by Karly Lane
No, she was glad they hadn’t had a traditional wedding; here when everyone mingled, it was fine, but seated in a church? The Kincaids’ side would have been overflowing and hers would be practically empty. Her father had no parents or siblings, and her mother’s side of the family had disowned her when she’d fallen pregnant with Rilee at a very young age. She’d never even met them, and while she’d occasionally thought about trying to track them down, she realised that if her grandparents had wanted to get to know her, they could have just as easily tried to make contact with her. She wasn’t sure she really needed people in her life who were capable of turning away their daughter because of one mistake. She was grateful her parents were nothing like that or she would have found herself with no one, seeing as she’d made more than her fair share of mistakes over the years.
Rilee felt Dan’s arm tighten a little around her waist and glanced up, noting the sudden tightening of his features. Before she could ask what was wrong, a silky voice said, ‘Well, aren’t you the sly one, Dan Kincaid.’
‘Priscilla,’ Dan said politely. ‘I think you’ve already met my wife.’ He pulled Rilee closer to his side.
‘Hello, Kylie,’ she said, dismissing Rilee after a brief once-over.
Rilee didn’t bother correcting her. Either the woman had serious short-term memory problems or she was doing it deliberately to get under her skin, in which case she wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing that it bothered her.
‘I didn’t know you were coming.’ Dan’s tone suggested he was not happy about the fact.
The woman shrugged delicately. ‘I was out here this weekend visiting Mum and Dad. It was too good an opportunity to miss.’
A silence fell over their small circle, although Priscilla didn’t seem at all fazed by the awkwardness of the situation. No doubt this was her intention, to make Dan squirm in front of everyone as payback for Priscilla’s humiliation at being rejected for a stranger.
‘We’re very happy that you could make it,’ Rilee said, plastering on a bright smile. ‘It’s always nice to meet Dan’s old friends. Enjoy the party, we need to go and mingle.’
‘Nice move,’ Shae said a few moments later when Dan left Rilee to get another drink. ‘But it’s a good thing looks can’t really kill.’
Rilee discreetly followed her friend’s small toss of her head and caught Priscilla watching her from across the garden.
‘What did she hope to achieve by coming here?’ Shae mused.
‘I feel kind of bad for her. I mean, if she didn’t come, people would probably be thinking she was bitter about it all, so maybe she figured she’d come and show everyone she’s moved on,’ Rilee suggested.
‘Oh yeah,’ Shae scoffed. ‘She seems to have moved on really well.’
Rilee had to agree, looking at her glaring across at them now. She was doing very little to hide her resentment. It was irritating. It wasn’t as though she’d deliberately stolen Dan out from under her nose; until coming out here, she hadn’t even been aware the woman existed.
‘If it’s any consolation, it is completely obvious to anyone with eyes that Dan is head over heels in love with you. And from the comments I’m overhearing you’ve made a big impression too.’
‘Maybe I should have been handing out business cards after all,’ Rilee murmured as she took a sip of wine. ‘And you look gorgeous, by the way,’ she added, admiring her old dress. ‘It never looked that good on me.’ The nude pink colour looked stunning against Shae’s complexion, and clung to her hourglass shape, showing it off to perfection.
‘Ellen almost smiled welcomingly at me before she realised I wasn’t one of her hoity-toity guests,’ she said dryly. ‘I wish I’d had a camera to take a photo of her face.’
‘There weren’t very many locals on the invitation list, were there?’ Rilee commented as they surveyed the crowd.
‘It’s a rather elite circle the Kincaids mix in. These are most of the big property owners from all over the region. Cattle breeders and the like. The rest are all the self-important mob from the charity boards Ellen’s on. They don’t throw a shindig like this just for the locals.’
Rilee wondered again at the complex world her mother-in-law had woven together, and she silently mourned the simple life she’d once imagined the Kincaids would lead on Thumb Creek.
Rilee touched her fingertips to her throbbing temple. She’d been doing her best to ignore the headache for the last hour or so but without success. It was too far to dash home for her remedies, so she’d decided to raid the guest bathroom at the main house instead. Rilee swallowed two of the small white pills and sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. The last time she’d worn this dress had been at a casino on the French Riviera. A ghost of a smile touched her lips at the memory. The shimmery silver fabric sparkled under the bathroom lights. She might be wearing something from her past, but the woman who stared back at her in the mirror was completely different to the carefree, naive young woman she’d been back then.
Rilee left the bathroom and braced herself to head back out to the party. As she approached the end of the hallway, she heard the low murmur of voices and paused, unwilling to intrude on a private conversation.
‘I just don’t understand what he could possibly see in her,’ said one of the voices, and Rilee recognised it instantly.
‘Priscilla, I know this is difficult for you, dear,’ Ellen soothed in a gentle tone she’d never used with Rilee. ‘But we must accept Daniel’s decision on this and make the best of it.’
‘But she has no right to be here.’
‘She is Daniel’s wife, and whether we like that or not, there is nothing we can do about it.’
Heat sprang to Rilee’s cheeks at the curt remark as fury and hurt battled for control inside her. Clearly these two women despised her, but it still stung to hear it so openly, especially from the woman who was supposed to be family now.
‘I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Ellen.’ The angry clack of heels on the hard tile floor echoed through the quiet house.
Priscilla’s parting threat didn’t worry Rilee in the least. She knew that her relationship with Dan was secure. The bond they shared had only grown stronger since their hurried wedding. It was no mere infatuation but something deep and enduring. Priscilla might be no threat, but Ellen’s lack of support hurt more than she cared to admit. She’d truly hoped her mother-in-law could get past her disapproval and they could become friends. It seemed unlikely that would be happening anytime soon after what she’d just overheard.
Rilee returned to the party and forced a bright smile to her face, determined not to let Priscilla and Ellen ruin what was left of the evening. Maybe she couldn’t make her mother-in-law like her but she’d do her best to win over all the woman’s neighbours and friends. She’d be the happiest, most endearing daughter-in-law she could possibly be, at least for tonight.
Twenty-two
It had been three days since the party and life was only just beginning to return to normal. She’d stood at the gate long after her parents’ departure, fighting a lingering sense of abandonment. Everything had seemed so different when they’d been here—more attainable. Now that they’d gone, Rilee was feeling more than a little lost and very much alone.
While Natalie and Megan had been home, family dinners and conversation had been almost enjoyable. There was no business talk, and no arguments between Jacob and Dan—clearly the girls brought some kind of civility to the place that wasn’t usually there. After they’d left, it seemed oddly quiet. While Megan hadn’t exactly shed a tear over saying goodbye to Rilee, she had given her a brief, somewhat stiff hug farewell, so Rilee was taking that as a small win. Maybe there was hope after all. She did miss Natalie’s smiling face, though; the two women had become close in the short visit and Rilee wished fervently that she didn’t live so far away.
Rilee knocked on the back door of the main house and waited until she heard footsteps approaching.
‘For heaven’s s
ake, Rilee, you don’t need to knock, just come in.’
‘Sorry, old habit,’ Rilee muttered. How was she supposed to enforce boundaries in her own home if she was expected to just walk into her in-laws’ house whenever she felt like it? ‘I’m just wondering what time you need me to be ready tomorrow.’
‘Tomorrow?’ Ellen looked at Rilee in confusion.
‘Isn’t that when the church group meeting is? I have a few ideas I thought the group might like to hear about.’
When Ellen continued to stare at her, Rilee fought hard to keep a lid on her irritation. ‘At the last meeting you said to bring along some ideas and we’d discuss them.’
‘Oh, that,’ she said, giving a small flutter of her hands. ‘Heavens, I’ve had so much else on my mind since then, I’d forgotten all about it. I didn’t think the ladies’ church group was really your thing.’
‘I never said that. I just think it could take on a few more local projects.’
‘I was under the impression that you’d found it all a bit backward.’
Rilee shook her head. ‘Of course not.’
‘Well, I’m not so sure you’re a good fit for the group. Maybe once you’ve settled into the community a little more, got used to the way things are done, perhaps then you could come along and see if you’d like to join.’
Was she really being told thanks but no thanks? ‘You were the one who invited me.’
‘I realise now that it was probably a little premature to get you involved so soon after arriving. Never mind, I’m sure you’ll be so busy with your little business you won’t have time for much of anything.’ She clasped her hands together in front of her and Rilee got the message the visit was over. Well, she wasn’t about to go down without a fight.
‘I’d like to put my ideas forward, Ellen. I feel very strongly about them and I think the group would be a great vehicle to get things done.’
The phone chose that moment to ring and Rilee wondered if Ellen had some secret hand signal to alert it to do so when she needed an out. ‘Excuse me, dear, I best get that. We can discuss this later.’ She was already heading up the hallway towards the ringing phone.
‘I’ll wait out the front tomorrow morning,’ Rilee called after her and Ellen waved a hand over her head distractedly in acknowledgement.
As she walked back home, she mentally went over her preparations for the following day. She was going to be heading into battle and she needed to be ready.
The air smelled clean and crisp as she stepped out onto the verandah early the next morning. She’d spent the night before tossing and turning as she thought about the meeting today.
Dan had shaken his head at her as she’d made him sit through her proposal yet again. ‘Ri, you’re going to be fine. Stop stressing, would you?’
It was easy for him, he wasn’t the one who had to stand up in front of his mother and her friends. Truth was, neither did she; there was nothing stopping her from simply not going to the meeting. Ellen had made it perfectly obvious yesterday that she didn’t want her there. She hadn’t even wanted to go to the first one, but every time she recalled the irritated rebuke she’d received last time, her resolve strengthened. Not only was it a question of pride but it was a cause that mattered. Were they all going to stand by and watch as more young girls lost their chance to live their own lives, thanks to a lack of education or simple boredom? No. This was important.
She was just finishing with her makeup when she heard the sound of a car engine. She quickly finished applying her eyeliner before dashing down the hall and into the kitchen, grabbing her handbag off the back of a chair and shoving her feet into the shoes she’d put out earlier. As she pushed open the screen door she saw a trail of dust disappearing down the driveway and found herself staring after it in shock. Ellen had left without her.
Muttering an expletive, Rilee headed back inside and called Dan.
‘Your mother’s left without me,’ she said without a greeting.
‘Are you sure?’ Dan sounded weary and distracted.
‘She drove off, just then.’
‘Maybe she assumed you were getting there on your own.’
‘Well, how am I going to do that now? You have the ute.’
‘Has Dad left yet?’
‘Yes, he went earlier.’
She heard Dan swear and silently repeated a few choice words of her own. ‘I can’t bring the ute back. We’re stuck out here for a while yet. Hang on,’ he said and the phone went silent for a while before he was back. ‘Mark said to call Shae. She wanted to head into town today.’
‘Okay. Thanks.’
‘And Ri?’
‘Yes?’ she said, failing to keep the frustration from her voice.
‘You’ll be great.’
She’d almost decided not to bother going, but Dan’s confidence gave her the boost she needed. ‘Thank you. See you tonight,’ she said, pulling her shoulders back and placing her hands on her hips. ‘You can’t get rid of me that easily,’ she said with newfound resolve.
Twenty-three
‘Rilee,’ Ellen said, raising an eyebrow slightly as Rilee approached her moments before the meeting was due to start.
‘We must have got our wires crossed about this morning,’ Rilee said, holding the woman’s gaze innocently. ‘Luckily Shae was heading into town.’
‘I was sure you’d decided against coming along to the meeting.’
‘Oh no. In fact, I’ve been busy coming up with some great ideas I think everyone will approve of.’ Two could play this game of social niceties.
‘Yes, well, we’ll see if there’s time at the end of the meeting,’ she said, clapping her hands briskly to get the attention of the women chatting in the seats nearby. ‘All right, we have a lot to get through today, ladies. Let’s get started, shall we?’
Rilee sat quietly, biding her time as the meeting seemed to drag on endlessly. Finally, Ellen stood and took the microphone from the last of the speakers and began to wrap the meeting up as food was brought out to the side tables and cups and saucers rattled in the kitchenette.
‘Actually, Ellen, if I can quickly have a word?’
‘I think we’re almost ready for morning tea, Rilee, dear.’
‘It won’t take long, I promise,’ she said, surprising herself as she stood up and walked towards the small stage. She’d come too far now to shut up and sit down quietly. ‘At the last meeting I commented about the projects this group is sponsoring. I realise I may have come across as a little critical, but I can assure you that was not my intention. I’ve been thinking long and hard about this, and maybe it’s because I’m new to town, but I see so much potential for this group to make a difference locally. You do such an amazing job with your overseas projects, but if you took on something to make a difference right here in town as well, you’d be helping our kids.’
‘As I said before, Rilee, we’re committed to more than our fair share of projects at the moment. It’s not practical to take on any more.’
‘I wouldn’t mind hearing about her ideas.’
All eyes turned on the voice from the back row, and Rilee recognised the woman with bright red lipstick immediately. Edna. Bless her heart.
‘The fact is, due to the lack of a medical practitioner and, from what I can gather, a slightly outdated pharmaceutical practice, the wellbeing of teens in this town has become a serious issue. If kids can’t get access to appropriate contraception then pregnancy and STDs soon become a major concern. It has a massive impact on the whole community.’
‘What’s this got to do with the church group?’ one of the women asked.
‘I’m suggesting that the group implements specific strategies to curb the problem.’
There was an undercurrent of conversation humming throughout the room.
‘And just how do you propose we do that?’ another woman asked.
‘We need better access to health care, counselling and support,’ Rilee said, looking around the room. ‘Look, most of thes
e kids can’t drive, so they can’t get to Narrabri or Gunnedah to see a practitioner. They’re wary of going into the chemist here because they’re worried about word getting back to their parents, not to mention they feel they’re being judged. So what’s their alternative? They opt for crossing their fingers and hoping they don’t get pregnant or contract a sexually transmissible disease.’
‘Perhaps if they practised crossing their legs instead they wouldn’t have to worry about it.’ The snide remark from the middle row sent a trill of sniggering around the room.
‘And I’m sure no one in this room ever had sex when they were a teenager,’ Rilee snapped and noticed a few women of varying ages drop their gazes as she looked about the room. ‘Teenage pregnancy should be a community issue. In most cases, the young women who end up pregnant drop out of high school and then depend on social security because they don’t have the education to access further studies, not to mention there are very few local jobs available in town to start with.’
‘So what are you proposing?’ asked a woman from the front row.
‘Ideally we need to get something into place so kids have access to contraception, but the bigger issue is educating kids earlier, to show them they can do more with their lives than remain in Pallaburra.’
There was another murmur of unease and Rilee hurried on. ‘The church group could fund excursions aimed at kids most at risk of falling into the welfare cycle. These excursions take at-risk kids to Sydney university campuses and regional TAFE colleges. They explore the city, show them how to catch trains and buses and basically give them a taste of city life—what’s out there. They show them a life they could have if they choose to study and go on to university. A lot of disadvantaged kids rarely ever leave town. They become trapped here and need help to break the cycle.’