A Home Like Ours by Fiona Lowe (feel good books .txt) 📕

I’ve obviously lost the plot completely otherwise I wouldn’t have kissed you.’ Gratitude rolled in unexpectedly, settling over the mess of emotions roiling through her. ‘I never thought I’d say this, Zac, but thanks for stopping us. Thanks for not taking advantage of my emotional crisis.’

He gave her a wry smile. ‘If it helps any, it wasn’t easy. I wanted it as much as you did, but I never screw a mate.’

‘Physically and metaphorically?’

‘That’s it.’ He squeezed her hand. ‘I don’t want things between us to change.’

‘I think that horse has well and truly bolted.’

‘Nah. We caught it and led it back into the stables. We can still be friends.’ Remorse wove across his cheeks. ‘Please don’t pull out of training.’

The thought of losing their training sessions on top of losing Jon and Shannon socked her hard. She thought back to the early months of training with Zac. He was right. They’d had an uncomplicated relationship focusing on the training with some easy conversation on the side. She’d been the one who’d pushed the change and he’d responded.

‘The flirting’s got to stop,’ she said.

‘Totally. I’m really sorry things are shit with your husband.’

‘Yeah. So am I.’

He removed the ice pack. ‘Go and see Doug and get some treatment for this. Ring him now. He might be able to squeeze you in.’

‘Yes, Mum,’ she teased. But she appreciated his concern. It was a nice change from the criticism she’d been getting from other people in her life.

‘And we need to fill in an incident report,’ he added.

‘I’m not going to sue you, Zac.’

‘Yeah, but if a customer fell in the shop, you’d insist they fill one in. I’ll go and grab the form.’

As his feet thundered down the stairs, her phone rang. ‘Tara Hooper.’

‘Tara, it is Fiza Atallah. Your neighbour.’

Her teeth clenched. How did the woman get her number? ‘I know who you are. Why are you calling?’

‘It is about your husband. I am at the hospital with him.’

‘What? Why?’ Tara’s heart slammed hard against her ribs. ‘Where are the children?’

‘They are safe. Amal is looking after them.’

Safe?! Her mind spun. ‘Where’s Ian?’

‘I don’t know an Ian. You must come to the hospital now.’

CHAPTER

21

As long as Tara didn’t breathe too deeply her level of discomfort was tolerable, but when she saw Jon lying on the hospital trolley, she gasped. Pain ricocheted through her—not all of it muscular. His big body filled the narrow mattress, but instead of looking reassuringly indomitable, it was slumped and caved in on itself. A large pale cream bandage ran from his fingertips to his elbow, and his complexion was a close colour match with the exception of the black swelling on his forehead.

His eyes met hers—brave but scared, reminding her of Flynn.

‘Hey.’ She squeezed his hand. ‘What happened?’

‘The nail gun and I disagreed.’

This didn’t make much sense. Jon was always so careful with tools.

‘How? Did the kids distract you? Why isn’t Ian here?’

Fiza walked in then, a bright flash of colour in the muted pastels of the emergency department. A hospital lanyard hung around her neck. ‘Hello, Mrs Hooper. Mr Hooper.’

‘Tara, this is …’ Jon sighed. ‘I’m sorry. I’ve forgotten your name.’

‘Fiza.’ She stood tall and straight and everything about her said, Don’t mess with me, this is my patch. ‘When your husband fell, your son came for help.’

‘Fell?’ Tara swung her gaze back to Jon. ‘What did you fall off?’

‘He did not fall off anything,’ Fiza said.

‘I don’t understand. Jon?’

But his eyes were closed.

Fiza inclined her head towards the door and Tara followed her into another room.

‘When we found him, your husband was lying on the ground and he couldn’t stand up. He is a big man and it took Amal and me to help him to his feet. He was very unsteady and this did not improve. I bandaged his hand and brought him here for tests.’

Tara recalled the frosty way she’d instructed Fiza to leave Tingledale. Embarrassment mingled with an uneasy mixture of chagrin and gratitude. ‘Thank you.’ It came out stiff and curt so she tried again. ‘That was very kind.’

Fiza shrugged. ‘No one deserves to be alone on the ground and unaided.’

Was that a shot at her? Tara searched Fiza’s face for criticism but saw only pride and determination in the tilt of her chin.

‘I don’t want to inconvenience you any further,’ she said. ‘I’ll call my father-in-law and ask him to collect the children.’

‘There is no hurry. Perhaps it is better they are playing with friends and not worrying about their father.’

Something about the way Fiza said the words clenched something tight inside Tara. Did she speak from experience? Tara had never seen an adult male on the property. Or did she know something more about Jon than she was letting on?

‘I need to speak to the doctor,’ she said.

‘Of course. I will tell him you are here.’

Fiza walked away and Tara headed outside to call Ian.

He answered with his usual greeting. ‘Hello, love. What can I do you for?’

‘I’m at the hospital. Jon’s okay but he’s had an accident and we still need to talk to the doctor. Can you please go to Tingledale and look after the kids?’

‘Sure, but it’s going to take me a few hours to get back.’

‘Where are you?’

‘Kangaroo Flat.’

‘But Jon told me you were coming over this afternoon to help him with Clemmie’s playhouse.’

‘Did he? I’ve got that written down in the diary for tomorrow.’

She rubbed her temple as sounds of a public bar drifted down the line. When Ian drank he stuffed things up all the time. ‘Are you okay to drive?’

‘Been on the light stuff, love. I’ll start home now. Ask Rhianna or Kelly to help you out until I get there.’

‘Thanks.’ She hung up and called Kelly.

‘Sorry, Tara, but Al and I are on the road. We’re having a weekend away.’

Tara hesitated to ring Rhianna. But the children were better off with someone they knew. Pushing past her issues, she called her but Rhianna didn’t pick up.

Desperation tapped