Page 56 of Outback Hearts

That evening, an emergency council meeting was called. Bill Patterson read Ainsworth’s preliminary findings aloud to the assembled community. When he finished, applause erupted.

***

The final weeks before the electrical and plumbing phases were a blur of intense activity. The interior framing was completed. The verandah railings were installed and painted. The exterior was pressure-washed, revealing the beautiful bones of the building beneath decades of grime.

And everywhere, romances were developing.

Mick and Charlotte were inseparable, already talking about moving into the house he’d bought. ‘I’ll get station work nearby,’ Mick said confidently. ‘There’s always work for good ringers. And Charlotte’s contract at the library runs another year. We’ll make it work.’

Even quieter connections were forming. Bec had started seeing a station manager from a property near Aramac, meeting at weekend rodeos and staying in touch through the week. Bluey was courting a teacher from the school with old-fashioned formality that everyone found endearing.

And Jill—Jill was spending increasing amounts of time with Ryan from the hardware store.

‘We’re just friends,’ Jill insisted when Sophie teased her about it.

‘Friends who have dinner together three times a week,’ Sophie said. ‘Friends who can’t stop smiling when they’re near each other. Friends who—’

‘Alright, fine,’ Jill admitted, blushing. ‘Maybe we’ll be more than friends one day.’ She smiled softly. ‘Ryan’s wonderful. We just fit, you know?’

‘I know,’ Amelia said, glancing at where Jake was working across the site, the promise ring warm on her finger.

One afternoon, Jake called Amelia to the site office for a private conversation.

‘I’ve been thinking about timelines,’ he said, gesturing to the plans spread across the desk. ‘Electrical starts next week. Plumbing the week after. Those are specialist contractors—I’m managing them, but the actual work is their crews. Which means our team transitions to interior finishing.’

‘Right,’ Amelia said, following his reasoning.

‘Interior finishing is less technical,’ Jake continued. ‘It’s important work but doesn’t require the same level of supervision. Which means—’ He paused, looking at her seriously. ‘Which means you and I won’t be working quite so closely together anymore. You’ll supervise finishing crews. I’ll coordinate contractors. We’ll still see each other daily, but not the constant close contact we’ve had.’

‘Oh,’ Amelia said, understanding dawning. ‘So the professional boundary concern becomes even less relevant.’

‘Exactly,’ Jake said. ‘We won’t be teacher and student. We won’t even be direct supervisor and subordinate. We’ll be colleagues managing different aspects of the same project. Which removes my last possible ethical concern about us being together.’

‘Are you saying—’ Amelia started, her heart racing.

‘I’m saying,’ Jake interrupted gently, ‘that I don’t think we need to wait until the project’s completely finished. Once the specialist contractors start, once we’re clearly separate managers rather than supervisor and apprentice, we could—if you wanted—actually start dating. Properly. Not waiting for some distant future, but soon. A month, maybe.’

‘A month,’ Amelia repeated, trying to process this.

‘Unless you want to keep waiting,’ Jake added quickly. ‘If you prefer to wait until the pub actually opens, that’s fine too. I just thought—’

Amelia leaned over and kissed him.

Not planned, not calculated, just a sudden overwhelming need to show him yes, she didn’t want to wait, a month was perfect, sooner was even better.

Jake made a sound of surprise, then his arms came around her, and the kiss deepened into something honest and real and absolutely not appropriate for a construction site office in the middle of the workday.

When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Amelia said, ‘One month. As soon as the contractors start, we start to make progress. Yes. Absolutely yes.’

Jake smiled, slow and devastating. ‘Good. That’s—very good. Now get out of here before I forget we’re still being professional for another month and kiss you again.’

‘Would that be so terrible?’ Amelia asked.

‘Terrible,’ Jake confirmed. ‘Because I wouldn’t want to stop. And we have work to do. So—out. Now. Before I lose what’s left of my self-control.’

Amelia left, laughing, her heart full. One month. Just one more month.

Then everything would change.