Morgan's Law by Karly Lane Page B

ambulance.I just stood up too fast,’ he muttered, clearly embarrassed.
    Adam didn’t seem completely reassured, but he stepped back to allow the man to sit down in a beautifully handcrafted rocker on the verandah.
    â€˜This is my granddad. Pop, this is Sarah. She’s out here doing some research.’
    Sarah smiled and stepped forward. ‘It’s nice to meet you. You have a lovely property. Adam’s just taken me out to show me around.’
    â€˜Sorry, I didn’t catch your last name,’ the old man said.
    â€˜Murphy. Sarah Murphy.’
    â€˜What kind of research?’
    â€˜I think my gran had ties to this area a long time ago. Her name was Rose.’ Sarah thought she’d stumble over the unfamiliar name on her lips, but once she said it out loud, it felt just right.
    â€˜You look just like her, girl.’
    â€˜You knew my grandmother?’
    â€˜I did,’ he acknowledged. ‘A long time ago. How is Rose?’
    â€˜Gran died a little over six months back, Mr Buchanan.’
    The old man pushed his foot against the wooden boards of the verandah to set his rocker in a slow easy rhythm, his gaze drifting out over the pastures and far, far beyond.
    â€˜Pop? You all right?’ Adam asked, exchanging a worried glance with Sarah.
    His grandfather inclined his head slightly, but it was clear he didn’t feel like discussing Rose any further, so Adam nodded towards the screen door and, with one last worried glance at the old man, Sarah reluctantly followed him inside the house.
    â€˜Do you think he’s really okay?’
    â€˜I dunno. He has the occasional bad day. It usually doesn’t last long.’
    â€˜Do you live here with all your family?’
    â€˜Just Pop and me nowadays. Mum died when I was about ten, and Dad not long ago. Gran passed away when I was a baby.’
    â€˜Do you mind living with your grandfather?’ What did he do when he had women over? She tried not to think about that.
    Adam gave a shrug. ‘Nah, I’m kind of used to it. He moved in not long after Mum died, to help Dad out. I had the option of moving into Pop and Nan’s old house just up the road, but he’s getting on now and I feel better knowing I’m close by if he needs me.’
    A quiver of guilt raced through her at his casual explanation. He was the type of grandchild any grandparent would be proud of—unlike the kind she’d turned out to be.
    The lounge room had the distinct markings of a bachelor pad. It wasn’t messy or dirty, as such; it just lacked something, a softer, feminine touch perhaps. Maybe it was because there was a slight musty smell, as though everything needed a good spring-clean, or because there was dust on most surfaces. It was the little things that men never seemed to notice, even if they did do the cleaning.
    Adam told her to take a seat while he fetched them a cold drink.
    â€˜How did you know this is what you wanted to do with your life?’ she asked as he returned and handed her a glass of iced water.
    Placing his own glass on the table, he eased into a chair and considered her before he answered. ‘I guess I didn’t realise how much I wanted to do it until I was away at uni.’
    â€˜Where did you study?’
    â€˜Brisbane. UQ.’
    â€˜So you lived in Brisbane while you went to the University of Queensland?’
    â€˜Yeah. Actually, it was Pop’s idea. He wanted to make sure I got a chance to figure out what I wanted to do. It was good for me to get away and live somewhere else for a while.’
    â€˜And you came back,’ Sarah said, and hoped the surprise didn’t show in her tone.
    â€˜Yep.’ He reached out and picked up his glass.
    â€˜So, tell me about this bloke who killed off your happily-ever-after.’
    Sarah sent him a sharp glance. She really didn’t want to talk about Giles. But refusing to talk about him would make it seem as though she