Page 8 of Buried In Between

‘Hmm.’ That was the problem, where did she stop?

‘I can help. I have this fancy whizz-bang ride-on contraption that’d do the fields quickly. It’s a snazzy new thing. Want me to run it over this afternoon? Won’t take me long.’

Clive must have read the surprise on her face. ‘It’s a genuine offer. But I confess, I might want to ask a favour in return. Might be fun for you, though Duke.’

The knots in Ava’s tummy were slowly untangling. She’d eventually adjust to speaking with strangers again, particularly so openly, so freely. After being unable to express herself for so long it was a weird, and yet welcome, change. She always used to trust her gut, now she wanted to learn to again. Clive was a friendly neighbour and if you couldn’t rely on your neighbours, particularly in the country, who could you rely upon?

‘Okay, we’re listening. And yes, thank you, I’d absolutely love you to mow these acres of grass for me. That would be such a massive help. What can we do for you?’

‘Do you like animals, young man?’

Ish nodded.

‘Well, that’s good. As I said, I’m not here all the time and I’ve had another young lad looking after these two,’ Clive gestured towards the horses, ‘but he’s going to uni in Brisbane in a few weeks and isn’t available anymore. Can you care for my horses when I’m not here? I’d give you a little pocket money, plus you can ride them whenever you want.’

Ish jumped on the spot. ‘Please, Mumma.’

Gosh, she really had enough on her plate with the renovations ahead of her and with them simply settling in. But she’d chosen Bellethorpe and the outback for a reason. Well, lots of reasons, but one of them was wanting Ish to have the full country experience and a happy childhood. Just like she’d had.

‘I used to ride when I was young.’

Ish looked up at her in surprise. ‘You did?’

‘Uh, huh. A lot actually, but I haven’t ridden in years. Might be out of practice.’ She leaned over the fence now and held out her hand to one of the horses. ‘Would you like to learn, Duke?’

He jumped on the spot again, his smile imploring and his hands held in a prayer-like clasp.

‘The riding equipment is in the shed down yonder; you can come and go as you like. The feed is outside the shed and there’s a range of brushes.’ Clive addressed Duke. ‘If you brush them regularly, they’ll be your best friend.’ He paused and laughed. ‘No, actually, if you give them any attention, they’ll love you in return.’ Clive chuckled at himself once more. ‘This one here is Honey, and that one with the one white hoof, is Marmalade.’ Clive provided brief instructions about their care.

‘I’ll see you in a jiffy. I’ll go and get my mower.’ Clive walked away and Ava lifted her face to the breeze; the harsh heat of the day gone.

Ish raced back towards the house searching for his ball. With a sigh, Ava surveyed all that was still to be done. Each time she ticked off a task, another materialised.

‘Mum! Mumma! Come see.’ Ish peered under the house at a section where a row of palings had come loose and fallen away.

‘What is it?’ She strode over and craning her neck underneath, Ava placed one hand on his shoulder and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dim interior.

‘A dog!’

‘What?’ She moved him to the side to gain a better vantage. Sure enough, laying in a cool patch of dirt, was a dog, panting, eyes sad, front legs balancing the bright yellow tennis ball.

‘And he’s got my ball.’ Ish reached out his hand, and Ava snatched it back quickly.

‘We don’t know if it’s friendly. And he must belong somewhere, to someone.’

‘…course he’s friendly.’

‘I think we should just leave him.’

‘Can we keep him?’ Her son sat back on his haunches, his hands in a prayer pose for the second time in as many minutes.

Ava prevaricated, again; she wanted him to have a normal childhood and as an only child he was often without company, and plus she’d be spending so much time on the house… but then she’d just agreed to care for Clive’s horses. A hobby farm wasn’t necessarily in her plans but maybe they could do it. Perhaps get some chooks too.

And she’d do anything for this kid. Make up for everything that had happened in his life so far.

‘How about we try and coax him out and see if he’s friendly and I’ll ring the local vet. They can check him out and locate an owner. If he is someone’s pet, there might be a little girl or boy crying somewhere right now missing them. We can’t keep someone else’s dog, can we? That wouldn’t be fair.’

Ish’s head bowed as he contemplated that. ‘Yeah, okay.’

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