Barbara Hannay - Her Happy-Ever-After Family

‘He’s a good young man,’ Edna agreed. ‘He helps Ted out every now and again. Means we can still manage to keep a few head of cattle on our land.’

He did? Tess stared at Edna. What would she and Ted do when Cam left?

Cam’s farm ute was parked out the front when they arrived back home. Tess parked beside it and tried to school her wayward heart back into its normal pace and rhythm instead of a ridiculous speeded-up staccato.

‘Can we play on the computer?’

She eyed her nephew and her heart expanded. Two months ago he’d been listless with no enthusiasm for any kind of play. Understandable given the circumstances, but now it seemed the world held a whole list of endless possibilities.

She climbed out of the car and crossed her fingers, prayed the worst was behind them now. ‘As long as you promise to let Krissie have her turn too.’

He nodded.

‘Okay, go on, then.’

He was about to race off, Krissie at his heels, when Cam came around the side of the house. ‘Hey, Cam.’ He waved.

‘Hey, kids.’

Krissie flung her arms around Cam’s middle and hugged him. Tess couldn’t prevent a squirm of envy.

‘We found the bestest cemetery,’ she announced, releasing him. ‘You wanna come play on the computer?’

He blinked. ‘Um…Maybe some other time.’ He ruffled her hair. ‘I have to chat to your aunt about some stuff.’

Krissie ran off and Cam turned to her with a frown. ‘What’s so hot about a cemetery?’

‘They want to inter their mother’s ashes there.’

He pushed the brim of his hat back to stare at her. She nodded. ‘I know. It took me off guard too. It’s all kind of serious, huh?’ She twisted her hands together. Once they interred Sarah’s remains in the Bellaroo Creek cemetery, there’d be no going back. For good or for ill, Bellaroo Creek would become their home. For good.

‘Are you okay with that?’

‘Sure.’ As long as Bellaroo Creek flourished. As long as the primary school remained open. As long…

She kicked herself into action. Standing still for too long allowed doubts to bombard her. And what was the use in those? Striding around the car, she retrieved Fluffy and the cage.

‘So what’s wrong?’

She sent him a swift glance. ‘Who says anything’s wrong?’

‘I do. Your eyes are darker than normal and you have a tiny furrow here.’ He touched a spot on her forehead, before taking the cage from her.

She folded her arms. How could this man be so attuned to her and yet be so far out of reach? She clamped her lips shut. He was out of reach. That was the pertinent fact. Everything else was just…wishful thinking.

‘Tess?’

She turned away, swallowing back a sigh, and led the way down the side of the house. ‘They want to inter their mother’s remains in Bellaroo Creek’s cemetery, but they’ve made no mention of their father.’

She plonked herself down on the garden bench and watched Cam as he placed Fluffy into her mansion of a coop. He was a joy to watch. He might be big, but he didn’t lumber about like a bear. He moved with the grace of a big cat.

She forced her gaze away, only turning back when he took a seat beside her. ‘And that’s a problem?’

She thought about it. ‘I don’t know. Potentially, I guess. We had Sarah and Bruce cremated, but I had no idea what to do with the ashes. A counsellor suggested I let the children be part of the decision-making process, but they were appalled at the thought of scattering the ashes. So…’

‘So you brought them with you.’

‘They were very insistent that their mother should come with us.’

‘But their father?’

‘Not a brass razoo.’ She shook her head. ‘And I couldn’t very well leave him behind, could I?’

‘I guess not.’ He squinted up at the sky. ‘I expect they’ll need closure at some point.’

‘Lord, I hope so.’ She grinned at him. ‘Because I’m not sure I want Bruce living on the top of my wardrobe for the next twenty years.’

He laughed as she’d meant him to, but he leaned towards her, and that suddenly seemed dangerous. ‘And, yet, why do I get the feeling that if that’s how long Krissie and Ty need, then that’s exactly where Bruce will stay?’

He smelled like cut grass, dirt and fresh air. It hit her that he smelled like Bellaroo Creek. When he went to Africa, he’d be taking a little bit of Bellaroo Creek with him. The thought should’ve made her smile.

‘I met Edna Fairfield.’

He leaned back. ‘Keeping Jack company?’

‘Uh-huh.’

She eyed him for a moment. He rolled his shoulders. ‘What?’

‘She has a very high opinion of you.’

‘I have a high opinion of her and Ted.’

‘They’ll miss you if you leave.’

‘When, Tess. When I leave.’

She shook herself. ‘That’s what I meant.’

He had exciting, not to mention important, work to look forward to in Africa. He had the promise of adventure before him, the once-in-a-lifetime experience of immersing himself in another culture and sharing his knowledge, and helping make the world a better place. She couldn’t begrudge him his dream, but…

She pulled in a breath. ‘I liked her a lot. I don’t know much about cattle, but…but could you teach me what to do so I can help them out?’

‘Nope.’

She gaped at him.

‘Lord, Tess, you think I’m just going to abandon them?’

‘Well, aren’t you?’ He was abandoning all of Bellaroo Creek, wasn’t he?

‘I’ve told Fraser to keep an eye on things out there, to help wherever needed.’

His station manager? ‘It won’t be the same, you know?’

‘That can’t be helped.’

She supposed he was right.

‘If you really want to help Edna out, you’ll drop out there when her fruit trees are full and pick the fruit for her…and ask her to teach you how to bottle it, and how to make jam. She’d love that.’

‘Excellent.’ She’d have to find out when the trees came into fruit. Oh, and she’d better find out what kind of fruit trees they were too.

‘Plum and mulberry. And you’ll be looking at about November.’

The man could read minds.

‘And I also think you should come to judo lessons.’

His sudden change of topic threw her like an unexpected rhythm or an atonal jazz riff. ‘You mean…participate? Be one of your students?’

‘What would it hurt to learn a few self-defence tactics?’

Nothing, she supposed, but she’d never precisely been the sporty type.

‘And you’re going to be there anyway, bringing Ty and Krissie to the class. So, why not?’

She saw it then, what it was he was trying to do. ‘You think Ty and Krissie will feel safer if I know how to defend myself.’ Her heart thumped and her hands clenched.

‘I think it’s a good idea for every woman to know how to defend herself.’

She chewed her bottom lip.

‘Come on, Tess, I’m not talking about grating carrots here.’

He was right. ‘It’s an excellent suggestion.’

‘Good.’

‘Now what can I do for you?’

He blinked. And for a moment she could’ve sworn the colour heightened on his cheekbones. Her heart leapt into her throat and it was all she could do not to cough and choke and make a fool of herself. ‘I mean,’ she rasped out, gazing everywhere except at him, ‘I expect there’s a reason you dropped by this afternoon, other than to bully me into taking your judo class?’

He leapt off the bench and strode several feet away. ‘I wanted to find out what you had in mind for a vegetable garden,’ he said, his back to her, and she knew he felt the same heat, the same urgency, that she did. ‘I am getting forty prime hectares practically scot-free, after all. I mean to keep my word, Tess. Chicken coop—tick. Puppy—tick. Vegetable garden—still pending.’