The Long Paddock, page 21
Denham’s fingers lingered on her skin before his arm lowered by his side. ‘Thank you.’
Together they headed for the gate. Cressy bent to scoop a handful of carrots from out of the bucket. Puffs of dust lifted as the bull patrolled beside the car. Fresh blood glistened on his face and every so often he’d shake his head to dull the pain.
‘Reggie,’ she called quietly. The bull swung around to look her way and then back at the car.
‘Reggie,’ she called again, conscious of how close Denham stood. He was taking no chances of anything happening to her and the knowledge made her feel cherished.
This time Reggie not only looked at her but took two steps towards her. ‘C’mon boy.’ She held up a handful of carrots. ‘I’m home and can’t wait to see you.’
He lumbered towards her and she could see his tension ease. His head lowered and the flare of fury in his eyes dulled. In her peripheral vision she saw Denham hold up his hand in a stop sign to someone in the car.
‘Easy, Reg,’ she said as the bull’s head again lifted and shoulders tensed.
But Reggie ignored her words and swung around to charge as a youth made a mad dash for the arena fence. He only just cleared the top yard rail when Reggie rattled the steel.
Denham’s low curse was lost beneath Reggie’s bellow as he returned to his position beside the car. Denham jogged to the teenager who now sat on the ground, head in his hands.
Car engines filled the intense silence. The cavalry would arrive soon. Cressy wasted no time. She slipped through the gate and walked to where Reggie again pawed the loose, powdery dirt.
Before she reached him, she pointed to the two youths and indicated they were not to get out of the car until she gave the all clear. The teenager in the front seat nodded.
She continued over to the bull. ‘Okay, Reg. Ella will be here soon and I want her to take a look at your head. Let’s let these kids go. The sooner they’re gone, the sooner you’ll be left in peace and you can rejoin your herd. See, they’re all over there by the trough waiting for you.’
She touched his neck as she usually did when she wanted him to follow. ‘Reggie,’ she said firmly when he didn’t move. ‘Let’s go.’
He glared at the orange car before following her. She led the way through the gate beside the bucking chutes to a small holding yard. When he was inside, she shut the gate and waved her arm. The two youths bolted from the car.
She gave Reggie a hug. His coat was damp and the metallic smell of blood filled the air. She kept a hand on his neck and fed him carrots until the last of his tension leached away.
Beyond the yards, Denham and a local constable talked to the three thrillseekers. The way they hung their heads and their frequent nods communicated they regretted their actions. The knowledge brought her no peace. With every failed riding attempt the bull’s reputation only grew. Ella might have passed on the news that Denham had made sure Reggie wouldn’t be bothered by the locals but it was the out-of-towners who were still yet to get the message he was off limits. She fed Reggie the final chunk of carrot and he rubbed his head against her.
Footsteps sounded before Ella came to the yard fence.
‘Hey, Cressy.’
‘Hey, Ella. Thanks for coming.’
‘No worries. Now how do you want to do this? Will Reggie let me look at him standing there or will we need to put him in the chute?’
‘He knows you and I’m here. He’ll stand still.’
As Cressy predicted, Reggie stood quietly while Ella entered the yard. He sniffed her hands for carrots and she stroked his nose.
‘Sorry, Reg, I’ll bring you some next time.’
She examined his wound and confirmed Denham’s diagnosis. The gash wasn’t deep. She cleaned the wound and the blood from off his face. When she’d finished, she rubbed his neck.
‘All done. I wish all my patients were as easy as you.’ Ella turned to Cressy with a smile. ‘You know the drill.’
‘I do. I’ll watch for infection and keep the flies off him.’
Ella glanced over to where Denham approached. ‘Perfect. Now I’d better get back to the clinic. I’ll call you later.’
She nodded to Denham as she passed.
Denham stopped at the fence. The tight set of his jaw told Cressy that while the youths might have left in their battered orange car, his anger at their recklessness continued to simmer.
‘Everything okay?’ he asked.
‘Yes, Reggie has the all clear.’
The bull stepped away from her to walk over to Denham. He scratched Reggie’s grey forehead and in the gesture Cressy could see how much they’d bonded. Each knew how special the other one was. A lump filled her throat. Denham had more than passed the Reggie test.
‘Did you press charges?’ she asked, voice husky.
‘No, but I won’t be so lenient next time. The deal was these three are to tell their mates that if I catch anyone trespassing again they will be prosecuted.’
Cressy nodded as she moved to open the rodeo yard gate. Denham’s hero status, plus the Rigby name, would make people think twice before unlawfully entering his land. It was when Reggie returned to Glenmore there could be more trouble. She could only hope Reggie would be forgotten about by then.
Denham fell into step beside her as she and Reggie walked across to the far gate that led into the adjacent paddock. She gave Reggie a last pat before he trotted over to his herd. The rodeo cows closed around him, welcoming him home.
With the crisis over, shock shimmied along her nerves, causing her to shake. She frowned and folded her arms. Exhaustion and hunger was no excuse to be such a sap. Just as well she wasn’t out on a SES call.
Without a word, Denham put his arms around her and pulled her close. His thumbs brushed over the bare skin of her shoulders. The concern in his touch only made her tremble more. For a moment she resisted and then she melted against him. There was no use pretending she was okay. He might be able to control his emotions but she was never any good at hiding how she felt. She closed her eyes and lost herself in his heat and strength. He’d always been able to keep the world at bay and to make her feel safe and secure.
He held her until her tremors subsided and she lifted her head. Eyes fathomless, he examined her face. He took a long second to speak and when he did his tone was low.
‘Meredith would have my hide if I didn’t take you home to clean up and for dinner.’
She glanced down and saw Reggie’s blood over her grey top and skin.
She pulled away from Denham and took a step backwards, already regretting lowering her defences. Until she knew why he believed they couldn’t be together, she wasn’t again letting him into her life. No matter how much she longed to press her mouth to his.
‘Thanks but I’ll head home.’
Her stomach grumbled.
A smile tugged at his lips. ‘Home to a roast lamb?’
Cressy scuffed the toe of her boot in the dirt. Meredith’s roasts were legendary and she’d insist on Cressy coming to dinner.
Her stomach growled again. ‘Okay. I’m only human. Meredith’s lamb roast does trump a boiled egg.’
***
Meredith’s eyes met Denham’s when he entered Claremont’s main kitchen with a blood-covered Cressy. Otherwise his aunt showed no reaction to how Cressy looked.
She enveloped the cowgirl in a warm hug.
‘It’s so nice to see you. I’ve missed our chats and cups of tea.’
‘I have too.’ Cressy pulled away with a smile. ‘I’ve also missed your cakes and brownies.’
‘I have a fresh batch of caramel slice so will send some home with you. Can you stay for dinner?’
Even as Meredith asked the question she added a third white plate to the pile on a large floral tray.
‘I’d love some, if that’s okay. Apart from your picnic, I don’t feel like I’ve eaten a proper meal in weeks.’
Meredith shot him another look. The brightness of Cressy’s hazel eyes couldn’t disguise her pallor or how her clothes hung on her slim frame. Her cattle may have put on condition out on the long paddock but Cressy had lost weight.
‘I’m so glad you enjoyed the picnic,’ she said, looking back at Cressy. ‘And of course you can stay.’
She handed the tray to Denham. Since she’d returned from her week away they’d taken to eating dinner outside in the cool of the evening. As he’d thought, Meredith hadn’t stayed away the entire week but had returned a day earlier. The first person she’d visited once home had been Phil.
‘Denham can set up outside while I find you a clean shirt.’ Meredith looped her arm through Cressy’s. ‘And you can tell me how Reggie is.’
Denham headed for the veranda through the side door where an outdoor table sat facing the sunset. Meredith seemed her usual buoyant self. Whatever she did, or whoever she visited, on her annual week away had done her good. But every so often he’d catch her looking at him, her expression anxious and shadowed. She must still be worried about how he was handling losing Audrey. He knew that she knew he still sat in his mother’s green chair every night.
He unloaded the plates and cutlery from off the tray before returning inside for water and wine glasses. The creak of the floorboards overhead suggested Meredith had shown Cressy to the guest bathroom. Once the glasses were on the table, he went in search of a bottle of wine. Instead of turning right, he headed left to take the long way down to the cellar. He still didn’t use the hallway that led past his father’s office.
He walked down the stairs into the cool of the musty cellar. The shelves were well-stocked and he scanned the dusty bottles for a nice red. Cressy being home was something to celebrate. Not seeing her the past week had hollowed out his emotions, leaving a void that work couldn’t fill. The harder he worked, the more he missed her. It was only when he’d held her that the void had receded and he’d again felt whole. For a few precious minutes she’d relaxed against him. Warm, soft and sweet, she’d filled his arms and the lonely crevices of his heart.
He chose a bottle of red wine he knew Cressy and Meredith would enjoy. But instead of leaving the cellar he stared at the label. Cressy returning home wasn’t the only thing to celebrate.
Finally they’d found a space to co-exist where they could be part of each other’s lives and yet keep a safe distance. They’d again had physical contact but there’d been no repeat of their car park kiss. His self-control had remained intact and in the steadiness of Cressy’s gaze and the firm press of her lips he could see her own resolve to not give in to their chemistry. The new parameters of their relationship had fallen into place. Cressy would be free to find a future with someone worthy. As for him, he’d be right next door looking out for her and valuing whatever small part he could play in her life.
The small, stuffy room suddenly pressed in on him. He headed for the door. Achieving his goal didn’t make him feel relieved, just claustrophobic. The prospect of spending his life watching Cressy love someone else squeezed the breath from his lungs. The thought of seeing her raise the children she’d always wanted chilled him to his soul. He took the cellar steps two at a time. But he couldn’t change his game plan or undermine the new stability of their relationship.
Meredith’s smile greeted him as he entered the kitchen. ‘Right, let’s eat. Phil’s gone to town for another long paddock meeting. Apparently there’s a draft framework for the management of the stock routes available for public comment.’
Cressy accepted the china gravy boat Meredith handed her. Her eyes briefly met his before she headed outside. Still dressed in her cut-off denim shorts and cowgirl boots she now wore a large white shirt tied at her waist. Thick and heavy, her tousled dark hair fell over her shoulders and midway down her back. He forced his attention away from the smooth strip of skin above her waistband.
He carried the roast out to the veranda table and busied himself carving the lamb. Soon the clink of cutlery merged with the song of crickets as the sun set. The horizon exploded in a riot of vivid colour.
The conversation opened with the news Ella had confirmed Mrs Knox’s prize poodle was in pup to an unknown father. Talk then drifted towards the woollen caterpillar that now decorated the preschool front fence and then onto the topic of the upcoming rodeo.
‘Are you sure you want to be a pickup rider on Bandit?’ Meredith asked as she reached for her wine glass. ‘The Barton boys have some more experienced and reliable horses you could use.’
From across the table, Cressy lifted a brow. ‘You’re riding Bandit as a pickup horse? Once he’s back in the rodeo ring, he might decide he wants to be a bucking horse again.’
‘If he does, he’ll give the crowd a show they’ll never forget.’
‘Or you,’ Cressy said, with a teasing smile.
‘Bandit will surprise you all,’ Denham said. ‘Seth has faith in him. That’s why he asked us to help. Bandit knows what the bucking horses will do even before I will. My only job will be to get the rider off safely.’
‘I guess Seth could be right,’ Cressy said, filling her plate with a second helping of lamb, crisp garlic potatoes and honey-glazed carrots. ‘He’s been a pickup rider for years now. And if any horse has the right temperament it’s Bandit. He won’t let anyone, or any horse, push him around.’
Denham nodded. ‘Exactly.’
‘Edna also said you were doing a bull-riding demonstration?’ Meredith asked, worry creasing her forehead. ‘I thought you’d retired?’
‘I am. It will be fine. They’ll give me a sleepy bull to ride.’
Meredith’s frown didn’t ease. ‘Even sleepy bulls can buck you off.’
‘They can, so I’d better make sure I last the eight seconds otherwise Woodlea will believe my rodeo career was nothing but a rumour.’
‘Well,’ Cressy said with a grin, ‘make sure you don’t injure yourself because there’ll be some disappointed cowgirls at the dinner dance. Sally says all her friends are going just to dance with you again.’ Cressy sat back in her chair and folded her hands over her stomach. ‘I’ve eaten so much. Poor Jazz won’t be able to carry me next ride.’
‘So no room for any pavlova then?’ Meredith asked, a twinkle in her eye.
‘I’ve always room for pavlova.’
With dessert over and the table cleared, Meredith lit two citronella candles to keep the mosquitoes away, before returning inside to make coffee.
Cressy smothered a yawn. ‘Thanks for all your help with Reggie today.’
‘No problem.’ Denham stared out over the starlit garden. ‘I didn’t do much. You were the one who dealt with Reggie.’
‘And you were the one who dealt with the teenagers. They wouldn’t listen to me like they would you. Together we make a … good team.’
‘We do.’ He glanced towards the kitchen. Their unfinished conversation from the long paddock hung between them. Meredith seemed to be taking a long time to make coffee.
‘Denham …’
‘Yeah.’ He braced himself for another question about why he didn’t consider himself worthy of a relationship, but instead Cressy stood.
‘Walk with me.’
He hesitated. There was something about the softness of her eyes that suggested he wasn’t going to like where she was taking him.
She held out her hand. ‘It wasn’t just Reggie you helped today. You also … helped me. Grandfather always taught me to repay any favours.’
Denham didn’t stand. Sweat prickled his skin. He knew where she wanted to take him. ‘I didn’t really help you. You just needed a moment to regroup.’
‘We both know you did help and I needed more than a moment.’ She stepped forward and touched his shoulder. ‘It will be okay. I promise. I’ll be there with you.’
He locked his jaw and stood. ‘This isn’t a good idea.’
She slipped her hand in his. As small and as fine-boned as her fingers were, he drew courage from their warmth and the firmness of their grip. She said she’d stay with him and she’d be true to her word.
‘Okay.’
His voice was already hoarse and he hadn’t even left the veranda.
She squeezed his hand and led him into the garden and then around to the front of the house. Feet leaden, he climbed the steps. The breeze carried the scent of jasmine but the perfume of his mother’s favourite flower didn’t offer any comfort. He stared at the door he hadn’t walked through in five long years. Two rooms down the hallway and to the right was his father’s office.
Cressy waited for him to move and then matched his steps to the cedar door. She pushed it open. Chest tight, he walked through. She followed close behind. His footsteps echoed as he trod on the floorboards he and Jake used to slide along in their socks as kids. Then they were at his father’s office door.
Denham tugged at his shirt collar that felt too tight. He couldn’t say why this room contained such power. It was a room he and Jake had rarely been allowed in. It wasn’t a room that held fond memories or where his father had died. Denham took hold of the doorhandle. He could do this. It was just four walls and a desk.
The door swung open and he understood why he’d avoided this space. The room contained his father’s essence. The smell of leather and old books. The clutter of mementos of the life he’d lived and valued. The room was a record of everything that had brought him pleasure. Personal keepsakes of trips, events and achievements that had moved him more than his sons ever had.
Cressy turned on the light and flooded the room with brilliance. She searched his face before drawing him forward. On the large mahogany desk sat a single photo of his mother. The silver frame gleamed along with the trophies in the wall cabinet won by generations of Claremont stud cattle. His eyes swept over the shelves lined with pieces of old farm machinery and model tractors. Bitterness tainted his throat. No other photos could be seen. It was as though he and Jake had never existed. He shouldn’t have come and relived the pain of having been raised by an emotionally distant man.
He swung around and realised Cressy had shut the door. She tugged at his hand to hold him still.
‘Look,’ she said, voice little more than a whisper. ‘Just stay and look.’
