by Lisa Ireland
‘You’ve got a great voice,’ she said.
He grinned. ‘You didn’t seem to think so last night.’
‘I didn’t mean to offend you,’ she said, her cheeks burning at the memory of her behaviour.
‘Forget about it,’ he said. ‘Are you going to sing with me?’
Jenna laughed. ‘God no. I have a shocking voice.’
‘Come on. It can’t be that bad. I won’t laugh, I promise.’ He turned the volume up and began to sing loudly.
Luke’s enthusiasm was infectious and after a while Jenna couldn’t help but join in. She waited for him to laugh, or at the very least smirk, at her off key singing, but he didn’t appear to notice.
* * *
Brooke looked pale and fragile lying in her hospital bed. Jenna thought she seemed happy to see them but it was hard to tell because she appeared quite groggy. Rob was sitting by her side reading the paper.
‘Hi, you two,’ he said.
Luke shook Rob’s hand while Jenna anxiously put her hand on Brooke’s. ‘How are you, sweetie?’ she asked.
Brooke gave a weak smile. ‘I’m great,’ she said.
‘They have her on some strong painkillers,’ Rob said.
‘Why hasn’t something been done about her leg?’ Jenna asked.
‘They think she needs surgery and the surgeon doesn’t do rounds until tomorrow,’ Rob said.
‘That’s ridiculous,’ said Jenna.
‘Not really. He has to cover the whole region and emergencies come first. Brooke’s leg is bad but it’s not an emergency.’
‘What happens if she needs surgery?’
‘They’ll prep her and do it right away. I guess they’ll probably keep her in at least another day after that.’
Luke wandered out of Brooke’s room and went to the nurse’s station opposite. Jenna watched as he engaged the nurses in conversation. She felt a twinge of jealousy as she saw a nurse with long dark hair put her hand on Luke’s shoulder. She forced herself to look away and concentrate on Brooke instead. ‘Sweetie, I don’t want you to worry about a thing. I’ll take care of everything.’
‘But you have to go home,’ Brooke said, her voice wavering slightly.
How could she leave her friend alone in this place? The hospital was tiny and miles from anywhere. Practical and moral support would be needed in the coming days. Brooke was the closest thing that Jenna had to family, so she figured it was up to her to provide that support. Jenna made a snap decision. ‘I’ve decided to stay on until you can go home.’
‘But what about work?’
‘I am going to work from here. I’m going to do a story on life in the country.’
Brooke smiled, but Jenna could see her eyelids were getting heavy.
‘I’m going to let you get some sleep. I’ll come back to visit you tomorrow.’
Brooke nodded and closed her eyes.
Jenna walked to the door and motioned for Rob to join her. ‘I didn’t expect her to be so out of it. Do you think she’s okay?’
‘It’s just the drugs they’ve got her on,’ Rob replied.
Luke came over and nodded his head. ‘I’ve had a look at her x-ray and spoken to the nursing staff. She’ll definitely need surgery. They have her on strong pain medication to make her more comfortable. She’ll be a lot better after the procedure.’
Jenna creased her brow. ‘They let you look at her x-ray? The nurses are fairly free here with medical information, considering you’re not related to Brooke. I was worried they wouldn’t tell us anything.’
Luke’s face coloured. ‘I’m friends with Maria, Brooke’s nurse. Look, she probably said more than she should have. Don’t say anything to anyone about it. She might get into trouble.’
Jenna shrugged but she noticed Rob looking somewhat bewildered. ‘Fine by me,’ she said.
‘Are you ready to go?’ Luke asked.
Jenna nodded. ‘No point hanging around if she is going to sleep, I guess.’
Rob shrugged. ‘I might hang around a bit longer, in case she needs anything.’
Jenna smiled at him. ‘Rob, you’ve been very kind, but I’m sure Brooke doesn’t expect you to stay. I can organise anything she needs.’
Rob gave Jenna a shy smile. ‘I don’t mind,’ he said.
* * *
Jenna phoned the hospital early the next morning to find that the doctor had already seen Brooke and that she did indeed need an operation. Brooke was being prepped and would be operated on that afternoon. The nurse said that she would be out of it for most of the day.
She wandered into the kitchen to find Maggie serving up a fully cooked breakfast. ‘Wow,’ she said. ‘Do you eat like this everyday?’
Maggie laughed. ‘I’ve been starving since the start of the pregnancy. I usually cook something substantial for Luke because, depending on what he’s doing, he might not get another chance to eat until dinner.’ Maggie grabbed another plate from the kitchen cabinet.
Jenna waved the plate away. ‘Not for me thanks, Maggie. I’ll just grab a coffee.’
‘Please don’t tell me you are on some stupid diet regime,’ said Luke.
‘No stupid diet. I’m just not a morning person. I rarely eat before 10. I survive on caffeine until morning tea time at work.’
Luke shook his head. ‘You wouldn’t make much of a farmer, then.’
‘How’s Brooke?’ Maggie asked, bringing a welcome change of subject.
Jenna frowned. ‘They’re operating this afternoon, so there’s no point going to see her today. Apparently she won’t be up to having visitors.’
‘How are you planning to spend your day then, Jenna? Is there anything you would like to do?’ Maggie asked.
‘I thought I’d call the pub and see if they have any rooms available now that the Bush Bloke’s Weekend is officially over. I’ve imposed on you two for long enough.’
‘You will not do any such thing,’ Maggie said. ‘You’re staying here with us.’
‘Thank you, but I’ll be fine at the pub.’
‘Jenna, I will take it as a personal insult if you move into town,’ Maggie said, folding her arms.
‘You might as well give up, Jenna,’ Luke said. ‘Maggie always gets her own way.’
As much as Jenna hated to admit it, the accommodation on offer at the pub was hardly her style. Tandarra would be a much more comfortable base, especially if she was here for any length of time. Surely it wouldn’t be that hard to stay away from Luke? He would be working and so would she. ‘Thank you. I promise not to get in your way,’ she said, looking directly at Luke.
‘Now we have that settled, do you have any other plans for the day?’ Maggie asked.
‘I was hoping to get in touch with Charlotte to discuss an idea I have for a feature article.’
Maggie nodded. ‘Let me know if there’s anything I can help you with.’
Luke opened his mouth and then closed it again. Jenna raised her eyebrows at him, but he returned his attention to the paper. It seemed that they would spend the day apart. Jenna stirred her instant coffee and sighed. Spending the day away from Luke was a good thing, so why did she feel so depressed about it? As he had so succinctly put it yesterday, there was no point starting something that was hopeless. She gulped down her coffee in silence.
* * *
Charlotte seemed happy to hear from her. ‘I was sorry to hear that Brooke’s leg is broken,’ she said when Jenna rang to talk about her story.
‘Yes. It looks like we’ll be here for a few more days at least. Which is why I’m ringing. I’ve decided to do a feature story about women living in the bush. I was wondering if you’d like to co-author it.’
‘Are you serious? I’d love to.’
‘Of course we’ll need to get together to plan.’
‘Sure. I have a few things I need to do this morning, but then I can come over and pick you up, show you the local sights while we talk.’
‘Great.’
Jenna hung up feeling satisfied th
at her time would be suitably occupied for the next few days. Avoiding Luke shouldn’t pose too great a problem.
* * *
Jenna was surprised, and delighted, at how seriously Charlotte took the job of showing her around. For the next three days every spare moment Charlotte had was spent chauffeuring her around the countryside, introducing her to the local women and generally getting her up to speed on life in Barlow.
They decided to do a ‘Day in the Life of…’ piece about three different women living in Barlow. Jenna had chosen Agnes Fraser, Rob’s mum, as her first subject. Agnes had lived in Barlow all her life and was happy to share her experiences with Jenna and Charlotte. She seemed amazed that anyone would be the slightest bit interested in what she did with her day. ‘Washing and cooking, love,’ she said when Jenna asked for a detailed description. ‘That’s about it.’
Charlotte suggested a young woman named Leanne who worked as a rouseabout as their second subject. Leanne was happy to oblige and Jenna spent a hot and dirty afternoon following her around as she mended fences, attended to sick sheep and fed stock.
Charlotte offered to drive Jenna to the hospital each day so they could continue to work on the story.
‘Your boss must be wondering what’s going on,’ Jenna said. ‘I’d hate to get you in trouble.’
Charlotte laughed. ‘Don’t worry about it. Old Keith loves me. I can do no wrong in his eyes. Besides, I’ve already submitted a heap of stories for this week’s edition. Unless there’s some major breaking news in the district I’m all yours.’
‘Any ideas for our third subject?’ Jenna asked as they drove out of Barlow.
Charlotte creased her brow. ‘I guess it depends on the angle you’re going for.’
‘It has to be another strong personality to complement the other two. I’d like a woman in her late 20s if possible because that’s the median of our reader demographic.’
Charlotte nodded. ‘Maggie would be perfect.’
‘Of course. Now why didn’t I think of her?’
‘I don’t think she’ll do it though.’
‘Why?’
‘Maggie is a giver but she doesn’t talk much about herself. She’s very private, even more so since the accident.’
‘What happened? In the accident I mean.’
‘Jack, Luke’s dad, was driving to Melbourne with Joe and Luke. He ran the car off the road.’
Jenna shook her head. ‘That’s awful.’
‘Yes, seems he had a heart attack. Jack died at the scene, but Joe was flown to Melbourne. He died in intensive care a few days later. Poor Maggie had to give her permission for the doctors to turn off his life support.’
‘Oh God.’
‘It’s been really hard for her, especially being pregnant and all. She’s coped amazingly well, though.’
Jenna nodded. ‘She certainly is a remarkable woman. Maybe you could convince her to tell her story.’
‘I don’t know. I think she would be worried about how Luke would react. He hasn’t really coped with the deaths at all. I’ve hardly seen him smile since the accident.’
‘Really?’
Charlotte frowned. ‘He blames himself for Joe’s death.’
‘Why? It’s not like he was driving.’
Charlotte shrugged. ‘It’s complicated, I guess. I don’t really know the full story. I don’t think anyone does, except Luke and Maggie.’
Jenna was quiet for a while. No wonder Luke felt so attached to Maggie. She understood a little better why he was so insistent on caring for Maggie and the baby. Guilt was a powerful motivator. But what possible reason could Luke have for feeling guilty? Perhaps it was a case of “Survivor’s Guilt”. Just the fact that he lived when his brother didn’t might be enough to promote feelings of remorse. ‘Do you think Maggie and Luke will end up together? I mean as a real couple.’
Charlotte shook her head. ‘No way. They’re like brother and sister. Besides, Luke would never disrespect Joe in that way.’
‘Their…arrangement will make it hard for them to meet anyone else, though.’
‘I don’t think they’ve even thought about that. I think it will be a long time before either of them will be ready for another relationship.’
Jenna tried to keep her voice casual. ‘Another relationship? So Luke was involved with someone before the accident?’
Charlotte took her eyes off the road for just a second. ‘Oh no. You’re in love with him aren’t you?’
Heat flooded into Jenna’s cheeks. ‘No,’ she said feebly.
‘Oh, Jenna,’ Charlotte replied.
Jenna turned her face away and gazed out the window. ‘I know it’s impossible, but I can’t help it.’
Charlotte pulled the car up outside the hospital. She leaned over and gave Jenna a hug. ‘Nothing’s impossible,’ she said.
Chapter 10
The following morning, Charlotte phoned just after breakfast to inform Jenna that something had come up at the paper and she would have to delay their meeting until the afternoon. That put Jenna at a loose end for the morning. She made a couple of phone calls, one to work and another to the hospital to check on Brooke, and then sat idly staring into her coffee.
Luke was nowhere to be seen, having disappeared before breakfast, so at least she didn’t have to worry about avoiding him. She had barely seen him all week, except at mealtimes, and then, of course, Maggie was there as a buffer between them.
She had watched Luke dote on Maggie this past week. He helped out with as much of the domestic work as Maggie would allow and frequently chided her for doing too much. It was clear to Jenna that Maggie was Luke’s first priority. It was stupid but she couldn’t help but feel a tiny pang of envy. Nobody — not Simon, her previous lovers, or even her mother — had ever made Jenna the centre of their world.
Jenna decided it was a good time to work on getting Maggie to tell her story. She set her coffee cup on the sink and set off in search of her subject. She wandered around and eventually found Maggie hanging washing on the clothesline in the yard behind the house. ‘Let me help you with that,’ Jenna said, picking up a shirt from the basket.
‘Thanks.’
Jenna helped herself to a couple of pegs and clipped the shirt onto the line. She noticed a smile twitching at the corners of Maggie’s mouth. ‘What?’
Maggie took out another shirt and pegged it up. ‘It’s just that you have an unusual hanging style. I’ve actually never seen a shirt pegged out like that before.’
Jenna laughed. ‘I use a clothes dryer.’
‘You don’t hang out anything?’
Jenna shook her head. ‘I don’t wash that much. I have a lot of my clothes dry cleaned.’
Maggie grinned. ‘Maybe you could just hand me the clothes to save me from bending over. I’ll do the hanging.’
Jenna laughed again and handed her one of Luke’s T-shirts. ‘Thanks for letting me stay this week. I know it’s been extra work for you and I really appreciate it.’
‘It’s been no trouble. I really mean that. In fact it’s been fun having another girl around the house.’
‘I spoke to the hospital this morning and hopefully Brooke will be released tomorrow. If not then she’ll be out on Sunday, so we’ll be out of your hair by then.’
Maggie stopped pegging for a moment and put both hands on the small of her back. ‘No problem. Let me know if there is anything you need help with before you go.’
‘Actually there is something I’ve been meaning to ask you. I was wondering if I could interview you for my magazine article.’
‘Oh, Jenna, I don’t think so.’
‘I admire you so much and I think you would make a really interesting subject. I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather interview.’
Maggie shook her head. ‘I’m flattered, but I’m sure there are more interesting women in Barlow than me.’
‘Promise me you’ll think about it?’
‘Okay, I’ll think about it, but now I have a favour t
o ask you.’
‘Sure,’ Jenna said with a grin. ‘Just name it.’
‘Luke raced out this morning without breakfast. I know he was heading up to the top paddock this morning to check on a sick ewe. He also had some fencing work to do up that way. I doubt he’ll come back for lunch. I’ve made him some sandwiches and a thermos of tea. Could you take it to him? I’d do it myself but I have an antenatal appointment at the hospital so I need to head off soon.’
Jenna’s heart sank. How could she refuse Maggie after all her generosity? ‘I hope I can find him,’ she said, hoping that Maggie might give up on the idea.
But Maggie wasn’t taking the hint. ‘I’ll point you in the right direction. You shouldn’t have any problems. You can take the ute if you want, or, if you can ride, you’re welcome to saddle up one of the horses. I’ll put all the food into a backpack if you’re going on horseback.’
Jenna thought about the last time she had ridden a horse. She was 14 and her stepfather had paid for her to attend ‘Pony Camp’ in an attempt to win her favour, or possibly to get rid of her for a week. She had taken to riding easily, but the promised pony of her own had never eventuated. She had hardly ridden since.
She thought driving was a safer bet, but the ute was probably a manual. ‘I’ll take Brooke’s car,’ she said. At least the chance of doing something stupid behind the wheel was diminished in an automatic car. It would be uncomfortable enough being alone with Luke without making a total fool of herself as well.
* * *
Luke heard Brooke’s Volkswagen approaching before he saw it. There was no mistaking it for one of the farm’s vehicles; it had a sound that was totally unfamiliar to him. He looked up from the fence he was mending to see Jenna driving towards him. It had to be Jenna, because Maggie would have more sense than to drive a sporty little car like that out here on this goat track.
What was Jenna doing out here? Oh God. Maybe there was something wrong with Maggie. He put down his pliers and started towards the gate where she was headed. As she got closer he broke into a run.
He pulled open the car door the moment she stopped. ‘What’s wrong?’