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that appearances had anything to do with her single status, but, unlike her willow-thin, blonde-haired sisters, Mackenzie was short with dark features. As a child she had to tell people she wasn’t adopted. Her Mum said she looked exactly like her maternal grandmother at the same age. Although she’d never met the woman – and only had grainy black and white photos as a reference point, she agreed there were some similarities.
    “My sisters are all beautiful, yes.” She wasn’t lying. “And happily married,” she added, in case Nathan got any ideas about using her to meet one of her siblings. It had certainly happened before.
    “So you’re not married?” Nathan let the sentence hang.
    At his question, bittersweet memories of Bailey’s wedding came to mind. It was the most recent occasion the family had gathered together and at the end of the ceremony her father had scowled at Mackenzie and said, “You know what they say, Mack …”
    He never finished the sentence, but Mackenzie knew the saying well. If it was true “three times a bridesmaid” meant “never a bride,” what would it mean to be a bridesmaid five times? If she believed her father, Mackenzie was doomed to be single, and therefore miserable, for the rest of her life. His words had cut deep and she hadn’t spoken to him since that day.
    “No. I’m not married,” she repeated, feeling herself blush again, which annoyed her.
    Why should she be embarrassed that at thirty-five she had only had one serious relationship? Sure, she’d dated over the years, but nothing ever lasted beyond a couple of weeks. Her longest relationship was years ago with a man she’d met at university. Together for nearly six months, in the end they mutually agreed they were only ever going to be friends, not lovers.
    “You’re single then?” Nathan asked.
    She nodded but didn’t elaborate. She needed to shift the conversation onto safer topics and away from her personal life.
    “How do you cope out there? You said it’s isolated in Iron Ridge. You grew up in Sydney and you’ve been living where? London? It must have been a massive culture shock coming back to Australia, let alone moving to the middle of the Outback.”
    “Yeah, it was a huge shock, but I’m used to it now. Sometimes it’s pretty lonely,” he said, a quick shadow passing across his face, “but I get paid well and I know it’s not forever. While they’re still digging stuff out of the ground and I’m building up a nice nest egg for the future, I’ll keep doing it. When I’ve saved enough money maybe I can go back to university or something.” His voice trailed off and silence fell between them. “I know they’re looking for a nurse to cover for someone later this year. Maybe you should give it a try,” Nathan said. “Might do you good to escape to the country.”
    She narrowed her eyes and looked at him. “Why do you say that?”
    Nathan grinned. “Look how well it’s turned out for Kate.”
    Mackenzie chuckled and looked across at Kate, nestled in Joel’s arms. The loved-up couple chatted comfortably with Joel’s parents, Sean and Lorraine. Nathan was right – escaping to the country had turned out perfectly for Kate. A new job, a new rural lifestyle and a new man, all in one year.
    It sounded perfect to Mackenzie.

Chapter 5
    Five months later, on an overcast and wet morning in the middle of August, Mackenzie sat on her own in a plastic chair in the domestic terminal of Sydney Airport. She had left her apartment at five thirty that morning after waking at four twenty-four, six minutes before her alarm had gone off. Maybe the steady hypnotic beat of rain against her windows had woken her, or maybe she hadn’t slept at all. She wasn’t sure. Supercharged with nervous energy, her brain refused to switch off. She could hardly believe she was going through with her decision to leave Sydney.
    Someone nearby was eating overly-spiced Asian noodles for breakfast and Mackenzie’s