by Fiona Palmer
‘Mrs Niles made that and her eyesight is shocking. She often gets the flours mixed up or uses cornflour instead of icing sugar. You never know what you’re going to get.’
Nat laughed but she didn’t get to thank Drew before he was accosted by some of the married ladies. They peppered him with questions about how he was going and offers to help if he needed it. Nat got the feeling this might be the first big outing for Drew and Billy since his mum had passed away. His eyes flicked to her, begging for a reprieve, and she wondered if she should try to save him.
‘My daughter Stacy is up over the weekend. You remember Stacy, Drew? She’s a dental assistant now. Do you want to come over for dinner on Saturday?’ said a lady with shoulder-length dyed black hair and lipstick two shades too dark for her.
‘Um, actually, I’m quite busy. Sorry,’ said Drew.
This time when he glanced at Nat she caught the little nod of his head and the pleading frown. It wasn’t nice, watching a man squirm as if sitting in a boiling pot while witches feasted upon him with hungry eyes. A meat market of sorts. Without thinking, Nat stepped across and grabbed Drew’s arm.
‘Drew, Billy’s looking for you, I think he fell over,’ she said, hoping her face didn’t go red with the lie.
‘Oh, right,’ he said, diving out of the circle of women. ‘I’ll catch up with you all later,’ said Drew before they headed for the outside doors.
‘Thank you. I was starting to think you weren’t going to get the hint,’ he whispered as he nodded to a bloke he knew.
‘Yeah, sorry.’
Outside it was dark but they could hear the kids’ voices as they ran around, playing between the cars.
‘Come this way,’ said Drew before he yelled out Billy’s name.
He led her to his ute and seconds later Billy turned up puffing with gravel dust smudged on his face. ‘Yeah, Dad? Is it time to go?’
‘Remember we had something for someone?’
At his father’s words Billy glanced at Nat and in the outside light at the hall she could see his face in raptures.
‘Oh, yes! Natty, we made you something,’ Billy said brightly. He reached for her hand and held it. ‘You’ll love it.’
Drew motioned to the back of his ute. Nat tried to focus on what she saw. Timber and wire in some kind of box shape.
‘What is it?’
‘It’s a chicken coop for your yard so now you can collect your own fresh eggs,’ said Billy. ‘Dad and I made it for you.’
Now that she knew what she was looking at, the whole thing began to make sense. It was amazing. It actually brought a lump to her throat. These Saddler boys, who she hadn’t known that long, had made her something so special, from the heart, knowing how much it would mean to her. How was that possible?
‘What do you think? Is it okay?’ pressed Billy. He moved the cage and she could hear the chooks’ protests. ‘I’ve given you Henny and Penny. You can just see them roosting. Two chooks should be enough, right?’
She had real chooks too? ‘Oh, Billy,’ said Nat, dropping down to his height. ‘It’s the most amazing gift anyone’s ever given me. Are you sure you want to part with Henny and Penny?’
Billy pulled a face. ‘We have so many chooks.’
‘Well, thank you. I will take great care of them and you can visit them anytime.’
‘Are you heading home now?’ asked Drew. ‘I’ll drop this off now if you like.’
‘That would be great.’
Billy rode with her, and when they parked at her house Drew immediately got out and started lifting the chicken coop.
‘Billy?’ he called.
‘Coming!’
Billy ran to hold the other end and together they brought it up the driveway to the back of the house. Nat turned on her outside lights before coming back to open the back gate. The boys put the small hutch on the edge of the lawn.
‘Sorry, girls, my lawn is still getting going,’ she said, bending down to talk to the hens, who’d been stirred up by the transportation. Now she could see them in the light: two beautiful hens with soft feathers, some on their feet, which she’d never seen before. ‘What breed are they? I’ve only really known the Isa Browns. They never had the feathers on the feet.’
Drew disappeared while Billy knelt down beside her. ‘These are silky bantams. Nan said they were more bantams but the silky bits are the feathered feet and black skin. And they have pretty feathers. I thought you’d like the pretty ones.’
‘I do. I love them so much. Which one is Henny?’
As Billy showed her which chook was which, Drew came back and dumped a few bags down beside them.
‘One has wheat, the other some layer pellets and shells. Make sure you find a good bin to store it in or you’ll have the mice in eating it,’ said Drew.
Nat stood up and smiled at the kind-hearted man. ‘I don’t know how to thank you.’
‘Least we could do for all the shed help.’
Nat realised she hadn’t been very hospitable. ‘Would you like a drink?’
‘No, I’m right, thanks. We should be hitting the road. Take me forever to get this boy ready for bed.’
‘Oh, Dad. Can’t we stay a little bit, please?’
‘No, you have school tomorrow and so does Natty.’
The way Drew said her nickname made her grin. ‘Yes, I must get ready. Then I’ll be out over the weekend to help in the shed.’
‘Again? For real?’
‘If that’s okay with you, Billy?’ Nat knew it would be.
‘Sure is, Natty. I can’t wait.’ Billy spun around to face his dad. ‘Can I show her the bike track, Dad?’
‘How about we leave that for another time, okay? Say goodbye and jump in the ute.’
‘Goodbye, Natty. See you tomorrow.’ Billy rushed off to the ute. She was about to walk Drew out when the phone rang inside the house.
‘Thanks, Drew. I’ll see you on the weekend.’
‘Righto.’ He waved as he ducked around the side of the house.
Nat sprinted inside to get the phone. ‘Hello?’
‘Hey, sis, how’s things in the big dust bowl?’
‘Jase, hey, big bro. What are you up to?’
‘Oh, you know, just sorting out a media contract with Foxtel. It’s actually more exciting than it sounds.’
‘Yeah, I’m sure,’ she teased. But he did sound excited. He loved his job, working alongside their dad. Nat had never been offered a position in the company; her future had been sorted by her mum before she’d finished high school: marry a wealthy man, grace the social pages and run a perfect house. She’d set her mum’s plans back by becoming a teacher.
‘How’s things with you?’ asked Jason.
Delighted that someone cared enough to ask, Nat told him everything. ‘Oh, it’s gorgeous here, Jase. I love my kids; they all have their own little traits and try so hard to please me. You should see all the things they have given me – drawings and special bits are filling up my house. Oh, and I have new chooks. Two, to be exact.’ She told him all about Henny and Penny and promised to text him a photo of them. ‘I’ve also been doing sheep work. Learnt how to throw a fleece.’
‘No way,’ said Jason.
‘Yes way. You wouldn’t bloody recognise me in my farm clothes, being a rousie.’ Then she had to tell him what a rousie did, and all about the Saddler farm. For once she knew something her big brother didn’t and it felt fantastic. ‘Oh, but we’ve just found out they want to close the school, Jase. It’s awful. It’s going to hurt this town so much. I’m helping them to keep it open. The whole community is rallying together. And you must try Mrs Harrison’s homemade sausage rolls. To. Die. For!’
Jason laughed. ‘Well, sounds like I’m going to have to come back down there. You paint a great picture, sis, and you sound so happy. I’m feeling rather jealous.’ Now it was her turn to laugh. ‘It’s good to know you’re doing okay. I miss you, though. I promise to call more often, or at least I’ll try. I’ll definitely be thinking about it,�
�� he said with a chuckle.
‘Thanks, Jase. I love you too, big bro.’
After the phone call Nat changed into her PJs and sat outside with her new pets. They were probably trying to sleep but she talked to them anyway. Henny and Penny were the new loves of her life.
Chapter 15
THE phone rang just as she was about to slip on her farm boots. Damn. Who would be calling her on a Saturday morning? Gary’s picture flashed up on her phone.
‘Gary? I thought you’d be in a conference by now.’
‘I am, just on a break. Been the first chance I’ve had to call you.’ He sounded agitated. It was very unusual for him to call while away on business. He usually preferred to catch up when he got back.
‘Is everything all right?’
‘You tell me.’
‘Everything is fine here,’ she said cautiously.
‘What’s this I hear about you doing sheep work out on a farm, baby?’
‘I’m just helping out some friends.’
‘The way Jason tells it, you’re turning into a country bumpkin. Sweetheart, you don’t have to try to fit in.’ Gary paused but she knew he had more to say. ‘This guy – Jason said he’s single?’
‘Yes, he’s just lost his mum. His son’s in my class and needs a little attention and I’m helping out.’
‘I thought you went out there to teach, not become a station hand. Baby, don’t overdo it.’ Nat flinched at the patronising tone. Why was he acting like this? ‘I fly back tonight and was hoping to see you,’ he went on. ‘Look, I have to go. I’ll talk to you later. I love you.’
Then he hung up. Nat stared at her phone. Maybe sharing stuff with her brother hadn’t been a great idea. Jason and Gary were good friends, even more so since the engagement.
With a deep breath she slipped her phone in her pocket and looked at her boots. Maybe she shouldn’t go out to the farm today. She didn’t want to upset Gary, but she didn’t like this possessive side of him. And she had so enjoyed spending time out there. She felt so comfortable with Drew. And she didn’t want to disappoint Billy.
Nat slipped on her boots and reached for her keys. Lucky she hadn’t mentioned to Jason just how good-looking Drew was.
Out at the farm, shearing was in full swing. It was a hot day and would be stifling in this shed after lunch. Nat didn’t know how anyone kept working through this ridiculous heat. Billy and Drew looked as if they’d been at this for hours already.
‘Hey, Natty.’
Billy’s grin was infectious and his enthusiastic wave always made her feel so special. ‘Morning, Billy. Shall we see if I can remember how to do it?’ Billy’s dedication to helping his father never ceased to amaze her.
They headed over to where Drew was shearing. His fitted blue singlet clung to his damp skin and even in this heat he wore pants. His hair curled at the base of his neck where it was damp with sweat.
‘Welcome back,’ he said, looking up with a grin. His blue eyes were bright and alive as if he had just been skydiving, not shearing endless sheep. ‘A sucker for punishment, aren’t ya?’
Nat smiled. ‘I think you are. Crazy shearing in this heat.’
‘That’s all right. We have dams for swimming.’
Nat screwed up her face. ‘I did bring my bathers, just in case I was desperate.’
Drew laughed, then he went back to shearing with a smile on his face, as if he knew something she didn’t.
Nat worked hard and the next few hours disappeared quickly. They stopped for lunch, eating the chicken wraps she’d made for them all.
‘That’s half the flavour,’ she said when she caught Drew pulling out the cucumber from his.
‘I can’t eat spewcumber,’ he said with a grimace. He held it out for Turbo, who took one sniff and walked away. ‘See, if a dog won’t eat it, it must be crap.’ His lips turned up into an innocent smile. ‘But I eat everything else.’
Nat pressed her lips together to hide her grin before focusing on Billy. ‘What about you? What don’t you like to eat?’ she asked him.
‘I don’t like snotoli.’
‘Mum overcooked the broccoli one night and it turned to mush,’ Drew explained. ‘Billy here said it resembled snot and he hasn’t eaten it since then. Damn near put me off it for life too.’
‘Gosh, is dinner at your place always this . . . exciting?’
‘Come on, surely there’s something you don’t like to eat?’ Drew asked.
‘Like liver? Yuck,’ said Billy pulling a face.
‘I eat most things, but to tell you the truth I can’t seem to like oysters. Gary loves them but I struggle to get them down and end up just swallowing them whole.’ Nat felt her throat constrict as if trying to keep one of those slimy suckers down.
‘What’s an oyster?’ said Billy.
Nat explained it while Drew finished his second wrap. She’d brought an extra just in case and was glad she had as Drew seemed to inhale his food. Must be all that energy he expended in the shed.
‘Gary get to his conference okay?’ asked Drew.
‘Yeah. He rang this morning. I’d told my brother about all this,’ said Nat, gesturing to the shed full of wool, sheep and smells she was getting used to. ‘And then he told Gary. And now Gary’s worried.’
‘About what?’ Drew frowned.
That fact that Drew didn’t get it showed just how safe she was here with him. Why couldn’t Gary understand?
‘It’s just different to what he knows. He didn’t really want me to come out here in the first place.’
‘To Lake Biddy?’
She nodded.
‘But you still came?’
‘Yeah. I just had to do this for myself, you know? Before life takes over.’
‘You make it sound like there’s some pressure involved, that you’re not happy where it’s going?’ said Drew softly.
‘In a way. I guess I’d hoped I could continue teaching but with my family business and Gary’s, it’s just not really going to work. I was able to wrangle this year because they all expect me to give it up afterwards.’ Nat hadn’t ever been this frank with anyone before. She couldn’t voice her innermost thoughts with her family or her friends, besides Uncle Kent. They just wouldn’t get it. They didn’t understand her desire to be a teacher, for a start.
‘That seems a bit sad that you feel you have to give up something you’re passionate about,’ Drew said.
‘But marriage and family are about compromise, so I’ll do my part,’ she said.
‘And what about you, Nat? I hope Gary is compromising things for you too.’
Those eyes sliced through her like the handpiece cutting the sheep’s wool.
‘I’m sure he is,’ she said hopefully.
They sat there quietly for a moment. The tin walls creaked in the heat, flies buzzed around seeking out a cool spot and Turbo’s tail pounded the floorboards every time Billy took a bite of his wrap. Nat really didn’t want to be left with her thoughts so she got up and poured them all some cold water.
After a few more hours of shearing, Drew stopped the machine, putting the last ewe from his pen down the chute. ‘Well, I think we’ve earnt a break. Who’s for a swim?’ said Drew.
Billy was lying in the wool in one of the bins having a rest but he shot up like he’d been stung by a wasp. ‘I am. Can I take Natty on the bike track before we swim?’
Drew shrugged and gestured to Nat.
‘Okay, you’d better show me this bike track. It’s all I’ve heard about for ages.’
They went outside into the hot sun and Billy got on his little motorbike. ‘Mine is a 50cc but you can take Dad’s quad bike,’ he said, pointing to a big red four-wheeled bike.
‘Oh, I’ve never ridden a bike before,’ she said and then wondered if she’d have to ride on the back with Drew.
‘Here, it’s pretty easy.’ Drew showed her how to start it and change gears, where the brake was, and then let her head off.
She was hesitant at first but D
rew just seemed to have this faith in her ability to give it a go. She took off around the shearing shed and felt her nerves disappear at the sheer elation of having the wind in her face and the thrill of something new. She pulled up next to Drew after a few laps.
‘That was cool,’ she said, mimicking Billy’s catch phrase.
‘Well, I think you’re set to tackle the bike track. Don’t hurt yourself,’ he said with a wink and handed over a helmet.
‘Follow me, Natty!’ yelled Billy. His red helmet made him easy to spot.
He took her towards a patch of bush and soon she found herself riding along a little track, dodging trees, flying over mounds of dirt, weaving around dead branches and then more jumps that made her stomach roll. They did it three times, and each time she got faster and took more risks – but with the risk came exhilaration.
Pulling up back at the shed she had a smile from ear to ear. ‘I feel like a kid,’ she said, whipping off the helmet and feeling like her face was fried from the wind.
‘You look like one,’ said Drew. ‘Time for a swim now.’
She grabbed her bathers out of the car and got changed in the small toilet beside the shearing shed.
‘Ready?’ asked Drew as he walked towards her in a low-hanging pair of blue-and-black boardies.
‘I guess so.’ Nat saw Drew’s eyes drop to her simple one-piece black halter-neck bathers. She’d gone conservative.
‘Don’t mind my sock tan. Comes with the job,’ he said.
It wasn’t really his sock tan that was holding her attention. It was the smooth, tanned body that was firm with hard-earned muscles. And when he reached out and scooped up Billy, his arms rippled like a Muay Thai fighter’s.
‘This way.’
He led them towards another shed. Nat was a little confused as she thought they’d need the ute to get to the dam. It wasn’t until Drew walked inside the big machinery shed that she saw what was on the ground beside a red machine with two massive wheels and two small ones at the back.
‘Is that a pool?’ she asked.
‘Yep. Bush style.’
‘It took a whole load of water from the truck,’ said Billy, who had picked up a black tube.
Nat had a feeling it was a tube from a car tyre. But the pool was a massive blue tarp draped over square hay bales. Straw was littered everywhere, but the water was clear. It looked so much more inviting than a muddy dam.