Outback Dreams

by Rachael Johns

  ‘Hi, Mum.’

  ‘How are you?’ It wasn’t the standard “how are you” people exchanged in the street. It was a mother’s I-want-to-know-every-thing question.

  ‘Fine.’ He paused for a moment and gave his head a quick shake. ‘No, I’m much better than that. I saw a bank manager today and it looks like I’m going to get a loan. I’m going to make an offer on the Payne farm.’

  ‘Oh, Daniel.’ She sniffed, but it was a joyous sound. ‘I’m so happy for you.’

  ‘Thanks, Mum.’ He shifted in his seat, hoping she wasn’t going to get too emotional on him.

  ‘Have you got time to talk, sweetheart? I want every detail.’

  So Monty leaned back in the seat of his ute, wound down the window and told his mum all about his plans for the new place. They talked for over an hour, and he felt closer to her than he had in a long time. Finally, he asked after Will.

  ‘He’s going great, honey.’ Her voice was so animated, so full of joy. ‘He’s come on in leaps and bounds lately. Did Faith tell you he’s got himself a job? And there’s even a girl he’s a bit keen on. I’m so proud of you both.’

  ‘Wow.’ Monty tried to wrap his head around the idea of Will achieving these things. He’d always been bright—probably ten times brighter than Monty—but his disorder had held him back, stopped him achieving at the level other people of his intellect might.

  ‘Tell him I said hi,’ he said, feeling another twinge of guilt that he rarely made the effort to call Will.

  ‘You could visit and tell him yourself,’ she replied. ‘Or we could come up one weekend.’

  ‘Uh…’ He didn’t go home often. Mostly he was busy with work. He hated turning down jobs, and when you made yourself available 24/7, you could be occupied all the time. But that wasn’t his only reason for avoiding his family. ‘It’s not really a good time, Mum. Seeding’s starting soon.’

  He loved his brother, but Will wasn’t the type of person you could get close to. No one knew how hard it had been—being the ‘normal’ son in the family. That and the fact that Will had taken up so much of their parents’ time—and been the reason for selling the farm—had always made Monty resent him slightly. So many times he’d wished he felt differently, and he knew that if he ever told anyone, he’d sound like a monster. So instead, as usual, he made an excuse.

  ‘Look, I promise I’ll visit more when I’m settled in my own place.’

  ‘That would be good, sweetheart.’

  Chapter Six

  As the sound of a barking dog filled her room, Faith sat up in bed, so hot and sweaty her pyjamas were soaked. She laid one hand against her wildy beating heart as she let out a slow breath and picked up her phone with the other hand. She shut off the noise and fell back against her pillow.

  All week the same dream, over and over again. Monty.

  You’d think all the work and planning she was doing on the Barking Ball—not to mention the stress over the fallout with her father—would have left her too tired for dreaming, but she’d never dreamt so much in her life. And she’d certainly never had those kinds of dreams about her best friend.

  She’d never even thought about Monty in a romantic fashion— and he’d given no indication of ever thinking of her that way either.

  She didn’t want to feel attracted to Monty. Their friendship was far too precious, and they shared too much history to risk it for something that might be a total and utter fizzer—because that was her fear. She might be able to dream red hot sex but so far she’d never been able to achieve it. And if she kissed him and it wasn’t good—if she even told him about the feelings she’d been having—it would be too late to turn back. She’d not only jeopardise her most important friendship, she’d risk her bond with his family too.

  How could she even contemplate the idea?

  Noise of Ryan and her dad shuffling through the house, showering, opening and shutting wardrobe doors, jogged her into motion. Despite her logical thoughts, she felt somewhat robbed to be pulled from such a dream. One quick swipe of her pyjama covered arm against her sweaty brow and she threw back the covers. Pushing thoughts of Monty aside, Faith shoved her feet into her uggies and ventured into the kitchen.

  She found Ryan leaning against the bench, waiting for the kettle, which was just starting to whistle on the stove. ‘Morning, sleeping beauty. Good rest?’ he asked as he lifted the old iron kettle.

  Heat rushed to her cheeks as she wondered if he could read her mind.

  Don’t be ridiculous, she told herself. He’s barely in touch with his own emotions, no way he can read yours.

  She forced a smile. ‘Yeah, great thanks. You?’

  ‘All right. Want a cuppa?’

  ‘Thanks. And in return would you like bacon and eggs?’ Cooking would take her mind off its nocturnal hang-up.

  ‘What’s the catch?’ Ryan joked.

  Faith laughed and set to gathering her ingredients.

  Ryan had been making a real effort since their chat on Monday. That effort hadn’t yet stretched to cooking, but he’d washed the dishes every night and even done a load of midweek washing. Unfortunately, she couldn’t say the same for her father. They’d all been treading on eggshells for years, but after her little announcement, things had moved from uncomfortable to impossible.

  As if her thoughts summoned him, Frank Forrester lumbered into the kitchen, wearing his farmer’s uniform of jeans and a blue chambray shirt, both of which had seen better days.

  ‘Morning, Dad.’ Faith attempted a ceasefire smile but couldn’t help glancing down at his feet already encased in dusty old boots.

  He caught her looking and scowled. ‘Don’t know why you care about boots in the house when you’ve gone on a cleaning strike anyway.’

  She opened her mouth to tell him she hadn’t gone on a cleaning strike, not even close, but closed it again. Anything she said would only rile him up. Why couldn’t the man be reasonable for five seconds? She hated that the only time they came close to having a conversation, they fought. Deciding it was safer to just bite her tongue, she blinked away the threatening tears and turned back to the task at hand. Without asking her father, she cooked him breakfast as well, but by the time she’d served their plates high with fried eggs and bacon, she’d lost her appetite.

  Once upon a time, her daddy had adored her, but it seemed those days were over. If things didn’t get better between them soon, she’d be forced to leave, whether she found another job or not.

  ‘After I’ve tidied the house, milked Daisy, done some washing and collected the eggs’—this for Frank’s sake, to show she hadn’t completely turned her back on them—‘I’m going into town to the post office and to run some errands. Either of you need anything while I’m there?’ She only looked at Ryan, unable to bear the wrath in her dad’s eyes. A girl could take only so much hostility.

  ‘More Coke please. I drank the last can last night,’ Ryan said.

  Frank said nothing.

  She nodded and started to clean up.

  A few moments of silence later, Ryan spoke again. ‘Are we still on for tonight?’

  ‘Yes. Definitely.’ Despite the weird dreams about Monty, Faith had been looking forward to this night out all week. It sounded as if he’d invited every guy within a hundred-kilometre radius, and she planned to be prepared. She’d decided on an all-over overhaul. How would men ever take her femininity seriously if she kept dressing like one of the boys? After an evening spent virtual window-shopping, she’d ordered some new clothes from an online fashion store that promised speedy delivery. She was desperately hoping they’d turn up at the post office today.

  ‘Earth to Faith?’ Ryan’s words caught her off guard.

  Before she could answer, her dad griped again. ‘Don’t expect to get a sensible word out of her, she’s too busy thinking up airy-fairy plans. Some of us have real jobs to do.’ Leaving his empty plate in front of him, Frank pushed his seat away from the table and stormed out of the kitchen and down the ha
ll.

  Faith looked to Ryan. ‘So I guess your talking to him hasn’t worked yet?’

  Ryan sighed and shook his head. ‘Nope. He wouldn’t even let me broach the subject. But he’ll come round. He just doesn’t know how to handle this new stand-up-for-herself Faith. Personally, I like her.’ With those parting words, Ryan gave her an unexpected hug, swiped the last piece of bacon off his plate and followed their father.

  Faith cleaned the kitchen on autopilot before heading into town.

  As she turned her four-wheel drive into the main street, she waved at a couple of people as they drove past. A trip to town was never quick—there was always someone-or-other to catch up with—but that was part of the appeal. She parked outside the post office, desperate to see if her new clothes had arrived and also if Dogs for Autism had sent the information she’d requested. She scored on both counts and tried not to jiggle too much with excitement as she carried her packages back to the car.

  The fundraiser information excited her, but it was the box from the clothing company that really roused her interest. Using her car key, she sliced through the outer packaging and gasped at the material inside. Eek! Had she gone over the top? She couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn an actual dress. She hadn’t even worn one to her year-twelve formal, instead causing a stir by turning up in a manly tuxedo. There were a couple of photos of her as a toddler wearing pretty sundresses, but her mum had soon learnt there wasn’t much point in putting Faith in such clothes.

  For someone whose usual wardrobe consisted of jeans and a t-shirt, the magenta cocktail dress freaked her a little. Ordering it was one thing, but could she really wear it at the local pub? Her stomach flipped at the thought. She could imagine the widened eyes of the locals as she marched across to the bar wearing this scrap of material and the boots she’d bought for the alumnae party. The thought overwhelmed her for only a moment before she realised that was exactly the type of reaction she was hoping for. Lord knew the reaction she’d been getting for the last ten years wasn’t doing her any favours.

  Faith closed the lid and put the box aside. She couldn’t wait to get home and try on the dress, but first, her errands—Ryan’s Coke, some items to restock their pantry, the Farmer’s Weekly for her dad and a stop in at the Visitor Centre to find info on local artists who might like to donate to the auction she planned to have at the ball. Between the IGA and the Visitor Centre, Faith’s gaze caught on the window of the hairdresser’s. She paused and peered inside. Charlene, the owner of the salon, stood at the counter, aimlessly flicking through magazines. Not a soul was in the shop, which was strange for a Friday, but maybe it was a sign. Maybe it was fate.

  With her free hand, Faith twisted her ponytail round her fingers. Her mousy brown hair—so thick and long it wasn’t ever practical to do anything but tie it up—induced a sigh.

  ‘Faith?’

  She hadn’t noticed the salon door open, but she looked up to see Charlene staring curiously at her.

  ‘Can I help you?’

  ‘Yes. Definitely.’ A new hairdo would be the perfect complement to the magenta dress. If she was going to change, she didn’t want to do it by half. ‘Do you have time for an appointment?’

  Charlene’s eyes glistened. ‘What do you want done?’

  Faith grinned. ‘Absolutely everything.’

  It was early, but the music was already rocking at The Palace, and Monty felt his heart rocking right alongside it. He’d heard that afternoon that his loan had been approved, and he’d instructed Mack, the real estate agent, to take his offer to the Paynes. Eager to start the celebrating, he’d arrived a good half hour early.

  He sat at the bar, tapping his boots along to the country music belting out from the stereo and chatting to Liam the publican when he wasn’t serving his few customers. Currently, the only people in the pub were a local family with three young kids having an early counter meal and two old men who spent more time here than they did at home.

  A shadow fell behind him then a hand clapped firmly against his back. ‘What are you having, mate?’ came Adam’s jovial voice. ‘The drinks are on me tonight, well at least the first few anyway.’

  ‘I thought farmers were supposed to be hard-up,’ Liam said, as he pulled a couple of pint glasses down from a shelf.

  Adam laughed. ‘We are. But we know how to prioritise, right Monty?’

  Monty managed to open his mouth but his throat was so clogged up with emotion, he almost couldn’t speak. He took a moment, and then let out a short, ‘Yeah.’

  A farmer. After all these years.

  When their beers landed on the bar, Adam raised his for a toast. ‘Welcome to my world—dumb sheep, no rain and long hours on a tractor.’

  As they drank to this, the pub door swung open. Monty turned, hoping to see Ruby. He’d asked her to join them when he’d popped into The Ag Store for some supplies on Wednesday, but she hadn’t given him a definite answer. Nevertheless, her response, “I’ll try," had kept him on a high since. His shoulders slumped as a horde of guys he’d worked with on the crayfish boats spilled into the pub. He was happy to see them, and would probably miss them when they weren’t colleagues anymore, but they weren’t Ruby.

  There was just something about Robert and Lyn Jones’ daughter that had captured his attentions—okay, and the attentions of all the other single blokes in Bunyip—the moment she’d moved to town. Although she had the looks of a supermodel, she kept pretty much to herself. He’d asked her out a few times before and she’d politely declined, but Monty wasn’t one to give up when he wanted something.

  ‘Monty, my main man!’ A lanky bloke who didn’t look like he could lift one crayfish—never mind a whole crate of them— slapped Monty on the back.

  ‘Hey, Curtis,’ he said with a grin.

  The other blokes offered their congratulations and voiced their disappointment that Monty wouldn’t be working with them anymore. They settled down to a round of drinks then Kyle, coming back from his first trip to the men’s room, froze. Staring ogle-eyed at the pub entrance, he finally let out a wolf-whistle. Everyone swung round to see what, or rather who, had got Kyle’s balls in a twist. Monty’s mouth was the first to drop open.

  Faith.

  Her smile filled her whole face as his gaze met hers. His mouth went dry. Ryan came in behind her and they started towards the bar. She strode liked she’d been walking in knee-high eff-me boots her whole damn life. A titillating pink dress fell way above her knees, showcasing legs that usually only wore jeans or denim shorts. And her hair. What had she done with her hair?

  It swished around her shoulders as she sashayed toward them. It looked so soft, silky, and golden blonde, a few shades lighter than usual. His fingers twitched around his beer glass as the craziest thought of sliding them through Faith’s hair hit him like a sucker punch to the gut.

  Before he could digest this thought and work out what the hell to do with it, Ryan and Faith were amongst them.

  Adam lifted a hand in greeting and Faith grinned at her audience of open-mouthed men. ‘Evening, boys.’

  The look on his mates’ faces reminded Monty his own jaw was still scraping the ugly carpeted floor and he picked it up quick fast. While the guys fell all over each other trying to win the honour of buying Faith’s first drink, Monty sidled up beside her.

  ‘Do I know you?’

  Typical Faith style, she socked him in the arm.

  He rubbed at the spot, pretending she’d bruised him. ‘Hey, just saying. You look different tonight.’

  ‘Different, huh? You sure know how to compliment a girl.’

  Shaking the shocking thoughts that were really circling his head, he raised his eyebrows. ‘All right. You look amazing. Is that better? When did you get your hair done?’

  ‘This morning.’ Lifting fingers which were covered in pink nail polish he’d previously thought alien to Faith, she ran them through the ends of her hair. ‘You like?’

  ‘Yes.’ He grinned, then leaned i
n close. ‘I think every bloke in the pub likes.’

  ‘Good. Then my mission is half-accomplished.’

  ‘What’s the rest of the mission?’

  She wriggled her eyebrows at him and hissed in his ear, ‘To get one of them to ask me back to his place.’

  A muscle at the side of his neck twinged as he thought about the prospect of one of the guys taking Faith home. Yes, they were all mates, but were any of them good enough for her? Would they respect her, treat her right? Or would they simply take advantage of her current mental state?

  ‘You don’t know what to say, do you?’ Faith was clearly amused.

  That wasn’t strictly true. He wanted to tell her to be careful. That the way she looked now made her a danger to herself in a room full of red-blooded males. ‘Sure I do. I was just thinking about which of these blokes could actually handle you.’

  ‘Don’t you worry your pretty little head.’ She waved her index finger in front of his nose. ‘I’ll be the judge of that.’

  With that promise, she turned on her impressive heels and entered the circle of men waiting with drinks. Within seconds, someone had given her a glass of wine, but it looked out of place in her grasp, considering her usual drink of choice was beer.

  ‘So, Faith,’ Curtis said, leaning much closer than was necessary. ‘Adam’s been telling us about this big ball you’re organising. Where do we get tickets?’

  Monty rolled his eyes. Since when had any of his crayfishing mates been interested in dancing? He glanced at the door: if Ruby showed, at least he’d have her to himself. Most of the blokes had already tried flirting with Ruby Jones to no avail. Unlike him, they’d all given up, but Monty reckoned she was more than worth a little extra effort.

  ‘They’re not on sale yet, but I’m glad you’re all so enthusiastic.’ She named the date. ‘Be sure to find yourself a suit before then and come ready to open your wallets for a good cause.’

  ‘And pray, sweet lady, what might that cause be?’ Curtis was laying it on a bit thick, but Faith only blushed and smiled a little wider.