‘I’ve been thinking about the painting Mum gave you,’ Henny said as she leant back in Stephen’s arms and sipped her wine. ‘I think I know why.’
‘Why she gave it to me? I’ve always wondered.’
‘You said the girl in it reminded you of me?’
‘To be honest, I’ve always thought she was you, and the pool she’s standing in is Killop Res. But I could be wrong.’
Henny angled her head up. ‘No, I’m pretty sure you’re right. I think Mum painted the picture for you because you saved my life. The figure in the painting is rising up and I think that’s what she wanted for me . . . for us.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘That she wanted us—everyone who was there that night—to rise up and live their best lives, to put the darkness behind them and move forward. But I’m pretty sure that there was a secondary meaning; Mum always liked layers. She knew how you felt about me, didn’t she?’
‘I don’t know. I thought that I hid my feelings well but apparently half the town knew that I was kind of stuck on you,’ Stephen said with a grin.
‘I think she intended to bring us together through the painting.’
‘That’s a lovely thought. I think we should run with that and make it the official story that we tell our children.’
Henny let out a small laugh. ‘You’re jumping the gun a bit there, aren’t you?’
‘Probably, but I’m just putting the idea out there to percolate. I’m not in a hurry but I hope that’s where we’re heading.’
Henny angled her head and smiled at him. ‘Got it all worked out, have you?’
‘Yep, sure have—right down to the picket fence.’
‘There’s no such things as fairytales,’ Henny said.
‘No, but after what we’ve been through, I reckon we’re due for a happily ever after, don’t you?’
‘Hmm, maybe you’re right,’ Henny said. She looked into his eyes and then after a moment added softly, ‘I love you.’
‘Well, it’s about time you said that,’ Stephen smiled before he turned her around in his arms and kissed her.
Nicole Hurley-Moore grew up in Melbourne and has travelled extensively, whilst living through the romance of books. Her first passion in life has always been her family, but since doing her Honours in Medieval Literature, she has devoted much of her time to writing historical romance. Nicole is a full-time writer who lives in the Central Highlands of Victoria with her family in the peaceful surrounds of a semi-rural town. She is the author of the immensely popular novels McKellan’s Run, Hartley’s Grange, Country Roads and White Gum Creek.
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