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      To my sister-in-law Emily, one of my

       biggest supporters.

      And to all those health care professionals who man our hospitals over

       Christmas while everyone else is making

       merry. Extra-special Christmas joy to all of you.

      CHAPTER ONE

      ‘I CAN’T believe I’ve still got a month to go,’ Beth puffed disgustedly as her legs plodded on down the bushy track, her hand kneading the small of her back. ‘I feel like I’ve been pregnant for ever. Now I know how elephants feel.’

      Rilla looked at her sister and stifled a laugh. She’d never seen Beth look more beautiful. ‘Pregnancy becomes you,’ she said, patting her sister’s swollen belly.

      Rilla felt a rush of emotion at the firm swelling beneath her hand and a twinge in her chest that had nothing to do with the exertion of the walk.

      Beth shot Rilla a don’t-patronise-the-expectant-mother look. ‘Oh, yeah. Morning sickness, heartburn, backache and varicose veins. Very becoming,’ Beth muttered. ‘And to top it off I’ve got this damn head cold.’ She blew her nose on a tissue. ‘I mean, who gets a cold in September, for crying out loud?’

      Rilla laughed, startling a nearby parrot, which took to the air with an indignant cry and a blur of crimson wings. ‘You should be at home with your feet up, not trampling through the bush with me.’

      ‘I’m going stir-crazy at home with nothing to do. I could have still been at work but Gabe insisted I take the full six weeks’ maternity leave.’

      ‘He likes to fuss.’ Rilla shrugged.

      ‘He’s driving me mad.’

      Rilla grinned at the thought of her brother-in-law in full don’t-even-lift-a-paperclip mode. She stumbled over a tree root hidden beneath a carpet of leaf litter and fell behind Beth a little. She looked up to see her sister steaming ahead, still tall and straight as a stick from behind, despite the advanced pregnancy.

      So unlike her own shorter, curvier proportions. Rilla had no doubt she’d be well up to the waddling stage by now. If only.

      ‘Anyway, I’m sick of talking about me. Let’s talk about something else.’

      ‘OK, sure.’ Rilla shrugged again. ‘What do you want to talk about?’

      ‘Let’s talk about you.’

      Rilla frowned. ‘What about me?’

      ‘We’re worried about you, Ril.’

      Rilla looked at her older sister. ‘We?’

      ‘The family. All of us.’

      Rilla groaned. She’d been set up. ‘So you’re the emissary, are you?’

      ‘Come on, Ril. We love you. Of course we worry. You’ve been working hard for years to get the NUM job but the last few months, since the position came up, you’ve been working yourself into the ground. Then there was all the stress of the interview last week. Not to mention the divorce papers and taking off your wedding ring. We all know what a big step that was for you. If you’re not careful, you’ll be heading for a breakdown.’

      ‘I’m fine,’ Rilla said testily.

      ‘You don’t sound like it. Maybe you need to talk about it? About him?’ Beth said gently.

      ‘I do not want to talk about Luca,’ Rilla said tersely.

      She didn’t even want to think about her estranged husband. The fact that she would be working with him again in a couple of weeks was causing enough angst. Only a matter of days until her world would once again tilt on its axis.

      ‘Have you heard from him yet? Where’s he going to be living?’ Beth persisted.

      ‘I suppose back at the flat … I don’t know. And I don’t care. I have better things to do than think about Luca Romano,’ Rilla retorted.

      ‘Which is why we’re walking to the very waterfall where he proposed to you eight years ago,’ Beth pointed out.

      ‘Hey,’ Rilla protested. ‘You wanted to go for a bush walk. I’m not David Attenborough. This is the only one I know.’

      Beth raised an eyebrow. ‘It just seems a little … Freudian,’ she suggested.

      The irony of their destination hadn’t been lost on her either, but Rilla refused to dignify her sister’s statement with a comment. The memories of the day Luca had brought her here were particularly powerful as she walked along. So much so she could swear she caught the occasional whiff of the unique aftershave Luca had always favoured.

      They walked in silence for a few moments. The smell of eucalyptus, wattle and damp earth mingled to form a unique bushy fragrance. The heavy warmth of the September day was tempered by the thick canopy above. It filtered the sun’s intensity, allowing only a sprinkle of sunlight to bathe the path.

      A bellbird tinkled in the background, complementing the persistent hum of insect song. A kookaburra laughed in the distance. The track was deserted on this Friday morning but come tomorrow it would be bustling with weekend tourists and city slickers keen for a slice of the great outdoors.

      ‘So he starts in a fortnight?’ Beth asked.

      Rilla sighed and resigned herself to a grilling. ‘Apparently.’

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