Christmas at Coorah Creek (Choc Lit) (13 page)

In England, her Christmas had always been marked by a roaring log fire, the flickering firelight adding to the warmth of the room. Not so in Coorah Creek. The room was already hot. There were no woolly scarves or bright Christmas knits. Shorts and T-shirts seemed to be the dress code for most of the party goers. However there was, she was pleased to see, a smattering of Santa hats.

The room was brilliantly decorated with tinsel and shining glass balls. There were hand-made cut out stars, no doubt produced at the school. There were brightly wrapped boxes under the tree.
      
The tables were almost groaning under the weight of the food that was laid out. But Katie would not call it a proper Christmas lunch. There were huge bowls of salad and fruit. She spied buckets of fresh prawns – although how they came to be so far from the ocean she wasn’t sure. There were legs of ham cooked on the bone, the thick skin peeled back to reveal the succulent meat beneath. There was ice-cream stored, like the beer, in tubs of ice. There was turkey – or perhaps it was chicken – but it was cold and laid out alongside other cold meats.

Where was the steaming roast and stuffing? The rich dark pudding and the mince pies? Not to mentioned the roast potatoes and the bread sauce? And where oh where was the gravy? The thick tasty gravy that her mother always made with white wine and just a touch of mustard to give it extra bite.

This wasn’t Christmas as she knew it, but the room did exude the gaiety and joy she was looking for. Many of the faces were unknown to her – but even this far from her home, the smiles were the same. And in the midst of it all, totally recognisable and drawing her to him like a homing pigeon to its nest, was Scott.

He was laughing at something someone had just said. He was dressed simply in blue jeans and a T-shirt, but she had never seen any man look so good, as he tossed his head back and laughed again. Even amid the hubbub of noise around her, she could hear his laugh as clearly as if he was standing next to her. He looked so at ease here in the midst of this very summery Christmas, with these people from whom he had run all those years ago. He stopped laughing and turned around, almost as if he could feel her eyes on him. When he saw her, his face lit up. He excused himself and hurried towards her.

‘Katie. Merry Christmas.’

‘Merry
—
’

Before she could finish the greeting, Scott had taken her in his arms and kissed her. For a few seconds, all she was aware of was how good it felt in his arms. With his lips on hers. How right it felt. And suddenly, the strangeness of this Christmas day was gone. In some deep and unexplained way, here in a place she had seen for the first time such a short time ago, she had come home.

When Scott finally released her, she was astounded to hear whistles and cheering and catcalls. She looked around at the smiling faces of the townsfolk, and blushed to the very tip of her toes.

‘Come on,’ Scott said. ‘I’ll get you a drink.’

By mid-afternoon, the party was in full swing. People came and went as they wished. The food and drink flowed in what seemed a never ending abundance. Katie smiled to see Trish and Syd Warren moving through the crowds, playing the role of hosts although, in truth, the town itself was the host on this occasion. Adam and Jess were there, as was Ken Travers, the storeowner and her patient. His wife was with him and a teenage girl she assumed was their daughter. Jack North was playing Santa for a group of kids – a couple of which she believed were his. There were people she didn’t know, but she guessed that by the end of the day, no-one in that room would be a stranger any more.

Katie felt a warm glow, and she wasn’t certain if it was caused by the soaring temperature, the delicious if somewhat alcoholic fruit punch being served from a huge bowl, or Scott, who was never far from her side, his voice and honest laughter punctuating her day. Whenever possible his hand found hers, although that wasn’t too often given their need to distribute food and drink and to constantly embrace both children and adults.

Scott was off collecting another load of ice from the pub freezer, when his father sought Katie out.

‘Merry Christmas,’ he said.

‘And to you too,’ she said, meaning it.
      

‘Having Scott here has made this the best Christmas in a very long time,’ Ed said. ‘I know you have helped too.’

‘I haven’t done anything.’

‘Yes, you have. You’ve been a friend to him. Given him someone to talk to. And I know you have been encouraging him to try to overcome the bad feeling that’s been between us all these years.’

‘He set out to do that long before he met me,’ Katie said.

‘I know. But you’ve helped him … us. I wanted to thank you for that.’

Katie felt herself blushing again.

‘My son cares for you,’ Ed said matter-of-factly.

‘I care for him too.’

At that moment, Scott re-entered the building carrying a huge bag of crushed ice. To the cheers of the crowd, he upended the ice into the big bathtub full of beer, sending water splashing over the sides. Amid much back-slapping, he accepted another beer from one of the men.

‘So, are you having a good time?’ he asked Katie as he re-joined her.

‘Yes. I was feeling really homesick this morning, but I’m not any more.’ She gave his hand a squeeze to let him know how much he was responsible for the improvement in her day.

‘Scott,’ Ed spoke hesitantly. ‘I have a couple of things at the house that … That I thought you might like to have. If you could come over.’

‘What things?’

‘It’s better that you come and take a look. It could be now. Or later if you would prefer.’

Scott glanced at Katie, a question in his eyes. She could feel his hesitation. He had declared his intention never to set foot in his father’s house again. But things were changing and she knew this was something he had to do.

‘Go,’ she said without hesitation.

‘Will you …’

‘I’ll be fine. I promised Trish I would take care of the next round of washing up. Then I need to head back anyway. The time will be right to Skype my family back home.’

‘Can I come over to your place later?’

‘You’d better. I have something for you too.’

Chapter Twenty

They walked back towards the garage in silence. Ed found it a little hard to believe that after all these years, Scott was coming back to the house they had once both called home. This was a chance for a new start, but Ed didn’t know how to make it work. There were some things he should give to Scott, but that wasn’t his only reasons for inviting his son back to the house. He still harboured a hope that if Scott could walk back through that front door, some of the pain of the past few years might wash away.

As they approached the darkened buildings on the corner of the town’s main street, Ed found he was looking at his home and business with new eyes. Through Scott’s eyes. Both buildings were shabby and in need of new paint. The garden, if you could call it that, was overgrown and wild. The grime that went with his business had slowly spread to cover his whole life. And this was how Scott had lived as a boy. He hadn’t been a very good father to his son. It was a wonder that Scott
had grown into the man he was.

They reached the rusty side gate. Ed automatically looked for movement in the overgrown garden; the flash of gold and accompanying bark that would tell them Candy had noticed their arrival. For a long time now, she had been the only one to greet his return at the end of each day. Without her the loneliness would have been even harder to bear.

There was no movement in the garden. Ed opened the gate, a frown starting to form on his forehead.

‘Candy. Where are you girl?’

There was no answer. Ed walked towards the house, pushing aside the branches of an overgrowing bush. Then he saw her.

‘Oh, no. Candy.’ The softly spoken words were torn from the depth of Ed’s soul.
      

The Labrador was lying on her side near the steps leading to his back door. Her legs were caught under her body as if she had fallen while trying to climb the stairs. Her eyes were closed and her tongue lolled from her open mouth. She was still breathing, but every slow laboured breath seemed as if it would be her last. Ed knelt by her head and ran his hand over her muzzle. When she stirred slightly and licked his fingers, his heart almost broke.

He heard Scott come up behind him.

‘Help me get her inside.’

Scott hurried up the steps. The door wasn’t locked. He opened it and stepped aside to allow Ed to carry the dog through. Ed carried his old friend through to the living room, and lowered her very gently onto a much used dog bed that sat beside his old armchair.
      

Ed crouched beside her, stroking her head gently. Scott joined him. Candy opened her eyes and stared up at the two men. Slowly the very tip of her tail began to wag. Just a little. She licked Scott’s fingers as he reached out to stroke her, then her eyes closed again.

‘Should I go and find the vet?’ Scott asked.

Ed shook his head. ‘We knew this was coming. She’s just old. Too old.’ His voice broke. The hands that reached out to stroke the old dog’s head were shaking.

The three of them stayed like that for what seemed a very long time. After each breath Candy took, Scott and Ed waited an eternity until she took the next. When, at last she didn’t, the room seemed very very silent.

Grief crashed down on Ed like a physical thing. His only friend was gone. He felt so terribly alone. For the first time in many long years, tears began to stream down his face. He looked at Scott and saw the same grief in his eyes. It was as if time had shifted and Scott was a boy again, looking to him for comfort when his mother left. Ed had failed his son then. And he was terribly afraid he would fail again.

Both men rose to their feet. For the first time since they’d entered, Scott looked around him. Ed knew the room hadn’t changed much in the last eight years. The furniture was older. Shabbier. But Scott would recognise his home.

He knew the moment Scott saw the photograph. His body stiffened. He walked over to the bookshelf and lifted the silver frame from its place. Inside that frame was a photo of a beautiful young woman and a small boy.

‘I thought you threw everything away,’ Scott said slowly.

‘No. I just put them away. After you left, I wanted something …’ Ed couldn’t continue.

Scott turned around. His face, still wet tears, was contorted with grief and anger.

‘Why? Why did you do it?’

Ed didn’t answer.

‘She was beautiful. She was a wonderful wife and mother. And you had an affair! Why did you do that? Why did you drive her away?’

Ed struggled to find the words he needed, but they wouldn’t come. He saw the disgust spread over Scott’s face. He put the photo back on the bookshelf and turned to walk out of the room, away from this house and his father. Ed knew that if his son left, he would never see him again.

His throat contracted. The words were too hard to speak.

‘It wasn’t me.’

The words stopped Scott in his tracks, but he didn’t turn around. ‘What do you mean it wasn’t you?’

‘I didn’t have the affair. She did.’

At first, Scott thought he’d misheard. But he hadn’t. His father’s voice had never been clearer or more firm.

‘You’re lying.’

‘No. For the first time, I am telling the truth.’

Slowly Scott turned to face his father, still unwilling to believe what he’d heard.

‘Why should I believe you?’ Ed had given him no reason to trust him, and every reason to walk away.

‘After everything that has happened, why would I lie now?’

Scott studied his father’s face. The pain in his eyes told Scott that this time he was hearing the truth. He felt as if his whole world was shaking beneath him.

‘Why didn’t you tell me? All those years ago. Why did you lie then?’

‘I needed it to be a secret. I wanted to believe …’ Ed blinked back the tears. ‘I wanted to believe she’d come back. I had to believe she’d come back. And when she did, I didn’t want her to be the subject of town gossip. It they had to blame someone – if you had to blame someone – I wanted it to be me.’

‘And that last day, you let me fight you, and then walk away without knowing the truth.’

‘You said you were going to look for her. I wanted you to find her. And if you did, the two of you had to be all right together. It would be better if you both blamed me. And, I guess I still hoped there was a chance for me.’

‘That she would come back to you?’

‘That you both would.’

Scott
shook his head, trying to make sense of what he was hearing. Years of anger and bitterness and hate had been based on a lie.

‘I know better now,’ Ed said in a very quiet voice. ‘She was never going to come back to me. She had the affair, but it was as much my fault as hers. I am not an easy man to live with.’

‘No. You’re not.’

‘Scott, I am so sorry.’ Ed’s voice cracked with the weight of years of loneliness and regret. ‘You are so like her, you know. Now and then. Every time I looked at you, I saw her in your eyes. I couldn’t stand the pain, so I guess I stopped looking at you. Stopped seeing you. It was the only way I could survive.’

A long moment passed, broken only by the sound of their breathing. Scott looked into his father’s face and saw love there. There was fear, too. He was afraid that Scott would walk away again.

Scott reached deep inside his own heart. He’d come back to Coorah Creek looking for answers. Tonight, he’d found them.

They both moved at the same time. In the middle of the room, Ed threw his arms around his son and pulled him into his chest. They held each other for a long moment. When they broke apart, there were tears in both their eyes.

‘I have some of her things still,’ Ed said. ‘I thought you might like something to remember her by. She left me – but she always loved you.’

‘And you have always loved her?’

‘Son, I fell in love with your mother the day I met her. I’m not entirely sure I have ever stopped loving her.’