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Kellie felt her heart contract. ‘Did she tell you that?’
He forked up some of the casserole. ‘I seem to remember it was a recurrent theme before she finally left.’
‘You must have been so hurt.’
He gave an indifferent shrug. ‘I don’t dwell on it much. It happened and I can’t change it. My father, on the other hand, lets it eat away at him even now. He hasn’t moved on. He talks about nothing else whenever I call him, which isn’t often. He can’t seem to accept that she’s not coming back.’
‘And you don’t think you’re a little bit like him in that regard?’
He frowned as he met the challenge of her gaze. ‘What are you saying?’
She put down her fork and picked up her wineglass. ‘If you can’t see it, I’m not going to hit you over the head with it.’
His frown deepened. ‘I suppose by that you mean Madeleine.’
‘You’re still carrying a photo of her in your wallet,’ Kellie said. ‘You have a shrine built to her in your home. You visit her parents every year on her birthday. If that doesn’t demonstrate how stuck you are then what will?’
‘I can hardly wipe her from my memory as if she never was a part of my life,’ he bit out.
‘No, of course not, but I’m sure she wouldn’t have wanted you to live the way you are doing,’ Kellie argued.
‘You know nothing of how I live my life.’ Or how I’m about to change it, he added silently.
She gave him a wry look. ‘Going on what I’ve seen so far, I think I’ve got a pretty clear idea.’
He put down his knife and fork, his top lip lifting mockingly. ‘So you think you can do something about my sad and sorry situation, do you, Dr Thorne?’
Kellie kept her eyes trained on his. ‘I don’t see anything wrong in you getting out a bit more, having some fun, dating now and again. What harm would it do?’
He leaned back in his chair, still with his mouth tilted. ‘So is this what this is all about?’ He waved his hand over the meal between them. ‘Is this yet another one of your do-good missions to achieve while you’re here?’
Kellie frowned at the veiled insult he had thrown at her. ‘I know you think I’m wasting my time with Angie and Gracie but it’s not just the young mums around here that need help. Julie’s boys do, too. They’re bored and restless, that’s why they’re in trouble all the time. They have low self-esteem and the only way they can get attention is to do something bad. I’ve arranged for them to do something good for a change. They’re coming to help me here on Saturday to clean up the yard a bit. Who knows? It might inspire them to do the same at their house or others in the area.’
Matt looked at the bright sparks of enthusiasm in her eyes and wondered when the last time had been that he had been passionate about anything, truly passionate. For most of his life he had taken a back seat when it had come to eagerness. Every time he had been excited about something he had been let down. He remembered one time, not long after his mother had left, he’d thought he’d seen her coming up the front path. He had dashed downstairs, his heart beating like a bass drum in his chest, only to throw open the door to see it was a complete stranger, selling raffle tickets for a charity. The disappointment had been totally devastating. He hadn’t realised until then how much he had hoped his life would go back to what it had been. But it was never going to go back and it was up to him now to move forward.
‘You think I’m wasting my time, don’t you?’ she asked.
Matt picked up his wineglass and twirled the contents. ‘I think you mean well but you’re likely to get swamped with the endless needs of people you can’t help in any significant way.’
‘I don’t care about the destination as much as the journey,’ she said. ‘I know I haven’t got long here but just the fact that someone is taking the time and making the effort to make a difference in someone’s life is surely a worthwhile enterprise.’
He put his glass down and met her brown eyes. ‘Even if you get hurt in the process?’
‘I’d rather get hurt trying. At least it proves I care, and it could make a difference, maybe in just one life but it’s still worth it.’
A warm feeling spread like heated honey through Matt’s chest as he held her gaze. ‘Do you make it a habit to nurture absolutely everyone who crosses your path?’ he asked.
She gave him a self-conscious smile. ‘It’s my mother complex. It’s showing, isn’t it? I just can’t seem to help it. I pick up every lame duck or stray. I’ve been doing it since I was a little kid.’
‘Speaking of strays, I thought I saw that dog you were talking about on my way to the front door,’ Matt said. ‘It was sniffing around the tank stand. I forgot to tell you earlier.’ Only because I was completely taken aback by your amazingly sexy appearance, he tacked on mentally.
‘I left some food and water out at the bottom of the back veranda,’ she said. ‘I hope it hangs around now. That way I can gradually teach it to trust me.’
‘My dog Spike was from the dogs’ home,’ he said. ‘He had been treated cruelly by some idiot who thought a working dog should be confined to a small back yard in the city. The guy had him tied up day in, day out and whenever Spike made a sound he would get whipped with whatever was handy.’
‘Oh that’s terrible,’ Kellie gasped. ‘How can people be so cruel?’
He gave her a grim look. ‘I don’t know, but animal cruelty is one thing that truly sickens me.’
‘Me, too,’ she said with fervour. ‘And children. I hate the thought of little kids being hurt. There are so many people who are desperate to have kids and yet others treat their children like punching bags. Why have kids if you can’t be patient and loving towards them?’
‘Do you want kids?’ Matt asked, surprising himself at asking such a candid question.
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