The twins jumped up and down and Josh helped them into the tray. “Boys.” He waited until he had their full attention. “Anyone who breaks the rules will ride in the front with Darcy, is that clear?”
They both nodded and Josh climbed in, making sure each child was tucked next to him. Sofia hesitated and Lara held out her hand. “Come on, Mum.”
With a sigh, Sofia climbed up.
Darcy took it slowly, keeping an eye in his rear-view mirror to check the boys were behaving themselves. When he saw a couple of emus, he stopped for them to have a better look and then continued to the beach. Lara helped the boys down and then she raced them over the sand, helping them take off their shoes and shirts before heading into the water with them.
She’d make a great older sister.
The image of Faith holding a baby accompanied the thought, and he reined it in with a jerk. What the hell was he thinking? That was moving way too fast.
“This must have been a great place to grow up,” Josh said as they walked at a slower pace over to where the kids had dumped their clothes and towels.
“I loved it,” Darcy said.
“And Lara loves it too.” Sofia stopped him. “You’ve done such a good job with our daughter.”
Darcy’s chest tightened as Josh continued walking to give them privacy. “Thanks.”
“I am sorry for Friday, and I’m sorry for how I left. I know I hurt you and Lara, but honestly, seeing her now, such a confident and happy girl, I believe I made the right decision. I would have been miserable here and that misery would have rubbed off on you both.” As if to punctuate her words, the wind blew a small willy-willy around them, coating them in red dust, and Sofia sneezed, brushing at her clothes.
Something clicked in Darcy’s head. It had never been about him or about Lara, it had been about the place and Sofia’s own needs. He’d been so caught up in what he wanted, in his dreams, he hadn’t considered she might not share them, might not love the land as he loved it. An acceptance settled over him. “I get that now. It looks as if you’re happy.”
She nodded, watching Josh join the kids in the water. “I’ve still got a lot to learn about being a mum, but they make me happy.”
“And Lara?”
She was silent a moment. “When I arrived here, I had ideas I would sweep in and rescue her from this place,” she admitted. “We would be the perfect mother-daughter pair.”
His chest constricted, and he opened his mouth to refuse when she laughed. “But taking her from the Ridge would be as bad as me staying here.”
His angry words fizzled, and he was left a little dizzy. She wasn’t taking Lara from him?
“I’d like to stay in touch, though. Maybe we can set up regular video chats, and perhaps during the school holidays she could visit us in Melbourne.”
The idea of Lara flying across the country by herself made his muscles tense, but he relaxed them. “I’m sure we can sort something out.” This was the best outcome for all of them.
“Thanks, Darcy. For everything.” She kissed his cheek and then went to sit at the towels.
Darcy stayed where he was, free of the fear that had sat on his shoulders since he’d first seen Sofia across the restaurant. She wasn’t taking his baby away from him. And better yet for Lara, she wanted to have a relationship with her. Hot, happy tears blurred his vision, and he brushed them away. Lara would be thrilled. He couldn’t wait to share the news with Faith. But right now Lara was calling for him to join them.
And he wasn’t letting his girl down.
***
After lunch, Darcy and Lara waved as Josh and Sofia drove away. Darcy slipped an arm around Lara. “How are you feeling, pumpkin?”
“Sad,” she said. “But good.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“I understand why Mum didn’t stay now,” she said.
Interested in what she would come up with, he asked, “Why’s that?”
“Are you kidding?” Lara raised her eyebrows. “She hates dust and the ocean, and doesn’t much like horses. She’d make the worst farmer, and she’d be unhappy.”
His daughter was observant. “Are you all right with that?”
