The House At Flynn's Crossing

by Elisabeth Rose

  What did she feel for this man she’d so dreaded having in her house? Physical attraction, definitely. Love? The idea of losing herself so completely in a man was frightening.

  The screen door banged open and she looked up, startled, cheeks immediately hot.

  He grinned. ‘What are you thinking about?’

  ‘Uh … I …’ How did he do that to her? Those clear blue eyes penetrated her layers of defence and struck her heart as easily as blinking.

  ‘About our next kiss?’

  ‘No!’

  ‘That’s a pity.’ He sighed and the grin faded. ‘Margie’s coming to pick me up in half an hour. I’ll be at the pub for most of the day.’

  ‘Is that a good idea?’

  An expression that could have been annoyance flashed across his face. ‘I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.’

  ‘Sorry.’ She turned away to where the twins were examining something in the vegetable plot.

  ‘Oh, Antonia.’ His voice was soft. ‘I love that you’re concerned for me. I’m just not used to being looked after.’

  She couldn’t bring herself to face him. Light fingers stroked her hair, moved to caress her cheek.

  ‘I promise I’ll take it easy and if I get tired I’ll ask someone to run me home. Here, I mean,’ he amended swiftly. ‘Not to my home.’

  ‘You probably could manage on your own,’ she said, risking a glance at his face. ‘If you don’t need the sling.’

  ‘Would you rather I went home?’ Was that disappointment?

  ‘No, not at all. I don’t think you should go but if you’d rather … I mean, if you don’t want to be looked after, if it’s a nuisance, or annoying …’

  ‘It’s not. Please, can I stay?’

  She nodded. ‘As long as you need to.’

  When he’d gone to get ready, Antonia started work in the vegetable garden. Weeds grew faster than anything else but she had a good crop of lettuces and more carrots, silverbeet and leeks than they could possibly eat. Maybe Josef would like some.

  ‘Jakey,’ she called. ‘Would you run inside and get me a plastic bag, please? We’ll pick some veggies for Josef.’

  Sarah came across to help. ‘I love our Mango House, Mummy. Can we stay here forever and ever?’

  ‘I hope so, sweet pea. I don’t see why not.’

  ‘Goody. And can Flynn stay here with us?’

  Antonia nearly dropped the weeding fork. They’d been here nearly six months and already he’d wormed his way into all their hearts. But were they as strongly lodged in his or was he enjoying the novelty of living with a family after so long alone?

  ‘He has his own house,’ she said weakly. ‘And he’s just our friend.’

  But why was he so adamant about not deserving or wanting a family when it was clear how much he liked the children?

  Perhaps it was time to ring Anita for another appointment.

  Chapter 16

  Five of the seven councillors were able to come to the short-notice meeting in the rarely used upstairs lounge at the pub. Judy and Phil were unavailable, unfortunately, but Flynn had given them the basic information and both were pleased with the outcome.

  The councillors arranged the armchairs around a coffee table set with a platter of sandwiches and drinks for lunch. Flynn sat on the two-seater couch, his leg stretched uncomfortably before him. The climb up the stairs had been laborious and painful but he wasn’t admitting that to anyone and assured all enquirers that he was fine.

  ‘I hope the co-op is happy, Aidan, it’s a good result, I think,’ said Margie. She took a healthy bite from her sandwich.

  ‘Seems so on the face of it. The thing is, can we trust Baldessin to do what he says he will?’

  ‘I think we can,’ Flynn said. ‘He has another plan in mind. I didn’t mention it on the phone because it’s better if I tell you all together.’ He looked around at the expectant faces. Aidan’s had taken on a resigned expression but he shouldn’t be upset by this new idea; it had nothing to do with his side of town. ‘He asked me about Bruce Curtin’s land. Not all of it, he’s interested in the bit that backs onto Randall’s Road.’

  He outlined the new proposal and as he’d predicted it was met with surprised but overwhelmingly positive comments.

  ‘Access is a problem, isn’t it?’ asked Bill. ‘How much land will Bruce sell? I know he’s in a bit of financial strife like everyone on the land, but he won’t want to walk away completely. Curtin’s have been there for five generations.’

  ‘No question of that. Baldessin is only talking about the bushland along the ridge.’

  ‘He’d get a wonderful view,’ said Margie. ‘But Bill’s right. It’s hard to get at.’

  Flynn swallowed. Here was the cruncher. ‘He asked about buying the two houses at the end of Randall’s Road and cutting through from there.’

  Silence greeted his remark. A few frowns appeared.

  ‘You mean he wants to bulldoze Kev and Bron’s place? And Antonia’s?’ asked Aidan.

  ‘She’s only renting,’ said Margie. ‘It’d be the owner’s decision. What’s Sean offering?’

  ‘Whatever they want, within reason.’ Flynn sat back and drew in his leg. His ankle and shoulder were both aching. The shoulder in particular was sending a throbbing pain through his arm. The painkiller he’d taken this morning was wearing off and he’d forgotten to bring more with him.

  ‘He’s keen.’ Bill, munching steadily, took another sandwich.

  ‘Kev would probably go for it,’ said Aidan. ‘He’d make a nice profit and could buy somewhere bigger. Those boys of theirs aren’t getting any smaller.’

  Margie nodded. ‘I agree. He’d be mad not to take it.’

  ‘Jean Tracey’s heir would jump at it, I imagine,’ said Walter. ‘She’s never going to sell it otherwise.’

  ‘She has sold it.’ All eyes focused on Flynn. ‘I bought it a while back.’

  ‘Well, in that case,’ declared Margie with a broad smile, ‘there’s no problem. Sean has himself a deal.’

  ‘Will Bruce sell?’ asked Aidan. He raised an eyebrow at Flynn.

  ‘I haven’t approached him yet. I wanted to run it by you first. Keep you all up to date.’

  ‘It’s nothing to do with us whether Bruce sells his land or not, though, is it?’

  ‘No, but Sean needs our permission to extend Randall’s Road,’ said Margie.

  ‘And the owners of the land need to agree to sell,’ said Walter. ‘Will this resort benefit us much?’

  ‘I think together with the other development we’ll gain quite a bit,’ said Flynn. ‘There’ll be jobs, of course, and more visitors in town. Everyone benefits from that.’

  ‘Sounds good to me,’ said Bill. ‘When will you talk to Bruce?’

  ‘Monday morning. I’ll do it from the office. We need to keep this quiet until we’ve spoken to everyone who’s involved.’ Flynn made sure the councillors nodded their agreement. ‘The last thing we want is gossip starting up about houses being knocked down before the residents know anything about it.’

  ‘Absolutely,’ said Margie. ‘No one else knows so if word gets out we’ll know where it came from.’

  ‘How will Antonia feel about losing that house?’ asked Aidan.

  ‘She won’t like it,’ said Flynn. ‘But I can find her somewhere else.’ The words were ash in his mouth. He couldn’t do it to her.

  ‘Good luck with that, mate,’ murmured Aidan. ‘She loves that place.’

  ‘It’s just a house,’ said Margie briskly. ‘And she’s only been there a few months.’

  Flynn remained silent. It wasn’t just a house to Antonia but how could he say this situation was different when he’d wanted the co-op to accept a development right next door? If he refused to sell, no one would let him forget the double standard and his reputation for straight dealing would be mud. If he sold, Antonia would be heartbroken and would never forgive him or trust him again. He couldn’t bear that.

  Aidan shook his h
ead and said it for him. ‘It’s not just a house, it’s her home.’ Then he added, fixing his attention on Flynn. ‘But I guess you find that hard to understand. And as you’re the owner, she has no say.’

  ***

  Antonia was surprised when Margie dropped Flynn off barely two hours after he’d left. She opened the screen door for him as he clambered up the steps, one hand clutching the railing, his face pale and drawn beneath the tan and dark shadows underlining his eyes.

  ‘You’re going straight to bed.’ She took his arm and supported him inside to his bedroom. The fact that he didn’t resist demonstrated how exhausted he was.

  He sank onto the bed and lay back with a sigh of relief as Antonia removed the moon boot.

  ‘Are you in pain?’

  ‘A bit,’ he murmured, eyes closed. ‘I forgot to take the pills with me.’

  She went to the kitchen for a glass of water. When she returned he hadn’t moved but he opened his eyes when she picked up the tablets from the bedside table.

  ‘Here, take these.’

  He sat up slowly and did as he was told. ‘Thanks. You were right. I should have listened to you and stayed here. I didn’t realise how little energy I have.’

  ‘You had a pretty bad experience and you’re injured,’ she said. ‘Give yourself a chance to recover.’

  He lay back. ‘I need an afternoon nap like an old man.’

  She smiled. ‘Are you hungry?’

  ‘No, I had something at the pub. Antonia?’ She paused, about to leave.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I … I’m … there’s something …’ He exhaled fiercely. ‘Sorry … I can’t …’

  ‘Tell me later. Sleep.’

  She lowered the blind and pulled the door closed behind her. Poor Flynn. She’d never seen him so vulnerable, so lacking in that confidence he wore like a second skin. Whatever it was he’d wanted to say to her would have to wait until his brain was working properly. He wasn’t used to being dependent; that was his problem. She smiled. Who’d have thought she’d be the one in control where Flynn was concerned? Usually she was so out of control in his presence she didn’t know what to do or say. This evened the odds quite a lot.

  ‘Is Flynn home?’ Jacob and Sarah crashed in through the back door to the kitchen.

  ‘Yes, but he’s very tired and his ankle and shoulder are hurting so he’s having a sleep. You need to be quiet.’

  ‘Okay. Can we take the vegetables to Josef?’

  ‘By yourselves?’

  They shared a look then nodded. ‘Yes. We like Josef. And Smokey,’ said Sarah.

  ‘Can we have a cat?’ asked Jacob. This had become a recurring theme since Josef’s visit.

  ‘Would you feed it?’

  ‘Yes. Every day.’

  ‘I suppose we could have a cat. I’ll ask Cath if she knows anyone with kittens for sale.’

  ‘We know someone,’ Sarah announced. ‘Annabel in first class has a cat and it had five kitties on Wednesday in the night.’

  ‘Black and white ones,’ said Jake. ‘But she’s not allowed to keep them so we can have one of those.’

  ‘Did you tell her that?’

  ‘No,’ he said doubtfully.

  ‘We said we might be allowed,’ said Sarah and Jacob nodded vigorously.

  ‘Is Annabel’s sister Ellie in fifth class—in the recorder group? They both have red hair?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Can we pleeeaaaase, Mummy?’

  ‘All right. I’ll ask Ellie on Monday. Now, take the vegetables to Josef but don’t stay long.’

  When they’d gone amid a barrage of excited chatter, Antonia leaned on the bench, tears pricking her eyelids. Her darlings were discovering the joys of childhood and growing brave and adventurous faster than she’d dared hope. Flynn’s Crossing was a life saver, not only for them but for herself as well. This house was a home, their first home and just as it had been a haven for Jean Tracey and her family for many, many years, so it would be for her.

  The mango tree had stopped producing fruit for the time being, but next year they’d be the first to taste the fresh crop. The garden was already showing the results of care and attention and every week brought a new surprise when a plant flowered or appeared from among the weeds. Her dad had said don’t make big changes for a year so you can see what grows each season and he was right. One day she might be able to make an offer to the new owner …

  A gust of wind rattled the screen door. Antonia shivered. She hadn’t expected the temperature to drop as much so far north in the state but Cath had told her some years they had single-digit overnight temperatures and they were in a mountainous region. No frost though. Today had begun with mild sun, but since Flynn had returned clouds had accumulated and turned the sky a dull grey.

  She’d become used to the sultry heat of summer, which had lingered on past its usual date, and enjoyed the balmy evenings after the years of cold, damp autumns and winters in the other house. Now, however, she went to don a sweatshirt and jeans.

  By the time she’d changed, the wind had picked up. The trees over the back fence were whipping their top branches about in a frenzy. Antonia ran outside to collect the gardening implements and shut them away in the shed. She stacked the outdoor chairs in the laundry. Her car was safely in the carport away from the threat of a falling branch from the mango tree, but when she looked up uneasily at the giant in the front yard, several limbs looked like they might reach the house, or at least the verandah, if they decided to part company with the trunk.

  ‘Knock knock. Anyone home?’ Bron’s voice at the back door.

  ‘Hi, come in.’

  ‘Hello. I just popped in to see how Flynn is. If you need any help don’t hesitate to ask.’

  ‘I won’t, thanks Bron. Cuppa?’

  ‘No thanks, love. I won’t stay. How is he?’

  ‘He’s asleep at the moment. He’s in more pain than he’ll admit, I think, but generally he seems pretty good, considering.’

  ‘Yeah it must have been a rough night stuck out there in the cold and the wet.’

  ‘He went in to town to a council meeting this morning and said he’d be out all day, but Margie dropped him home just after lunch. It wore him out.’

  ‘Silly bugger.’

  Antonia grinned. ‘He snapped at me when I told him to take it easy.’

  Bron laughed. ‘Men! What was the meeting about?’

  ‘Baldessin is going ahead with the visitors’ centre and a scaled back low-cost lodge and restaurant on that block. It sounds like a good compromise to me but Flynn was disappointed because it won’t bring much in the way of jobs.’

  ‘It’ll bring some work, and that’s a good thing.’

  ‘That’s what I said. And more hikers and people will visit so everyone benefits from that.’

  ‘I’m surprised Baldessin’s satisfied with just a hikers’ lodge. It sounded to me like he wanted to go upmarket like his other places. Five-star resorts, they are.’

  ‘Well, that’s what Flynn told me after he got off the phone with him.’

  ‘Okay, I’d better go, I’ve got something in the oven.’ She opened the screen door. ‘Storm coming. That wind’s really picked up. I hope your mango tree doesn’t drop any branches.’

  ‘Does it do that often?’

  ‘Sometimes. Took out the front fence once. That was a while back.’

  Big fat drops of rain began soon after Bron had departed. Antonia ran next door to bring the twins home but they were already running along the path, with Josef watching from the front gate. She waved and he waved back then retreated inside.

  ‘Josef said thank you,’ said Sarah when they were safely inside.

  ‘I’m glad he liked them. How about we do some cooking this afternoon?’

  ‘Can we make chocolate cake? Flynn likes chocolate cake.’

  ‘How do you know?’

  ‘He liked it on our picnic.’

  ‘Can we go on another picnic?’

&
nbsp; ‘Yes, but hand washing first. Quietly,’ she said before they rushed out the door.

  ***

  When Flynn woke, a delicious smell permeated the house. Baking. Cake, at a guess. And it was raining. Hard. Wind howled around the eaves and the room was dim and shadowy. He sat up and pushed the quilt off his legs. Where had that come from? He smiled. Antonia, taking care of him.

  He stretched cautiously, mindful of his ribs and shoulder, but his ankle wasn’t as sore and he felt better overall. His watch said it was after four-thirty—he’d slept for nearly three hours.

  After a slow visit to the bathroom and an awkward donning of warmer clothes, he ventured into the kitchen where three faces turned his way with big smiles. Two of the faces had chocolate icing smeared around their mouths and all were gathered round a partially iced cake.

  ‘We’re making chocolate cake,’ announced Sarah.

  ‘With icing,’ added Jacob. ‘It’s very, very, very yummy.’

  ‘That looks terrific. Did you help make it?’

  ‘Yes, and now we’re doing the icing.’

  ‘Looks more like you’re eating the icing.’ He caught Antonia’s eye and grinned.

  Her cheeks reddened and she focused on the cake but she did laugh. ‘It’s very hands-on. How are you feeling?’

  ‘Much better. Can I help?’

  ‘You can use my spoon.’ Sarah held it out.

  ‘I’ll get Flynn his own clean one.’ Her fingers grazed his as she handed it over but she avoided eye contact. Skittish as a wild horse.

  Flynn said, ‘What do I do?’

  ‘Spoon some icing on and Mummy will smooth it on the cake, but you have to put it where she tells you,’ said Jacob.

  ‘Okay. My right arm is sore and I’m not very good left-handed so I might make a mess.’ He scooped up a big dollop of icing and dumped it more or less where Antonia pointed. ‘When can we eat it?’