A Chance of Stormy Weather

by Tricia Stringer

  Back in the kitchen Paula hugged Dan tight.

  “What was that for?” He raised his eyebrows and gave her a cheeky grin.

  “Jane just told me what happened. It must have been awful for the two of you trying to get Bruce out.”

  “Worse for Bruce. How is he?”

  Paula relayed Jane’s message.

  “Thank goodness. I wasn’t sure how bad it was. There will be a few families out there waiting to hear.” Dan left her to make his calls and Andrew trailed out after him.

  Paula sat at the table and rested her head on her arms. The headache had faded but not left completely. Dan was so organised, he knew just what to do.

  In her office in Sydney she would deal with all kinds of daily events and crises. She realised now that she had arrived with a naive view of what life would be about on the farm.

  She liked to be organised and follow routines but so far hardly one day had been the same as another. Just when she thought she was getting the hang of something, the weather changed or machinery broke down, people turned up unexpectedly or not at all, animals caused disruption and accidents happened. There was so much variety, yet somehow she felt it all followed an underlying network of codes and rules that she wasn’t privy to.

  Paula shook herself. Jane needed her help. There was no point in worrying about things that couldn’t be controlled. I can surely organise things to make Jane’s life easier at home, she thought. I might not know the locals but Jackie does.

  Paula stood up and giggled softly to herself for the first time in a week. First she had to find Amazon woman.

  Jackie was settled on the couch with the sleeping form of James cuddled in alongside her. Her own baby was sucking at her breast. “James will probably want his mother the next time he wakes.” She waved a spare hand at the empty bottle beside her. “He wolfed that lot down.”

  “Do you think he’ll be okay with Jane at the hospital? She doesn’t want to leave Bruce yet.”

  “Best place for them all. I wouldn’t take Andrew though. He would soon be bored and be another worry for Jane.”

  “I could drive James in to the hospital.”

  “He’ll need a car seat. If you want to take my car I can stay here with Andrew.”

  Dan and Andrew were back in the kitchen when Paula went through to organise a bag for James. Dan had a sheet of paper in his hand.

  “This is a list of phone numbers and names. All the blokes I spoke to said their wives were happy to help. Just give them a call. I’ve got to get back to the sheds.” He nodded at Paula, gave Andrew a pat on the head and left.

  Andrew saw Jackie coming through the other door and hid behind Paula, clinging to her leg. “When’s Mummy coming back?”

  His tiny sad voice melted Paula’s heart. He was usually such a happy little boy. “She’ll be home later, Andrew.” Goodness knows what he was making of all this. She thought for a minute. He was obviously feeling insecure. She didn’t want to leave him and there were things she could organise for Jane if she stayed. Bending down, she gave him a hug. “You and I have jobs to do before Mummy gets back.”

  She spoke to Jackie who was waiting in the doorway, the tiny baby back in the sling, fast asleep again. “I think Jane should have her own car. Then she and James can come and go when they want. We need someone who can drive James to town in Jane’s car.” She gave Dan’s list to Jackie. “Who can I ask on that list?”

  The rest of the afternoon was a whirl of activity for Paula, the devoted Andrew never far from her side. She rang Olive and Frank Williams, who lived between town and the farm. They came and collected Jane’s car and took a grizzly James and drove to the hospital.

  Paula made a pile of sandwiches and Jackie whipped up an amazing slice which they fed to the men helping Dan. Paula rang the women on Dan’s list and asked them if they could make a meal to be delivered for Jane’s freezer. She filled them in on Bruce’s condition. Sometimes the phone rang with offers of help from people not on her list. Paula was amazed by the generosity of the people she spoke to, many of whom she’d never met but they all knew Jane and Bruce and wanted to help.

  By mid-afternoon things were organised both inside and out. The men had a roster system drawn up to help feed the pigs and keep an eye on the rest of the farm and Paula had the domestic help under control. Jackie went home and Dan came in to find Paula again.

  Andrew was getting restless. He was asking for his parents and not easily side-tracked by Paula’s diversions.

  Dan sat down on the floor and played trucks with him. Paula made them a drink and watched as Dan interacted with the little boy. He was so good with Andrew it reminded Paula that he had his own child somewhere. How could he not want to devote time to it? She sighed in frustration. Perhaps she should just tell Dan she had overheard the conversation with Katherine. Blurt it out. At least he might be able to tell her about it and perhaps unlock the secrets from the past that threatened their happiness.

  “Hello?”

  “Mummy.” Andrew was up from the floor and running for the kitchen door as Jane came through it, carrying a sleeping James. He flung his arms around Jane’s legs.

  “Let me take James.” Paula reached out her arms.

  Dan struggled up from the floor. “I’ll put the kettle on.”

  Jane nursed Andrew and explained to him that Bruce would have to stay in hospital for a while yet. He had a very sore foot.

  Dan asked more detailed questions about Bruce’s surgery and expected recovery. Jane did her best to answer. She looked very tired and Andrew kept demanding her attention.

  Satisfied that his mate was doing okay, Dan rose from the table. “I’ll go and feed the pigs if you ladies can manage without me.”

  Paula smirked. “We’ll try.”

  “Don’t do anything silly like Bruce,” Jane said.

  “He probably shouldn’t have been using that old seed bin.”

  “Of course not, but you know what he’s like.”

  “I can’t preach. I cut corners sometimes.”

  Paula looked up in alarm as Dan patted Jane on the shoulder and left. She hadn’t thought Dan was in any danger when he went out to work each day.

  “Don’t look so worried,” Jane said. “I’m sure Dan wouldn’t take the risks that Bruce does sometimes. My husband thinks he’s bulletproof…” Tears welled in her eyes. “He was so lucky, Paula. It could have been much worse. That stupid auger could have chewed his foot off and even his leg.”

  “Don’t cry, Mummy.” Andrew’s little arms wrapped around his mother’s neck and he hugged her. James began to stir in Paula’s arms.

  “I think it’s bath time for you boys.” Jane took in a deep breath. “Come on Andrew, you can help wash your brother.”

  Paula handed over James. “Can I do anything?”

  “You and Dan have done so much. I really appreciate it and I know it will help Bruce to rest more easily if he knows things are being looked after here. The boys and I will be fine now. You and Dan should go home. We’ve taken enough of your time.”

  Paula showed Jane the list of helpers they’d organised and helped her bath the boys before she left in search of Dan. The sun was setting and the outside air was cooling rapidly.

  She walked away from the house towards the rows of long low sheds where Dan was feeding the pigs. Long before she reached the first shed the smell hit her. It pervaded the air, leaving her in no doubt she was heading in the right direction. She couldn’t understand how anyone could work with such smelly creatures.

  “Hello.” Dan appeared carrying a metal bucket in each hand. “Ready to go home?”

  “When you are. Is there much more to do?”

  “I just have to hose out this yard.”

  Paula put her hand over her mouth as Dan used a hose to squirt out a mixture of straw and mud and pig manure.

  “Don’t you like it?” Dan held up a hand coated in brown muck and gave her a wicked grin. He moved towards her. “It’s supposed to be goo
d for the complexion.”

  “What are you doing?” Paula stepped back.

  “Giving you a face mask.”

  “No, don’t.” Paula squealed as Dan darted at her and ran his finger down her nose. She pushed away from him and lurched backwards but her feet stuck and she sat down with a thud in the soft, wet mud.

  “Are you okay, Sweet Pea?”

  She groaned. He bent down and offered her a hand.

  “It was only a bit of mud,” he said as she took hold of his hand.

  Paula tugged on his arm and caught him off balance. He tumbled down in the mud beside her.

  She laughed at him as he tried to wipe the mud from his shirt. “It’s only mud,” she mimicked.

  He whipped his hand up and smeared her cheek and she squealed again and managed to wipe some mud down his face before he trapped her hand in his.

  “Well,” he said looking at her sternly. “There’s only one consequence for this behaviour.”

  “What’s that?”

  “We’ll have to have another one of those baths when we get home.”

  Paula laughed at him and they struggled up together. She looked into the clear blue eyes of the man she loved. Were those eyes capable of deceit? She didn’t want to think so as he hugged her in close and they made their way home.

  CHAPTER

  24

  “Paula?” Rowena was calling but Paula didn’t want to be found. She was hidden away, furiously looking through the farm paperwork, but the figures kept blurring. It was hot and the light was dim. Paula peered closer at the book in front of her.

  “Paula, are you there?” The sharpness of Rowena’s call cut through Paula’s dream and she sat up quickly on the couch. The room spun and she had to grip the seat until it stopped. She had no idea what the time was. She’d only meant to shut her eyes for a minute, to give the painkillers a chance to ease the throbbing in her head.

  Rowena was in the kitchen. “Paula?” she called again.

  “I’m in the lounge.” Paula rose carefully to her feet. The fire had burned low but she didn’t feel cold.

  “There you are. I’ve been trying to ring all morning but you’ve been engaged. Then I tried the two-way but I only got Dan out in the paddock.”

  “I was using the internet earlier. I forgot to plug the phone back in.”

  “I don’t know why you’d want to waste your time with that. You know you can use the internet at my place to check your email until you get a satellite dish installed.”

  Paula drew in a breath. She really wasn’t in the mood for Rowena today. “I’m looking for work I can do from here.”

  “I would have thought you had enough to do looking after Dan and helping around the place.”

  “I’m only looking.” Paula’s head thumped and she shut her eyes but only for a minute. The room started to spin. It was better if she had her eyes open.

  “Are you all right? You look flushed.”

  “I’ve got a bit of a headache.”

  “I hope you’re not getting that wog like I had. You probably caught something visiting Bruce. Hospitals are full of germs.”

  Paula couldn’t believe Rowena’s arrogance. If Paula did have a wog, it was more likely she’d caught it from Rowena than from a five-minute visit to Bruce in the hospital. “I’ll be fine, Rowena. What did you want?”

  “I wanted to contact you so I thought I would try your mobile, then I realised I didn’t know what your number was. I put the paperwork in with your phones.” She held her own phone up in her right hand.

  “I’ve got it written down out here.” Paula led the way into the kitchen. She was glad she’d remembered to get the phones out the day after Bruce’s accident.

  Rowena keyed the number into her phone. “Did you get any of that rain that went through last night?”

  “I can’t remember what Dan said. Maybe it was twenty mils.”

  “Good grief! That would be a downpour. Are you sure he didn’t say twenty points?”

  “Perhaps he did. I don’t know. Why were you trying to contact me?” Surely it wasn’t to discuss the rain, Paula thought as she sat down at the table. Her legs felt like jelly.

  “I’m going away for a few days. Dan’s so caught up looking after Bruce’s place, I was hoping you’d feed the chooks and see to Rocket if Dan doesn’t have time.”

  “Of course I can. Dan and I will sort it out.” Paula couldn’t resist asking more in spite of her headache. “Are you going far?”

  “Only to Adelaide. I’m helping a friend prepare for a special birthday celebration.”

  “Is it someone Dan knows?” Paula probed. “Should I organise a card?”

  “No. Dan doesn’t really know my Adelaide friends.” Rowena slipped her phone back into her handbag. “I wanted to speak to you about Frank and Olive Williams. Do you remember them?”

  Paula recalled the short round woman who had given her sweet homemade treats and her husband who was of equally round proportions. They’d been the ones to drive Jane’s car to the hospital on the day of Bruce’s accident. “Yes.”

  “I talked to Frank about your bookkeeping skills. He was quite keen to have you look over his books and perhaps help keep them up to date. He has an accountant but prefers to do things his way. He and Olive don’t have children to hand their property on to and they don’t want to sell up and move to town. They’re happy running the place for now but they’ve never got their heads around the growing paperwork. You could help them out, couldn’t you?”

  Rowena was a strange woman. She didn’t seem keen on Paula finding other work beyond the farm, and their own farm books were strictly out of bounds, yet here she was, trying to get Paula to look over someone else’s paperwork.

  “I guess I could,” she replied vaguely.

  “Well, you don’t have to. I thought you were wanting a little extra to do.”

  “It’s fine, Rowena. Leave me their number and I’ll contact them.”

  Rowena handed over a note and inspected Paula closely. “I’d better get going but I think you should take it easy. Get Dan a simple lunch and have a lie-down. I’ll see you when I get back.”

  “When will that be?” Paula ignored the obvious instruction that Dan was to be taken care of before she saw to her own needs.

  “Sunday evening probably, the party is Saturday night.”

  Must be going to be some party, thought Paula, it’s only Wednesday.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Rowena asked again. “I could make the lunch before I go.”

  “I’m fine.”

  Rowena picked up her bag and stopped at the door. “Oh, did Dan tell you I sent a heap of old sheets and towels over for rags?”

  “No.” Paula wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything.

  “You always need them for something on a farm. I noticed when I was feeding your lamb you were obviously short of old things.”

  Rowena’s eyebrows arched and Paula felt a glow in her cheeks. She’d forgotten about the curtains.

  “Of course, if you don’t like things that are given in good faith, you can simply return them, you know. I told Dan I preferred you didn’t use the good furnishings for animal bedding.”

  She sailed on out the door. Paula sank down onto a chair and put her head in her arms.

  * * *

  “Paula! This bloody dog has been up at the sheds again.” Dan marched through the kitchen door with a muddy Tarzan tucked under his arm. “He’ll end up getting squashed by something or run over.”

  “Look at you, Tarzan.” Paula took him from Dan. “You’re all muddy again.” She’d left the pup in the backyard after they’d come back from feeding Lucky, but there were too many holes in the old fence. “Can’t we make the backyard dog-proof? Then he couldn’t escape when I let him outside. He could even have a kennel out there.”

  “I haven’t got time to do those types of jobs now.” Dan went to wash his hands and Paula followed him into the laundry and ran some water to wash the
muddy pup. “I put a bag full of rags in the corner there.”

  Paula looked at the bulging black garbage bag Dan pointed to on the floor.

  “Rowena’s given me a lecture about using good household stuff instead of rags.” He looked at Paula shaking his head. “I don’t know what she was going on about.”

  “Her curtains.”

  “What?”

  “I used her curtains to line Lucky’s box.”

  “Bloody hell, Paula. Why?”

  “I washed them and they fell apart. They must have been rotten.” She glared at him. “Curtains don’t last forever, you know.”

  “At least you could have told her what happened.”

  “I needed something in a hurry for the lamb and they weren’t any use for anything else.” Paula saw the corner of his mouth twitch but he turned away.

  “Well, she wasn’t happy.” He headed for the kitchen. “What’s for lunch?”

  Paula ignored Dan and finished cleaning up Tarzan. He looked at her with big eyes as she gave him an extra-long rub-down.

  By the time she followed Dan into the kitchen she had calmed down. He was sitting at the table, eating the lunch she’d prepared.

  “Aren’t you eating?” he asked.

  “I’m not feeling hungry. I think I might be getting that wog Rowena had.”

  “Perhaps you’d better go to bed.”

  “It’s just a headache and I feel a bit off. I had been planning to visit Jane today but now I don’t think I should. Have you seen her?”

  “She’s managing okay. I talked to her this morning after I’d fed the pigs. Her mum is coming tonight to stay for a few days.”

  “That’s good.” Paula was a little envious. She felt totally washed out and wished her own mother was close enough to come and stay. You must be sick, girl, she thought wryly.

  “I’ve given Tom a couple of days off. He’s taking Cassie to Adelaide. She’s going to live with their older sister for a while.”

  Paula recalled the tired young girl from the party. “That poor kid. An unplanned pregnancy is so avoidable these days. Why do people bring babies into the world if they’re not wanted?”