Magpie's Bend

by Maya Linnell

  He looked up, catching her gaze. Lara blanched. Had he felt her watching him? Did he know her sisters were on the warpath? God, how embarrassing. She busied herself with the chopping board in front of her.

  Diana leaned closer, whispering in her ear.

  ‘You’ll lose a finger at this rate,’ she said.

  Lara shot her a withering look, grateful when Angie waltzed back into the kitchen, jiggling baby Lucy on her hip. Angie cooed at her baby niece, pointing out the window.

  ‘C’mon, Lucy, let’s go play with the kids.’

  ‘Thanks, Ange,’ said Penny. ‘Her bottle’s in the fridge. Jonesy, before you get your hands dirty, can you try Tim on the two-way radio again? He and Eddie should’ve been back from checking the paddocks by now.’

  A hush fell over the room. Lara couldn’t help but look out the window at the mountain range, before glancing back at her sister. Penny’s smile was suddenly tight. Angie’s husband didn’t need to be asked twice. Everyone was quiet as the UHF radio crackled with static.

  ‘On channel, Tim?’

  Lara went to the sink, washed her hands and flicked on the kettle. Time for a cup of tea.

  ‘He’s checking the ladies-in-waiting near the north dam. Three new calves overnight,’ Angus explained to Toby, washing his hands too. Toby looked between them, evidently picking up on the sudden tension in the kitchen.

  Lara heaped three generous spoons of tea into the large teapot, filled it with boiling water as the radio crackled again.

  ‘You there, Tim? Eddie?’ Rob tried again.

  Lara let the mugs clatter on the bench, anything to break the silence, and breathed a sigh of relief when Eddie’s voice came on the radio.

  ‘Pulled a calf, Jonesy. The little baby is cute, cute, cute.’

  The colour flooded back into Penny’s face. It had been almost five years since their father’s farm accident, and Penny had been the one to raise the alarm when he didn’t return from routine stock work. She knew the memory of that day, and the anxiousness that ambushed Penny every time Tim was out later than he’d planned, hadn’t eased with time.

  Tim’s voice came over the staticky line.

  ‘The mum’s in strife though, Jonesy. She’s one that we scanned with twins Wanna give us a hand?’

  Rob listened grimly. He grabbed his phone while Tim confirmed his location, then turned to Penny.

  ‘Chains, Pen?’

  She fetched the equipment and rounded up the teenagers to accompany Rob. Lara heard a clatter of boots in the porch, then the sound of motorbikes floated across from the shearing shed.

  Lara’s heart swelled with pride at the sight of Evie riding one of the ag bikes, with Holly clutching her from behind like a koala, and Cameron in close pursuit. The school results and scholarship were great—what parent wouldn’t be delighted with a bright, confident, A-Grade student?—but she was equally as proud to see her daughter fit back into her natural environment so seamlessly.

  Thirteen

  Toby was surprised by how quickly the first quarter of beef disappeared in a flash of knives. He had snapped plenty of pictures of the butchering, and the possibility of photographing a calf’s birth sounded mighty appealing too. Rob disappeared out the laundry door, clearly on a mission. Would it be rude to ditch the meat packing and invite myself along? Toby looked up from the roast he’d been trimming, his gaze gravitating to the camera bag.

  Angus piped up from across the bench.

  ‘You should go with Jonesy, mate. Capture both sides of the life cycle for your article. We’re breaking for smoko soon anyway.’ Toby didn’t need to be told twice. With a quick scrub of his hands, he was out the door in time to catch a lift with Rob.

  The ute bumped its way across the paddocks and Toby found himself grasping the hand grip by his left ear more than once.

  ‘Angel bars, they call them,’ laughed Rob, slowing down for another gate.

  Toby climbed out to open it, fumbling with the latch when he heard a loud roar behind him. Two motorbikes carved their way across the paddock, and though their pace was sedate, his heart skipped when he realised Holly was on the back of one.

  What the—

  ‘C’mon, mate,’ called Rob. ‘Haven’t got all day.’

  Holly gave him a thumbs-up and an exhilarated grin as they rode through the gate. The fact that she was wearing a helmet did little to ease his mind. Toby frowned as he climbed back into the ute. At least she’s with Evie, he told himself. He wasn’t quite ready to see Holly with her arms and legs wrapped around a strapping teenage boy.

  Rob caught him wiping his hands nervously on his jeans. ‘Don’t look so worried, they’ve been riding since they could walk. Your daughter’s safe with them,’ Rob said.

  ‘I’d feel better if it was a quad bike.’

  Rob shook his head. ‘Don’t say that around the McIntyre girls. Angus was lucky to survive a quad-bike accident a few years back. Trust me: two wheels are a lot safer on this terrain. That or the thing Tim’s using.’

  A side-by-side Polaris ATV loomed into view as they passed a shelter-belt of trees and rounded the great mound of dirt beside a dam. Tim stood by a small set of cattle yards, studying the rear end of a large cow, while Eddie, in his matching green work shirt, was showing the teenagers a silky mound on the grass.

  Rob pulled up and he grabbed the chains from the ute tray.

  ‘G’day Tim,’ said Toby, trying not to cringe at the slimy, blood-streaked residue that went up Tim’s forearm and well past his elbow. Rob launched into action without needing any instructions, while Toby stood back, not wanting to get in the way. The cow bellowed loudly, shifting her weight from side to side

  ‘The first twin seems fine,’ said Tim, ‘but I’m not sure how this one will fare. The mum’s getting tired.’

  ‘Mind if I take photos?’

  ‘Knock yourself out,’ said Tim, taking the chain Rob handed him. Toby flicked the camera’s power button and walked around, assessing the lighting for the shot. Click, click. He wouldn’t be able to capture Tim’s gentle, soothing murmurs, the cow’s distressed calls or the rich scent of autumn crops, but he managed a few shots before Tim’s hand disappeared inside the cow, capturing the look of concentration on his tanned face, and the way his other hand gently stroked the cow’s hide.

  ‘Dad, check this out,’ said Holly.

  Toby crouched down beside her.

  ‘So cute, little baby,’ said Eddie.

  ‘Hey Eddie, it’s a ripper,’ said Toby.

  ‘Baby, baby, baby,’ sang Eddie, slinging one arm around Evie and the other around Cameron. The teenagers leaned in for a closer look. Holly stroked the calf’s damp hide.

  Toby lifted his camera and took a photo of the four of them, huddled around the new arrival. It shared the same glossy black coat as its mother, with a dark nose and long eyelashes.

  He turned back to the cow. The chains dangled from Tim’s hands.

  ‘I can’t get a good-enough grip on the second twin’s legs,’ said Tim. ‘You have a shot, Jonesy.’ Rob took off his watch and rolled up his sleeves.

  ‘Never this much trouble at lambing time,’ said Tim, turning to Toby. ‘We’re mostly merino sheep here, a few hundred cattle. Handy having a brother-in-law from a dairy farm.’

  ‘A vet would be even handier,’ said Rob, wryly.

  Toby raised his Nikon again, focusing as Rob worked on the stuck calf. Concern turned to triumph and soon they saw hooves emerge. Tim quickly wrapped the chains around the calf’s ankles, wiping his hands on his jeans before reaching into the back of the ute and pulling out another contraption. Toby hadn’t seen anything like it before, and almost forgot to take photographs as he watched them winch the calf out.

  The ankles came out a little further, then the knees, and then an almost-blue flap of skin. It wasn’t until a nose followed that Toby realised the blue thing was the newborn’s tongue. The mother’s distressed noises sent chills down Toby’s spine, as if she too knew how dir
e things were.

  ‘Eddie, help keep her calm,’ called Tim, gripping the chains. Eddie moved to the cow’s face, speaking in the same gentle manner as his brother.

  Rob worked with Tim at the opposite end, sticking his fingers in to clear the muck from the calf’s large nostrils. Amniotic fluid spilled down his jeans, but neither he nor Tim faltered. Would the calf make it? Toby lowered his camera. The tongue hanging out the calf’s mouth was more purple than blue away from the lens. It didn’t look good.

  The clock chimed midday as Pete finished with the second side of beef. Lara and her sisters worked in unison to clear the meat, chopping boards, scraps and knives from the benches. Lara filled the laundry basket with a fresh batch of meat, all bagged, weighed and labelled, then carried it out to Angus’s cottage.

  ‘Dad’s freezer’s nearly full too, Pen. Hope you’ve cleared out the chest freezer for the next side of beef?’

  Penny turned from the sink, her hands covered in suds as she scrubbed the greasy meat residue off her skin. ‘Is the Pope a Catholic?’ She was smiling now that she’d heard from Tim.

  Angus peeled the lid off the Tupperware containers, peering at the treasure trove of treats they had baked for smoko.

  ‘Angie’s new kitchen’s obviously working out well,’ he said, pushing the container across the bench. Lara’s mouth watered at the sight of fluffy coconut-covered lamingtons, perfectly golden jam drops and a shiny white pavlova. She shared a look with Diana. Baked goods were a great sign.

  Last year, when Angie and Rob had been in the thick of renovating their cottage by the coast, baking had become a dirty word. With a mother-in-law who invaded their space, a health-kick that veered into an obsession and no kitchen of her own, Angie had been on a collision course with disaster.

  Lara glanced back out the window. Angie was pushing Lucy in the baby swing while Claudia tried her hardest to keep up with her bigger cousins. It was good to see the world back on its regular axis. Kids on the trampoline, meat packing well underway, the whole family together, working towards a common goal.

  Diana lined up the mugs on the bench and heaped fresh tea leaves into the pot.

  ‘It’s a dream kitchen, that’s for sure. Between your kitchen, Lara’s, and Angie’s new one, my poor old kitchen is looking very nineties,’ said Diana.

  Pete snorted. ‘Nothing wrong with our kitchen,’ he said, turning to Lara. ‘And at the rate your sister’s buying rose bushes and dahlia tubers, I’ll need to start a second stock agency to pay the bills.’ He said it with a smile, and Lara didn’t miss the wink he sent in Diana’s direction as he said it.

  ‘There’s a method to my madness, Pete, and you know it. One day we’ll make an income from all those gorgeous flowers, mark my words.’

  Pete nabbed one of the lamingtons, and turned in her direction. ‘Diana my love, you have to start selling those flowers instead of giving them all away. Maybe Lara will let you have a flower stall at the shop?’

  ‘Sounds good to me,’ said Lara. ‘And it’s not my shop, it’s everyone’s.’

  ‘You’re the softie who decided it needed saving,’ said Pete kindly, picking up the kids’ plate of sandwiches and taking it outside.

  Lara shook her head. ‘I’m the sucker who couldn’t watch it slip into the hands of those out-of-town idiots. At least Dallas has given up his pursuit.’

  Lara looked at the sepia wedding photo on the top of the china hutch. Penny followed her gaze, smiling at the sight of their parents, young and happy, forty years ago.

  ‘You can pretend all you like, Lars. We know you’re a sentimental soul underneath,’ said Penny.

  Is that what it is? Lara wondered. Sentimentality?

  ‘I reckon it’s bigger than that,’ said Angus, draining his mug. ‘You’re doing it for the greater good of the community, aren’t you, love? Just like your mum, you saw a void and you’re filling it.’

  Lara felt uncomfortable as everyone turned to her. Or was it selfishness, plain and simple, naïvely hoping a school-holiday income would keep Evie returning home for years to come?

  She cleared her throat.

  ‘Wonder if they’ve got those twin calves out yet? Hopefully Amy’s on her way. They’ll need a vet if the cow’s in distress.’ Angus lifted his cup. ‘I’ll finish my cuppa and call them on the radio, see if there’s an update.’

  ‘With a bit of luck, a stuck calf will scare Evie and Holly off childbirth for another decade or so,’ said Lara, piling jam and cream onto a scone.

  ‘And Cam,’ added Diana. ‘One minute he was in nappies, now he’s as tall as Pete, his cheeks are covered in peach fuzz and he’s going through more tissues in his bedroom than a bloke with man-flu.’ Diana cringed. ‘Did you see him checking out Holly?’

  ‘More importantly, did you see Lara checking out Holly’s dad?’ Penny’s giggle matched her devilish tone. ‘And Toby’s a lot more subtle than our Cameron, but I saw him looking when he thought nobody was watching.’

  Lara waved a dismissive hand. ‘He’s helping with the store campaign, that’s it.’

  ‘Doesn’t have to be all, though. He’s single, you’re single. He likes running, you like running. He’s got a teenager, you’ve got a teenager. I’m sensing a theme here.’

  Lara desperately thought of ways to head this conversation off at the pass.

  ‘I like being single. And if I wanted some action, I’d head up to Horsham for a big night out. Even without Mrs Beggs at the helm of the general store, news like that would spread across Bridgefield like wildfire,’ she said. But even to her own ears, the excuse sounded flimsy.

  Her sisters smiled at each other as they headed out for some fresh air. Lara stayed indoors and picked up her knife. She ran it back and forth over the sharpening stone until the noise drowned out the self-doubt before it started to tick off all her weaknesses, one by one. She hadn’t forgotten the almost-kiss at the top of Windmill Track, but the nasty voice inside her head also wouldn’t let her forget what happened the last time she let her guard down.

  She looked across at Penny, cuddling Lucy under the shade of a weeping mulberry tree. She’d made a great choice with Tim. Lara spotted Angie sharing a tray of sweets among the children. Rob was as steady as a rock, and having survived a renovation, she was pretty sure they could manage anything. And then there were Diana and Pete—a perfect couple. She watched Diana gesture to the Peach Profusion roses planted by their mother. Pete dutifully leaned down to smell them before nodding and allowing himself to be dragged to another nearly identical bush.

  Her sisters had made good choices. Why hadn’t she?

  The cow gave one last almighty bellow and the second calf slipped to the ground, the chains on its ankles clinking as they fell to the grass. Even the fall didn’t seem to rouse the animal.

  ‘Evie, grab the towel from the back of the ute!’

  Tim and Rob dropped to their knees and started to pump the calf’s legs and rub its face, trying to encourage a response.

  ‘The towel’s not there, Uncle Tim,’ said Evie, her face stricken.

  Cameron tugged his flannel shirt off without hesitation and passed it to Rob.

  Toby couldn’t help but notice the way Holly dragged her attention away from the lifeless calf to take in the view of Cameron’s bare chest. Toby nudged her with his elbow.

  ‘Where’s your camera?’

  Cameron’s shirt was soon covered in blood and muck as Rob scrubbed the newborn’s hide, determined to rub life into its limbs. It was easy to see why this one had given its mother so much more grief than its twin: it was almost twice the size.

  The sun popped out from behind a cloud, bathing the paddock in bright light. Toby’s shoulders relaxed as he saw the calf’s long eyelashes flicker and then open.

  ‘That’s it, nugget. That’s a boy,’ said Rob, backing off his vigorous massage. The calf stirred as Tim unhooked the chains from around its ankles and handed them to Eddie, who carried them to the back of the ute.

 
‘Amy’s here, Amy’s here,’ sang Eddie. Toby turned to see a grey ute cruising across the paddock. The same vet who had treated Basil’s snakebite stepped out of the driver’s side, and Angus unfolded himself from the passenger seat.

  ‘Knew you boys would have it under control,’ he said, then he winked at Toby. ‘What’d you make of that, then?’

  ‘An eye opener,’ Toby admitted, raking a hand through his hair.

  One look at Cameron’s goosebumps had Toby wondering if the boy regretted donating his shirt. He then caught Holly’s smile and frowned. Probably not. Toby had sent her to an all-girls school so she could concentrate on her studies, not boys, and here he was bringing her to a farming weekend and putting her in front of an eligible young farm boy. Great one, Paxton.

  The teenagers took off on the ag bikes. Tim wiped his hands on his jeans and walked over to Toby.

  ‘Pete’ll be itching to start cutting up the next side, and I’m done out here. You ready for another few hours on the knives?’ ‘Sure thing,’ said Toby. He’d liked the atmosphere in the farmhouse kitchen. The gentle stirring among the McIntyres, the all-hands-on-deck ethos.

  He followed Tim to the all-terrain vehicle, bulkier than a quad-bike but not as enclosed as a farm ute. Eddie joined Rob in the white ute, leaving Angus and Amy behind with the cow and calves. As they drove off, Toby noticed the branding across the side of Rob’s ute. Bottlebrush Building Co. There was a theme among the McIntyre girls—they’d all chosen handy husbands: Pete the stock agent. Tim the farmer. Rob the builder.

  Toby studied his own soft hands as Tim started the side-by-side. Would Lara even be interested in a bloke who sat at a keyboard all day? A would-be photographer who was too busy working for someone else to think about starting his own business? The only time his hands got dirty at work was putting new toner in the office printer. Toby looked at the steering wheel. Traces of muck clung to Tim’s hands; they were definitely working man’s hands.