She smiled at the ground. ‘It’s the cost of time spent with my aunt and cousin.’ It had taken a while, but their new life was starting to find a rhythm. ‘I should go help with dinner.’
Harlan pulled her in the direction of the stables. ‘I want to show you something first.’
She angled her head. ‘I’m not falling for that again.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Last time you said that, you locked us in a stall and did unspeakable things to me. We missed dinner completely.’
‘I don’t recall you complaining at the time.’
Her cheeks heated. ‘Well, I’ll complain this time because I’m in the process of winning over your father. A good start is to be present when he comes for dinner.’
Harlan squinted down at her. ‘You’ve already won him over.’
‘How can you tell?’
He walked her towards the stables. ‘He doesn’t come to the house to see me.’
‘It’s probably Lyndal’s cooking.’ Stepping inside, Blake looked around. ‘Well? What am I looking at?’
A soft bleating noise came from the stall at the far end, and her head snapped in that direction. Harlan guided her up to the door, and they both looked inside. Huddled in the far corner were two small goats.
‘Meet Ginger and Clove,’ he said.
A wide smile spread across Blake’s face. ‘Oh my goodness.’ She opened the stall door and walked over to them, crouching down.
‘I hear they’re good for keeping the weeds down,’ Harlan said behind her.
Blake stroked their soft backs. ‘I can’t believe you remembered.’
‘I remember every detail of that visit.’
Her smile widened, and she rose and wandered back over to him. ‘Six months ago, I was certain I was going to lie down one evening and never get up again. Death followed me everywhere.’ She wound her arms round his neck. ‘Now I have you, and all of this’—she gestured around her—‘my sisters are healthy, and I’ve not seen my mother this content since my father was alive.’
Harlan watched her closely. ‘And now you have goats.’
‘Goats withnames.’
He looked in their direction. ‘God help us.’
‘My point is’—Blake turned his head so he was looking at her—‘I love you. I love our life and the home we’ve made together. And I love that I caught you petting Garlic in the kitchen two days ago.’
‘I was cleaning something off my boot.’
‘What about the day before that?’
‘I was picking up a feather. That thing moults all over the house.’
Blake gave him a sceptical look, then released a contented breath. ‘I keep waiting for it all to just disappear.’
He gripped her waist with his large hands. ‘Well, stop. I can’t speak for the goats, but I’m not going anywhere.’
She pressed a hand to his face. ‘Thank you for loving me so completely.’
‘Thank you for giving me the chance.’ He kissed her lips, cheek, forehead. ‘I suppose I should let you go inside now.’
Blake’s arms slid off Harlan as she turned to the goats. ‘Come along, ladies. Time to go inside.’
