Return to Rosalee Station, page 29
Sarah was proud of the way her mum and dad loved each other with an intensity that not many marriages had left after twenty-nine years. She hoped that one day she would have a marriage as loving as her parents. She cared deeply for Brad, but she hadn’t really thought about the future. Or was it that she avoided thinking about it? Sarah had seen too many of her friends and neighbours go through divorce, and the pain it put the children through was heartbreaking to watch. Farming could be financially and emotionally challenging and it broke families into pieces when they weren’t strong enough to cope. Despite the hard times, Maggie and Jack had survived, loving each other more and more with every hurdle they jumped together through life.
Duke, Sarah’s dog, was at the back door waiting for her as he did every morning. She had saved him from the local RSPCA six years ago. He was a border collie cross kelpie, which naturally made him as mad as a cut snake but Sarah adored everything about him. She could not imagine her life without him. He was her best mate.
He was always as happy as a worm in a tin can on the way home from a fishing trip when he saw her, especially when he got the crusts off her breakfast sandwich like he knew he would – he did every morning. Sarah hated crusts. The old wives’ tale didn’t work for her – her hair was full of chaotic curls without the aid of one single crust.
Sarah crammed her weatherworn akubra on her head and pulled on her tattered R.M. Williams boots before heading off in the direction of the shed, Duke blissfully trotting beside her. She said hello to Cookie the kookaburra in passing. He was perched on the timber fence around the house, feasting on a bowl of mince that Maggie must have put out earlier this morning. Cookie had been visiting Sarah and the family for five years now so he was like a family pet. She sniffed the morning air as she walked; the faintly sweet smell of mango flowers floated up her nostrils, making her smile. A congregation of rosellas was perched happily on the branches of the star fruit tree, gorging themselves, their chirping filling the morning with beautiful song. A flock of galahs flew overhead, their loud conversation capturing Sarah’s attention. She looked up to the azure-blue skies, squinting from the harsh rays of the sun, and watched them fly out of sight. Sarah’s boots crunched on grass underfoot, which was aglow with early morning dew, the sunlight making it glimmer like webs made of diamonds. Maggie used to tell Sarah that the dew was angels dancing in the sunlight. Maggie had made the world such a magically enchanting place when Sarah was growing up.
Despite the beauty of the morning, it was already hot, and Sarah breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped into the shade of the vast packing shed. There was farm machinery everywhere, parked haphazardly around mountains of packing boxes and pallets of fertilisers and chemicals.
Sarah caught a glimpse of Johnny Marsh, the paddock manager, approaching in the old farm ute that was already stacked high with fruit ready to be packed. She gave him a quick wave. Johnny beamed out the ute’s window as he skidded to a halt beside her. Sarah watched as the crates of fruit wobbled dangerously about but surprisingly they all stayed put.
‘Mornin’, Sarah. How’s it goin’, mate?’ Johnny asked, a smouldering cigarette hanging from his lips as he slid himself across the vinyl seat, dodging cans and old chip packets, before escaping out of the passenger’s side door.
‘I’m great, Johnny. Doors still jammed, then, I see!’
Johnny rolled his eyes for effect. ‘Yeah, the darn thing. I haven’t had time to fix it yet so the only way in or out is through the bloody window or the passenger door, and I ain’t even gonna try the window. Knowing my bloody luck, I’ll get stuck!’ Johnny laughed, pointing to his large rotund belly.
‘I dunno, Johnny. Maybe if you just sucked it in you could get through.’ Sarah patted Johnny on the belly. ‘Anyway I better get in there and get my hands dirty, mate. Catch you later, hey?’
The first person Sarah saw as she opened the massive doors was Daniel on the forklift. She smiled and gave him a friendly wave.
Sarah’s eldest brother, Peter, lived in his own place on the farm with his family, but Daniel still lived with Sarah in their parents’ home. Sarah called Dan the piggy in the middle – not only was he the middle child, but he had an unbelievable appetite. You would never pick it, though, as he had a body that girls drooled over and they swarmed to him like ants to sugar. He was what most would call tall, dark and handsome, with mesmerising green eyes. Yes, Daniel Clarke had appeal – maybe too much for his own good. He worked hard and played even harder. But he had always been very protective of Sarah. No guys had dared go near her while she was growing up. They were all too afraid of what Daniel might do to them if they were to break her heart. Sarah secretly liked it – she was a bit of a tomboy and liked to be mates with the boys, so Daniel’s protectiveness worked in her favour. None of them ever tried anything on with her. That was until Brad came along.
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ISBN: 9781489252715
TITLE: RETURN TO ROSALEE STATION
First Australian Publication 2018
Copyright © 2018 Mandy Magro
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Mandy Magro, Return to Rosalee Station
