by Kayte Nunn
‘Yeah, thanks,’ she said, with as much dignity as she could muster, holding out a hand.
‘Suffering for your art, hey?’ he said, pulling her up.
‘Something like that.’
‘Mind if I take a look?’
The two of them bent their heads over the camera screen as Mattie flicked back through the shots she’d taken that morning. She couldn’t help but be aware of his nearness, the toothpaste freshness of his breath, his white teeth and parted lips, his tawny skin … She felt almost dizzy with desire, but then scolded herself. For better or worse, he was with someone else. End of story.
‘They’re fantastic, Mattie. You’ve really got a feel for this. These are amazing. Really they are,’ he said, enthusiasm brightening his face.
Mattie blinked. ‘You think? Sure you’re not simply being kind?’
‘No, really. These are brilliant. Look at the way you’ve captured the light on the leaves there.’
She grinned. ‘Thanks.’ An idea quickly formed in her mind as she looked Charlie up and down. ‘You know, what I really need is a human element. Would you mind?’ She smiled sweetly at him.
‘You mean like this?’ he said, giving her his best Blue Steel impression.
‘No, you idiot! Can you stand over there, and turn sideways a bit and look over in that direction?’
Charlie muttered that he really needed to find Mark, but nevertheless did as he was asked.
‘Fab. Now twist a little to your right.’ The sun rose higher, touching the scene with gold, and Charlie became an outline on the horizon as Mattie crouched down and clicked the shutter rapidly.
After a while, he became restless. ‘I’m not used to such scrutiny,’ he complained. ‘Anyway, have you got enough now? I really do have to find Mark before he disappears for the day.’
‘Okay. I reckon I’ve got the shot I was after,’ said Mattie, swiping through the frames she’d taken. For the first time in ages, excitement fizzed through her veins. This was how she had felt when she was working, creating. Her mind felt sharp again, the fog of the previous months lifting like the clearing mist. She couldn’t wait to get back to the barn and download the images to her laptop and sort through them, check the quality was up to scratch and that she’d got the focus and depth of field just right.
‘You know, you should show these to your brother. He might want to use them for Kalkari. Well, the ones without me, that is.’ Charlie grinned.
‘What do you mean?’
‘On the website, the tasting notes, maybe even at the cellar door.’
‘Nah. I’m just messing around for now.’
‘I mean it, Mattie,’ he said emphatically. ‘They’re really good. Amazing, in fact.’
‘Whoa, who covered you in mud?’ Rose asked later as Mattie ran into her outside Kalkari House.
Mattie glanced over her shoulder at her filthy backside and grimaced. ‘Long story. Is Mark around?’
‘He’ll be back later today; went over to New Bridgeton for a meeting with Jeremy Bell about the mining thingo.’
‘Okay, I’ll try to catch him this evening. Better go and clean up. Beautiful day, isn’t it?’ she called as she strode over to the barn, her limp barely slowing her down.
Mattie didn’t see Mark until just before dinner. She’d spent most of the day editing the photos and doing a bit of digital retouching, before selecting a dozen of the best shots. Carrying her laptop over to the house, she placed it on the kitchen table in front of him. ‘Would you mind taking a look at these? I’d love to know what you think.’
Together they slowly scrolled through the shots. Bare vines were silhouetted against the morning sky, mist blanketing the ground; in one, a necklace of raindrops hung from a cane, and finally, there was a shot of Charlie, his profile turned to face the sun and the light catching his hair, making it a golden halo. She couldn’t help lingering on it. Damn, he was attractive. Even just looking at his photo made her heart flip-flop.
‘Wow. Where did these come from?’
Mattie gave him a mischievous look that carried more than a hint of pride.
‘No!’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘You’re kidding! When did you take these?’
‘This morning. There was finally some decent light.’
‘Incredible, Mattie. They’re outstanding.’ He waited a beat, thinking. ‘Can we use them?’
‘Only if you think they’re good enough.’
‘Good enough? Of course they’re good enough!’
‘Well, I was going to mention it at some point – the Kalkari website could do with an overhaul. I’d be happy to take a look at it if you’d like, do a bit of a redesign and include some of these.’
Mark thought some more. ‘I’ve been wondering for a while whether or not the whole brand could do with a spruce-up. What do you say to that? Logo, stationery, website, labels … It’s a big ask, but you’d do a brilliant job.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Never more certain. It’s what you do best, isn’t it?’
Mattie’s eyes shone. ‘You’re on!’
‘Okay, well, why don’t we have a proper chat about it tomorrow? I can give you a rough brief and you can tell me how long you reckon it might take, and what the fee would be.’
‘Fee?’ Mattie was incredulous. ‘Don’t be bloody ridiculous, Mark. I’m living here rent-free and eating dinner with you every night. I reckon that more than covers any fee, don’t you?’
‘Okay, it’s a deal. Consider it in lieu of rent if you like.’
‘Any luck with Jeremy Bell?’
‘Well, he saw us, at least, thanks to Dad putting in a good word. Says he’ll do some investigating and get back to me. It’s not clear yet whether Tin Pei have bought the land as a strategic foothold in the valley, or whether they intend to start drilling in the near future.’ He ran his hands through his hair. ‘Apparently they can also drill horizontally, under neighbouring land, which doesn’t look good for Windsong. Charlie and Thommo are even more worried than the rest of us.’
‘So it’s not as if they have to buy up the whole valley before they can start drilling,’ Mattie concluded. ‘Hooley dooley …’ She whistled.
‘Exactly. Tarrawenna is just shy of sixty hectares, which is more than enough for what they need,’ he said, sounding harassed. ‘Tell you what, I could do with a drink tonight, that’s for sure. What shall we open? I’ve been meaning to see what you think of this one.’ He held up a bottle of Italian red that was sitting on the dresser and went to fetch a corkscrew.
Leo appeared in the doorway. ‘Dad?’
‘Yes, mate?’
‘Don’t suppose you’ve got time for chess?’ He held up a small box.
‘Think you can thrash me again, hey?’
‘I’ll try.’ Leo grinned.
‘Alright, son, bring it over here.’
As Mattie sipped her wine and watched Mark losing good-naturedly to Leo, she realised with surprise that it had been months since she’d had a gut-wrenching stomachache of the kind that she’d experienced on almost a daily basis in London. She no longer had emergency packets of Rennies stashed in her handbag and in the medicine cabinet. Nor could she remember the last time she had a thumping headache. Two things at least to be grateful for.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
‘Isabella’s back,’ said Mark. He and Rose were out for a run, braving the early morning chill. Though it was spring, they both wore gloves and beanies as a defence against the cold air. All around them budding vines etched their shapes across the hills. The sun had barely risen, but was already tinting the faint wisps of clouds brilliantly crimson. Rose gasped, sucking in breaths. It had been ages since they’d been out running and she felt like her legs were made of lead. ‘She sent me a text from the airport; she’ll be in the valley later today,’ he added as they reached the top of the hill behind Kalkari.
‘Oh. That’s sooner than she planned, isn’t it?’ Rose huffed, breathless from th
e effort of keeping pace with him. ‘But I’m sure the kids will be pleased. Should I see if Astrid can drop them off to her after school?’
‘No, don’t worry about it. We can go and pick them up and take them over this afternoon, have lunch in Eumeralla first if you can spare the time. Isabella said she wanted to talk to me about something. Said it was to do with the kids. Might as well see what she wants sooner rather than later.’
Rose enjoyed the routine of her life when Isabella was out of the country. Now it was going to be disrupted again and God only knew what fresh drama would result. Still, she couldn’t begrudge Leo and Luisa being able to see their mother more often. It would give her a break too. Perhaps she and Mark might be able to get away for a few days, she thought idly. Somewhere warm would be nice. She would mention it at lunch. A holiday on their own could be just what they needed, something to take Mark’s mind off the catastrophe that might be caused by the mining company.
‘Lunch would be great,’ she said. Some time together might also give her the opportunity to have a serious chat about the baby thing. Lately it seemed as if it were all she could think about. Spurred on by this promising idea, she sped up, overtaking Mark as they ran down the hill towards the Trevelyn’s vineyards.
‘Hey!’ he cried. ‘Where do you think you’re going?’
‘Catch me if you can,’ she laughed.
‘Ah, my babies, there you are!’ Isabella knelt down to hug Luisa as she raced across the front garden of the cottage in Eumeralla. Leo hung back, staying close to Mark and Rose, reserved. ‘I have missed you so, so much.’
‘Did you bring us a present?’ asked Luisa, excitement in her dark eyes.
‘I haven’t had a chance to unpack yet, but I think something might have slipped into my luggage. How have you been, my little ones? How is Buttons? Are you riding him every day?’
Luisa looked serious. ‘Well, not every day. Daddy and Rose are at work a lot and Astrid has to look after Max as well. But I bring him carrots.’
‘That is good. And you, Leo? How is school? Come here, let me give you a hug.’
Leo allowed himself to be embraced. ‘Good, yeah, okay …’ he mumbled.
‘Listen, why don’t you both go and play for five minutes while I talk to your father?’
Luisa reluctantly let go of her mother and Leo took her hand, leading her to the back garden. ‘Do you remember the frogs we found last time, Lulu?’ he said. ‘Let’s go and see if they’re still there.’ Luisa nodded happily and skipped along beside him.
As the gate shut behind them, Isabella turned to her ex-husband, completely ignoring Rose. ‘Mark. I want to talk to you. About taking the children back to Spain.’
‘Well, it’d have to be in the holidays,’ he replied. ‘I don’t think Leo especially should miss too much school.’
‘Actually, I wasn’t suggesting a vacation. I thought they might like to come and live there with me.’
‘What? But they’re Australian! They live here. Kalkari is their home.’
‘They are also half Spanish, you know.’
‘But they’ve been brought up here. Anyway, they barely speak a word of Spanish.’
‘I am not suggesting that they come to live with me in Spain forever, merely for a year or so. I’d like them to have some experience of the culture. My family there needs me now. Padre is getting more frail and I must help out.’ Isabella came from a celebrated winemaking family in the north of Spain – the family’s winery was one of the Navarra’s oldest.
‘A year? Are you out of your mind? What about school, their friends here? What about Luisa’s pony?’
Rose opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again, thinking better of it. This was between Mark and Isabella.
‘She will have a horse in Spain if she wants, and they will make new friends there,’ Isabella said, dismissing his concerns with a wave of her scarlet-tipped fingers.
‘Can they not just go for a visit? In the long summer holidays, perhaps?’
‘I would like them to both become fluent in Spanish. It is important. Languages are so good for children, for their brains, for their future. There is a school nearby that their cousins go to; they will have total immersion in the culture. They hardly know their Spanish familia and I’d like to give them the opportunity to do so.’ She took a breath. ‘Please, I would like you to think about it, Mark. If they don’t come now then Leo will soon be too old to move schools easily. It will be a great adventure for them. And you cannot deny them their family there.’
‘But what about their family here?’
Isabella stared him down. ‘They have lived with you for a long time now. It is my turn to show them Spain. A year is all I ask. Then they can return and live here.’
‘Do I have a choice?’ he asked, exasperated. ‘When exactly were you thinking of taking them?’
‘Next month. Before vendimia begins.’
‘I don’t like it, not one bloody bit,’ Mark fumed to Rose as they drove away. ‘I don’t know why she’s suddenly got this ridiculous idea in her head. She’s never suggested taking Leo and Luisa away with her for this long before. How do I even know if she’ll bring them back when she says she will?’
‘Oh God, Mark, I know how much you adore them, and they you.’ Much as she’d been looking forward to some time alone with Mark now Isabella was back, she’d never wished for a moment that they would go and live with their mother, and certainly not in Spain. She was almost as devastated as Mark, but quelled the rising feeling of loss, took a deep breath and tried to see Isabella’s side of things. ‘Although I suppose she does have as much right as you do to spend time with them. Not that it makes it any less heartbreaking,’ she said. ‘But has she considered what the kids will say about having to leave here? I’m not sure Leo will be too thrilled.’
‘God knows. Leo especially – he’s been so much happier since we built him the treehouse, and he seems to be doing well at school again. This will completely throw him off-balance.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
‘Ungggh…’
Mattie could hear a mumbling on the other end of the line. ‘Is that you, Car? You sound like you’ve got a mouth full of marbles.’
‘Nup, a lamington,’ Cara replied.
‘Where are you?’
‘At the parentals. Though it’s driving me crazy. Mum’s treating me like a teenager, wants to know what I’m up to all the time. Keeps trailing me around the house. Honestly, Mats, I don’t think I can stand it for much longer.’
‘Good,’ said Mattie.
‘Good?’
‘Yeah. Listen, I’ve been thinking …’
‘Un-uh …’ Cara’s mouth was still full of cake.
‘Well, the thing is, I was wondering if you fancied coming back down here for a while and helping us out? The cellar door manager quit and they’re about to open up again for the season and, well, we’re desperate. I can do some of it, but I can’t be on my feet for too long and I’m also working on the website and a few other things. It really needs someone full-time. I remembered that you said you used to waitress way back when, and thought you might be interested. Of course, it’s not quite the same as styling celebs and photoshoots in the big smoke …’ There was silence on the other end of the line. ‘Oh, forget it, it was just a thought.’
Mattie heard Cara swallow her mouthful. ‘Is a frog’s arse watertight?’
‘Really? Is that a yes?’ said Mattie, thrilled by her friend’s response.
‘Yep, you heard me. It’ll be fun. I love working with you, and I’m a bit over Sydney, to be honest. And I adore the Shingle Valley, it’s so gorgeous.’
‘Not to mention some of the people who live here, huh?’
‘Well, there is that added attraction,’ Cara said drily. ‘What’s not to like? Hey, I won’t have to wear a ghastly uniform, will I?’
Mattie laughed. ‘No, of course not. An apron maybe, but not a uniform. And Dan can train you up in all the wine lingo – he’ll
give us both a session on the Kalkari varietals. Even I don’t know as much as I should.’
‘Right then. When do you need me to start?’
‘How about yesterday?’
Cara arrived at Kalkari as the babydoll sheep, which had been introduced to keep the weeds down in between the vines, were lambing. She and Mattie watched, captivated, as the newborns gambolled in the orchard behind the winery, jumping on all four legs like springs.
‘Oh, they’re so cute and fluffy, look at their little noses!’ Cara said, leaning against the fence.
‘I know,’ Mattie agreed as she snapped some shots. Being out and about with a camera had ignited a long-forgotten passion and she rarely went anywhere without taking photos these days. She’d also been spending her evenings reading books about technique, borrowed from the New Bridgeton library. ‘Though sheep muck still stinks,’ she added.
Cara wrinkled her nose. ‘Don’t they ever get any bigger?’ she asked, pointing to one of the ewes.
‘Nup. They’re an ancient English breed, I think – you should ask Jake, he brought them here. They’re brilliant for keeping the grass down, apparently.’
‘Speaking of Jake, where is he? I’m looking forward to seeing a certain spunky viticulturist again.’ She smiled lasciviously.
Mattie gave her friend a knowing look. ‘Settle down. Mark said he’s taken some personal leave. Gone back to Adelaide. I think his dad is a bit crook.’
Cara’s face fell.
‘But he’s due back at the end of the week, so cheer up, sunshine. Now, enough of admiring the pretty sheep, we’ve got work to do.’
And work they did. The Kalkari cellar door closed over winter; there weren’t enough visitors to their part of the valley to make staying open worthwhile. Anyone who did arrive unexpectedly was ushered into the winery and, often as not, treated to a private tasting. Spring, summer and autumn, however, were a different story, and the northern end of the valley especially was jammed with visitors all keen to taste a wine or three, kick back on the lawn with a bottle and a platter of cheese and salami, or barbecue at one of the fire pits Mark had dug on a rise above the winery. The views from there were spectacular, with a panorama over almost the entire valley and across to the Shingle Hills.
