Chapter 20
One month later
It was a Thursday morning, and the midday sun filtered through the golden wattles lining Sweetwater’s main street, casting dappled shadows across the footpath outside Chapter One.
Inside, the air held a familiar mix of brewed coffee, warm pastry and just a hint of the single roses in the vases on every table.
The café was quiet, with only a few locals lingering over late breakfasts, but at the corner table by the front window, the three women who’d become like family sat close, their voices hushed as they stared at the newspaper’s front page.
The headline read Sweetwater Five Sentenced after Shocking Scandal.
The article detailed the outcome of the month-long investigation and court proceedings.
Sharon had been sentenced to twelve years for fraud, coercion and the illegal distribution of veterinary narcotics, substances that had been sold and used to manipulate race outcomes across regional circuits.
Her operation had extended across state lines, affecting more than one rural community.
The journalist wrote about Molly as the targeted sister who’d been paying her deceased brother’s gambling debt after being blackmailed, mentioning how much she was loved in the community.
Then Craig, a Sweetwater police officer who’d once been trusted by the people, was revealed as Sharon’s co-conspirator and enforcer.
He’d received ten years for breaking and entering, intimidation, and an attempted assault on a police officer, stemming from the confrontation in Sweetwater’s cane fields.
Len, referred to as ‘the retired local mechanic with oil in his blood’, was given twelve years for tampering with a vehicle resulting in death – manslaughter by negligence – after evidence confirmed he’d deliberately disabled Jack’s brakes.
The prosecution argued that his actions directly facilitated the fatal accident, and that his knowledge of the risk, and failure to prevent harm, demanded the harshest sentence possible under the circumstances.
Trevor Ballan and Joe Marten were each sentenced to six years for accessory to fraud and intimidation, including stalking, vandalism and delivering anonymous threats meant to silence Brianna and Molly.
Testimonies from Molly and Brianna, alongside covert recordings made by undercover officer Logan Steele, had been instrumental in the convictions.
The image beneath the headline was grainy but unmistakable – the five of them being led from the Sweetwater courthouse in cuffs, faces drawn, eyes averted from the cameras.
In the background, a crowd of townsfolk watched in stunned silence.
In the end, the weight of betrayal by people so deeply woven into Sweetwater’s fabric was as shocking to the town as the crimes themselves. Len’s son Roy hadn’t been charged with any crimes, and was still running the mechanics, but people whispered that he must have known something.
Relieved it was finally behind them, Brianna sipped from a freshly poured mug of Earl Grey tea, the warmth grounding her.
Across from her, Molly picked at the edge of her lemon tart while Tilly, wrangling two toddlers most mornings and still managing to look well put together, had left Gavin at home with the kids for an hour of peace, and now nursed a steaming dirty chai.
‘It still feels like a horrible dream,’ Tilly murmured, her gaze distant. ‘Like none of it could’ve really happened in Sweetwater.’
Molly exhaled slowly. ‘Sometimes I wonder if I missed it all. If Jack was in trouble right under my nose, and I just … carried on.’
‘You didn’t miss anything,’ Brianna said softly. ‘He was protecting you. That’s why he didn’t tell you.’
Molly’s eyes shimmered, but she nodded. ‘And now he’s gone. And as for the five of them lowlifes …’ She shook her head. ‘I can’t believe I didn’t see it. The break-ins. The messages. All of it. They were trying to scare me, and I thought I was losing my mind.’
‘You weren’t,’ Brianna said, reaching for her hand. ‘You were surviving it.’
They fell into silence for a moment, the clatter of cups and distant hum of town life filtering in from outside.
‘I still get jumpy,’ Molly finally admitted.
‘Every creak, every car door. But it’s getting better.
Knowing they’re all locked up, that helps, quite a lot.
’ She gave a small sigh. ‘Trev and Joe too. I still can’t believe how deep they were in it.
They always seemed like harmless blokes, not criminals. ’
‘And Sharon,’ Tilly added quietly, shaking her head. ‘She fooled all of us. I mean, I trusted her. We all did.’ Cursing, she blew a weighty breath. ‘And your wonderful dad?’ she asked next, tilting her head towards Brianna. ‘How’s he doing?’
‘He’s soldiering on, like he always does,’ Brianna said. ‘He helped put everything to bed, and now he just wants us to start living again, instead of looking over our shoulders.’
Molly gave a soft, grateful smile. ‘He’s a good man. You’re lucky to have him, and Nina too. I adore both your parents so much.’
Brianna nodded. ‘They are awesome, hey. I’m very lucky indeed.’
Outside, the breeze carried the rustle of native leaves and the faint call of magpies.
Brianna glanced towards the café door, her mind drifting.
Hayden would be going about his work right now, probably checking on something at Sweetwater Acres or lending Gavin a hand with the fences, and for the first time in weeks, the thought of seeing him didn’t carry tension.
It brought warmth.
Hope.
Butterflies.
She’d never forget how he saved her father’s life.
That single act of courage had wrapped itself around her heart and anchored her feelings in something deeper than attraction.
It had made her fall harder, faster. When he was near, her pulse softened.
The way he laughed, quiet and low, often with a hand rubbing the back of his neck, gee whizz, it made her stomach flip.
And when he looked at her, it was as if he saw all the versions of her – the exhausted vet, the anxious daughter, the woman making a life for herself – and to her heart’s delight, it appeared he liked every one of them.
He made her feel safe, but not because he promised it.
Because he was dependable, thoughtful and loyal to a fault.
Drawing in a slow, contemplative breath, she couldn’t help but wonder what he felt deep down in his big, beautiful heart when he looked at her.
There were moments when his gaze lingered, when his fingers brushed hers, when he stood just a little too close, that made her think maybe, just maybe, he felt the same way as she did.
That maybe, hopefully, he wanted to see if they were more than close friends.
But she also understood, from what Molly had told her, that he had deep wounds from losing his darling Casey, and that it might take him longer than she hoped for him to love again.
She didn’t know what was next, not exactly.
But she was still standing. So were all of them.
And that, in Sweetwater, meant everything.
Molly’s voice broke through her thoughts like a spoon tapping gently against a teacup. ‘So, girls, how about a change of topic to something more fun. You four young ones are finally doing that dinner you planned over a month ago, right? No more rainchecks?’
Tilly grinned. ‘Yes, tomorrow night, and thanks for offering to babysit, Molly.’
Molly waved a hand like it was nothing, but her smile was fond.
‘You lot deserve a night to kick back, let your hair down and relax. I’ll keep the little ones in line.
Besides,’ she added, lifting her mug again, ‘I’ve got a stash of fairy bread and frozen chicken nuggets.
I’ll be the favourite babysitter before bedtime. ’
They all laughed gently, and the conversation shifted to plans for the upcoming dinner.
Menus, who was bringing what, and the rare opportunity for them all to just relax and be together without shadows hanging over their heads.
When the chatter lulled, Brianna found herself staring out the café window again, her heart beating a little faster at the thought of spending an evening with Hayden, without tension, without secrets.
Just them. She was excited, maybe even giddy, in a grown-up sort of way.
It wasn’t just the setting, the company of friends, or the food she looked forward to.
It was the idea of sitting across from him, of hearing his voice in the low glow of the campfire that Tilly had spoken about, of knowing this wasn’t about danger or crisis anymore.
It was just them, and the possibility of something real.
She didn’t know exactly what would happen between them.
But she wanted to find out. And in a surprising twist of events, so did her mum and dad.
They both seemed as quietly smitten with the idea of her and Hayden becoming a couple, eventually, as she was.
Ahh, this weekend was going to be so much fun!
* * *
Later that afternoon, Hayden stood out on the front verandah of his homestead, nursing the last of his coffee, the late sun catching the tips of the grass in gold.
Although, as picturesque as Mother Nature’s spectacle was, his mind was miles away – on Brianna, on what he needed to say, on whether she’d ever want to speak to him again – and he was trying to fight off the ache of what that would feel like, when he heard the familiar sound of tyres on gravel, and he looked up to see Tilly’s troop carrier pulling into the drive.
She climbed out, squinting into the sun, and offered him a small wave as she approached. ‘G’day,’ she said, her boots thudding up the wooden steps.
‘Hey,’ he replied, straightening. ‘I didn’t expect to see you this arvo.’
‘Yeah, about that.’ Her smile was a little weird. ‘Other than wanting time away from the craziness of my house, I thought we could maybe have a word.’