Life Support: Escape to the Country

by Nicki Edwards

  “Will do.” He turned to Ruby and clapped his hands together. “Come on possum. Mum wants to go now.”

  Ruby scowled but obeyed, jumping down from the bales of straw. She hugged Tom fiercely and waved at Emma. “See ya next time Emma,” she shouted as she bounced off to the car.

  “Nice to meet you Emma. I’m sure I’ll see you around. See you Tom.”

  “No worries Chris. See you later.”

  Moments later, after buckling Ruby into her car seat, Chris gave a cheery wave and with a small skid of tires on gravel, they were gone.

  “I should get going too,” Emma said once Christine’s car was out of sight down the driveway.

  “You don’t have to go.”

  “I do.” She needed to escape before he mentioned the kiss. “I want to go and see Mum and Dad. They don’t know I’m in town yet. I thought I’d come out here first then go and surprise them.”

  “Fair enough. But it would be good if we could sit down and talk about your plans for the future of the property. After seeing it today, do you still think you’ll sell it?”

  “I have no idea. Like I tried to say last night, I haven’t made any plans yet.”

  “But now you’ve seen it, you might want to live in it yourself instead of turning it into a B and B.”

  Emma stared at the huge house looming over them. Why was he being so insistent on needing to know her plans?

  “I can’t live here. It’s a mansion, not a home. If I was going to live anywhere, it would be somewhere like Bluestone Cottage.”

  Tom scowled. Emma resisted the urge to roll her eyes. What had she said wrong this time?

  “So you’re saying Mum will need to look for somewhere else to live?”

  Now it was Emma’s turn to scowl. “No. I didn’t say that. And why would she need to move? The cottage is her home.”

  “The cottage comes with the job, yes. But Lexton Downs and the cottage are both yours now. You’re not obliged to keep either Mum or me on the payroll. If you still want to run it as a bed and breakfast I’m sure you could do it yourself, or find someone else to manage the property.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” Emma replied in exasperation.

  She planted her hands on her hips and glared at him. Where had he gotten these ideas that she wanted to bring massive changes to Lexton Downs? He was making a huge assumption and it was beginning to frustrate her.

  “Tom, let me say right up front, I’m not kicking you and your mum out. I was simply saying I can’t live here. The house is too big for one person. If there was another place like the one your mum lives in, I’d live there instead. As for your job, it’s safe. I haven’t heard all the ideas you have for the B and B and the horses and everything, but it’s clear you’ve given a lot of thought into making this venture succeed. I’m not about to pull the rug out from under you. I promise. We can talk about it tomorrow or another day.”

  Tom was still unsmiling when his phone rang. He scowled and reached into his back pocket to retrieve the device before shooting a vaguely apologetic look in her direction.

  “Tom Henderson.” There was a brief pause before he smiled and relaxed. “G’day mate. Thanks for calling. Macka said to expect your call.”

  He put his hand over the mouthpiece and glanced at Emma. “Sorry, I need to take this call. Why don’t you have a wander around? I’ll catch up with you.”

  She stifled a sigh. Unless she felt like walking back to Bluestone Cottage to get her car, she was stuck waiting for him.

  At least he hadn’t said a word about their kiss.

  *

  Twenty-five minutes later Tom still hadn’t appeared. Emma had done another complete walk-through of the homestead, taking photos of everything. The only thing missing from the house was the reproduction furniture Tom had explained was on back order and would be arriving soon. Other than that, it looked ready for guests.

  She rounded the back of the house and came to another smaller bluestone outbuilding. She tried the door and found it locked, which surprised her. So far she’d been able to wander freely around the entire property. She peered in the window and made out a large open-plan kitchen and living space. Through another window was a large unmade bed. Men’s clothes hung in an open wardrobe. She frowned. Who lived here? Was there someone else employed on the property?

  Emma heard footsteps on the gravel, stepped away from the window, and headed back to the main house. She didn’t want Tom to think she was snooping.

  He caught up with her in the orchard. “Sorry about that. I had to take that call. Another horse trainer heard we’re doing agistment for ex-racehorses. He’s been keeping his horses somewhere in Victoria but is looking for something closer to Sydney. He’s made a time to come out next week and check it out.”

  “That’s good.”

  “So what do you think?” he asked, arms spread wide.

  “To be honest, I’m speechless.”

  “I wish you’d seen how run-down it was when Lleyton first bought it.”

  “I’ll have to look at those photos you were telling me about.”

  “Mum has them over at the cottage. She’s documented everything.”

  “Is she going to run the bed and breakfast herself?” Emma asked. “It sounds like it’s going to be a huge job.”

  Emma was impressed with the way Bluestone Cottage was set up, but while she had no doubt Judy could run a successful little bed and breakfast, a property the size of Lexton Downs would need more than one person running it.

  “No, Mum’s done lots of behind the scenes stuff. It’s up to you now, but I was planning on hiring someone to do the actual bed and breakfast side of things. Christine is going to help too. If that’s okay with you, naturally. She has a background in tourism so she’ll be taking all the bookings and doing all the accounts – that sort of thing. She can work from home which will be good when she has the baby.”

  “That sounds fine.” Emma gritted her teeth together. It wasn’t fine. Not only would she have to see Tom regularly, he’d expect her to be all buddy-buddy with his wife. The idea was not appealing.

  Tom shuffled his feet in the gravel. “Lleyton was happy for us to run the place without much input from him, but now it’s yours I don’t want to make any changes without running them past you.”

  “Like I said, at this stage I’m happy for you to keep going in the direction you are headed. I have no idea about any of that sort of thing, but I’m sure Christine knows what will work if she understands tourism. Give me time to get my head around this, then we can talk about the future.”

  “Sounds fair.” Tom exhaled and the lines deepened around his mouth. He must be still worried about what her arrival would mean to Lexton Downs. And therefore, his job. How was she going to put him at ease?

  They walked back toward his car and Tom called the dogs. They came running, leaping and jumping up on Emma, trying to outdo one another to knock her over. Tongues lolling, yellow eyes sparkling, they greeted her enthusiastically. Tom tried to call them back, but Emma laughed and reached to ruffle one of the dog’s ears. The dog flopped at her feet and rolled over so she could rub its stomach. She stooped, brushing the soft fur gently. The dog stretched his legs above his head and growled with pleasure. The other dog, not wanting to miss the attention, pushed his wet snout into her face and licked her cheek. Emma threw back her head and laughed.

  “Up.” Both dogs obeyed, jumping onto the back of the ute.

  “I’m impressed.”

  “I’m sorry. They’re overly friendly and haven’t learned that not everyone loves dog slobber.”

  “I love dogs.” She rubbed both dogs’ ears again to prove it before straightening and pushing her hands in her jeans pockets. “Do they ever slow down?”

  He attached their collars to the chain and secured it tightly. “Only at night. Until then, they’re like energizer bunnies – they keep going and going and going. But they’re good dogs. They’re sensational at their job and awesome company on cold lo
nely nights.”

  Emma raised her eyebrows. Surely with such a gorgeous wife and kids in his life there wouldn’t be any chance of Tom feeling lonely, let alone cold, at night.

  They drove in silence. Now the fog had cleared, Emma took in the surrounding countryside. The paddocks were green and well fenced and everything looked neat and tidy. All that was missing were the horses she could already picture grazing under the towering red gums. It was absolutely beautiful. And it was all hers.

  Excitement bubbled within before it ebbed away, leaving her filled with a sense of loss. She forced a smile on her face but it soon died. It was such a shame to own something so beautiful and not be able to share it with someone special. Someone like Tom.

  Chapter 11

  Emma drove slowly into town, her mind racing over the events of the previous twenty-four hours. Nothing had been what she’d expected. Firstly, she’d discovered she was the owner of an historic homestead, not a derelict farmhouse like she’d anticipated. Then she’d discovered the feelings she’d once had for Tom Henderson hadn’t dulled over time. And then she’d discovered he was married with kids.

  She banged her fist on the steering wheel. How could she have kissed him? What was she thinking? Or rather, not thinking? Her stomach clenched at the memory. Why hadn’t he pulled away and said something? And afterward, he’d never brought it up, which was odd, but she wasn’t complaining. She certainly wasn’t going to be the first to mention it. Perhaps they could both forget it ever happened and move on.

  She knew exactly why she’d kissed him. The last few months had been the most difficult she’d ever encountered. Then she’d seen the house and been so overwhelmed she had felt the need to reach out and connect with him. If he hadn’t hugged me first, I wouldn’t have felt the need to kiss him, she reasoned. But she was kidding herself. Being in Tom’s arms had felt so natural – like she was exactly where she belonged. Until Ruby arrived. Emma groaned again. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  She arrived back in town and headed straight to her parents’ house. Pulling up, she rolled her shoulders and exhaled, surprised how good it felt to be home. After she graduated with her nursing degree, she hadn’t been on the best of terms with her family. Lleyton had proposed on the last day of semester before moving back to Melbourne. Emma had followed less than a month later. After a three-month engagement, they were married, leaving Emma’s parents reeling over what they felt was a series of snap decisions on Emma’s account. In hindsight, they were right, but it had taken a year before Emma’s relationship with her family was fully restored. Emma was the baby of the family – the much-adored girl after identical twin boys, Joel and Liam.

  An unfamiliar car was parked out the front and she frowned. Visitors? She hoped not. It would ruin her surprise arrival. Turning her key in the lock, she opened the front door and closed it again quietly. Voices came from the kitchen. She froze when she heard her name.

  “How’s Em doing? We haven’t heard from her for a while.” It was Joel.

  “She’s doing okay,” her mum answered.

  “When I spoke to her she didn’t seem to be as upset as I’d thought she’d be,” Joel said. “Was everything okay between them before he died?”

  Lorraine said something Emma couldn’t make out.

  “Is she going to move back here?” It was Kate.

  “I’d love her to move back, but it’s up to her. She has her life in Melbourne. Her friends, her job.”

  Emma smiled. Her mum was repeating, word for word, what Emma had said when Lorraine asked the exact question.

  “She’s still got friends here too. And there’s always jobs at the hospital. With her experience she’d get a job in ED tomorrow,” Kate said.

  Emma stored that piece of information in the back of her mind. Joel muttered something but she couldn’t hear what he said either. They were quiet for a moment and Emma knew she’d have to walk in and surprise them before the conversation went any further or until one of them discovered her standing in the hallway.

  She tiptoed quietly back to the front entrance and opened the door softly. Slamming it closed, she called out in a singsong voice, “I’m home.”

  Seconds later three heads popped out of the kitchen doorway but it was her mum who got to her first, hugging her tightly.

  “Emma. What a lovely surprise. What are you doing here?”

  “I thought I’d come home,” Emma said, pulling herself from her mum’s embrace.

  Lorraine’s eyebrows shot up. “Home for good?”

  Emma nodded as she hugged Joel, then Kate. “Yep. My suitcases are in the car. Can you bring them in?” Emma asked, tossing Joel the keys with a grin. “Meanwhile, I’d kill for a cuppa.”

  “The kettle’s just boiled,” Lorraine said, heading back toward the kitchen. “Does everyone want another one?”

  “Yes for me,” Joel said from the hallway.

  “Me too,” Kate said, pulling out a chair at the kitchen table. “You’re looking good, Em. How are you really doing?”

  Emma caught the quick look that passed between Kate and her mum but chose to ignore it.

  “I’m doing well. I’ve got lots to tell you.”

  Lorraine’s head shot around and her face was full of questions.

  “Where’s Dad?” Emma asked, ignoring the inquisitive looks they were both giving her.

  “He’s at work. He should be home any minute.”

  “Whose car is that parked out the front?” Emma asked.

  Joel dropped Emma’s cases with a thud. “What have you got in here? Your whole life?”

  “Pretty much, yes.”

  “So you’re moving back for good?” he asked, eyes wide.

  “I am. I’ll tell you all about it when Dad gets here.”

  Lorraine placed cups of tea in front of everyone before pulling brownies from a plastic Tupperware container and placing them on a plate. Emma’s mouth watered in anticipation. Her mum was an excellent cook.

  “So whose car is it?” Emma repeated her original question.

  “It’s mine,” Kate said with a smile.

  “A seven seater?” Emma chuckled. “I’ll have to start calling you a soccer mum.”

  “We’re going to need a bigger car next year,” Joel explained.

  “Why?”

  “It’s too hard to fit two baby car seats and a toddler into a normal car.” Kate placed her hands on her stomach and grinned.

  Emma frowned before realization dawned. She squealed and Joel put his fingers in his ears. “Who do I hug first?” she asked, jumping up from her seat. “Is it really true?”

  “Yes, it’s really true.” Kate smiled.

  “You’re having twins?”

  “Yep,” Kate said with an even bigger grin.

  Emma hugged Kate then Joel. She was thrilled for them both. No wonder Kate was glowing.

  “How far along are you?” Emma asked.

  “Thirteen weeks. We wanted to make sure everything was okay before we told anyone. I had some spotting early on, but I’m okay now. And would you believe no nausea?”

  Kate had spent much of her previous pregnancy in and out of hospital with hyperemesis gravidarum.

  “That’s good.”

  “We had the ultrasound today. Two healthy babies with all their fingers and toes.” She pulled out the ultrasound pictures from her handbag and laid them on the table.

  “Do you know if they’re identical?”

  “They are.”

  “Girls? Boys? Or are you keeping it a secret?”

  Kate looked at Joel and he shrugged. “It’s up to Kate whether she wants to keep it a surprise.”

  “It’s definitely a secret,” Kate said.

  Emma turned to her mum who was sitting with a grin on her face like the proverbial Cheshire cat. She narrowed her eyes. “How long have you known?”

  Lorraine held up her hands. “Only about half an hour longer than you,” she said. “Joel and Kate just arrived and told me. They were hoping Dad wo
uld be home too.”

  “How are you going to tell him?”

  “The same way we told your mum,” Kate replied.

  Lorraine held up two tiny T-shirts. The words “I love my grandma” were screen-printed on one and “I love my grandpa” on the other.

  “Does Annabel know yet?”

  “Not yet. We’ll tell her in the next week or so. It’s a long time for a kid to wait and it will be difficult for her to get her head around the fact there’s going to be two of them.”

  Emma was so glad she’d decided to come home and surprise her parents – the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. They were finishing their cups of tea when he arrived home.

  “Is that my baby girl’s car I see parked out front?” Sean’s booming Irish lilt could be heard from the front entrance.

  Emma grinned. “Hi Daddy,” she called out. “I’m in the kitchen.”

  Sean entered the room and grinned at his family sitting around the kitchen table. He kissed Lorraine first before enveloping Emma in a hug.

  “I’ve missed you sweetheart,” he murmured into her hair.

  Resting her head against his chest, she breathed deeply and instantly relaxed in his embrace. “I’ve missed you too Daddy.” She straightened and dashed at the tears that had sprung unexpectedly to her eyes.

  “Well this is a nice surprise. What’s the occasion? Other than my favorite girl coming home for a visit?” Sean ruffled the top of Emma’s head the way he’d always done when she was growing up. He caught sight of her suitcases and raised his eyebrows in question. “Or are you home for good love?”

  Emma nodded and Sean grinned again. “I’m glad.” He leaned closer to her and spoke softly. “We can have a proper chat later. Now, where’s my other little princess?” he boomed. “She’s not hiding somewhere about to jump out and give me a heart attack is she?”

  “No, Sean,” Kate said with a chuckle. “She’s in day care. We’ll pick her up soon.”

  “And what about Liam? Is he going to pop up and surprise me next?”

  “He’s at work,” Lorraine said.

  “We bought you and Mum a little present today,” Joel said, handing the two packages to Sean.