‘But of course he didn’t tell us any of this.’
‘Of course not,’ Gibson laughed. ‘And Mum was partly right. At least she’ll be able to own some smugness.’
‘Um … speaking of your mother. I just met her.’
‘You what?’
‘She’s here in the pub, running her fingernails along the bar and—-’
‘Checking for dust?’
It was Imogen’s turn to laugh. ‘Something like that.’
‘Dammit, I was hoping to be there when you met her. To soften the blow. She’s really not that terrible when you get to know her, at least not when she lives three hundred kilometres away.’
‘Gibson,’ Imogen spoke seriously, ‘I keep trying to tell you, nothing is going to put me off. Your mother could be Cruella de Vil, for all I care.’
‘Remind me to buy a lotto ticket tomorrow. I must be the luckiest man alive.’ His words felt like a hot bath wrapping around her body, but there was more to ask about Charlie.
‘This thing Charlie’s got. Can it be fixed?’ She picked up a pen from her desk and rolled it in her fingers, hoping the cure would take a long time for Gibson to explain. She liked the sound of his voice. She liked their banter and their serious discussions. She liked the normalness of speaking to him on the phone.
‘Yep. He’ll have to stay in hospital for a couple of days.’
Relief filled her heart. ‘He’s going to love that.’
Gibson snorted. ‘He doesn’t have a choice. He needs to be on a drip to get the toxin out of his system. But he wants you to know that he’ll be back, so don’t go getting any ideas about replacing him – his words.’
Laughing, Imogen said, ‘I’ll have a few words to say to him myself when I see him. Will you be home tonight?’
‘No, I’m going to spend the night in Kal. It’s late now and I want to be here for Charlie in the morning.’
‘Okay.’ Imogen hoped he couldn’t detect the disappointment in her voice. She understood his desire to stay near Charlie. And his parents would want to spend time with the both of them. ‘I told your Mum to give Charlie my best, but can you tell him I said hi as well? We’re all—-’
‘Imogen,’ his deep voice interrupted her. ‘I can’t stop thinking about last night.’
She grinned. ‘Me neither,’ she said, and then realised she’d been doodling love hearts on her notepad.
‘So, no regrets then?’
She scribbled her initials at the top of one heart and then scrawled his underneath. ‘None whatsoever, Gibson Black. And I promise you, there won’t be.’
Epilogue
Gibson did make Imogen wait three years, but every minute affirmed the fact that he was worth waiting for. He needed those years, and she was more than willing to give them. She’d walk to the ends of the earth for him, so three little years hadn’t seemed so torturous in the end.
In that time, they grew closer than she’d ever believed possible.
She moved out of the pub and into Roseglen. She was still owner and publican of The Majestic, but was happy to hand over most of the daily running to Pauli and Cal, who surprised her, not long after the Man Drought weekend, by admitting they were crazy in love with each other. Looking back, perhaps there had been a few clues. They’d made Gibson’s Find their home as much as she and Jenna had.
Yes, Jenna moved from Perth three months after conceiving Jasmine, and more recently opened a gallery on the main street of town. Showcasing local art and craft, as well as rural artists from right across the state, Regal, Rustic and Rural had become a must-see stop for tourists travelling along the highway – most of whom popped into The Majestic afterwards.
Once there, travellers were certain of a warm welcome, a cold or hot drink depending on the weather, and, if they were interested, a run-down of local history from Charlie. Three years after his stint in hospital, he was healthier than ever, and Imogen couldn’t imagine the pub – not to mention their lives – without him.
And although she hadn’t repeated the Man Drought weekend – too scared of another debacle – it hadn’t been a complete flop. One romance had sparked, blossomed and thrived. Having beaten Imogen and Gibson to the altar, Michelle and Warren had just celebrated two blissful years of marriage. Thus, the female population of Gibson’s Find was on the rise again.
Amy and Ryan still lived in Perth, but they were frequent visitors to the farm, wanting their two children – there were only fifteen months between Gibson and Mitchell – to appreciate the benefits of life on the land. And while Imogen and Gibson loved having the boys around, they were always happy to get back to it just being them.
After Amy and Ryan had driven away and the dust from their city car hurtling down the country track had settled, Imogen would step back inside the only place she could ever call home, into the welcoming arms of the man who made her smile every day. She’d come to Gibson’s Find to build a new future, but nothing had prepared her for the joy of finding Gibson. Where she and Jamie had been waiting for children to fulfil them, with Gibson, she was now complete.
Man Drought Page 35