TRISHA DAVID - Mctavish And Twins

‘He...’ Erin bit her lip. How to ask? ‘Mike’s had a few girlfriends?’

‘Well, I’ve heard he likes the ladies, does our Mike.’ Jack grinned. ‘Can’t say I blame him. I did the same once, before I met your grandmother. Still, when your grandma came along I was fair smitten—but Mike seems to have chosen his bride because of her suitability.’

‘Suitability?’

‘They move in the same circles,’ Jack told her. ‘They’ve been an on-again off-again item for years. It always seemed to the district they just used each other as a social convenience between more interesting partners—but suddenly it’s more than that. She’s getting long in the tooth—and he wants a wife.

‘Caroline’s groomed herself well for the job. She’s done a cordon bleu cookery course or some such thing in France. She makes a wonderful hostess and as a social organizer she’s second to none. Mike McTavish lived a pretty messy bachelor existence until the twins. So... he’s made up his mind to marry a lady trained for the job.’ He grimaced. ‘Can’t say I’d like to wake up next to that every morning, though.’

‘But...Grandpa, surely he must...well, he must love her. To ask her to marry him...’

‘Folk say he panicked,’ Jack said slowly. ‘And who’s to blame him—a single man saddled with two grief-stricken six-year-olds out of the blue? Maybe anyone would have panicked in the same circumstances. Grace Brown does housework for him two mornings a week, but she has her own husband and boys and farm to run. Domestic help here is darned hard to find. For Mike McTavish—a lad who doesn’t know one thing about raising kids—our Caroline must have seemed a sensible solution.

‘And maybe she’s just as pragmatic. Word is that her father’s running short on money; she’s not trained for a lot beside social niceties and Mike’s offer must have looked as good to her as it seemed sensible to him.’

‘Ugh.’

Erin shuddered and Jack O’Connell subjected his granddaughter to a long, scrutinizing stare.

‘What the squatocracy do with their lives isn’t our business, though, Erin girl,’ Jack said softly. His gaze grew a little anxious. ‘Now... You did say...you did say you were staying a while?’

‘If you’ll have me.’ Erin hesitated and then took his hand. ‘Your last letter said you’re thinking of selling.’

‘I don’t have a choice,’ her grandpa said roughly. ‘I can’t manage the place on my own any more.’ He looked out over the lush green pastures to the rolling hills beyond. This area of the western district of Victoria, with its rich river plains and scattered red gum trees was arguably one of the most beautiful parts of Australia. ‘It’ll break my heart, though, lass,’ he whispered. ‘I don’t mind admitting it.’

‘Well, that’s why I’m here.’ Erin caught his hand. ‘Grandpa, you know I love this place. You know I always have. I’ve done two years’ agricultural training between my mucking about with horses. I’ve been working part-time as farm hand and horse strapper since I left home. And all I want...’ She took a deep breath. ‘All I want from life is to live here and run this farm for you. For us. What do you say, Grandpa? Could you bear to have me?’

The old man’s eyes filled with tears. He put a hand up to shove them away but more welled up after them.

‘You wouldn’t be bored silly?’ he managed in a choked voice.

‘I promise.’

‘There’s not much social life round here.’

‘I don’t need social life.’

‘But...a girl like you should be going to parties. Enjoying yourself. Meeting young men and getting married.’

Erin shook her head.

‘Not me, Grandpa,’ she said softly. ‘Believe me. I don’t need anyone. I don’t need anything. Only you and Paddy and this farm.’

‘You’re crazy,’ the old man whispered, a smile wavering out between tears.

‘Crazy or not, if you’ll have me I’m staying.’

Erin slept soundly in the same bed she’d slept in as a teenager. She was woken at dawn by magpies and kookaburras, and when she flung open the window to greet the day she was met by a huge Hereford cow. The creature shoved her nose in and inspected Erin’s pyjamaclad figure with interest.

‘Ugh...’ Laughing and supremely content, Erin shoved the nose back outside. ‘Introductions later, ma’am.’

Still laughing, she showered and dressed fast and made her way outside.

Breakfast took ages. Jack O’Connell was almost absurdly anxious that she’d changed her mind in the night, but was intent, nevertheless, on telling her the worst.

There was a small voice at the back of Erin’s head telling her she wanted to spend the morning visiting the twins—and their uncle—but on that first morning Jack went through the farm figures with her.

Erin blocked the McTavishes from her thoughts and listened with care. This was important. This was her future life. As she went slowly through the books she was never more grateful for her farm management training.

There were things wrong here that needed to be faced, but there was nothing insurmountable. By the end of the morning there was hope in both their faces. Jack and Erin ate a companionable lunch, both immeasurably cheered, and then Jack disappeared for an afternoon nap. Finally Erin let her inner voice hold sway. She went to saddle Paddy.

‘Your first gallop on an Australian farm,’ she said fondly to the horse as she saddled him. ‘I hope you like it, Pad. I think we’re here to stay.’

She should be checking Jack’s stock, she thought as she and Paddy finally rode east across the paddocks towards the McTavishes. From here the Hereford herd looked lazy, well fed and contented, but, by the look of the books, Erin knew there were problems. Grandpa hadn’t got round to drenching this year, and his calving had been a disaster.

There was also the little matter of the hay...

The problems would have to wait. Erin’s inner voice was fair screaming at her now. It was a case of priorities again, she told herself. Laura and Matthew were top of the list.

The fact that she’d see Mike McTavish again had nothing to do with it!

The twins were waiting for her—two small urchins hanging over the gate—and their matching grins as Erin and Paddy appeared over the rise made Erin grin herself. What a difference! This was certainly a change from yesterday.

‘We’ve been waiting and waiting,’ Laura announced importantly. ‘Since crack of dawn!’

‘Crack!’ Erin whistled, impressed. ‘Wow!’

‘Mike says we have to tell him as soon as you arrive—and we asked Mrs Brown to make scones before she went home. All we have to do is stick them in the oven and they’ll take twelve minutes.’ Both children regarded Erin anxiously, as if she might dig her heels into Paddy’s flanks and gallop off. ‘You can stay twelve minutes, can’t you?’

‘Of course I can,’ Erin smiled, dismounting. ‘For fresh scones, I could stay an hour.’

They hardly heard. Their matching whoops of delight filled the yard as both children screamed off towards the house.

‘Uncle Mike...Mike, she’s here. Mike...’

The title seemed to be dropped at will, Erin thought, noting that the children were more accustomed to just plain ‘Mike’ than ‘Uncle Mike’. It seemed a healthy sign. With Aunt Caroline there was no such dropping of the guard.

‘Mike... She’s here, Mike, and she’s brought Paddy.’

The children were pretending to be aeroplanes, Erin figured, watching them swoop their arms and veer from side to side as they ran. Two happy, healthy, normal six-year-olds. The change from yesterday was amazing.

Ten seconds later they reappeared from the house, each towing the unfortunate Mike’s hand. Whatever their uncle had been doing had clearly been deemed unimportant.