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Shea seemed hesitant to leave her. ‘Okay, but only if you’re sure.’
‘Yes, I’m positive, now be gone, the pair of you.’
Easing to her feet with Amaya now wrapped around her, she smiled softly. ‘See you in the morning, my darling friend.’
‘You will, nighty night Amaya.’ Samantha gave her a wave.
‘Sleep tight, Aunty Sammie,’ Amaya replied sleepily.
Samantha watched mother and daughter disappear inside the house. Looking back towards the sparkling sky, she swallowed the last of her wine in one big gulp. Somewhere in the garden, just below where she was swinging, the loud scuffle of nocturnal animals had her rising to her feet and quickly making her way inside. Good god, she thought, as she retreated to safety and wearily climbed the staircase, she’d really become soft after living away for so long. Maybe it was time to pull on those big country girl boots and toughen up a little, and Gum Tree Gully was the best place to do that.
CHAPTER
6
‘Mornin’, boss,’ Oyster said as he shuffled past Connor’s swag, loo roll in hand.
‘Morning, mate,’ Connor garbled amid a yawn.
With the fog lifting, dawn began to stretch to life before Connor, the landscape untouched, untainted by human hands. It was the gift of a brand-new day, a chance to start afresh, to let go of yesterday, to grab a bull by the horns, so to speak – although some days he literally did just that – and yet, as stunning a spectacle as a sunrise was, most of the glowing orb’s audience still slept in their beds, pining for that extra few minutes of shut-eye, totally ignorant to the magic of Mother Nature’s heartbeat and the power it had to heal one’s soul. He felt himself a lucky man to be witnessing such beauty unwrapping before his very eyes. There was something ethereal about it. From his vantage point, he gazed in awe as the warm glow emerging from behind the distant mountain ranges stretched its pink, yellow and indigo arms acrossthe lightening sky. Briefly closing his eyes while breathing in cool air drenched with the sweet frangipani flowers and the earthy cow dung and horse manure dotting the surrounding paddocks, he sighed in pleasure. Unlike most, he loved the deep, earthy scent. Good job, given that he was a cattleman to his very core.
Watching the few listless clouds changing from crimson red to yellow, he enjoyed the comfort of his swag for a few moments longer as he breathed the crisp morning air in deeply. Give it another hour, and he’d be sweltering. If only he’d gotten to share all of this with Angus, but the cruel twist of fate had put a stop to that. Would they have worked through their brotherly teenage fights? He liked to think so. But they’d never have the chance to find that out now. Neither would he get to see the pride on his father’s face as he went about his daily jobs, making the station the very best it could be. It made him even more eager to live, for the memory of both his brother and father. If only he had a son, or daughter for that matter, to pass all of this on to. But that was never, ever going to be possible. The cancer had stolen his fertility, as well as leaving the possibility of a premature death hanging over him. And he’d gone and done a really stupid thing, by asking for his frozen samples to be destroyed for fear of dying and leaving a child without a father. If only he’d slept on it, he would have woken with a different mindset. But it was too late for ‘ifs’ now – he just had to live with the consequences of his hasty decision, made under the influence of painkillers and hopelessness.
Rolling onto his side, he looked in the direction of the plot of land he’d picked out to build his forever home. He knew exactly what he’d wanted, before his shattering prognosis: four bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a big kitchen, a games room, and sweeping wraparound verandahs to take in the far-reaching views. Hell, he’d even had the plans drawn up – but what use would a big house be to him if he was faced with the worst-case scenario? He’d live with his sentence, for as long as he possibly could, because if he’d learnt anything in this short, hard life he’d lived, it was that every second of life was worth living. His longing for a home, and his very own family to share it with, wasn’t because he felt lonely, but because he wanted to be able to share this wonderful life with another, and then have children to pass it on to, just as his father, and his father, and his father, had passed it down the generations. But, given what he’d lost, and the fact that he could never have a child of his own, would any country-hearted woman want to fall in love with him? And if push came to shove, would he allow her to?
His heart sinking, he rolled over to where a view of the rolling hills met him and brought his thoughts back to the present. What good was it going to do him to pine over something he never had the capacity to change? Absolutely sweet F all. And he wasn’t about to let his mother in on his regret over signing the paperwork that rid him of his ability to ever have a child. She’d had enough on her plate of late; she didn’t need more with his revelation.
His campfire smouldering, he climbed from his swag, stretched his body to life, tugged his boots on and then made a move to put more wood on the pile, fanning the new flickering of flames with his hat to bring it back to crackling life. Then, grabbing his billy can, he strolled down to the trickling creek and filled it with water. A strong sweet pannikin of tea would be just what the doctor ordered, along with one of the corned beef and mustard sandwiches he’d premade for the muster. Then it was time he and Oyster hit the dusty trail once more.
Three hours later, the sun was gaining momentum and getting higher in the sky as Connor edged the livestock along at a nice easy pace. Up ahead, Oyster and his horse were doing the same. They wanted to get the cattle into their new paddock before the heat of the day had them begrudging the move, and judging by their dwindling pace and the force of the sunshine upon his back, that pivotal moment wasn’t too far away. There was some good feed once they got there, though, a reward for their early morning walk. And for an early afternoon smoko, he had a couple of cans of Coke on ice, and a packet of Arnott’s Butternut Snap biscuits. His absolute favourite, and Oyster’s too.
With nothing but his thoughts to keep him company, his mind drifted aimlessly until he found himself right back in the same contemplations as yesterday. He couldn’t help but wonder what it was going to feel like for Sammie, coming back here after so long. By the grace of God, he hoped she had somehow found a way to get over her past, so she could enjoy her time here. Back in her true home. Around the people who loved her the most.
Bearing witness to how that night had damn near destroyed her and had damn near destroyed him, too, he’d felt like a helpless bystander, watching as the dark shadows had pulled her apart, piece by piece, until there were only broken parts of her left. Oh, he’d tried to put her back together, but she hadn’t been ready, and in hindsight, neither had he. They’d been two lost souls, trying to find comfort in the familiarity of one another. The moment her lips had met with his was the very moment all his feelings for her had been confirmed, tenfold. In some strange way he couldn’t blame her for running far away from here. And from him. Hell, at the time, he would’ve liked to have the guts to have done the same. But then again, running never solved a thing. Facing things head on, now that’s what worked, at least that had been the case for him.
‘Cooee, Connor.’ Oyster’s bellow from the front of the mob alerted Connor to the fact they’d reached the new paddock. ‘We good to go?’
‘Right you are,’ he hollered back, giving Oyster the thumbs up, which was the go-ahead to open the gates.
Bloody hell, talk about being lost in my thoughts.
As he was surrounded by a persistent cloud of dust and the bellows of the cattle, the day stretched into an absolute scorcher – even by five-thirty the air still shimmered with heat. With the cattle all tucked away in the hundred-odd acres of their new abode by two o’clock, Connor had gotten to his list of chores that had to get done by the day’s end. He tugged the brim of his hat down to ward off the late afternoon glare, and finally downed tools, stepped over a steaming pile of horse manure, then rested against the railings of the agistment paddock to admire his handiwork. He’d achieved so much in the past twenty-four hours that he mentally patted himself on the back. He’d even found time to mend the fence his stud bull had decided to have a fight with, collect the weekly supplies from the local feed store and mow the lawns around the homestead and his farmhouse. Next up, before he headed home for the night, he wanted to call in on his mum.
Kicking his boots off and wandering down the hallway, he found her in the kitchen, tidying up. ‘Man oh man, Mum, something smells bloody good.’ Taking centre stage on her butcher’s block, her coconut and pineapple frangipani pie was a picture of absolute perfection. ‘Ahh, that’s what it is.’ He reached out to pick a piece of the sweet crumbly pastry from the corner.
‘Oi, you.’ She slapped his hand away, her stern look also playful. ‘Go sit down, and I’ll cut you a piece.’
‘Righto, seeing as you’ve twisted my arm.’ Pulling a chair up at the breakfast bar, he did as he was told.
‘You’re a cheeky bugger, Connor Gunn.’
‘I wonder where I got that trait from, hmm?’ The squeeze of his heart contradicted his grin.
‘Hands down, your father, God love him.’ Her smile was a little sad. Taking two plates from the overhead cupboard, she plonked them down, grabbed a knife and then served them up a hefty piece each. ‘So, tell me, have you got everything sorted for the bucks night?’
‘I think so, I’ve just got to confirm numbers with the publican, and we’re pretty much good to go.’ He took the offering of delectable delicacies from her outstretched hand. ‘Thanks, Mum, you’re the best.’
‘I know.’ She licked sweet pineapple goodness from her fingertip. ‘When are you going to catch up with Sammie, seeing as you two are in charge of organising the finer details before, and on the big day?’
