by Mandy Magro
‘I hope you’re right, Mum, because I’m nervous as hell I’m going to hate it out there.’
‘Well, you may do at first, but take it from a woman that’s done her stint in the country many many years ago, I reckon you’ll find yourself falling in love with certain aspects of rural life. How could anyone not, with the beautiful scenery out there?’
Wrinkles of disbelief appeared on Charlize’s forehead. ‘Oh my god, I had no idea. When did you live in the country?’
‘When I finished university I spent six months doing work experience at a hospital in country Victoria. It’s where I met your father.’
Charlize had a sharp intake of breath. ‘Wow, Mum, I knew you and Dad met while both of you were working at a hospital, but I just gathered it was one in the city.’
‘You learn something new every day, sweetheart.’ Grace replied happily. ‘And you know what else.’
‘What?’
‘I really loved my time in the country, and so did your father. Not that we could ever live there permanently—we’re both city people at heart like you—but the time we did spend there holds some of our fondest memories.’
‘Well, there you go.’ Charlize said, smiling. ‘Hopefully my experience will be a positive as yours and dad’s.’
‘There’s only one way to find that out, isn’t there?’
Charlize laughed. ‘True that, Mum. And Jasper wasn’t going to take no for an answer either so I’m going whether I like it or not.’
‘Jasper’s only got your best interests at heart. You know that, don’t you?’
‘Of course I do, Mum.’
‘Good. So have you spoken to Alistair since you picked your stuff up from the apartment last week?’
‘No. He keeps calling and leaving voice messages but I haven’t called him back. I just don’t want to talk to him at the moment because I don’t know what to say to him.’
‘Well, I think you’re doing the right thing by taking some time out. Talking to him at the moment will only give him the chance to possibly talk you into something you’ll regret.’
Charlize nodded as though her mum was seated in front of her. ‘I completely agree with you. He’s a pro at talking his way out of things and getting people to do what he wants. Even with the wedding we ended up basically picking everything he wanted, apart from my dress, of course, and only because he couldn’t come shopping with me for that.’
‘Yes, he does seem to get his way a lot of the time, sweetheart. I’m so heartbroken you’re going through this.’ Grace sighed. ‘On a brighter note, how’s my little grand-doggy doing?’
Charlize smiled warmly as she looked down at Bruce, who was snoring ever so softly beside her. ‘Oh, he’s good, up to his usual mischief of nicking my stockings whenever he gets the chance and ripping them to shreds, God love him.’
‘I’m glad to hear he’s going good, apart from the stocking thieving of course.’ Grace chuckled. ‘He’s certainly a little blessing in your life. I miss him lots.’ The phone muffled. ‘Anyway love, I’m going to pass you over to your father. He’s been waving his hand in the air trying to get the phone from me. I love you, and I miss you.’
‘I love and miss you too, Mum.’
Charlize heard bumping and muffled voices as the phone was passed over.
‘Whippersnapper!’
‘Dad!’
‘How are you, love?’
‘Been better, but I’m getting there.’
‘Oh love, I’m so sorry you’re going through all of this without us there.’
‘That’s okay. I’m a big girl, Dad. I can handle it.’ I hope …
‘As much as you want to believe you can take the world on, you’ll always be my little girl and I’ll always be watching out for you.’ Wayne dropped his voice to a whisper. ‘I did consider hiring a hit man to teach Alistair a lesson but your mother wouldn’t let me.’
Charlize laughed as her mother’s voice was shrill in the background. ‘Wayne McGregor, don’t say something like that over the phone; you never know who’s listening. My goodness, we know you’re joking but someone else mightn’t find it funny.’
‘I think you’ve been told to pull your socks up in no uncertain terms, Dad.’
‘Yes, love, your mother is well trained in getting me to pull my socks up—bless her.’ Wayne chuckled and then sucked in a breath. ‘But seriously, I’m deeply disappointed in Alistair, and I hope you’re going to make the sensible decision in the end.’
‘Me too, it’s just not an easy one to make. Divorcee just sounds so depressing.’ Charlize’s voice was almost a whisper.
‘I know, love, but it would be more depressing if you stay with a man that has the capacity to do such a thing.’ His woeful sigh reached through the phone and tugged at Charlize’s heart. It was all she could do to not burst into uncontrollable sobs. ‘Use the fresh air while you’re in the country to get your thoughts on the straight and narrow, okay love?’
‘I will try to. Thanks for the advice, Dad.’
‘Goodo then. I miss you, whippersnapper.’
‘I miss you too, Dad. Bucket loads.’
‘You take care, and make sure your careful on them country roads. Don’t swerve for roos or rabbits, and you can tell us all about your outback adventure when you get back to the city.’
‘I promise I’ll be careful, although I don’t think I’ll have too many adventures to tell you about. Your lives are a little more on the exciting side than mine.’
‘You never know what could be around the corner, love. The craziest things can happen when you least expect it. Anyways, I better let you go. We’ll talk again soon. Love you.’
‘Bye Dad, love you too.’
The phone went dead and Charlize hugged it to her chest as she sniffed back tears. She missed her mum and dad so much it hurt. They’d always been a tight knit family and with her being the only child she was blessed to have their constant attention as she was growing up.
There were no sob stories when it came to her upbringing. Grace and Wayne McGregor were the greatest parents any child could wish for. And all her friends had thought so too—her home was the place of choice whenever they wanted to have sleepovers. Sitting in silent absorption, the chiming of the phone made her almost jump out of her skin. Her mum and dad must have forgotten to tell her something. She quickly answered it, smiling already at the thought of hearing their voices for a little bit longer.
‘Oh my god, Charlize, finally. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for ages. I can’t believe you’ve ignored all my phone calls and texts. I was going to drive over but didn’t think you’d let me in.’
Too right she wouldn’t have. Her smile instantly disappeared as her mouth suddenly felt full of cotton wool. ‘Alistair, what do you want?’ Her voice was laced with bitterness. Damn it. She should have checked the caller ID.
‘I want you, baby, more than anything else in this world. I’m so lost without you. Please come home, this is just all so senseless. I made a stupid mistake, but doesn’t everyone make stupid mistakes? Please, I love you …’
Charlize just stopped herself from yelling the first thing that came to mind, that Alistair was a prick and he could go to hell. That wasn’t going to be constructive. Instead she took a deep breath. ‘Yes, people make mistakes, Alistair. But I don’t class adultery as a mistake. It’s more of a self-centred choice to betray the one you’re meant to love because you’re thinking with your dick.’
‘Well, when you put it that way, it does sound pretty bad.’ Alistair offered a resigned sigh. ‘But we’re married now, baby, and you belong with me and I belong with you, simple as that. You know, for better or worse and sticking with each other through the good and the bad, and all that.’ Alistair’s voice broke as he began to sob into the phone, to the point of it being overbearing. ‘Don’t our vows mean anything to you?’
Usually full of compassion for anyone who cried, Charlize felt no pity for him. Who was he to question her faith in t
heir vows after what he’d just done—the egotistical bastard. Time away from him had done her good. She was definitely seeing a side of him she hadn’t seen while wearing her rose-coloured glasses. She gritted her teeth—the crying sounded so put-on it was pathetic. She believed he was upset, but mostly because he wasn’t getting his cake and eating it too and he was probably terrified that she was entitled to half of everything. In all the arguments they’d had throughout their relationship, she’d never seen Alistair cry. Not once. And she’d threatened to leave him a handful of times. Her temples began to throb as she fought to remain calm. ‘Don’t you dare use that crap on me. You’re the one who broke our marriage vows, Alistair. I really don’t know if I will ever be able to forgive you for what you’ve done.’
‘But please, Charlize, I promise I’ll never do it again. Like I said, it meant nothing. I was an idiot letting Samantha seduce me the way she did.’
Did she just hear right? Was he seriously putting all the blame on the other woman? Typical of him to always think everything was everyone else’s fault. ‘You seriously need to grow a set of balls, Alistair, and take responsibility for what you did. It’s not like she forced you.’ She sighed, not wanting to do this. Alistair was acting like a complete douchebag and all she wanted to do right now was have an hour and a half with Patrick Swayze. ‘I just need some time to work things out.’
‘How much time, Charlize? How long do you expect me to wait for your decision? This is very hard on me, too, you know.’ Alistair’s voice was laced with annoyance, and miraculously void of all the emotion that was there seconds ago. ‘And another thing; this is also Bruce’s home and you had no right to take him when you left. He’s my dog too.’
She almost laughed out loud, even though she was breaking into tiny little pieces on the inside. Alistair didn’t like being the one left hanging—it would have to be a very foreign feeling to him considering women always threw themselves at him. Did he even love her at all? That very thought crushed her and made her feel like an absolute fool for marrying him.
‘When was the last time you paid Bruce any attention?’
She was answered with silence.
‘Well?’
‘He’s a dog. He doesn’t need constant attention. You seriously need to get a grip on what’s important here.’
Charlize plucked up every ounce of courage she could, needing to end this conversation before she began sobbing on the phone. She was not going to let Alistair hear her upset again—she’d cried over him way too much and for far too long. ‘I’m going away for a week, for work, and when I get back I will let you know my decision. Until then, can you please show me a little respect and give me some space?’
Alistair heaved an extravagant sigh down the phone. ‘Okay, Charlize, if time’s what you need I will give you time. But please promise you will try to forgive me so we can move on with our lives, like the married couple we’re supposed to be.’
‘I can’t promise you anything right now, Alistair.’
‘Okay, well then, my hands are tied so have it your way.’
Silence fell between them once again.
Alistair cleared his throat. ‘Where are you going for work?’
Charlize really didn’t feel like making him privy to that information, but she didn’t want to come across childish either. She huffed. ‘A little town called Grenfell. I’m doing a piece on country life.’
Alistair snorted. ‘You? Living in the country for a week? Has Jasper lost his mind?’
Charlize found herself instantly on the defence. ‘Yes, me, living in the country—and I’m actually looking forward to it,’ she lied. ‘And Jasper chose me because I’m the best damn journalist he has to get the job done.’ Alistair didn’t need to know about her chance for a promotion at the end of it.
‘Gee whizz. Okay, don’t get your knickers in a knot. I was just being honest.’
‘You? Being honest? That’s a nice change,’ Charlize retorted. She’d reached her limit.
‘Hmmm, I think this conversation has reached its use-by date, baby.’
‘Stop calling me baby.’
‘Charlize, I don’t want to argue with you. Have fun in the country and I’ll see you when you get back.’
‘I will have loads of fun, don’t you worry about that.’ Charlize couldn’t help herself. There was not an inch of her that wanted to be nice to Alistair right now. Something inside her shifted and she felt the spark of fire in her belly she used to have before she’d met him. She realised for the very first time that she despised this man more than she loved him. She just hadn’t wanted to admit it to herself.
‘Aha, bye baby.’
‘Bye, Alistair.’ She hung the phone up, fuming at the fact that he’d just called her baby once more. Who in hell was this stranger she was now married to? Unwanted tears rolled down her cheeks as she punched the cushion in her lap. Everything had turned to shit, and she wasn’t going to get her happy ever after with Alistair. Instead she was going to be just another divorce statistic, another marriage that had failed before it had even really begun.
Wiping her tears and then stuffing the phone underneath the cushions of the couch—she didn’t want any more phone calls tonight—she got up and popped Dirty Dancing into the DVD player. It was time to let the world fade away for a few hours while she immersed herself in the magical world of her favourite movie of all time, while maybe devouring a tub of Ben and Jerry’s Maple Tree Hugger ice-cream.
If only real life could be like all the beautiful romance movies she adored, wouldn’t that be grand?
CHAPTER
6
Standing in the unrelenting glare of the dazzling midday sun and enjoying the glorious warmth upon his back, Dallas grabbed his water bottle from the saddlebag and then smiled as he regarded the seemingly endless land sprawled out before him. He’d forgotten to put his watch on this morning but he could tell the time from the position of the shadows pooling at his boots and Levi’s paws, and the one cast over his face by his wide-brimmed hat.
From beside him, Levi looked up with big brown eyes, his tongue hanging out of his mouth and his tail swishing like all his birthdays had come at once. Dallas chuckled that his mate was still raring to go, even though he’d surely be knackered after all the hard work he’d already put in for the day. True to the nature of a kelpie, Levi was the best mustering dog he had ever owned. Using his sleeve, Dallas wiped the sweat from his brow, took off his hat and then poured some water into it for Levi to drink before taking a swig from the water bottle himself. Levi lapped up every last drop before following Dallas’s gentle command to rest up. Seeking relief from the sun, Levi headed straight for Dallas’s LandCruiser and sprawled beneath it.
Unsaddling his horse, Dallas whistled the tune that had awoken him with his clock radio alarm (yes he still owned one and was proud of the fact—he loved old stuff), ‘Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.’ The song had been stuck in his head all morning. Not that he minded. He adored country music, and preferred the old style stuff by legends like Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. He’d had his fair share of bad days over the past eight months, but today was one of the good ones, and he always whistled when he felt good.
He credited his good mood to the sunshine. After an unusually long winter for Grenfell, it felt damn good to be sweating again. Gone were the days where frost covered the earth every morning like a thick white blanket and where his breath would escape him in vaporised puffs. No longer did he need three layers of clothes just to stop himself from shivering. The warmer months signified long days, barbeques, icy cold beer, the donning of thongs and singlets, and the occasional lazy afternoon spent swimming in the dam—his kind of lifestyle. As he thought about his love of the hotter months, something his gran used to always say came to his mind, making him chuckle as he gathered the hose from the ground and went to turn it on.
‘Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun, Dallas, and you’re certai
nly nothing like an Englishman so I gather you must be a mad dog.’
She used to say it with such a mischievous grin, too. Gran certainly knew him inside out and back to front. He missed her so much.
Poor Gramps had suffered a broken heart the day she had died, and he’d not been the same man since. His loud belly laughs were no longer heard around the place and he spent most of his time either holed up in his granny flat reading or meticulously tending to the lush gardens Gran had always referred to as her labour of love. He no longer showed much interest in the property, which was understandable considering he was nearly eighty, but it was just sad to see him lose his oomph for life.
It was as though Gran had taken a piece of Gramps with her to heaven and Gramps was just counting down the days until he could join his beloved on the other side. Their fifty-eight year marriage had been the epitome of true everlasting love, the pair of them still holding hands whenever they could right up until the day Gran had left them. Dallas’s heart ached every time he recalled how he and his mum had found his grandparents that earth-shattering day—Gran had passed and Gramps was laying beside her holding her tight, his sobs wracking his body as he said his final goodbyes. It was the kind of relationship Dallas longed to one day share with the love of his life—if he was ever lucky enough to find her.
Dallas held the hose up high, letting the stream of water fall in an arc so his buckskin stock horse, Bullet, could catch the water droplets with his mouth. It was hilarious to watch and cracked Dallas up every time. Satisfied with his habitual game and that he’d made his owner laugh, Bullet curled his lips back to reveal his teeth—flashing a horsey smile. Dallas beamed back at him as his stomach grumbled—he’d skipped breakfast that morning. He instinctively rubbed his belly at the thought of eating. When out in the saddle nothing else mattered other than tending to the cattle, but now he had both boots planted firmly on the ground he couldn’t wait to get back to the homestead and tuck into some of the leftovers from last night’s roast. And his mum had made his favourite, too—roast lamb with thick minty gravy. His mouth watered and now he couldn’t think of anything else. It was time to head back.
