Snowy Mountains Cattleman, page 21
‘They are when they’re asleep.’
Grace nodded towards the dry-stone garden wall. ‘I might have known you’d have stone here somewhere.’
Rowan came to stand beside her, making sure he kept a careful distance away. The light from the window picked out the gold in the hazel medley of Grace’s eyes and made him all too aware her lips were as soft as they looked.
‘That wall is why I like working with stone. As a child I’d spend hours putting it back together. The corner that overlooks the mountains was my favourite place to sit so I could watch when Dad brought cattle in from the hills.’
‘Your childhood sounds wonderful.’
‘It was. There was plenty to keep me busy besides moving my sister’s trampoline.’
When Grace glanced at him, instead of seeing a smile, concern indented her brow. ‘What Janice said at the long lunch … is Crookwell Park keeping you away from what you need to do here?’
He slid his hands into his jeans pockets. It was either that or touch Grace’s smooth cheek to reassure her. ‘Not at all. If anything, working at Crookwell Park provides the perfect balance between doing my stonework and running my cattle. I’m sorry again Janice had her claws out.’
Grace nodded. Then, as if they both acknowledged that the conversation was getting too close to their one at the long lunch, they looked out the window to where Bundy now wrestled Monet and Primrose.
Rowan turned towards the door. He didn’t need to do a risk assessment to know that every second they remained alone in the coach house the likelihood increased that he would kiss Grace again. ‘If we’re quick, we can make it to the house while Bundy distracts the terrible twosome.’
Except when they walked into the Ashcroft kitchen and Aubrey pinned him with her take-no-prisoners stare, being licked to death by Monet and Primrose suddenly didn’t seem so bad.
‘Aubrey.’ He gave her a nod.
‘Rowan. Nice of you to finally join us.’
The way she eyed his tousled hair and unironed T-shirt, it was as though he hadn’t showered in a week.
He held up the hickory barbeque sauce. ‘I believe the ball … or should I say bottle … is in my court.’
Aubrey gave an exaggerated sigh. ‘In that case, you and your hickory sauce can accompany me in the gator. Grace can ride in style with Clancy in Heath’s four-wheel drive.’
He silenced his groan. It was a fifteen-minute drive to the waterhole where they always picnicked. In that time Aubrey would have more than enough time to hit him with a barrage of curly questions. ‘What a good idea. That means we get to take all the dogs.’
Aubrey’s eyes widened before they narrowed. ‘All the dogs?’
‘Yep. Bundy, Iris and the two very wet and muddy ones you didn’t see on your way in.’
By now Clancy and Heath seemed to have found something very interesting to do over at the kitchen sink, except from the movement of his sister’s shoulders it looked like she couldn’t stop laughing. Grace too seemed to be having trouble keeping a straight face.
‘Hmmm,’ was all Aubrey said with a look that promised retribution should she get even a speck of mud or a single dog hair on her white shirt and shorts.
The conversation switched to general chitchat as they loaded Heath’s four-wheel drive with the food and items they’d need for their swim and early barbecue.
Rowan soon found himself sitting beside Aubrey in the gator with the four dogs breathing down their necks from where they stood in the trayback. If possible, Monet and Primrose were even muddier and in their excitement were rarely still. Aubrey perched as far forward on her seat as possible.
‘Don’t say a word,’ she warned, as Rowan started the engine.
After everyone stopped at Jindy and Ash’s paddock to see the horses, the convoy continued on to visit Fergus and Fenella and then Goliath. While the two highland cows were happy to come over to have their noses scratched, Goliath merely lifted his head from where he grazed. He shot them such a snarky look that Aubrey smiled. ‘I like this one.’
They then followed the track along the creek that fed into the Tumut River. Thanks to the wet summer, both the creek and river levels were high and the waterhole would be a cool and inviting place. Not that Aubrey would be keen to swim once she realised who would be in the water with her. Primrose particularly liked the river.
Rowan snuck a sideways glance at Aubrey as she again sat on the end of her seat to avoid the dogs. She’d surprised him by so far not asking a single question or even talking much at all. A curving line of trees ahead indicated the point at which the creek met the river. Their destination, a flat grassy area that gently sloped down to the water, would be around the bend.
Aubrey suddenly turned to him. ‘I leave tomorrow.’
There was a seriousness to her tone that had him only nod. This was the caring side of Aubrey that lived beneath her brusque exterior.
‘Promise me,’ Aubrey continued, ‘that you’ll keep an eye on Grace. I worry about her.’
‘I will.’
‘You’d better. I still think some people seem too good to be true, but Grace trusts you and that’s enough for me.’
He didn’t reply. Just like on the riverbank when Grace had said that she trusted him, uncertainty uncoiled inside. But unlike last time, he didn’t have Grace in his arms to silence his doubts. How could Grace, and now Aubrey, trust him when he couldn’t even trust himself to never again lose his way?
Aubrey shot him a searching look. ‘Hey, country boy who hefts stone and has gone quiet, you’re not going to renege on your promise, are you?’
‘No, city girl with a handshake that would crush stones, I was just thinking.’
‘And …’
‘And … Grace is lucky to have you as a friend.’
His reply kept Aubrey silent until they reached the river.
After they arrived, the tranquillity and peace of the idyllic picnic spot was short-lived. Cockatoos screeched at no longer having exclusive use, while Primrose and Monet yipped in high-pitched exuberance as they raced each other to splash in the shallows. Iris and Bundy followed at a more sedate pace.
When Clancy and Heath had stripped down to swimmers and board shorts and Aubrey to skimpy activewear that wouldn’t ever be practical in a gym, human shrieks followed. Once in the water, and well away from the swimming dogs, Aubrey made the tactical error of splashing Heath, who returned the favour.
The only person who was still and quiet was Grace. She sat on the picnic rug spread beneath the shade of an old gum, her arms around her knees. Before they’d left, Rowan had returned to the coach house to change into his Bundilla rugby shorts so he would be right to swim. The more he looked at Grace the more he doubted that she had on anything beneath her denim sundress suitable to wear into the river.
After he’d checked there was enough wood in the metal fire pit that Taite had welded out of plough discs for their favourite summer meeting place, he joined Grace on the rug.
She tightened her grip on her knees. ‘Before you ask, I’m not swimming.’
‘There’s no rule to say you have to. At the rate Aubrey’s been splashing Heath, I’m happy to sit this one out as well.’
Grace briefly smiled. ‘It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just there weren’t a lot of opportunities to learn to swim in England and once we came here money was tight.’ From the defensiveness in her words, this was another reason why she’d been different from her peers as a child. ‘I mean, I like the water … I just never go in past my knees.’
Longing flickered in her eyes as she gazed over to where Clancy drifted serenely on an inflatable tractor innertube.
Rowan came to his feet. Even though they were in the shade, they weren’t spared from the hot afternoon breeze.
‘See that log on the edge?’ He held out his hand. ‘It would be the perfect place to cool off.’
For a moment he thought Grace wasn’t going to move, but then she took hold of his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Once standing, she slipped her fingers free.
Together they strolled over to the fallen tree which had been a casualty of a long-ago spring storm. Rowan walked along the log first before sitting in the middle. The cool river water reached halfway to his knees. Grace took her time to follow. When her balance teetered, he lifted his arm, which she grabbed to steady herself. She sat, her sigh saying how good the water felt on her warm skin.
Rowan shifted a little to his left so a space opened up between them. Aubrey now floated on a tractor innertube and without the distraction of drenching Heath, they would have her undivided attention. The dogs were no longer in the water and instead ran up and down the riverbank searching for new scents. Clancy and Heath had moved over near the rocks worn smooth by snow melt and were having a private PDA moment, their arms around each other.
‘Do you think Aubrey’s asleep?’ he said so only Grace could hear.
‘Plotting more likely. You’re not the only one who isn’t a fan of sitting still.’
‘Yet another thing we have in common. I’ve enjoyed meeting Aubrey. It’s just as you said—she isn’t as tough as she looks.’
‘I’m glad you can see it too.’ Grace’s soft tone whispered over his skin like a touch.
A dragonfly flittered past while the low moo of a cow calling to her calf carried on the breeze. He glanced sideways at the woman sitting beside him. Being with Grace by the river on his family farm, with the mountains keeping watch over them, felt natural and right.
‘I’ve missed you.’
His admission slipped out. Even before the words died in his ears, his fingers dug into the weathered wood of the log. What had he been thinking?
Without looking his way, Grace slid her hand across the space between them until her little finger touched his.
‘I know we’re back in the real world,’ she said, looking straight ahead at the river. ‘But I’ve missed you too.’
As their hands stayed connected, there seemed to be no more need for words. Just like Clancy had said, a sense of peace replaced the feeling of his world spinning. But the realisation didn’t bring any relief. As much as the stillness and simplicity of that moment with Grace centred him, his pulses hammered in a silent warning.
CHAPTER
14
‘Don’t think I didn’t see you and Rowan getting all cosy on that log yesterday,’ Aubrey said as she twisted on the lid to her blender.
Grace was saved from replying by the almost deafening sound of kale being pulverised.
‘And,’ Aubrey continued as she sat at the table to drink her seaweed-green breakfast, ‘as for the way the two of you kept looking at each other around the fire pit, it was enough to put me off my hamburger, even if it did have hickory sauce.’
Grace took a sip of her tea. Aubrey was on a roll and wasn’t expecting an answer.
‘And then,’ Aubrey said, scowling into her smoothie, ‘Rowan had to give me a hug goodbye. Me. A hug. I’m so not a hugging person.’
‘For the record, you hugged him back.’
‘He did share his hickory sauce.’
Grace looked at her over the rim of her mug. They both knew that Aubrey not only hugged Rowan back, she’d given him her best and most genuine smile.
‘Oh, okay,’ Aubrey grumbled. ‘He has won me over and gets a tick of approval. But …’ She held up a hand. ‘You are still settling into your new normal so are in no position to make any serious relationship decisions, so please go slow. I don’t want to have to come back here until I’ve worked out a new chess strategy to beat Frank.’
Grace searched Aubrey’s face. There was a note of wistfulness in Aubrey’s words that led Grace to think Frank wasn’t the only person Aubrey might see if she returned. When she’d joined Aubrey and Trent at the café table, she’d been hard-pressed to get a word in. Aubrey and Trent had been debating the merits of city and country living and each appeared oblivious to her being there. Before they’d left, Trent had offered to show Aubrey the best high-country spots next time she was in town.
‘You know you’re welcome to stay anytime.’
‘I know.’ Aubrey drained her smoothie cup. ‘But right now I’ve got money to make, deals to broker and people to bluff.’
After her bags were loaded, Aubrey visited the yards to take some last-minute photos of little Lavender and Rebel. Grace smiled as even though Aubrey made sure she stayed behind the steel fence, she gingerly scratched Olive’s nose.
Once back at her car, Aubrey gave Grace a tight hug. When she pulled away, her brown eyes were over-bright.
Grace blinked to control her own sadness at having to say goodbye. ‘Drive safe.’
‘Always do.’ Aubrey hesitated before bending to give Bundy a careful pat.
When Grace waved Aubrey off, Bundy’s solid warmth came to rest against her legs. She lowered her hand to touch the kelpie’s head, glad of his steady presence.
When she could no longer see the dust kicked up by Aubrey’s car, Grace walked along the driveway to shut the front gate. Rowan hadn’t arrived yet but she needed to let the goats out early. Bundy had to get to town to be a story dog and she had a grocery shop to do, but most of all she had to reinstate some space between her and Rowan.
Yesterday had been a wake-up call. Twice she’d come close to disregarding Aubrey’s advice to go slow as well as her own rule to always play it safe. When Rowan had opened the coach house door with his T-shirt half on and tugged her inside, she’d had to stop herself from winding her arms around his neck and picking up from where they’d left off at the riverbank. She’d never thought her hormones would ever override her common sense. As it turned out, they could and did, and all it had taken was a glimpse of Rowan’s tanned abs.
Then when they’d sat on the log together, even though something had come to life inside her when Rowan had said he’d missed her and she’d spoken the truth about missing him, the complexities of the real world seemed closer than they had beside the idyllic river. While there was no denying they had a connection, they both had things to work through. In order for this to happen it wouldn’t be wise for things to progress any further between them.
Once back at the cottage, as if Bundy knew the school holidays had finished, he waited by her car while Grace went inside to get ready. Soon they were on their way into town. As a familiar dark-red ute drew close, she lifted her hand to give Rowan a wave. He grinned and waved in return. Despite her earlier pep talk, she couldn’t stop herself from looking in the rear-view mirror. She now wouldn’t see him until that afternoon.
When his ute was no longer visible she focused on the road ahead and the jobs she had to do in town. Her early start would be wasted if all she did was think about how much she missed Rowan.
After driving over the historic wooden bridge, Grace switched on her GPS. She wasn’t surprised to find nerves tightening in her stomach now they’d reached the town limits. The thought of dropping Bundy off at a school ushered in memories of feeling trapped and having nowhere to hide. While she’d never been physically bullied, cruel words and being ostracised had left their own scars. Her parents had moved around to find work and with each new school she’d always hoped things would be different. They never were until the day she’d met Aubrey who’d had her own reasons for hiding out in the high school library.
When the street sign indicated Grace was entering a school zone, she slowed. A stream of children in light and dark blue uniforms left a minibus, while other children exited vehicles stopped in the drop-off area. Grace drove to the far end where there were no cars. As she let Bundy out she made a point of not looking at the playground or the buildings. Heath had almost finished the mural he’d been painting for the school and Clancy had invited her for a sneak preview on Saturday. She was yet to decide if she’d go.
She waited until Bundy jumped the wire fence to race across the empty oval before returning to her driver’s seat. She rolled her shoulders to disperse her tension. Thankfully she didn’t need to pick Bundy up as Clancy mentioned that if she parked in the main street he would find her there when he was done. She pulled away from the kerb and, without looking back, drove to the centre of town.
Even if there hadn’t been multiple flyers in shop windows reminding everyone the book festival would soon be on, Grace would have known by the bunting that was strung across the main street. She parked outside the second-hand bookshop and glanced at the clock tower. Once her errands were done she should have enough time, if she felt strong enough, to visit the Bundilla cemetery.
Last night Kathy had sent through an email update about her hidden apartment research. Her search of the local church records had revealed multiple unmarked graves. While there hadn’t been any associated with the name Melly, there had been two baby girls and three young boys whose lost-too-soon lives fit in with the apartment timeframe. One of the babies and one of the young boys also shared a surname, though it wasn’t Russell.
Kathy had explained that while children who had been born out of wedlock would often be buried with their mother’s surname, just because the Russell name hadn’t popped up didn’t mean the graves could be discounted. If one of the spinster sisters was the mother of the children, then they simply could have their father’s name. Kathy was doing further investigation into who the baby girl and young boy were who shared the same surname.
Grace left her car. Across the road Dr Davis waved to her as he led his small white dog along the street. She returned the gesture. Despite the heat, and even while out walking his dog, the older man always seemed to wear formal trousers, brown boots and a dress shirt. Mabel had introduced her to the former town mayor the afternoon they’d had coffee. Dr Davis had let Mabel know, twice, that he was available for an interview about his role in the book festival.
The vintage charity store appeared on Grace’s right and she pushed open the glass door to enter the air-conditioned interior.
