‘So how are you finding Bundara, Dan?’
‘Oh, it’s different from Perth, the scenery is beautiful and the people are friendly.’
‘Have you been out of the city before?’
‘Um, no, not really. Unless you count the suburbs.’ Dan heard scuffling noises coming from the kitchen.
Sandra excused herself and headed in there. ‘Take it outside,’ she yelled. His own mum had used the same tone when she’d watch him play fight with Cameron. Parents loved to watch siblings play together but it seemed that they lived in fear of anything being broken in the process.
He heard a tea towel being flicked and Zac and Jonelle appeared, their arms still entwined.
Zac pulled Jonelle into a headlock and then smiled at Dan. ‘You never grow up in our family,’ he said, laughing.
Jonelle stopped wriggling and glanced up at him from Zac’s strong arms, her hair half covering her face. ‘Hey, Dan. Welcome to our home,’ she said. Then she grinned as she stomped on Zac’s foot.
‘Hey,’ Zac groaned, and Jonelle ducked away and disappeared into a hallway. Zac motioned for Dan to follow him as they headed back outside. ‘Come on. I’ll show you ’round the farm.’
Outside in the heat they got into the red Land Cruiser, both dogs still on the back. As Zac reversed Dan saw Jonelle in one of the large windows, her face angelic. He wished she was coming with them.
‘This is our border on the west,’ said Zac, pointing out another paddock. ‘All the way over that rise to the east and from our main gate back to that point,’ he said. Zac had driven him to the highest point on the farm. The view over Baxter Plains was amazing, even in a drought, and Dan had to wonder what it would look like in winter when the barren yellow paddocks were covered with green. Dan glanced at Zac and saw an expression on his face that he hadn’t seen on anyone around here in a long time. Zac was staring off into the distance with a look of contentment; it was a mixture of serenity and joy. And the proud tone in Zac’s voice as he spoke of Baxter Plains left Dan wondering if he’d ever talked or felt that way about his work.
‘So you really love it out here?’ he asked.
Zac turned to him and shrugged. He scratched at his stubbly jaw before answering. ‘Yep. It’s always hard to explain to those who don’t live out here. But it’s ingrained in me, it’s a mixture of tradition and family that gives you a sense of pride, and then it’s the love affair that starts when we are young. You know, as a kid I loved jumping in the tractor with Dad, going shooting, picking rocks with the loader, having picnics by the big rock and watching the sunsets. Over time this place builds so many amazing memories, so it’s not just a business or a place of work, its history and passion. Baxter Plains is in here,’ Zac said as he pointed to his chest. ‘Blood, sweat and tears, mate. Blood, sweat and tears.’
Dan nodded, quietly amazed at the depth of Zac’s passion. All jokes aside, he was a pretty deep and sentimental guy. ‘This is a great spot. I’ve never seen so much empty land at once. It’s like we’re the only ones on the planet.’ Dan swivelled on the spot. He could see the homestead in the distance. It was such an alien place for him. Slowly sweeping land dotted with gum trees, mallee trees and bush scrub. All of the fenced paddocks he could see were almost bare earth, the odd one had a scattering of dry stubble, and he could see the breeze picking up some of the topsoil, blowing it across the land.
‘Yeah. I come here a lot. One day, when I find myself a wife, I’ll build our house right here, I reckon.’
‘So, no one yet?’
Zac snorted. ‘I wish. All the ones around here are mates and that’s a hard thing to change. It’s not easy trying to meet someone new out here.’
‘I guess I never realised that.’ Not that Dan was actively seeking a girlfriend but he knew all he had to do in the city was go out to pubs or clubs and start looking. Even if you were just after a bit of fun and nothing serious, it was all there, all available in the city.
‘But I have plans. I want a wife, kids, dogs, the whole deal. I want them to love this place as much as I do. I look at my brother Ted with his family on the farm and I’m envious. What about you? Do you have plans?’ Zac asked seriously.
Dan shook his head. ‘No, I haven’t been in a relationship for nearly two years. But none of them were anything serious. My last one had her own house and career so we barely saw each other. I guess I’ve been so work-focused I haven’t really thought about a family. But I’d like one eventually. Just like my mate Scott and his cool kids.’
‘Bloody tough, hey. But I guess I don’t mind living with Mum. I’m happy enough – it’s just that other itch that needs scratching.’ He laughed. ‘Come on, I’ll show you our sheds. You ever seen a Steiger before?’
‘A what?’
‘It’s a type of tractor. Don’t worry, I’ll break you in.’
They followed a narrow dirt track; to Dan it seemed like a four-wheel-driving adventure. Zac jerked the ute around to dodge potholes and bushes leaning over the track. ‘Over there are our stud sheep. We sold off many of our other sheep so we didn’t have to feed them during this crap year. I can’t wait for the day when I don’t have to feed and water them. Oh, for a lush green paddock and full dams.’ Zac smiled. Even with the drought and everything else that was going against them this season, he still smiled. Dan wondered if he could live a life dictated by the weather. In his job, hard work would always bring reward but out here there was no guarantee. With farming, it seemed, no matter how hard you worked, no matter how good you were, it all meant nothing if you didn’t get any rain. And no one controlled Mother Nature.
‘And here she is,’ said Zac, pulling in to the shed in front of a large green tractor.
It had eight huge tyres and each one was nearly as tall as Dan.
‘Bloody hell! It’s a monster truck tractor.’ Dan couldn’t help his excitement as he climbed into it. And his excitement didn’t stop with the tractor. He also stood in awe before the massive seeding bar, the two huge headers, the large spray tractor and the loader. ‘Man, you must love your job having all these big, expensive toys to play with,’ Dan said.
Zac shrugged. ‘Yeah, I’ve grown up with it all. I was driving the header for Dad by the time I was eleven. I just wanted to be like my big brothers.’
‘And Jonelle?’ he asked curiously.
‘Ha. She was the worst. Dad wouldn’t let her on the big stuff at first, I think he was trying to keep her as his little girl and away from the bloke stuff, but she ended up spending her time in the shed playing with the motors, fixing things. We always joke that Dad has four sons. She didn’t stand a chance at being a real girl when she had us around. In our spare time we would do up old cars so she learnt heaps from a young age. Let’s just say she found her first few years on her apprenticeship pretty boring.’
Zac walked along the mouth of the shed to the side. ‘This is our farm workshop, and around the other side is our toy box,’ he said with a smile.
When Dan walked around to the back of the shed, he wasn’t expecting to find the heap of old car relics that lay scattered about.
‘This one was Ted’s first car, a Cortina. When he bought a new car, we turned this into a racing machine.’
Its black body was painted with stripes and it had the number four in a circle on the bonnet. Stickers were pasted all over the chassis.
‘The old Datsun was JB’s and the Commodore was mine, and that Mini we got just for Jonny,’ he said with a smirk. ‘But then she went and found an old Torana,’ Zac pointed to a beat-up white one, ‘and began her love affair with them.’
Jonelle had three Toranas. He was seeing a theme. ‘I see. How come they’re all dented?’ Dan asked. The side panels were rusting where the dents had split the paint. Heaps of old rims were lying around as well as bumpers and metal tubing.
‘Uh-huh. Great question. Let’s see if we can get a couple of them going and I’ll show you.’
Zac lifted up the bonnets on the Commodore and the D
atsun before walking back into the workshop. He handed Dan a car battery and grabbed one himself, along with some oil and a few spanners, which he dropped into the back pocket of his work shorts.
After checking the oil and fitting the batteries to the cars, Zac turned the Commodore over. It started first time. ‘Yeah, baby.’ The Datsun had to be started with a screwdriver shoved down near the starter motor. The car turned over, sparking from the connection.
‘And we have car number two. Now we just have to pump up the flat tyres, check the fuel and we’re set.’
Zac then held out a brush.
‘What’s that for?’
‘To get rid of the spider webs in the car. Double-check for redbacks,’ Zac said with a smirk.
Dan wasn’t sure if he was joking or not but he didn’t want to risk it, so he took extra time checking for spiders. He found about six daddy-long-legs but no redbacks. Then they headed over to two large fuel tanks and topped the cars up.
‘Follow me,’ yelled Zac, as he jumped back into the baby-blue Commodore. ‘Try to keep up.’
Zac’s good humour was infectious. Dan’s face was already aching from the grinning, he was really enjoying his afternoon. Zac led him into a section of bush behind the sheds and it was here that he saw the track.
They parked near a small blackboard and a big metal box. Dan got out of his car and joined Zac.
‘Here’s a helmet for you, and one for me,’ Zac said, handing him a helmet from the metal box. ‘Safety first, Mum always says, so don’t forget your seatbelt as well.’
‘What’s the board for?’
‘We used to time each other doing laps. JB held the record for two years before Jonny came along and thrashed it. Speedway ruined her. She became too competitive,’ he said, chuckling. ‘None of us wanted to race her after that.’
Dan held the white helmet. It had JB written in marker on each side and No Fear on the back. He double-checked it for spiders, too.
‘Now, the rules. Well, there are no rules. Just don’t get out of your car on the track and don’t crash.’
‘You must have had a great childhood,’ said Dan, in awe.
Zac winked. ‘Yep, I’m still living it. Every now and then you gotta live a little, right?’
Dan nodded but wondered about the last time he’d lived a little. He’d hadn’t done anything stupid and reckless purely for fun in ages. He’d left that behind in his teens.
‘Come on. Let’s see what you’re made of, Mr Bank Man.’
By the time Dan climbed in and put on his helmet and seatbelt, Zac had already taken off along the track, coating Dan’s car in a cloud of dust.
‘Oh my God,’ Dan said to the now empty track ahead of him. ‘I can’t believe I’m about to do this.’ Nerves started to tingle and the adrenaline was like nothing he’d experienced before. He planted his foot like a natural.
He took the first lap easy until he got a feel for the track, and by the second lap he was getting game. Then he felt a tap to the back end of his car. He checked the rear-vision mirror and there was Zac, giving him a wave. Before he knew it, Zac had overtaken him.
‘Smart arse.’ Momentarily blinded by dust coming in the broken side window, Dan began to drift and straightened up just in time to miss a patch of shrubs. ‘Oh shit.’ Then he started to laugh. He’d never experienced anything so thrilling. Now he had Zac in his sights and he wasn’t letting him get away. He followed the back end of the Commodore, a speck of blue in the red dust. Luckily the visor was down on his helmet. He didn’t fancy choking.
A white panel caught his eye as another car whizzed past. It was the dented Torana. Was Jonelle driving it? It had to be her. He raced hard behind them but couldn’t catch the more practised two. He thought Zac had been quick but when he watched the Torana overtake the Commodore with ease it was hard not to be impressed.
After she had lapped him again he pulled out from the track and parked. A ute was there and on the back of the tray were two blokes, watching with beers in their hands. Zac’s father and brother, he guessed. Dan pulled off the helmet, coughed out some dust that had filtered through and left the helmet on the bonnet. He made his way over to the ute.
‘You must be the bank dude,’ said the younger guy. ‘I’m Ted.’
‘I’m Dan,’ he said, holding out his hand.
Ted helped Dan onto the back of the tray. He was only a few years older than Dan, and looked more serious than Zac, but they shared the same jawline. Ted smiled as he shook Dan’s manicured hand with his own large worn one. He was a fit guy, much like Zac but more filled out, and he could look imposing with his short brown hair clipped like a prison inmate’s and the full-sleeve tattoo on his arm.
When Dan turned around he could see the whole track and caught glimpses of Zac’s and Jonelle’s cars racing around.
‘Those two,’ laughed Zac’s dad. ‘Anyone would think they were racing for sheep stations.’ Then he turned to Dan, holding out a hand. ‘How are ya? I’m Charlie. Beer?’ Charlie had a jovial face with a salty beard and bushy eyebrows. His eyes were warm and friendly.
‘Sure, thanks.’
Charlie reached into the esky behind him, pulled out a beer and handed it to Dan.
‘Cheers.’ He took a mouthful and enjoyed the cool liquid in the warmth of the dusty afternoon. ‘So, does this happen often?’ he asked.
‘It used to. Now with Jonny running her own business and JB off at the mines, the cars just sit and collect spiders,’ said Charlie, as he rubbed his balding head. Dan noticed Charlie’s hands. They looked like worn tools, callused and scarred with dirt. His nails were short, stained black underneath.
‘Zac should give up. He’s only in the lead because he’s cheating,’ said Ted.
He was right. Zac was weaving all over the track so Jonelle couldn’t pass, but then he slipped wide a little and she poked the nose of the Torana up the inside. Zac brought his car back and with a crunch the cars came together, but Jonelle held steady until she began to speed ahead. She passed the finish line – two old drums painted with black and white checks, positioned on either side of the track.
‘Great. Now we don’t have to listen to him brag,’ laughed Ted as the two cars pulled up beside the Datsun, sending a dust cloud their way.
Zac and Jonny were grinning like kids as they walked over to the ute. Ted had beers waiting for them.
‘God, I’ve missed this,’ said Jonelle. ‘You haven’t got any better, though,’ she said to Zac.
‘I think my back tyre was going flat,’ he said, making everyone laugh.
‘I’d lose gracefully if I were you, son,’ said Charlie with a smirk.
Ted slapped his leg. ‘Okay, my turn. Who’s game?’
‘Me,’ said Zac, giving his beer to Jonelle and heading back to the car.Jonelle swapped places with Ted, standing between Dan and Charlie
She sure was something, all right, Dan thought, as he watched her hair blow around her face, which was flushed from the sun. She smiled as Zac and Ted hit the track. Her smile, thought Dan, captivated.
‘Oh no. Look!’ she said, touching him to get his attention. Her fingers sent shockwaves up his arm. But no sooner had she touched him than she drew her fingers away. He didn’t care that Ted and Zac had just run off the track after colliding with a bang. He was too busy trying to figure out what it was about her that affected him so much.
After their prang, the boys pulled off the track near Jonny’s car, Zac’s bumper hanging off the back of his car. Charlie jumped down from the tray and pulled it off, then gave Zac a slap on the back.
‘Must be my turn to show you young whippersnappers how it’s done,’ Charlie said, with a glint in his eye.
‘I’ll race you, Dad,’ said Jonelle. ‘Can you hold this for me please, Dan?’ she asked, thrusting out her beer. Her bold gaze made his heart miss a beat. To have her smile at him like that as she said his name triggered all sorts of unspeakable thoughts.
Without a word, he took her beer and watched
her jump down and head to her Torana.
‘Your dad’s racing?’ Dan said in disbelief as Zac and Ted joined him.
‘Yeah, of course. Who do you think built the track for us in the first place? Dad built us go-karts when we were really little, then we moved onto cars.’
Dan turned his gaze back towards the sheds, trying to hide the ache of jealousy that echoed through his chest. Charlie had four kids who he obviously adored and loved spending time with, and for once in his life Dan felt like he’d missed out on something special. As he swallowed the lump in his throat, he wished that his father could look at him the way that Charlie looked at his kids. But you got what you got. Dan was born in a different place, with different ideals and values. He couldn’t have this. His life was mapped out before him. As the dust swirled towards them from the passing cars, Dan smiled. He was happy just to enjoy this afternoon with some great country people.
Chapter 17
I’M home. Can you visit? Jonny had jumped on the spot when she got the text at three o’clock on Tuesday afternoon. Ryan was home!
Of course she could visit. She’d wrapped up the service on Gemma’s little Barina and stripped off her overalls in record time. She’d been that excited to see Ryan she’d almost forgotten to clean her hands. It wasn’t until she got in the ute, hanging onto the steering wheel, that she realised how dirty they were. They blended in with the black wheel. She’d raced to the sink, soaped her hands, washed them and then jumped back in the ute while drying her hands on her shorts.
Jonny pulled up outside the pub and gave the horn a few short blasts. Renae came out seconds later.
‘Hi ya. Thanks for picking me up,’ she said, climbing in. ‘I was going to bring some beers and then thought maybe that wasn’t a good idea.’ Renae gave her an uncertain smile. Her blonde hair was swept up into a messy bun, which looked perfect, and large gold hoops adorned her ears.
‘Yeah, best not, hey. He’s supposed to stay away from that stuff.’
‘Is Zac coming too?’ Renae asked.
It had always been the four of them. When they were younger, Renae and Jonny had hated ‘the boys’ – Ryan and Zac had always enjoyed tormenting them – but by their teenage years the four of them had formed a tight group.
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