Wildflower Ridge

by Maya Linnell

  Penny hugged her niece to her chest, squeezing her tight as relief flowed through her body.

  Sixty-six

  Tim tapped the roof of the police car as Matt pulled away, lights flashing. It was done. Sam Kingsley was officially being escorted off the property. He hoped the courts would go hard on him. That scumbag deserves the full force of the law, he thought grimly, watching the tail-lights disappear into the night.

  Tim ran a hand over his unshaven jaw, stifling a yawn as he walked towards the ambulance. The rain had subsided, but wet denim chafed against his legs. Flagging adrenaline amplified the cold that was seeping into his bones. He had waved away the paramedics’ blankets, directing them towards the real casualties, but the call of dry clothes and a hot shower beckoned now that Evie was safe and Sam was in police custody. Tim leaned on the ambulance door, his gaze fixed on Evie’s small hand linked with her mother’s, clinging to one another as they were prepped for transport.

  ‘A few X-rays and we’ll know whether those ribs are fractured.’ The paramedic was the same man who had attended the quad bike accident, his movements calm and measured as he checked the stretcher’s anchor points.

  Tim smiled wearily.

  ‘Hey Missy, you riding in the ambulance too? Bet your mum’s pleased to have you looking out for her again.’

  Evie rewarded him with a brave smile, the woollen blanket slipping around her shoulders to reveal many more layers, each working to combat the rapidly dropping temperature and ward off hypothermia.

  ‘I’ll take good care of Mum. Can you meet us at Grandpa’s farmhouse afterwards? Please, Tim?’

  Tim nodded, swayed by the girl’s resilience. At least I’ll have an hour or so to shape tonight’s drama into a child-friendly recap.

  Lara’s voice came from the stretcher. The pain medication made her softer, reminding him of Penny.

  ‘Thanks, Tim. For everything.’

  He waved away her gratitude as the paramedic closed the doors. If a ten-year-old can still smile and stay strong after something like that, then you’ve got no excuses, Patterson. Find her.

  He walked along the homestead driveway, scanning the floodlit yard for just one person. He ignored the eager Bridgefield Advertiser journalist, stepped around the unmarked police car that had delivered a pair of detectives from Horsham, and walked behind Pete’s car to the driver’s side. A phone screen illuminated Penny’s face. Her body sagged against the door as she spoke. Tim watched her rub her eyes and guessed she was every bit as tired as she looked. He wanted to whisk her back to the farmhouse and carry her upstairs to her old cast-iron bed, like he’d done when she’d first arrived back at the farm. The desire to make her warm, safe and comfortable immediately surpassed his own needs.

  He lifted a hand to tap on the window, but paused. Manners, Patterson. Let the girl finish her conversation before you barge in like a caveman.

  He took a step backward, trying to sort his thoughts out as he waited, when the volume suddenly increased in the car, heated words spilling out into the frigid night.

  ‘Our relationship was over six months ago, let’s stop pretending otherwise. Keep driving back to the city, Vince. This is where I belong.’

  Tim’s heart surged, his mouth rising into a goofy smile as one of the hurdles between them crumbled. Penny hung up the phone.

  He knocked on the window, a sheepish apology on his lips as he saw her jump at the noise.

  ‘You scared the hell out of me,’ she said, opening the door and landing an indignant punch on his shoulder.

  ‘Takes more than that to scare you, Penny McIntyre. You were brave today, really brave, and I reckon Lara knows that too.’

  Her expression softened, searching his face.

  ‘Just doing what a good sister should, even if it was long overdue. All’s well that ends well, I guess.’

  Tim watched her turn the heater up a notch, as she shivered at the influx of cold air from the open door. A smart man would close the door and jump in the passenger side, he told himself, but somehow his feet wouldn’t budge. He wanted an answer to the question that was rolling around in his head. Pete had filled in the blanks about the fight that had taken place in the house while Tim was scouting the outside of the property. Before he went any further, he wanted—needed—to know.

  ‘I heard you offered to pay Sam off and push for the farm sale.’

  Penny crossed her arms over her chest and nodded. Her tired eyes were crinkled at the corners, her make-up washed away by the rain and tendrils of strawberry-blond hair stuck out at all angles from her head.

  ‘I learned a lot of things today, things I wouldn’t have believed if you’d told me them yesterday. But one thing I know for sure. Family and relationships are worth more than money, pride or image. I would have transferred my savings in a heartbeat and sacrificed everything to salvage my family.’ Her voice was bright and sharp, her words marked with certainty.

  He reached a hand to her porcelain cheek, the warmth of her skin gently thawing the remains of his resolve.

  ‘My life’s been turned upside down since you arrived back at McIntyre Park. I was kidding myself thinking I could stay away from you, Mac. You make me want to be a better man, and I’m hoping you’ll give me a second chance.’

  He felt hope uncoil in his heart, but remained rigidly upright, waiting for confirmation they were on the same page. She leaned in and nodded, her fingers reaching up and caressing his stubbled jaw as his heart did a barn dance in his chest. This is how it’s supposed to be, he thought, closing his eyes and bending down to kiss her.

  ‘Ah-hem.’

  Tim wheeled around to find an older policewoman with a notepad.

  ‘Sorry to interrupt. I just need a final word with Miss McIntyre. You’ve given your statement, Mr Patterson, so you’re welcome to leave now.’

  Disappointment washed over him. Now that he’d finally told her how he felt, he wanted to shout it from the top of the mountains. He sighed as Penny turned back towards the homestead, where the police had set up a makeshift office. A cheeky smile over her shoulder made his heart do the quickstep and he settled into the passenger seat, awaiting her return.

  Sixty-seven

  The wood-fire popped and crackled, casting a golden hue across the lounge room. Penny curled her knitted slippers under her and tucked her hands around the mug of Milo, stifling another yawn. Her pyjamas were soft and warm, but her fatigue abated just a little more each time she looked over at Tim—there was too much promise in his face and love within the room to consider sleep just yet.

  ‘And tell ’em, Aunty Penny. Tell ’em what you said about the puppies.’ Evie was animated despite the ordeal, and she was clinging to the promise Penny had made in the relief of discovery.

  Penny glanced at Lara, whose head was resting on Evie’s shoulder, one arm clutched gently across her bandaged ribs. She saw a twinkle in her sister’s eye. Lara spoke for them both, smiling at the audience who had already heard this tale tonight. Penny knew it was a happy ending to a story that could have gone so badly wrong, and would listen to this rendition on an infinite loop if it made her brave young niece smile.

  ‘She said you could have one. I would’ve agreed to all six of them if I’d been the one who found you huddled in the dog kennels, being guarded by a bunch of kelpie pups. So I guess we’re lucky Aunty Pen discovered you.’

  Angus leaned forward, passing Evie another of Penny’s chocolate biscuits.

  ‘Always knew you were a smart girl, Evie. Heading for the hills at the whiff of danger proves it,’ he said.

  ‘I just didn’t feel good at that house, even though Dad said I could train the pups with him, and he showed me my new bedroom. It was like the trees were whispering secrets. That’s why I ran off and hid. Do you think he’ll want a dog in jail?’

  Lara’s face hardened, and Penny imagined the minefield she and Diana would have to navigate as they filtered the events of the night for their children. Angus reached over and ruffled Ev
ie’s golden hair.

  ‘Don’t you worry about that. What’s important is you and Cameron being safe and sound, and all of us being here together.’

  He’s right, thought Penny. She surveyed her family, all crammed into the lounge room they had grown up in. She felt contentment and relief in equal quantities, wrapped together with a bow of romantic anticipation.

  ‘We could all have a pup!’ Evie looked around the room, a hopeful expression that would sell ice to an Eskimo.

  Angus groaned.

  ‘It’s not coming inside like that slob over there.’ His tone was light as he jerked a thumb at Rusty, who lay sleeping on the hearth.

  ‘We’ll have one too, won’t we, Daddy?’ Cameron’s sleepy eyes pleaded with Pete, who smiled indulgently.

  Angie nodded enthusiastically. ‘My landlord in Eden Creek said no pets, but I’ll have a red-hot crack at convincing him.’

  Penny watched Tim rise from the couch with a short nod in Evie’s direction.

  ‘Bones is getting old and he could do with the company too. Wait till I tell Eddie,’ he said.

  Penny was glad Eddie had missed all the drama; his sunny world had already been disrupted enough with all their recent arguments, accidents and surprises. She watched Tim move towards the door and slipped her feet out from underneath her.

  ‘If Vince hadn’t gone back to the city in such a hurry, we could have sent him home with one too. Though he didn’t seem much of an animal person,’ said Cameron.

  Tim turned to Penny. She felt her cheeks flush as he scanned her face. She kept her gaze fixed on him as she answered.

  ‘Nope, I made a big mistake there. It turns out he’s not an animal person, Cam.’

  The corners of Tim’s mouth twitched as he lifted a hand to farewell the room, his distraction visible. Angus coughed delicately. Penny could feel multiple pairs of eyes on them, but there was only one gaze that mattered to her at that very moment.

  ‘I’m more interested in a man who loves animals as much as me, who works with his hands and knows his way around a paddock or two. Can you think of anyone who fits the bill?’

  Evie giggled, a bubbly sound that mimicked the tingle in Penny’s belly.

  She watched a delicious smile crease Tim’s face.

  ‘I might know a guy …’ He inclined his head towards the back door. ‘If you walk me to the ute, I’ll give you his number.’

  Penny set her Milo down on the coffee table and sidestepped her family members to cross the lounge room floor. Pausing at the back door, she caught a glimpse of her freshly scrubbed face and flannelette pyjamas in the laundry mirror. She automatically reached to pull out her hair tie, when Tim touched her hand.

  ‘Leave it. I’m more interested in the real Penny Mac. The one who loves animals as much as me, who works with her hands and knows her way around a paddock or two. And I have no trouble thinking of someone who fits the bill.’

  He reached down and cupped her face in his hands, closing his eyes as he lowered his face towards hers. Penny felt a shift inside her as his gentle lips pressed to hers, a sense that everything was exactly how it was supposed to be. She snaked her hands around his waist, relishing the gentle movement of his mouth against hers. Pleasure swept through her body as she parted her lips, lifted her chin up higher and kissed him with all of her might.

  Tim threaded his hands through Penny’s silky hair and drew her closer. He felt her lips curving into a smile as their noses bumped together, and she breathed his name. He felt the tip of her tongue run across his bottom lip and remembered the reason he hadn’t been able to get Penny McIntyre out of his mind.

  Sixty-eight

  Penny awoke to a crowing rooster. She stretched like a cat, her body gliding across the crisp cotton sheets as she reached for Tim’s side of the bed.

  Although he wasn’t there, the linen was still warm and she knew he must have slipped out quietly before his alarm woke them both. Breathing in the smell of his deodorant and shampoo, she lazily rolled back onto her side of the bed and fumbled for her phone. The rooster continued crowing, and she questioned the need for any other alarm: his morning routine was like clockwork. But she couldn’t be angry with the early bird, not with such a big day ahead of them. The bright screen dazzled her as she checked the time.

  It was a little after 5 a.m., early enough for some stretching before sale-day preparations began.

  After stepping into her leggings and T-shirt, she sleepily started her yoga routine, her brain waking up as she went through the now-familiar downward-facing dog, cat and cow stretches, and warrior poses. Fresh breath flowed into her body, bringing with it anticipation and nerves about the sale. Calm mind, body and soul, she told herself, focusing on her breathing each time a worry broke into her bubble of serenity.

  Yoga done, she breezed through to the shower, washed her hair and pulled it back into a comfortable ponytail. She grabbed her sunscreen from beside Tim’s toothbrush, and smoothed it over her freckled cheekbones and down onto her décolletage, where the sun seemed to sneak in and cast a permanent shadow on her fair skin. Her green twill shirt set off her complexion, and she smiled at the white embroidery on her pocket. ‘Penny McIntyre—McIntyre Park Merino Stud.’ The simple label gave her more satisfaction than any lanyard, business card or nametag from her past.

  Magpies warbled outside the kitchen window, trumping the rooster for volume as daylight peeked in. The fabric curtains slid easily on their new tracks—one of last week’s farmhouse beautification projects—and Penny pushed the windows ajar. She found a handpicked rosebud on the benchtop next to a note from Tim.

  Best luck today, Mac. You’ll smash it. I’m running into town for a quick pre-sale errand, see you there soon. xx T

  She lifted the dew-glistened rose to her nose, inhaling the sunshine and sweetness, and silently gave thanks for whatever powers had helped everything align so beautifully. It’s going to be a good day, she decided as she sipped her morning coffee. A perfect day.

  Tim waved to a local farmer and pointed him to the rows of utes and four-wheel drives already filling the makeshift parking lot alongside the shearing shed. There wasn’t usually much call for parking supervisors at ram sales, but a high level of enquiries from the advertising campaign had indicated this would be their biggest sale yet. Penny’s marketing skills made him prouder than he could have imagined, and he’d been keen to offer his services as chief parking director. Tim looked at the plethora of South Australian number plates, buyers who had come across the border to inspect the McIntyre Park breeding lines. They won’t be disappointed, he thought, feeling another surge of pride as he scanned the record crowd. Penny walked into view, her fitted green shirt freshly ironed and dark denim jeans tucked into her boots. She’d spent half an hour polishing them last night, working her worries into the rich brown leather, which was already dull with dust. He smiled and raised a hand as she paced past the sheep pens, knowing she wouldn’t rest easy until the final hammer fell.

  A quick glance at his watch confirmed another half an hour until the auctioneer would start. He called Eddie over to him. Like Tim and all the McIntyre clan, Eddie wore a green twill shirt and a big smile. He held up a bag of embroidered green caps he’d been charged with handing out to the prospective buyers. It was half empty already. Tim gave him two thumbs up, impressed with his brother’s fast work.

  ‘Great job there, mate. You’ll have a hat on everyone in the crowd by the day’s end. Do me a quick favour, would you? Grab me some tucker from the CWA stall?’

  Eddie set off in the direction of the catering tent, where Nanna Pearl, Olive and Mrs Beggs held court. Penny’s baking was hard to beat, but Tim still had a soft spot for Nanna Pearl’s chocolate cake. He tapped his chest pocket, checking to make sure the keys to his surprise were still there. Tim wondered how long it would take Penny to realise the shiny red ute parked next to his Holden WB didn’t belong to a buyer or a stock agent. She’d spoken about replacing her Mercedes with something a little
more farm-friendly, and he was pretty sure he’d made a good choice. A smile curled his lips, anticipating her reaction. Today is going to be a perfect day.

  Lanolin and shoe polish scented the warm air. Penny jiggled with nervous energy. Her heart raced as fast as the windmill in the paddock as she waited for the auctioneer to start the proceedings.

  ‘Good weather for it,’ panted Angie, her face flushed from the short walk. The sisters looked remarkably similar in their green shirts. Lara had turned her collar up smartly; Angie and Diana had tucked their shirts into their jeans.

  Penny fiddled with the silk scarf she’d tied into a knot at her throat. It was supposed to shade the triangle of red skin that had got sunburned in yesterday’s spring sunshine, but it was more annoying than helpful. She untied it and stuffed it into her back pocket, then pulled it out and wrapped it around her wrist like a bracelet. If it all went pear-shaped, she could use it to mop up any stray tears. Think positive, Penny, you’ve got this.

  ‘Amazing weather. Reckon you’ve nailed it, Pen.’ Lara flashed a smile in her direction, before scanning the crowd for the children. Penny watched her lips move as she counted five little blond heads among the crowd, then relaxed.

  ‘This is it,’ whispered Penny, as the auctioneer lifted his arm for silence. She felt three pairs of hands squeezing her shoulder, her back and her arm as the auction got underway.

  The morning of the sale passed in a blur. Each ram topped the previous price, and the mood was buoyant over the lunch break. Penny felt an arm slip around her waist and Tim’s lips pressed down on the top of her head. She looked up at his smiling face but couldn’t bring herself to relax.