Jilted by Rachael Johns Page A

poured his heart out. Hearing his anguish felt like someone was setting a match to her soul, but she deserved the agony after what she’d put him through.
    ‘I went off the rails, Els. I hate the weak man you made me.’ The fury in his stare told her he meant it. ‘It wasn’t only me I hurt either. I broke my mother’s heart, Gran’s heart. I scared Lucy and I didn’t make the most of the last years of Dad’s life. That’s why we will never be friends. I can’t risk becoming that person again.’
    ‘Okay,’ Ellie nodded, unable to say anything more. She knew whatever sympathy she offered would seem insincere. So instead, ‘I understand. Thank you for listening.’
    Flynn gave a regret-filled smile. ‘You’re welcome. And thanks for having the guts to come to me. I respect that. Please give Mat my best wishes. I hope her recovery is quick.’
    Those were Flynn’s parting words, before he strode off across the paddock, leaving Ellie alone with only the swish of the trees and the distant sounds of sheep. She stood there for who knows how long, aching at this polite, impersonal end to their heart-rending conversation.

Chapter Eight
    After her confrontation with Flynn, Ellie didn’t know how she would stay in Hope Junction a moment longer, but Matilda had a stream of visitors over the following days, and Ellie practically had a full-time job just waiting on them. Somehow tea and biscuits became a seemingly endless task, then Joyce joined the fray, creating mountains of washing up with her culinary delights.
    At first Ellie was anxious about Mat’s friends, worried they’d snub her, but either they didn’t buy into that nonsense or they loved Mat too much to upset her, leaving Ellie alone in the process. And sure enough, within the week, Ellie had grown to love the old dears, many of whom had ten years or so on Matilda. Their stories of times gone by fascinated her, and she adored it when one of them persuaded Mat to tell stories from her travels.
    In her heyday Matilda had been a famous travel writer, favouring off-the-beaten-track destinations over popular tourist spots. Her articles had been published all over the globe, in prestigiouspublications such as The New York Times and The Guardian , not to mention every major newspaper in Australia. Some of her articles had been collected in two big coffee-table volumes, complemented by award-winning photography.
    Mat had continued to travel widely in the time Ellie had known her, but she no longer wrote for publication. Her brother was as worldly as she was, and she made a point of visiting him wherever he was posted. Her last official expedition had been the month before she’d become Ellie’s guardian. Rhiannon’s and Matilda’s families had been friends when the two women were growing up, and although they were quite different, they’d stayed in contact over the years. Mat was probably the only person Rhiannon could call a friend – for a time, anyway. So when Ellie was born Matilda was the obvious choice for godmother. Later, when Rhiannon’s third husband scored a contract overseas and didn’t want Ellie tagging along, Rhiannon asked Mat if Ellie could stay with her. Matilda didn’t think twice about putting her life and dreams on hold to look after the teenage girl. She welcomed Ellie with open arms and made her life in Hope Junction a good one. But Rhiannon’s abandonment had put the nail in the coffin of their friendship. As far as Ellie knew, they hadn’t spoken since.
    And so for Matilda, Ellie would do anything. Including try her hand at cooking.
    Joyce was a frequent visitor at Mat’s house, seeming to spend more time there than she did at the caravan park. Ellie wondered if Joyce’s guests simply fended for themselves. But hell, she was grateful for the company of the eccentric woman, who also happened to be a supremely good cook. Her cuisine was better than Ellie had tasted at some of Sydney’s top restaurants, and the best thing was