Jaime blushed. It was lovely of him to include her.
‘The station’s made money under Stirling’s guiding hand,’ Robin continued, ‘which is a miracle considering the state of the beef market. Marion’s private counselling service is taking off. And me? Well, I’ve come to a decision.’
Everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath.
‘I’ve finally decided to take up fishing.’
‘Thanks be to God!’ said Marion, clapping her hands.
‘Great,’ muttered Amy to Bert, who’d come to stand beside her. ‘Now he’ll stop annoying us.’
‘Congratulations, Dad,’ said Stirling. ‘If you’re positive that’s what you want to do?’
‘Of course it’s what I want to do,’ said Robin, looking down at his beautiful silver and blue dog. ‘That’s what we both want to do, isn’t it, Tuff?’
But Jaime could see that the older man’s eyes were glassy with unshed tears as he bent his head to the dog.
‘Sweets!’ yelled two little girls.
‘We have to have our Christmas toast first,’ said Bert, grabbing and raising a glass. ‘To all of us. Particularly Robin. May he enjoy fishing as much as he loved farming.’
Somehow Jaime doubted he would.
‘Thank you for a lovely afternoon, Marion,’ said Jaime through the LandCruiser window.
‘You’re welcome, my dear. Lovely to meet you. We’ll see you in a little while.’
Jaime blanched. They weren’t going to crash her and Stirling’s sleepover, were they?
‘You’re coming to the pub too?’ Stirling asked.
‘Your father wants to put Tuffie in the dog high jump and that starts at five.’
There were dog events? What sort of cricket match was this? Jaime had thought it would have been over by now anyway – it was after 4 pm.
Marion must have seen her confused expression. ‘The Lake Grace Hotel’s Boxing Day cricket match gives new meaning to the term “every man and his dog”. As every man does bring his dog, there are events for them as well. Another way for the locals to exercise their raging competitiveness.’
‘I wonder who won the cricket,’ said Stirling. ‘Burrindal took home the trophy last year, much to Bluey’s disgust.’ He put the LandCruiser into gear. ‘We’ll catch you soon, Mum.’
And with that, he took off. Jaime just caught a glimpse of Robin and Tuff coming around the corner to stand with Marion before all three were lost from view.
‘Whew,’ said Stirling as he turned the ute onto the road.
‘What do you mean, whew? They’re really nice.’
‘They are, and I love them all, but I’m used to spending most of my time by myself. A few hours up close and personal with the folks is more than enough.’
Jaime could understand that. They were such a tight-knit family, but it had got a bit overwhelming after a while. Amy was lovely, but protective of her brother. Bert was a goofball who made Amy lighten up. Marion was nice, but bossy to the point of being overbearing. And Robin? Jaime thought that Stirling’s father, for all his projected bravery, was a lost soul. She could see it a mile away and couldn’t understand why his family didn’t see it too.
‘Why did your dad retire?’ she asked.
‘Mum didn’t want him working so hard. Said it was bad for his health.’
‘So why didn’t he just back off a little? Stay on the farm, but let you do the bulk of the work?’
Stirling grinned. ‘Mum wanted to move down to Lake Grace. Said she’d done her time up on the farm. She’d been travelling back and forth to Narree to do her counselling training and wanted to make that into a business.’
‘But what about your dad?’
He shrugged. ‘You have to understand it’s remote up there. And thirty-five years of living remote is sometimes all a woman can handle. Mum’d had enough. Said it was her time now.’
Jaime could see his point, but still, Robin seemed so adrift. ‘So what does your dad do?’
‘He’s got his few acres. The Men’s Shed. He helps out Amy and Bert.’
‘He just seems really miserable.’
Stirling’s face went blank. Marble Man was back.
Jaime flapped a hand. She’d said too much and didn’t want to ruin their special night together. ‘I’m sorry. It’s none of my business. I shouldn’t have said anything.’
Stirling remained still for a moment longer, then reached out a hand. ‘Thanks for coming to lunch with my crazy family.’
Jaime suddenly remembered Amy’s comment: ‘I know my brother. He wouldn’t bring you here to lunch if he didn’t think there was something in this.’
‘No worries. It was fun.’ And enlightening. Now she knew a little more about what made Stirling McEvoy tick. That in itself was very helpful.
‘I think I’m a liii-ttle bit tipsy,’ said Jaime, sitting down beside Robin with a glass of wine in her hand. She’d just nodded goodbye to Irene, who was obviously heading home, and the action had made her head whirl.
Robin gave her a half-smile. ‘Possibly, my dear. But that’s what the Boxing Day match is all about.’
‘Really? I thought it was all about playing cricket?’
They gazed at the merry revellers. Burrindal had won again, much to the disgust of the Lake Grace boys.
‘There’s a bit of that,’ Robin said, looking down and fondling Tuff’s fluffy coat.
The dog was a steel blue colour flecked with white and black, his face tinged with rusty brown.
‘He’s beautiful,’ Jaime said.
‘Isn’t he?’ There was more than a little pride in his tone. ‘I always had border collies on the farm, but once I retired,’ he said the word with a twist to his mouth, ‘I decided I’d shout myself one of these beauties. Took me a little while to find Tuffinator, but he was worth the wait.’
‘What colour do you call his coat?’
‘Blue merle.’
‘And those eyes.’ She peered at the dog, who was looking at her with a happy, crooked grin. ‘They’re a bit freaky. I’ve never seen a dog with one blue and one brown eye before.’
‘That’s because you’ve been looking at the wrong end,’ said Robin with a chuckle.
Jaime laughed out loud, causing Stirling, who was leaning on the outside bar, to glance over at her.
‘My son. He really likes you, I think,’ said Robin.
‘I really like him too.’
‘Well,’ Robin stretched out his legs, ‘you’re a lot better than that other one who had her claws into him.’
‘Tell me about her,’ said Jaime, shocked the thought came out loud. She really must be tipsy.
‘Not much to tell. They went out for a couple of years. She went away to become a vet and discovered there was more to life than living quietly in the bush. Bright lights, parties. Good riddance, I say, but no one much listens to me anymore.’
He bent down to ruffle the dog’s ears. Tuffie leant into his master’s hand, obviously loving every little stroke.
Jaime decided to take a chance. ‘You don’t really want to take up fishing, do you?’
‘What makes you say that?’
‘My dad – he loved fishing with a capital L. His eyes would light up like a halogen globe at the merest whisper of the word. Yours don’t. In fact, yours dim like a torch that’s lost its charge.’
Robin shrugged. ‘What else is a “retiree”’ – there was that twist of sarcasm again – ‘supposed to do?’
‘Oh, I don’t know. Work on the farm? Help your son?’
‘He doesn’t need my assistance. He’s very happy on his own. Look what he’s done since Marion and I left. New cattle yards. Improved pastures, cropping. Fewer feral animals. No, better to let the young bloke do it his own way rather than having an old has-been like me hanging around.’
Jaime clocked the wistfulness in his tone. ‘Yeah. But what about other stuff? I know I don’t have much of an idea, being a city girl … but surely there’s other stuff you can do? Li
ke spray all those thistles he’s got? Fix a fence? There must be lots of little things he doesn’t get time to work on.’
Robin looked towards the mountains sitting to the north, but his gaze seemed to go far past them. When he spoke, his tone was implacable. ‘I’ve done my time on Polly’s Plains. It’s the lad’s turn.’ He nodded towards Stirling, who was still watching them. ‘I think you’re wanted.’
‘And I know you’re wanted,’ said Jaime in return, seeing Marion making a beeline for them.
Robin heaved a sigh. ‘Must be time for an old bloke to go home to bed. See, even my sleeping hours are managed.’
‘Time to go, Rob,’ said Marion. ‘You’ve got to take those sleeping pills the doctor gave you at precisely eight o’clock. You’ll want to be ready for bed by then.’
Jaime stared at Robin. Surely a fit man like him didn’t need help to go to sleep? He obviously wasn’t active enough. She thought of her father again, and how, when the doctor prescribed him sleeping pills, he’d decided what he needed was more exercise and time outdoors – hence the fishing. In Robin McEvoy’s case, putting worms on a hook to feed the trout wasn’t going to help, but she had a fair idea what would. She’d just have to find the right way to approach it with his son.
Chapter 19
After concentrating on saying an articulate goodbye to Stirling’s parents – she didn’t think it would go in her favour if Marion knew just how drunk she really was – Jaime made her way towards Stirling, who was signalling her from the bar. She saw he was standing with two other people, a couple.
‘Hey there,’ he said when she made it to his side.
‘Hey there,’ she bounced back.
‘This is Jodie and Nate McGregor. They live on the road up to Burdekin’s Gap. Remember the silver mailbox, the one that looks like a beer keg?’
All Jaime remembered from that road was the incredible scenery, but she said hello to the attractive woman and extremely handsome man facing her. That they adored each other was obvious from the way they stood: Nate’s arm was draped around Jodie’s shoulders while her body was angled and tucked in towards her husband’s. Any body-language instructor worth his salt would be screaming MADE FOR EACH OTHER by now.
Stirling was still talking about the mailbox. ‘Never mind, I’ll show you on the way back. Their two billy-lids, Milly and Lizzie, are out there with the rest of the kids.’
Jaime glanced in the direction of the screaming children bouncing around the pub grounds. She couldn’t tell which child was which. Well, except for Bluey’s and Jean’s – they had distinctive carrot-red hair and sported crew cuts. Even the girls.
‘Pleased to meet you,’ said Jodie McGregor, holding out her hand and smiling.
Wow, she’s beautiful, thought Jaime. She found herself grinning back like an idiot.
Nate was chuckling. ‘Yeah, she has that effect on people.’
Jodie gave him a shove. ‘I do not.’
‘You do so!’ chorused both the men.
Jodie ducked her head into Nate’s shoulder, embarrassed, then gave Jaime a wink.
They were interrupted by a young bloke standing on a keg and yelling, ‘Roll up! Roll up! Get your registrations in for the Buck Cricket Match. Starts in fifteen minutes.’
‘Another cricket match?’ said Jaime. She was rather proud of her conversation skills after five glasses of wine.
‘They only play a few overs,’ said Nate.
‘And thank heavens for that,’ said Jodie, breaking into giggles. ‘I don’t think I could stand getting an eyeful for any longer.’
Jaime missed the end of her sentence as she saw Tuffie wandering into the beer garden like he was lost. She excused herself and went to the dog, bent down and ruffled his thick coat. ‘What’s wrong, boy? You lost your mate?’
‘There he is,’ said Robin, coming up behind her. ‘I needed to use the men’s and he can’t come inside.’ He took the dog’s collar and snapped on a leash. ‘Thanks for looking after him.’
‘No problem,’ she said, surprised to find herself thinking how much she’d love a dog like Tuff. She’d got so much enjoyment from being around Buster Two.
‘Why does Stirling call all his dogs Buster?’ she asked Robin.
He gave a laugh and cocked his head to one side. Jaime noted the dog did the same thing. How bizarre.
‘He had a puppy as a kid, a beagle cross. He loved that dog so much. He used to tie himself or his little three-wheeled trike to the mutt and it’d pull him along.’
‘Aw, how cute!’
‘But then the dog started getting into trouble. We couldn’t keep it home, it kept taking off. One day I caught it mauling a sheep. Once they get the taste of blood, that’s it.’
‘You mean you …?’
‘No!’ Robin looked shocked. ‘I couldn’t shoot him. We gave him away to a fellow who hunted wild deer. Ended up being one of his best hunting dogs.’
‘Oh, good.’
‘But Stirling was devastated. He adored that dog.’
She could imagine it. The man still loved his dogs. And she could now see why. Stirling was a good mix of his parents.
‘And the beagle’s name was Buster, right?’
Robin nodded. ‘Every dog Stirling got since is a replacement for Buster. And I suppose it saves him calling out the wrong name. Wish they’d thought of the same idea for girlfriends.’
Jaime grinned. Robin might be bored senseless but he was still funny.
‘Marion had a field day with the whole Buster thing, being a counsellor and all,’ he added.
She took another slug of wine. ‘Dogs like Tuff, how much do they cost?’
‘Lots. But they’re worth every cent.’
‘I’m putting one on my bucket list then.’
‘You do that. Now I’d best get going. Maz is waiting.’
Jaime nearly choked on her wine. Marion McEvoy did not look like a Maz.
‘Lovely to meet you,’ said Robin, holding out his hand to shake Jaime’s. ‘If I know my son, I’d say we’ll meet again. Enjoy the Buck Cricket,’ he added with a wink, and walked towards a maroon LandCruiser, where Jaime could see Marion waiting in the driver’s seat.
‘Did I hear someone say Buck Cricket?’ It was a skinny, red-haired man with a pinhead – the same one who’d been standing on the keg. He was carrying a clipboard. ‘You registering, young lady?’
Jaime thought about it. Why not? She was a pretty mean hand with a bat and Nate and Jodie had said it was only a few overs. But first she needed to know something. ‘Why’s it called Buck Cricket?’
The redhead looked startled, then cagey. ‘Well, you see, it’s like this …’ He stopped. Pondered a minute.
Jaime leant against a nearby barrel and rested her chin on her hand, ‘Yes?’
The man glanced downwards towards her breasts and his face flamed the same colour as his hair. He swallowed, and his adam’s apple bobbed up and down. ‘Well, there was this man named Buck … ummm … Rogers. Yeah, that’s it. Old Bucky boy. He was a real good bloke and he loved space … and ahhh … cricket, so yeah … we called the cricket match after him.’
‘Buck’s no longer with us?’
‘No … he’s … ummm … dead.’
‘Okay. I’ll do it.’
The man seemed flabbergasted, then looked like ten slabs of beer had just landed in his lap. ‘You’re kidding, right?’
‘No. I’ll do it,’ she said again, wondering why he looked so ecstatic. She wasn’t that good with a bat.
‘Answer this question, then sign here,’ he said, shoving his clipboard and pen at her. His hands were shaking.
She looked at the piece of paper. The question was: What’s the most loved thing you own? Jaime didn’t even need to think. She wrote My ghd hair straightener. Now she didn’t have a real job, she wouldn’t be able to replace that in a hurry. She scrawled her name, then peered at the scribble with critical eyes. It was a tad wobbly but it should do.
She handed the board
and biro back. Adam’s Apple stared at her name and answer as if he couldn’t believe what she’d written. He yelled to a guy across the other side of the beer garden who was also carrying a clipboard and cajoling people to sign up, ‘I did it! I got one! You owe me, big brother.’
Got one what?
Stirling arrived at her side. ‘You haven’t done what I think you’ve done, have you?’
‘What have I done?’ She stood up to her full height and blinked at him in innocence.
‘Signed up for the cricket.’
‘She has,’ said clipboard man proudly.
‘Not,’ said an emphatic Stirling.
The other clipboard man strode up. He was even skinnier than his brother, if that was possible. And the way he was salaciously eyeing her off made Jaime feel very uncomfortable.
‘You got trouble, little bro?’ he asked Adam’s Apple.
‘No trouble,’ said Stirling. ‘She’s just not playing.’
‘Yes, she is,’ said the brothers, in unison with Jaime’s. ‘Yes, I am.’
Stirling’s brow did its meet-the-rest-of-his-face trick. In fact, it was the worst she’d ever seen it. He turned his flinty eyes on her, shutting out the other men. ‘You do realise what Buck Cricket is, don’t you?’
‘He just explained it to me,’ Jaime said. ‘It’s played in memory of a bloke called Buck Rogers who loved cricket.’
‘Buck Rogers didn’t love cricket, you fool. He loved flying around in space. Don’t you remember the TV show – Buck Rogers in the 25th Century?’
‘Well, yes …’
‘Bloody Skinner here’s been pulling your chain. This is Buck Cricket as in buck naked!’
‘I didn’t tell her that!’ said the skinnier guy. ‘He did.’ He pointed at his brother.
‘But she’s got good tits!’ said Adam’s Apple.
Jaime looked down. They did look rather big in this top. She looked up again just in time to block Stirling’s left arm swinging towards Adam’s Apple.
Rose River Page 14
