Trouble in Nirvana Read Online Free PDF

fulltime positions were available and she really didn’t want the freelance life anymore. That was one reason why marriage and motherhood was so appealing and why now, with that prospect smashed to smithereens, she was adrift.
    No. Too early to panic. She needed to slow down, adjust. Accept change as a positive thing. And the last thing she wanted was to prove Mr. Smart Arse Fairbrother right. She could stick it out for a few weeks before making any decisions about leaving. The reality was she didn’t have much choice. Her stomach gurgled.
    Was dinner a communal meal the way she’d envisaged or was it every man for himself the way some of her student share houses had operated? Whichever way it worked it was close to seven and she was running on empty.
    An engine roared in the distance. A motorbike. She stood up. The bike burst into view on the top of the hill. Danny? A cloud of dust trailed like a banner in his wake. The bike decelerated and ran into the shed next to the Kombi. Primrose waited for the dust to settle then walked down the steps. She crossed the yard, stopping as the rider got off the big blue bike and removed the helmet. He took grocery bags from the rear container.
    “Danny!”
    He turned, bearded, brow creased as he studied her. “Hello, Rosie.”
    The expanse of dusty ground between them stretched into a vast no man’s land. Primrose paused, licked her lips, with a tentative smile hovering. Was he pleased to see her? A sudden and unexpected groundswell of emotion flooded her eyes with moisture, made her voice catch in her throat. “Hello.”
    He put the groceries down. “Been a long time.”
    “Yes.” She moved forward uncertainly, but the frown had gone. He smiled and she ran the last few steps into his open arms, sniffing back tears. She’d forgotten being a sister. Those shared memories and experiences didn’t go away, however neglected they may be. She and this man, her brother, were linked by invisible, cobweb thin bonds spun in childhood. Stronger than she’d thought.
    “You’re looking good,” he mumbled into her shoulder.
    She stepped back, ran a hand over her cheeks, grinning, wiping away tears. The clear green eyes hadn’t changed, but the hair was lighter and he’d lost weight. A lot of weight. His frame was wiry thin, bony, beneath her hug. “I’m fine. You look good, too.”
    “How long have you been here?” He bent and scooped up the grocery bags and started walking toward the house.
    “A few hours. I saw Nirupam. She’s asleep at the moment. Hey!” Primrose grabbed his arm. “Congratulations. You’re going to be a Dad.”
    “A better one than ours, I hope.”
    “You will be, and Nirupam will be a terrific mother.” Danny smiled briefly but said nothing. He stepped aside for her to go through the gate. Primrose said, “Is she well? She looks a bit pale, and you’re both very thin.”
    “She tired, but it’s natural according to Kurt and Fern.”
    “I haven’t met Fern. I’ve met Kurt, and he doesn’t strike me as knowing anything about pregnancy.” Or women or probably anything else.
    “Fern and Jason live here too with their son Mojo. He’s seven.”
    Mojo!? What were they thinking? “What does her doctor say?” Primrose pulled the door open.
    “She hasn’t seen a doctor. No need. Fern’s here.”
    “What?! What does Fern know about it? Is she a midwife?”
    “No, but she’s had a child.”
    “Has Kurt had any medical training?” Primrose squawked, unable to conceal the horror.
    “No but—”
    “But what? She needs to see a doctor, Danny. Where’s she going to have the baby? Here?”
    He nodded. “It’s a perfectly natural thing, childbirth.”
    “Maybe, but women and babies still die. What if something goes wrong?”
    He wandered off along the corridor toward the bathroom. “I don’t know. It won’t happen. Fern’s predicted a perfectly healthy birth with her Tarot cards.” He left the grocery bags on the floor outside the bathroom