Free Feels Like Home by Lisa Ireland Page A

sunshine,’ she said.
    He had a sudden sense of déjà vu. He remembered another day when she’d gently teased him about getting ahead of himself. He was bragging about kicking the winning goal for the Lions. Jo laughed, gave him a push and told him he was ‘up himself’. He’d responded by tickling her. Before long the tickling had given way to more intimate touches and they found themselves making love under the protective branches of the gumtree.
    Ryan shook his head slightly in an effort to free his mind from the memory. He found himself edging away from her. There was no chance of today’s ribbing turning into anything more, but maybe being in such close physical proximity wasn’t the best idea. Her voice, no longer teasing, cut into his thoughts.
    â€˜Thanks, Ryan, for the peace offering. It’s better for everyone if we can manage to get along. When I found out you were going to be Nate’s best man I thought the wedding would be awkward.’
    â€˜That’s the understatement of the year. You looked like you’d seen a ghost when you first clapped eyes on me.’
    Her mouth formed that cheeky Joey grin he knew so well. ‘You didn’t look too flash yourself.’ The smile disappeared as fast as it had formed. ‘Seriously, Ryan, I don’t want our baggage to spoil Steph and Nate’s big day. No matter how difficult this is for us I think we should agree to put our differences behind us for their sake.’
    Ryan’s lips twitched into a smile. The horse had been a winner. Seemed she hadn’t changed that much over the past few years. He still had some clue about what made her tick. ‘Agreed,’ he said, holding out his hand for her to shake. Her grip was firm and her handshake decisive.
    The knots of tension that had gripped Ryan’s neck and shoulders began to ease. Maybe Jo being here wouldn’t turn out to be the nightmare he’d expected. Now that they’d cleared the air a bit, maybe he’d finally be able to stop pondering the ‘what ifs’ and move on with his life.
    â€˜It must feel great to finally have your degree and be running your own clinic,’ she said. ‘I remember how badly you wanted to be a vet even when we were kids. You were always collecting strays and nursing injured wildlife back to health.’
    â€˜Yeah, my animal-collecting habit used to drive Mum nuts.’
    There was that smile again.
    â€˜Remember Stumpy?’ she asked.
    He grinned at the memory of the three-legged blue-tongue lizard he’d rescued and nursed back to health, much to his mother’s vexation. ‘Wow. I hadn’t thought about old Stumpy in years. I can’t believe you remember him.’ It was nice to know Jo hadn’t completely erased any good thoughts of him from her memory. Their pasts were so entwined it was impossible to think about any major event in his formative years without thinking of her.
    Maybe this being friends thing could work.
    Sure, why not? They were both adults, and a lot of time had passed since Jo’s shattering refusal of his marriage proposal. Moving on had been hard in her absence, even after everything else that had happened. The thing was, she hadn’t just broken his heart — she’d served up a decent blow to his pride as well. He’d thought getting married was a no-brainer. After two years of them both being in Melbourne practically cohabitating, he’d figured it was the next step. Sure, they were young, but he knew what he wanted and he assumed she wanted the same thing.
    He shook his head at his own stupidity. He’d barely left boyhood behind when he dropped down on one knee and pulled out the tiny diamond ring he’d saved so long to buy. But he was a man now. It was time to act like one.
    â€˜So what about you?’ he asked. ‘Looks like you’re living your dream too.’
    She said nothing, but continued to stare