Jacaranda

by Mandy Magro

  Molly let out a sigh of pleasure as she hopped up into the saddle of her beloved Leroy. She could feel he was as excited as she was to go for a good gallivant around the farm. Here, in the saddle, she felt truly free. There was nothing more beautiful to her than feeling the sheer power of her horse beneath her. It gave her wings, making her feel like she could fly when galloping around the bushlands of Jacaranda Farm and beyond. Even the smell of horses made her feel grounded, connected to the earth in a way that only a horse lover could understand. Give her that horse smell over fine French perfume any day; and the best thing was, it was free.

  She leant in to give Leroy a warm hug around his neck and he let out a neigh of pleasure. They were old mates now, bonded on a very special level. She had saved Leroy from a premature death when he was only three years old. Molly had spotted him aboard a road train that was parked in town while the driver took a well-earned rest at the bakery. Sadly, Leroy was destined to be the main ingredient in dog food. Whilst walking past the truck Molly’s attention had been grabbed by Leroy neighing loudly and stomping his feet, causing havoc among the other horses on board. Molly had tried to shush him but he’d continued to neigh, as if begging her to save him, his big pleading eyes stealing her heart. Molly had given in, paying the truck driver a few hundred bucks to make the unruly horse her own. Molly just knew there was something special about him that nobody else could see. She had spent months on the ground with him, proving to him that she wasn’t going to hurt him, just as she was doing with Buck. Once she had gained Leroy’s trust, she had begun work in the saddle and he had turned into the best Australian stock horse she had ever owned.

  Molly loved that horses were incapable of sending out false signals with their body language. Unlike humans, horses showed you exactly how they were feeling, every second of every day, with every centimetre of their powerful bodies, from the tips of their ears to the tips of their tails. Yes, a horse was an open book Molly found so very easy to read. All it took was patience and time; time to sit and watch them in their natural surrounds and patience to let them become mates with you when they were good and ready. That was Molly’s gift, her ability to hear and understand the unspoken language between a horse and a human that connected them on a level most people could only dream of.

  ‘Is everyone good to go then?’ Trev asked, casually rolling a cigarette between his yellow-stained fingers.

  ‘Bloody oath!’ Molly replied. The sun was sweltering hot and all she wanted to do was get into the Walsh River to cool off.

  Trev lit his freshly rolled cigarette with his Zippo, blowing a puff of smoke into the air, before tapping Dakota gently in the ribs to let her know he was ready to go.

  Behind Molly, Heath was sitting comfortably on his gelding, JD, who he’d named after his favourite drink. Molly had found JD for Heath four years ago, out on a station in the Northern Territory when she was mustering. JD had needed little training when she found him. Even at the young age of four he was a beautiful-natured horse with station work in his blood. Molly had gotten him for a steal, seeing the owner of the station was one of her granddad’s best mates.

  The group of five – Molly, Heath, Kenny, Trev and Jade – rode casually for the first few kilometres, giving themselves time to chat. Molly gazed ahead of her, always finding herself in awe of the place she called home. For miles and miles fields that were recently bone-dry were filling with fresh new shoots of green grass, thanks to the recent rain they had enjoyed. Although there wasn’t enough grass as yet to be good fodder for the cattle, it certainly made the place look revitalised. Anthills built to astronomical heights dotted the landscape, created at strategic points by the ants to give much-needed reprieve from the harsh sun. The lazy squeak of a windmill pumping water from the nearby bore, supplying the cattle with vital water, travelled on the gentle afternoon breeze along with the sweet song of the birds that were perched high in the many enormous native trees. Some of the trees had been part of Jacaranda Farm for centuries, with trunks too big to wrap your arms around.

  Further off in the distance high mountain peaks reached towards the skies, the trees sparse amongst the coppery-red, rocky outcrops that were dangerous to climb. Molly knew that from experience – she had once climbed them in search of hidden Aboriginal caves that an Indigenous elder had told her about. After hours of exploring she had stumbled across them, the artwork on the rock walls inside the caves absolutely amazing. It was a slightly eerie place, though. The hairs on her neck had stood on end as she ran her fingertips over the ancient paintings. Some powerful spirits still lived in the caves, she was sure of it – so much so that one visit to the sacred site was enough. Jacaranda Farm held a lot of history, especially for the local Aboriginals, and that knowledge made the land even more magical for Molly, more exquisite.

  Unintentionally breaking Molly’s dreamy focus on the countryside, Jade began telling her about her phone call from Melinda that morning. ‘I couldn’t believe it, Mol. I only gave her my number last night and I didn’t think I’d hear from her for a few days, if at all. I was stoked when I heard her voice.’

  ‘Oh, Jade. That’s fantastic! I’m so happy for you. And why did you think she wouldn’t call you? Have you looked in the mirror lately, mate? You’re gorgeous! What did she say?’

  ‘She wants to take me to the Tim McGraw concert in Townsville this weekend. Apparently she bought two tickets and was starting to worry that she might be going on her own. She said it all worked out for the best that she hadn’t found anyone, because now she gets to take me.’

  ‘Ooh, you lucky bugger! I love Tim McGraw. I wanted to go to the concert, but it’s a bit hard with Rose. I’d feel bad leaving her for a whole weekend. You’ll just have to take heaps of photos for me. I’m so jealous you’ll get to see Tim McGraw live.’

  ‘I promise I will. I got a bit gutsy and told her I didn’t want to wait that long to see her again, and we’ve decided to catch up tomorrow night at my place. I’m cooking her dinner, so fingers crossed it all goes well.’

  ‘You go, girlfriend! I’m so happy for you.’

  ‘Thanks. Hey, enough about me though. How are you feeling about the whole Mark thing this morning?’

  Molly fumbled with the brim of her hat, something she always did when she was anxious. ‘I’ve decided I’m going to spend some time with him first. You know, before I tell him. I need to make sure he’s a decent bloke before I drag him into Rose’s life. We’ve survived quite well without him, so what’s the rush? At least I’ve finally found him. That’s the main thing.’ Molly felt like she was trying to convince herself, not Jade, about her decision.

  ‘Do you think you could fall for him, Molly? I mean, wouldn’t it be perfect if he turned out to be the man of your dreams?’

  ‘Yeah, well, he’s certainly good-looking and seems really nice, but I’m trying hard not to think that way just yet, even though it’s bloody hard. I mean, we don’t know each other at all. I reckon it’s more important right now to try to keep emotion out of it and look at the situation from my head, not my heart.’

  ‘Well, whatever you decide to do, you know I support you one hundred per cent, my friend.’

  ‘Thanks. I’m going to run it all by Trev, though, as he always gives good advice. I might have a chat to him now if you want to ride with Heath and Kenny. Do you mind?’

  ‘Not at all, Molly. I’ll keep them entertained while you talk to Trev.’

  The friends parted ways and Molly ambled Leroy up alongside the older man.

  ‘Trev? I’d love to hear what you think about something that’s on my mind,’ Molly said. Trev nodded complacently and then listened intently while Molly filled him in, all the while shaking his head in disbelief. He took a deep breath before answering, as if drawing on the earth’s energies to give him the right answer.

  ‘Well, that’s a curly one, all right. I’m like you when it comes to being cautious about people, Molly. I’ve learnt the hard way in life not to trust anybody until they�
�ve earned it. I reckon you’ve made the right decision about not telling the bloke for now. I mean, it would be nice for Rose to know her father, but then again, he could be someone you and Rose definitely don’t need in your lives. I’ll keep my eye on him for you, mate. You know, check him out and get my own sense of him. Meantime, follow your gut instincts, Molly. That’s the best advice I can give you. You’re a smart girl and you’ll do the right thing.’

  Molly gave him a grateful smile. ‘Thanks heaps, Trev. And please don’t tell Granddad or Grandma any of this, okay? They’re getting too old for this drama and I don’t want to stress them out. I’ll tell them myself when the time is right, I promise.’

  Trev ran his fingers along his weather-worn lips. ‘My lips are sealed.’

  As the bush began to open up and the track beneath them widened, Molly gave Leroy the cue to go for a gallop. She felt his muscles tighten beneath her as he spread his stride and ran for gold. The other four followed suit, enjoying the wind tearing past them as they dashed towards their destination. Heath tried to overtake Molly, a challenging smirk curving his kissable lips, but she refused to let him past and pushed Leroy that little bit harder, grinning at Heath victoriously as he came up beside her, Leroy’s nose still a feather’s breath ahead of JD’s. They were back to normal, acting as though nothing had happened between them, which was a relief to Molly after the tension back at the cottage. Too busy competing with each other, they were taken by surprise as Jade came flying past them, beaming gallantly. Heath and Molly laughed as Jade reached the sparkling river bank ahead of them, throwing her hat up in the air in victory. Meanwhile, it took five more minutes for Kenny and Trev to reach them. They had given up a kilometre back, quite happy to let Molly, Heath and Jade fight it out for first place.

  The five of them took off the horses’ saddles before leading them into the river for a well-deserved swim. Leroy loved the water and he revelled in it now, kicking up sprays of water as he dunked his head and blew water from his lips. Molly gave him a few minutes to let off some steam before grabbing a handful of his mane and gently pulling herself onto his back. She laid out flat against him, wrapping her arms around his big strong neck while he swam beneath her, making sure she kept well away from his legs, which were kicking madly underneath the water. She had been caught out once before by Leroy and it had hurt like hell. He had left a massive black and purple bruise on her shin for a week, and even now, when she thought of the pain, it made her cringe.

  Molly closed her eyes, blissfully relaxed as she lay on Leroy, the speckles of sunlight filtering through the paperbark trees delightfully kissing her skin, until a splash of water snapped her out of her trance-like state. Heath grinned back at her mischievously as he splashed more water in her direction.

  She squealed, trying to avoid the playful attack as she dove under the water, swimming out of the path of Leroy and aiming for Heath’s legs. She grabbed hold of them, tugging him under the water. Heath pretended to struggle, his powerfully built body an obvious winner over Molly’s petite frame, but he let her believe she was winning all the same. They wrapped their arms around each other, tumbling under the water playfully and coming up for lungfuls of air, laughing wholeheartedly when they did so. They were completely unaware of Jade, Kenny and Trev, who were swimming over to the other side of the dam.

  The enjoyable romp continued for a few minutes, until they were both utterly exhausted. Molly floated on the water, trying to catch her breath, while Heath held her there with his hands resting under the small of her back. Their laughter slowly subsided, the atmosphere turning electric when their gaze came to rest on one another’s. Heath’s intense eyes told Molly everything: everything he felt, everything he wanted to do to her, everything she had been questioning since they had kissed.

  Molly’s pulse quickened, her breath escaping her in short gasps as she smiled shyly at him, every contour of his gorgeous face now close enough for her to reach out and touch, to kiss, to caress. The urge to do so was all-consuming and it shocked her, frightened her. Was she being disrespectful to the memory of Jenny? She turned away, and Heath gently sighed, his hands delicately moving from the soft curve of her back as he swam away from her and towards JD, his horse.

  There was no denying it; things had definitely changed between her and Heath and she wasn’t sure whether she was glad of the fact or not, even though she was now acutely aware she was harbouring some feelings for him. Oh shit, what a tangled web she was caught up in.

  Once they all began to look like prunes the group headed back to the shade of the paperbark trees that had been planted many years ago to help stop the erosion of the Walsh River banks. After getting the horses settled, the men headed off to unpack the fishing gear while Molly and Jade set up the picnic blanket with some food. Molly had packed baked ham and pickle sandwiches, rum balls, fruit mince pies and Christmas cake, all left over from the Christmas celebrations. Trev had brought along icy-cold beers to wash it all down. Once the food was set out, the group ate to their hearts’ content, leaving nothing but crumbs as evidence of their ravenous feast for the hundreds of ants to carry away.

  ‘I reckon it’s time to chuck in a line, guys and gals,’ Heath said, taking off his damp singlet and hanging it on a nearby tree branch to dry in the sun. Molly hesitantly admired his well-formed six-pack for a second before tuning away, not wanting to be caught perving.

  ‘Who’s up for the challenge of catching the biggest fish?’ Jade asked as she got out her hand line, putting a piece of wiggling bait on the hook.

  ‘I’m up for that!’ Trev answered smugly. He had always seemed to have the luck of the Irish when it came to fishing.

  ‘What’s the prize going to be, Jade?’ Kenny asked as he threw his line and it landed with a plop in the water.

  ‘Um, how about we all put ten bucks in and the winner takes all?’ Jade said after thinking for a moment.

  They all nodded eagerly, and spent the next hour taking in the peace and beauty of the river as it glistened before them like a diamond in the sunlight. That was the great thing about hanging out with good mates, Molly thought, you didn’t have to fill in the silences. Although she was beginning to wonder if she could really class her and Heath as ‘mates’ any more, for there was far more than that between them, an entire undercurrent of feelings trying to claw their way to the surface. Did she really want to go there with Heath? It didn’t feel like a wise idea when they worked together all the time. Mind you, that was the least of her worries. The biggest worry was Jenny. Even though her friend had passed away, Molly should know better than to go lusting after a mate’s boyfriend. Especially now she had found Mark. She owed it to herself and Rose to see if she and Mark had a chance … and there had undoubtedly been a spark between her and Mark last night. She glanced up at the heavens, wishing her parents could give her some kind of sign. But then again, maybe they already had. Maybe that was why Mark had come back into her life.

  Kenny was the first and only one that got a decent-sized bite. He jumped up from his position on the ground and reeled in his prize catch, smiling proudly as the group huddled around him to see what it was. It was only a catfish and no good for eating, but it was the biggest catfish any of them had ever seen.

  ‘Well done, mate,’ said Heath, patting Kenny on the back. ‘We’ll give you the money when we get home.’

  Trev was slightly gutted that he didn’t live up to his image of the master fisherman but he was a good sport. ‘The look of surprise on your face when you caught that fish was priceless. That thing is a bloody whopper!’ he said, smiling.

  ‘I suppose we should pack up and head home before it gets dark, you lot,’ Molly said.

  ‘Yeah, I have to get sorted for tomorrow,’ Heath added. ‘David wants me to get all the picking sticks and machinery ready this afternoon so we don’t have to waste time doing it all in the morning.’

  ‘Do you want a hand, Heath?’ Molly asked, packing up her fishing gear, her heart pitter-pattering as
her arm brushed against his.

  ‘Nah, I’ll be right, Molly. Thanks anyway.’ Heath smiled. He was trying to act cool, calm and relaxed, but on the inside he was a mess, the desire to kiss Molly’s soft, sweet lips close to unbearable. But did Molly want to kiss him again? That was the all-important question. He wasn’t completely sure. One thing he did know for sure, though, he wasn’t going to give up the fight for Molly Jones. The woman had stolen his heart.

  Chapter 7

  The kookaburras laughed melodiously in the distance, rousing Molly at sparrow’s fart. She lay in bed, enjoying her last few minutes of peace and quiet, stretching blissfully, listening intently to the sounds outside her bedroom window. The birds were beginning to wake, singing sweetly, rejoicing in the beginning of a new day – or so Molly liked to think. There’d been a light shower during the night and green tree frogs were croaking delightfully in the downpipes of the house, the echo making it sound like there was an army of them. Cicadas noisily showcased their acoustic talents, singing out at over one hundred decibels each – an insect orchestra in the bush that was Molly’s backyard. She would have to take Rose foraging so they could collect all the discarded cicada shells off the tree trunks. Rose loved taking those sorts of things for show-and-tell at school – if they stored the shells in a glass jar they would last for ages, seeing as school was still a few weeks away. Rex, the rooster, cock-a-doodle-dooed, proclaiming his power over the hens and announcing to all that this was his territory for yet another day.