“It was one night,” Paula corrected. She didn’t want to go as far as telling Jane she’d seen Dan and Katherine together in the city. It would seem as if she had been spying. “Dan gets so tense at the mention of Katherine’s name. I wondered what had caused that.”
Jane gave a wry grin. “Katherine doesn’t want to let him go. She’s a spoiled brat, really. Her father was a nice man but he indulged her every whim. She and Dan were a hot item for a while. I think it was more about sex than…” Jane stopped and put her hand to her forehead. “That wasn’t very tactful. You should talk to Dan about it. Bruce would wring my neck if he knew I was talking to you about them.”
“I never imagined Dan was celibate until he met me, Jane. I’m just not sure how to deal with Katherine.”
Jane reached down and wiggled a toy in front of James, who was beginning to grizzle. “Dan broke off the relationship but Katherine has had trouble accepting the decision. She can’t cope with being denied something she has her heart set on. If she found someone else she’d forget about Dan in a flash. It’s as simple as that. I don’t think she ever really loved Dan anyway but now that he’s been taken away from her she’s acting like a spoiled child. There have been rumours but there always are. You don’t want to take any notice.” Jane picked up James then she turned back to Paula. Her expression was solemn as she jiggled the baby. “You don’t need to worry about Dan. He’s as honest as the day is long and anyone can see how much he loves you. Katherine will find something else to distract her eventually.”
Paula sipped some more tea. If only she could believe Jane. There had been no sign that she knew of anything more between Dan and Katherine than what she had said. If there was a child, Paula didn’t think Jane knew about it. But that seemed strange given the way everyone always knew everyone else’s business in the district.
Garbled voices crackled from the two-way. Paula had been trying to ignore them all afternoon. Usually she turned the radio off when Dan wasn’t there but she’d been distracted when Jane had turned up with the boys.
“Dara and Chris really look set to have a go at this cafe and bed and breakfast thing,” Jane said.
“They are such a talented couple. I’ve been thinking about the type of advertising they could do. We need something to divert the tourists on their way to the coast. Once they get the people in I’m sure their reputation will spread.”
“Paula, are you there?” Dan’s voice emitted from the two-way.
Paula picked up the handpiece. “Yes, Dan.”
“Can you come and get Tarzan? He’s up at the shearing shed.”
“Okay.” Paula helped Jane and the boys to the car. “Tarzan is getting braver. He wouldn’t leave the yard before. Now he takes any chance to explore a bit further.”
“Plenty of good smells around a shearing shed,” Jane said.
Paula waved her off and then went to retrieve the errant Tarzan. Surely Dan could have dropped him back instead of calling on the radio, she thought.
Dan’s serious mood had settled on him like a cloak again. He had been surprised when she had returned late to the hotel room. She’d made up an excuse about doing some last-minute shopping and, once they’d retrieved the truck, she had pretended to sleep on the way home. They had been politely avoiding each other ever since.
* * *
Dan shut Tarzan in the dual cab and went back to the sheep pens. He had just got the rams yarded and the damn dog had come sniffing under the rails and sending them into a stink. Dan wasn’t used to having a dog as a pet. His father had bought Rocket and Dan was very fond of the old dog but he worked for his living. Dan had accepted Tarzan because he was company for Paula and good at killing mice but away from the house he was a nuisance.
The rams stood defiantly in a corner of the yard away from Dan. He watched them closely. Ted should be here any minute. Dan wanted his opinion on which ones he should keep and there were a few more jobs he needed to do before dark. He looked at his watch. Tom was out spraying and if Ted didn’t hurry up it would be time for Dan to take over. Tom had football practice and he had some things to do in town, so Dan had said he could leave early today.
What Dan had really hoped for was to be in at a reasonable hour tonight. Poor Paula. He could tell by the way she reacted that she must be wondering what had got into him after their great weekend. He had wanted to celebrate getting a settlement sorted out with Katherine – at last – but he didn’t want to tell Paula until he knew all the legalities were tidied up and the papers signed.
It was just as well he hadn’t told her. Katherine had rung not long after they’d arrived home and said she’d changed her mind and wasn’t ready to sign yet.
Dan had thrown himself into work, angry that she had the power to hold him to her like this. He wanted to tell Paula everything but his pride wouldn’t let him. There had to be a way to sever his ties with Katherine so that he and Paula could be free of her, but it was all so complicated. Her demands were making life very difficult.
He looked at his watch again. “Come on, Ted.” He slapped his hand on the wooden rail. One large horned head turned his way, stepped forward from the rest and stamped its hoofed foot.
“And the same to you, mate.” Dan glared at the ram then turned at the sound of an approaching vehicle.
CHAPTER
23
“Get up quickly. I need you to come with me.”
Paula opened her eyes. Dan was a blurry figure standing at the side of the bed. She felt as if she had been drugged.
“What time is it? I must have gone back to sleep.” She started to sit up and was hit by a thud of pain as the headache that had developed last night slammed her waking brain.
“Quickly, Paula, I need your help.” Dan grabbed her clothes from the chair and passed them to her. “I’ve been calling you on the two-way radio but you’ve turned it off again.”
The thudding in her head slowed her thoughts but she was sure his voice had taken on an accusing tone. That damn two-way. She was sick to death of it intruding in their lives. If he needed to talk to her, he could come and see her like he was doing now. He didn’t have to whistle her up like he did Rocket.
“We’ve got to get over to Bruce and Jane’s quickly.” He was hovering as she struggled with her clothes. What had happened to her tender and adoring bridegroom of last weekend? She looked at Dan through groggy eyes. He still had on his hat and boots. He rarely wore his hat inside and never his boots. The boots were always side-by-side inside the back door and the hat hung on the hat rack.
“Why? What’s the matter?” She glanced at the bedside clock that showed eight am. She fought to remember which day it was. Sunday. Sunday! What had got into him?
“There’s been an accident. Jane needs our help. I’ll fill you in on the way.” Paula’s heart missed a beat. She looked up quickly from the sock she had been tugging over her foot and grabbed the end of the bed for support as the room spun. Her throbbing head couldn’t cope with the sudden movement. Dan didn’t notice. He strode off, leaving her to finish dressing. The stomach upset that had plagued her all week since their trip to Adelaide had eased but now she had a headache.
They rattled along the rough piece of road that connected their farm to Bruce and Jane’s. Dan managed to avoid the worst of the potholes but each rattle of the dual cab compounded the ache in Paula’s head.
His explanation, that Bruce had got caught up in the auger and was on his way to hospital, filled Paula with horror. She had watched Dan use their auger. She imagined the long steel worm that moved the grain. The strong, seemingly unstoppable mechanism would make a mess of soft human flesh. She shuddered.
Dan glanced at her as they turned into the Freemans’ drive. “Are you okay?”
The hint of concern in his voice was enough for Paula to forgive his earlier brusqueness.
“Yes. Just a bit of a headache.” She gave him a weak smile.
He looked away to manoeuvre over the grid. Paula closed her ey
es and clenched her teeth as the shudder it caused vibrated though her.
There was already a vehicle parked outside the house gate. Rowena had arrived before them. Dan was out of the dual cab and through the gate before Paula had undone her seatbelt. He waited at the back door for her to catch up and then went straight into the house without knocking.
They walked through the enclosed verandah, stepping around piles of clothes and over assorted toys. This room served as Jane’s laundry and was also a playroom for Andrew. In the kitchen Rowena was bending over Jane, who was sitting at the table with a mug of something hot clasped in her hands.
“Good, you’re here.” Rowena was always one to state the obvious. “I’ll drive Jane to the hospital. Paula, you stay here with the children. Dan, you should get out to that auger and see if there’s anything that needs doing. The pigs still need to be fed.” Rowena gave her orders like someone is accustomed to organising.
“Right.” With a half-smile at Jane and a brush of his lips past Paula’s cheek, Dan left.
Jane rose from her chair. “Thanks for coming, Paula. I shouldn’t be too long. Will you be okay with the kids?”
“Of course she will.” Rowena rattled her keys.
Paula willed the headache away. “Don’t worry about anything here, Jane. You go and be with Bruce, we’ll be fine.”
With a sharp nod Rowena ushered Jane out of the house. Silence followed the departing car. Paula took Jane’s seat. She rested her elbows on the table, let out a sigh and held her head gently with her hands.
“Woodie Two, are you on channel?” The two-way snapped at her from the nearby benchtop and from another room she heard the baby begin to cry. Paula stayed where she was, unmoving.
“Woodie Two?” There was louder crackling, a distorted voice and then it cleared. “Paula, are you there?”
When she realised it was Jane’s voice speaking from the two-way, Paula moved quickly. She snatched up the handpiece. “Yes, Jane, I’m here.”
“I forgot to tell you, I gave James a breastfeed a couple of hours ago. When he wakes up he can make do with cereal and crusts. I’ve left it on the sink. There’s expressed milk in the fridge if you’re desperate.” Jane’s voice reached Paula in snatches and she could imagine Jane’s hand clutching the speaker in Rowena’s vehicle as they sped into town. Rowena only had two speeds, flat out and stop.
“I’ll find it, Jane. Don’t worry about the children.” Paula hoped her voice sounded convincing. Not only for Jane’s sake but for the ears of the rest of the district. Nothing was private on the two-way.
“Call me at the hospital if you need me to —” Jane’s voice was cut short by Rowena’s background orders.
“She’ll manage, Jane…” There was a crackle then silence.
Paula knew Rowena had the same misgivings about her ability to cope. Maybe this was Paula’s chance to prove she could manage. She might be a city girl but she was made of tough stuff and she had been a darn good organiser in her job in Sydney. It was a distant past life that had happened before she married Dan and it didn’t seem to count for much with these people she’d come to live among.
James cried again, quickly weakening her resolve. Babies were another thing altogether. Paula had looked after Alison’s children sometimes but she had rarely changed a nappy.
She had nursed James before and he had always been content to lie in her arms and gaze up at her. Now he had worked himself up. His cries were a series of sharp wails. She went to the cot. He was kicking his legs fiercely. His fists were clenched and his eyes were scrunched shut.
Paula spoke soothingly and reached to pick him up. His eyes flew open and he stopped crying. She looked into the deep brown eyes looking back at her with such trust. She cuddled him. He was wet from the waist down.
“Is that your trouble, young man,” she murmured. She looked around for clean nappies. There was a changing table with drawers underneath. “Don’t tell anyone but nappy changing is not my forte.” She laid him on the table. Immediately he began to kick and cry again.
“Where’s Mummy?”
Paula turned to see Andrew standing in the doorway. This time the Batman cape was over his pyjamas.
“Hello, Andrew. Mummy and Daddy had to go out for a while.” Paula tried to sound reassuring. “I’ve come to stay until they get back. You’ll be okay with me.” She turned back to the wailing, squirming James.
“James likes this.” Andrew appeared beside the table with a brightly coloured squishy clown that made funny noises when he squeezed it. James stopped crying and clutched at the clown. With Andrew’s help Paula managed to remove the wet nappy, replace it and find a change of clothes before James began to grizzle again.
“I’m hungry,” Andrew said.
“I think we all are,” Paula replied. “Let’s see what we can find.” Her headache was fading. If she could settle James, she might be able to get some housework done for Jane.
Andrew ate cereal, happily talking to himself and pushing a toy tractor back and forth on the table next to his bowl. Paula drank tea and tried to interest James in the food Jane had left for him. He would try it then push it away. He began to grizzle.
“Yoo hoo! Are you there, Paula?” A tall, angular woman with long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail sailed into the kitchen with a tiny baby strapped to her chest in some kind of sling. “I’m Jackie Martin. We haven’t met before. Fred and I are northern neighbours of Bruce and Jane’s. I hope you don’t think I’m interfering but my Fred was coming over to give your Dan a hand, so I thought I’d come too. I might be some help with young James.” She brushed a large hand down James’s tear-streaked cheek and gave a wave to Andrew. “Hello, Andrew. I’ve left my boys with their gran.” She looked at Paula, who hadn’t moved since she entered the room. “I knew there’d be enough going on here without adding my tribe. Now, I thought I heard Jane say something on the two-way about expressed milk in the fridge. That might settle her James.” She turned to investigate the fridge.
Paula put her hand to her mouth to make sure it wasn’t hanging open. She wondered how many other flapping ears had been listening and waiting to see how the city girl managed.
“Thanks, Jackie. I’ll go and tidy the bedrooms.” Paula moved slowly to the door, watching Jackie in amazement as she scooped James up from his high chair and balanced him on one hip while she prepared the bottle with her other hand. The tiny baby strapped to her chest didn’t move. Paula was startled as a small hand slid into hers. She looked down into Andrew’s worried face.
“I’ll come with you,” he said in a quiet little voice.
“You’re my best helper.” Paula smiled and together they tackled the bedrooms.
They took the wet baby clothes to the washing machine and began sorting the rest of the washing.
“How are things going?” Dan wrapped his arms around her and she turned and hugged him back. It was their first cuddle since they’d come home. “Are you managing?”
Paula stepped back and put her hands to her hips. “I’m managing fine. Did you think I wouldn’t?”
“No. It was simply an enquiry after your personal wellbeing, ma’am.” Dan did his American drawl.
Paula looked up into his twinkling eyes. She wanted so desperately to go back to their happier days. Why did there have to be secrets?
“I’m feeling a bit as if everyone’s waiting to see how I cope.” She turned back to the washing. “I guess I’m being a little paranoid. Jackie is in feeding James.”
“She’ll sort him out.” Dan lowered his voice. “She’s the local earth mother.”
“More like Amazon woman.” Paula chuckled and he hugged her close again. There was a pushing between them and two little arms wrapped tightly about her legs. They looked down.
“Dan, this is my best helper.”
“Hello, buddy.” Dan lifted Andrew into the air and sat him on his shoulders. “He’s my best helper outside some days.”
Dan carried the little boy i
nto the kitchen and put him down. There was no sign of Jackie.
“I have to make some phone calls. I want to get a few blokes over to sort things out. We don’t know how long Jane will have to manage on her own.”
“Does Bruce have family?”
“His parents live on the property but they left for an overseas holiday just before our wedding. They’re not due back for a few more weeks. Bruce only has one younger sister and she lives in Adelaide.” Dan poured drinks for himself and Andrew.
Paula’s thoughts went back to Bruce and his injuries but the phone ringing interrupted her. Jane didn’t have a phone in the kitchen, it was in the passage.
“Hello, Paula, how are you managing with James?” Jane’s voice wavered down the line.
“He’s fine, Jane. How’s Bruce?”
“The doctors haven’t finished with him yet. But they don’t think too much serious damage has been done. It’s a mess but at least he still has a foot.” Jane sounded very tired. “I don’t want to leave him yet. He may have to go to Adelaide.”
“We’re all fine. Jackie is here. You stay with Bruce.” Paula reassured Jane, who gave her more detail about Bruce’s accident. Paula was silent as Jane quietly explained how she hadn’t been able to get Bruce out of the auger, how Dan had heard her call for help on the two-way from his vehicle and how he had come to their aid.
Between them Dan and Jane had managed to get Bruce’s foot out of the auger and strap it up. Dan had gone back to the house to call an ambulance and arranged to meet them halfway, checking on the sleeping children while he was there.
“Thank Dan again for me, Paula. If he hadn’t heard my call on the two-way and responded so quickly…” Jane’s voice faltered. “Things might have been much worse.”
“I will,” Paula said softly. “Give Bruce our best wishes.”
Paula stared at the phone she’d replaced in its cradle. She was mortified. Dan had done all that and not a word about it. She had always hated the intrusion of the two-way in their lives. How often did she turn it off once Dan was out of the house? Sometimes she remembered to turn it back on before he came home, other times Dan did it. She didn’t want to think about what might have happened if he hadn’t heard Jane’s call for help.
A Chance of Stormy Weather Page 27