The Long Paddock, page 22
Denham stared. On the back of the door hung two white frames. Inside each frame was a collection of photographs … of him and Jake.
He took a step forward.
There were photos he’d never seen. A photo of his father holding him as a newborn. A photo of him sitting in a bucket covered in mud. A photo of him on a shaggy brown Shetland. A photo of him missing teeth and holding up a yabby he’d caught in a dam. A photo of him at school with a bag almost as big as him. A photo of him when he first went away to Sydney for boarding school. A photo of him graduating from Sydney University with his agricultural science degree.
He swallowed. His father hadn’t made it to his graduation or commented on his degree other than to say it was time to come back and work on the farm. And yet he’d have sat at his desk and every time his office door had closed, he’d have looked at Denham’s graduation photo.
‘I had no idea these were here.’
His husky words slid through the silence.
‘I wasn’t sure if you did. I discovered them that time your hyperactive kelpie puppy ran in here and hid behind the door.’ She paused. ‘I know your father was a hard man and didn’t show what he felt, but he loved you and Jake.’
Denham stayed silent. He didn’t trust that his self-control would contain his emotions should he speak.
‘Grandfather always said your grandfather was a hard man too. He’d lost his parents young and wasn’t brought up to show affection or emotion by his aunt or uncle. I guess he passed this life lesson onto your father?’
Denham nodded. His childhood memories of his grandfather were of an austere and unsmiling white-haired man who kept to his own wing of the homestead.
He pulled his hand free from Cressy’s hold and hugged her slender shoulders.
‘Thank you.’
She looped an arm around his waist. ‘You’re very welcome.’
He gazed around his father’s office and it was as though a profound weight shifted from off him. He and Jake had been an important part of his father’s life.
Beside him Cressy yawned. His arm tightened around her. She’d more than repaid the help he’d given her earlier. When the house was quiet and only the leaves of the trees whispered he’d come and sit at his father’s desk.
He guided Cressy towards the door. ‘Let’s get you a coffee and then get you home.’
CHAPTER
15
‘Okay, Tippy, here goes.’
Cressy held her breath and clicked on the link that would open her bank account.
From where she lay beside Cressy’s office chair, Tippy wagged her tail.
The internet lagged and the computer screen froze. Cressy stretched her hands above her head and patiently waited. Her city school friends might complain about their slow service but they’d never tried to surf the web using dial-up internet access. There was no point getting impatient or giving up; before she drove to town she needed to know how much money she had to spend.
The screen flickered and her bank details filled the screen. Cressy’s hands slowly lowered as she leaned closer to the screen.
‘This can’t be right.’ Shock muted her voice.
Tippy stood, whined and rested her head on Cressy’s lap. Cressy patted the kelpie’s head without looking at her.
Her usually low bank balance had too many numbers, especially zeros.
She scrolled through the page, stopping when she saw why. In the deposits column was a five-figure sum with the message, ‘Luv Fliss xx’.
She reached for her phone and dialled her sister’s number. Tippy returned to her favourite spot beside Cressy’s chair.
As the phone continued to ring, Cressy hesitated. Fliss might have been on night duty and could still be asleep. She went to hang up when Fliss answered.
‘Hey, Cressy, everything okay? You usually call after dinner.’
‘Everything’s fine. Sorry, were you asleep?’
‘No, in the shower. What’s up?’
‘I’m looking at my bank statement …’
‘And …’
‘It looks suspiciously healthy.’
Fliss chuckled. ‘There’s nothing suspicious about it. I promise my money hasn’t been earned doing anything illegal.’
Cressy smiled but didn’t join in with her sister’s laughter. ‘You know you don’t have to do this. The farm’s my responsibility. You have your own bills to pay.’
‘True, but I also have an income which you don’t have at the moment. You know you’d do the same for me.’
‘I would.’
‘Then what’s the problem?’
Cressy thought for a second. ‘It doesn’t feel … right.’
‘It is right. I’m family, Cressy. I also know how careful you’ve been with your money. You still drive a beat-up old ute and won’t come and see me in Sydney because of the expense. If I can afford to buy Denham’s auction date then I can afford to help you out.’
Cressy bit her lip. Fliss’s money couldn’t have come at a better time and would be an immeasurable help. ‘How … did you know?’
‘Don’t get mad, but I needed scissors when I stayed, so went through your desk …’
‘And my bank statements were in the top drawer.’
‘Yes.’
Cressy closed her eyes as her emotions surged. It went against everything she stood for to accept help but at the same time Fliss’s generosity and care warmed her heart.
‘Thanks, Fliss. I’ll pay you back.’
‘You’re very welcome and I don’t want a cent until there’s knee-high grass in Glenmore’s paddocks again. If you need more just ask.’
‘Thanks,’ Cressy said again, her words husky.
‘So, have you seen Denham since being home?’
Cressy rubbed at her temple. The new conversation topic wouldn’t help settle her emotions. The memory of the happiness relaxing Denham’s smile last night in his father’s study still made her throat ache.
‘We had a situation with Reggie yesterday afternoon, so I saw him then. I probably won’t see him now until the rodeo and campdraft weekend.’
‘Is Reggie okay?’
‘Yes, all good.’
‘Please don’t tell me Denham’s riding in the rodeo.’
‘Just a bull-riding demonstration Saturday morning and then in the afternoon he’s on pickup duty for the bareback event.’
A beat of silence followed and then Fliss spoke. ‘Stubborn, headstrong and single-minded cowboys. Honestly, there’s no getting through to them.’
Cressy frowned at both Fliss’s words and her exasperated tone. ‘Why? Shouldn’t he be doing anything?’
‘Pickup riding, maybe, but bull riding, no. Has he said anything about what happened before he left to come home to be with Audrey?’
‘No.’
When Denham had removed his shirt to save the wallaby she hadn’t seen any injuries or scars. He also didn’t seem to be in any pain. Heat flared in her face. Especially when she was up close and personal with him in the car park.
‘Let’s just say that when a bull the size of Reggie thumps your chest and breaks three ribs and bruises your liver, you need to wait more than eight weeks for your body to heal. I’m not even going to mention the other hospital trips and times Denham went back to bull riding too early.’
Cressy answered quickly. ‘I’ll talk to him.’
‘No. We both know he won’t listen. If it’s only a demonstration ride surely they won’t give him a mean bull?’
‘I’ll have a word to Phil. He’ll make sure they won’t.’
‘Good idea. Now I’d better let you go.’
‘Yes, I’d better head to town for food before Tippy starves. Thanks again for the money. I really appreciate it.’
***
Cressy drove into Woodlea on auto-pilot, thoughts of Denham scattering the items on her mental shopping list. It was no surprise he didn’t take better care of his body. He’d always had a high pain threshold and no fear. If there’d been a pile of dirt, he’d jump his motorbike over it. If there’d been a calf stranded in floodwater, Denham rescued it.
But for three years she hadn’t been part of his life. She didn’t know what he’d been through or what injuries he’d sustained. Had the mystery woman from the stable phone call sat by his hospital bed? Or had she been on speed dial and privy to all the high and lows of his rodeo career? She pushed aside the stirrings of jealousy and focused on the breakthrough Denham had made last night.
She could only hope that knowing about the photographs would now help him walk past, and even visit, his father’s office. She couldn’t imagine growing up thinking that her father never cared. He mightn’t have understood her, or shared her passion for the land, but at least he’d laughed and smiled. He’d also been a frequent visitor when she and Fliss had been at boarding school in Sydney, visiting them more than their mother had.
In contrast, Denham’s father had lived his life separate to his sons. And yet Audrey had stayed with him. Warm, loyal and loving, she must have seen a side of him that he was incapable of showing to anyone else. A side that had treasured all the milestones of the sons he couldn’t hug. A side Cressy had no doubt Denham possessed. Like a seedling reaching for the light, last night she could sense his emotions unfurl. He hadn’t masked his joy at seeing his childhood pictures or his thanks for helping him find them.
Cressy slowed as she hit the town limits. Maybe soon he’d feel comfortable opening up about what had happened to make him think himself unworthy of being with anyone. She didn’t buy him being a workaholic and not putting a relationship first.
She turned past the Royal Arms into Main Street and entered a world of colour. Rodeo fever had hit Woodlea.
Tiny knitted cowboy hats and boots decorated lampposts, bright posters adorned shop windows and banners were strung on the wrought-iron of second-storey verandas. The café had set up a display in their window of a western saddle, old wagon wheel and hay bales. Last year their cowboy boot–shaped gingerbread had been a best seller.
Out at the rodeo ground the rodeo committee would be working hard to prepare the venue for the influx of tourists, competitors and spectators. The Saturday night dinner and dance was in itself a drawcard. The live music would be provided by a band from the country music capital of Tamworth. The committee was hoping this year would be the best rodeo ever.
Cressy parked outside the grocery store. In under half an hour the portable car fridge on the back of her ute was packed with cold items and her passenger seat laden with grocery bags. She texted Fliss a message of thanks. Her shopping trip would have been very different without her sister’s kindness.
She then visited the library to return the books she’d borrowed to read while droving, paid her bill at the pharmacist and drove towards Woodlea Rural. She’d collect some cattle drench and head home. She wanted to spend the afternoon going through the old bank statements and records to make sense of the inflated sale price of the river flats. She also had calls to make. The tractor could finally receive its proper service before she blew up the engine. She also needed to look into potential agistment for the next month if her paddocks remained bare.
As she walked across the Woodlea Rural car park, a horn sounded. She turned to wave as Tanner drove by in his blue ute. Going off the roll of wire and other items in the trayback, he too had been shopping. It wouldn’t be long before everyone would know his name whenever it was mentioned. She entered the cool, air-conditioned interior of the rural supply store. As she decided between two different drench brands she caught a waft of a man’s expensive cologne before Shaun entered the drench aisle.
‘Long time no see,’ he said, his voice as smooth as his swagger.
Cressy gave him a brief smile. They were yet to talk about what had happened at the church fundraising dinner. He wasn’t off the hook for his wandering hands.
‘Hi. How was your Dubbo date?’
‘Okay.’ His blue gaze took its time looking over her jeans and faded pink work shirt. ‘It would have been much more fun with you.’
‘I guarantee it wouldn’t have been. You and I don’t do well one-on-one.’
His smile remained in place even as his eyes narrowed. ‘So no saving me a slow dance at the rodeo dinner?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t appreciate being groped or being made a fool of. Friends don’t treat each other that way.’ She held his gaze. ‘And for the final time, that’s all we are … Friends.’
Emotion flashed in his eyes. Not pain or loss, just irritability.
‘So who will you slow dance with at the rodeo? Denham?’
Cressy ignored his harsh tone and reached for the largest drench container. One unguarded reaction and it wouldn’t matter what she said, he’d believe she and Denham were an item.
‘No. Denham’s on my friends-only list too.’ She passed Shaun the drench. ‘In case you’ve forgotten, I’ve a farm to run, and until it rains that’s all I can think about.’
But her words failed to dull the annoyance in his eyes. When it came to Denham, Shaun wouldn’t hear reason. His ego demanded that he better the rodeo champion. She withheld a sigh. No wonder his hands had wandered in plain sight of Denham. Shaun’s unwanted attention had nothing to do with wanting to get back with her at all.
She lifted a second large drench from off the shelf and plonked the heavy container on top of the one Shaun already held.
He grunted. ‘Easy there, Cress.’
She arched a brow. ‘You deserve far worse. Stop using me as a way to get one over Denham. If you weren’t so busy competing with him, you might find you actually like him.’
When no trace of an apology eased his scowl, she sighed. ‘I mean it, Shaun. You’re not doing yourself any favours with me … or Ella.’
His reaction to hearing Ella’s name was subtle, just a slight tensing, but it was enough.
She lowered her voice. ‘Shaun … accepting the agronomist job here wasn’t the real reason why you moved to Woodlea, was it?’
This time his reaction was more obvious. Shock, quickly followed by unease, passed across his face. His lips compressed together. For once, he didn’t have a charming or flirtatious comeback.
Cressy continued. ‘Ella says you haven’t asked her out because you went to school together but I think the real reason is because she’s the one person who you really want. You only asked me out because you wanted to make her jealous. Just like you tried to make me jealous by sneaking off with Bella when I didn’t pay you enough attention on our date.’
Shaun bent to set the drenches on the floor. He folded his arms and stared at her. For the first time she saw beneath the gloss and charm to the real man below. Pain and uncertainty stripped his expression of all confidence.
‘Okay. Yes, you’re right. I moved here because this is where Ella was.’
Cressy nodded. Even Shaun’s voice sounded different. A raw note of honesty tempered it usual glibness.
‘She’s a woman,’ he added, features bleak, ‘who’s hard to forget.’
‘She is. She’s also a woman who values integrity and subtlety. You don’t have to be the best and biggest man about town to get her attention.’
Shaun scrubbed a hand over his face. ‘I don’t know any other way to be.’
‘Yes, you do. The Shaun I said ‘yes’ to go to the races with is the Shaun who I used to drive around my paddocks with. I’ve never met an agronomist as passionate or knowledgeable about crops or pastures as you. When you are just being you, you have so much to offer a woman like Ella … or any other woman.’
‘So … I just be me and get lost in the crowd?’
‘Yes. I think you’ll find that you don’t get lost at all.’
‘Thanks, Cressy.’ Genuine emotion warmed his eyes. ‘I’m sorry to drag you into my mess and also for grabbing you at the dinner. It won’t happen again.’
Cressy smiled. ‘Apology accepted.’ Her tone grew serious. ‘Shaun … there are many Ellas out there. You might know more about her past than me, but she’s not looking for a relationship. So don’t take it personally if nothing happens between you.’
‘I won’t. I know the odds are low. She worked overseas after uni. Whatever happened over there, it was enough to send her home looking a wreck. It was a long time before she was back to her usual self.’ He picked up the two containers of drench. ‘You’ve been good for her Cressy.’
‘She’s been good for me too.’
Cressy followed Shaun to the counter. The front door slid open and a young cowgirl entered. Shaun’s back straightened and a swagger returned to his stride. Then he glanced over his shoulder at Cressy. The puff went out of his chest. He nodded and greeted the cowgirl in a deep but regular voice. Shaun the charmer was on the way to becoming Shaun the genuine.
Cressy paid for her cattle drenches with a smile. Her work here was done.
***
Denham reined in Bandit at the top of a gentle rise. Something brown had flashed to his left. Phil had reported finding a calf with torn ears after a wild dog attack. But as a plumed and russet tail disappeared into the long grass, he breathed easier. He and Bandit had startled a fox, not a feral dog.
The afternoon breeze barrelled by, sucking the heat from his skin. Spring had catapulted into summer and soon all the lush grass would start haying off and drying out. The stud cattle had grown sleek and fat on the oats crop that in parts was as tall as their shoulders. Next week he and Phil would move the cattle out and cut the crop for high quality oaten hay. White wings glinted as cockatoos dipped and dived over the far-off line of river red gums. Distance muted their raucous screeches to faint calls.
He turned in the saddle to look towards Cressy’s home. There the landscape showed no seasonal variation. The undulating hills were the same insipid colour as they were when he and Cressy had ridden to the river a month ago. He sighed into the wind and scanned the sky above him. If he could he’d make it rain for her. In the meantime he’d do anything he could to ease the effects of Glenmore’s pocket drought.
To his relief, Cressy didn’t seem as resistant to his help since they’d been on the long paddock together. She’d also accepted him holding her when shock had kicked in after Reggie’s close call. Perhaps he could convince her to accept a load of free hay or to graze her cattle on the river flats? Reggie was already over at Claremont and would be there with the rodeo cows for at least another month.
