Novels 01 Blue Skies (8 page)

Chapter 17

‘Sale-o, sale-o,’ called Graham. He was standing on the walk rails above the ram pens. Everyone could see him, hear him and watch him. Amanda knew that was the way he liked it and how good he was at his job.

She held her breath. Now was the telling time. Devastated that she’d lost one ram, which was now in the back of her ute, she hoped that there wouldn’t be any more problems. Graham listed the conditions of auction and then clapped his hands together to signal the beginning of the sale.

‘What am I bid, what am I bid, let’s start at two thousand, two thousand now, eighteen hundred, eighteen . . . YES! Eighteen, I’ve got eighteen on my right. Gimme two thou, two thousand! Yes!’

Hannah squeezed Amanda’s hand in excitement.

As Amanda, Hannah and Jonno picked up the empty soft-drink cans from around the ram pavilion, they chatted excitedly.

‘One hundred per cent clearance, Mandy! Do you know how good that is for any sale, let alone a first one?’ Jonno asked. As a rural reporter, Jonno went to many sales and had sound knowledge of the industry. ‘And the average price was great!’

‘Drinks are on me tonight!’Amanda said rashly while the other two cheered.

Adrian popped his head in the door but didn’t enter. ‘How are you all going?’

‘We’re fine,’ Amanda said as she straightened up. ‘We’ve just got to rake the hay up and finish picking up all the rubbish and we’re outta here! Straight to the pub for one off the wood.’

Adrian frowned. ‘I thought we’d organised the stockies to clean up.’

‘It’s not their job, Ade – and besides, they’ve worked really hard all day. The twins and I are happy to do it. We can rehash the day!’

‘I wish you’d stop calling us “the twins”,’ Hannah muttered.‘It makes us sound like we’re three.’

‘Well sometimes the way you behave, you are!’ Amanda joked.

‘Like about now,’ said Jonno, as he snuck up behind her and threw an armful of soiled hay over her head and then tackled her to the ground. Hannah let out a bloodcurdling yell and fell on top of them.

‘Um, excuse me, Amanda? Amanda?’ Adrian raised his voice over the cacophony of noise that the three were making. ‘AMANDA!’

The wrestling stopped and Amanda rose from under the hay, her face red. ‘Yep?’ she walked towards Adrian.

‘Where do you think we might be eating tonight?’

‘I think we should go to the pub. What do you reckon?’

Adrian wrinkled his nose. ‘What about Seas?’ he suggested, referring to a smart restaurant that looked out over the Esperance bay.

‘Oh, I don’t think they’ll let you in there smelling of sheep shit!’ Amanda launched herself at him and tackled him to the ground. Adrian fought back, pinning Amanda’s arms to her side and rolling her in a sloppy pile of dung. Amanda was laughing so hard that she couldn’t stand. The others joined her on the ground, laughing till they were spent.

‘Wow, Adrian, I didn’t think you’d be the type to muck around like that,’ Hannah said.

‘I reckon you deserve a beer, good man,’ Jonno added. ‘I’m off to get a carton.’

Adrian sat up slowly and brushed himself off. He smiled. ‘I have been known to have fun before you know, Hannah. I could tell you a few stories from footy trips that you wouldn’t believe! How do you think I got this?’ He ran his fingers over his crooked nose then scooped up some hay and threw it at her. It hit her square in the face and she collapsed in laughter.

While Jonno went to the drive-through, Hannah and Amanda kept cleaning and Adrian talked on his mobile. It wasn’t long before Jonno was back and handing out the beer.

‘Thanks, Jonno,’ Amanda said as she accepted a beer from Jonno. ‘Let’s finish up here and grab some Chinese takeaway,’ she suggested. ‘That’d be more fun than going out for tea.’

‘Righto, let’s get cracking. There’s not much more to do,’ said Jonno as he grabbed the rake. ‘Who’s going to order the food?’

‘I’ll go,’ said Adrian. ‘I have a couple of other jobs to do as well. I’ll see you all back at Kyleena.’ With a wave, he strode out of the pavilion.

‘Knew he’d go,’ muttered Hannah.

‘What’s your problem with him?’ Amanda looked at Hannah. ‘He’s been there for me the whole time since Dad was swept away. He’s helped me with the farm, with ideas and advice . . . I don’t get why you’re so bitchy about him. I thought you’d be pleased I had such a great friend.’

‘Well, since you ask, I think he’s a dickhead! He’s so bloody full of himself and he’s far too old for you.’ Hannah faced Amanda with her hands on her hips.

‘He’s actually a gentleman. And anyway, twenty years isn’t that much. I know people with much older partners. But don’t worry, he hasn’t kissed me yet! We’re still working up to that.’

‘Ladies, ladies. Please.Today is a fine day.’ Jonno stood with his chest puffed out and spoke in exaggeratedly formal tones. ‘We’ve had an auspicious day, with a successful outcome. Let us not ruin it with petty disagreements. But I have to say,’ his voice returned to normal, ‘I think he’s a bit of wanker as well, Mandy – but I’m sure he’s got a good side.’ He turned to his sister. ‘She can make her own decisions. Stop being so overprotective.’

Hannah glared at Jonno. ‘Can’t you see that he’s smothering her?’

‘That’s her call, Han. If Mandy likes it, leave her be.’

‘Um, hello? I’m still here! Talk about me all you like, but remember I’m listening! Look,’ Amanda explained. ‘Adrian is a hell of a lot older than me, I realise. And yes, I know he comes across as arrogant. But he’s a really kind person. I wouldn’t have coped without his support the last few years. Please, give him a chance, or at least pretend you like him – for my sake.’

‘I think we can do that, can’t we, Han?’ said Jonno. ‘I really don’t think he’s that bad.’

‘Mandy,’ Hannah grabbed Amanda’s hands and looked into her face, searching. Does he make you happy? That’s all I care about – I can deal with his airs and graces, but just tell me: Does. He. Make. You. Happy?’

Amanda hesitated. She had meant every word she said – Adrian
was
kind and supportive. She knew she couldn’t have managed without his dependability and steadiness. But she also knew their relationship wasn’t completely right.

Then again, the man she wanted, Jonno, had never shown any indication that he loved her any differently to the way he loved his sister. And she couldn’t admit to Hannah that she had feelings for Jonno.With all she’d lost in the past few years, she just couldn’t face losing the friendship of the twins. It would have to stay the way it was.

Aware they were both waiting for an answer, she looked her friend squarely in the eye. ‘Yes,’ she answered.

Adrian’s car was already parked by the shed when the others arrived home. The back door was open and several cartons of Chinese food were sitting on the kitchen table when they walked in.

‘What a fabulous smell!’ Hannah said.

‘I would’ve thought you ate out heaps in Sydney,’ Amanda commented.

‘Not as much as I’d like; it’s pretty expensive – but then again, so’s everything these days.’

‘That’s weird,’ Amanda said, turning towards the front door.

‘What?’ asked Hannah.

‘The front door’s open. Ade would’ve come through the kitchen door. We never use the front door.’ Amanda walked down the passage to close it. ‘Hey, Jonno, can you call Ade from the sheds and tell him we’re ready for tea?’

Amanda got out the dishes and served up, reheating everything in the microwave, then lit the fire in the living room. Although it had been a beautiful September day, the night was coming in cool. Hannah fetched the beers for herself, Jonno and Amanda, and poured Adrian a glass of white wine.

The boys entered the house, commenting on the coolness of the evening.

‘I’ve got the fire burning,’ Amanda told them. ‘Let’s eat in the lounge room. By the way, Ade, did you leave the front door open?’

‘Front door? No, why?’

‘It was open when I came in.’

He shook his head.‘No, I only popped in to put the takeaway on the kitchen table. Then I headed straight out to the shed – I wanted to grab that drill you borrowed last week.’

Amanda shrugged. ‘Strange.’

As they ate in companionable silence, Amanda had the peculiar feeling that someone was watching her. She kept glancing around but the others were occupied with their dinner. Then, as she got up to take the plates to the kitchen, she saw a flick of a tail under a chair no one was sitting in and gasped.

‘Ade, there’s a snake under that chair,’ she said as she pointed, frozen to the spot.

‘What?’ Adrian put down his wineglass.

‘There, under that chair!’

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks, then Hannah leapt onto her chair while Jonno stood up, ready to help.

‘Mandy, are you sure? Have you ever had a snake in the house before?’

‘No! And of course I’m bloody sure. I’m not stupid!’

‘Okay, ladies, let’s not panic. I’m going out to the ute to get a shovel. If you’ll all just stay put, I’ll be back in a jiffy!’

Hannah stifled a snort of hysterical laughter. ‘Tell me, who else could say “jiffy” at a time like this!’

They all laughed, but the atmosphere had turned very tense and every eye was glued to the chair in question.

Adrian returned quickly. ‘Now, Jonno, can you lean the chair back for me? Okay, no one move. I can’t understand how . . . Oh, hello. There you are.’ Adrian brought the shovel down on the tiger snake’s head as it was flattening out its neck.

Hannah’s gasp filled the room, as the snake wriggled in its final death throes.

‘I’ll just get this into the back of the ute,’ said Adrian as he slid the shovel under the body and tried to stop it from slithering off. Hannah screamed as the wriggling body fell to the floor.‘Hannah, it’s dead,’ Adrian told her firmly. He bent down and picked up the body by the tail then walked outside.

Amanda gave a strained giggle. ‘You look like a monkey perched on that chair, Hannah! I think we all need another drink after that. I’ll grab some beers.’

In the kitchen, she rested her head against the fridge door and took shaky breaths as she thought of the open front door. That was almost definitely where the snake had come in, but she had never known that door to open easily.

Chapter 18

A week later, Amanda was in the sheep yards when Adrian arrived. She had hold of a sheep and was clipping away wool that had become infested by maggots.

‘Hi, Ade, how’s it going?’ said Amanda looking up at him and catching a look of disdain on Adrian’s face. She knew he didn’t like her new hair cut. He’d made a point of telling her he missed her long locks and he thought she was losing too much weight. ‘All your curves are gone and you’re beginning to look like a man from behind. I just can’t understand your desire to do all this physical work! Surely your body isn’t made for such punishment!’

He watched her work for a few minutes then said, ‘How about I send Damo over to finish that up for you? It looks like you’ve got a few more to do.’

‘Nah, I’m fine.It’s good for me! I just wish I’d checked these girls a couple of days ago and it wouldn’t have come to this. I should’ve gone out the day after the sale, but Hannah and Jonno were such a bad influence, and after the snake episode, I had one too many.’

‘Now why doesn’t that surprise me, Mandy? You know, Hannah and Jonno are lovely people but they do tend to play a bit too hard at times.’

‘You’re just saying that because you’ve outgrown it and you’re more mature than us!’ She smiled as she stood up to show she was joking. ‘You’ve had your fun, it’s our turn now.’ She poured some flystrike liquid on the affected area and helped the ewe stand up. ‘There you go, girl. You’ll feel much better now.’ She walked over to the fence and leaned on the rails.

‘Well, how does a weekend away at a luxurious resort in the south-west sound? Too old and mature for you?’

‘Why?’

‘I thought we could celebrate your accomplishment as a stud breeder, since your sale was such a success. What do you think?’

Amanda looked at him uncertainly, not sure how to react.

‘Look, Mandy, I know you’re unsure about us, and I wish I could change your mind. Would it make you feel better if I booked two rooms?’

‘I can’t, Adrian,’ she said, turning away. ‘The farm needs me; I can’t just take off on a whim. And I haven’t got that sort of money.’

‘I was offering to pay, you goose,’ he said, smiling at her affectionately. ‘Look, if you don’t have some fun soon, you’re going to turn into a pumpkin! You need to get away occasionally, have a look around.’ He played his trump card. ‘We could always call in at a couple of studs around Albany way and see if there’s any genetics there you’d like to pick up.’ He paused. ‘And I’ll get Damo to keep an eye on things here for you.’

Amanda didn’t answer at first as she thought through his proposal.

‘When did you want to go?’ she asked finally.

‘This weekend.’

Amanda was silent again. Then, ‘Okay, I think I can have everything done by then. I can have these ewes jetted to stop the flies and the lambs don’t need to be weighed for another week . . . Yep, that would be fine. And,’ she looked away awkwardly,‘the two-room thing might be a good idea.’

Adrian’s smile was a little forced, but he said, ‘Done!’

As they cruised towards the south-west on Friday afternoon, Amanda took in the awesome sight of the trees. Their height and majesty was amazing. After five hours of constant driving, they pulled into a chalet, hidden by tall bushes and rambling hedges with pretty blue flowers. Climbing roses grew over an archway that led up to the front door and Amanda could see other small chalets hidden behind the same sort of vegetation. The sound of ducks squawking suggested there must be a lake close by.

As Adrian pushed the door open, Amanda caught a glimpse of golden curtains and sparkling chandeliers. She walked inside, marvelling at the beautiful jarrah furniture, the mirrors and paintings with which the room was decorated. There was a bottle of champagne and two crystal flutes on a silver tray on the sideboard.

‘Bit flash for me, Ade,’ Amanda said with a wry smile.

‘Nonsense! Nothing is too flash for you, my dear. You just need a little more pampering, that’s all. Drink?’

She nodded and walked through the other rooms, exploring the chalet. There were two bedrooms, as Adrian had promised, a kitchen, a formal lounge and a bathroom that was bigger than her lounge at home! It had a massive white spa bath with golden taps. She shook her head at the excessiveness of it all and turned to go and find Adrian. She gasped as she almost ran into him, standing right behind her. He smiled and offered her the glass he was carrying.

‘Adrian, how much did this cost?’ she asked in wonder.

‘Not something that you need to worry your pretty head over,’ he answered, and held up his glass. ‘Here’s to us,’ he said, clinking his glass against hers.

‘Here’s to us,’ she echoed.

‘I’m having dinner delivered. It’ll be here in about an hour and a half. Would you like to sit out on the verandah and finish your drink, or freshen up?’

‘I reckon I’ll have a drink, then a shower. I don’t suppose there would be a beer anywhere?’ She wrinkled her nose as a bubble went up it.

‘Dinner’s here, Mandy,’ called Adrian.

‘Coming.’ She put her book down and rose from the bed. Stretching, she realised that she had really loved the time away. That morning, they had walked around the lake, then spent the afternoon wandering from winery to winery. (That had been Adrian’s idea – Amanda was a beer girl at heart.) But as much as she’d enjoyed some time off, it would be good to get back to Kyleena and her sheep tomorrow.

Entering the formal lounge where Adrian had set up dinner, she wondered how she could thank him for the weekend. She’d been so grateful that he hadn’t pressured her to sleep in the same room. He really was a very thoughtful man.

‘Here we are, my love.’ Adrian pulled out her chair, got her settled at the table and then handed her a plate.

After an enjoyable meal, Adrian pushed back his chair, threw his serviette on the table and crossed his legs.

‘So have you had a nice time, Mandy?’

‘It’s been lovely, Adrian. I’ve been totally spoiled. I’d really like to pay for some of it.’

‘You couldn’t afford to, my dear,’ he said kindly, ‘and I didn’t bring you because I thought you’d offer to pay your way. I brought you because I love you and I would like us to start a life together – but you seem hesitant and I’m really not sure why. You won’t let me kiss you or even hold your hand. Perhaps you could help me to understand what you’re feeling?’

Amanda swallowed nervously. She didn’t really know herself what was holding her back. She just had a niggling doubt going back to her father’s reaction the night Adrian had first appeared at Kyleena.

‘I’m not sure, Adrian.You’ve been there for me since Dad died and there are times I couldn’t have managed without you. I just really want to get Kyleena up and going before I make any long-term plans. It’s not that I don’t care about you – I do. But . . .’ She trailed off.

‘I could help you with Kyleena, you know. I could give you a small loan . . .’

‘No! You’ve done enough! You’ve lent me man power when I couldn’t cope by myself, you’ve helped me make hard decisions, and I’m so grateful. But I can’t, I
won’t
take your money.’

‘Mandy, I could offer you such a comfortable life. No money worries, Kyleena would be safe. Then you wouldn’t have to work the way you do now. You could just tend to the garden, have babies – do some charity work, if you wanted.’

‘You’ve got to be joking.’ Amanda burst out laughing. ‘Could you really see me stuck in a house having babies?’ she asked incredulously.

Adrian smiled gently. ‘Oh, yes. And they’d be beautiful babies, with dark hair and your beautiful smile. I’d love to come home and see that.’

Amanda realised he was serious. ‘Adrian, I don’t think I’m that sort of person. I couldn’t be tied to the house or garden. Yes, one day I’d love to have children, but it wouldn’t tie me to the house – they’d be out in the ute with me. I’d want to teach them all the things Dad would have taught me if only I’d let him. I want them to love the land the way I do and . . .’ She stopped as she saw his face and felt the guilt shoot through her. ‘Sorry, Adrian. You took me by surprise.’ She took a deep breath, inwardly berating herself. Adrian had been so kind – how could she kick him in the teeth like she had just done? The pain on his face was clear as he took another sip of wine.

‘Obviously I was wrong about us, Mandy,’ he said eventually. ‘I’m sorry I’ve put you in an awkward position. I apologise.’

Impulsively she reached out and took his hand. ‘Let me think about it Adrian, please. I just wasn’t expecting declarations of love that’s all. Please?’

He smiled wanly. ‘Sure.’

The trip back to Esperance was a quiet one.