Outback Secrets by Rachael Johns

Epilogue

One year later

‘What’s a girl got to do to get a drink around here?’

‘Henri!’ Liam would know that voice anywhere. He straightened from where he’d been restacking glasses under the bar and nearly whacked his head on it in the process. He didn’t care. ‘What are you doing here?’ he asked, almost unable to believe his eyes. ‘I didn’t think you were coming home until tomorrow?’

Sheila didn’t waste time with conversation; she’d already darted out from behind the bar and was pawing Henri like a long-lost war hero.

‘I decided to surprise you,’ Henri said, giggling as she stooped to ruffle the dog’s fur. ‘At least someone seems happy to see me.’

‘Happy?’ He shook his head and rushed around to join them, yanking her into his arms, putting his mouth on hers and showing her that happy didn’t even come close.

After a good thirty seconds, he pulled back, took hold of her hands and looked his fill. ‘I missed you.’

‘Ditto. The last few weeks felt like an eternity.’

He nodded as he reached for her luggage. ‘You tired? Want me to take these upstairs or do you want a drink first?’

‘Unless you can sneak away with me …’ She glanced around at the heaving pub. It was three weeks before Christmas—almost a year to the day that she’d fallen asleep in the pub. Harvest had just finished and everyone was in a mood to let their hair down.

‘Not for a while, I’m afraid.’

‘That’s what I thought. I’ll have a prosecco then.’

‘Prosecco? Since when does Henrietta Forward drink prosecco? Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?’

She gave him a smug smile. ‘I’m celebrating something.’

His heart thudded. ‘You’re not pregnant, are you?’

A child wouldn’t be the end of the world, but he knew it wasn’t something Henri wanted and that suited him just fine. Thanks to her he had more than he’d ever expected to have again.

She gave him a look. ‘As if! Get my drink and I’ll tell you.’

‘Yes, ma’am.’ Curious, he returned behind the bar and while he grabbed a bottle of their finest bubbles, Henri did a quick round of the pub, saying hi, before finally climbing up on the stool beside Rex.

She kissed him on the cheek. ‘Hey there. How’s things at the tip? Found anything interesting lately?’

‘Only yesterday I stumbled across a fresh bouquet of roses.’

‘Wow. That is interesting.’ She nudged him in the side with her elbow. ‘Maybe you have an admirer.’

Liam chuckled as Rex’s whole face turned bright red.

‘I heard about your latest donation,’ Henri continued. Grant was putting on a Christmas pantomime to entertain and also raise money for rural men’s mental health, and the not-so-mysteriousanymore benefactor had made a large donation for costumes and sets. ‘You never cease to surprise me. I wouldn’t have picked you as a theatre buff.’

The crimson fading, Rex winked and swigged his beer. ‘How are you anyway, Henri girl? How long you back for this time?’

‘Long enough,’ she replied and then glanced around as if only seeing the pub for the first time. Her gaze lingered on the tinsel that trimmed the bar before moving on to the reindeer head that said ‘Merry Christmas’ when anyone walked past it, and landed finally on the large Christmas tree right next to the bar.

‘Nice decorations, Liam.’ She smiled at him and then lifted her hand to her ear. ‘And are they Christmas carols you have playing?’

‘Just tell me your news,’ he said, leaning across the bar so their faces were mere inches from each other. He could kiss her again if he wanted to, and he did, but he didn’t trust himself not to stop. ‘What are you celebrating?’

‘We’re celebrating,’ she said, before lifting her glass, taking a sip and immediately making a face. ‘Ugh. Why do people like this stuff so much?’

‘Put me out of my misery and I’ll pour you a Guinness.’

‘Okay.’ She put down the glass. ‘I’m coming home. For good.’

‘What?’

‘The wonderful Wendy Mann at Geraldton Air Charter has offered me a job.’

‘Holy shit. Flying?’

‘Yep. As you know, they do charter and aerial work and amazing tours. I’m looking forward to taking tourists out to the Abrolhos Islands, but also to Monkey Mia, Shark Bay and Kalbarri.’ She met his eye with a twinkle. ‘I don’t want us to be apart anymore, and this way, I get to have my cake and eat it too. I get to keep flying, but I won’t have to go away. Well, very rarely, and not for more than a night or two max.’

‘Are you serious?’

She nodded.

This was the best news Liam had heard since … since ever.

But what if she regretted it? It had been tough spending weeks apart, but they’d managed. She always flew home between contracts, and he’d gone and visited her in various places as well. Turned out Macca and the rest of his fabulous staff managed the pub just fine without him.

‘Are you going to say anything or are you just going to stand there showing off your tonsils?’ Henri asked.

He choked out a laugh of disbelief. ‘I … Are you sure this is what you want? Won’t you miss the thrill of ag flying and travelling far and wide?’

She shook her head. ‘Not as much as I miss you. We’ve made long-distance work this year, but I don’t want to do that any longer. I want to be with you. Twenty-four seven. Three hundred and sixty-five days a year.’

‘In that case, congratulations.’ He picked up her glass and took a sip of prosecco—it truly wasn’t as bad as she made out.