Outback Sisters

by Rachael Johns

  ‘What? Getting screwed over by a married man?’ She shrugged. ‘Possibly. But I think watching Simone lose Jason and helping her through that tough time was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. What about you?’

  ‘Biggest joy? That’s easy. Becoming an uncle.’

  Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. ‘I didn’t know you were an uncle. Who has a child? Angus or Olivia?’

  He hesitated, feeling a little guilty about revealing this but wanting her to know, because Angus’s pain had also had a major effect on him. ‘Angus,’ he said. ‘He and his fiancée had a baby not long after Dad passed. He was such a joy, a light after so much darkness.’

  ‘Oh my God. Did Sarah take him when she left?’

  Logan picked up a pebble from his feet. He held it in his hand for a moment, then threw it into the water in front of them. ‘He died at seven months.’

  She gasped. ‘That’s horrible. How …?’

  Logan sighed. ‘Cot death. Sarah fed him at ten o’clock and Angus went to check on him in the morning and he was gone.’

  Frankie put a hand to her mouth.

  ‘Angus and Sarah were never the same again. She stayed for a while, but Angus threw himself into caring for Olivia, and Sarah just couldn’t handle it. I guess it was his way of coping, but she didn’t want to help raise Liv when her own child was dead.’

  Tears poured down Frankie’s cheeks and he hugged her close.

  ‘Poor Angus. He’s had so much sadness in his life. Kinda makes his grumpiness understandable.’

  ‘I know. Life sucks sometimes.’ But he was no longer thinking about his brother. He was thinking about this gorgeous woman in his arms and how he needed to be completely honest with her.

  She sniffed and then looked up at him. ‘No need to ask what your biggest disappointment has been in life. There’s been so many.’

  ‘I might be going blind,’ he blurted and then closed his eyes the moment the words were out.

  ‘What?’

  He opened his eyes again. Frankie’s shock was palpable. Her face had gone pale and her hand was pressed against her chest as though she were suffering cardiac problems. Goosebumps prickled on his arms. Perhaps he shouldn’t have said anything. Maybe it was too soon, their relationship too new. Then again, if this was going to be a roadblock, might as well bring it out in the open before they’d gone too far down the path they were heading.

  ‘About a year ago I start noticing some issues with my sight,’ he admitted, taking a quick breath. ‘I would occasionally trip or bump into things, but mostly I found driving at night difficult. Eventually I went to the doctor, who sent me to a specialist. After a round of tests, it was confirmed I have retinitis pigmentosa.’

  ‘What exactly is that?’

  ‘Basically it means the retinas in my eyes are no longer doing their job and my vision is deteriorating.’

  ‘That’s awful. I’m so sorry.’ She leaned into him and pressed her head against his shoulder.

  ‘It’s not your fault.’

  She pulled back and looked him in the eye. ‘I—I didn’t mean that. I’m just upset for you. I can’t imagine being faced with something like that.’

  ‘Sorry.’ He sighed, unpractised at this conversation. ‘I’m … just …’

  ‘It’s okay.’ She pressed her lips against his cheek and then asked quietly, ‘What’s the prognosis?’

  ‘Hard to tell. There’s no cure or anything at this stage. Worst-case scenario, I’ll completely lose my sight. Best case, it’ll go downhill further but I’ll keep some vision.’

  ‘Shit.’

  He chuckled. ‘That wasn’t the word I used when I first found out, but I’ve had time to come to terms with it.’

  ‘What can they do about it?’

  ‘At this stage, there is no cure, but there are a number of treatments and therapies being explored. I’m hopeful that medical advances will change my prognosis before it’s too late but there are worse things I could have. This isn’t a death sentence, just an invitation to redirect a few things in my life. Right now I’m just trying to work out how to live with it. I’m looking into learning Braille and investigating other ways that will make life easier.’ He paused a moment. ‘This blindness thing is why I’ve been so keen to lease part of our farm to a renewable energy producer. I’m scared I won’t be able to help Angus forever and I don’t want to leave him in the lurch. I figure if we have an alternative source of income, he’ll be able to employ help when needed.’

  ‘It makes sense. God, I imagine it was a shock for Angus as well. Is this thing you’ve got hereditary?’

  Logan cracked his knuckles, something he always did when he was anxious. ‘I haven’t told Angus,’ he said. ‘You’re the first person I’ve told.’

  ‘Wow.’

  He wasn’t sure if the wow was for not telling Angus or for confiding in her. He let out a deep breath and turned again to face her.

  ‘Thank you,’ she whispered. ‘But don’t you think you should tell your family? I know if Simone had something like this, I’d want to be there for her. You said Angus isn’t a hundred per cent behind your wind-farming idea, but if he knew your real reasons, I think he’d be more supportive.’

  ‘I dunno.’ He shook his head. ‘I don’t want anyone’s pity. I don’t want it to change how people see me. Has it changed how you see me?’

  ‘Yes,’ she breathed, and his heart jolted.

  It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Who wanted to spend their life with a blind man? He didn’t have a choice about coming to terms with it because he would never hurt his family the way his father had, but Frankie did.

  ‘It makes me like you even more,’ she continued. ‘I admired and respected you before, but now I see a man who doesn’t just sit by and let life tell him how it’s going to be. The fact that you’re thinking about Angus and Olivia, rather than wallowing in self-pity, only makes me want to be with you more.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Of course.’ She squeezed his hand again. ‘What did you think—I’m some princess who is going to run at the first sign of trouble? I’m made of tougher stuff than that. Like you said, there are worse things in life. And, even if you do eventually go blind, at least I’ll still be able to look at you.’

  She blushed a little as if she realised what she’d just said, that they’d still be together when his eyes got really bad and dammit, he hoped they would be.

  ‘What did I do to deserve you?’ he asked, grabbing her head in his hands and kissing her hard on the lips again.

  She laughed when they came apart. ‘Just walked into my café and kissed the wrong girl.’

  He groaned. ‘Am I ever gonna live that down?’

  ‘Um …’ She pretended to think about it a moment. ‘I doubt it. I think it’s the perfect story to drag out every Christmas. Once we tell Simone we’re together, that is. Looks like we’re both keeping secrets from our siblings. The question is who will tell first?’

  He shrugged, then pulled her close and kissed her on the forehead. ‘But no secrets from each other.’

  She was quiet a moment. ‘Actually, I do still have one secret.’

  ‘Oh yeah?’ He raised his eyebrows. ‘Are you gonna tell me?’

  ‘I’m not sure if I should. Promise you won’t get mad?’

  Now he was curious. ‘Promise.’

  ‘You know how you and Simone were talking on Rural Matchmakers for a couple of weeks before you met?’

  He nodded.

  ‘What would you say if I told you that you weren’t actually talking to Simone?’

  ‘I’d say please explain.’

  She smiled and then bit her lip to cover it up. ‘Harriet and Grace signed Simone up to the site—they thought it was time she got herself a man—but she had no idea about it until you turned up that day.’

  ‘What?’ He dropped his head in his hands and then looked up. ‘Are you telling me I spent two weeks chatting up a couple of teenage girls?’<
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  She started to laugh. ‘It’s kind of funny if you think about it.’

  ‘It’s kind of mortifying,’ he choked, thinking this would likely be another story that he’d never live down—that’s if he didn’t kill Frankie’s two nieces first.

  She nudged him in the side with her elbow. ‘You know … you’re kinda cute when you’re embarrassed.’

  He shook his head and then started laughing as well.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  ‘Just ignore them,’ Logan said to Angus as they approached the Geraldton Senior College gymnasium where the renewable energy company was holding the meeting for landholders interested in hosting wind turbines.

  Angus raised an eyebrow, guessing he was talking about the protesters jumping up and down in front of the building with signs on pickets. He read a few for amusement’s sake.

  SAY NO TO 400FT MONSTERS

  YOU DON’T GET USED TO THEM, YOU GET SICK

  THE SHIT IS GONNA HIT THE FAN

  He chuckled a little at that one.

  PLANT TREES NOT TURBINES

  DUMB, DUMBER AND WINDPOWER SUPPORTER

  That’s right, insult the meeting attendees—that’s really gonna win me round to your way of thinking. He shook his head, wondering how many of these people had truly done their research and how many were just blindly following like sheep because they liked the drama. Either way, he’d promised to give this serious thought and he owed Logan more than he owed any of these people.

  The protesters screamed slogans at them and tried to thrust flyers into their hands as they entered the hall. He and Logan politely declined and were rewarded with scathing looks. One woman even swore. There were two cops standing at the door—he guessed to ensure the protest didn’t come inside.

  Despite the ruckus going on outside, the hall was pretty full and they found seats a few rows from the back. As Logan checked something on his phone, Angus looked around to see if he recognised anyone. It was unlikely they were the only people from Mingenew considering the option. Although there were many locals who were opposed to the idea of wind turbines, there were just as many who, like Logan, thought it a viable option for additional income.

  While Angus didn’t see anyone from home, his heart jolted as his eyes came to rest on the back of a head a few metres in front. She had hair the exact shade of Simone’s and it was cut in the same sensual style—bouncy and wavy. He remembered running his fingers through that hair and the recollection made his body wake up and take notice. He shifted in his seat, trying not to be obvious while he ascertained if it were really her. Though Simone wasn’t a landowner, so he didn’t know what business she’d have at the meeting.

  He didn’t know how he felt about seeing her and was worried that if she, he and Logan had to make small talk, he’d give away his discomfort. Hopefully Logan would be too invested in the wind-farming information to notice.

  ‘Testing, testing.’

  A hush fell over the crowd as a smartly dressed woman spoke into the microphone at the front of the hall. As the crowd noise dropped, the irate pleas of those locked outside filtered into the hall.

  ‘Okay, I think we’re ready.’ The woman’s smile looked too big to be real as she began her introduction. ‘My name is Sandra Winters and I’m from Future Power. It’s my pleasure to welcome you here tonight and I want to thank you all for taking the time to come and hear how Future Power can work with the community to both our benefits. There will be an opportunity for questions after the presentation, but first I’m going to hand over to Charlie Myers, Future Power’s director of new development. Thank you, Charlie.’

  Charlie stepped up to the microphone, dressed in the kind of black suit that rarely saw the light of day in these parts. He was all smarmy smiles as well and Angus thought he looked like someone out of a James Bond movie. One of the villains.

  ‘Good evening, ladies and gentleman.’ Charlie beamed at the crowd like a clichéd used-car salesman. Angus turned to Logan and they exchanged a look.

  ‘Give him a chance,’ Logan mouthed and then turned back to watch the flashy PowerPoint presentation.

  Angus folded his arms across his chest and tried to be open-minded as he listened to the spiel. The presentation included lots of pretty photos and graphics, rave reviews from landholders already contracted with the company, a few measurements about the size of turbines, but very little actual information about how the partnership progressed. Needless to say, when Charlie finally finished extolling the wonders of wind-farming, a number of hands shot up in the audience to ask questions.

  ‘How much land is needed for the turbines?’ asked a bloke right near the front. Logan couldn’t see him but he sounded fairly elderly. Perhaps this was a way for farmers nearing retirement to still live and work the land but have a slower pace of life?

  ‘Very little actually,’ Charlie said, clapping his hands together as if this excited him. ‘You’d be surprised. We estimate less than one per cent of most landholders’ properties. Of course, easements are sometimes needed for access tracks, but we do our best to use existing farm roads where possible. Although we reserve the right to upgrade the road to cope with large loads during construction, so—’ he shrugged and grinned ‘—this is often a win for the landowner.’

  The next question came from the woman sitting next to the possible Simone. Angus couldn’t help staring in case she turned to look at her neighbour.

  ‘I’ve done a lot of reading on this,’ the woman said, ‘and I’m not a hundred per cent convinced. What do you say about the group outside who are adamantly opposed to the whole wind-energy business due to the effects it has on people’s health and a farmer’s livestock?’

  Charlie cleared his throat, his smug smile appearing again as he leaned into the microphone. ‘I’d say they should get their facts straight before they try to scare others.’

  ‘Facts?’ asked the woman.

  ‘Research has shown absolutely no detriment to livestock from the actual turbines,’ Charlie stated. ‘Most of the bad press can be traced back to a case about thirty years ago in the United States where turbines on one wind farm were poorly located in the flight path of migratory birds. Things have progressed a lot since then and here in Australia, planning conditions for new wind turbine developments require extensive research on local bird life at all stages of the process. As a result, bird deaths or other animal deaths in rural regions rarely have anything to do with wind farms. The only effect of having turbines on your property is that livestock need to be kept away from the site during construction. Obviously for their own safely.’

  ‘What about crops?’ shouted a man down the back.

  Angus didn’t hear Charlie’s response properly because the red-haired woman turned towards the speaker and his stomach clenched. It wasn’t Simone. He shouldn’t have felt so damn disappointed by this fact, but deep inside he’d wanted it to be her. She was still on his mind ninety-five per cent of the time, but Logan seemed to have moved on. His mood had improved dramatically since the weekend—although he’d been working away the last couple of days, they’d talked on the phone. And when Angus had seen him again today, Logan had been decidedly chipper. Angus wondered if maybe he’d found someone for a one-night stand in Carnarvon. Either way, maybe he wasn’t as cut up over his split with Simone as Angus had initially predicted. Should he really make such a drastic decision about the future of their farm because of his guilt over one mistake?

  ‘Next question?’ Charlie asked and then pointed to a guy a few seats along from Angus and Logan.

  ‘You mentioned minimal effect on cropping and livestock, but what about the farm as a whole? Any limitations we’ll be locked into?’

  ‘Very few and all such things would be negotiable when you enter a lease.’ Charlie took the next question.

  ‘Speaking of leases,’ asked the lady who had kicked off the Q&A, ‘can you tell us anything about them? I’ve read about an “option to lease”. What exactly is that?’


  ‘We start with an agreement known as an “option to lease”, which means our team can access your property to assess wind-farm feasibility with the option to move into a lease agreement at a later stage,’ Charlie explained, subtly glancing at his watch before continuing. ‘This lease agreement usually comes into being when developers commence construction on the turbine site.’

  ‘So can the farmer back out at this stage?’

  Angus liked this woman. She was asking all the right questions, but he didn’t think Charlie shared his opinion.

  ‘No; option to lease is usually binding to the landholder,’ he stated, his tone becoming condescending, ‘whereas the developer can withdraw at any stage before construction commences.’

  ‘Doesn’t sound fair to me,’ exclaimed the lady. ‘I think this is a waste of my time. I’m going home to watch The Big Bang Theory.’ And with that, she got up and walked towards the back of the hall, a ripple of laughter from the audience following behind her.

  Angus sighed. He liked The Big Bang Theory.

  Charlie seemed to think everyone had been laughing at the woman, rather than him, and he continued undeterred.

  ‘I think what we all want to know,’ asked a tall woman, also near the front, ‘is how much money will we make?’

  The crowd laughed again and a couple of people clapped. ‘Amen,’ shouted someone down the back.

  Charlie shook his head. ‘I’m sorry, but that’s like asking how long is a piece of string. Remuneration varies significantly and of course depends on many factors, such as the performance of the turbines, location of the site, distance from major transmission lines. Payments are of course based on a percentage of gross revenue, but I’ll be happy to discuss this further with you following the meeting if you are interested. Next question?’

  ‘How long are the leases?’

  ‘Lease agreements are generally for the life of the wind farm, which is usually about twenty-five years, with the option for renewal.’ Charlie took a white handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped the sweat from his shiny brow.