Indi shrugged. ‘Maybe that’s why I’m immune to them,’ she said. An image of Troy flashed before her eyes; she blinked it away.
‘Work is going great, love. The boys are trying to work hard,’ said Allan while the boys kicked up a fuss beside him. Allan went on to say that he was sure he’d spotted Daisy, the pet kangaroo Lizzy had raised, out in the back paddock. ‘She came right up to the back fence and didn’t move. There was a joey just by her side. She probably wanted to show her off to you.’
On they went, talking to Lizzy as if she were there listening. Indi was sure her mum was around all the time anyway, but once a year it was nice to come together here and make her the focus of all their thoughts. It was important for them to remember her life and keep her a part of theirs.
Tonight they would all gather at the house for dinner, Maddie included, and remember all the great things about their mother. They’d remember the crazy rain dance she used to perform or the way she went over the top at their birthdays with balloons, games and always a cake from the Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book. Even when they were teenagers, Lizzy would still throw them a big kid’s birthday. The all complained but it was nice to be spoilt and reminded that in Lizzy’s eyes they were still her babies. Their mum would never see them grow old. For her, they would remain forever young.
Indi moved closer to Jasper as her memories became too heavy. Without needing to be asked, he draped his arm around her and held her tight.
6
THE following Thursday Indi stood at the oval with her brothers, Spud, Limp, James, the Duckworths and a heap of other locals. She was glad to see Tegan’s boyfriend Jaffa turn up – he was an important part of the team. This time she’d quickly changed out of her work gear and into shorts and her Eagles jersey. With her hair tied back in a plait and her running shoes on, she was keen to train with the guys. She grinned as she surveyed the mass of male bodies around her. Who knew Hyden had this many blokes around? Some of them she didn’t know but she’d seen them at the roadhouse in their shearing shirts, reeking of wool after a hard day’s shearing. Others worked on nearby farms. Lucky, the Irish fella who was supposedly the town’s Lucky Leprechaun, was here with his paper-white limbs. The Kiwis had turned up too. Kiwi One had been here a few years, his accent now a bit diluted, whereas Kiwi Two was still a newbie, his accent as thick as his frame.
It was safe to say that half of the team were ring-ins who’d never even touched a Sherrin before. But when your town was shrinking each year as larger farmers bought out smaller ones, it became harder and harder to find players. It wasn’t just the football team either – the Hyden hockey and netball teams had both cut back a team each too. It made Indi worry. She knew how important sport was to any small rural community, and to lose it would be devastating.
‘I can’t believe I said yes to this,’ grumbled Kiwi Two. He wore a T-shirt and shorts, no football gear for him or most of the others. Some had even come in work boots – that’s all they had. Indi would have to get together with Jasper to find some shirts, socks and decent footy boots for them. And to fill out the paperwork for insurance and subs. Jess, Spud’s working dog, ran through and around all their legs. Spud never left home without her, except on game day.
‘Hiya, Jess-Jess,’ Indi said, squatting down to give the black-and-white Border Collie a cuddle. ‘You wanna play ball?’ she said. Jess began to talk back with an excited howl. Her tail was racing at a million wags a minute.
Indi stood as she saw Troy’s ute pull up. It was about a minute to six. She wondered if he’d thought no one would show up. Would he be surprised with the turnout. She certainly was. She glanced at Jasper and he was grinning, eyes bright with anticipation.
Troy was decked out in training gear: a pair of footy shorts on some very fit legs, and a black rugby jumper that wrapped around his lean barrel chest. A whistle hung from his neck, a clipboard in his hand.
Raising his hands, he clapped. ‘Well done. I believe we have a team. Right, let’s get the introductions done, so we’re all well acquainted.’
‘I’m Richard Bond,’ said James, going first. ‘Everyone calls me James.’
‘I’m Paul Mackerel,’ said one of the new guys with the normal running shoes. ‘But everyone calls me Killer.’
Indi knew Killer belonged in one of the shearing teams and hoped his name hadn’t come about from bad shearing. It certainly wasn’t from his killer good looks. His broken nose had farewelled any hope of that. And so the rollcall progressed – all of them had a common nickname. The only person without one was Indi. Most people called her Willo, same name they all gave her brothers.
‘Right,’ said Troy after they’d finished. ‘I’ll try and remember all those different names.’
Jasper stepped forward. ‘Only thing missing is yours, Troy.’
‘Um, well, most people call me Yoda,’ he said begrudgingly.
‘Yoda. It suits,’ said Jasper. ‘You might need the Force to get us through this.’ They all laughed and Troy smiled – a very cute smile, Indi thought. He had all the makings for a great wide smile, nice teeth and perfect smooth lips.
‘Okay, pass this around,’ Troy said, giving the clipboard and pen to Limp. ‘Put your full name, nickname, a contact number or email address, and the positions you prefer to play.’
A scruffy pale guy Indi didn’t recognise put up his hand. ‘Wha’ if you’ve nevva played before?’ he said in his strong English accent.
‘Really?’ said Jaffa with a loud sigh. He had his hands on his hips and a disappointed look on his face. Tegan would have rolled her eyes at that if she was here.
‘This is just to give me an idea, somewhere to start.’
Troy’s deep mocha eyes came to rest on her. She swallowed hard as she met his gaze. ‘Um, and no girlfriends or dogs. I don’t want anyone getting tripped up or distracted,’ he said with a raised eyebrow.
Indi’s jaw dropped, but before she could get her words out, the boys around her burst out laughing.
‘I wish she was my girlfriend,’ one said.
‘Me too,’ echoed a few.
Indi put her hands on her hips. ‘No one brought me,’ she spat.
‘That’s Indi, the Willos’ sister,’ Spud cleared up. ‘You can’t send her home, she’s half the reason I turn up,’ Spud said with a wink. Indi rolled her eyes.
‘And besides,’ yelled Jasper, ‘Indi can play better than most of the blokes.’ He gestured towards the new players as Indi felt her anger subsiding. ‘But most importantly – she also happens to be our physio, strapper and runner.’
‘Don’t forget mascot,’ added Limp with a sheepish grin.
Indi pushed through the guys, making her way in front of Troy. ‘Look, I’m Indi Wilson and I’m the reason you’re our coach,’ she stated.
‘You’re Indi?’ he asked, brow creased.
‘Yes. Sorry, I meant to introduce myself to you properly. But you need to know that I’m totally invested in this club. I got Jen and Phil to help get you here because I heard great stuff about you. We need to save this club and I’m hoping you can help us turn it around. But just so you know, I won’t be leaving. I’m here to help.’ Indi was quite proud of the way she kept her cool under Troy’s gaze.
‘You can help me, love. I think I’ve already pulled a muscle,’ a guy from the back called, triggering a round of chuckles.
Indi didn’t flinch. She was used to it. On occasion she was known to throw them back just as quick.
Troy scratched at his unshaven chin as he studied Indi.
‘Come on, Yoda. Indi’s at training more than us lot. Let her stay. She’s great for morale,’ Huey added.
‘Please, I’d like to stay and train with the guys. It keeps me fit and also I like to help; I know how to teach skills.’ Indi tried to look as serious as she could. This meant a lot to her.
With a deep rattling sigh, Troy nodded. ‘Fine, you can stay.’ He didn’t have to mention the dog – Spud had alrea
dy commanded Jess to sit in the tray of his ute.
Troy took charge of the boys, getting them into some warm-ups, his voice strong and authoritative. But Indi was still rattled: he had tried to dismiss her from her own club! It cut pretty deep.
Indianna let out a breath she didn’t realise she’d been holding. With her frustration diminishing, she joined in on the warm-up. She realised her insides were still jingling from the sear of Troy’s gaze. It was like he’d been looking right through her, as if she were nothing.
Troy had skipped the running this time. ‘There’s no point when most of you are in the wrong clothes. Next week try and find something easier to run in. Oh, and if you want to go for a run during the week, even better. Fitness is the key to being able to play four quarters. For now, let’s start with some handball exercises – we’ll try to get the new guys up to scratch.’
They split into two lines, handballing the footy to each other as they swapped sides. Indi watched a few of the new guys struggling with it. ‘All right, hold up,’ she said, stepping in and catching the footy. ‘Ball on your hand like this.’ She demonstrated to the newer guys. ‘Other hand a fist, then connect with the ball like this. Got it?’ A few of them nodded. As she handballed the footy back to Killer, she caught Troy’s gaze again. Was she stepping on his toes? Maybe she’d hold off on telling him that he should do a board meeting with the new fellas to go through the rules and strategies. Or maybe she could get Jasper to tell him.
There had been a time when Indi had considered training the team herself, but she was worried they wouldn’t take her seriously and that she’d cop it twice as hard when they lost. Jasper and Patrick wouldn’t have listened to her anyway.
For the next hour she studied Troy and had to admit that he knew his stuff. For such a young bloke, he managed to set up some impressive drills. It wasn’t his fault they didn’t work out – most of the blokes had no clue. But it was a start.
It wasn’t long before Troy realised that his drills were too complicated for the new players so he pared them right back to the basics. Indi just did her best to help the guys with their techniques.
‘All right, lads, time for some contact drills. Two lines. You and you,’ Troy pointed to Pat and Killer. ‘Over here.’ On the first round Pat laid Killer out flat with a harmless shepherd.
‘Killer, stand your ground,’ Troy said. ‘Pretend a ewe is trying to charge past you. Feet firm and brace. Got it?’
Killer scratched the back of his neck and nodded.
‘I always thought it was shearing that was going to kill my back but I’m starting to have second thoughts,’ he joked. Troy laughed, deep and husky, as he slapped Killer on the shoulder.
Indi had just finished helping Kiwi Two with his kicking. She stood back and watched the chaos of balls. Lucky dropped the ball onto his foot, kicking it hard, but it took a sharp turn and hit Brick in the back of the head.
Brick – built like a brick shithouse – picked up the ball and walked towards Lucky, whose eyes widened in fear. ‘Arms straight. Like this, see?’ said Brick as he began to show Lucky the finer points.
Indi laughed as the relief flooded Lucky’s face when he realised Brick wasn’t going to deck him.
‘So what do you think?’ A warm voice surprised her. Troy.
She didn’t turn to face him, but she could feel his body next to hers. She tried to focus on the team. After his earlier insult she wasn’t sure how to take this question. She pursed her lips, deciding how to reply.
‘I mean, well, you seem to know these blokes, and Jasper’s right – you have more skill than most of them,’ he said, clearing his throat.
Wow. Was that an apology of sorts? Indi wondered. Had he been watching her that closely? The thought sent shivers up her spine.
‘Um, thanks.’ She risked a glance and was caught off guard by the intensity of his stare. Nothing like the condescending look he’d given her before. This time he was being open, almost warm.
Troy was still watching her, waiting for an answer.
‘So? What do you think?’
I think you’re really handsome was the first thing that came to mind. She dragged her eyes away and focused on the team. ‘Well, honestly, it’s better than last year. And that’s because we have some numbers. But I’m surprised by James – he’s got form – and the others, well, yeah. Let’s just hope my brothers and the Duckworths can keep most of the play,’ she said with a chuckle.
Troy’s eyes were still on her. She could feel his gaze like static along her skin. ‘So, I’m guessing you’d know what position some of these guys would be good at, right?’
Indi shrugged. Yeah, she had her opinions. ‘Well, Limp goes great in the ruck and Jasp is good midfield, while Patrick is a brilliant centre-half forward. Patrick has been best and fairest the last five years running,’ she said proudly. She wasn’t going to point out that he didn’t have much competition, but at school Patrick had been quite talented too. He got that from their dad, who’d also been best and fairest in his day.
‘Thanks. Good to know. So, ah, you’ve been helping out the club for a few years, then?’
‘Yeah. I’m not a fully qualified physio – I don’t have the bit of paper. I had, um, family stuff come up. But I’m close enough to qualified for this mob. And you can use me as your runner. I like being involved.’
‘So I see,’ he said before blowing his whistle and calling the guys in.
Troy wasn’t being rude, but he wasn’t friendly either. She wasn’t used to it. She usually got along well with all the guys.
‘All right, lads. Good training,’ he said, which got a few laughs.
‘You’re being nice, Yoda,’ said Jasper. ‘I’d call it a shambles.’
‘Well, that’s why I was thinking we could have a meeting before training next week to go over the positions and rules. And that’s for all of you, new and old. We’re a team. We need to start moving like one. The experienced players can help.’
Troy looked at his clipboard and unclipped his pen. ‘Can we meet in the clubhouse?’ he asked Indi.
‘Yep, I’ll sort out the whiteboard. Want me to print up some rules and positions to hand out?’
Troy lifted his eyes to her and squinted. ‘Great idea.’ He turned back to the men. ‘Right,’ he said. ‘How about six o’clock Monday evening?’
There was a wave of noncommittal murmurs throughout the group.
‘Okay, it’s settled. You’ll all be here. Those who don’t bother to show up will be fined —’ He tapped the pen to his full smooth lips. Indi tried hard not to wonder what they would feel like. ‘— I was going to say a six-pack, but on second thoughts, they can shout the whole team.’
‘Ah shit,’ said a few fellas up the back.
‘Come on,’ protested another.
‘Right, I guess I’ll see you all on Monday. Five laps around the oval and you’re done. Off you go.’
Troy dismissed them by turning around and collecting the balls.
The guys groaned but they headed off around the oval. Indi tried hard not to smile but it was good to see them following Troy’s orders. Maybe they weren’t game to upset the new bloke? Well, at least they had enough players for a team and hopefully they’d all turn up again next week.
Indi watched Troy bend over to pick up the last ball, his shorts tight, and she had to concede that she’d be back too. Even if it was just for the view.
7
‘TROY, can you take an order out to this farm please? I’ve put the directions and what they need on here,’ said Jenny, handing over an order. ‘You won’t miss it, there’s a big I&P Schofield and Sons sign right by the driveway.’
‘Righto. Cheers.’ He made to leave the office area of the large open shop but Jenny was still standing there.
‘I saw the huge crowd at training the other day,’ she said. ‘I don’t know how you managed it, but it’s great to see. And I heard about the meeting tonight. Good luck, you’re going to need it with that rabbl
e of restless blokes,’ she laughed.
‘Well, Indi’s going to make up some help sheets. Hopefully the guys’ll study them.’ Troy realised that was the first time he’d said Indi’s name out loud. He liked the way it rolled off his tongue, and the image of her on Mrs Bateson’s verandah came to mind. He wondered what she would wear tonight. He could picture her long dark hair softly braided down her back and her tall feminine body, thin but strong. He hoped she came in those little denim shorts; her legs were long and toned. But anything would be better than the uniform that covered her from head to toe.
‘Oh, good. Indi’s great like that, always helping. That’s if she’s not at work. She bloody loves that footy club and it probably wouldn’t be here this year if she hadn’t headhunted you. She’s got guts, that girl.’
‘Where does she work?’ he asked and then regretted it. He could see the spark of intrigue in Jenny’s eyes. ‘She came to training in hi-vis,’ he added quickly.
‘Oh, right. Yeah, she works at the CBH bins on the edge of town. She runs it at harvest when all the grain comes in, and spends the rest of the year outloading it onto trucks and trains.’
‘That explains it,’ he said and tried to look uninterested. ‘Right, so we have all this in stock?’ He studied the order.
‘Should do, but if not, come and find me.’ Jenny smiled and then headed back to her desk.
Troy saw Phil was busy with a farmer looking at poly fittings as he headed out the back. A huge cream shed behind the shop housed all the chemicals. Jumping on the little green forklift, he started loading up the 110-litre drums of chemical onto the back of the work ute. By the fifth one the ute sank down and the tyres looked almost flat. He threw on some smaller twenty-litre drums of wetter and he was done. He wrote it all down in the book ready for invoicing later.
‘Right,’ he mumbled as he sat in the ute, studying his mud map. He pulled out onto the main street and headed east out of town, past the pub and roadhouse. A sign pointed left to Wave Rock and Troy wondered what all the fuss was about. He took a left turn onto a gravel road and then another. Jenny was right – he couldn’t miss the property sign. Driving onto a farm always reminded him of riding the motorbike with his sister. Geraldine was a few years younger, so he had always dinked her everywhere. Her little arms gripped his waist and she would squeal as he carved up the paddocks. His first dream was always football, but after that he pictured himself back running the family farm. Now he would never do either. Every day he was reminded of it. Visiting other people’s farms was as close as he could get and for now it would have to do.
Outback Heart Page 4
