by Annie Seaton
If it hadn’t been for him knowing she had a new love interest, he might have contacted her as soon as he’d arrived back in Australia. He’d considered it, but he’d always hesitated. It was better to sever ties completely. Even now, there was no point resuming their relationship because once he left the farm, he’d be working in the city again, and Angie’s job was country-based.
“I’m sorry if I’m boring you.”
“You’re not.”
“Well, it sure sounds like it.”
“Still need to be the centre of attention, Liam?” This time her voice was cruel but he knew he deserved everything Angie dished up.
He reached over the table and took her hand, flinching when she jumped. “I’m sorry, Ange.”
“What for?” This time she looked up and held his gaze.
“For letting you go like I did.”
“No need to lay it on.”
“I’m not. I mean it. I could have looked after you better those last few months.”
“Yes, you were a right proper arse.”
And he had been. When Angie had announced she had to go back to Melbourne, he’d tried to put some distance between them and had spent more time at the local pub after work. He had tried to get used to being without her. He hadn’t known how he was going to cope without her in his life.
“Well, you always did tell it like it was.” Finally, that elicited a slight lift of her lips. Not quite a smile but close. “So tell me about you. Do you live in town? Has Grant moved here, too?”
“Grant? Who’s Grant?” She screwed up her nose.
“Your new man. I talked to him on the phone last year. Remember I rang you?”
“That was Hugh…and no, he doesn’t live here.” Liam wondered why she hesitated and he kept his eyes on her pretty mouth.
“Hugh lives and works in Melbourne.”
“So does he come to Spring Downs?” Liam’s curiosity was fed by a little morsel of hope.
For Angie, the gaze she bestowed on him was harder than usual. “He’s in Melbourne. It’s really none of your business.”
Angie visibly relaxed as the young Chinese waitress carried two sizzling plates over to the table. “Hello, Lin. How’s that bird of yours?”
“Oh, Angie. He’s much better. I’ve been looking after him just like you told me.”
Liam sat back as the young girl gave Angie a detailed explanation of what she had been doing for the pet the past couple of weeks. Surreptitiously, he glanced down at his watch as the waitress went back to the kitchen. When he looked up, Angie raised her eyebrows at him. He knew exactly what she was thinking; he’d always read her well. Funny, though, when she’d been talking about her partner, her face had been set and he’d found it hard to see past the closed expression.
“In a hurry, Liam?”
“Yes, well, I only planned on being in town for a short while but the wait at the surgery was a lot longer than I expected.”
“You should have rung and made an appointment. You wouldn’t have had to wait then.”
“I didn’t think you would be busy.” Liam shook his head. “Anyway, it’s too late to do anything at the farm now.”
The silence as they ate their meal was far from comfortable.
Liam looked around. The décor of Billy Kee’s restaurant was hideous but typical of the Chinese restaurants that dotted country towns in the outback.
Seventies food, seventies décor.
The once bright red walls, painted to match the long red tassels hanging from the square black plastic light shades, had long since faded to pink. In the end, Liam couldn’t stand the cold silence and he pulled out his phone and scrolled to the photos.
“I promised to show you my new nephew.”
“Are they both well?” She leaned towards him.
Finally, a glimmer of interest.
“Yes, and he is a little beauty. Looks just like Lucy. It’s a shame Gran and Pop are in New Zealand. They’d planned to be home before the baby was born. But I’m sure they’ll fly in when they hear they have a great-grandchild.”
Angie bit her lip. “It sounds like you’ve fit right into the family scene out here.”
“I have.” Liam lowered his voice. “It’s been good for me, Angie. And I want you to know—”
Angie shook her head. “No. Leave it there, Liam. It’s time I was going. I have a few patients in overnight, and some medication to dole out before I go home.” She sat up straight. “What are you going to do about Willow? She’s right to go home, as long as you keep her confined.”
“She’s not my dog. Can’t you keep her there?” Liam frowned.
“No, I can’t. If I kept every stray or abandoned dog—or cat—I would have a menagerie and would have to work twenty-four-seven.”
“Okay,” he said slowly. “What would you suggest?”
“Take her home, and I’ll ask around. It shouldn’t be too hard. Boykin spaniels are quite rare, and not really seen much outside their native region.”
“Where’s that?” Maybe he could take the damn dog back to wherever it came from.
Angie’s laugh was light, but genuine. “South Carolina in North America.”
“Oh.”
“Look, I’ll find some breeders for you. Maybe we can track her down. She might have run away and got hit by a car, and then limped along to your place.”
Liam shook his head. “I doubt it. Our farm is a couple of kilometres off the main road and I know all the neighbours. They only have working dogs.”
“Give me your number and I’ll call you.” Her mouth firmed when he smiled. “But I’ll only call if I find out anything.”
“All right. I’m going to be busy, anyway. I’ve got a heap of work tomorrow, seeing this afternoon was wasted.”
He didn’t get the cold reaction he expected. Her smile was wide and her eyes lit up. “It wasn’t wasted. You looked after an injured animal. And your new nephew made an entrance.”
Bloody hell. She blew hot and cold; he didn’t know where he stood with her. Liam pushed back his chair and reached for the bill folder in the centre of the table. “I’ll take her home then. I’ll meet you at the surgery after I pay the bill. Or do you want a lift?”
Angie shook her head and dropped her gaze. “I’ll walk.” She dug into her bag and held out a twenty-dollar note. “There’s the money for my meal.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“I insist.” Angie put the note on the table and stood. Liam watched as she walked to the door, her back ramrod straight.
…
Liam rolled his eyes as the whimpering from the kitchen woke him up for what seemed like the hundredth time. He rolled over and looked at the glowing green numbers on the digital clock. Three o’bloody clock. He pushed the sheet back and climbed out of bed. He’d left his jocks on the last time he’d got up about half an hour ago. He padded quietly into the kitchen and walked across to the basket he’d put near the laundry door. Willow—they’d gotten to know each other pretty well over the past few hours—was sitting up in the basket Liam had retrieved from the hay shed. Her eyes were wide and she whimpered as he looked down at her. His heart softened.
“Come on.” He reached down and scooped her up into the crook of his elbow, taking care not to hurt the leg that Angie had splinted and bandaged. “This is the only way either of us is going to get some sleep.” He carried the small pup into the bedroom and sat on the side of the bed rubbing her soft silky ears. She snuggled into his side and her eyes closed. Liam lay down carefully and placed Willow on his chest.
Before he drifted off to sleep, he smiled.
Liam Smythe, cutting political commentator, nursing a pup to sleep.
He was getting soft.
Chapter Five
“Liam. I need you.”
“What now, Lucy?” Liam ran his hand through his longish hair as he held the phone to his ear. He hadn’t even had time for a haircut the past few months. When he’d had a quick shave this morning, he’
d been tempted to grab a rubber band and tie his hair back from his face. It got in his eyes when he was out on horseback.
“I need you to come to town. Please.”
“God, Luce, I’ve been into Spring Downs every day this week. The work is piling up here.”
“I’ll get Garth to come over and give you a hand over the weekend. Would that help?” Her voice was wheedling and Liam laughed.
“You know it will, you witch. What do you need me to come to town for?”
“A couple of things. Garth’s gone to the airport at Narrabri to pick up his parents, and they won’t let me out of hospital yet.”
His head jerked up. “Why, is there something wrong?”
“No, everything’s good, but they’re really old-fashioned out here. Mums aren’t allowed to leave the babies alone until the last night. Demand feeding and all that. And then on the last night, the nurses babysit so the partners can take the new mothers out for dinner before they go home.”
“Where to? The rissole or the Chinese?”
“The rissole?”
“The RSL club.”
Lucy’s laugh cheered him up. “You are turning into a country boy. And yes, that’s our choice out here in the boondocks.”
“The RSL club was the rissole when I was a kid, and it still is.” Liam looked down as Willow crawled out of the basket and flopped onto his bare foot.
“One more thing, I need you to bring something in with you.” He knew Lucy well and she was up to something by the innocent tone in her voice.
“What?”
“In the bottom drawer of Gran’s kitchen, there’s an old exercise book. It’s green and it’s got a picture of a cake on the front. Can you bring that to me please?”
“No problem. I’ve just got a couple of chores to do here, and I’ll be in. Anything else you need?”
“I’ll tell you when you get here.”
“Hmm. See you soon.” Liam ended the call, bent down, lifted Willow, and walked back into the kitchen. He’d been out of sorts for the three days since he’d brought Willow home, and there’d been no call from Angie. The pup had been everywhere with him since they’d been at home. He’d soon learned that she was happy as long as she was in his company. Although, after that first night, he’d drawn the line at her sleeping in his bed. She’d settled a bit now, and was quite happy in her basket as long as he patted her to sleep before he went to bed.
“Sorry, Willow. You have to stay home. I can’t see them letting you into the maternity ward.” He put her back in her basket in the laundry and ignored her loud howl as he headed out to his ute.
On the way to town, Liam stopped on the side of the Pilliga Way where a couple of his neighbours were putting up a big sign on the back of an old truck. Well, calling them neighbours was a bit of a stretch. Jim Ison lived ten kilometres away from Prickle Creek Farm on the way to town. He waved to Liam as he climbed out of the ute parked in the red dust on the side of the road.
The sign read: No Gas. Protect Our Water.
As Liam walked over, a second sign was raised.
“Gidday, Jim. What’s all this about?” Liam tipped his Akubra hat back and read the second sign that was being put up by two of Jim’s stockmen. Great Artesian Basin. Treasure of Our Nation.
Jim walked over to him and shook his hand. “Pleased to see you, Liam. You’re a hard man to catch.” Jim grinned and wiped his hands on the side of his moleskin trousers. “But then I suppose running a place the size of Prickle Creek Farm single-handedly keeps you busy.”
“You can say that again.” Liam squinted against the bright morning sun as it flashed on the side of the sign.
“We want to enlist your help. Harry told us about your journalism background before you arrived here to take over the farm.”
“What’s happening?” Liam squinted up at the sign that was now secured to the front end of the truck in pride of place for any passing traffic to read.
“Have you heard anything about the Narrabri Gas Project?”
“No, I haven’t.”
Jim frowned. “It’s been kept very quiet as the company owners try to get it approved. We suspect there’s all sorts of underhand kickbacks and payments being made, so we’ve formed an alliance to fight it. We’d love you to come on board. We could do with someone who’s good with words. Someone who can put a good report together.”
“Tell me more about it.”
“Their plan is to drill more than eight hundred coal seam gas wells through the Pilliga forest, and you may not know, but this forest is the largest inland forest left in Eastern Australia.”
Liam’s interest flared. He’d reported on a similar issue in the UK just before he’d left.
“The preliminary work has already caused a dozen pollution scares. Groundwater contamination, waste spills, and ongoing leaks from the evaporation ponds.” Jim shook his head. “You can imagine the impact that’s going to have on our properties and, in the long term, on the economy of the local region.”
“I would assume there has been an environmental impact statement?”
“Yes, and of course they say the risks are minimal and manageable.” Jim huffed. “So what do you say? Can we convince you to join us?”
“I’m in. I’d be happy to help out, and I’ve got plenty of media contacts I can get information from.”
“That’s great.” Jim held out his hand again. “There’s a committee meeting next Monday night. You’ve made my day, Liam.”
Liam was thoughtful as he drove into town. Being involved in a political issue and helping to save the local environment was something right up his alley. The work on the property had been good. He’d enjoyed most of the time out here, but it had been a bit boring since Lucy had gotten married and Gran and Pop had headed off on their travels. He was used to being challenged by more than cattle weights and crop rotations. Being involved with the alliance would fill the emptiness that sometimes dogged him. He missed the vibrancy and the immediacy of the newsroom.
Town was busy, and Liam avoided turning up the street that would take him past the vet surgery. He didn’t need to see Angie. He’d tried to put her out of his thoughts for the past few days.
With not much luck.
He called into the produce store and loaded a couple of salt blocks onto the back of the ute, and four bags of UltraGrow. There were a couple of calves in the house paddock that he was hand feeding. It still amazed Liam that out here in the country, you could leave your car unlocked, with produce on the tray of the truck, and it would still be there untouched when you got back.
London had been an eye-opener and had destroyed his belief in honesty. He much preferred the freedom and the integrity of people out here in the outback.
He smiled. Or in the boondocks, as Lucy called it. If he was honest, he liked living out here a lot more than he’d expected.
Liam drove to the hospital and parked in the car park. He grabbed the green recipe book off the passenger seat before he got out of the ute. Helen waved him a greeting as she spoke on the phone and Harvey, the wardsman he’d gone to high school with, stopped him for a chat as he mopped the entry foyer.
Lucy was sitting up in bed, holding his baby cousin in her arms. Liam stood in the doorway and watched her as she ran her fingers over the baby’s soft blond hair and down his face. It was almost like intruding on a personal moment; the look of love on Lucy’s face brought a tear to his eye.
Almost.
He cleared his throat and Lucy looked up with a smile.
“Can I come in? You’re not about to feed him or change him or anything are you?”
“No. James Ross Paul Mackenzie is about to go down for a long sleep.”
Liam smiled. “He has a name.”
“He does. Ross after Garth’s dad, and Paul after my dad.” Lucy’s smile was wide and Liam thought she looked happy and content.
“Your dad would have loved that. Being a mum suits you, Luce.”
“He would have. And yes, I�
��m happy. Even though this little man came early. Here, take him while I get out of bed so I can put him in the bassinet.”
“So he’s okay? He didn’t have to go in one of those cribs or something?”
A slight flush tinged Lucy’s cheekbones. “The doctor thinks we had the dates wrong. I was further along than we thought. We can go home soon.”
Liam put the recipe book on the end of the bed and held his arms out reluctantly as Lucy handed over the small warm bundle. He held the baby gingerly but after a few seconds, he realised it wasn’t that hard.
“It’s easier than holding Willow,” he said as Lucy walked around the end of the bed.
“Who’s Willow?”
“My new pup.” Liam screwed up his nose as an unfamiliar sweet aroma came from the baby as he squirmed in his arms. “What’s that smell?”
“Poop,” Lucy said with a laugh and took James from him.
“Ew, I’m out of here while you do that.” Liam made for the door.
“Stay there. I’ll talk to you while I change him. Like I said on the phone, I have a couple of favours to ask.”
Liam moved away to the open window for some fresh air, and looked outside as Lucy quickly changed the baby. After James was changed, she put him in the bassinet and pulled over a plastic chair to sit by the window.
“Grab the recipe book. And bring over a chair. Oh, and in the cupboard there’s a notebook and a pen. You’ll need that to make the list.”
“What list?”
“I need you to go shopping for me. I was on the way to town to do a big shop when I went into labour, and Garth’s gone to Narrabri. It’ll be too late when he comes back with his parents.”
“Okay, I can handle that.” Liam looked down at the recipe book as she opened it and took a laminated page from inside the back cover. “What’s the recipe book got to do with it?”
Lucy smiled at him. That angelic smile that he knew meant she was up to something he wouldn’t like.