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An ache filled Ellie’s throat as her hand brushed against Kane’s face, damp with tears.

‘How . . . how was Panos when you told him last night?’ Ellie had been wondering why Kane was so quiet when he’d come back in.

He lifted his head and his eyes were cold and hard. ‘I didn’t see him. I waited on the corner but the bastard didn’t show. He still doesn’t know Mum’s gone.’ Kane’s eyes narrowed. ‘He’s such a money-grubbing lowlife nothing would surprise me about him.’

‘You know, I always thought he was helping out when he bought the farm from Mum. But he was no friend to Dad. It’s been in front of me the whole time. He was after the farm all along.’

‘Don’t worry. I’ll get the truth from him. The truth about selling Mum’s home, and his involvement with your family’s farm.’ Kane’s tone was cynical. ‘How long had your dad known him?’

‘Only a few months, but they’d spent a lot of time together in the last few weeks before Dad died.’

In those last weeks, the mango trees had been left to fend for themselves – not that that was really anything different, but Dad had spent more time in the paddocks before Panos had arrived on the scene.

And then, it was only a few weeks later that Mum found Dad hanging in the shed.

Dru had come home from school that fateful afternoon and seen the police cars and the ambulance at the house. Ellie could still hear Mum’s guttural sobs in the background when Dru had called her to tell her what had happened.

‘Ellie?’ Kane’s hands slid down her shoulders and gripped her arms. ‘Ellie, listen to me. Mum told me something that makes me believe there might be someone else behind Panos. Have you ever heard of a man called Russell Fairweather?’ His deep voice against her hair was soothing.

‘No. Should I have?’

‘I’ll make some calls and we’ll look into it when I get back tomorrow. Okay?’

She lifted her head as she thought about his words. If there was someone trying to get this approval through, what else were they capable of. She fought down her rising apprehension. They’d hurt Bill for some reason. They could do it again.

‘You really think Panos was acting for someone else?’

‘I’m sure of it. He hasn’t got the ability to be in something this big himself. And he wouldn’t have the balls to hurt someone.’ His voice filled with disgust. ‘Just enough to dump his dying wife where she’s out of his way.’

Ellie reached up with both hands and held Kane’s face. ‘There has to be a way to deal with this. Surely we can report it. But stay calm, don’t let your grief feed your reaction when you see him. Don’t do anything rash. Okay?’

Kane dropped his forehead to touch hers. ‘That’s the story of my life. You really don’t want to get mixed up with me.’

Getting him to face his anger about what had happened in Afghanistan and his mother’s death would be something to tackle together after they dealt with the funeral and what was happening at the farm. She knew more than anyone what he was going through. Dad’s death had shaped the adult she’d become.

‘I’m still here, Kane.’

He ran his fingers through her loose hair and she smiled at him.

‘Thank you. So what are we going to do?’ he said.

‘Are you coming back to Makowa to stay after . . . after you organise things?’ Now that his mother had passed away, Ellie wondered if he really had any reason to be there.

‘Yes. I’m going to stay here. For a while anyway. I’ve been happier here –’ he reached up and covered her hand with his ‘– even with Mum being ill, I’ve felt like I belong somewhere for the first time since –’

Ellie put her fingers against his mouth and shook her head. ‘That’s all I need to know – that you’re going to be around for a while.’

‘And we’ll work together.’ A great sense of relief filled Ellie, to know that she could share the burden of what was happening at the farm, but still a little trepidation stayed with her.

‘Sordina knows I’ve been down the back and seen the fracking. I fronted him about it on the phone the other day.’

‘Shit. Did you really?’ Admiration crossed Kane’s face and he reached out for her. ‘You are certainly one feisty little lady, aren’t you? Panos may be dishonest but, like I said, he’s a coward. Christ, he wouldn’t even meet with me.’ He stared past her shoulder, his eyes fixed on the wall above her head. ‘Now I’m not so sure. It depends who he’s working for. Trust me, there’ll be money involved.’

‘He said he’d see me this weekend when he came down to the farm. I doubt if he will now.’

‘Probably not. But don’t worry, I’ll get what I can out of him today.’

Slowly Kane’s arms tightened around her and Ellie let herself rest against the hard angles of his chest. She loved him holding her and the comfort brought tears to her eyes.