Jacaranda

by Mandy Magro

  Mark waited patiently until Molly had safely loaded the mare back into the float before speaking. ‘Would you like a beer, Molly? I have a six-pack in the Toyota.’

  Molly felt her pulse quicken, the thought of sitting down with Mark for a casual yarn making her slightly anxious, but then again, if she wanted to get to know him she had to make the effort and get over her nerves. ‘Um, yeah, sure. Why not? The beers would be warm by now, though, wouldn’t they?’

  Mark smiled, obviously chuffed Molly had accepted his offer. ‘Nope, icy cold they are. They’re in an esky in the back. I’ll just go grab them.’

  Molly sat down under the gum tree as she waited for him to collect the beers, her eyes burning a hole through Mark’s notebook resting beside her. She was dying to know what was written in there.

  Mark appeared beside her and handed her a beer before sitting down next to her. ‘You did brilliantly out there, Molly. I never thought JJ would respond so bloody well. The locals are right. You are a horse whisperer.’

  Molly felt herself blush. ‘Pfft, no I’m not! But thanks.’

  ‘No, really. I wish I could do what you do. It’s very impressive.’

  Molly took a sip of her stubby then pointed the top of it towards Mark. ‘I wish I could sing like you do. Now that’s what I call impressive.’

  ‘Oh, thanks, but honestly, I ain’t that good,’ Mark replied as he plucked a dandelion clock from the long grass and handed it to Molly. ‘Here, blow this and make a wish. Who knows? It might come true.’

  Molly’s heart tap-danced at the unexpected romance of his gesture. She gently took the flower from him and closed her eyes, wishing with all her might that things would turn out for the best, and that she would choose the right path to follow. She blew delicately, smiling as the soft feathery flower broke up and floated effortlessly away in the subtle breeze.

  Mark smiled at her as he placed his hand lightly on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. ‘I’d love to know what you wished for. I know what I would have asked for. Would you like to have dinner at my place tonight? I’ll even light some candles – make it, you know, romantic.’

  Molly wasn’t into candlelit dinners unless she knew the man exceptionally well. ‘Oh, thanks for the offer but I can’t tonight,’ she answered, instantly seeing his disappointment. ‘Would you like to come pig hunting tonight, instead?’ she added hastily. She’d rather go on a first date out horse riding or pig shooting or fishing, where she felt relaxed. Not that she was asking Mark on a date. Or was she?

  Mark’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. ‘Bloody oath! I love pig hunting! Count me in. What time do you start?’

  ‘Oh, say about nine-thirty-ish. Give or take. I’m meeting the guys over at the workers’ cottage at ten.’

  How would Heath feel about Mark coming along? Over the past week Heath had proven to Molly that he had feelings for her, and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. To be honest, she had feelings for Heath too. Although just what type of feelings, she still wasn’t certain. Heath had suffered enough heartache over the past year and she didn’t want to be the cause of any more. But, on the other hand, she had to get to know Mark, and what was the harm in him coming on the pig hunt?

  ‘Right, I’ll see you back here round then,’ Mark said as he opened the driver’s door and hopped into his Toyota. ‘And brilliant work today, by the way. Thanks. You’ll have to let me know whether you’d like a cheque or cash for the work. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Oh, and when would you like me to bring JJ back again?’

  Molly did a quick mental review of all her jobs over the next few days. ‘How about the middle of next week? I’m pretty flat strap until then.’

  ‘That sounds good to me.’ He tipped his hat and drove off down the drive, dust flying behind him.

  When Molly got a minute from playing with Rose that afternoon, she picked up the phone and dialled Jade’s number, eager to hear about her date with Melinda.

  ‘Hey there, Molly! How are you? I was going to give you a call tonight but you’ve beaten me to it. We must have ESP.’

  Molly smiled into the phone. ‘I reckon we do, mate. We always go to ring each other at the same time. So, come on, spill the beans. I’m all ears!’

  Rose handed Molly one of the Anzac biscuits she had made with Elizabeth, and Molly absently kissed her on the head as she listened to Jade.

  ‘I’m going out to play with Mack and Sasha,’ Rose whispered as she ran off down the hallway.

  ‘Hang on a sec, Jade,’ Molly said, interrupting her friend in full flight. ‘Dinner will be on the table in half an hour, darling,’ she called after Rose. ‘Make sure you come back in and wash your hands then, okay?’ Molly turned her attention back to Jade. ‘Sorry about that, mate. You learn to do ten things at once when you have kids. Go ahead. I’m all yours again.’

  ‘No worries, Molly. Say hi to Rose and make sure you give her a big mushy kiss from me too. It’s been almost a week since I’ve seen her – way too long! But oh my goodness, Mel’s amazing. She and I sat here until four this morning, drinking red wine, talking and talking – we even revealed to each other what our lifelong dreams were. It was so romantic.’

  Molly was impressed. ‘That’s fantastic! I’m always telling you to get to know the girls better before jumping in the sack, and finally you’ve worked it out for yourself. A deep and meaningful can be just as great as sleeping together, if not better, I reckon. Did she stay over?’

  Jade laughed. ‘I knew you’d ask that! No, she actually went home. I’ll admit I tried to get her to stay, but she refused. She did give me a kiss on the lips before she left, though, and I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven …’

  ‘Hmm. This one sounds like a real keeper. Not in it just for one thing. I hate men like that – I’ve got no time for them. Let’s just hope Mark isn’t one of them.’

  ‘Hey yeah, have you seen him since New Year’s?’

  ‘He was here today with his mare. I didn’t spend a lot of time with him because I was working, but I’m going pig hunting with the boys tonight and I’ve asked him to come along. I’ll see if he can keep up with me out on the hunt!’

  Jade laughed. ‘Trust you to have your first date with him out pig hunting, Molly Jones. Gotta love ya!’

  ‘Yeah, well, you know me. Always been the romantic type of gal.’

  ‘Have fun, but just make sure you follow your heart, my dear friend. You don’t want to rush into anything, and break your heart or someone else’s in the process. Oh crap, look at the time; I better get moving. I have a massage client coming in ten minutes and I haven’t even got the table set up yet. Why don’t you and Rose come over for dinner on Thursday night? You can fill me in on your big pig hunting adventure then?’

  ‘That sounds great. We’d love to. We’ll see you around six, okay?’

  ‘Brilliant. See you then, Molly. Love you!’

  ‘Love you too.’ Molly sat for a moment, staring at the phone, trying to rub away the tension building in her neck. What did Jade mean by telling her to follow her heart? And whose heart was Jade afraid she might break in the process?

  Chapter 9

  Heath opened the door of the workers’ cottage and Molly saw his broad smile dissolving as he spotted Mark in the passenger seat of Molly’s Land Cruiser. ‘What’s he doing here?’ he asked gruffly, the muscles in his chiselled jaw tightening.

  Molly tried hard to ignore his tone, a little taken aback. Heath had never spoken to her like this; in all the years they’d known each other they had never even had an argument. But she couldn’t be angry at him for it. He didn’t know anything about Mark being Rose’s dad – she knew Trev wouldn’t have told him. So could it be jealousy speaking? Or was there something else on his mind? It pained her immensely to not be able to tell him the entire truth but she just couldn’t, not right now, not until she had spoken to Mark. ‘I invited him along. Seeing he’s new to town, I thought it might be great for him to meet you guys, you know, so he ca
n make some mates out here in Dimbulah.’

  After a tense moment, Heath nodded and smiled back at her. He was too afraid to speak in case he exploded. Him friends with Mark? Molly had to be kidding! He yelled out to the guys, who were out the back, gearing their dogs up with chest plates and the GPS collars that were five hundred bucks a pop, ready for the chase. They had only started using the GPS trackers in the last few months and the devices were absolutely brilliant. They had a range of seven kilometres, meaning the group knew where their beloved dogs were at all times, which in turn made it easier for Molly and the guys to find them and catch the pigs.

  Trev had two experienced pig dogs, Jocks and Tyson. They were both eager beavers when it was time for them to sniff out the pigs, knowing their role like it was second nature. Molly found it hilarious whenever Trev called out to Jocks. It sounded like he was looking for a pair of underpants, not a mean, keen, hunting dog.

  Kenny’s dog, Diesel, was a Rhodesian ridgeback, an enthusiastic hunter but also one of the most loving dogs you’d ever meet. Quite often Molly would find Skip and Diesel playing together at the dam. They were best buddies.

  Heath’s dog, Boozer, was a Bull Arab. He was bred purely for pig hunting. Once the dog had his gear on he was raring to go, eager to begin his ritual of sniffing out the scent of the pigs, chasing them down and holding them until Heath could get to him and deal with the massive beasts.

  When the dogs were loaded into the back of the Cruiser the three guys jumped up into the tray themselves. ‘Right when you are, Molly!’ Trev yelled, tapping on the roof to let her know they were all in safely.

  ‘Let’s hit it then,’ Molly called back as she started up the old girl. It coughed and spluttered for a few seconds, throwing a big puff of black soot out of the exhaust and into the huddle of men on the back. Molly laughed as she watched them wave their hands about frantically in a useless attempt to chase away the thick smoke, which was almost blacker than the night sky above them. The Cruiser set off down the dusty track as the full moon cast its brilliance across the paddocks. Once Molly’s eyes adjusted to it, it was like driving around in broad daylight. It was a perfect night for a pig hunt.

  Molly felt a flutter in her belly. She was always keyed up to get started and get her hands dirty, hunting down the pigs that ruined their vital crops. It was a sport you either loved or hated, she reflected. There were no in-betweens. Those who loved it, loved everything about it, but she knew others were repulsed by pig hunting. She reckoned that many of those people had no idea what it was like to lose the whole harvest, in one night, to a group of hungry feral pigs. It was heartbreaking.

  Molly’s next-door neighbours knew all too well the destruction pigs could wreak. They were pumpkin farmers – and pigs loved pumpkins. When the pumpkins were near to being harvested, Fred and Kathy spent sleepless night after sleepless night sitting in their Land Cruiser, guns loaded, ready to defend their livelihood. In Molly’s part of the world, pig hunters were valued, not shunned.

  On the back of the truck, Heath, Kenny and Trev watched the moonlit landscape pass by, not a sound in the world beyond the engine and the dogs’ excited panting.

  ‘I don’t know why she had to bring him along,’ Heath huffed, motioning to the cab of the truck with his thumb.

  ‘Come on, Heath,’ Trev said. ‘We don’t even know the bloke yet so we’ve got to give him a fair go. I’ve got my eye on him, though, don’t you worry. I’ll make sure he’s worthy of Molly’s company.’

  ‘He’d better not hurt her. I’ll break every one of his bones if he does.’ Heath punched a fist into his open hand.

  ‘Just try to be civil to the bloke, for Molly’s sake. You don’t want to upset her now, do you, mate?’ Trev pleaded.

  ‘I’ll try, but I’m not promising anything.’ Heath scowled.

  Trev raised his eyebrows. ‘Why are you so put out by him being around her, anyway? You haven’t got the hots for the boss’s granddaughter, have you buddy?’

  Heath looked away.

  Trev exhaled loudly. ‘Oh shit, you do. So, what are you going to do about it, mate?’

  Heath ran his hands over his face in frustration, sighing loudly. ‘Fucking nothing. I can’t do anything. I’ve had plenty of chances to tell Molly how I feel and now it looks like she’s met someone else. My loss is his gain, as they say.’

  Trev shook his head. ‘I don’t know what to say.’

  ‘I reckon he looks a bit girly in his baggy jeans and flower-power shirt. Not really pig-hunting gear. He looks like a Hawaiian cowboy. Gone are the days where men were men and pansies were flowers,’ Kenny said, grinning, trying to ease the tension, and all three men burst out laughing.

  Molly parked up the back of the paddock, just inside the nets that protected the fruit from birds and bats, but not from pigs; the pigs barged right on through, leaving gaping holes in the nets that needed sewing up on a weekly basis. The hilly terrain spreading out behind them was rugged, the absolute definition of what people called hard country. Native trees grew on the sharp, rocky mountains, some covered in bright flowers, proof of their resilience in the unforgiving country that surrounded Jacaranda Farm.

  They let the dogs down off the back, the animals’ body language showing they were strongly picking up the scent of the pigs. Molly spotted fresh tracks that were wider than her boot in the dirt, and enthusiastically pointed them out to the men.

  They motioned for their dogs to go, following on foot and trying hard to keep up with them on their passionate pursuit, but lost them within seconds. Heath skidded to a halt, ordering everybody else to stop. He assessed the luminous screen of the GPS he held in his hands, meticulously evaluating the distance and position of all the dogs.

  Off in the distance there was a high-pitched squealing, which sounded like a colossal pig. The group ran in that direction, Heath calling out directions as they went. The adrenaline was pumping and Molly could feel her heart beating like thunder in her chest. Nobody spoke. The critical thing was to get to the dogs before the pig got the chance to fight them off. Molly had seen her fair share of injuries to their hunting dogs. Some were so bad that dogs had to be put down, which broke Molly’s heart. Luckily, that rarely happened.

  Molly couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw the pig the dogs were holding down by its ears and cheek, their teeth hunkering down into the boar’s flesh. It must have been well over 150 kilos.

  Trev pulled his enormous hunting knife from the leather sheath on his belt, the moonlight flickering off the razor-sharp blade, and plunged it deep into the boar’s heart. It was over in seconds. All went jarringly silent, except for the heavy panting of the dogs. A cheer erupted and the group crowded around to evaluate the size of the boar. It was the biggest Molly had ever seen.

  ‘What a beauty, hey!’ Kenny said.

  ‘I reckon, but strewth I’m unfit! I’m sweating more than a pregnant nun in confession!’ Trev wheezed. He lit a cigarette, blowing smoke rings from his lips and sighing in pleasure. Molly shook her head at the absurdity of his lighting up when he was complaining about his fitness level.

  Heath slapped Trev on the back. ‘Good catch, mate. I’ll have to get a photo of this one to send to my parents. They’ll be gobsmacked when they see the size of it.’

  ‘What do you reckon, Mark?’ Molly asked, wanting to include him in the conversation.

  Mark was still trying to catch his breath. ‘Fucking fantastic! Man, that was fun.’

  Heath rolled his eyes. Even Mark’s voice annoyed him. He knew he was being childish but he couldn’t help himself. Molly Jones should be his and Mark was treading on his territory. What did the guy have that he didn’t?

  ‘Well, I reckon there are more where this guy came from. Let the hunt continue!’ Molly said triumphantly, utterly wrapped up in the thrill of the chase, completely oblivious to Heath’s jealousy, which was gaining momentum by the second.

  They spent the next few hours running around the bush like a group of highly-trained
soldiers. The total catch at the end of the night was three, an excellent haul for one night’s pig hunt. The dogs could have kept going all night, but Molly and the men were weary from all the running about and decided it was time to head home and hit the sack.

  Molly noticed her boot was torn and leant down to inspect the damage while the men loaded the dogs back up into the Cruiser. She caught Mark out of the corner of her eye staring at her bum for way too long. She straightened up, feeling very self-conscious, but also flattered that he found her attractive. Then she glanced over at Heath, and could tell by the fierce look in his eyes and his clenched fists that he had seen it too. She quickly ushered Mark into the Cruiser before Heath did something he might regret. Flipping heck, she didn’t know how much more of being torn between two men she could take. It was exhausting and emotionally draining.

  Chapter 10

  Molly pulled into Jade’s family’s farm, hitting a water-filled pot hole in the drive that would have swallowed a small dog whole. A spray of putrid mud flew in Molly’s window, leaving a trail of red earth dripping down her cheek and onto her new shirt. She wiped it away quickly, cursing under her breath, as she directed the Land Cruiser this way and that, trying to avoid the places where the dirt road had completely washed away. She could feel the tailgate slipping and sliding all over the place, as though she was driving on ice. The monsoon season had well and truly arrived, earlier than normal, and the rains had come down hard in the past couple of weeks.