The Long Paddock, page 14
CHAPTER
10
‘Mission accomplished.’ Sue patted a last curl into place at the back of Cressy’s head. ‘One messy bun, all done.’
Cressy touched a hand to her smooth, sleek hair and smiled. ‘You call this a messy bun? You should have seen my hair before you arrived.’
Sue chuckled. ‘Now I’ve taken the dry ends off, you’ll find your hair much easier to manage.’
Cressy turned in the kitchen chair to face the elderly librarian. ‘Thank you.’
Sue had driven out to Glenmore for a late and long lunch. After they’d eaten the delicious chicken wraps Sue had brought, she’d tackled Cressy’s hair.
‘You’re very welcome. All those years of having Taylor in dance lessons and doing her hair has paid off.’
Cressy nodded and stood. The cool air from the air-conditioner washed over her bare nape. ‘Taylor always looked beautiful, even back then.’
Sadness tinged Sue’s smile. ‘Those years went so fast. Now I don’t even know what colour her hair is.’
‘Still blonde according to her social media pictures.’ Cressy reached for her phone. Sue was comfortable using computers but the ever-shifting social media landscape was beyond her comfort zone. Cressy scrolled through her phone and showed Sue her daughter’s most recent profile picture taken against the glow of the Icelandic northern lights. ‘She will come home again. Her year away might now be four years long, but didn’t she say last phone call she’d be back by your birthday?’
Sue’s smile brightened. ‘She did. I can’t wait.’
Cressy sat her phone on the kitchen table. In the middle of the honey-gold wood sat her mother’s crystal vase filled with Pierre de Ronsard pink roses. Cressy had helped Sue dig the hole to plant the rose beside her front veranda post. She’d always been outside getting her hands dirty while Fliss and Taylor remained inside painting their nails. The vigorous rose now reached the roofline and every spring produced an abundance of lush blooms.
‘So which of Ella’s dresses will you wear? According to Sally, this colour is in at the moment.’
Sue lifted a royal blue dress from where it lay draped over the back of the kitchen chair. After Cressy’s SOS that she had nothing to wear, Ella had sent two spare dresses out with Sue.
‘Sally would know. I still think mermaid green is in.’ Cressy’s brow creased at the length of the dress. ‘Didn’t Ella say these were dresses she had sitting in her cupboard?’
‘Yes, why?’
Cressy held the blue dress against her. The delicate fabric pooled around her fingers and contained an unmistakable new smell. ‘Because if this is mid-thigh on me, on Ella the hemline would stop traffic on Main Street.’
Sue’s blue eyes twinkled. ‘You have a point. I think Ella has the longest legs in Woodlea.’
Sue collected the second dress, a crimson halter-neck number. She again held the dress against Cressy and again the hemline wouldn’t have suited the taller Ella.
‘Definitely another Cressy dress.’
‘I agree. There’s no way Ella could have bought these for herself.’ Cressy sighed. ‘One day I will out-gift her. She does so much for me.’
‘I have no doubt she’d say the same thing about you.’ Sue held each dress up for Cressy to consider. ‘Now … which one?’
Cressy bit her lip. Both dresses were stunning but they projected a different message. The crimson dress said, ‘I’m here, look at me’. While the more demure blue dress would blend in with the crowd. If she was serious about discovering whether there was anything left between her and Denham to fight for, she should wear the red dress.
But perhaps she shouldn’t attract any attention? Shaun was enough of a flirt as it was. Denham might refuse to be drawn into any competition with him over their auction dates, but tension between them remained. When Shaun’s name was mentioned an unmistakable hardness tempered Denham’s quiet gaze.
She looked at the red dress. The vivid colour made her feel buoyant and hopeful. The fundraising dinner offered a rare opportunity for the town to frock up and to forget about their worries. Tonight she was determined not to dwell on what would happen if she returned from the long paddock to no rain.
‘I’ll wear the red dress.’
‘Perfect. That’s the one I would have chosen too. There’ll be some cowboys who won’t know what to say when they see you.’
‘I’ll settle for having a little fun and letting others do the impressing.’
Sue smiled. ‘There’ll be plenty of dressing to impress. And it won’t stop there once the bidding starts for Denham’s and Shaun’s dates.’
‘I know.’ Cressy sighed. ‘That’s all everyone’s talking about.’
Sue’s eyes searched hers. ‘Are you and Ella bidding?’
Cressy shook her head. ‘Both dates will go out of our price range.’
Sue returned her scissors, brush and hairspray to her bag. ‘Well, I hope Denham doesn’t regret being a good sport and participating. I’m tempted to bid on his date just to save him from Edna. Bethany might have a boyfriend but the rumour going around is that Edna thinks Denham would make a much better son-in-law.’
‘I’m sure she does. I feel for him too. But he’ll be fine. If anyone can handle Edna, let alone an awkward situation, it’s Denham.’
Something in her voice must have betrayed her tension because Sue’s gaze centred on her face.
‘I mean …’ Cressy quickly added as memories of the intensity between her and Denham in the kitchen heated her skin. ‘He handled Edna fine the other day.’
‘Yes, Meredith said he did, even with Edna being disappointed about him keeping his shirt on.’ Expression thoughtful, Sue gave her a hug. ‘See you tonight and if you need any last minute hair repairs let me know.’
Cressy returned her hug. ‘Thanks. You’ll be glad to know that after the last hair disaster, I won’t be fixing any windmill pumps five minutes before I leave for town.’
Sue smoothed a stray wisp of hair from off Cressy’s temple. ‘The day you stop caring for Glenmore is the day I worry.’
Cressy walked Sue to her car and then waved her off. Kevin screeched farewell from the top of a nearby cedar tree. When Cressy could no longer see the white blur of Sue’s sedan, she headed to the chook pen to feed and lock the chickens up early. She’d also feed Tippy and Kevin so she’d have time to call in and visit Jazz and Reggie on her way past. She was due to visit today and she didn’t want to cancel as come Monday she’d be off droving.
After slipping on the crimson dress, applying a light dusting of make-up and a final check of her hair, Cressy was good to go. She pulled on her cowgirl boots.
‘Don’t worry, Tippy,’ she said as she stepped onto the veranda and the kelpie looked at her and tilted her head. ‘I’ll change into these at the dinner.’ She held up a pair of strappy black sandals. ‘And yes, I’ve painted my toenails.’
She gave Tippy a last pat before the kelpie headed over to her favourite place in the shade of the rainwater tank.
Once at Claremont, Cressy parked in her usual spot beneath the jacaranda tree. The driveway was empty and there was no sign of movement from within the homestead or the stables. Meredith and Phil would have driven to town to set up for the outdoor dinner. Denham also would have left. The organisers would want him and Shaun there early to run through the details of their dates.
By the time she’d walked past the stables to Flame’s and Jazz’s paddock, the horses were already hanging their heads over the gate to greet her. Bandit grazed in the adjacent paddock and barely looked at her. He wasn’t interested in her or any treats.
She fed the two placid and gentle mares their carrots. Jazz’s grey coat now possessed a new sheen and her gaunt hip bones weren’t so prominent. The two feeds a day, plus the splash of vegetable oil she’d seen Denham add, were delivering much-needed nutrients.
After a last pat to each horse, Cressy returned to her ute. She then drove past the machinery shed and turned left. There were three gates to open and she’d reach Reggie and his cows. Denham’s daily delivery of carrots had kept the bull happy and he’d shown no signs of wanting to stray.
As she left her ute to open the final gate, the breeze contained the unmistakable scent of water. She examined her right arm. There wasn’t a cloud in the air brushed sky but she could have sworn a water droplet landed on her skin. It was more than just wistful thinking. She squinted against the glare and scanned the paddock. Sunlight sparkled to her right as a thick spray of water jettisoned from the trough.
Cressy reached for the phone that lay on her passenger seat. The thought of all that water going to waste turned her stomach. The pressurised pipe leak would pump out more water than she’d use at Glenmore in a day. Sue might have some hair repairs to do after all once she’d fixed the trough.
She dialled Denham’s number. He picked up after the second ring.
‘Hi, Cressy.’
She stemmed her happiness that he remembered her number or had her details in his phone.
‘Hi. I’ve come to see Reggie and your trough’s leaking. You and Phil would already be in town so if you tell me which pump to turn off, and don’t mind me raiding the workshop, I’ll fix the leak.’
‘Thanks but it’s fine. I’m still here. I’ll deal with it.’
‘Are you sure? Shouldn’t you already be in town?’
‘I should … soon. I’ll call Sue to let her know I’ve been held up.’
‘Okay … how about I stay and help? It might make things quicker?’
‘What are you wearing?’
Cressy looked down at the flimsy and impractical crimson dress. The late-afternoon sun burned her bare shoulders and the full skirt lifted in the slight breeze. ‘Cowgirl boots.’
‘And …’
Cressy sighed. ‘A dress. But I can still help. I can’t let you run late.’
Denham didn’t answer. In the beat of silence she heard a car door close and an engine start. Then his deep voice sounded. ‘Okay. See you soon.’
In the time it took for Cressy to drive across the paddock, feed Reggie his carrots and drive back towards the trough, Denham had arrived.
She parked beside his Land Cruiser ute. With the pump now off, and no pressure in the pipes, the water spout had subsided. Cressy could see the jagged split in the trough pipe that looked the right height for a cow kick. It wouldn’t take much to remove the damaged pipe with a hacksaw, cut a new piece and attach it at either end using joiners.
Intent on assessing the trough damage and what needed to be done, she forgot about how she was dressed. It was only when she walked around the front of her ute and Denham turned to look at her, she remembered.
Today he didn’t wear his cowboy hat. Without the wide brim shadowing his face, she had unlimited access to his expression. At first, it appeared as though her outfit made no impression. His gaze travelled from her styled hair, over her made-up face and across her red lips. But as his attention moved past her fitted bodice to the soft fall of the dress skirt above her knees, a muscle kicked in his jaw.
‘You look … beautiful.’
‘Thanks.’ She matched his careful tone. He couldn’t know how much his compliment made her heart sing. A breeze teased her skirt and she placed a hand on her thigh to hold it in place.
‘And far too clean to be fixing troughs. You go.’ He bent to reach for the hacksaw that lay next to his boots. ‘I’ve got this.’
It was only a glint, a flicker in his eyes of something bleak, but it was enough to keep Cressy standing where she was. It had only been five days since she’d seen him but in that time it looked like he’d slept little. Hollows indented his cheeks and grooves were carved beside his mouth. She had no doubt that whatever the demons were that caused him to run still retained their firm hold on him.
‘Nice try but I’m not going anywhere. It will be quicker with two of us.’ She stepped forward to pick up a piece of poly pipe. ‘You know that even as a kid I liked to play in water.’
‘Don’t remind me.’ A brief half-smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. ‘Usually I was the person who got wet. You had a habit of throwing water bombs when I wasn’t looking.’
While Denham removed the broken piece of pipe, Cressy busied herself anticipating what he’d need next. It was either concentrate on the task at hand or stare at the flex and pull of the muscles beneath the thin cotton of his red-checked shirt. She wasn’t going to think about how good he’d look tonight in his black tux. Shaun might have spent the week flirting and charming to generate interest in his date (according to the gossip she’d got from Ella), but Denham just had to turn up, his jaw clean-shaven and smelling like any cowgirl’s dream, and a bidding war would start.
‘I thought you’d already be in town,’ she said, needing to fill the silence between them.
‘No, I’ve already been in to help set up. I came home to work Jazz and to have a shower.’
Cressy focused on the Jazz part of his reply. Thinking about Denham naked and wet was even more distracting than thinking about him in a dinner suit.
‘How’s she going? She looks good.’ Cressy passed him the first joiner. ‘You’d never think she was the same horse.’
‘She’s a sweetheart. She has a soft mouth but she’s fussy with the bit. She tosses her head and chews which could be why she ended up as a companion horse. I tried a new bit this afternoon and it worked well.’
‘I hope it keeps working well. I can’t wait to ride her.’
‘She needs to go in the horse float to show her nothing bad will happen again. Maybe I could bring her out for you to ride when you’re droving?’
‘I’d like that.’
Reggie lumbered over to see what was happening. Curious, he inspected the joiner Cressy held. He then walked forward to sniff Denham’s neck.
‘Please tell me Reggie’s being friendly and isn’t about to toss me sky-high?’ Denham said as he twisted the ends of the second joiner to secure the new and old pipes together.
‘Definitely a friendly sniff. I think he likes you.’
Denham threw a sceptical look towards the bull who stepped past him and trudged through the mud to take a long drink at the trough.
‘The only things Reggie likes are carrots and you.’
She lifted a hand to shade her eyes as Reggie left the trough to head back to his herd. ‘And your rodeo cows. He’s happy here with them.’
‘I hope so. He’s shown no more signs of wanting to leave.’ Denham stood. ‘Thanks for staying and for your help. But you’d better get going. I’ll head home for a quick shower.’
‘Okay. I will. Good luck for tonight.’
‘Thanks.’ For the briefest of seconds his attention strayed to her mouth. It was long enough for her to catch the hunger that glittered in his dark eyes.
Warmth crept through her, making her whole body hum. The intense awareness that had connected them in the kitchen hadn’t just been forged from shared memories. Despite leaving her behind and the years apart, here was proof that attraction still held him in its grip. He was no more immune to her than she was to him.
She smiled, hope unfurling within. The dinner tonight couldn’t come quick enough. ‘See you soon.’
***
Denham parked in the space Meredith had saved for him in the church car park. Dusk now draped the bell tower of the historic Anglican Church. Timeless and stoic, the stone building had witnessed the ebb and flow of small town life. Soon the sound of the church bell would again ring out in celebration. The fundraising committee was close to reaching their target to restore the iconic bell.
Instead of switching off his engine, he let his ute idle. Once the engine noise died, the sound of the festivities outside would remind him of what lay ahead. A night of keeping his hands off Cressy. He sighed. A near impossible task.
When he’d turned in the paddock and seen her in her red dress and cowgirl boots he swore the world had fallen away. He’d never seen anyone more beautiful. All he could hear was the soft rush of her breaths. All he could breathe in was the scent of flowers. The girl he’d loved had grown into a woman that men would go into battle for.
He turned the ute key and the engine sound subsided. And it would be a battlefield tonight. He needed to be ready. Now, more than ever, his emotions had to be concealed. He couldn’t react should anything happen between Cressy and Shaun. Just like he couldn’t let his feelings for Cressy slip through his self-control. Even if it felt like a lifetime since he’d savoured the sweet heat of her kiss. He reached for the doorhandle. He had to stay strong, no matter how much he ached to hold her.
He crossed the car park. Meredith must have saved Cressy a car park too because her silver ute gleamed two cars away in the next row. Fairy lights strung between trees led him towards the back of the church. As he rounded the corner, the noise and chatter of animated conversations enveloped him.
To his left, white-covered tables backed onto the church wall. Groups of guests were clustered around the auction items on display. From a landscape painted by a local artist, to his signed rodeo picture, to handcrafted silver jewellery and a range of other items, the fundraising committee had put together a catalogue guaranteed to entice people to put their hands into their wallets.
Loud masculine laughter sounded from over at the far table. Shaun stood surrounded by a bevy of smiling women who each held a red rose. Beside him sat a vase filled with more long-stemmed roses. Behind him hung a glossy banner advertising the Dubbo winery where the winner of his date would be flown by helicopter. Shaun glanced his way and Denham lifted a hand in greeting. Shaun gave a curt nod.
Denham kept walking. There was no need to go over to where the details of his date were displayed. Meredith had printed off the gourmet picnic menu on heavy white paper which she’d sat on a gold easel. ‘Less is more,’ she’d told him with a knowing smile.
He’d check to see if she needed anything done before he grabbed a beer. Across the long tables, on which candles flickered, his aunt talked to Phil and Sue. Tall and elegant in a long black dress, Meredith laughed at something Phil said. It was a relief to see her smile. These past few days he’d rarely seen her as she’d been busy organising tonight’s event. When she had been home he’d caught her looking at him, her eyes serious.
