"Hey."
"Kate, can I come in?" He lifted his hand and wiped away the dampness on her cheek.
"Sure." She stood back and Russ stepped into the converted house. The last time he’d been inside was when he was hiding from his father amongst the dark, almost derelict rooms. Now the old cottage was filled with light and feminine furniture. He was aware of her gaze following his as he looked around the tiny lounge into the kitchen.
"Wow, this is fantastic."
"You didn't come to look at my decorating, Russ. What do you want?" She sniffed and wiped her nose on the back of her shirt sleeve.
"Katie, I'm sorry he’s such a jerk. I guess he hasn't changed as much as I’d hoped." Russ watched as the tears welled in her eyes again, trickling down her face. He opened his arms and she fell against his chest, sobbing. He kissed the top of her head and soothed her with soft words of comfort as she sobbed her heart out. When her cries turned to soft hiccups, he held her away from to look down at her face.
"Hey, he isn't worth it. There has to be someone else out there you could fall in love with."
Kate laughed bitterly, pulling away from him. She walked into the lounge and dropped onto the couch, reaching for a box of tissues on the coffee table in front of her. "You would think so, wouldn't you? But no, stupid me has chosen to allow the teenage crush to rage away worse than ever."
"I don't think we get a choice in who we fall in love with." He moved over to sit down beside her.
"I'm sorry, Russ. This must be hard for you." She blew her nose and grabbed another tissue.
"I can cope with it. Things weren’t good for a while, so it wasn't as though I never saw it coming. I must remember to be more careful in future." He looked down when a ginger cat rubbed against his legs. "What have we here?" Russ picked up the cat and it rubbed its face against his chin.
"Wally, the only man who can treat me like I'm just there for his benefit." Kate reached over and tickled Wally under his ears. "Thanks for trying to make me feel better. I appreciate it, Russ. I'm sorry I ruined your dinner."
"I kind of lost my appetite too, listening to Cade rave on. The guy has some serious issues. Guess it comes with the fame, although I don't really understand it." He turned and leaned back on the couch watching the cat walk over to Kate and smooch up to her.
"Thanks for letting me cry on your shirt." She gave a small laugh. "If I can return the favour anytime, feel free to knock on my door."
Russ nodded and stood. "Thanks. So long as you’re okay, I'll leave you alone. I think I’d better go and settle Essie's ruffled feathers now. She was going in to sort out Cade. I'd hate to see which one comes off better after he’s been drinking."
"I'll see you tomorrow at the funeral then."
"Yes, I guess so. Night, Kate."
Russ walked away, his stomach in a knot over the approaching funeral. Cade had hit a sore point with him. He was worried about who would be there tomorrow to farewell his father and who would be there to see what the family were going to do. I just hope Cade doesn't go spouting off and blow what chance Rooney and I have of a new life here.
Chapter 10
Russ greeted mourners the next day before the funeral, accepting condolences and well wishes. When he saw Tory drive up with his sister in the front seat, he stepped forward then hesitated, unsure how she would react to seeing him after so long. He watched Rooney grasp Tory's arm as he helped her from the car. He leaned down and spoke to her. They’ve always been close. I hope I can have that bond with her again. When we were kids it was nice and easy now, after all that's happened, who knows. When Rooney nodded her head, Tory stood back and looked toward the chapel where Russ was standing watching and listening.
"Better?" He held her by the tops of her arms, keeping her steady until she nodded her head.
Rooney looked up at him and gave a wobbly smile. "This is harder than I thought it was going to be."
"It's okay, honey. You don't have to be tough. I've got you."
Tory slipped his arm around her shoulders and walked along the crushed granite pathway to the small sandstone chapel in the grounds of the family home. She glanced at the small graveyard, her grip on Tory's arm tightened and she held her head high.
"Rooney." Russ reached for her and she collapsed in his arms "Shush, honey." He stroked her hair and held her as she cried. "Tory, thanks for bringing her."
Russ glanced at Tory and, seeing the pain on his face, it hit him how much Rooney meant to him. Never saw that one coming.
"Russ." The pain was etched into the lines around Tory's mouth. His eyes were filled with love as his gaze settled on Rooney's tear-stained face but he stood by letting her give in to her grief in her brothers arms.
She stood back, but held onto Russ’s arm. "Sorry about that. It just kind of hit me seeing you standing there, Russ."
"I've missed you, Rooney. We need to talk after everyone has left." He smiled, hoping to ease the strain on her face. "There’s a lot to catch up on."
A shadow crossed her face and he glanced over at Tory, who looked away, refusing to meet Russ's gaze.
"Sure. Let's just get through this first, please." She wiped her nose and looked
