by Tania Joyce
“Where’s Nick?” Troy asked as he took his seat.
“Coming. He’s just over in the shed and will be here in five minutes or so.
“I’m so glad the creeks have dropped.” Maria peered up at him from jotting down something on her notepad. “I’ve already had a call from the bride; she’s on her way, the wedding is on and it will take place this afternoon as scheduled. Thank you for helping out yesterday afternoon and setting up. It was nice to have one less thing to worry about.”
“I couldn’t have done it without Kelleigh,” Troy said, sipping on his coffee.
“So … anything happen with you two last night?” Maria asked, raising her eyebrow with interest.
“Yeah. Heaps.” He grinned cheekily. “She had a bit too much to drink and passed out on the couch. Great night had by all.”
“I didn’t mean to walk in on you last night,” Maria fiddled with her pen. “It looks like you two were getting very cozy.”
“No, it was perfect timing before I did something I’d regret.” He’d had too many of those in his life and wasn’t about to have another. While he’d enjoyed taking care of Kelleigh last night, and having her presence filling his home was a nice change, their hours left together were numbered. “I’ll have to take her over to Larry’s later on today to get her car, and then she’ll be out of here; off back home to Melbourne.”
“That’s a shame. You look good together. First time I’ve seen you take an interest in anyone in a long time.”
“Can we not talk about this, please?”
Maria’s eyes filled with disappointment. “You’re into her. I can tell. Why don’t you keep seeing her? You travel to Melbourne often enough.”
“No … it’s not that.”
“It’s what then?”
“It doesn’t matter how I feel for her, or not feel. Her life is in Melbourne and long-distance relationships never last.”
Maria grasped his hand. “Oh sweetie, after seeing you two together last week at the festival dance, yesterday in the cellar shop and the way she looks at you all the time, I think it’s too late for that. Finding love, or the chance to love, doesn’t happen very often, don’t be foolish and let the opportunity pass you by.”
Troy closed his eyes. Maria was talking nonsense.
“I don’t need anyone. I have my work here and Conner. That’s all I need.”
“And Conner is great, but he’s a grown man. A parent’s love for a child is so different from loving a partner; you know that. Life is too short; sometimes you have to take risks. I know you haven’t known her for very long. I’m not saying marry the girl, just take some time out and get to know her better. See if there is something serious between the two of you.”
“What kind of life can I offer her out here? I’m not leaving here and I doubt she’d leave her family and Melbourne.”
Maria looked at him; he hated seeing concern in her eyes. “You will never know unless you ask.”
Troy ripped his hand out from underneath Maria’s when Nick appeared in the doorway.
“What’s going on? Something wrong?” Nick’s gaze jumped back and forth between the two of them as he took his seat.
“No. In fact, your timing is perfect,” Troy said as he shuffled on his chair and ignored Maria’s lingering look. Time to put Kelleigh out of his head. “I have something important I want to talk to you about first. He turned on his laptop and turned the screen to face them. He took a deep breath to settle his stomach. “Since the JLR development fell through and Larry still wants to sell, I’ve crunched our figures and want to discuss the possibility of us buying his place.”
“What? Buy Larry’s? How?” Maria and Nick’s eyes widened with interest. That was a good sign; they weren’t totally opposed to the idea.
“When I was looking into how to stop the JLR development, Larry gave me his account books from the past three years. The place is doing okay considering it’s not run to its full potential. His asking price is in the high hundreds and I’m confident we can do it. It will be tight but not out of our reach. We want to expand the vineyard and those lower slopes on Larry’s would be great to continue our coverage of semillons. We could keep Jett on to run the place, up the head of cattle and expand the crop coverage. We’d be able to supply produce for the restaurant and sell the rest to local restaurants and cafés. Here’s the figures for you to look at.” Troy handed them a document for each of them to review.
“But what about the function room and new cabins? That all starts after the harvest.”
“Yep. All that is accounted for as well.” He pointed to a section in the document.
“I never knew you to be so business-minded. You’re one step ahead of me all the time lately. Day to day operations consume all of my time. But I do like the sound of this.” Nick nodded as he perused the papers before him.
“It’s a logical move for us. Considering we’ve managed to save it from being turned into a golf resort, I’d hate to see who or what comes along next. Who knows what they’ll want to do to the place.”
“True,” Nick and Maria said together.
“If these figures look too slim for you, another alternative is we consider getting an investor. I haven’t talked to them yet, but I know they’d be interested.”
“Who … oh … you mean Jessica?” Nick rubbed the side of his cheek.
“Why not? She loves this place. Nate loves the wine. Having her and Nate behind a place like this makes good business sense.”
“I’m not sure I want to give up any more ownership of Gumtrees if I don’t have to. Let us take a closer look at this and talk to our accountant on Monday. You are right; Larry’s would be good for us.” Nick’s eyes glinted with excitement. Even Maria looked keen as she flipped through the pages before her.
“Excellent.” Troy leaned back in his chair. “So what’s next on the agenda?”
Nick and Maria started going through their lists with him. The whole time he listened his leg jittered up and down underneath the desk. Buying Larry’s excited him. The ability to expand the vineyard and have access to all that beautiful produce would be of great benefit to Gumtrees. But time was ticking by so quickly and he struggled to concentrate throughout the meeting. Kelleigh kept leaping to the forefront of his mind. He was starting to fret at having to say goodbye.
Chapter 27
Kelleigh heard a car pull up. She was sitting on the couch in Troy’s cottage, flicking through one of Troy’s wine magazines with her aching foot resting up on the coffee table. She wondered who it was; with a soft purring engine it certainly wasn’t a Landcruiser. Within moments of the car door opening and closing, footsteps bounded up the wooden steps and the front door burst open.
“Hello,” She spun around to see a young man with piercing blue eyes standing in the doorway.
“Oh, hi.” Surprise lit across his face. “Where’s Troy?” He looked around, stepped across the room and ducked his head into the kitchen.
“I was still asleep when he left. He had a meeting with Maria and Nick, so I assume he’s over in the office.”
“Right.” The blond flicked his long fringe out of his face. “I’m Conner.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kelleigh.” She should have known it was Troy’s son, their eyes and physiques identical. “I’ve been stranded here by the floodwaters and Troy’s been looking after me.”
“You’ve been staying here?” Conner said, pointing to the floor. “Why didn’t you stay in one of the cabins?”
“Um … I didn’t think of that.” The thought never actually entered her head.
“Oh, so you and Dad—” He jerked his thumb toward the bedroom.
Kelleigh’s gaze dropped to the floor, not knowing how to respond. Her discomfort dissipated when she heard Troy’s Landcruiser pull up outside. “That must be him now.”
Seconds later Troy walked in and handed her a takeaway cup of freshly brewed coffee. “Oh my, you’re a lifesaving coffee god. Thank you.” She took
the cup as he winked at her. Conner stood in the kitchen doorway with his mouth hanging open.
“Hey, Conner. I wasn’t expecting you this weekend. You must have left Sydney early.”
“Yep. Right on dawn. I had to come out and make sure everything was okay. The floods and warnings have been all over the news. On my drive in, it looks like there’s some damage to the trellises down by the creek, is that what we’re going to work on today? Fixing them?”
“Later,” he smiled, remaining fixed on her as she sipped and savored the coffee. “They don’t look too bad. We’ll straighten them tomorrow. The sun’s out, so today we need to do some leafing on the shiraz. Jimmy is over in the shed waiting for me.” While he was clearly speaking to Conner, having him watch her sent tingles though her insides.
“Well, I’m here to work. Let’s get to it,” Conner interjected.
“I’ll just be a minute.”
Kelleigh wriggled on the couch. Troy had just got back from his meeting, she didn’t want him to leave again so soon.
Conner rolled his eyes as Troy sat down on the coffee table next to her injured foot and gently picked it up, assessing her bruising. “How’s your foot this morning? It still looks terrible. Do you think you’ll be able to drive today?”
“Yes, I can put weight on it. So, I guess when you’re ready, can you give me a lift over to Larry’s? Then, when I get back to Harrigan’s, I’ll sort out a flight to go home.”
“You sure?” The look in his eyes and the way he was massaging her foot was making her heartbeat erratic. She looked away and nodded. She’d overstayed her welcome; it was time to go home.
“Okay then, I’ll go get this boy of mine and Jimmy out working in the vineyard and be back here in an hour or so. We’ll have lunch and then set off.”
“Sounds good. I’ll have a shower and see you soon.”
Troy patted her leg, released her foot, and walked out the door with Conner. She closed her eyes tightly as the door shut behind them. Biting down hard on her lip, she fought back the tears in her eyes. It was ridiculous, but it felt like when Troy walked out the door, he took a piece of her heart with him. This place, this life and everything about Troy had touched her in a way she never thought possible. Now she had to leave it all behind.
***
“The creek flooded badly, didn’t it?” Conner looked out over the vineyard toward Larry’s as he shoved his hands into a set of leather work-gloves. Jimmy wandered down the row to start leafing at the opposite end.
“Hopefully that’s the last of the rain for a while. The grapes don’t like so much water. It’s not good this close to harvest.” Troy turned his attention back to the vine in front of him and started snipping at the leaves with his secateurs. “I’m glad you came up this weekend. A lot has happened over the past few weeks and I was wondering if you’ve been able to make up your mind about what you want to do for work.”
Conner swore under his breath, unable to establish smooth rhythm and coordination for leafing. Troy grinned, knowing it took him ages to get it down to a fine art. Conner at least kept persevering. “Well … that’s why I’ve come out here this weekend to talk to you. If your offer is still there, I’d love to come out here and work.”
Troy stopped before he snipped at another leaf and turned to face Conner. To have his son working alongside him would mean the world to him. After so many lost years, being patient and taking the time to establish a relationship with him, he couldn’t ask for anything more. “Really? You mean that?”
Conner stopped pruning the leaves and scuffed his boot into the soft mud. “Yeah. I do. Since getting to know you and spending a lot of time out here, it’s really grown on me. I don’t want to be an architect anymore. I hate that I’ve wasted three years of my life on a degree I’ll never use, and I know for certain I don’t want to work at Pepe’s Pizza for the rest of my life.”
Troy took a deep breath to stop being overwhelmed. “What are you interested in? Harvest starts in two or three weeks so there’s a lot of field work at the moment. We’re going to expand the vineyard, so you can learn the viticulture side of things. There’s equipment maintenance or landscape gardening. Winemaking. Business administration, accommodation management or the restaurant. What about being a coordinator for all the wedding business that Maria is attracting?
“Ew, definitely not functions. That sounds too much like Mum’s event management business.” Conner shaded his eyes as the sun finally broke through the clouds.
“So, what interests you?” he asked again.
Conner shrugged. “I want to do everything and anything outdoors. If you don’t mind, I think I’d like to take on viticulture. What you do is more like a science and I like that. Maybe there’s a lot more of you in me than I realized.”
Troy’s knees nearly buckled beneath him. Conner was serious. He never thought he’d see the day. “You … want to be a viticulturist? Like me? You do know its hard work. Long days, labor-intensive, hot, stinky, demanding work.”
“I’ve worked out here enough over the past two years to have a good idea of what goes on. If you think it’s necessary, I’ll enroll into an agricultural management course and study part-time. You’re here to teach me everything else I need to know. Moving out here is all I’ve thought about for months. It’s not as if I’m making this choice on the spur of the moment. Becky hated it when I mentioned coming out here; that’s one of the reasons we broke up. I know this is now part of my life. I just didn’t know how much I wanted it until recently.”
“Wow, I don’t know what to say.” Troy was sure his mouth was hanging wide open.
“Your DNA sucks, old man. But I can’t deny I’m your offspring.”
“Have you told your mother?” Oh Lord, what would Jessica say?
“Nah, I was waiting to talk to you. This is going to be so cool.”
“So when do you officially want to start?” Troy took off his Akubra, wiped the sweat from his brow on his sleeve before replacing the hat on his head.
Conner stopped and thought for a moment. “How about in two or three weeks when harvest starts. I have to give notice and resign from Pepe’s. Oh, wait what are you going to pay me? The wage better be more than I’m earning now. Minimum wage sucks.”
Troy tried not to laugh. But more than anything he was thrilled Conner was going to come out here and work alongside him. “I’m sure we’ll pay you better than that. Having you here means so much to me. It’s going to be great.” He put his hand out and Conner grabbed it in a firm shake before Troy drew him into a hug. This was one turn of events he never saw coming.
“Must admit though, I’m not looking forward to shacking up with you in that small cottage of yours,” Conner smirked.
“Well, there may be some developments there that I will fill you in on later.”
“I haven’t even lived with Mum for years and suddenly living with you is going to be weird. What if I go out and want to bring a girl home?”
Troy chuckled. “I’m sure we’ll work something out. Why? Are you seeing someone new already?”
“I’ve been texting Alice, you know, Grace’s granddaughter. We met at Harrigan’s the other weekend when the festival was on.” Conner couldn’t meet his eyes.
Troy gasped. “Isn’t she only seventeen?”
“She’s eighteen. And she’s cute.”
“Well, good luck with that. I wouldn’t want to be you when Grace finds out. You’ll soon discover Grace has a way of finding out everything that’s going on in this place. So be warned if you aim to corrupt her one and only granddaughter.”
“Thanks for the warning.” Conner said as he struggled to cut a thick stem. “But maybe that’s one trait I got from Mum. Her kick-ass determination. She’s always told me if you want something bad enough, you gotta make it happen, regardless of the obstacles that stand in the way. So if Grace is my only issue, I’m not worried in the slightest.”
Conner’s wise words hit Troy fair in the solar plexus. Jess
ica had done a fine job raising him into a fine young man. He couldn’t be more proud.
Conner flicked some flies away from buzzing around his face. “On that note, are you going to tell me about the woman who’s shacked up in your cottage or not?”
“Not.” Troy grinned at Conner as they continued along the vines, trimming away some of the growth from the side facing the sun to help ripen the fruit. Carefully taking hold of a stem, he tweaked away the leaves with his secateurs with speed and efficiency. “My love life, or lack thereof, is none of your business.”
“It became my business when you zoned out and acted like there was no one else in the room back there. I know. It’s how Mum and Nate act around each other. Not pleasant to watch on my part, but you’ve got it bad for her whether you admit it or not. So who is she?”
“Her name’s Kelleigh and it’s complicated. She’s been here in town for a few weeks and we’ve seen each other a few times. It’s no big deal.”
“Right.” Connor’s voice drawled. “And?”
Troy shrugged. “She’s leaving today; heading home to Melbourne.” Troy snipped madly at a few leaves. He glanced at his watch; time was ticking away too quickly and soon he’d have to head back to the cottage to drive Kelleigh over to Larry’s.
“Melbourne? That’s not far. So are you going to keep seeing her?”
After Maria’s suggestion this morning, he’d stewed over the possibility of a long-distance relationship, but he didn’t want to only see Kelleigh on the odd getaway. When she finds work back in Melbourne, she’d probably end up working Monday to Friday, whereas he worked every weekend. The opportunity to spend time with her, if and when he visited, would always be limited. Alongside that, there’d be the long drives to Newcastle or Sydney to catch planes, wasted hours at airports and flights he wasn’t fond of.
But he would see her. Be with her. Was that better than nothing?