by Tony Parsons
‘Thank you, Cat,’ he said. ‘I’ll talk to Greg tomorrow. Then I’ll talk to Sarah.’
‘Greg?’ Catriona said, and raised her eyebrows.
‘About going out to Molonga. I’ll have to offer it to Greg before anyone else. It will mean a rise in salary. Shaun is too tied up with the studs and too valuable, besides being a bit on the elderly side for out there. If Greg doesn’t want the position, I’ll have to bring someone in,’ David said.
‘So you wouldn’t be sending Sarah out there?’
‘Not on your life. I only said that to get a bite out of people,’ David said, and grinned.
‘Grr,’ Catriona growled. It broke the ice to a large extent, and brought Moira into the conversation.
‘Don’t you feel you could hit him, Mum?’ Moira said.
‘Occasionally, dear,’ Catriona said.
‘I think I’ll like working with Sarah,’ Moira said.
‘She isn’t here yet,’ David reminded her. ‘She might have thought better of the idea. Might already have a job, for all we know.’
‘Ha, I’ll bet she’s haunting the house waiting for you to ring her, Dad. Of course, she doesn’t know what a slave driver you are,’ Moira said, and gave her father a flashing smile.
‘That’s why people stay with me so long,’ he said.
Greg Robertson was a mite worried. Nearly all the farmers he knew were complaining about how crook things were on the land these days. Cattle were down, wool was down, wheat cost too much to grow and the politicians kept introducing more and more ridiculous regulations. The last time Greg had been talking to David he had told him that all their returns were down and that the wool industry had been well and truly shot to pieces. Properties that had employed two and three people were now being run by husband and wife and, in many cases, either husband or wife was working at a job off the property.
‘I sure hope it isn’t going to affect us, Liz,’ Greg said to his wife.
‘Surely not, Greg. David has just bought two more properties. Why would he do that if things weren’t going well?’ Liz asked.
‘People are doing away with full-time employees and using casual labour, Liz,’ Greg told her.
When Greg received a phonecall from David telling him he and Catriona were coming down to see him the following day, Greg grew even more despondent. He had worked for David MacLeod virtually from the time he left school, and he didn’t fancy working for any other man.
Liz was more worried about getting the house cleaned up in time because although David didn’t worry if it was a bit untidy, it was a different matter entertaining Catriona. Although Catriona was always very nice, the fact remained that she was once a Campbell.
The three Robertson children were about the wildest kids in the district. They had been reared on Strath Fillan, which was a pretty damned good place for them to run wild. The two boys had both broken arms and collarbones coming off ponies, and their sister was the biggest tomboy for miles. Greg had walloped all three so many times he lost count, but they took wallopings in their stride. Before David and Catriona were due to arrive, Greg told his terrible trio that if they put one foot out of place he would use the stockwhip on them, take their ponies from them and lock them up for two days. He had found that locking them up for a day worked better than a walloping. The children were so high-spirited that being confined to their rooms was the most awful punishment they could endure.
Faced with this threat and conscious of the fact that their father was unusually grim-faced, the children contented themselves with riding flat out alongside David’s vehicle as it came through the gate into Strath Fillan. Then they took off into the hills, as Greg had told them to do.
Liz noted that Moira had accompanied her parents, so there would be two women to inspect the interior of the house. It was fortunate the kids had left some of the fruitcake to go with the scones she had just made. Liz knew she wasn’t a good housekeeper. She spent most of her time outside with Greg as he worked with the horses. Liz wasn’t a show rider like Catriona had been but she could sit just about any horse or bull in the country.
It wasn’t that Catriona and Moira were ever hoity-toity with her, but they were always dressed beautifully, even when in working clothes, while she never was. Liz got on very well with Anne and Kate but was somewhat in awe of Catriona and, to a slightly lesser extent, Moira. David was a different matter. He was a millionaire a few times over with what he owned, but it hadn’t changed him one little bit. He would sit in the kitchen and drink tea and eat scones with Greg and her just the same as anyone else. She knew that he could be tough and that nobody argued with him. But if you did the right thing by David, he left you alone. He told you what he wanted and he expected you to do it.
Liz was attractive in a less polished kind of way but she had never placed much importance on the way she looked; nor did she have the sense of style that set Catriona and Moira apart. She had never made her debut, nor ever wanted to, because she wasn’t that kind of girl. She had a heart of gold and was in every sense the perfect mate for Greg. It was only when faced with people she acknowledged to be superior to her that Liz felt inadequate.
Catriona always sought to be especially friendly because she realised that Liz felt awkward entertaining her. She usually took biscuits or a cake and sometimes special treats for the children.
‘There’s an apple charlotte, Liz. It’s probably not very good as it’s the first time I’ve made one. There’s a chocolate cake, too. It’s Anne’s recipe so I can vouch for it,’ Catriona said.
‘Thanks, Mrs MacLeod, that’s real good of you,’ Liz said. She felt a little relieved that Catriona couldn’t do everything perfectly. ‘They look delicious, and the kids will love them.’
She noted that although the two women weren’t dressed up and were in fact for them in what passed for working clothes, they both looked fantastic. Catriona was in dove-grey slacks with a blue top and Moira was in white moleskins and cream blouse. They made her blue jeans and grey shirt look distinctly second-rate.
David, as usual, took command of the situation by handing over a pack of a dozen bottles of beer. ‘There’s a little bonus for the job you did on that last filly, Greg,’ he said. And in the next breath, ‘You’re looking well, Liz.’
Oh, she could have kissed him. Liz reckoned that David was the most wonderful man she had ever known. There wasn’t a man anywhere that came near him. He and his mother were just lovely people. They had helped Greg and her so often she had lost count. On one occasion she had been so overcome by one of David’s kindnesses that she had actually kissed him, and he hadn’t minded in the least. Next to horses, she and Greg talked about the MacLeods more than anything else.
‘I hope you haven’t gone to any trouble, Liz,’ Catriona said. She noted the set table in the lounge room, which had a vase of native flowers as its centrepiece.
‘Oh no, it’s no trouble at all,’ Liz said, as casually as she could muster.
Greg felt a little easier. This didn’t seem to be the forerunner to the sack. Catriona and Moira would hardly come to hear David tell him that he was finished.
David sat down in one of the big lounge chairs that Greg and Liz had just finished paying off. Presently Liz was at his elbow with a steaming cup of strong tea, just as she knew he liked it, and a plate of hot date scones lashed with butter. He nodded his thanks and took a scone.
After some desultory conversation David switched to the real reason for their visit. ‘Still like it here, Greg?’
‘It’s been great, David. Good place for the horses – and for the kids, too,’ he said, and laughed.
‘What about you, Liz?’ David asked.
‘It’s a real nice place, Mr MacLeod. The house is very comfortable and the property is beautiful. Horses do well here. As well as the sheep,’ she said.
‘You know that I’ve bought two properties the other side of Barraba. I bought them principally to breed replacement wethers for these three places so I don’t
have to continually buy them in. There are good homesteads on both properties and I’m allowing the former owner of one of the places, Wirrewarra, to stay there. She’s a widow with five children. Her eldest boy is a good colt and could have a future with me later. The thing is that I need a manager for both places. The manager would live at Molonga, which has a very nice old homestead.’
Greg wondered what David was getting at.
‘I’m offering you the job, Greg. It’s a much bigger position than what you’re doing here so there would be an increase in salary, but we’ll talk about those details if you want the job. If you don’t want the job, I’ll have to bring someone in from outside. You don’t have to accept it, and before you make up your mind I’ll take you and Liz out there so you can see what it would be like. How does that sound to you?’
Greg was temporarily lost for words. This wasn’t the sack, but a promotion.
‘It sounds great, David. But what about the horse side of things? You want to keep Western Star here, don’t you?’ Greg asked.
‘Yes, of course. You can have a few horses out there to keep your hand in but Strath Fillan will remain the main horse place. I’ve bought those two places to try and breed top merino sheep, Greg. Maybe run a few cattle, but sheep will be the priority. As I said, there are five children next door. It’s only a mile or so from one homestead to the other. I’ve put in a gravel road to link the two.
‘The thing is that I’ve got a young person in mind who could come here but hasn’t the experience to go out there. You’d think me lousy if, after all the years you’ve been with me, I didn’t offer the job to you and brought an outsider in. However, it’s up to you and Liz. If you’re interested, we’ll go out there in the next day or so. If the job doesn’t appeal to you, say so and you can stay put here.’
Greg looked at Liz, whose eyes were shining. ‘I reckon we should go out and have a look,’ he said.
David nodded. ‘I thought you’d say that. We’ll go the day after tomorrow. Have you got anyone who can look after the children?’
‘I’ll ask my sister to come out for the day,’ Liz said quickly.
‘Right, that’s that.’
So it was that David and Catriona took Greg and Liz out to see Molonga and Wirrewarra. The Murrays had left and Molonga homestead was bare. David had rung Linda Barden and told them what he was doing and she had insisted they all come for lunch.
‘If Greg and Liz are going to be our next-door neighbours, I’d like to meet them and make them welcome,’ Linda said.
And see David again, Catriona thought as she listened to her husband talking on the phone.
It was a four a.m. start. Moira said she would stay back at High Peaks so there would be someone to feed the horses and dogs that evening. They drove straight to Molonga and inspected that property before driving on the new gravel road to Wirrewarra.
David shared his plans with Greg and Liz. ‘There’s two shearing sheds but I reckon it would make good sense to put all the sheep through the Molonga shed. It will be one big clip and there shouldn’t be much variation, if any, in the wool once we get Wirrewarra stocked. One bonus is that after twenty-odd years running cattle, there shouldn’t be any sheep worms to worry about on Wirrewarra.’
Liz, although not an inside person, liked the big Molonga homestead. She also liked Linda Barden and the five Barden children, who would be good mates for her trio. The country was different. There were hills behind the homesteads but most of the country was undulating to flat. David said it was much better country than at Strath Fillan. Not so good for horses, but much sweeter country for breeding sheep and cattle.
Linda Barden thought that having three children next door would be a great asset. That three children could be wilder than her own didn’t come into her head; they would simply be good company for her brood. She had no doubts at all about Greg Robertson. David had told her that Greg had been with him almost since leaving school and was totally reliable. Liz could do anything a man could do and sit just about any horse in the country, and Linda knew she would enjoy the company of the younger woman.
Greg reckoned he had to take the job. As David had said, it was a lot bigger job than managing Strath Fillan. Ewes were more trouble than wethers. There was mulesing and lamb-marking, too. David said he would look at the economics of bringing in a team to assist with these operations. There would also be some artificial insemination, because David intended using his top rams to upgrade both the Molonga ewes and those he bought to help stock Wirrewarra.
After lunch David and Greg walked down to look at the Wirrewarra woolshed. From there they drove around the property to give Greg an idea of the country it covered.
‘I’ll take the job, David,’ Greg said as they were driving back to the homestead.
David nodded. ‘I reckoned you would, Greg. It’s a more important job than the one you’ve been doing. I know how you feel about horses and you can have some out here but they’ll be only a hobby here, Greg. I’ve got big plans for these two places. Maybe breed some of the rams here and finish them off at Glen Morrison.’
Despite the way Linda Barden looked at her husband, Catriona could not help liking the blonde woman. She was so very friendly and hospitable that it would have been churlish of her to be standoffish. Besides, Linda was hardly the first woman to look at her husband in a hungry kind of way. She supposed it was something to have a husband other women wanted but she would have preferred it not to happen. Anyway, it wasn’t Linda Barden she was worried about, but the looming opposition at home. Catriona had come out in favour of employing Sarah Matheson because she felt she had to, but she wasn’t looking forward to her working for them.
The following day David rang Sarah Matheson and asked her to come to see him. She came that afternoon, and David met her on the front verandah. They sat down and David told her that he could employ her under certain conditions.
‘First, I’m shifting Greg out to manage the two new places the other side of Barraba. That leaves a vacancy at Strath Fillan. It’s mainly wethers with some cattle but we’ve put most of our horses there, and Western Star is at stud there, of course.’
Sarah’s eyes were bright with interest.
‘You’d be managing Strath Fillan and living there. I’ll take you down and show you the place and you can decide if it will suit you. It’s amongst the hills and may be a bit lonely for a young woman. If that doesn’t worry you, it’s quite a picturesque place. Moira has said that she would go and stay with you for the first week or so if you would prefer that.’
‘It sounds perfect, Mr MacLeod,’ Sarah said.
‘Later, I’ll have the homestead painted and renovated a bit. As it is, I’d need you to move in as soon as Greg and Liz move out because of the horses. As well as looking after Strath Fillan, you’ll be involved in the stud work at Glen Morrison. I’m particularly keen to use your expertise in inseminating stock. How does that affect you?’ he asked.
‘I’m overwhelmed,’ she said. ‘I was sure you had decided against employing me, let alone giving me a manager’s job.’
‘It isn’t much of a manager’s job, more a glorified overseer’s position, but it could lead to bigger things later on. And you will be doing much more than looking after Strath Fillan. You could be showing sheep and cattle some of the time, though Moira is doing most of that these days. And you’d be looking after the mares that come to Western Star. Think you can handle it?’ David asked.
‘I’ll do my best,’ Sarah said.
‘That’s all anyone can do, Sarah. The thing is that if you want to be treated the same as a man, you’ll have to perform the same as a man. Well, almost. I wouldn’t expect you to dig post-holes all day,’ he said and smiled. ‘Still want the job?’
‘You bet, Mr MacLeod,’ she said.
‘Right. Come back here in the morning and I’ll take you down to Strath Fillan. When can you start?’
‘When do you want me to start?’ she asked.
‘Soon as
you’re ready to come. You can stay at the cottage near Mum’s until Greg moves out. You’ll need to tucker yourself, although I’ll keep you in meat. There’s a coldroom beside the cottage. Oh, and you’ll need bedclothes. On your way out stop at the petrol tank and fill your utility,’ he told her.
‘Thank you, and thank you for the job,’ she said.
‘It might not suit you, Sarah,’ he warned.
But her reply was earnest and eager. ‘I’m sure it will, Mr MacLeod.’
‘How are you off for money?’ he asked.
‘I don’t have much, I’m afraid,’ she said.
‘Well you need a vehicle. I’ll give you a cheque now so you can buy tucker and whatever else you need. We’ll take some out of your wages each week to pay it off,’ David said.
‘That is very generous of you, Mr Mac. You don’t mind me calling you Mr Mac, do you?’
‘I reckon I could live with that. Go to town tomorrow and get what you want. The day after will do to start. That all right?’
‘Suits me,’ she said.
‘Right. Be here at eight and I’ll take you down to Strath Fillan.’
When he handed her a cheque for $500 she looked at him blankly. ‘This is far too much for food.’
‘It will tide you over for a while,’ he said, and turned away before she could say thank you. It was the first of many kindnesses she was to receive from him.
Two days later Sarah was at High Peaks shortly after seven and she made several trips carrying in food, clothes and sheets and blankets before David appeared.
‘Got everything stowed away?’ he asked, as he looked about the cottage.
‘For now, Mr Mac.’
‘Righto, as you’re here we might as well get going. You won’t need anything as I’m just going to show you where you’ll be if you take the job. You can still pull out if you don’t like the place,’ he said, and smiled.
‘I’m on the payroll now, so I can’t pull out,’ she said.
‘Pile in the Toyota and we’ll hit the track,’ he said.