Gran put down the vegetables she was holding and turned to her with a frown.
‘Sorry? What for?’
‘Sorry for staying away for so long.’ She hugged her grandmother tightly. ‘I do love you, you know.’
‘And I love you, too. Lucy. All of you.’ Gran sniffed and brushed a hand across her eyes. ‘I’m sorry for being such a cranky old thing, but I’ve been worried about Harry.’
Lucy hugged her one more time before she crossed to the sink and washed her hands. ‘So green pea and mint salad? Yum!’
Gran put her head down and kept shelling the peas and Jemmy caught Lucy’s eye with a smile and a nod. Dinner was a happier affair, and while they were having a cup of tea—none of that American coffee rubbish in Gran’s house—Lucy broached the subject that had been on her mind.
‘Gran, is there a manager on the farm?’
As she watched, Gran’s shoulders slumped. ‘There is. And that’s one of the first things I want you boys to check on. ‘I think I might have been a bit harsh on young McKenzie.’
Lucy narrowed her eyes. ‘Harsh?’
‘I didn’t believe him. He came over here a couple of weeks ago and in a roundabout, and polite way, he told me that he suspected Brian was stealing cattle. In the next breath he offered to buy the farm and I thought he was trying to undermine Brian for his own purposes.’
Liam leaned forward with a frown. ‘And now you think he’s telling the truth?’
‘As much as I hate to admit it, I think young McKenzie may be right. While you were all down at the bore last night, I had a good look at the books. Harry usually looks after all that but he’s been preoccupied lately, trying to cope with the pain.’ Her face wrinkled in a frown, deepening the lines in a complexion ravaged by fifty years of hot western sun. ‘There is a huge discrepancy between the calves born last season and the steers sold at the last few sales.’
‘Maybe he’s been fattening them for the next sale? Waiting for prices to go up?’
Three mouths dropped open and Gran smiled as everyone turned to Sebastian.
‘Thus speaks the country boy.’ Liam’s voice held no sarcasm this time; it was full of admiration.
A flush settled on Seb’s high cheekbones. ‘Just because I live in the city, doesn’t mean I’ve lost touch with the ways of the country.’
‘Me either,’ Liam added. ‘I checked the cattle prices every day I was in England. Streamed ABC radio on the internet.’
‘What about the time difference? Wasn’t that the middle of the night over there?’ Seb sounded sceptical.
‘Midnight in London,’ Liam said with a smile. ‘Gave me a taste of home each night before I went to sleep.’
Seb looked at him thoughtfully as a smile tilted Gran’s lips. ‘So you’re both well placed to start learning the daily routine. Your grandfather will be very pleased.’ She stood and Seb and Liam jumped to their feet. ‘No time like the present. We’ll go and look in the office now and you can tell me whether you think Brian McDermott has been dudding us.’
Chapter 11
By nine o’clock the next morning, the manager had been dismissed and the police had been informed of the missing cattle. Jemima and Lucy were left in charge of the kitchen while Gran set off on horseback to the back paddocks with Liam and Seb cantering beside her. Together they would see how much stock was left.
‘Look at her, Luce. She’s better on horseback than the guys are.’ Jemima wrapped the scones in the tea towel and placed them in the box. ‘Are you still scared of horses?’
‘Not scared so much, but I hate being up high on them and not having any control of where they go.’ She gave a rueful grin. ‘But I guess I’m going to have to get over that as quickly as I can.’
‘You know—’ Jemima leaned back on the kitchen bench and crossed her arms ‘—I’m really looking forward to coming back here and spending time back on the farm. I’ve even been thinking I might move back for good.’
‘But what about your career?’ Surprise filled Lucy as she looked at her cousin’s manicured fingers and perfectly-styled hair.
Jemima shrugged. ‘I’ve done well enough already to set me up for life. You know, I’ve felt more settled since I’ve been back here in the last two days then I have for years. I’m over international airports, living out of hotel rooms and parading clothes for the rich and famous.’
‘Half your luck. You’re younger than me and my career has only just started to take off. This current deal will set me on the path . . . hopefully.’ Lucy paused as she filled the last thermos with boiling water. ‘But you’re right, I think we all needed to come back to get on with the healing. The longer we stayed away the harder it became.’
‘What about you, Lucy? Could you ever come back here to live?’
As Lucy shook her head emphatically, an image of Garth McKenzie’s face filled her thoughts. ‘No. You know me. The flies, the dust, the prickles.’ She waved a hand towards the paddocks they could see through the window. ‘Not what I want at all.’
‘What about our heritage, the family and—’ Jemima bumped her shoulder ‘—the gorgeous Garth?’
Heat rose into Lucy’s face and she walked away and opened the fridge.
‘Garth?’ She stalled for time as a little skitter ran down her spine. What was wrong with her? ‘We’re just friends. And he’s going to do a photo shoot for me for my campaign. Oh damn, in all the talking I forgot to tee it up with Sebastian. Remind me when they come back in for lunch.’
‘We’ll see,’ Jemima said with a grin. ‘You didn’t see the way your ‘just friend’ looked at you yesterday.’ She put her finger to her chin. ‘And I seem to remember hearing about an encounter or two by the dam—’
‘That was when we were kids!’
‘Kids? You were eighteen and I remember you were in lurve.’
Lucy elbowed Jemmy and grinned as she put the butter in the esky. She was saved from further teasing when the screen door opened.
Tommy Robinson pushed open the door and fell back against the door in a dramatic pose with his hand on his chest. ‘Be still my beating heart. Now there’s two of them!’
‘Come in, Tommy,’ Lucy said. ‘This is my cousin, Jemima.’
She smiled. It was Jemima’s turn to blush as Tommy took her hand and bowed before kissing her fingers.
‘Love coming over to the kitchen these days,’ he said with a cheeky grin.
‘I thought the harvesting was almost over,’ Lucy said with a frown. Not that she minded; if she was in the kitchen, she didn’t have to work outside.
‘Another three days will see us out.’ Tommy picked up the boxes and with a final appreciative grin shot Jemima’s way, he headed back to his ute.
Jemima glanced at Lucy as he drove away. ‘I can stay that long and then I’ll head back to Sydney and organize my life. How would you like to move into my unit in Mosman when I’m out here? I don’t fancy leaving it empty.’
‘Really? That would be great. I live in a one bedroom dump in Newtown that’s seen better days, but because it’s close to the city, even the rent for that is almost unaffordable.’
‘Right, that’s settled then.’ Jemima looked out at the paddocks. ‘You know what? I’m going to go and saddle up and follow them down the back. Want to come for a ride?’
Lucy shook her head. ‘No thanks! I’ll tidy up here and then I’ll start work on my proposal. Can you tell Seb I’ve lined him up for this afternoon in case I’m not here when they come in?’
‘Will do.’
Lucy stood and watched as Jemima headed for the horse paddock, her back straight, and her walk graceful. She’d felt like a misfit when they talked about cattle and feed and weights, but never more so than now as she watched Jemima stride confidently to the horses.
##
Lucy spent the afternoon on her laptop, trying to Skype with the advertising manager at the office. The connection kept dropping out and in the end she called Jim on the land line and he gave her verbal
approval to start the campaign she proposed.
‘Flick me an email with the outline, and send me some of the photos you get this afternoon, and I’ll have a look. But Lucy, the concept sounds great. Go for it!’
At four-thirty, she looked anxiously at the clock; there was no sign of Gran and her three cousins. Luckily the food for pickup had been prepared and all she had to do was pack it and wait for Tommy to collect it when he brought the lunch baskets back in. She smiled as he looked around for Jemima.
‘Sorry, Tommy. Only me this time.’
Lucy took a quick shower and deliberated over what she would wear before pulling herself up with a good talking to. In the city, she’d wear cargos and a T-shirt, so that would do here. The lipstick she put on was purely to stop her lips getting burned by the late afternoon sun.
It was.
She grabbed a bottle of water and her hat, and then scribbled a note for Seb, reminding him to come down to the dam and bring his camera as soon as he could. The cattle crush was quiet and empty when she walked past, but a sudden memory of her Mum sitting on the top rail as the cattle ran through the gate made her catch her breath. Lucy took out the memory and let it roll around in her thoughts; back in those days she had loved to help when Mum and Dad came out from town when the cattle work was full on.
‘Move ’em, move ‘em along, Paul.’ The beasts were noisy and it was hot and dusty work. Mum was perched up on the rail, her blue-checked flannel shirt flapping in the cool winter wind as Dad pushed the cattle along in the crush. It was Lucy’s job to lift the gate and let them out one by one after Mum lifted the drench gun and moved to the next beast. In primary school, she’d felt important, and by the time she’d got to high school, she was allowed to write down the weights as Pop weighed the cattle so the cattle got the right dose of Cydectin. God, she even remembered the name of it.
She shook her head and stared at the cattle crush. The only noise today was the chain rattling on the gate as the hot westerly blew in. If she was honest, it was only after Mum died that she associated Prickle Farm with all the bad memories. Before then the dust, and the flies, the heat and the prickles had just been a part of life and hadn’t bothered her.
Her thoughts were pensive as she walked to the back dam.
Chapter 12
Garth watched as Lucy strolled along the edge of the dam wall towards him, her head down. He’d come down early and put out some yabbie nets, remembering how much Lucy used to loved to fish for the muddy crustaceans. Years ago, he’d stood behind her, holding the string, showing her how to feel the tug and pull the suckers in from the muddy water. She’d been so excited when they pulled the nets in; Garth had been more excited by the press of her soft curves against his chest.
Back in those happy days, it didn’t take much to make her smile; these days she seemed so sad. The only time her face lit up was when she was talking about her work. Her job was in Sydney, six hundred kilometres and a seven hour drive away. He frowned—even though he’d only spent a small amount of time with her, the thought of Lucy leaving Prickle Farm again was not one he was keen on.
Maybe he’d spend a bit of time in the big smoke when he got the farm sorted. Keep in touch, go down and visit.
Yeah and pigs might fly.
For probably the hundredth time since Garth had taken over from his parents, he wondered if he’d made the right choice. Six days between Christmas and New Year each year was the only time his parents had ever left the farm for the annual family holiday up to Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast. When he’d taken over six months ago, in the excitement of being a landholder, he’d forgotten the long, hard slog and the daily grind of running a five thousand acre property. But up until this week, spending all his time on the farm, and not being able to get away much, hadn’t bothered him.
‘Hey, Garth.’ Lucy called down from the top of the levee bank at the dam’s edge.
‘Hey, Lucy-Lou.’ Garth put down the string he was holding and placed a small rock on it to keep it secure.
‘I didn’t think you were here yet,’ she said with a hand up to her eyes. The sun was setting and the golden shafts of light reflecting off the dam were bright.
‘Came down and parked in the shade a while back.’ He nodded to the small stand of trees where he’d parked the ute. ‘And then I came down to the water to set some nets.’ His eyes ran over her lush curves moulded by a snug pink T-shirt. ‘I remembered how much you enjoyed yabbie fishing.’
‘Eww, I forgot about the yabbies in the dam when I swam the other day. No more!’
Garth laughed at the look of horror on her face. ‘Come on, they don’t bite. Where’s my country girl gone?’
Lucy held his gaze and a strange shimmer ran though him. It was more than desire, it was a strong need to get to know her again, to make her smile and take away those shadows from beneath her eyes. He shook himself mentally and looked past her. ‘Where’s your photographer?’
Lucy put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. ‘My fault. They all went out on horseback to check the cattle at the back of the property, and I forgot to ask him. They didn’t even come in for lunch. But I left him a note to come out here when they get back.’
Garth kept his eyes on her face, ignoring the T-shirt pulling tight over her breasts. ‘So while we wait for him, we can catch some yabbies.’
He reached up and held out his hand to Lucy at the top of the bank. She grabbed his outstretched fingers and as she stepped down her boots sank into the soft side of the dam wall, and the red dust caved in to reveal a network of small holes.
‘Good sign, the yabbies have been burrowing in the bank, so there must be a few in the water.’
Lucy followed him over to the water’s edge and Garth glanced across at her. ‘Want to pull the first one in?’
Her nod was enthusiastic and he watched as she gently picked up the rock and tugged at the string.
‘Feels heavy.’ A delighted squeal left her lips as she pulled the string and the first net cleared the water. ‘Oh, look. Five beauties.’
‘Dinner. I was hoping you’d join me after you got your photos.’ Garth gestured to the ute before he bent and lifted the huge crustaceans out by the back of their shell. He was wary of those huge nippers; he’d had them latch onto him more than once and it wasn’t pretty. ‘I threw in a pot and a rack and some rock salt on the off chance we caught some.’
Lucy’s smile sent another ripple of need running through him. ‘What about your special sauce?’
‘You remember?’ He looked at her quizzically as he dropped the yabbies into the bucket and snapped the lid on.
‘How could I forget such a gourmet delight?’ She tilted her head to the side and he watched as she ran the tip of her tongue over full pink lips. ‘Equal parts of tomato sauce and mayonnaise if I remember correctly. Right?’
He held his fingers to his lips in an Italian gesture. ‘Spot on, food of the gods.’
‘You know, Garth. I used to think about you and that sauce whenever I went to the flash seafood restaurants in the city. Always made me smile.’
‘Nice to know you were thinking of me, Luce.’ He wiped his wet hands on his jeans and reached up and cupped her face in his palm. ‘I thought of you too. Often.’ He held her gaze steadily and the soft evening light deepened the mauve shadows beneath her eyes. An unfamiliar surge of protectiveness ran through him. ‘Wondered where you’d got to, and what you were up to. And I’m proud of you, now you’re a mover and shaker in the world of advertising.’
‘I wish,’ she said with a grin and turned as the sound of an engine came over the levee bank. ‘Barely a mover and shaker. Advertising jingles and slogans fill most of my day.’
‘Did you ever start the great Australian novel you always said you’d write one day? You were always such a fabulous story teller at high school.’
Lucy shook her head but didn’t answer his question. She pointed up the hill. ‘Oh good, here’s Seb now. And the light is just about perfect.’
Garth walked thoughtfully behind her as she clambered up the bank in front of him. He’d been leading too much of a lonely life over the past six months. Combine that with the memory of Lucy’s soft body against his as they’d spent the afternoons discovering the joy of sex on a picnic rug at this very dam; it was no wonder she interested him so much now.
##
Lucy had put aside the novel she’d written in the months following Mum 's death. Reading her words had frightened her; her vulnerabilities and her deepest desires had been exposed in the story that had poured from her and filled the void that grieving had left. She’d put too much of herself into her story. Never for public consumption, not if she wanted to be seen as the confident twenty-five-year-old she put out to the world.
But Garth’s words had left lingering warmth in her chest. Not only had he thought about her, he sounded genuinely pleased that she was making a success of her career, and he’d remembered her writing dream. With any luck, his willingness to be a part of this campaign would contribute to her career success and she would be well on the way to shaking up the advertising business. Funny how things came around. Back here in the Pilliga and the opportunity she’d sought for so long in Sydney was here right in front of her.
And looking mighty fine too.
The sun was hovering above the horizon and the bank of cloud in the western sky was a deep pink. Seb jumped out of Pop’s ute and slung a camera around his neck before sauntering over.
‘Not such a bad idea, Lucy. Best light ever, out here.’ He held out his hand to Garth and shook it firmly as he greeted him. ‘Didn’t get much of a chance to say hello the other day, Garth. How’s things over at the McKenzie farm?’
Lucy lifted her head and watched, surprised as Sebastian and Garth chatted about cattle prices. Her eyes narrowed as Seb’s voice rose enthusiastically as Garth told him about the rise in prices on the radio at midday.
‘Missed that,’ he said with a sidelong glance at Lucy. ‘We were out on the horses. Ended up mustering the back paddock.’
Loving Lucy: A Prickle Farm Romance Page 6