Tarnished Dreams

Sally first met Mac when she was a young girl and he'd given her a ride on his horse. As they had grown, so had their love, until something happened to change things between them and she'd left for Melbourne. When she goes back home for her step-father's funeral it's Mac who picks her up at the airport. The sparks start flying, but she isn't going to give in to them. On their way to her mother's they hear on the radio that two convicts are on the loose and everyone was to be careful. Sally had told her mom that her boss, Peter, had asked her to marry him, now Mac was going to show her that she was still in love with him not Peter.

Mac is a vet, has a prosperous practice, and is widely liked by all. He wants Sally back so he asks her to go on his rounds with him. After a couple of stops, they head to the Marrow's farm to check on a pony. While she was daydreaming and Mac was taking care of the pony, the dog starts barking, when Mac calls to him, they see a man running out of the woods towards them with a gun in his hand. They know the convicts have decided to hit the Marrow's house and they are taken inside and tied up. After the convicts leave, Mac decides it's time to try to talk to Sally again and hopes this time she'll listen. She'd been so hurt before, she wasn't sure she could trust him to tell her the truth. After they were released, when the Marrow's returned home, Mac knows Sally still doesn't really believe him and he's tired of trying. He finally tells her that he's had it and walks away leaving her standing in the driveway.

Ms. McGill has written very real characters. You can relate to them and the problems they are dealing with. She has created a world that is believable. I love the scene of Mac telling Sally how he feels and she finally realizes what she felt all those years ago was that she hadn't wanted to grow up. She had wanted everything to stay the same. Ms. McGill tells a story that touches your heart.

Reviewed by: Donna