‘That was rubbish, wasn’t it?’

  Penelope opened her mouth to say something reassuring but someone else spoke first.

  ‘Better than my first attempt.’

  Rafe... She hadn’t seen him in the corner of the dimly lit shed, sitting on a bale of the straw kept to line the bottom of the rabbit’s hutch. Billy had his back to her but if Rafe had noticed her entrance he didn’t show it. His attention was on the young boy he’d rescued from that imminent explosion.

  ‘You’re doing well all round, Billy. Maggie’s told me how hard you’re trying.’

  Maybe she was interrupting something private. Penelope turned. The door was within easy reach. She could slip out as unobtrusively as she’d come in.

  ‘I’m following the rules,’ Billy said. ‘Like Penny told me to. So that—you know—people’ll like me.’

  ‘Penny’s an amazing lady,’ Rafe said.

  The tone of something like awe in his voice captured Penelope so instantly that there was no way she could make her feet move. Was it possible his feelings went further than merely being impressed by her? A smile tugged at her lips but then faded rapidly as Rafe kept talking.

  ‘What she said, though...well, it’s absolute rubbish, Billy.’

  That stung. Without thinking, Penelope opened her mouth. ‘How can you say that?’

  Rafe must have seen her come in because he didn’t seem nearly as surprised as Billy that she was there. The boy’s head jerked around to face her but the shift in Rafe’s gaze was calm.

  ‘You’ve always followed all the rules,’ he said. ‘How’s that worked out for you?’

  ‘Just fine,’ Penelope said tightly. What sort of example was Rafe giving Billy by saying this?

  She glared at him. He had his cowboy hat on and the brim was shading his face but he was staring back at her just as intently. She could feel it.

  ‘Sometimes you haven’t followed all the rules. How’s that working out?’

  Oh...maybe he was providing a good example after all. What were those rules she’d broken? The only one she could think of right now was the time she’d gone upstairs at Loxbury Hall when she’d thought it was forbidden. When she’d given herself to Rafe.

  She dropped her gaze to try and shield herself from the intensity of that scrutiny. ‘Not so good.’

  ‘You sure about that?’ The quiet voice held a note of...good grief...amusement? As if he knew very well how well it had worked out.

  Billy’s foot went down on the pedal to thump the bass drum. ‘I don’t get it,’ he growled. ‘One minute you’re telling me to follow the rules and then you say stuff about you guys breaking them. It doesn’t make sense.’

  Rafe leaned forward on his straw bale, his hands on his knees, giving Billy his full attention again.

  ‘There are a lot of rules that are important to follow, Billy, but people will like you for who you are. You just have to show them who that really is and not hide behind stuff.’

  ‘What kind of stuff?’

  ‘Some people try to hide by being perfect and following all the rules.’

  Penelope winced.

  ‘And some people try to hide by making out they’re tough and they don’t care.’

  Billy was twisting the drumsticks he still held. ‘I don’t care.’

  ‘Yeah, you do.’ The gentle note in Rafe’s voice made Penelope catch her breath. ‘We all care.’

  ‘You don’t know anything.’ Billy’s head was down. The drumsticks were very still.

  ‘I know more than you think. I was you once, kid. I was tough. I didn’t give a damn and I broke every rule I could and got into trouble all the time. And you know why?’

  It took a long time for the reluctant word to emerge.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I didn’t want to care. Because it was too scary to care. Because that was how you got hurt.’

  The long silence then gave the impression that Billy was giving the matter considerable thought but when he spoke he sounded offhand.

  ‘Is it true we’re all going to go and see the fireworks tomorrow night?’

  Rafe didn’t seem to mind the subject being changed. ‘You bet.’

  ‘You got us the tickets,’ Billy said. He paused. ‘And the drums.’

  ‘The tickets are for everybody. The drums are just for you.’

  ‘For real?’

  ‘For real.’ Rafe was smiling. ‘And you know why I gave them to you?’ He didn’t wait for a response but he did lower his voice, as though the words were intended only for Billy. He must have known Penelope could hear, though. Without the drums, it was utterly quiet in there.

  ‘Because I care. It’s okay to care back, you know. It’s quite safe.’

  He got to his feet and took a step towards Penelope. But his words had been directed at Billy just then. Hadn’t they? Her stupid heart skipped a beat anyway. A tingle of something as wonderful as hope filling a space around it that had been very empty.

  Billy’s sideways gaze was suspicious. ‘Do you care about her, too?’

  The brim of that hat made it impossible to read the expression in Rafe’s eyes but she didn’t need to. She could hear it in the sound of his voice.

  ‘Oh, yeah...’

  Billy made a disgusted sound. ‘You gonna get married, then? And have kids?’

  ‘Um... Bit soon to think about anything like that. And I might have to find out how Penny feels first, buddy.’

  Billy’s tone was accusing now. ‘You care, too, don’t you?’

  Penelope couldn’t drag her gaze away from Rafe. ‘Oh, yeah...’

  The delicious silence as the mutual declaration was absorbed finally got broken by a satisfied grunt from Billy that indicated the matter was settled. ‘Can I go and tell the other kids that the drums are just for me?’

  ‘How ’bout telling them that they’re going to have the best time ever at the festival tomorrow? And tell Maggie and Dave that you’ll help look after the little ones. Fireworks can be a bit scary close up and I’m going to make sure you have the very best place to watch.’

  It was still hard to tell if his words were just for Billy or whether he was reminding Penelope of when he’d taken her to the best place to watch his fireworks.

  Billy was on his feet now, though—his skinny chest puffed with pride. ‘I can do that.’ He put his drumsticks on the stool. ‘I’m one of the biggest kids here.’

  He had to walk between Rafe and Penelope to get to the door but neither of them seemed to notice because he was below the line of where they were looking—directly at each other.

  His steps slowed. And then stopped. The suspense was getting unbearable. Rafe was going to kiss her the moment Billy disappeared and Penelope didn’t want to have to wait a second longer.

  But Billy turned back. He went back to the stool and picked up the drumsticks. ‘I’m gonna need these.’

  Rafe grinned. ‘Practise on a cushion for a bit. That way you won’t drive anyone crazy.’

  ‘I think I might be going crazy,’ Penelope murmured, as Billy disappeared through the door of the shed.

  ‘Me, too.’ Rafe pushed the door closed. ‘Crazy with wanting you.’

  But he didn’t move any closer. They stood there, for the longest time, simply looking at each other.

  ‘Me, too.’ The words escaped Penelope on a sigh. ‘I love you, Rafe...’

  He held out his hand. Without saying a word, he led her over to the straw bale and sat down beside her. Then he took off his hat and held it in his hands.

  Penelope swallowed hard. She’d said it first and he hadn’t said it back. He hadn’t uttered a single word since she’d spoken.

  He could have kissed her instead. That would have been enough. But he hadn’t done that either.

  She was standing on a precipice here.

  Teetering.

  Feeling like she might be about to fall to her death.

  * * *

  She’d said she cared.

  Not just the way you could care about a lost kid and want to do something to help put him on the right path, even though that kind of caring could be so strong you had to put yourself out there and maybe face stuff that you thought you’d buried a long time ago.

  Penelope had gone further. She’d said she loved him. She’d just gone right out there and said the scariest thing in the world. Put herself in the place where you could hurt the most.

  The weight of how that made him feel had crushed his ability to form words. To form coherent thoughts even, because what he said next could be the most important thing he ever said in his life.

  No pressure there...

  That weird weight seemed to be too much for his body as well as his brain. He had to sit down, but he wasn’t going anywhere without Penny and she seemed happy enough to take his hand and follow along.

  But now he had to say something. He heard the little hitch in her breath in the silence. A sound that made him all too aware of how scared she was.

  He was scared, too. His hands tightened on his hat, scrunching the felt beneath his fingers.

  ‘You know why I bought Loxbury Hall?’ His voice sounded rusty.

  From the corner of his eye, he saw Penelope nod. ‘You told me. That night—in the bath. You said it was the kind of house that only people who had perfect lives could live in.’

  ‘Yeah... That’s what I thought through all those rough years when my life was like Billy’s. If you were rich enough, you could make your own rules. Live in a place like that and have a family that stayed together. You called family a safe place once and I guess that’s what a huge house that cost a bucket of money represented to me. That safe place. But you know what?’

  Her voice was a whisper. ‘What?’

  ‘I was wrong. So, so wrong.’ The whole hat was twisted in his hands now. It would never be the same. Dropping it, he turned his head to look at Penelope. His empty hands caught hers.

  ‘The safe place isn’t a place at all, is it? It’s a person.’

  Her eyes were huge. Locked on his, and it felt as if something invisible but solid was joining them.

  ‘But it’s a place, too. Not a place you can buy. Or even find a map of how to get there. It’s the place that you’re in when you’re with that person.’

  Her eyes were shining now. With unshed tears? Was he saying something that she understood? That she wanted to hear?

  Even if she didn’t, it felt right to say it. Maybe so that he could understand it better himself.

  ‘It’s a place that only that person can create with you. You can’t see it but it’s so real that even when you’re not together you can still feel safe because you know where that place is.’ He had to pause to draw in a slow, steadying breath.

  This was it.

  The thing he really had to say.

  ‘You’re my person, Penny.’

  Yep. They had been unshed tears. They were escaping now.

  Her voice was the softest whisper but he could hear it as clear as a bell and it felt just as good as if she were shouting it from a rooftop.

  ‘You’re my person, too, Rafe. For ever and always.’

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  THE WEATHER GODS smiled on Loxbury for the thirtieth anniversary of their first music festival and the lazy, late-summer afternoon morphed into an evening cool enough for people to enjoy dancing but still warm enough for the ice-cream stalls to be doing a brisk business.

  The gates had opened at five p.m. and the fireworks show timed for ten p.m. had been widely advertised as something people wouldn’t want to miss—an exciting finale to a memorable occasion.

  It was a music festival with a difference. Artists who’d been at the original festival were given star billing, of course, but there were many others. New local groups, soloists, dance troupes, a pipe band and even the entire Loxbury symphony orchestra. The appreciative crowd was just as eclectic a mix as the entertainment on offer. Teenagers were out in force, banding together far enough away from parents to be cool, but there were whole families there as well, staking out their picnic spots on the grass with blankets and folding chairs, prams and even wheelchairs.

  Between the musical performers, the MC introduced the occasional speaker. At about eight p.m., when the crowd had swelled to record numbers, the person who came out to speak was the mayor of Loxbury, resplendent in his gown and chain.

  ‘What a wonderful event this is,’ he said proudly. ‘A credit to the countless people who have given up so much of their time both to organise and perform. Thank you, all.’

  The cheer that went up from the crowd expressed their appreciation.

  ‘I came to the very first festival,’ the mayor continued. ‘And I remember how much opposition there was to it even happening. There was even a petition taken to the council to try and prevent it corrupting our young people.’

  There was laughter from the crowd now. Penelope caught Maggie’s glance and shared a smile. Rainbow House had several rugs on the grass. The younger children had all visited the face-painting booths and even Billy had been persuaded to have his face painted white with a black star around his eye to look like the lead singer of Kiss. Right now, he was sitting with the youngest children, righting the occasional ice-cream cone that threatened to lose its topping.

  ‘I can’t see any dangers here,’ the mayor smiled. ‘Just a heart-warming number of our families having a great time together.’

  It was a poignant moment for Penelope. She’d never dreamed of attending such an event in her life because she’d grown up with the belief that terrible things did, in fact, happen at music festivals. She’d considered herself living proof of exactly that.

  ‘I see parents and grandparents,’ the mayor continued. ‘And I see many of our youngest citizens, who represent the future of Loxbury. Some of you know the story of Baby X—the baby that got found when they were cleaning up after that first festival that we’re celebrating again today. That baby got returned to its family but we all know there are some children that aren’t always that lucky, and it’s my pleasure to tell you that the charity chosen to benefit from this festival is a place that cares for those children. Rainbow House...’

  The clapping and cheering were deafening this time but Maggie burst into tears. Dave took her into his arms and Penelope suspected he shed a few tears as well. She had to blink hard herself because she knew what this could mean. The roof getting fixed, along with a dozen other much-needed repairs. All sorts of things that could make life more comfortable and enable these people she loved to keep doing something so wonderful. She might suggest a minibus so that they could transport the children more easily when they had somewhere special to go.

  Like the festival today, which had presented a logistical challenge. And the Christmas party that was going to take place this year at Loxbury Hall. It had been a joy planning that with Rafe last night, and she knew it would happen. She was going to talk to Jack this week about the catering they would be doing for it.

  The other crazy schemes they’d come up with might need some adjustment. Turning a wing of Loxbury Hall into offices so they could both work at home might be a waste because he’d still want to travel to his big shows. And she might want to go with him. Making the hall and gardens available as a wedding venue again needed thinking about, too. It was very likely to become their home and would they want to share that with strangers— especially when they had their own family to think about?

  But how much happiness could it bring? Maggie and Dave had never hesitated to share their home and some of the people cheering so loudly right now were probably those teenagers who had come to find Maggie and Dave from amongst the gathering just to say hello. Young people who had needed shelter at some time in their lives and had a bond that would never fade. They seemed to be heading in this direction again to share the joy of this announcement and her bonus parents were going to be busy giving and receiving hugs for quite some time. She made sure hers was the first.

  How lucky had she been to find that bond herself?

  How lucky was Billy?

  And something else made her feel that she could never become any luckier. After what Rafe had whispered in her ear last night, maybe the next wedding she was going to manage was going to be her own. That would certainly happen at Loxbury Hall. And there was her birthday in a couple of days. Not that she needed any gifts because she had everything she could possibly want in her life now, but a small party would be nice. One that could be an invitation for her grandparents to share her new life in a meaningful way?

  The mayor had finished speaking and the MC was introducing one of Loxbury’s newer talents. Penelope recognised the group instantly as Diversion—the band that had played at the Bingham wedding. Were Clarissa and Blake here somewhere? If they were, they were probably dancing with the growing number of people in front of the stage. It was starting to get darker and there were glow sticks in abundance as well as headbands that had glowing stars or flashing lights on them.

  Billy was on his feet now, jiggling a little on the spot as he listened to the music with his whole body. Penelope could see his hands twitching as if he was holding imaginary drumsticks. But then he stopped to stare at the stage, his black lipstick making his open mouth rather comical.

  ‘Is that...Rafe?’

  The band was playing a cover of Billy Joel’s ‘Just the Way You Are’.

  Penelope could only nod in response. She’d known that Rafe would be joining the band for this song. He’d told her about it last night, when they’d left the shed in the garden, excused themselves from sharing cake and had gone to the best place in the world to celebrate the declaration of their love—where it had first begun—at Loxbury Hall. The most magnificent place that wasn’t as important as the place he’d found with her.