Family Farm

by Palmer, Fiona

  She put the water bottle on the ground where it would get shade from the tyre, then reached for the long steel pickets. Metal on metal screeched as she grabbed a couple and dragged them off the ute, carrying them a few metres before dropping them next to several old wooden posts that were rotten and broken. She was heading back to grab the wire-cutters out of the toolbox when she noticed Will’s ute heading down the fire break.

  The sun by now had just cracked the horizon and it sent out a soft golden haze of morning light, which glistened off his ute as it headed towards her.

  ‘Morning, kiddo,’ Will said brightly, as he joined her. He was wearing his blue work shirt and shorts with their farm name, Tarramin, embroidered in yellow. He felt great this morning. It was amazing what a good night’s sleep could do.

  ‘Good morning to you too, William,’ Izzy replied. A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

  ‘I took a punt that this job would be first on your list. Let’s get cracking, shall we?’ Will put on his gloves and held the fence as Izzy began to cut the last few strands of wire.

  An hour later Will threw down the hammer, which hit the dirt with a thud.

  ‘We’re just hooning along,’ Izzy said, panting. ‘I don’t think I’ve seen a fence go up so fast before.’

  ‘I know,’ replied Will. ‘I’m busting my gut just to keep up with you.’ He wiped a line of sweat off his brow with the checked shirt he’d left hanging over the back of Izzy’s ute. ‘You’ve gotta admit we work bloody well together, though?’ Will looked at their progress in amazement.

  ‘Yeah, we make a good team … when you pull your weight, that is!’ Taking off her gloves, Izzy stuffed them in her back pocket and picked up her bottle for a swig of water. Sweat was running down her back and along her hairline.

  Will unbuttoned his shirt and shook it to circulate the air over his moist body, revealing his hard chest, which had only the finest scattering of curly hairs on his tanned skin. He seemed oblivious to Izzy’s admiring gaze. She didn’t need super vision to know how taut he was. Will was an athletic guy and he did a lot of shearing – and it showed. Izzy gave her own shirt a shake to cool off too.

  ‘Are you all right?’ Will asked, pointing to the underside of her arm.

  Izzy screwed up her face, wondering what he was on about. She rolled her arm over and saw a cut, which was now dried shut with blood. Four or five trails of blood had run down her arm to her wrist and were also dry. ‘Oh, I must have caught it on some barbed wire,’ she said, not bothered by it.

  Will just shook his head – she was one tough cookie. ‘Hey, you’ll never guess who called last night.’

  ‘The Health Department, who found deadly bacteria living in your fridge?’

  ‘Ha ha. No, it was Bill. He rings quite a lot actually. I think he misses the place. He’s always on at me to call him at the hospital with any trivial thing.’

  ‘I see.’ She waved him on, trying not to let on how much this information hurt. ‘And?’

  ‘Oh, I just told him what you told me last night and he seemed happy. He’s missing the farm heaps and he warned me to check up on you, make sure you’re not doing anything stupid.’

  ‘Gee, he doesn’t trust me at all, does he?’ said Izzy, wiping the sweat off her brow yet again.

  ‘I wouldn’t either,’ Will joked.

  Instinctively, Izzy threw her water bottle at him. Water spurted out the top and splashed down the front of his shirt, pasting it to his chest like a second skin.

  He stood there for a split second and watched the water drip down his pants before a menacing look crossed his face.

  Izzy saw it. With a nervous squeal she took off, Will hot on her heels. Her long legs moved quickly around the ute as a fearful chuckle erupted between gasps for air.

  ‘Arrgh,’ Will grunted and lunged out his arms, narrowly missing her waist. She could hear his puffing right behind her as she circled the ute again at full speed. Will threw himself forward a second time just as Izzy stumbled on a mound of dirt, which allowed him to catch onto her shirt and drag her towards him. Wrapping his arms around her, he heaved her up over his shoulder, like a rag doll.

  ‘Will, put me down now,’ she demanded breathlessly, her lungs crushed against his shoulder.

  ‘Not till I get you back,’ he said with glee. Will grabbed his water bottle off the ute, tipped it up and watched as the water ran down her back and splashed over her pants.

  With her bum up in the air, Izzy kicked her legs about and pelted him on his backside.

  ‘Careful, I might be enjoying that,’ he laughed, carrying her around like a trophy.

  ‘Eew,’ she said as she wrestled with him until he put her back down. She pushed him in the chest with both hands. ‘That was just pure luck that I slipped, Will Timmins. You run like a girl and never would have caught me otherwise.’

  Will bent down, picked Izzy’s gloves off the ground and threw them back at her. ‘Come on. Move your arse,’ he ordered, his full lips spreading into a gorgeous grin.

  ‘You move your skinny little butt, smart alec. You’re the one slowing us down.’

  ‘Watch it,’ he replied, but the games were over as they were already picking up with their work on the fence from where they had left off.

  Will slid his hand into his leather glove. It was a simple task but he was finding it hard to concentrate. He couldn’t understand how quickly his body had reacted to her touch, even with her wearing her work gear covered in dust and sweat. This flirting had been so much fun and so completely different from when he used to muck about with Claire.

  ‘Come on, lazy arse,’ he said, unable to take his eyes off her.

  They worked on in silence, trying to finish the last of the fence. Anyone watching would have been impressed with the smooth way they worked together, like well-oiled machinery. It was only when they were packing up that Izzy spoke again.

  ‘It’s James’s last day of work today before he heads back to college, so I’ve invited him over for a barbie lunch tomorrow. Would you like to come too?’

  Will was moving about packing up their tools and the remaining wire. ‘I wouldn’t want to cramp your style now, would I?’

  ‘Come on, Will. He’s just a mate. I’m not going there. The last thing I need right now is a long-distance relationship. Especially with a bloke who’s at Muresk and attending plenty of parties with lots of single chicks. That isn’t something I want to get into. Anyway, it’s just nice to have someone to talk to, you know,’ she finished.

  ‘Not what you were after, hey,’ said Will, engrossed. ‘Are you looking for something more serious? Surely you don’t feel the biological clock ticking already?’ he teased, but still waited eagerly for her reply.

  Izzy stopped and leaned against the tray of the ute. ‘Yeah, I s’pose I am. I’d like to get married one day and have some kids before I’m too old, preferably around thirtyish. I’m nearly twenty-two now, so I’ve got a bit of time up my sleeve. What about you? Plan on being a bachelor all your life?’ The back tailgate squealed as Will swung it back up on the tray and then joined Izzy around the side of the ute.

  ‘Hell no!’ he replied. ‘I wouldn’t mind my own brood running around and a nice Mrs Timmins at home cooking and cleaning,’ he finished with a smirk.

  Izzy pulled a face. ‘Gee, that sounds romantic.’

  ‘Nah, I was only stirring. I don’t mind doing the household chores. I’m used to it now. I had a good mummy who taught me how to clean up after myself.’

  ‘And here I was thinking your poor mum had been keeping it all clean and tidy for you.’

  ‘Fair go! I’m not totally hopeless,’ said Will as he began packing away some stray tools.

  ‘So are you going to come tomorrow or not? It’s my turn to cook. And I was thinking we could go for a swim in the dam afterwards, so you might want to bring your swimming shorts, unless you wear budgie smugglers?’

  ‘You wish. Yeah, I guess I’ll be there. Anything for a free f
eed.’ He winked and threw a pair of pliers at her. ‘S’pose I’ll catch you tomorrow then, kiddo. I gotta head home now and shift those sheep for Dad. What time tomorrow?’

  ‘I told James around twelve.’

  ‘All right then. Catch ya,’ shouted Will, giving her a quick wave before heading towards his ute.

  ‘Yep, see ya, and thanks so much for your help,’ Izzy replied and returned the wave.

  Izzy climbed into the Land Cruiser and both vehicles headed down the edge of the paddock, then veered off in opposite directions once they got past the gate. Izzy drove straight past the farmhouse and continued on down the driveway. She stopped by a small twenty-litre drum on four legs with ‘RMB 273’ painted in faded white paint across the top. Getting out, she reached into the rusty tin and pulled out a carton of milk and a handful of mail.

  Putting the milk on the passenger seat, she flicked through the mail and came across the Elders Weekly magazine.

  ‘Lets see what’s in the bible this week, hey, Tom.’

  Smiling, she shut the door and drove home, whistling along to the radio while Tom watched her with his head cocked to one side.

  14

  IZZY spent most of the next morning catching up on the housework. Then she made the caesar salad for the barbecue and put clingwrap over it, placing it into the fridge next to the potato salad she’d made the night before.

  Izzy checked her watch – ten minutes to twelve. The boys can’t be far away, she thought. Grabbing a cloth out of the sink, she wiped over the bench where she’d been working. When it was spotless, she threw the cloth back into the sink, then got out some plates. A soft hum and a squeal of dusty brakes indicated that someone had just arrived – probably Will, judging by the sound of the ute.

  Leaving the plates on the bench, she went out to welcome him. Her arms brushed the soft pink material of the short halter-neck dress she was wearing as she strolled out the back door towards the side gate. James was just pulling up as well.

  She stood and watched the guys get out of their respective vehicles. ‘You timed it well. Come on in,’ she said, beckoning them.

  James and Will were both wearing thongs and knee-length board-shorts, but James had on a white tank top, whereas Will was wearing a nice blue polo shirt.

  ‘Good to see you brought the necessities,’ said Izzy, nodding towards the small eskies that they both carried, which she knew would be full of beer.

  ‘Hey, Will. How’re you doing?’ said James, as they all came together and headed to the house.

  ‘Well, thanks, mate.’ Will slapped him gently on his shoulder.

  ‘You fellas can put your stubbies in the beer fridge. I’m just gonna go and get the meat out,’ she said, before shutting the flywire door and strolling back into the house.

  Izzy had planned to cook the meat, but Will ended up taking over, which left her free to set the table inside. The flies were too bad to eat outdoors.

  Twenty minutes later, they all sat down at the table and continued to chat, as they dug into their meals. She had to give Will credit for cooking the steak and sausages perfectly.

  ‘You really know how to barbecue, Will,’ said James, as if reading Izzy’s thoughts. ‘The steak is so tender and juicy. What’s the secret?’ he asked, putting a forkful in his mouth.

  Will looked at them both sideways. ‘I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.’ He laughed. ‘It’s simple – don’t over flip. Only cook each side once. If you constantly turn the meat over every few minutes, it becomes boot leather.’

  ‘Well, you can come and cook all my meat from now on,’ Izzy replied.

  ‘What varieties of crop have you got this year, Will?’ asked James as he put his knife and fork down on his empty plate and wiped up some leftover sauce with his finger.

  ‘We’ve got in some Westonia and Wyalkatchem – they’ve been our highest yielding varieties – plus a few others we’re trying out.’ Izzy listened intently to them discussing the finer points of the varieties. She always tried to pick up what she could. Sometimes to be a good farmer you had to listen to those around you and find out what grows well where.

  It wasn’t long before Will was picking on James for driving a Ford. They went over the whole Holden versus Ford debate for quite a while, as they were both big fans of the V8 supercars.

  ‘Holdens are always holdin’ on. Besides, Peter Brock was one of the best and you can’t dispute his history,’ said Will.

  ‘Yeah, he’s a legend, for sure,’ James agreed before turning to Izzy. ‘Well, what do you think, Izzy? Where do you stand on this issue?’

  Will responded before Izzy could open her mouth, ‘She’s a Holden girl, of course. No sane person would be anything but.’

  James shook his head in disbelief, then turned to Izzy for confirmation.

  ‘Sorry, James. I drive a Holden and my folks do too, so I’m definitely a Holden girl. Fords are for pansies.’ Izzy grinned cheekily, then rose from the table and began clearing away their dishes.

  ‘You’re so easy to stir,’ Izzy said, when she noticed James had dropped his bottom lip. James put his hand under his chin and said to Will, ‘She’s such a loving girl, with so much compassion.’

  Will aimed a bottle top he was playing with at James’s head and let fly with it. It flipped end over end and brushed the top of James’s cropped hair. ‘You’re an idiot.’

  ‘Well, you lot, shall we make our way to the dam for a swim?’ Izzy interrupted.

  ‘If I drown, are you gonna save me?’ James winked at Izzy before shaking his empty beer. ‘Hey, Will, do you need a refill?’

  ‘Nah, I’m still right, thanks.’

  ‘Righto. I’ll go pack some supplies, then.’

  While James went to grab the beer, Will collected the remaining sauce bottle off the table and took it into the kitchen. He placed it on the bench just as Izzy turned around from the sink, almost colliding with him. Luckily, she’d raised her hands to protect herself and they now sat pressed flat against his chest.

  ‘Shit, Will, you nearly gave me a heart attack. Don’t you know you shouldn’t sneak up on people?’ It made her think back to the last time her hands had been there. She shuddered at the memory, quickly moving away and walking around him. ‘You coming or not?’

  Will didn’t move. Not just yet. His mind was also reliving the bin party night, and he was struggling to wipe the smile off his face. She had such a distracting effect on him – another reason why he couldn’t let that kiss happen again. Slowly he turned and followed Izzy’s heady scent of perfume, which he liked very much.

  ‘We can take my ute. That way we can all fit in,’ Izzy said to them both as they walked out the gate.

  ‘I bags driving!’ yelled James. ‘I have to see what’s so good about the Holdens, hey.’

  ‘Be my guest,’ Izzy replied. They put their towels and the beer in the back of Izzy’s ute, then all got in, sliding along the bench seat. Tom jumped in at the last minute and decided to sit on Izzy’s lap. ‘Good one, Tom. Now I can’t see past your big ears,’ she laughed.

  ‘You know, maybe you shouldn’t have let James drive your uuuuute,’ Will half croaked to Izzy, as they were both pressed up against the window when James did a full slide skid.

  ‘Hang on, Tom.’ Izzy wrapped her arms tightly around her dog to stop him flying out the window. She was wedged up against Will’s large shoulders.

  ‘So, which way am I heading?’ James asked with a grin. He’d straightened up and had started to drive properly.

  ‘Just straight down the back track, past the sheds, turn left at the first open gate and it’s to our left over the hill.’ Her hand bounced up and down in the air as she pointed.

  James followed her directions and soon came upon the dam. It was situated in the bottom corner of the paddock filled with wheat stubble. The cloudless blue sky stood out against the pale yellow stretching before them and the whiteness from the loamy dam banks. The dam only had three sides – the fourth was alm
ost flat except for two contour banks to guide the water in on each end. James launched over the first rounded contour bank and then stopped the ute in a sideways skid on the flat part in front of the water.

  Falling out of the ute, they all stretched their legs after being squished in so tightly, like a mob of ewes up against a fence. Will grabbed the beer and put it in the shade of the vehicle. Izzy grabbed some fold-up chairs, while James erected a tarp on the side of the ute.

  Reaching into the back again, Izzy threw out some empty plastic chemical drums. ‘Our floaties. I can’t have you drowning.’

  Stashing their beers into the holders on their chairs, they began undressing.

  ‘It’s bloody hot today. Just as well, ’cos that water is gonna be freezing,’ James said, pulling his shirt over his head and flicking off his thongs.

  ‘Oh gee, the glare.’ Izzy covered her eyes, pretending she couldn’t see for the brightness of his fair skin.

  James chucked his shirt at her, ran full pelt at the water with a war-like cry and splashed into it.

  Will peeled off his polo shirt. His brown stomach was pulled tight across where his shorts sat low over his hips. Izzy’s eyes found their way up to his chest. Hell, she hadn’t seen one built like that before. It should be standard on all men, like a steering wheel to a car. Izzy slowly dragged her eyes away, which was such a shame to do so, but she didn’t want to get caught staring.

  She threw James’s shirt onto his chair and took her thongs off as Will did the same. Pulling her dress up over her head, she revealed a black triangle bikini top with shoestring straps and matching briefs. The cut of the top actually made her look like she had a decent bit of cleavage. It was one Alice had helped her buy. Thinking of Alice brought Emma and Chris to mind. She missed them heaps and wondered whether Emma liked the new DVD and shirt she’d sent her for her birthday. Maybe she’d give her a call later.