I take Hayley up to the hospital to see Julia again in the morning.

Julia’s recovering well, and her baby’s thriving.

In the car on the way back to Copper Creek, we talk and laugh and learn even more about each other.

That’s how my head processes my day. Just one thing after another until we pull up outside Hayley’s house and I know I have limited time with her.

The last two nights have been the best of my life. She fulfils me.

“Are you staying over?” she asks.

“Do bears shit in the woods?”

Hayley laughs. “I want you to stay. You’re becoming a bit of a habit, Drew Campbell.”

“I hope so.”

I grab some of her bags and help her carry them inside. Before long, there’s a pile of parcels in one corner of the living room.

“I’ll call Margaret to let her know I’m home, and then I’m all yours for a while.”

“Just for a while?”

“Okay, the night. But I’m going to be on call, so if anyone needs my help …”

I grin. “I’ll help you and maybe it’ll be quicker?”

She laughs. “If you have some magic trick to speed up labour …”

“If only.”

As she calls Margaret, I take a long look around her living room. Both times I was here, it was almost straight to the bedroom. Maybe now, I can take the time to look around and get to know her better.

There’s a photo on the mantelpiece, and I pick it up. This must be Hayley and her parents. Her mother looks stiff and awkward. Her father is more relaxed, his arm around Hayley’s shoulders. This is the couple who sent her away, and my heart aches that it still has an effect on Hayley. She wants us to be together, but I’m not sure how well she’ll cope with the distance. It’s not insurmountable, but it might just be enough to ruin everything.

She wraps her arms around my waist and buries her face in my shoulder. “That’s my mum and dad on the day I became a midwife.”

“Your dad looks happy enough.”

“He’s not so bad now. It’s Mum who still has the stick up her butt.”

“They seem similar to my parents. My mother can be such a horrible person, but my dad wouldn’t hurt a fly. I don’t know how he lives with her, but they seem to make it work.”

She laughs. “Sounds familiar.”

I place the photo back on the mantel and turn to her. “Let’s not ever be like that. All bitter and twisted. Our kids will be able to do what they want for a career, and we’ll support them.”

“Our kids?” She clamps her lips together, and it’s obvious she’s suppressing a laugh.

I shrug. “Okay, my kids. With whoever decides to take a risk and have babies with me.”

Hayley pecks me on the lips. “I think you’ll make a great parent, then.”

“Maybe. We still have half the day left. What else are we going to do?”

She lets out a sigh. “I need to go and get my car.”

“If you want, I can grab one of my brothers and we can pick it up.”

Hayley shakes her head. “It’s okay. At least it’ll be in and out. That place gives me the creeps.”

She plucks her phone out of her pocket and taps on the screen. It takes seconds to get a response.

“Any time this afternoon.”

I nod. “Did he ask after Julia?”

Her eyes roll. “No, just said that he’s happy for me to pick up my car and is looking forward to seeing me.”

“Is he now?”

She puts her phone back into the pocket of her jeans and licks her lips. “Are you getting jealous there, Doctor Campbell?”

I shake my head. “Nah. I know you’re my girl.”

“That confident, huh?”

Holding my hands out, I shrug. “Who else is going to give you constant orgasms?”

She grins, snickering and grabbing my arm. “Only you, I guess.”

“You only guess?”

“A practical demonstration might be in order tonight.”

I nod. “I don’t think that’ll be too much of a problem.”

She raises her face to mine, and I give her the most tender kiss I can muster.

“Keep kissing me like that and I might just be able to give you a permanent job,” she whispers.

“That’s what I’m aiming for.”

* * *

That damn mountain.

When we were kids, that fence wasn’t there. People still lived in seclusion there for the most part, but it wasn’t like that. How Corey lives up here beside them, I’ll never know.

A few years ago, they wanted his permission to put up the fence. He said he didn’t care, but he wasn’t paying anything toward it. They went ahead and built it. He says in some ways it’s good; the wind used to howl up the hill when the weather was bad. Now there’s a wind break on that side of his property.

I drive up to the gates and they open. It’s not hard to see why this place intimidates people. The fence around it is massive. Once the gates close behind you, it’s suffocating no matter how much space is here.

As I drive us toward the main building, Hayley points. “There’s my car. I’ll just grab it and we’ll get out of here.”

“Not wanting to stay and hang with your new friend?”

She screws up her face as I laugh. “I can’t wait to get back out of here.”

“Heads up. Is that him?”

A tall, dark-haired guy walks down the steps and toward Hayley’s car.

“That’s him.”

I pull the car up, and she shoots me a quick smile. “I’ll just get in the car and we’ll go.”

“Okay.”

She steps out and takes a few steps toward her car. Ash’s eyes are fixed on my car—not that he’ll see much with my tinted windows. He walks toward Hayley and speaks to her as she presses the button and unlocks her car.

Screw this.

I get out of the car and walk around. “Everything good, princess?”

She smiles and nods. “Fine.”

“I was just thanking Hayley,” Ash says.

I nod.

“Drew performed the caesarean. He’s the one who deserves the credit.” Her eyes are so full of happiness as our gazes lock, and I give her a wink that makes her blush.

“Is that right? So you’re here to drop Hayley back home?”

“I’m her boyfriend.”

To his credit, he only lets his facial expression blank for a moment. Something’s not right about this guy, and that just confirmed it. If he was any other guy showing interest in my girl, I could handle it. But with all the rumours about this place, I don’t trust him one bit.

“Thank you for helping Julia,” he says.

I nod. “You’re welcome. Someone should give you a call about arranging transport home in a few days.”

I shoot a smile at Hayley. “Let’s get going.”

Her expression brightens. All I want is to get out of here with her. This place gives me the creeps.

I wait for her to get in her car and start the engine before I give Ash a nod and do the same. Signalling for her to go first, I follow, leaving him standing watching us leave.

She’s not coming back here again if I can help it.

* * *

She knows there’s something wrong.

We’re cuddled up on the couch after dinner watching some home renovation show, and her body against mine just feels so right. Having her in my arms is everything.

“You okay?”

I nod. “Yeah.”

“You’re not saying much. That’s not like you.” Her lips twitch, as if she’s unsure if she means it as a joke.

“Just thinking about today. That place gives me the creeps. I don’t want you going back there.”

She nods. “It’s a tough situation. I want to work with them to make sure there’s maternity care available or the next Julia might not be so lucky.”

“I know.”

I grumble, pulling her closer. “I’m not going to stop worrying.”

“I’m not asking you to. I’d be more concerned if you weren’t worrying. But it’s what’s right, Drew. Something needs to be in place to help them.”

I nod because she’s right. Of course her first care will be any mothers and babies, but it doesn’t make things any easier. “Just be careful of him. There’s always been all kinds of stories circulating in town about what goes on up there.”

Hayley nuzzles my cheek. “Of course I will. And you don’t need to be jealous. It’s only you I want.”

“Good, because the thought of you near anyone else drives me crazy.”

“I really liked how you introduced yourself as my boyfriend.”

I smile, gazing into her eyes. “That’s what I am, isn’t it? I mean, I know we haven’t been together physically a lot, but frankly, I’m surprised my phone hasn’t caught fire with some of the text messages we’ve shared.”

She laughs. “It’s easy to get carried away with you.”

“Wanna go get carried away now?”

Hayley plants a kiss on my cheek and stands, pulling me to my feet. “Come on, then.”

“Whatever you say, princess.”

* * *

In the morning it’s a lonely drive home to an empty house. I hate it when she’s not here. We’ve known each other five minutes, but Hayley McCarthy has me wrapped around her little finger.

After two nights of Hayley being here, the house I’d found refuge in is empty. Even though she brought nothing with her, everything around me reminds me of her—the dent her body left in my mattress, the scent that leaves me remembering our bath together, the ache to hold her and touch her. Not even voicemails from Lucy demanding I call her can distract me.

She could take everything I own and I wouldn’t care if I had Hayley.

I’m hers.