Standing Strong (37 page)

‘Oh, sorry, I didn't realise.'

‘Don't be. I was at a loose end with some time to kill. I was only going to sit and read the paper. This has been much, much better.'

Paul walked Jacqueline to her car and gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek. As she hugged him back, she wished it was Damien's arms that were around her.

Feeling much better about everything, and a little weary from all the driving, Jacqueline headed straight home. She'd pull a piece of lasagne from the freezer, read for an hour or so, and then it would be time for the news and dinner. Tomorrow she really would clean the house and keep herself busy that way. And then on Monday she'd have a busy work day to keep her mind occupied. As she drove, she wondered if she'd rather know what day to expect a reply from the board or if it was better not to know. Since she didn't know, it didn't really matter, did it?

Chapter Thirty-five

Damien woke feeling amazing, the best he'd felt in ages. Even better was not having to get up in a hurry. Not that he was lolling about, but seven o'clock was pretty late for him. He lay there beside Squish, luxuriating in the complete and utter freedom he felt. Then the horses called out, demanding to be fed.

‘Oh, well, Squish, no rest for the wicked,' he said, giving the dog a final pat before getting out of bed.

He went through his morning routine, all the while humming and whistling to himself, and marvelling at how good he felt. He'd just finished his breakfast of toast and jam and a mug of coffee and was getting ready to consult his to-do lists – both daily and longer term – when he heard a vehicle approach. He cocked his head to listen. He frowned. He could now hear voices – female voices – quite close, but no one was knocking on his door. Then he thought he heard what sounded like the door of the horse float parked nearby. He went to investigate.

A ute was parked a little way away. It seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Not surprising, given all sorts of vehicles were regularly coming and going these days. But what was Lucy doing with it?

‘Hiya,' she said, coming towards him carrying a large box. ‘Auntie Ethel says they needed a bigger box and you need to cut back on their feeds. They're taking advantage. And getting too fat,' she said, thrusting the box into his chest.

‘Are they now?' he said, grinning. ‘Whose ute?'

But before Lucy could answer, Alice popped out of the float. So he
had
heard the float door. He hadn't imagined it.

‘Hi, Alice.' Damien was perplexed. He looked from Lucy to Alice and back again. They didn't know each other, did they?

‘Hey, how's it going?'

‘We're going riding,' Lucy announced.

‘Oh. Right. I didn't know you knew each other.'

‘Do now,' Lucy said cheerily. ‘We met in the supermarket.'

‘I've got my job back,' Alice said.

‘That's great.'

‘And it looks like I might be getting closer to being able to take the horses back. If that's okay?'

‘Of course. I'm pleased things are working out for you.'

Damien felt a little sad. In just a few days, the horses and emu had started to really feel a part of the place and it wouldn't be the same if they went. He was hoping to have the oldies from the home out to visit but there'd be no point if there were no interesting animals to see.

‘I'll leave you to it, then. Have fun.' He went inside, unable to shake the feeling there was something odd going on. Clearly Ethel had found Alice and introduced her to Lucy. But what was she up to? Because Damien had no doubt Auntie Ethel was up to something. He sighed. No doubt he'd find out soon enough. Or perhaps it was best he didn't know. He thought Auntie Ethel had a tendency to push the moral envelope at times.

He looked up when the door opened. Lucy's head appeared in the gap.

‘Alice says that Sam will probably follow too, so not to worry if you can't find him.'

‘Okay. Thanks. The big dogs will probably tag along, so I hope the horses will be okay with that. They haven't minded them hanging around them so far.'

‘They'll be right.'

‘Have fun.'

‘Thanks, will do.'

Damien went out and watched Lucy and Alice on the horses as they made their way south from the house followed by Sam the emu and Bob and Cara. Everyone looked calm and content enough. He picked up Squish, who was sitting dutifully beside him.

‘You're a good, loyal friend,' he said, kissing the dog on the forehead. ‘Thank you,' he said, in response to the wet kiss he received in response. ‘Come on, we've got tiles and stuff to unload.'

Damien was putting boxes in the partially built house and carefully writing in thick black marker what was for what –
laundry floor
,
laundry walls
,
bathroom floor
,
bathroom walls
, etc – when he heard another vehicle pull up. He peered between the timber uprights through where the walls would one day be and his heart gave an extra beat. There was Geoff's car – Geoff and another man were inside. He toyed with remaining hidden, until the men got out and began poking about the front of the house as if they belonged there. His blood started boiling. Thank goodness Lucy and Alice weren't here. He strode out and around to where the men were.

‘Geoff, what can I do for you?'

‘Hi, Damien. I've brought Richard Brown from Stockman Real Estate to take a look around to do a valuation for our settlement. I'm sure your mother has told you we've separated. Well, we need to …'

Damien held his hand out to the man he didn't know. No point being rude.

‘Well, you've made a wasted trip. Geoff, you're not welcome here.'

‘Now, come on, Damien, we've always got along okay, haven't we?'

‘Until I found out what a creep you are. I always thought you were a loser and my mother made a poor choice, but that was her business. But spying on and trying to touch up women – and women young enough to be your daughters – well, that's just plain disgusting.'

The other guy was doing a lot of staring at the ground where his foot prodded the dirt. Damien felt for the bloke. He was clearly only trying to do some business. It was just a pity he'd got himself involved with Geoff. Damien gained some satisfaction in noting how red in the face and neck Geoff was.

‘I suggest you leave now. Sorry you've got caught up in this, Richard, but you've made a wasted trip. The farm is in my mother's name and hers alone,' he said, more for Richard's benefit. ‘So you're not going any further without showing me a written and signed request from her.'

‘But it's a joint asset by law.'

‘That's not my problem and nothing to do with me. Now, you've got five seconds to get back in that vehicle and leave before I call Bill Hanson.'

‘Yeah, I know how buddy-buddy you are with him. You'd better call him off, if you know what's good for you.'

What?
But Damien was distracted by Squish, who started up a deep growl that he'd never heard before and would have found quite unnerving if he didn't know the dog so well.

Richard got straight back into the vehicle. Geoff hovered, looking at Squish as if trying to work out how serious the threat was. Damien got out his phone and made a show of scrolling through contacts. He had Bill's mobile number and the station number in his list. Holding the phone up, he raised his eyebrows at Geoff.

‘All right, all right. I'm going,' Geoff growled – though not nearly as impressively as Squish, Damien thought – and got into the car. ‘But don't think you've heard the last of this.'

‘Make sure it's in writing and signed by my mother, then,' Damien said, forcing his tone to be cheery, and walked away with a wave of his hand. He kept an eye on them to make sure they were leaving.

Damien fumed. At Geoff, but also his mother. He found her mobile number in his contacts, selected it, and pushed the button to connect.

‘Damien, lovely to hear from you.'

Damien frowned at how upbeat she sounded. Had she been drinking? It wasn't nine o'clock in the morning yet.

‘Mum, I've just had Geoff here with some real estate bloke to look over the farm. Did you know about this?'

‘Um, yes, it'll have to be looked over sooner or later for valuing. I can't see any other way around it. I'm sorry.'

‘You bloody well could have told me! I'm part of all this, in case you've forgotten – we're meant to be business partners, even if it is only your name on the title.'

‘Look, I know you're upset about Jacqueline …'

‘Did I mention Jacqueline just now? No! This isn't about her. It's time you stopped burying your head in the sand and dealt with a few things. Don't you think you at least owe me a discussion about where things stand?'

‘I don't know where things stand. I'm trying to …'

Damien was stunned to hear a male voice in the background: ‘Oh, sorry, I didn't realise you were on the phone.' Maybe Lucy was right and their mother really had met another man.

‘Fine, Mum, whatever. I get it, it's none of my business. But if you want me to let Geoff or anyone else on the place then bloody well put it in writing!' Damien slammed the phone shut, grateful to still have an old flip one that he could take out his frustration on. What the bloody hell was she playing at? Didn't she care about losing the farm, about taking Damien's future away? Jesus, how bloody self-centred could you get? And how could she be off having an affair, starting a new relationship, while everything was going to shit?

By the time he'd finished unloading the ute, Damien was feeling a little calmer, but he couldn't shake the curiosity over what Geoff had said about calling off the cops. He felt a few cogs fall into place. Ethel had asked if he had Alice's details. She'd clearly found her because she and Lucy were here together now. And the one thing that Lucy and Alice had in common, other than a love of horses, was that Geoff had been creepy towards them. Ethel must have gone to see Bill. But why now? He felt like there was something he was missing. Oh well, perhaps it was best he didn't know. He had to forget it or else he'd send himself mad trying to nut it out. Maybe it was what it was and there was nothing more to nut out. He'd ask Ethel next time he saw her.

Meanwhile he was still pissed off with his mother. That clearly wasn't going to be put aside so easily. What he'd said about the farm being none of his business hadn't just come out through anger, it was what he felt, and it was the truth. His next move dawned on him like a slow-moving storm rolling in: it was time to cut the ties. This having to always be answerable, especially to someone as controlling as his mother, was not on. Sure, she'd been fine with his new venture, but he suspected she might be on her best behaviour and that it would only be a matter of time before she went back to her old ways.

And what if he got married? Would he be exposing his wife, no matter who it was, to God only knew what intrusion? His mother had always come and gone from the house with no regard for his privacy. It hadn't bothered him too much – the fact she tended to tidy the place up while she was there outweighed the inconvenience of her just rocking up unannounced. If he lived there again, it would go back to how it had always been. And Tina couldn't be told anything and she didn't get hints. He was kidding himself if he thought she'd stop barging in even after he was married. It would always be her house, her farm, and she would always feel free to intrude whenever she liked.

Well, she could have it. She'd need somewhere to live if she ever came back. She could lease out the farm or make some share-cropping deal with someone. But he was done.

*

Damien drove down to where the new fence stood, its fresh-looking posts and shiny wire gleaming in the sunlight. He got out and ran his hands along it and took a whiff of the earthy timber. He almost laughed at how he must look – like someone admiring a piece of art or a prized possession. To him, this fence was both of these things. He'd never had a whole new fence before; parts had always been recycled, reused or purchased second-hand at clearing sales, and fences as a whole were rarely replaced. Money had always been tight. And his dad had been the king of innovation, recycling and making do. While Damien had admired him, respected his frugality, he'd also always envied their richer neighbours with their bright new fences and flasher, more reliable equipment. He felt a little guilty and disrespectful towards his father now for admiring this fence so much. But, man, it was a beautiful work of art. And, better yet, it hadn't been his blood, sweat and tears that had put it here. He laughed out loud as Squish and Bob chose a post each to christen with pee.

‘Nice one, boys!'

He chained the two kelpies back into the tray and got in the ute to drive home. He detoured to the rise above the gully where the family of kangaroos liked to congregate. He got out the binoculars and panned around. They all looked the same. If the young buck he'd saved was there, he could no longer pick him out. Good for the roo, a little sad for Damien.

At that moment a roo on the far edge of the group turned and bounded a few metres towards him, stopped and rubbed its face with its paws. Was that the young buck giving him a sign? He'd take it as such. He smiled and waved. There was no one to tell him otherwise.

He put the vehicle back in gear to return to the van. But at the track home he found himself turning right instead of left and heading out to his block.

Damien parked in the gateway that joined his land with their original place – what he was now thinking of as his mother's farm. He looked around, his gaze settling on the group of magnificent native pines way down at the boundary beside the road. They were quite superb, even from this far away. And a hell of a lot nicer than all the charred remains back at home. It was as if he was seeing them, appreciating them, for the first time. He'd driven over this land plenty of times in his ute, moving sheep, and in the tractor, sowing, spraying and harvesting crops. But the land was bought purely to increase their acreage, to make their business more viable. It had some of the heaviest, best dirt, but it was the fact it was for sale at a reasonable price and joined their land that had sealed the deal. Other than a super shed, it was bare.