Return to the High Country

by Tony Parsons

  ‘Go your hardest, Cat.’ He reckoned she would be distracted until she got the book written. He could see that it was something she felt compelled to do.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, and put her arms around his neck and kissed him. ‘And thank you for being so wonderful on the trip. I meant to tell you before now but we have been rather busy. It was even better than the first honeymoon. I hope you got something out of it,’ she said.

  ‘I got quite a lot out of it and you know that damned well,’ he said and grinned. Catriona blushed and turned away. ‘I hope you’re not going to put any of those episodes in your book, Cat,’ he added.

  ‘Of course not. The Scottish part will be about a different period,’ she said.

  ‘That’s a relief. Do you think it’s a goer with Moira and Ian?’

  ‘There’s something there, darling. Why don’t we just wait and see?’ Catriona said.

  ‘I suppose so. Ian might make something. He needs knocking into shape for this game,’ David said. ‘It seems he’s a computer expert as well as a lawyer and that could be a plus,’ he added.

  ‘It will be Moira’s decision, not ours, darling. I know you don’t want to lose her but she must have a life of her own. I think Ian is rather sweet,’ she said.

  ‘Sweet? What do you mean sweet?’ he asked with a frown.

  ‘Ian is somewhat unusual for a man, dear. He’s a little shy but there’s quite a bit to him below the surface. I understand he’s very clever. He doesn’t smoke and he doesn’t drink. I think he would make a very understanding husband,’ Catriona said.

  The Riverina visitors stayed a fortnight, during which time David and Moira staged a battle of wits for Ian Taylor’s company. David mostly won because Moira was disadvantaged by living at Glen Morrison. When David didn’t have Ian on a horse or on a hand-piece they were away working dogs. Moira was furious with her father, but realised there was more to his behaviour than he was letting on.

  A month after Marilyn and Ian left for the Riverina Ian came back. He told them that they were putting Jimbawarra on the market because if they didn’t do it willingly, there would be legal proceedings against his mother. He had advised her to sell the place. It was a blow, but there it was.

  David sensed that there was more Ian wanted to say so he took him up to the woolshed where they sat side by side on wool bales.

  ‘Get it off your chest, Ian,’ David told him.

  ‘Get what off my chest?’ Ian asked.

  ‘Whatever it is that’s bothering you.’

  ‘I want to marry Moira,’ Ian said.

  ‘What does she have to say?’ David asked.

  ‘She hasn’t said yes or no. I think she wants to talk to you,’ Ian said. ‘I think she wants to know what you think about it. About me,’ he added hastily.

  ‘Good heavens. It’s her life and her decision, Ian.’

  ‘I understand that, but I get the impression that if you don’t like the idea of having me for your son-in-law that might influence her decision,’ Ian said.

  There was no doubt that women took the cake, David thought. Once Moira was all set to throw herself away on a mongrel like Gary Trainor yet she was baulking at a decent fellow like Ian Taylor. He had no doubt that Ian would make something of himself wherever he was. But if he married Moira, David wanted him here.

  ‘I don’t have a lot of money, Mr MacLeod. Not by your standards. Mum would give me something from the sale of the place and I have some money saved up. I could earn good money if I went back to Melbourne but Moira wouldn’t want to do that,’ he said.

  ‘Do you love Moira?’ David asked.

  ‘Oh, yes. I love her all right. Moira is the first girl I feel I really connect with, Mr MacLeod.’

  ‘We’ll talk more after I talk to Moira,’ David said.

  Moira and David talked down in the ram shed next morning. They sat on bales of lucerne hay and while he chewed a straw his daughter told him that Ian had asked her to marry him.

  ‘So?’

  ‘I haven’t said yes and I haven’t said no,’ she said.

  ‘Why? Don’t you love Ian?’

  ‘I nearly made one bad mistake and you got me out of it. I realise I was carried away by Gary’s charisma and that I didn’t really love him at all. I don’t want to make the same mistake again. It’s terribly important to me that you like the man I marry,’ she said.

  ‘Gary Trainor isn’t fit to be in the same country as Ian Taylor,’ David replied. He saw her face lighten and pressed on. ‘Do you love Ian?’

  ‘I think I do … quite a lot,’ she said.

  ‘What else, Moy?’ he asked.

  ‘I don’t want to leave you, Dad. Not even for Ian. My life is here.’

  ‘Then you don’t love Ian enough to marry him,’ David replied. ‘If you love him you will go wherever he wants to go. That’s a wife’s duty. Cat would have left home to marry me. No, you can’t love Ian enough or you wouldn’t hesitate.’

  ‘It isn’t a black-and-white thing, Dad. I’m scared. The mothers of half my girlfriends are divorced or separated. Marilyn is a warm, generous lady and she’s separated from her husband. Ian seems to be a good man, but what if he’s not? Love has messed up the lives of countless women. You’re the only man I trust implicitly. I can stay here and not risk anything,’ Moira said.

  ‘Most girls can’t leave their parents quick enough to do their own thing, Moy. Don’t you want a family?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes, I want a family, but you don’t have to be married to have children. There are clinics where you can go to get pregnant,’ she said.

  ‘I wouldn’t be in favour of you doing that sort of thing, Moy. No way. Look, I don’t want to lose you from the operation here. You’ve been for me the son I expected Dougal would be, and more. That’s a big thing to say about a girl. But I’d be the worst kind of father if I put my interests before yours. So where do we stand? Are you going to say yes or no?’ he asked.

  ‘I’ll marry Ian if you can find a place for him here, Dad,’ she said softly.

  David found it hard to conceal his jubilation. He had had to make her say those words. It had to be her decision.

  ‘So you want to have your cake and eat it too?’ he asked.

  ‘That’s what I want, Dad. If anything goes wrong I want to have you behind me,’ she said.

  His daughter had just paid him one of the greatest compliments he had ever received. Being a good dog handler, even a legendary handler, and a good stockman, was all right, but being a good parent was something else.

  ‘Ah well, between the two of us, we ought to be able to knock Ian into shape, Moy,’ he said with a grin.

  She put her arms around his neck and kissed him. ‘Thank you, Dad.’

  ‘Dixon’s place adjoining Glen Morrison is on the market. I might try and buy it. We’ll need a bit more land here if Ian is going to come aboard. I could farm a fair bit of Dixon’s and grow more grain for our own use. Ian could become the farmer of the outfit.’ He didn’t tell her that he had already taken an option on Dixon’s. He hadn’t been going to buy any more property because by any standards he had sufficient but having a son-in-law made a difference. If Ian came good it would be almost as good as having an extra son. ‘I had better go and put Ian out of his misery and you had better talk to your mother, Moy.’

  David found Ian talking to Catriona about computer programs. He winked at Catriona and then told Ian that he wanted to show him something.

  The two men walked up the track to the dog yards where they sat down on Nap’s log. There were magpies carolling in the trees overhead and from up in Jimmy’s Paddock they could hear crows cawing raucously. ‘This is the drill, Ian. Moira will marry you if she can stay here. She’s asked me to find a place for you. I can do that but it’s up to you whether you want to accept Moira on those terms. I put it to her that it seemed as if she wanted to have her cake and eat it too. I said that it was a wife’s duty to go wherever her husband wants to go and that if she loves y
ou, that’s what she should do. But the thing is that Moira had a near miss with a fellow who wasn’t worth your little finger. There’s also the fact that, like it or not, your parents are separated – as are at least half of the parents of Moira’s school friends. Moira is just a wee bit scared about what might happen if she’s made a mistake about you. She wants to be here because she trusts me and knows that I’ll always be here for her,’ David said.

  ‘I can understand that, Mr MacLeod. I’m not too happy about my parents being separated. I appreciate that things are different now to what they used to be but I would sincerely hope that Moira and I never want to separate. Moira is the best thing that has ever happened to me.’

  ‘There’s another aspect to consider. Would you have any problem working with me? I’m not the easiest man to work with, as you’ve probably decided. If I think you’re making a mess of something I’ll damn soon tell you. If you can wear what I dish out, I’ll make something of you,’ David said.

  ‘Grandad told me you were the best and fairest man he knew, Mr MacLeod. I know I’ve got a lot to learn. I’m not lazy and I think I’ll be able to handle what you dish out,’ Ian said with a smile.

  ‘That’s the spirit,’ David said, and clapped Ian on the shoulder.

  ‘I’ll have Moira on any terms, Mr MacLeod. Now, can you really find a place for me here?’ Ian asked a mite anxiously.

  ‘I’m looking to buy the place next to Glen Morrison, Ian. I have actually put a down payment on it but I didn’t tell Moira. I thought it might do for a kind of, well, wedding present. It’s a decent place with a good house on it. The people who own it are too old to work it properly. I think it could be farmed a bit more. I use a lot of grain and it would be handy to grow our own.’

  ‘In that case I’d be happier if you’d allow me to provide some of the money to purchase this place. Mum is going to give me some money when she sells Grandad’s place, probably a couple of hundred thousand. I know it wouldn’t get near what you probably have to fork out but it would make me feel I have contributed something in my own right. I don’t want to come here entirely dependent on you, Mr MacLeod. I’ve heard of men who married their way into money and property and I don’t want you to think I’m one of that breed. I’d like to feel that I’ve made a financial commitment to your grazing empire. It wouldn’t be a lot when compared with the money you’ve got tied up in property and stock, but it would still make me feel better,’ Ian said, and gave David a sheepish grin. ‘I think Moira would approve too,’ he added.

  ‘I appreciate your point of view, Ian. If that’s what you want to do, I’ll go along with it. I’ll talk to my legal eagles about whether I can put Dixon’s place in your and Moira’s name. You’ll own it and maybe I can lease it back so that the stock and grain off the place can be worked in with the overall operation. You’ll have to discuss with Moira where you want to live. Glen Morrison is the better house and you can live there if you prefer it. If your mother would like to say in the bush she might like to live at Dixon’s. You should talk that over with Moira as the mother-in-law thing sometimes worries new brides.’

  ‘You seem to have thought of everything, Mr MacLeod. And Mum and Moira appear to get on very well,’ Ian said. ‘Mum hasn’t said what she wants to do after we sell the property. There’s a lot of things to do to tidy up everything. Once we decide where Moira and I are going to live I want to build a decent set of dog pens so I can bring Grandad’s dogs up here. Crikey, I’ve got a lot to learn.’

  ‘Knowing that you’ve got a lot to learn is the first step, Ian. Between Moira, myself and the rest of us we’ll soon have you firing. You’ll be competing at our local sheepdog trials in a year or two. And you couldn’t have a much better judge of sheep and cattle than Moira. She’s better than most men. Angus is good too, and he’s an excellent dog handler. You get on well with him, don’t you?’

  ‘Extra good, Mr MacLeod. He and Sue-Ellen have been great. Dougal worries me a little as he’s a bit overpowering. I feel very inadequate alongside him.’

  ‘You shouldn’t. I’m told that you’re a very smart fellow in your own field. Some vets have a very inflated view of their own importance. There’s others that haven’t and are very down-to-earth fellows. Dougal is a brilliant fellow but he’s a pain in the neck at times. Dougal and I don’t hit it off as well as we should. I suppose I’m a lot to blame for that because I had built my hopes on him coming back here after he left school. There’s more to it than that but enough said for now. Dougal is well on his way to being a very wealthy fellow so he’s better off financially than Angus or Moira. They get a salary out of the total proceeds but it’s nothing like the money Dougal earns. Of course, he did years of study to get where he is now.’

  ‘What is your candid opinion of the state of agriculture?’ Ian asked. ‘You’ve got a hell of a lot of money invested in land and stock so you must be concerned with its profitability?’

  ‘Candidly, you’d probably earn more money at your caper than you will here. I’m not getting a very good return for the money I’ve got outlaid in property and stock. The wiseacre economists tell us that we have to look at farming as a business rather than a way of life. There’s some sense in that notion but if we adhered strictly to it there would be a massive exodus of people from the land. In strictly financial terms, I would be far better off if I sold everything and invested the money. But what would I do? And where would that leave Angus and Moira and the people who have worked for me for years? Where would the bush be if all the people who know and love it pulled out because they aren’t making much money?

  ‘The way I look at it is that if I can get some return from the properties and have a good life while I’m doing it, I’ll carry on. Farming is a very worthwhile occupation, Ian. It can be damned hard too because no season is the same, and Australian costs have gone through the roof. But understanding how to produce top-quality merino wool is just as much a science as any form of science. Right now the emphasis is on fine wool and we’ve got to try and produce it while maintaining fleece weight. We need to produce softer wool so the prickle factor is important. We’ve got these things well in hand here but it’s taken years to do it.

  ‘Sure, there are problems and the politicians aren’t helping us. In many cases they’re simply an impediment to progress, Ian. They talk about what they’re doing for farmers but in many cases they’ve been responsible for some of the problems they’re now trying to fix. The biggest problem of all is that there is no long-term plan for Australian agriculture. Some of the grower organisations have been less than impressive, too. The wool industry is just one example and then there’s the grain mess and the dairy deregulation which is going to put hundreds of dairy farmers out of business. It took us two hundred years to get a grading system for beef and whether it’s the right one is a matter for argument. I could go on and on. Basically, a lot of our problems stem from government decisions.

  ‘The thing is that I don’t know any other game,’ David continued. ‘And I like livestock. I also like working stock with good dogs and good horses. It’s a more satisfying life for me than being stuck in an office and driving to work in city traffic. Maybe I’m a dinosaur, but I’ll stay with the land for the time I have left to me. I’ve put together a fair whack of property and I’m keeping several families. On top of that I’m contributing in a fairly big way to quite a few businesses that need farmers to survive. The long and short of it is that you have to want to do it, Ian. If you’re lukewarm about the land, or lazy, you shouldn’t take it on. Now, you had better go and collect Moira so you can bring her up to the house to give Catriona the news. I’ll go and tell my mother.’

  David left his future son-in-law and walked to the old homestead. He was whistling as he climbed up the steps, which always indicated that he was feeling very happy about something. His mother and Linda were in the kitchen, making some concoction together.

  ‘You sound jaunty,’ Anne said to him as he burst into the room.

>   ‘You haven’t heard it but there is going to be a wedding in the not-too-distant future. Moira will want to break the news to you so please play dumb. I shouldn’t let on but I reckon you’ll be pleased, Mum.’

  ‘And of course it’s Ian?’ Anne said.

  ‘It is Ian,’ he said.

  ‘Oh, how splendid! Ian is such a nice young man. If only Bruce were here to hear this news,’ she said, with warmth in her voice.

  ‘And Moira will be staying here too,’ he said, and helped himself to what was left of the morning smoko. He sat down and ate a piece of cake and watched the Mixmaster whirr into action. Catriona was a beaut woman but she couldn’t get near his mother when it came to making cakes. Presently he got up and walked to the door.

  ‘Must go, Mum. Lots to do. For your ears only, Bruce did have a hand in this romance,’ he said as he hurried out the door. He was whistling as he skipped down the steps and continued past the dog yard.

  Anne looked at Linda with a glimmer in her eye. ‘No wonder David is so pleased with himself – he is going to acquire the extra son he always wanted while also keeping Moira here.’

  ‘I’m very pleased for him,’ Linda said. ‘David has been so very good to us.’

  ‘He has been a wonderful son, Linda. If he had not been so special I would have missed not having a daughter even more. You were so fortunate to have five children, Linda.’

  ‘I didn’t think so when I was left to rear them, Anne. It was tough raising them on my own. I was fortunate that Tim and then Kitty were such a big help with the younger ones. They were such a lively bunch when they were younger. But when one sees the problems some parents have, one has to be thankful for five normal, healthy children,’ Linda said.

  Ian and Moira drove down the track just as David reached his front gate. He waited for them to get out and then followed them up the path to the homestead.

  ‘Moira has something to tell you, Cat,’ David said as they walked into the lounge.