The Falls

by Cathryn Hein

  Callum’s strident look-at-me voice kept rising above the general hubbub, usually when he was talking about himself. Apparently, after twelve years on the waitlist, he’d scored himself membership of the Sydney Cricket Ground and was boasting about the matches he planned to attend this summer. In the past, Dunks would have been sucking right up, but Bunny kept whispering in his ear, and the two kept throwing Callum what-a-fuckwit looks and giggling like teenagers. Teagan could only manage the what-a-fuckwit part.

  He took another suck of beer and wondered whether he should rescue her, but the idea that she might not regard it as rescuing held him back. When it came to women he was usually confident. Not so with her. Although there was one thing he was certain of, he sure as hell wanted to continue what they’d started in the pool.

  To his further annoyance Dom had put himself in charge of the barbecue, normally Lucas’s job. It was childish to feel irked by something so trivial but he did. Most guests had dressed in casual gear. Even Callum had donned checked shorts, a polo shirt and deck shoes. Dom though, as always, had to remain that cut above, wearing dark-blue chinos and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Lucas had hoped he’d get fat splatters all over himself, but Vanessa had hooked an apron over Dom’s head as protection. His only satisfaction was the deeply uncool quote on the apron’s front: Sausage Master.

  Dom took it in his stride, making a joke, but Lucas bet that inside he wasn’t impressed. Perhaps that’s why Vanessa had put the apron on him in the first place. She could be sly like that. It was one of the reasons he liked her so much.

  He glanced again at Teagan and decided it was time to live up to his Knight surname, whether she wanted it or not. He sauntered over. Her relief was palpable when she noticed his approach.

  ‘Lucas.’ Callum gave him an unnecessarily chummy thump on the back. ‘I was just about to tell Teagan about my plans for Elysium.’

  ‘I can’t wait,’ she said through gritted teeth, causing Lucas to grin behind his beer.

  ‘Big plans, are they?’

  Callum kept his focus on Teagan. ‘Looking at starting a sheep stud.’

  ‘Had much experience with sheep?’ she asked.

  ‘A bit.’ Which Lucas suspected was an outright lie, but Callum wasn’t a man who liked to look ignorant.

  Lucas shot her a glance and saw that she’d picked the fib, too. ‘You’ve met Merlin, haven’t you? Vanessa’s prize ram.’

  ‘Not yet. Stud, is he?’

  ‘He certainly thinks so,’ said Teagan. ‘Merino. Fine wool. Good staple length. Maybe you could borrow his services. I’m sure Ness wouldn’t mind.’

  ‘I’d have to check him out first.’

  ‘Of course,’ said Teagan. ‘Nothing quite like a hands-on feel of the testicles. I do it often myself. Good way to check the virility of man and beast.’

  Callum nearly choked on his drink.

  Though her mouth twitched at the corners, Teagan kept her composure. ‘Excuse me, I must go and help Ness.’

  Lucas watched her leave. She was wearing green shorts and a cream T-shirt which would have appeared plain on anyone else but on Teagan looked healthy and wholesome. Her hair was long, loose and hung softly around her shoulders. Though slim, she was broad-shouldered, tapering to a narrow waist and hips that swayed, not with Vanessa’s overt womanliness, but just enough to be tantalising all the same.

  ‘She’s a sort,’ said Callum. ‘Not quite in her aunt’s class, but not bad.’

  Lucas felt his jaw flex. ‘She is.’

  ‘Doesn’t say much. Probably shy. I hear farm girls are like that. I wonder if she likes cricket.’ He pursed his lips, thinking. ‘Night out at the SCG. One dayer. That’d make a good date.’

  For some reason, Lucas looked towards Dom. According to Bunny, Vanessa had been tempted with all manner of treats after Dom had first met her, but as far as Lucas knew, with the exception of a few spa sessions, she’d rejected them all. She’d rejected Callum a few times, too. He hoped Teagan was made of the same stuff.

  Callum followed his gaze. ‘Dom’s pretty tight with Vanessa these days.’

  A bitter edge belied the casual words. Lucas wondered exactly how hard Callum had tried with Vanessa. Harder than Vanessa let on if that tone was anything to go by.

  ‘You’re a proper local. How do you feel about this Wellness Centre business? Seems to be causing a bit of a stir. That old bird in the bakery, Kathleen Ferguson, nearly chewed my ear off the other day about it.’

  Lucas took a careful mouthful of his beer. The centre wasn’t something he wanted to discuss. ‘It’ll bring more employment to the area.’

  ‘That’s what I told her. Didn’t that set her off.’ He shook his head. ‘It’s a wonder that business survives the way she treats customers.’

  ‘Only bakery in town. And they make good pies.’

  ‘They do. But you only have to drive to Wilmington and there’s that chain bakery.’

  ‘Most of us try to shop local when we can. If we don’t support the village we’ll end up with nothing.’

  ‘That may be so,’ said Callum, reverting to his pompous dickhead voice, ‘but I, for one, don’t enjoy being told how to think. And that Colin’s a fucking menace. Why can’t his wife buy him a pair of shorts that fit?’

  ‘Probably because she’s dead.’ A comment to which even Callum didn’t have a comeback. Besides, it was hardly a new question. Practically everyone in the village had asked the same at least once. All anyone could work out was that, much like Merlin, Col liked showing off his assets.

  As the drinks and food flowed, people began to loosen up. Even with a few beers under his belt Lucas couldn’t get into the mood. Dom had decided to use the evening as an opportunity to get people onside and was waxing lyrical about the benefits The Falls would experience from the centre’s expansion. He didn’t want to listen to Dom’s plans. He’d heard enough of them before. Dom didn’t give a shit about The Falls. The man didn’t do anything unless it was for himself.

  He snuck out to the front verandah and down the steps to where Wilma and Betty were feeding. The guinea pigs were funny. All beady eyes and triangle-shaped snouts. These two had silky hair and when excited jumped up and down like fat jack-in-the-boxes. The first experience of it had had him turning to Vanessa and Bunny in alarm until Bunny had explained what it was. Popcorning was the term, which was exactly what it was like. If anything could lighten his sour mood it was bouncing guinea pigs.

  He reached into the cage and took out Wilma, the white one. Betty was cute but Wilma enjoyed a tickle more.

  He’d made the cage for Vanessa as a gift. Before then the little rodents were housed in a plastic wader pool filled with shredded paper, with chicken wire over the top to keep Blanche and other predators out. Bunny had promised it was fine, as long as the bedding was changed regularly and the pigs had tunnels and other spaces in which to hide. But Lucas was a sucker when it came to animals and he’d thought it a bit mean that they didn’t have grass underfoot. Now their house was wheeled to a different spot on the lawn every couple of days. The pigs had greenery and soft footing, and Vanessa, who hated mowing, used it as an excuse not to.

  He smiled as Wilma tried to crawl up his chest, her little claws scrabbling against his T-shirt.

  ‘I bet if I took a video of that and posted it on YouTube it’d go viral.’

  He looked up to see Teagan watching him from the steps.

  She walked down. ‘Can’t say I blame you for escaping. If I hear one more word about Callum’s helipad or Dom’s hydrotherapy suite I’ll scream.’ She lifted out Betty and attempted to stroke the pig’s head, but Betty was already letting out squawks and struggling. Teagan sighed and put her back in the cage.

  Lucas did the same with Wilma and closed the cage lid, making sure the latch was properly fixed. Blanche was stalking nearby and the cat had been spotted more than once trying to flick the latch open. ‘Not impressed by your new friend?’ He nodded to the far side of the yard where
a low-slung black car was parked. ‘That’s his Maserati over there.’

  Teagan gave it a perfunctory glance before looking down to where Blanche was curling around her legs. ‘He’s okay.’

  He ducked his head a little to draw her eye. ‘Bit of a wanker?’

  Catching his tease, she smiled in a way that made his pulse pump and wish it was him rubbing against her instead of Blanche. ‘Possibly. Probably. Do you think we could con him into feeling Merlin’s balls?’

  ‘I suspect you’d be able to con Callum into anything.’

  She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. ‘Hardly.’

  ‘Come on. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice.’

  She appeared genuinely puzzled. ‘Notice what?’

  ‘He’s interested in you.’

  ‘Don’t be daft. He’s just being friendly so he can get to Ness.’

  It was Lucas’s turn to roll his eyes. ‘Have a bit of confidence in your own attractiveness.’

  ‘Right. Sure. This from the man who called me too skinny.’

  ‘You are.’

  ‘There you go.’

  ‘You’re hard work, you know that?’

  Suddenly, she rubbed her hand across her face. ‘I don’t mean to be. It’s just everything.’ She dropped her hand, her expression twisting. ‘I don’t know what I’m doing here. I don’t belong, and these people.’ She swept her arm back towards the house. ‘It’s like they’re all playing games. Trying to outdo each other. Telling lies to make themselves look good.’

  ‘Not Vanessa.’ He moved closer, wanting to kiss that look of anguish away. ‘Or me. Takes energy I’d rather channel elsewhere.’

  She eyed him sceptically but didn’t step back. The last of the sun touched her hair, burnishing it. Lucas resisted an urge to stroke the strands, feel them flow like molten copper through his fingers. ‘I didn’t mean Ness. She’s always been straightforward with me.’

  ‘And I haven’t?’

  ‘Hard to tell. We only met two weeks ago.’

  ‘You could always get to know me better.’

  ‘I could.’

  Their voices were getting quieter with each word. The air began to hush like it had in the pool. Everything felt stretched, as though someone had taken the world and pulled it from either end.

  He leaned close, lowering his voice to a seductive murmur. ‘Want to make a start?’

  For a second he thought he had her. Her gaze dipped to his mouth, causing his heart to skitter, then a burst of laughter sounded from the house. With a blink the moment was lost.

  Her voice returned to normal. ‘Given the mess my life’s in right now that might be one complication too many.’

  ‘I’m not complicated. I’m the easiest bloke here.’

  She raised an eyebrow.

  ‘You know what I mean. Look, Teagan, I shoe horses for a living and don’t make a bad income from it. I have a house on twenty acres down the road that I take care of pretty well. I’m single, never been married. Been properly head over heels in love exactly three times but they never worked out for the usual reasons. None of which has anything to do with me being a wanker. I don’t have a criminal record, in fact I’ve only been done for speeding twice and that was when I was young and stupid. For fun I play cricket and I also muck around with blacksmithing. I’m house-trained. And,’ he cast his gaze over her hair and parted lips, before settling it onto her widening eyes, ‘I really do have a thing for redheads.’

  ‘Wow. That was quite a speech.’

  Surprised at himself, he grinned. ‘It was, wasn’t it? But the million-dollar question is, was it convincing?’

  She held two fingers to her mouth and tap-danced them against her lips. ‘Convincing? I’m not sure.’

  Lucas could tell from the crinkle around her eyes that she was teasing. ‘But you’re intrigued?’

  ‘Perhaps.’

  ‘Enough to come around with me for a morning?’

  More laughter sounded from the house. She glanced towards it and rubbed at her neck before finally returning her focus to him. ‘All right.’

  Lucas flipped a mental bird towards Callum. ‘Wednesday work for you?’

  She nodded and began to walk up the verandah stairs. She paused at the top. ‘No funny business.’ Her hand went to the screen-door handle then she stopped and pointed. ‘Promise.’

  So she’d learned her lesson from the pool. He wanted to laugh, instead he placed his palm across his chest. ‘Promise.’ He gave her his best innocent-boy smile, knowing from experience the effect it had on women. ‘What sort of bloke do you think I am?’

  ‘That,’ she said, tugging the screen door open, ‘is something I’m still trying to figure out.’

  No question, Lucas Knight was walking, talking woman bait. Man bait, too, given the unashamed lust-filled ogles of some of his clients. Teagan had been around farriers and horsey people all her life, and never had she seen a person attract a crowd the way he did.

  As they’d arranged, he’d picked her up on Wednesday at six am and driven to a large racing stables fifteen or so kilometres south of The Falls, where the landscape was a strange mishmash of agriculture, light industry and creeping housing development. Teagan swore every single strapper in the place made an excuse to saunter by for a gander. She was sure Lucas noticed – it would be impossible not to – but it didn’t seem to bother him. He’d either look up and offer a quick cheery g’day or carry on working.

  A couple of the stable girls tossed her sullen looks that spoke of deep envy and dislike. Though the waves of hostility rattled her fragile self-esteem, she forced herself to match them with a steady, neutral gaze. Teagan didn’t want the day ruined by their wrong thoughts. Besides, she wasn’t competition for anyone. Lucas might be action-movie-star attractive and on the surface a good, honest bloke, but his interest in her was too surreal to be believed. Besides, she wasn’t in a trusting enough state of mind for any form of relationship. She wasn’t optimistic that she ever would be again.

  From the racing stables they called in on a small acreage with a monster-sized house sprawled across the middle to shoe the owner’s daughter’s dressage horses. They were stunning animals, sleek and pampered, although surprisingly obedient. Teagan guessed it had cost a lot of money to train them. The entire place reeked of money.

  Though still early in the day, the girl’s equally sleek and pampered mother had been joined by two other women, all in their forties, who spent the entire time lounging around the pristine yards trying to capture Lucas’s attention. When Lucas paused to remove his jumper, the collective intake of breath nearly had Teagan breaking out in laughter, but a cautioning glance from Lucas kept it inside. He’d warned her on the journey over that this might happen, and hadn’t sounded happy about it either but accepted it as his lot. If a few bored housewives getting their jollies was the price of keeping his business going then so be it. Like everyone else, he had a mortgage and bills to pay and couldn’t afford to be precious.

  ‘Doesn’t it make you feel like a piece of meat though?’ she asked as they drove to his next appointment.

  He shrugged. ‘Not really. It’s only annoying when they get in the way.’

  ‘So you like being slobbered over by a bunch of cougars?’

  He took his eyes off the bitumen for a second to throw her an amused glance. They were on one of the thin, crumbly-edged roads that seemed to wind like snakes across the region between the broader main road ladders, all of which Lucas appeared to be highly familiar with. ‘Wouldn’t you?’

  ‘The middle-aged male equivalent?’ She affected a shudder. ‘No thanks.’

  ‘Who’s being ageist now?’

  Teagan shut up. He had a point.

  ‘They’re harmless.’ He lifted his palm from the wheel, his voice taking on a slightly tired tone that revealed how he really felt. ‘Most of the time.’

  ‘I take it from that you’ve had to fend off your fair share of offers.’

  ‘A few.’

/>   ‘That must be tricky.’

  ‘It’s not easy.’

  He smiled a little, which made Teagan wonder if he’d accepted any of the proposals. Not all his admirers would be like the women they’d just left. He’d encounter plenty of women his own age, riders or strappers who were single and offering no-strings-attached sex. A quick bit of fun against his ute or a stable wall, the sun kissing them as rough hands played over soft skin and breaths came fast, mingling in pleasure.

  For some reason the image made her irritable. She shifted onto her left hip and stared out the window to concentrate on the passing scenery, wishing the vision of Lucas and his expert, exploring hands away. Annoyingly, it continued to linger.

  ‘So how did you get started as a farrier?’ she asked, trying for another distraction.

  ‘I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I finished school. I wasn’t stupid but I wasn’t very academic either, so uni was out. Figured I’d do an apprenticeship of some sort but they were pretty thin on the ground. To fill in I took a job in a racing stables near Warwick Farm. Discovered I really liked working with horses but I was too big to be a jockey and stable work paid like crap, so there didn’t seem to be much of a future there for me.

  ‘One morning I got talking to the farrier. He told me about a TAFE course I could do. I looked into it further and signed up. Did vocational work with a couple of master farriers while I studied then four years later I was out on my own. Started working around the valley and never looked back. Not many professionals around these days, so it’s been a steady business over the years. Plus I get to work outside, doing something I enjoy and am good at.’ He winked at her. ‘I even have groupies.’