She looked at the doorway through which he’d vanished, but she had to get those keys. The spare set had departed years ago with the last workman and Paige couldn’t ever justify the expense of cutting a new set. She was the only person who drove the ute and she always knew where the keys were. She stepped off the stairs. She wasn’t leaving the kitchen without the keys, even if it meant slipping her hands into the pockets of Tait’s snug jeans and pulling them out herself.
She entered the large kitchen and was greeted by the almost forgotten smell of roast lamb. But it was the sheen of silver and shimmer of crystal on the set table that slowed her steps. Connor must have spent hours this afternoon polishing the cutlery and candelabras. For him it mattered that a proper dinner for their guest returned them to a time when the house echoed with laughter and to a time when her mother had been well. Paige put her hand on Connor’s shoulder. ‘This looks nice.’
‘Yes, it’s been a while since we dusted all the good stuff off. Even though I couldn’t find your mother’s gravy boat.’
‘That’s because it’s in here.’ Paige moved to a top cupboard and stood on her toes to pull out a white china gravy boat. She carefully wiped it clean with a cloth before placing it onto the laden table. She eyed off the third place that had been set for her. She glanced at Tait, who leaned against the sideboard watching her. No wonder he’d been so insistent she join them for dinner but he could have told her about the special effort her father had made instead of hijacking her keys.
She smiled at Connor. ‘Can I have a quick shower?’
‘Yes, the last of the vegetables will be ready in ten minutes.’
‘Perfect.’ She approached Tait and held out her hand. He pushed himself away from the sideboard but didn’t reach into his jeans pocket. ‘Not so fast. I want proof.’
‘Proof?’
‘Yes, proof of food being eaten before the keys are returned.’
She clamped her lips shut.
He put his hand into his pocket and the jingle of keys sounded. ‘You’d better go have that shower.’ The left side of his mouth lifted. ‘You’ve only eight minutes and you don’t want your dinner to get cold.’
Tait’s amusement faded as a frowning Paige disappeared into the hallway. Fighting to save her pony today had taken its toll. The bruises of fatigue beneath her eyes were more pronounced and it seemed as though each step she took was an effort. When she’d climbed the stairs in the hallway, she’d swayed. He’d moved closer, convinced she’d fall. She would work herself into a shadow to save her home and take care of her father without a thought for her own needs.
Restlessness filled him and he swung to the sink drainer where a pile of washed saucepans waited. He pulled the tea-towel from his shoulder and wiped the closest item. Behind him he could hear Connor collecting things from the fridge.
What would have happened if he hadn’t been there to help her today? He’d no doubt Paige would have pushed herself beyond endurance to save Gidget and had she failed she’d have shouldered her anguish alone. He’d noticed the way she spoke about the farm to Connor. She always mentioned the positives and glossed over the finer details, like exactly how many cattle she’d be feeding. The small holding paddock contained far fewer head than the numbers Connor had shown him. How long could she go on protecting her father? How long could she endure the financial stress and worry before she crumbled?
He placed the saucepan on the bench. The answers to such questions shouldn’t be his concern. All Connor had asked him to do was to provide a financial plan and to look at Banora Downs through objective eyes. So why then did Paige preoccupy his thoughts instead of cash flows and statement of positions?
He stared through the window above the sink at a night sky lit up by stars instead of air-traffic. He’d stepped out of his air-conditioned car onto the red dirt of Banora Downs into a different world and become a different man. He’d lost direction and he must get back on track. He now only had three days remaining until he should be returning to Sydney and he hadn’t even begun to make any inroads on the real reason that had brought him out west. He had to start asking the questions that he needed the answers for before the past gripped him any tighter.
‘Tait?’ Connor said. ‘Dinner won’t be much longer.’
Tait released the hold he’d taken on the sink’s edge. ‘Sorry. I was admiring the stars. Things look different out here.’
‘Yes, they certainly do.’ Connor waved a hand towards the table but his gaze didn’t leave Tait’s face. ‘Take a seat. I hear Paige coming downstairs.’
‘Will do.’ He draped the tea-towel over the remaining saucepans. ‘First, I’ll pour the wine.’ He picked up the bottle of his favourite Cabernet Sauvignon that had been breathing on the sideboard. It’d made the journey from his cellars to Banora Downs intact despite the potholes and cattle grids his car had rattled over. He lifted the wine to his nose and soaked in the full-bodied aroma. The fragrant bouquet connected him with all that was familiar and predictable. His tension receded like waves at low tide. The strong scent of apples eclipsed the wine’s scent. Paige must have broken the land-speed record to wash her hair and return in under eight minutes.
He glanced up. Not only was her hair clean but she’d changed out of her shapeless work shirt into a black top that clung in all the right places and revealed the delicate hollow of her throat. Just in time, he glanced down at the wine glass he continued to fill. He jerked the bottle upright before the goblet overflowed. So much for being back on task. Nothing said ‘out of control’ more than vintage Cab Sav splashed across a snow-white tablecloth.
He sneaked a look at Paige but she was flicking through the pages of the wall calendar beside the hutch. He filled the last wine glass then sat at the table. Paige seated herself at the place her father had set for her. His intuition slipped up a gear. Her eyes sparkled more than the crystal glass he’d almost drowned. He’d wager his prized V12 car she was up to no good.
A simple roast had never tasted so good. Paige forked the last piece of lamb into her mouth and chewed, savouring the final mouthful.
Of course her enjoyment had everything to do with her father’s cooking and little to do with the city charmer who sat across the table from her. It didn’t matter how much wine Tait poured into her glass, how amusing his stories, she’d only prolonged finishing her meal because she’d hadn’t heard her father really laugh in a long while. She was adhering to her decision to steer clear of Tait, and after confirming a date on the calendar, she had the perfect solution.
‘So what do you have planned for us to do tomorrow?’ he asked as he raised his wine glass to his lips.
Paige placed her knife and fork onto her empty plate. She inclined her head towards the keys resting beside Tait’s plate. ‘First things first. I’ve eaten.’
He slowly slid the keys over to her. She pulled them into her hand. ‘Nothing.’
‘Nothing?’
She shook her head and secured the keys into the safety of her jeans pocket. ‘Nada.’
‘Have I missed something? Isn’t there a broken fence to fix?’
Connor excused himself and wheeled away from the table to head into the pantry where the deep freeze was located.
‘I can handle the fence on my own,’ she said. ‘You and Dad will be otherwise engaged.’
‘Otherwise engaged?’
‘Yes. It’s school holidays and tomorrow there’s a social gathering at the school between us and Glenalla.’
‘And Connor and I are going?’
‘Exactly.’
‘What about you?’
She shook her head. ‘I’ve already had two days in town and away from the farm. It’s Connor’s turn to go out.’
‘What if Connor and I will only go if you come with us?’
‘Well, I’d say that’s not your decision to make. Dad and you are perfectly able to go on your own.’
‘How about I ask Connor before we make any firm plans?’
He went to
push his seat back to go in search of her father.
Paige dipped her hand into her right jeans pocket. She smiled sweetly. ‘All the answers you need are right here.’ She uncurled her fingers to reveal his car keys. ‘And before you ask, yes, I have both sets.’
For a nanosecond his eyes darkened and then laughter lightened them to a clear blue.
‘That’ll teach me to leave my bedroom door unlocked.’
‘So it’s go with Dad or I’ll take your car for a road trip of a lifetime out to the very rocky back paddock.’
‘When it comes to my car, I’m not even going to try to negotiate.’ He held out a hand. ‘You win.’ The unspoken words ‘this time’ hovered in the air between them.
Paige plonked the keys into his palm. ‘One now and the other when I have proof.’
‘Proof?’
‘Yes, when you get back from spending the day with Connor.’
‘Did I hear my name mentioned?’ her father said as he emerged from the pantry, a square, frosted tub on his lap.
Paige crossed the kitchen to pick up the ice cream and deposit it onto the bench. Tait must have bought the special treat when they’d been in town. She’d noticed the big esky had been missing from the pantry shelf.
‘Yes, you did,’ she said. ‘Tait said he’d love to take you to the get-together tomorrow.’
Connor smiled. ‘You would?’
Tait nodded. ‘It’ll be a good opportunity to show you what my car can do.’
‘I’ll look forward to the experience.’ Connor turned to Paige. ‘We’ll leave after breakfast?’
‘I’m not going.’ She placed three bowls onto the bench-top and pulled open a drawer to search for the ice cream scoop. She knew if she looked at her father he’d see through her ruse of staying home and sending Tait out with him. ‘You both go.’
‘Possum, you have to go,’ Connor said, brow creased. ‘You volunteered to distribute the care parcels.’
‘The delivery of care parcels from the city isn’t due for weeks. I’ll help Anne sort through them at next month’s get-together.’
‘But this is a different truckload from a charity down south in Victoria. I’m sure Anne said she’d let you know.’
Paige ignored the sinking feeling in her stomach. ‘No, no phone call.’ She ripped off the plastic lid and scooped ice cream into a bowl. Just when she’d finally guaranteed she’d have a whole Tait-free day, her plans couldn’t now unravel.
‘What about on your mobile?’ Tait asked, tone smug.
Paige shot him a so-not-helpful look but put down the ice cream scoop to head to the basket she’d taken from the ute earlier. Please don’t let there be a message. She fossicked in the basket and located the mobile beneath the debris of water bottles, work gloves and first aid supplies.
She looked at the screen. One new message. Anne had contacted her about tomorrow. She bit the inside of her cheek in an attempt to keep her expression neutral, but she knew she’d been too late.
‘Looks like we’ll all be going on a road trip tomorrow,’ Tait said with a deep chuckle.
Connor turned his chair in the doorway to look into the now empty kitchen. For a brief time the heart of the house had again beat with the sound of his daughter’s laughter. But now the outside darkness pressed against the windows and the echo of Paige’s mirth had long faded.
Despite the constant bantering between Paige and Tait this evening, there’d been an obvious undercurrent of strain. Only today they’d fought together to save Gidget and such a battle should have brought them closer together. But it hadn’t. He’d seen the way Tait stared out into the night as though he too bore the weight of Banora Downs on his shoulders. He’d witnessed the way Paige bit the inside of her cheek in her old childhood tell. She was uneasy and it wasn’t a worry borne of the pressures of the drought. Nothing had changed. No, this was a new stress that could only be related to Tait.
Connor rubbed at his leg as his conscience shook a fist at him. What was he doing adding to Paige’s already heavy burden? But he’d come too far to abandon his plan to ensure Paige would lead the life he wished for her. He had to have faith in Molly’s belief things would work out. Even in her last days she’d clung to the hope fate would deliver a happy ending. It didn’t. He could only hope that this time Molly’s belief would hold true.
He reached up to pull the cord that hung from the pressed metal ceiling that would switch the kitchen light off. He’d more to worry about than how Paige and Tait were getting along. Tomorrow at Balgarry the whole community would be gathered. Generations of farming families who’d lived through floods, droughts and fires and who held an archive of memories.
Tait believed his secret was safe and that Connor thought he was simply a city boy here on business. But it wasn’t only the strength of Tait’s character that the newspaper photo had revealed to Connor. He’d also seen that the small boy he’d once met had grown into a man capable of righting past wrongs. But would Tait ever have such a chance?
Connor slowly made his way down the hallway. Would anyone see past Tait’s unfamiliar surname?
Would anyone else know who he really was?
Chapter Eight
Paige adjusted her grasp on the Tupperware containers and paused on the school pathway to check Connor was okay. He and Tait had headed over to a cluster of farmers sitting at a wooden playground table. As Connor approached, the Akubra-wearing men stood. After much back thumping and hand shaking, all returned to their seats. She waited for the group to grin and look at her and when they didn’t she knew Connor’s introduction of Tait as a friend had been accepted. The juicy news of Tait and Paige being an item hadn’t yet reached Balgarry via the Glenalla bush telegraph. But it soon would, whenever Mrs Jessop arrived. Connor wheeled himself close to the table and as Tait sat beside him a farmer passed both men a bottle of beer.
Paige smiled through a swell of emotion. Social contact for Connor, as well as the district’s other men, was so important and never more so than in a drought. An initiative of the drought support worker, who donated bread, meat and a case of beer, the monthly get-together was a vital part of bolstering local mental health. For a brief time families could escape their constant stress and have some old-fashioned fun. Stories could be swapped, frustration vented and support networks created.
Children’s laughter carried from the tennis courts to her right, and the smell of barbequing sausages drifted from within the weather shed. Usually home to the school’s eight students, the shed now teemed with colour as women set up a long trestle table with paper plates, plastic cutlery and red bottles of tomato sauce.
Still smiling, Paige turned and headed towards the school house. Two children ran to her across what had once been a grassy playground but now coated their scuffed boots with dust. They screeched to a halt in front of her, their attention on the containers she carried.
‘Paigy, did you bring those white thingies again?’
‘Yes, Chloe, I sure did.’
The five-year-old giggled and elbowed the taller boy beside her. ‘Told you.’
Sean gave a gummy grin. ‘Shoddy the first one.’
Last get-together he’d lost a front tooth. Paige bent to peer into his mouth. ‘You know, your other front tooth looks wobbly enough to come out too. I wonder if I gave it a little tug …’ She shifted the containers to free her right hand.
Sean’s grin widened as he squealed and the two children dashed away. Chloe stopped, rushed back to loop her hands around Paige’s waist and give her a quick hug, before skipping off again.
Heart light, Paige turned to see Anne approaching. The plait of her long grey hair was secured in its usual neat coil and her customary dark skirt and white blouse were immaculate despite the hour-long car journey from town.
She too looked at the containers Paige held. ‘I don’t think the kids would be the same if you didn’t bring your special meringues.’
‘I know. Their eyes light up whenever I put them on the table. I
haven’t the heart to say they’re the cheapest thing I can make in large quantities as they only need egg whites and sugar.’
Anne reached into her handbag and pulled out a plastic tube filled with small, edible silver balls. ‘And one of these on top.’ She slipped the tube into Paige’s shoulder bag. ‘There you go. I saw them on sale and thought you could do with some more as you must be getting low.’
‘Thanks. I am running out but I’ll give you the money for them. How much were they?’
Anne took the top Tupperware out of Paige’s arms. ‘No idea. I’ll check my receipt when I get home.’
Paige examined Anne’s expressionless face. Why did she get the feeling Anne wouldn’t be telling her the amount any time soon.
A burst of laughter caused them both to look across to the table of seated men. Tait was holding court and, going by the volume of his companions’ merriment, he’d well and truly settled in.
‘You father looks well.’
Anne must be feeling the heat, for her pale cheeks appeared flushed with colour.
‘Yes, he does, thanks to Tait’s mutual appreciation of all things four-wheeled. If they’re not debating the merits of the latest supercar, then they’re tinkering in the shed on Dad’s old wrecks.’
The group of men laughed again at something Tait said. Paige swung away. Tait’s fan club may already sport more members than the Balgarry one-teacher school held pupils, but she wasn’t about to become a member.
In the cool of the school house, Paige helped Anne organize the donated gifts into groups according to their labels. Soon they had boxes full of soft, squishy items for younger girls, more boxes of what appeared to be soccer or basketball balls for older boys. Then two more piles for younger boys and older girls.
‘Bush solidarity is a wonderful thing,’ Paige said as she placed the last brightly wrapped present into the appropriate pile. ‘To think people who live hours away, people we don’t even know, were generous enough to collect these toys and send them up for the local kids.’
Beneath Outback Skies Page 8