LITMIR.BIZ

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tracked over him despite herself. ‘There’s an area that doesn’t pick up very well.’

      ‘You should make any other calls now before we lose reception.’

      ‘Yes, I’d better do that.’ How did Rick feel about holding her hand? Had he simply wanted to offer comfort? It felt somehow deeper than that, and he was so determined to help her, anything she might need …

      He glanced her way. ‘Did you want to try your father again?’

      ‘No. Dad won’t have his phone on inside the hospital, but I’d like to send a message to one of my friends.’ She toyed with her phone. ‘Yes, I think Grace would be out of bed by now, or at least close to it.’

      She’d also arranged a drink after work with a man from the dating site. Marissa looked up his number in her phone listings—just as well she’d put it in there—and sent a quick message explaining her situation. Doing that made her aware, finally, of how close she was pressed to Rick’s side, how much she’d been leaning on him, physically and emotionally.

      ‘I’m sorry. I’m not usually so … needy.’ She moved away to the passenger seat.

      ‘You weren’t.’ He cast a glance at her that revealed warmth and caring in the depths of his eyes. ‘There’s nothing wrong with leaning on someone else sometimes.’

      Marissa’s phone gave a number of beeps and she quickly glanced at it. ‘Two messages.’

      She checked the first message. ‘This one’s from my friend Grace in London, well, an Internet friend, actually. She says, “Be strong, sweetie, and hugs and prayers for your mum. Grace xx.” Grace has a nineteen-year-old daughter and has lived a complete different life to me in so many ways, yet I feel a connection with her. Knowing her is kind of like having a fun older sister.’

      ‘What about the other message?’

      She didn’t really want to tell him about the man she’d planned to meet for a drink. Why had she bothered anyway? The thought rolled over her, and she did her best to push it away. Right now wasn’t the time to try to figure out whether she was wasting her time on the dating site, whether her reasons for joining were even right …

      Marissa opened the message reluctantly, and then relaxed. ‘This is from another of my Internet friends, Dani. Grace must have forwarded my message to her. I didn’t want to wake Dani.’ She read the second message out. ‘“Sending prayers. Call me if you need 2. Any time!!!’”

      ‘Where does Dani live? Is she an older woman like Grace?’

      ‘San Francisco, and no. She’s younger than I am and more ambitious in certain ways. Well, perhaps not more ambitious, but highly focused in her working life particularly, I think. Dani is at the start of her career and she’s studied hard and really wants to have a great job. At the moment she’s working in some dead end position she doesn’t like to talk about and hoping something better will come along.’

      ‘Do you have sisters or brothers, Marissa?’

      He’d probably asked to keep her mind occupied. Marissa wanted to open up to him anyway. As she recognised that, she stared out of the window at the scenery flashing by.

      Grassy paddocks on either side of the road interspersed with native gum and paper-bark trees. Hills undulated as far as the eye could see and gave a sense of quiet and open space very different from the teeming life of the city.

      They weren’t too far from Milberry now. What would he think of her home town?

      ‘No sisters or brothers. I’m an only child. Maybe that’s why I want …’ She broke off, cleared her throat. ‘Mum and Dad only ever had me, but Mum made sure I had lots of chances to play with other children, to get the social interaction I needed. What about you? Just the two sisters?’

      ‘Yes. I’m the eldest. Darla’s in the middle, and Faith is the youngest.’

      And his sisters had married, made families, but Rick hadn’t.

      Minutes passed. Marissa clutched her phone and willed it to ring.

      ‘There’s the ten kilometre sign.’ She stiffened in her seat and, as though their nearness had brought it about, her phone finally complied with a ring tone. With a gasp, she fumbled for it and quickly answered.

      ‘Yes. Yes. Okay. All right. I can’t wait to see her.’

      While Marissa paused to listen to her caller, Rick slowed at the outskirts of the township.

      ‘We’ll see you soon, Dad.’ She ended the call and sat forward to give Rick directions.

      CHAPTER TEN

      ‘WE’RE to go straight to Mum and Dad’s unit. I don’t know what to think!’ Marissa’s words tumbled out in a rush, concern warring with threads of relief she couldn’t truly believe. Not yet. ‘They’ve let Mum go home with my Aunty Jean to watch over her. Aunty’s a registered nurse.’

      ‘How could they release her so quickly after such pain?’ Rick put the question that was filling her thoughts into words. ‘What was the diagnosis? Is this a decent hospital we’re talking about? If not, we’ll get her admitted somewhere else.’

      ‘Apparently a cyst ruptured on one of Mum’s ovaries. She is still in some discomfort but it’s not severe now. They say she just needs to rest with the appropriate medication. Once they were certain of the diagnosis they let her go.’

      Marissa drew a quick breath. ‘It is a good hospital, the staff are reliable and Aunty Jean wouldn’t let them release her unless she was confident Mum was up to that. Even so, I need to see her. If I look at her, I’ll know—’

      ‘How do we get to your parents’ home?’ He gestured ahead of them. ‘Let’s get you there so you can see for yourself.’

      ‘If you follow this road it will take you straight through the main street of the town.’ He understood what she needed and that … warmed her. ‘After the Region’s Own Bank building you turn left and Mum and Dad’s unit is in the second street on the right.’

      His gaze glanced left and right as he followed the directions she’d given him.

      Many of the homes were red brick or weatherboard with corrugated iron roofs. Just about every front garden had rose bushes or camellias, a front fence with a wrought iron gate with an old-fashioned curlicue scroll design on top, and a mailbox on the right-hand gatepost.

      There were vintage cars interspersed with sedans and utility trucks in the main street.

      A rally weekend, Marissa realised vaguely, and sat forward in her seat again as they neared the turn to her parents’ home.

      ‘That’s their place.’ She pointed. ‘The small pale brick one with the red sedan and green station wagon parked out front.’

      Rick followed Marissa’s directions and parked on the street behind the other two cars. He studied the workmanship of the square building design, with its regulation small porch, front window awnings and slightly curved pathway from the front fence to that porch, but his thoughts were focused on the woman at his side.

      He’d expected Marissa to leap from the vehicle before he’d even parked it properly. Instead, at the last minute, she turned to face him.

      Her eyes were wide, her expression a combination of concern and chagrin. ‘I haven’t thanked you for dropping everything to get me here the way you did and for your kindness during the trip. It … well … I hope Mum truly is a lot better, though I’m still concerned for her, and I appreciate—’

      ‘I know you do, and there’s no need to say anything.’ Maybe she was hesitating at the last moment out of fear of what she would find. If so, the sooner she saw her Mum the better. He opened his door and came to her side to help her out.

      With her hand clasped in his as he helped her down, he admitted,

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