you, but I couldn’t help being jealous, too, of you being his favourite.’

  What the …? ‘Me, the favourite? No way.’

  Each pointed a finger at the other. ‘You were,’ they said at the same time.

  Evie jumped on the end of Lulu’s giggle, and soon they were both rolling about on the couch, laughing without holding back. How crazy was it that they had gone their entire lives believing the other was the favoured daughter?

  If Evie really thought about it, maybe their dad had spent a lot more individual time with her. The reason—the fact that she constantly sought his attention by displaying overt interest in his work—didn’t alter the truth of her sister’s perception. She had shared things with their father that Lulu hadn’t.

  So what did it all mean? Had the beliefs she’d always held about herself—that she wasn’t pretty enough, that she had to be an achiever to win her dad’s love—been based on self-delusion?

  She pressed her fist to her stomach as the truth struck. Yes, it was entirely possible. And if that was the case then conceivably it was her own jealousy of her sister’s looks that had convinced her he loved Lulu more. Maybe their father was just a fallible human being who couldn’t show his real feelings.

  Oh man, that was a lot to grasp in one hit. But wherever the truth lay, the important thing was everything had now been set right between herself and Lulu and she could begin to get her life back.

  ‘I’m glad we talked, sis. I’m ashamed of what I did to you and I’m certainly not trying to excuse my behaviour, but I think jealousy was why I played up to Nick when he flirted with me. It was a spur-of-the moment thing I’ll always be sorry for.’

  ‘Don’t be. I could happily have killed you at the time but, deep down, I knew I should be … I don’t know … grateful, I guess, to have discovered the sort of man he was before our relationship went any further. Who needs a guy who’d shove you aside for the gorgeous girl behind you, right?’

  Lulu’s eyes filled instantly with repentant tears. ‘Are you having a dig at me?’

  Evie lifted her sister’s face up. ‘No, sweetie. I was just being honest. That’s what we need to be with each other from now on. Okay?’

  Lulu nodded, and in her eyes Evie saw reflected back all her own insecurities, her vulnerability and her self-doubt. So much passed between them in the space of a heartbeat it was impossible to comprehend or explain. Something only sisters could experience.

  Having Lulu back in her life again felt like completion. She kissed her sister’s cheek. ‘Love you.’

  ‘Love you too, sis.’

  What a revelation the last six weeks had turned out to be. Things may not have gone the way she planned, but by following the new path her life had taken, Evie was seeing things differently. And along the way she’d come to realise how wrong she’d been to compare her sister to Chrissy. Thoughtless and indiscreet as Lulu’s actions ma
y have been, they had nothing on Chrissy’s mean-spirited and deliberately deceitful manipulations. The two women were nothing alike.

  ‘So what are you going to do about a job?’ her sister asked.

  She’d given this a fair bit of thought. ‘Adam once told me I’d make a good counsellor. I’m hoping he knows what he’s talking about. See, I want to do something worthwhile with my life, and this feels right. I’ve enrolled in an accredited training course.’

  ‘Good for you. Whatever you set your mind to, you’ll do well at.’

  Evie threw a look of thanks at her sister. For the first time, the new plan she had for her future seemed doable. If she could get through the ordeal of tomorrow night without going down in a screaming heap, anything was possible. It might be too late to salvage anything from her relationship with Adam, but it wasn’t too late to stop the man she still loved from making the biggest mistake of his life.

  ‘I’m trying to picture Dad’s face when you tell him all this.’ Lulu chuckled. ‘I’d love to be a fly on the wall.’

  ‘Oh no, you wouldn’t. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.’

  CHAPTER

  26

  WAB Television Studios

  April 24

  ‘Are you denying it?’ Ewan Sinclair rose threateningly from his chair, his deeply lined cheeks a mottled red. He clutched the incriminating evidence tight in one fist.

  Evie had seen her father in rages before. It wasn’t pretty. Eyes bulging. Neck muscles corded. Spittle flying. She couldn’t help but be grateful the outburst wasn’t directed at her.

  Neil Blake fixed her with a hard stare before shifting his gaze to Steve Willis, who stood beside her, rubbing a nervous hand up and down his arm. The atmosphere in the production office was rampant with apprehension. Their investigation into Neil and Chrissy’s relationship had yielded some startling information.

  ‘Quite the detectives, aren’t you?’ Neil scowled.

  ‘Answer my question!’ the producer yelled, banging a fist on his desk and making papers jump.