Outback Dreams

by Rachael Johns

  On either side of the narrow roads were paddocks, much greener than the ones back home. It looked as if some of the local farmers had already starting seeding, and his suspicions were confirmed when they went another hundred metres or so and saw a big tractor ploughing a field to their right. Monty wound down the window and let the fresh midday air wash over him. He took a deep, satisfying breath. It lacked the saltiness of the air in Bunyip Bay but was beautiful just the same.

  Beside him, Faith remained quiet. He glanced across to see her gazing out the window and she turned her head towards him. ‘We must be almost there,’ she said with a smile.

  As if her words had conjured it, a large banner-like sign loomed just off to the right in front of them. Even before they were close enough to read the words, Monty knew this was the place.

  A settled feeling, which he hadn’t felt in years, flowed over him as he turned the ute and slowed just before the welcome sign. Two large rough-wood poles stood on either side of a rustic-looking gate. Held up by the poles, like a bridge across the gravel drive, was the large red and white sign announcing “Clancy’s Breakaway—Tim and Nora Patterson." At the bottom of the poles, blooms of everlastings littered the dirt.

  ‘It’s like something out of a Western movie,’ Faith said, ‘like a ranch.’

  ‘Like a home.’

  Monty hadn’t meant to say that out loud but, again, that sense of Tightness overcame him. Before Faith could reply, he leapt out and jogged ahead to open the gate. He hurried back to the ute, desperate to drive over the cattle grid and begin the adventure.

  Chapter Twelve

  Faith stared dreamily at the welcome sign and the land beyond it. How could anyone look at this view without imagining owning it, making it home?

  But she quickly shook herself. She was supposed to be keeping Monty grounded, not letting him get carried away before he’d analysed all the facts. ‘It’s only a sign,’ she forced herself to say as he slid back into the driver’s seat. ‘Let’s see what the rest of the place has to offer.’

  They drove onwards, admiring the healthy-looking cattle in the lush green paddocks on either side of them. It was a novelty, seeing cows rather than sheep, and having always had a soft spot for cattle, Faith couldn’t help but smile. They passed a couple of ancient windmills and then, closer to the house, some modern ones that looked fully functional. They registered two of the sheds Monty had mentioned and saw a number of dams before the drive forked. Nestled between the two roads was a sight that made them both gasp.

  ‘Wow.’ Faith couldn’t say anything else, and Monty appeared speechless. He stopped the ute and they both stared open-mouthed at the kind of homestead she’d only ever seen in chic outback magazines. Although still a fair distance away, she took in the vastness of the old building—early 1900s she imagined—with its gorgeous verandahs all around, stone walls and shiny tin roof. ‘Didn’t you say four bedrooms? That place looks like it could house a football team.’

  ‘And look at the gardens,’ Monty said in awe.

  She dropped her gaze from the house to focus on the positively gorgeous blooms that thrived in a number of raised garden beds. A low iron fence bordered a yard that looked like a feature on Gardening Australia.

  Before she could comment, the front door burst open and two people hurried down the garden path. Monty got out of the ute to greet them. Faith undid her seatbelt and followed.

  They were met by a couple whom Faith guessed to be in their late sixties or even early seventies. The man towered above her, his height on a par with Monty’s, but he didn’t look as sturdy as Monty. Despite the smile lines etched into his face, she could tell working on the land had taken its toll. He was lanky and tanned and tired-looking. In contrast, his wife had ample padding around her waist, where an apron was tied, as if she’d been baking. A no-fuss ponytail confined her long grey hair at the nape of her neck.

  ‘You must be Daniel.’ The man held out his hand and Monty shook it.

  ‘Lovely to meet you,’ said his wife, offering her hand in quick succession. ‘I’m Nora and this is Tim.’

  ‘We’re so pleased you’ve come to look around.’ Tim’s smile reminded Faith of Santa Claus. ‘And who is this?’

  ‘Yes, who is this lovely lady?’ Nora asked, looking her up and down in a manner totally different from the girls of the alumnae. Sometimes in life you met someone and immediately felt as if you’d found a like soul. Nora was one such person.

  Faith beamed at the old couple as Monty spoke.

  ‘This is Faith.’ He smiled and pulled her into his side.

  Faith’s heartbeat quickened and her temperature rose at the feel of her body melded with his. She tried to overrule the ridiculous reaction with logic—he was holding her like a friend—but her errant hormones refused to take the hint.

  She struggled from Monty’s embrace and offered her hand out as well, first to Nora, then to Tim. ‘Lovely to meet you.’

  ‘You have a beautiful house,’ Monty said, taking another glance out across the ocean of colours, ‘and your garden is amazing.’

  Nora grinned and the smile lines around her eyes became even more defined. ‘Do you like gardening?’ she asked, looking to Monty.

  He gave a firm nod. ‘Yeah, I do actually. My own garden has been sadly neglected due to lack of time these last few years, but I do a lot of odd jobs around town and there’s often gardening involved.’

  ‘Ah, well that’s lovely.’ Nora sighed, and Faith thought she detected a glisten of water in the older woman’s eyes. ‘It’d be nice to sell the place to someone who would look after my roses.’

  ‘I’d do my best,’ Monty promised.

  ‘Now, you two must be exhausted after such a long drive,’ Nora said, tucking strands of flyaway grey hair behind her ears. ‘Let’s have a nice cup of tea and some lunch and then we’ll show you around the place.’

  Tim patted his stomach. ‘Good idea.’

  Although Faith saw the slightest glimmer of disappointment in Monty’s eyes—he’d be eager to have a look around the property— he didn’t let their hosts notice. Instead, he covered his impatience with a charming grin and nodded towards the house. ‘Lead the way, Nora.’ He’d have the older woman eating out of his hand within five minutes.

  If the outside of the homestead was impressive, the inside made Faith want to set up camp on the padded sofa and never ever leave. She tried to think how she’d describe the décor to Jenni—because Lord knew Monty wouldn’t think to. It was a magical combination of early nineteenth-century furniture and modern comforts. In the kitchen, they sat down around a massive handmade oak table, which was obviously the hub of the house. A pot of soup simmered on the stove; warm, freshly cooked bread rested on a plate on the bench, and a couple of racks of biscuits lay cooling nearby. The combined aroma reminded her of Christmas time when her mum was still alive.

  ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’ she asked as Nora distributed bowls between them.

  ‘No, you just relax.’ Nora patted her on the shoulder as she turned back to the stove to grab the soup. ‘You’ve been driving all day.’

  ‘Actually, Monty did all the driving. He’s particular like that.’ She winked at him across the table and felt a friendly kick to her shins.

  Nora chuckled. ‘Tim’s just the same. The only time he ever let me drive him around was when he had his hip operation a couple of years back.’

  ‘Don’t remind me.’ Tim visibly shuddered.

  Nora ladled a generous serving of hearty minestrone soup into each of their bowls and then offered bread rolls around the table. Faith hadn’t thought she could eat another thing after all the biscuits they’d gorged on during the journey, but at the smell of the soup, her stomach rumbled in anticipation. She took a roll and passed the basket to Monty.

  As the four of them ate, Monty, Faith and even Tim complimented Nora on her culinary skills. Tim’s voice shone with adoration and pride as he looked towards his wife and thanked her for lunch. F
aith hoped one day she would experience that kind of love—the kind that lasted through decades and was still as strong as the day you met.

  She became uncharacteristically teary at the thought and was grateful when the conversation turned to business.

  ‘I guess Mack has explained our situation,’ Tim said, pushing his bowl away a little and glancing between Faith and Monty. It was obvious he thought them a couple. She wondered whether she should say something to make it clear she was only here for support.

  Monty nodded, finished his mouthful and rested his spoon in his empty bowl. ‘He said you wouldn’t sell to just anyone, that you wanted someone who’d love the land and be a part of it. He said you refused to sell to some big company who couldn’t give a rat’s about anything bar the bottom line.’

  ‘That’s right.’ Tim scowled at the notion. ‘Farming is supposed to be a way of life, not a get-rich-quick scheme. This land,’ he raised his arms and gestured out the open kitchen window into the paddocks beyond, ‘has been good to me, but we’ve been good to it too. Yes, you want to earn money, enough to feed your family and live an honest life, but you need to respect the land, love it. At least that’s my philosophy.’

  ‘Watch your heart, love,’ Nora warned as Tim’s voice became louder and more animated.

  Tim ignored the warning, continuing with equal fervour. ‘I’ve had two big-wigs from the city come in here and offer me big bucks for this property, for our home. One wanted to plant bloody trees everywhere—trees—and the other wanted to combine it with next door’s property and bring in a farm manager. No love at all in their offer. I want someone who has the land in their blood. Someone who treats stock like animals, not numbers. Someone with a family to bring noise and laughter to these walls.’

  Monty bowed his head. ‘I’m sorry Tim, I don’t have any children.’

  Tim brushed off this comment with a wave of his arm and a wink at Faith. ‘Plenty of time for that, isn’t there?’ As she blushed, he added, ‘It’s what’s in here that matters.’ He knocked his knuckles against his chest and fixed his gaze on Monty. ‘Do you have the kind of passion I’m looking for?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’ Monty’s Adam’s apple bobbed slowly up and down but he seemed unable to make any further comment.

  Faith bit down on the confirmations that were itching to burst forth from her mouth. She had to let Monty sell himself. This was his baby.

  Finally, he found his voice. ‘Sorry,’ he said quickly, ‘this just means so much to me. But yes, I do have that passion. For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted my own farm. I’ve lived briefly in the city, I’ve worked other trades, but my heart hasn’t been in any of them. I always thought I’d inherit my family farm, but my parents sold it before I was old enough to take over.’ He sniffed and Faith stiffened, her heart breaking at the emotion in his words.

  ‘That day,’ Monty continued, ‘I vowed that I would save enough to one day buy my own farm—to be the farmer I always dreamed of being.’

  Pure instinct made Faith reach sideways and take his hand in her own. Pride swelled her heart. She squeezed and he squeezed back.

  ‘I’ve spent years working hard to achieve this goal, but I’m tired of being just an employee. I want to be my own boss.’

  As she watched him, Faith swore she saw water glistening in the corners of Monty’s eyes.

  ‘This is what I’ve wanted my whole life. I promise, if you decide to sell your property to me, I’ll do everything within my power to care for it the way you would.’

  When Monty finished talking, they both looked to Tim and Nora for their reaction.

  Silence rang out in the old kitchen for a few moments then a massive grin cracked open on Tim’s face. ‘In that case, let’s do the tour.’

  As Tim stood, Nora complained, ‘Let the poor kids have a slice of my apple cake first. Plenty of time to look around.’

  Monty’s shoulders slumped, and it was Faith’s turn to kick him under the table. He straightened immediately and tried for a smile. ‘That sounds delicious, Nora.’

  Tim sighed, but sank back into his chair nevertheless. Somehow they found room for a slice of warm apple cake and cream and then finally the time came to tour the property.

  Nora showed Monty and Faith to the bathroom so they could relieve themselves before heading out, and she and Tim went off to the other bathroom, presumably to do the same. When they were out of earshot, Faith grinned at Monty.

  ‘You may as well have won Lotto.’

  ‘I know. I can’t believe it. He’s rather eccentric, isn’t he?’

  ‘Anyone who’s offering what they’re offering you has to be a little eccentric. But they’re good people. This is the opportunity of a lifetime.’ She paused, pondering whether she should tell Monty her suspicions. ‘But I think we may have given them the impression that we’re together. Together together.’

  He looked a little sheepish. ‘You noticed that too?’

  ‘Yep. What do you want to do about it?’

  He sighed. ‘I know it’s not strictly honest, but I get the feeling they’d prefer to sell this place to someone they think will have a family here. Do you reckon you could pretend to be my girlfriend while we’re here?’

  She raised an eyebrow. ‘Well, well, well. How things have changed. I do recall only a couple of weeks back you were horrified at the idea.’

  ‘Cut it out, Faith. You know how much this means to me.’ He smirked, but there was real terror in his voice. ‘Will you do it or not?’

  Unable to resist, she reached up on tippy toes and kissed him on the lips. It was purely platonic—meant to be a bit of a joke— but the effect almost knocked her off balance. He caught her by the elbow, confusion and a flush creeping across his face. ‘Was that supposed to be a yes?’

  ‘Uh-huh.’ Then, in an attempt to catch her breath, she fled into the toilet. What the hell was she thinking by kissing him?

  Ten minutes after feeling Faith’s lips against his own, Monty was in the back of a dusty four-wheel drive, trying like hell to concentrate on the words coming out of Tim’s mouth. Instead of taking in the layout of the paddocks around him, he kept glancing across at Faith. He kept thinking about how easily she’d fit against him when he’d pulled her into his side to introduce her to the Pattersons. How perfect she’d looked sitting at the big kitchen table in the house he wanted to call home, and even more, how that brief brush of her lips had set off a chain reaction of sparks inside him.

  Sparks. Damnit.

  Desperately trying to exorcise this ridiculous line of thinking, he racked his brain for a sensible question to put to Tim. ‘What was the rainfall last year? ‘Have you sown any other crop besides canola?’

  Tim rattled off numbers and gave a rundown of his crops over the last few years. He also spoke about the seasonal workers he contracted and how he’d needed more help than he could afford since he’d had his hip operation.

  They spent the next couple of hours surveying every inch of Clancy’s Breakaway. Everything from the fences to the buildings and livestock was in such good order that Monty really couldn’t believe his luck when Tim started talking as if the deal was done. He hoped he wasn’t getting in over his head, but wasn’t about to let fear of the unknown and a couple of thousand cows put him off.

  When Faith let slip a yawn, Nora said, ‘You two must be knackered. Let’s head back to the homestead and have something to eat.’ Tim’s wife and Faith had that in common—they were always trying to feed people.

  ‘I’m fine,’ Faith argued, but Nora wasn’t having any of it.

  ‘Nonsense. Tim and Daniel can talk any further business in the warmth and comfort of the house.’ The four of them bundled back into Tim’s four-wheel drive and headed for the homestead. ‘Now, you two will stay in our guest room, won’t you?’

  Monty guessed this room held one big bed and whereas usually this wouldn’t faze him, right now the idea of sharing such an intimate space with Faith didn’t seem such a good one. Her lo
ng legs in skinny-fit denim jeans left little enough to his imagination as it was.

  ‘Thank you, but you’ve already been far too kind,’ he said forcefully. ‘We’ve got my tent and our swags. We’ll be quite fine.’

  ‘Sleeping under the stars.’ Nora sighed wistfully. ‘So romantic. All right you lovebirds, suit yourself. But do promise you’ll come in if it gets too chilly overnight.’

  ‘We will,’ Monty agreed, the words “romantic” and “stars” ringing loud and clear in his mind.

  Leaving Tim and Nora alone to organise dinner and locate the last few years’ farm records for Monty to look over, he and Faith trekked a short way away from the house and set up his tent. As usual, Faith worked as hard as any bloke to erect the tent and then crept inside to straighten out their swags with the kind of touch only a woman could. She was wrong in thinking she wasn’t feminine. He may have only just noticed, but she was everything any man would want in a wife. Good on the farm, an excellent cook, the best sense of humour and a body to run your hands over and…

  Any man but me that is.

  Monty chastised himself for having such thoughts about his best mate. That was asking for trouble. How many good friendships had he seen ruined because of sex? And then there was the fact he was practically dating Ruby. Guarding his thoughts, he kept his distance and gathered a few sticks for a campfire in case they needed one in the cool of the evening.

  ‘You okay?’ Faith asked, emerging from the tent. He straightened from where he’d been bending to pick up a stick.

  ‘Sure, why wouldn’t I be?’

  ‘You seem a bit jumpy.’ She approached him. ‘If you’re worried about what Tim and Nora think of you, then stop right there. They’re already convinced you’re the perfect man for this place, and I know they’re absolutely right.’