by Leah Martyn
‘I don’t deserve you…’ His words were muffled against her hair. ‘We’ll work something out, Nik. Somehow.’
Reaching up, she smoothed the dark hair away from his forehead, ran her fingers over his temples, the outer edges of his ears. She could only hope he was right.
Her phone rang and she half turned towards the sound. ‘Go and see Anna.’ She gave him a urgent nudge towards the door.
‘And then I suppose you want me to go and see the Drummonds?’ His smile was decidedly wry.
‘If Anna’s onside, yes. We have the chance to change things for this family, Liam. Leila and Barry are probably sitting at home, feeling as miserable as sin. Now, go, while I see who’s on the other end of this call.’
Nikki’s caller was Dion Westermann. ‘I haven’t had much luck at all in getting a committee together for our Christmas project,’ the council alderman confessed ruefully.
‘Liam and I will be glad to help, Dion.’ Nikki made a face at the opposite wall and wondered if she was arbitrarily volunteering Liam’s services. But he’d want to be involved, surely?
‘Well, that makes four of us,’ Dion said. ‘I’ve got Anna Marshall to come on board, although reluctantly. She has such a lot on her plate, like all health professionals.’
Nikki was hastily tapping into every one of her organisational skills. ‘Dion, four is more than enough for a steering committee. What we need are a willing band of auxiliary helpers to carry out the plans for the day. I have several people in mind.’
‘Nikki, you’re a marvel.’ Dion sounded relieved. ‘And I’ll volunteer my two teenagers.’ She cackled. ‘They’re quite used to taking direction. Now, as for the celebration itself, I thought of one huge party on Christmas Eve in the hall, together with a giant Christmas tree—if we can find one that hasn’t gone under in the drought.’ She gave a hollow laugh.
‘We’ll find one.’ Nikki wasn’t about to give in to any negative possibilities. ‘And most families have a box of decorations tucked away at home, don’t they? So, if everyone contributed a few of their own bits and pieces, the tree could be decorated without any money having to be spent.’
‘And it’s another way of involving the community,’ Dion agreed.
‘And I think it’s essential we provide a small gift for everyone, Dion.’ Nikki grabbed a pen and scribble pad.
‘That could prove quite expensive.’ Dion sounded a note of caution. ‘And what about the food? Do we ask people to bring something? But then that could turn out a bit of a mish-mash. And the women would have to spend precious time baking…’
Nikki doodled on her pad. ‘You think providing a traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings is the way to go, then?’
‘Ideally, yes. Then it would be a real treat for everyone just to come along and partake.’
‘In that case, we’d need caterers.’
‘Mmm. So we should open some kind of Christmas fund.’ Dion considered carefully. ‘I realise there’s not much money around but if we can whip up enough community spirit, my guess is folk will find a dollar here and there. I’ll kick it off with a substantial donation from the council,’ the alderman promised.
‘Then I’ll match it, personally.’ Nikki was on a roll. ‘And, Dion, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you I’d like anonymity about this.’
‘You have my word, Nikki. But are you sure? I mean, I don’t know what kind of funding the mayor will release. It could be, well, substantial.’
Nikki gave a weak laugh. ‘I hope it will be. And not to worry. I had a bit of a windfall on the stock market recently and I can’t think of a better use for the money.’ And it might be the last thing she could do for Wirilda and its people if she had to leave…
Later that day, Nikki looked up from preparing dinner as Liam came through the kitchen door. ‘So, how did you get on?’
‘Pretty good, actually.’ He threw himself into a chair and wrenched open a couple of buttons on his shirt. ‘Anna was a pushover. Leila is one of her best workers.’
‘Excellent.’ Nikki moved to the stove, turning the meat under the grill, deciding ruefully that she was almost looking like a chop herself these days. But there was precious little chance of varying their diet. It seemed the local butcher, along with the rest of the shopkeepers, had all but lost heart in his business.
She began to strip the leaves off some stalks of mint, thanking heaven for their little herb patch. At least some of their meals could be spiced up a bit. ‘And the Drummonds?’ she asked pointedly.
Liam rocked his hand. ‘Took a bit of persuading but Barry has agreed to go and see Anna at the hospital this evening. She’s on a late.’
Nikki rolled the mint leaves and began chopping them roughly. ‘Did you mention the idea of job-sharing to Anna?’
‘I did.’ Liam spun his hands up behind his neck. ‘She was intrigued, to say the least.’ His mouth flickered in a smile. ‘She’ll see how Barry shapes up. If he shows enthusiasm, there’s a chance he could be made permanent but in a job of his own.’
Nikki blinked. ‘My goodness. How did that come about?’
‘Anna said they’ve just received a special grant for hospitals in drought-affected areas,’ he explained. ‘Apparently, the place urgently needs a maintenance person but they haven’t been able to afford one. And Barry, when he can get work, is a builder’s labourer.’
Nikki’s face was wreathed in smiles. ‘So he’ll know his way around a toolbox, won’t he? Oh, I hope it works out!’
Liam’s look was droll. ‘Well, we’ve given it our best shot at any rate.’
‘Sometimes it’s just timing,’ Nikki dismissed airily.
‘With a great big shove in the right direction from certain people.’ Liam glanced meaningfully at her and pushed himself upright. ‘You seem to have dinner under control, so I’ll grab a shower.’ He flicked the hair at her nape, as he passed. ‘I’ll cook tomorrow.’
‘Ah, about tomorrow…’
Immediately Liam was alerted by her uneasy little laugh.
‘Why do I get the feeling I’m being set up again?’
‘Would I do that?’ She sent him a wounded look.
‘Go on.’ His look was indulgent as he pretended to be considering the implications.
‘Well…’ Nikki turned down the grill and gave him her full attention. ‘I thought we could take a picnic down by the river.’
‘You mean what’s left of the river.’ Liam helped himself to a curl of lettuce from the salad bowl. ‘And why are we doing that? Or shouldn’t I ask?’
Nikki slapped his hand as he dipped into the bowl again. ‘I want to check out the possibility of finding a Christmas tree. We’re going to need a huge one for our party at the hall on Christmas Eve.’
‘And when was all this decided?’
‘Dion called me this afternoon.’
‘OK.’ Liam held up his hands in mock surrender. ‘Tell me the rest over dinner.’
‘Oh, Liam?’ Nikki called cheekily when he was about to disappear out the door. ‘I volunteered you for the steering committee.’
Hand on the doorframe, Liam kept his gaze averted, an intensity of emotion he’d never felt before gnawing at his insides. This was his Nikki in full beautiful flight, the Nikki he knew and…loved. He closed his eyes and gave a silent, hollow laugh. And love was the word he’d been avoiding all this time.
But it was still there like a bright light leading him home.
Suddenly his heartbeat was deafening. He’d waffled on about want and need. But never about love. His eyes clouded and there was a lump in his throat the size of a lemon. Did he have time to put things right? Did he still have a chance—or had Nikki already given up on him?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
NEXT afternoon they took their picnic, some vegetable parcels made with puff pastry Nikki was keeping warm in aluminium foil, and settled themselves in some shade along the river bank.
‘These are good.’ Liam bit into the crisp pastry hungrily.
‘They’re from the bakery.’ Nikki smiled. ‘Grace’s idea.’
‘Sure beats last night’s chops. Hey, I’m not blaming the cook!’ Liam dodged the wrapper she threw at him.
Nikki gave a reluctant chuckle. ‘They were as tough as toenails, weren’t they?’
Liam shuddered. ‘Perhaps that’s what we were eating—old toenails.’
‘By the time I’d got to the butcher’s, there was practically nothing left,’ Nikki lamented. ‘All the shops look so weary, Liam.’
‘And their owners.’
Nikki filled their mugs with tea from a flask. ‘When will it rain?’
‘They’ve had good falls on the coast.’ Liam took a careful mouthful of his tea. ‘Perhaps it will make its way to us soon.’
But would it be soon enough? Nikki put up a hand and swatted another intrusive bush fly.
‘So, where are we looking for this Christmas tree?’ Liam asked after a while, emptying the dregs of his tea onto the ground.
Nikki clicked her tongue. ‘I thought you’d know.’ They bent together to gather up the fragments from their picnic.
‘I asked around a bit today,’ he confessed sheepishly. ‘We’re on the lookout for a pine tree. Apparently they’re extremely hardy.’
‘But around here?’ Nikki’s frown reflected her doubt.
Liam shoved their rubbish into a plastic bag and tied it up. ‘Well, according to this Aboriginal old-timer I asked, there used to be a pine plantation around Wirilda.’
Nikki snorted. ‘When, a hundred years ago?’
‘Possibly.’ Liam knuckled her cheek playfully. ‘But the seeds can be carried, either by birds or flooding rain, and they can germinate and end up anywhere.’
‘So we could possibly find one, then?’ Her face was suddenly a study in bright anticipation.
‘It’s quite likely.’ Raising his face to the sky, Liam gauged how much daylight was left. ‘Right, we’d better get cracking.’ He held out his hand. ‘Ready?’
‘Yes.’ Nikki was almost dizzy with the touch of his skin on hers, the grip of his lean powerful fingers, the absolute rightness of her hand in his, as they set off.
They walked along, sometimes breaking the companionable silence to talk casually. To the west, the rich bold colours of the sunset had all but faded, leaving the promise of a night sky so clear, it looked almost opaque.
Nikki looked around her, taking in the remoteness and the silence as they changed direction and headed up along a track sprinkled with boulders. A strange unease began to nibble at the edges of her mind and she tugged Liam to a stop. ‘We seem to have come miles. We’re not lost, are we?’
‘And you a former Guide!’ There was a teasing glint in Liam’s eyes. ‘Except for this detour, we’ve merely been following the line of the river. When we find our tree, we’ll just turn around and return the way we’ve come.’
‘You seem certain we’ll find this elusive pine tree.’
Liam took her gently by the shoulders. ‘Cubby Daylight is one of the tribal elders. He knows this place like the back of his hand. His people used to hunt and gather here. And if he says there’s a pine tree, then there’s a pine tree.’
Nikki still looked unconvinced. She had visions of them walking in circles until it got dark. ‘I’d feel happier if I knew where we were aiming for, Liam.’
Liam clicked his tongue. ‘Come on, Nik. Don’t be a wimp. Cubby gave me a fair idea where to look. And I’d say we’re almost there. Look up.’ There was a note of triumph in his voice as he pointed to where a rocky overhang jutted out like a protecting umbrella.
Nikki tipped her head back, her gaze travelling up the craggy outcrop, past a spindly stringy bark tree, on past the spiny-leaved tussocks to the top. ‘Oh, Liam…’ Her voice was hushed in unbelief. There, right at the top, was not one but a small battalion of the most amazing pine trees. Dark green and uniformly beautiful. ‘Yes!’ She turned to him, her laugh ringing out, turning to a shriek as Liam picked her up and whirled her in a little circle, then gathered her in.
‘Think you’ll find one to suit amongst that lot?’ His question was muted, his eyes on her flushed face with the intensity of a camera lens.
‘Oh, yes.’ Her eyes were shining. ‘That one on the end, see?’ She pointed.
‘It must be nearly fifteen feet high.’
‘Won’t it look splendid all decorated?’
‘Am I being roped in for that as well?’ He touched her hair, his hand lingering over its dark silkiness.
‘No.’ Nikki rested her head against his chest, feeling the solid beat of his heart. ‘I have that organised.’
‘I’ll just bet you do,’ he murmured, bending to kiss her, taking his time over it, until she parted her lips.
On a little whimper Nikki burrowed closer, drinking him in, feeling the absorption of his scent in her nostrils, through her skin.
When they drew apart, they stared at one another, the moment almost surreal. Nikki was the first to break the silence with a tattered sigh. ‘I’ll always remember this moment, Liam—the moment we discovered our tree.’
The tip of his finger outlined her mouth. ‘And perhaps we’ve discovered a bit more than just our tree.’
‘Perhaps.’ She snuggled closer.
The next day, Nikki telephoned Jade.
‘I need your help with this Christmas party,’ she explained.
‘Doesn’t it sound fabulous?’ Jade’s excitement was evident. ‘The town is just buzzing. I’d be glad to lend a hand, Nikki. Just tell me what you’d like me to do.’
‘Come to a meeting of the steering committee this evening for starters.’ Nikki laughed. ‘It’ll be at Alderman Westermann’s home at seven-thirty. Can you make it?’
It seemed Jade could.
‘Things are moving along nicely,’ Dion informed the little gathering in her lounge room that evening. ‘Everyone’s been beavering away behind the scenes and the whole evening promises to be something the town won’t forget.’
‘I’ve lined up the caterers from Brisbane,’ Nikki said. ‘They’ll give us a cut rate and the menu looks wonderful. The only thing is, they’ll need facilities here to prepare the food.’
‘That won’t be a problem.’ Dion flapped a hand. ‘The kitchen at the hall was modernised a couple of years ago when Wirilda had a teeming social life. Most functions were very successfully catered for there.’
‘What about the tree itself?’ Anna spoke for the first time.
Nikki’s heart unaccountably thumped. ‘Liam and I found a beauty up on the north ridge yesterday. Brett and some of the SES guys are going to arrange its removal. They’ve promised to have it set up in the hall in plenty of time for the decorating committee.’
‘A decorating committee.’ Jade snickered. ‘Doesn’t that sound grand? Are they going to have a theme?’
‘Wouldn’t think so.’ Liam made a sound somewhere between a snort and a laugh. ‘By the time everyone drapes a bit of their own stuff over the branches, I imagine we’ll be looking at colourful rather than creative.’
There was laughter around the circle and then Jade said, ‘Nikki, you mentioned wanting the schoolchildren’s involvement in a special project?’
‘Thank you, Jade. Yes.’ Nikki swung her gaze to link the committee members. ‘It’s about providing gifts for everyone. I’ve this consignment of empty shoeboxes arriving on next week’s plane.’
Jade chuckled. ‘Well, that’s original. Are we going to put something in them?’
Nikki grinned. ‘I’m coming to that. The kids still have a couple of weeks before they break up for holidays and if it’s the same as when I went to school, they’re mostly at a loose end until then.’
‘Tell me about it,’ Jade said with a roll of her eyes. ‘Exams are over and, as the teacher aide, I’m at my wit’s end trying to think of things for them to do.’
‘So we get them occupied covering the shoeboxes in nice bright Christmas wrapping,’ Nikki explained. ‘I’
ve rolls of that coming as well, plus cartons of various goodies to put in the boxes. But the adults will do the filling part—secretly, of course. And on Christmas Eve each family will receive their own special Christmas box from under the tree.’
‘That sounds lovely, Nikki. And very innovative.’ Anna looked uncertain. ‘But do we have that kind of money to spend?’
‘The council came up with some funds.’ Nikki waved a hand airily. ‘And there were a few extra donations made…’
‘Anonymously and substantially, one presumes,’ Liam muttered under his breath, and Nikki coloured faintly.
‘Well, I think it’s absolutely perfect,’ Jade came in supportively. ‘And I think Nikki deserves a big vote of thanks.’ She turned to Nikki with a question. ‘But how have you been able to arrange it all so quickly?’
‘Called in a few favours,’ Nikki flannelled. And it helped to have a fistful of money at her disposal, she qualified silently. ‘I still have contacts from my time with Médecins Sans Frontières.’
‘Doctors Without Borders.’ Dion looked impressed. ‘Is that where this idea for the shoeboxes came from, then?’
‘Basically. We did something similar when I was in North Vietnam but it was mainly for the orphaned children in an effort to make their Christmas a bit special.’
‘Poor little mites,’ Anna murmured.
‘I recall one of the children especially…’ Nikki bit her lip. ‘A thirteen-year-old girl with a tiny baby. She’d been trapped in a refugee camp for years, had received almost no formal schooling. She’d never been given a gift in her entire life. Heck, what am I saying? None of those children had ever had as much as a lollypop given to them.’
There was a beat of silence.
‘Oh, how sad.’ Jade blinked back a sudden tear. ‘I’ll never complain again about my lot in life. In reality, we all have so much to be thankful for, don’t we? And, Nikki, thank you. I feel so privileged to be able to help with your project. And despite the hardship in the town, I predict it’s going to be a very special Christmas.’