Page 68 of Outback Hearts

Amelia nearly dropped her drink. ‘Margaret Thornton? The woman who tried to shut down the project?’

‘The very same,’ Alex said, clearly enjoying her shock. ‘People change, Amelia. She admitted she was wrong, made genuine amends, and proved through actions that her support was real. I got to know her properly and discovered someone intelligent, principled, and surprisingly funny. We’ve been taking things slowly—both of us are too old for drama—but it’s been lovely. Really lovely.’

As if summoned, Margaret appeared, looking softer than Amelia had ever seen her. She touched Alex’s arm with casual affection, smiled at Amelia with genuine warmth.

‘Amelia, dear. How’s the study going?’

‘Good,’ Amelia managed, still processing this development. ‘Really good. Challenging but rewarding.’

‘Alex tells me you and Jake are planning to start a heritage architecture firm together once you graduate,’ Margaret said. ‘That’s ambitious. And exactly what Queensland needs. Too many beautiful old buildings being torn down because no one knows how to save them properly.’

They chatted for a few minutes, Margaret making intelligent observations about heritage preservation and asking thoughtful questions about Amelia’s studies. When she excused herself to help Jill with something, Amelia turned to Alex with raised eyebrows.

‘She’s completely different!’

‘She was always this person underneath,’ Alex said. ‘She’d just built walls to protect herself from disappointment. Once she let them down—’ He shrugged, smiling. ‘She’s wonderful. Molly would have liked her, I think. Would have approved of me moving forward, finding happiness again.’

‘I think Molly would be delighted,’ Amelia said honestly. ‘For all of it. The hotel, the town, you finding someone. All of it.’

At ten p.m., as the party was winding down, Amelia found Sophie and Jill and suggested they go up to the top verandah, where they’d watched so many sunsets during construction.

They climbed the stairs, now solid and safe, and stepped out onto the verandah that had once been dangerously unstable. It was beautiful now—painted white, with comfortable chairs, potted plants, a view across the town and out to the endless outback beyond.

‘Vera’s gone,’ Sophie said suddenly, looking at the campground area where their van had sat for six months.

‘Sold her last month,’ Jill confirmed. ‘Got a decent price too. She served us well, but I don’t need her anymore. I’ve got a flat now—Jake converted the manager’s quarters on the ground floor. Proper bed, proper kitchen, actual walls. And a new car.’

‘I miss Vera sometimes,’ Sophie admitted. ‘Miss the adventure of it. The freedom. Rolling into towns not knowing what we’d find.’

‘Do you miss England?’ Amelia asked carefully.

Sophie was quiet for a long moment, staring out at the darkening landscape. ‘I think about it,’ she said finally. ‘My family’s there. My old friends. Everything familiar. But when I actually imagine going back—getting on a plane, leaving all this—’ She stopped, shaking her head. ‘I can’t bring myself to do it. This feels like home now in a way England never quite did. Is that strange?’

‘Not strange at all,’ Jill said. ‘I feel the same way. We came here planning to stay a week. Now look at us.’

‘Look at what we built,’ Amelia said, gesturing to the hotel, to the town beyond. ‘We actually did it. Three backpackers with no experience somehow helped save a dying town and restore a heritage building. That’s—that’s extraordinary.’

‘We had help,’ Sophie pointed out. ‘Couldn’t have done it without Jake, Tom, Alex, the crew, the community.’

‘But we were part of it,’ Jill said firmly. ‘Essential parts. The hotel wouldn’t exist without the work we did. The town wouldn’t be coming back to life. We made a difference. Real, tangible, lasting difference.’

They stood in comfortable silence, watching the last light fade from the sky, the stars beginning to emerge.

‘Do you think we’ll always come back here?’ Sophie asked. ‘No matter where life takes us?’

‘Yes,’ Amelia and Jill said simultaneously, then laughed.

‘This will always be home,’ Amelia continued. ‘Even when I’m in Brisbane studying, even when Jake and I start our firm, even when life gets complicated—Garnet Creek will be home. The place where everything changed. Where we became who we’re meant to be.’

‘I love you both,’ Sophie said suddenly, fiercely. ‘You’re my sisters. More than friends. Sisters.’

‘Sisters,’ Jill agreed, pulling them both into a hug. ‘Forever.’

They stayed there for a while longer, three friends on a verandah, watching the outback night settle around them, thinking about everything they’d built and everything still to come.

Eventually, Sophie yawned. ‘I should get to bed. Early shift tomorrow—breakfast service starts at six.’

‘I need to do final checks,’ Jill said. ‘Make sure everything’s secure for the night. Amelia, you and Jake should sleep in tomorrow. You’ve driven six hours today.’