Think, Tessa, think! Ali carted supplies to Danjar Plains and back-loaded wool to the coast. He must have done this for many years to forge such a friendship.
Joe’s words came back to her. A woman ran off with a camel driver. Spider? Surely not. It was obvious she was too much in love with William. But wait! She checked the dates. It was 1935. Violet wouldn’t have met William yet.
Did Violet have a lover before William? The questions! Tessa scratched down her thoughts so as not to forget, then laughed out loud. That was ridiculous. Spider would have been all of fourteen.
She stretched and looked at the clock. Midnight! Where on earth had the time gone? Barely able to keep her eyes open, she left the letters on the table and headed to bed.
Although she wasn’t sure she’d be able to sleep, she needed to rest her eyes and clear her mind. She was agitated, as she thought through the different scenarios. Something she couldn’t put her finger on was bothering her. Maybe if she lay quietly it would come to her.
She dozed, dreaming of Afghan trains, Violet and Ali. The smell of spices and sandalwood permeated her imaginings.
She awoke with a start. That was it!
She raced out to the lounge, switched on the light and looked at the photos. All of the brothers and Violet lined up in a row.
Yes! She could see it now. She’d never noticed it before. He wasn’t just younger by years, but different. The colour of his skin was different to the rest of the family.
Something else jumped out at her. Every time Violet wrote in the diary, she had said ‘my brothers and Tom’.
Tom wasn’t a brother.
Was he the son of an Afghan? Of this Ali?
Did he even belong to the Mathison family? And if he didn’t, then neither did her Dad, Ryan or herself.
Tessa’s world tipped slightly sideways.
Chapter 29
The plane thundered along the airstrip then lifted off gracefully. Tessa watched her mum, who was standing by the ute waving, grow smaller. She glanced across to Harrison. He was stern-faced, concentrating on the instruments.
It would take only half an hour to get back to Mundranda, so instead of talking shop, she waited. She would try to enjoy the flight and look at the view.
Since her discovery two nights earlier, the letters had dominated her thoughts. But she had steadfastly left them on the bench, not looking at them. Even when her hand strayed of its own accord and picked up the top-most letter, she had willed her eyes not to look, and had finally convinced herself to put it down. To leave things as they were, to let sleeping dogs – or secrets – lie. If she was honest with herself, the truth was she was frightened.
Instead, she’d told herself she had research to do. Then she braved the slow internet connection at the homestead to get as much information about organic lamb as she could. She was keen to impress Harrison, suspecting he thought her a bit of an idiot for getting involved with Brendan. She couldn’t say she would blame him, or hadn’t thought that herself.
Now she looked at him out of the corner of her eye and was embarrassed to find he was watching her from under the brim of his sparkly hat. Quickly, she looked down at the folder on her lap and busied herself with sorting her notes. For an older bloke, Harrison was handsome, she’d decided. The flecks of grey at the sides weren’t too obvious – distinguished, really – and although sadness still lined his face, it disappeared when he smiled.
Then Tessa scolded herself. He’s forty, for goodness sake. You are twenty-four. Why are you thinking like this? You have to learn to stop running after the first bloke who looks at you. Bloody hell, woman, I thought we’d already been through this.
The sun had begun to sink. Something glinted in the scrub below. ‘What’s that?’ She tried to lean out the window but only succeeded in bumping her head.
Harrison twisted in his seat and leaned over her to look. Tessa pushed herself further back in the seat, not wanting to touch him.
‘Don’t know.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘Let’s have a look, eh? We’ve got time before the light runs out.’
He turned the rudder and the plane gently tipped downwards towards the reflection. It instantly disappeared.
As they flew low over the area Tessa tried to spot the reflection again, but it never reappeared.
‘Whatever it was, we’ve lost it,’ Harrison said.
Tessa nodded. Then she saw a clearing just below them. ‘What’s that?’ She pointed.
‘An old emergency airstrip. We use it for mustering. There’s a few around. Otherwise, if someone gets hurt out in the paddock, the closest airstrip can be hours away. A few landholders got together and decided to put ’em down. Do you remember Harry Barlow?’ Tessa shook her head. ‘He was a bloke who fell from his motorbike and ended up with a mallee stick through his leg. He was in so much pain it was difficult to shift him. That was what made us decide to do it.’
‘So you can land there?’
‘Yep. Once every year or so, when the grader is around, we get the drivers to give them a bit of a tickle and take any of the bushes off that have grown. All good to land on.’
Soon Tessa felt the plane begin to descend and saw Harrison’s place in the distance. Taking a deep breath she pinched her nose together and blew gently, trying to unblock her ears, but it didn’t work. She knew she would be hopelessly deaf when they landed.
The sun disappeared from view just as the wheels touched down. When Harrison steadied the plane as it careened down the dirt strip, Tessa tried not to notice his flexing muscles.
They taxied then stopped and Harrison indicated she could open the door.
‘I bet it’s quiet without Cally?’ she said as she got out and stretched.
‘The house is very empty,’ Harrison said simply, as he pulled out her bags. ‘But it’s something I need to get used to. She won’t be here next year. Now, have you got everything out? I need a hand to push the plane back into the hangar.’
They left their bags in the corner of the shed, pushed the Cessna in backwards and started towards the house.
The dogs heard them coming and reached the ends of their chains in excitement. A barked welcome went up. As Harrison hit the steps leading up on the deck, Tessa was trying not to think about being alone in the house with him.
‘You know where the guest room is?’ he asked, as if he’d read her mind.
‘Yeah. I’ll throw my bag in there and we can get started.’ She was suddenly nervous. Stick to business and you’ll be fine, she told herself.
On the kitchen table she dumped the folder containing all the information she’d collected.
‘That looks pretty thick. You must have done your homework,’ Harrison called as she headed off down the hallway.
‘You can make that call after I’ve been through it with you,’ she shouted back.
‘Beer?’ he asked when she returned.
Tessa took a breath. He was leaning against the kitchen bench, about to open a can of beer. He looked relaxed and content. And he was smiling at her.
‘No, thanks. I don’t drink anymore.’ She looked down. ‘But I’ll have a lemonade if there’s one.’
‘Really? Why not?’ He pulled open the fridge door and handed her a cold can.
‘I can’t control it,’ she said, surprising herself with her honesty. ‘That’s been one of the good things about being holed up at Aunty Spider’s. If there’s nothing there, I can’t drink it.’
‘Oh. Does it make it hard when someone else drinks? I don’t have to.’
‘Not now. It did at first. I was really proud I got through the Muster without any problems. If I was going to muck up, I would have there.’ She was touched by his offer, though.
‘I’ll slip out and feed the dogs and horses,’ he said, returning the unopened beer to the fridge. ‘I won’t be long.’
‘I can start getting some dinner, if you like.’
‘That’d be great.’
The back door shut with a bang – Tessa was al
l alone. But she knew the house well after her previous visit, so she busied herself putting the shopping away then started on a salad.
When she was finished, she took a sip of her lemonade and looked about her. A photo of Harrison and his late wife was on the sideboard. Harrison was looking at Ange and, judging by the expression on his face, it was clear he adored her. She picked up the photo and stared at it. Did he still miss Ange, she wondered. Could there even be room in his heart for anyone else? She sighed. Business, she reminded herself.
She heard the clunking of his boots on the verandah. Quickly she put the photo back and sat down at the table. She spread her notes in front of her.
The door opened. Harrison appeared and gave her a grin. He went to the fridge and pulled out a can of lemon squash. ‘So, tell me what you’ve found out?’ he said, sitting down. He opened his drink and took a sip.
‘Well, I think the best place to start is for you to tell me your vision,’ Tessa said, pleased her business voice hadn’t deserted her.
‘Right, it’s like this. We grow wool and sell cull ewes and lambs for meat. But I’m wondering if there’s a way we can change the way we sell. As I see it, we’ve actually got a product people are screaming for. Isn’t the next big thing organically grown meat and vegies?’
‘There does seem to be a leaning towards that,’ Tessa agreed.
‘So if we could supply a consistent product to, say, a restaurant, we should be able to increase the amount of money we get for each animal.’
‘Sure. And that’s what you want to achieve? Higher dollar value per head?’
‘Yep.’ Harrison sat back and linked his hands over his knees. He looked at her expectantly.
‘Okay, I see it like this. One, you need a quality product.’ She counted off her little finger. ‘Two, you need consistent supply.’ She tapped her ring finger. ‘And three, you need to offer a guarantee that is so fantastic, people actually believe what you’re saying.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘So, if you send a truckload of lambs to a five-star restaurant and it isn’t the same product you’ve supplied them before, you’ll give them the next shipment free, or something like that.’
‘Ouch. You’d have to be certain, then?’
‘Absolutely. Now, I see some problems. First off, the freight, the distance. Second, the fact you are only going to be supplying these lambs for a small part of the year, not for the whole time. And lastly, do you use a drench or fly preventative or anything like that?’
‘Only jet the sheep with a chemical if we have flies or lice. Nothing else.’
‘From what I’ve read, that would still be enough to stop you being able to call them “organic”. So we would have to find another drawcard. Maybe the name. Something like “Desert Lamb”.’
Harrison looked at her blankly. ‘Would anyone go for that? It sounds a bit dry!’
‘But see, it can work the other way, too. “Lamb” has the lovely warm and fuzzy connotation of fluffy babies jumping everywhere. The word “desert” makes me think of red dust, blue skies and vast plains. Just like the Nullarbor. Who would have thought those two words could go together. It’s worth trying. See?’
‘Yeah.’ Harrison drew the word out.
Tessa could tell he wasn’t convinced. ‘Going back to the freight, I thought that if we can sell into a few top restaurants with seasonal menus, it won’t matter if you can’t supply the product all year round.’
Tessa could see that Harrison’s brain was running at a million miles. She smiled.
He threw another couple of questions at her, which she answered with ease. She’d been prepared and was happy with her work. She hadn’t lost it. She would be able to find another job when it came time to leave.
‘Geez, you’re amazing!’ Tessa could see the new respect in Harrison’s eyes and it felt good.
Over dinner they talked through it all again. Harrison seemed to grow more and more excited about the possibilities.
‘Bring your cup of tea onto the verandah,’ he said after they’d washed up and boiled the kettle. ‘It’s a beautiful night.’ He took a box of chocolates out of the fridge and went outside.
Tessa followed him. She walked over to the verandah railing and looked up at the stars. ‘It’s so lovely out here,’ she said, breathing the night air in. ‘Peaceful.’
‘Yep. But it’s easy to forget how good it is when you’re busy and you live here. So it’s nice when someone comes in and reminds you.’ Harrison put his cup down and came to stand beside her. He leaned over the rails and his hands dangled close to hers.
‘You’ve come at a fairly slow time of the year. In a couple of weeks, there’ll be lambing, then lamb marking. We’ll have calves to mark and later wean. The first few months of the year are reasonably quiet, except for bore runs and fencing. It’s usually too hot to do anything with the stock. But then you’d know that.’ He turned around and leaned against the railing, looking at her.
‘I guess so, but I’ve sort of forgotten a lot of it. I really haven’t spent much time here since primary school. School holidays, in high school, were more about what music I could listen to or books I could read. And study, especially in those later years.’
He handed her a chocolate, his fingers brushing hers. Accidental or not? Tessa couldn’t tell.
She sipped her tea and said nothing until she had finished her cup.
‘Well, I’d better get off to bed.’ She was still standing, gazing out at the stars.
‘Don’t go yet.’ Harrison leaned over and put his hand on her hip. ‘Sit down. Tell me about you, Tessa. There are quite a few gaps in your story. What have you been doing, all the way over there in England?’
‘You don’t want to know,’ Tessa said, meaning every word.
She sat down and thought for a moment before answering. ‘I worked hard, played a bit harder, then Aunty Spider died and I came home. That’s pretty much the executive summary.’
‘Do you miss it?’ He leaned forward, intent on her answer.
‘I thought I did. I always loved the adrenalin of a great marketing campaign. Seeing the sales results come in and that sort of thing. But I’m not sure now. I’ve started to get my head in order since I’ve been back. Oh, I still want to work in marketing, absolutely, but not at the level I was over there.’ She sighed and stretched her legs. ‘I don’t know.’
‘So you don’t think you’ll stay out here?’
She noticed he looked down as he asked her the question. She cocked her head, wondering why he wanted to know, then shrugged. ‘How can I? I have to work, I have to live. And once I’ve solved this bloody mystery of Aunty Spider’s, apart from visiting family, I don’t really have anything to do out here, do I?’ She looked him straight in the eye. ‘Unless there was a reason to stay.’
Harrison stared back and something passed between them. Tessa wasn’t sure what it was. She broke the contact as she shot to her feet. She had to protect herself.
‘Bed time, I think,’ she said and walked past him.
Harrison grabbed her hand and stopped her. He stood up, still holding her hand.
Tessa swallowed, but held his eyes.
‘Good night, Tessa,’ he said softly. ‘Thanks for everything.’ He kissed her cheek.
Chapter 30
Harrison was certain that if he talked to Tessa he could get her to stay. He knew she liked Cally, and he loved how he saw another side of his little girl when Tessa was around. She’d really intrigued him with her bundles of insecurities. He knew how much she’d changed in the four months she’d been home – the plastered makeup was gone, she laughed more, and any rudeness had all but disappeared. It seemed the old proverb of ‘train a child in the way they should go and when they are older they will not turn from it,’ was right with Tessa. The way she had been brought up hadn’t deserted her – she’d just strayed a little.
Harrison knew with love and constant support she would never become the person she’d been when
she first arrived home. He was also discovering that he liked female company again. He hadn’t thought about Ange as much as he usually did, and for the first time in a long time, Harrison was actually looking forward to the future.
But he knew he’d have to be careful how he approached her. Tessa was like a frightened calf. She’d watch him with those beautiful brown eyes, let him get close then, at the hint of trouble, flee back to the safety of Danjar Plains.
He stacked two cups into the Esky, along with sugar and teabags. It had been a long time since he’d packed a picnic. Harrison wondered what it would feel like to kiss her. Would he feel he was betraying Ange? He hoped not.
But he wanted to protect Tessa. Keep her away from all the things that hurt her, that haunted her eyes. And that bloody Brendan McKenzie.
He was instantly mad when he thought of that name. Prick. He wished he could have punched him at the Muster. Would have made him feel so much better. Good one, Harrison, he thought. Very mature of you.
He knew Brendan was only keeping company with Tessa so he could find out what Violet had on his family. Well he was too late. The information had already been passed on and was being investigated. He wouldn’t find it.
He boiled the kettle and filled the Thermos with hot water. He stacked biscuits and sandwiches into the cooler and placed ice around them.
He had a plan. Take her on a drive. See if he could get her as enthusiastic for this project as he was. It was the only way he could see of keeping her here, for the time being.
Tessa had been awake for hours, reading and keeping herself busy. She didn’t want to think about anything. Not about Violet and the rings or Harrison and these ridiculous feelings she was trying to quell. And even if her feelings could possibly be reciprocated, she was tarnished goods. Shit, just look at her history with men. What would a man like Harrison want with a woman like her? And did she really belong out here, on the Nullarbor?
Argh! She wanted to scream. She lay back on the bed, hands behind her head and stared at the ceiling. She tried to imagine Spider sitting her down, asking those probing questions of hers.
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