by Lisa Ireland
‘Pack your stuff,’ he said to Lucy. ‘I’m getting you out of here.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘Ollie can’t stay here. Get your things together. I’m taking you back to my place.’
Lucy shook her head. ‘No, I’m not going back there. Too many bad memories. I came here to sort things out with you, to find a way for you to be part of Ollie’s life, but I don’t want to go back to Warialda.’
‘Give me a break will you? It’s going to take more than an hour or two to sort this out. In the meantime, wouldn’t you rather be staying somewhere clean and comfortable? Ollie will be safe at my place while we work things out. I can’t bear to leave him here, but I can’t stay here forever. I need to get back to the farm. I’m not inviting you to move back in, just to stay for a day or two until we work out a way forward. For Ollie’s sake, please come.’
Her mouth was set in a hard line, but she nodded and pulled a large suitcase off the floor, plonked it on the bed and began to fill it with clothes.
Maybe this wasn’t the greatest idea he’d ever had, but what else could he do? He supposed he could fork out for a nicer motel, but really, motel rooms were no place for a little kid, especially not for any length of time. Not that he had any idea about how long Lucy planned on staying. Was this just a flying visit or was she planning on moving back to Australia permanently? If she was planning on leaving again how was he supposed to get to know his son? If he left her here how could he be sure she wouldn’t take off again? Better to keep her close so he could keep an eye on the situation.
He had a spare room with a single bed and he was sure his mother had an old cot tucked away somewhere. She’d kept a few of his and Jimmy’s baby things in anticipation of grandchildren. Before his split with Lucy she used to openly talk about her desire to be a grandmother, but these days she was kind enough to keep her thoughts to herself.
The thought of his mother’s face when she saw Ollie cheered Mitch a little. She would make such a wonderful grandmother. And Dad would love a little grandson to take on tractor rides and to make little wooden toys for. Acid burned at the base of his throat. Goddammit. This was big. Ollie’s existence didn’t just affect him. Everyone around him would feel the impact—Mum, Dad, Bea.
Bea. He kept pushing her to the back of his mind. He couldn’t bear to think about the effect this news would have on her. He had to see her as soon as possible so that she knew that this development in his life didn’t change anything between them. But first he had to get Lucy and Ollie home and get them settled.
‘Do you need any help?’ he asked as Lucy dragged the enormous case to the front door.
‘I’ll get the car seat,’ she said, ‘and show you how to fit it. It’s going to be a big part of your life from now on.’
Chapter 16
‘That dog can’t come in here,’ Lucy said, eyeing Rosie suspiciously.
‘She can go out for now,’ Mitch said, ‘but she sleeps inside. It’s freezing out there at this time of year and she’s only a pup.’
Lucy shrugged. ‘She’s a dog. She’ll be all right. And I’m not having her in here licking Ollie or worse.’
‘Rosie’s perfectly well trained. She won’t go near Ollie unless I let her and she certainly won’t hurt him. In any case it’s not like I’m planning on leaving the two of them unsupervised.’
‘No. I’m sorry, Mitch, that’s not good enough. I don’t want her around my baby and that’s final.’
Mitch gritted his teeth. ‘Fine. I’ll take her up to Mum’s. I need to see if she still has that old cot anyway. If not, I’ll have to sort something out.’ Just what he’d sort out he wasn’t sure. Caitlin might be able to help him out, but the fewer people that knew about Lucy’s return right now the better. The last thing he wanted was Bea hearing this news from someone other than him.
With that thought he decided it would be better to take Rosie up to Bea’s place. She slept there most nights anyway. That way he could give Bea the heads up in person. He could explain … explain what exactly? That his old girlfriend was up at his house? He suddenly had a child and he didn’t know what was going to happen next? He hesitated for a minute. Maybe talking to Bea right now wasn’t a great idea after all. There wasn’t time to talk this through properly. No doubt it would take some time to explain the situation to his parents and he couldn’t leave Lucy languishing at the cottage forever. They had things to talk about, things to get sorted. What would he say to Bea, anyway? How could he answer her questions about what would happen going forward when he didn’t know himself? And Emma was there. Bea had been looking forward to her arrival for weeks. He didn’t have the heart to spoil their girls’ night with his news.
First thing tomorrow he would tell her. By then he would know what he was doing and he’d be able to give her the answers she needed.
With his mind made up he whistled for Rosie and headed off towards the main house on foot. When he reached his parents’ home he kicked off his muddy boots on the verandah and opened the front door. ‘Stay,’ he said to Rosie as he poked his head inside. ‘Mum? Are you here?’
‘In the laundry, love. Just a tick.’ Evelyn appeared moments later, wiping the back of her hands down the front of her apron. ‘This is a nice surprise. I wasn’t expecting to see you this afternoon. Dad said you were off to town to pick up an order from Alicia.’
Damn. With all that had happened this morning he’d totally forgotten about his promise to pick up his order of stock feed. ‘I haven’t managed to get to that yet. Do you know where Dad is?’
Evelyn shrugged. ‘You’d have a better idea than me, love. I haven’t seen him all day. He left at about seven this morning. He was back for lunch by the look of the dishes in the sink, but I wasn’t here. I was over at Caitlin’s getting my hair done.’ She looked at him expectantly.
‘So I see. Very nice.’
She sighed in response and Mitch realised he hadn’t quite met the mark with his compliment, but he knew better than to try to remedy the matter. Anything else he said would only make things worse. ‘Look Mum, I need to talk to you about something. I was hoping Dad would be here too, but seeing as he isn’t and I haven’t got much time, I think I’ll just have to get you to tell him the news.’
‘What news? What are you talking about, Callum? Is everything all right?’
‘Yes. No. Oh, I don’t know. Mum, can we sit down?’
‘Should I make us a cuppa?’
Mitch felt like if he had one more cup of tea today it would start leaking out of his ears, but with the news he was about to give her, Evelyn might need a strong cup of tea. ‘Sure. That’d be great. But I can’t stay long, so no messing about with cakes or doilies and the like. Just a mug of tea will be fine.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘Yes sir.’
Mitch took a seat at the kitchen table and moments later Evelyn put a mug of steaming hot tea in front of him and placed a fine china cup at the seat opposite.
‘Now,’ she said. ‘What’s going on?’
Where to start? Maybe with the good news first. ‘Mum, I remember ages ago, when Lucy and I were talking about getting married, you mentioned you’d kept a few things from when Jimmy and I were little.’
‘Yes, I’ve still got some of your baby clothes in the wardrobe in the spare room and your old cot, oh and the highchair.’ Realisation dawned on her face. ‘Oh Callum, are you telling me … is Bea pregnant?’
Oh God. Why hadn’t he seen this coming? Of course she would jump straight to that conclusion. Her face was beaming as she waited for his answer. He shook his head. ‘No, Mum. Sorry that was a stupid way to start this conversation.’
Her face fell. ‘Oh. So I’m not going to be a grandmother then?’
‘Well, you sort of already are.’
‘For God’s sake Callum, speak plainly. What on earth are you talking about?’
This was it. Once he told her it would be a reality. ‘Lucy’s back, Mum. She’s up at the cottag
e right now. She has a baby. A little boy. His name is Oliver and I’m his father.’
* * *
An hour later he was back at the cottage, bolting together his childhood bed. The cot was in immaculate condition. Lucy expressed concern about Ollie sleeping in a ‘relic’, but once she saw the beautifully carved timber and the pristine mattress carefully wrapped in plastic, her protests ended.
Lucy sat on the couch, arms folded across her chest, watching him as he worked. ‘Are you going to tell me what your mother said or not?’
He shrugged. ‘There’s not much to tell. Like I said before, the news came as a shock.’ That was kind of an understatement. Mitch had never seen his mother so emotionless. She’d sat in stony silence for over a minute after he’d blurted out the news. Her first utterance—‘I knew all along that girl was trouble’—was not something he would tell Lucy.
‘So she doesn’t want to see her grandson? I thought she’d be thrilled. She was always going on about wanting grandchildren when we were engaged.’
‘I told her I’d bring him by the house tomorrow. It will give her a chance to tell Dad and for them both to get used to the idea.’
‘Am I invited to this meet-up?’
‘I thought it might be easier if I took Ollie alone. Give Mum and Dad a chance to get to know Ollie without any awkwardness.’
‘There! I knew it. They hate me don’t they? They never thought I was good enough for their precious son. Well, it’s just bad luck, because I’m not letting you take Ollie out of my sight. They’re going to need to understand that we’re a package deal, Ollie and me. You can’t have one without the other.’
Mitch’s skin prickled at the inference. The contrite, reasonable Lucy of this morning was giving way to a more demanding and erratic model. Did she mean that if he wanted Ollie in his life then she had to be part of it too? And in what way?
‘If you want to come, that’s fine I guess, but you have to understand that people may be less than thrilled to see you, Lucy. You ran off here and left a gaping hole in my life. My friends and family saw how much I was hurting and they felt for me. Now you turn up out of the blue with a child whose existence you’ve kept secret for more than a year. You have to understand things might be a bit tense for a while.’ He screwed on the last bolt and looked at the cot with satisfaction. ‘Do you want to pull the plastic off that mattress and we’ll pop it in.’
She nodded and picked up the mattress from the floor. Once it was pushed into place Mitch stood back and admired his handiwork. ‘What do you think?’
‘It’s lovely. I think Ollie will be very comfortable in his daddy’s old bed.’
Mitch smiled and walked over to where Ollie was playing on the floor. ‘What do you think little man? Want to have a look at your new bed?’
Ollie looked up into his eyes and smiled, and Mitch’s heart melted. He turned to Lucy. ‘Is it okay to pick him up?’
‘Sure.’
Mitch bent down and opened his arms and Ollie extended his chubby little arms in response. As he gathered his son up into his arms for the first time, Mitch felt a new emotion. It was love, but not like he’d felt it before. This feeling was primal. He knew in that moment that no matter what else happened in his life, his son must always come first.
* * *
‘If you keep feeding me like this I’m not going to have any clothes to fit me by the end of the week.’ Em groaned and rubbed her tummy.
‘There’s no law that says you have to clean your plate, you know. I’m not your mother,’ Bea said, looking up from her phone.
‘I know, but you have to take some of the responsibility. You know your Canadian pancakes are my favouritest thing in the whole world.’ Em stopped rubbing her belly and looked up. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Huh? Oh, nothing. Why?’
‘You seem distracted. You keep looking at your phone.’
‘I’m sorry. That’s really rude. I just haven’t heard from Mitch this morning. He sent me a goodnight text last night, which is kind of weird. He’s not a fan of texting, usually he prefers to call.’
‘Sorry, I’m not seeing the problem.’
‘Oh, no problem. I’m just surprised I guess. He’s been on all week about how he couldn’t wait to meet you and show you around the area. I thought he’d be here by now, that’s all.’
Em glanced at the kitchen clock. ‘You know it’s really early, right?’
Bea laughed. ‘Nine o’clock isn’t early for a farmer. Mitch will have been up for hours. I’ve tried calling and texting him but he’s not answering. He might be out and about somewhere. Mobile coverage is a bit patchy in certain parts of the farm.’
‘Maybe his phone is flat. Did you try the landline?’
‘He doesn’t have one up at the cottage. Says he doesn’t need it. Look, it doesn’t really matter. Maybe he’s got caught up with something on the farm, a sick cow or something. Why don’t you and I get ourselves organised and I’ll take you for a walk around the property. We can go up to the cottage and see if Mitch is home. If he isn’t we can walk over to the main house and say hi to Evelyn. She’ll be breaking her neck to meet my guest from the city.’
‘What if Mitch turns up here while we’re gone?’
‘He’ll see my car and know we haven’t gone far. He’ll find us. It’s not that big of a distance between the three houses.’
‘Right. I’ll get my coat then.’
‘And your hat and gloves too. It might look sunny out there but it’s cold, believe me.’
Once they were suitably rugged up against the cold, Bea and Em set off towards the cottage. Em was truly delighted by the surroundings and excited by the glimpse of a kangaroo in the distance. ‘If you look carefully you might see a roo or two in the paddocks near Mitch’s place. And keep your eyes out for wombats too. It’s unusual to see them in the daytime but we get plenty of them around here,’ Bea said.
Em’s eyes widened. ‘Really? Wow. I’ll make sure to keep my eyes peeled.’ They walked in silence for a moment before Em said, ‘You’ve really fallen on your feet here, Bea. I was worried about you when you said you were moving. To be honest I thought you were crazy. Moving out here to the middle of nowhere to a “fixer upper”. No friends, no family. I worried about how you’d cope. But look at what you’ve achieved in such a short space of time. The B&B is just gorgeous. I’m sure it’s going to be a huge success. Obviously you’ve already made your mark on the town, otherwise the locals wouldn’t have got behind you to help the way they did.’
‘Dulili people look after their own. They would have done the same for anyone.’
‘But that’s what I mean. You’re a bona fide local now. You’ve made yourself a home.’
Bea smiled. ‘Yeah, I guess you’re right.’
‘Not to mention found yourself a man who makes your face light up every time his name is mentioned. I seriously cannot wait to meet this incredible man of yours.’
‘Looks like you’re in luck then. That’s Mitch’s cottage just through those trees there. The ute’s there, so my bet is he’s home.’
They walked the rest of the way in silence. Bea couldn’t help but feel a tinge of trepidation as she climbed the steps to the front porch. What if Mitch and Emma didn’t love each other the way she thought they would? There was only one way to find out. She rapped on the door and waited.
‘Just a second,’ Mitch’s voice called from behind the door.
Was that a baby crying she could hear in the background? Surely not. He must have the TV going. Odd at this time of the day.
He opened the door and his face visibly paled. ‘Bea. Hi. Sorry, I’ve been meaning to phone you all morning. I’ve just been a bit caught up.’ He stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind him.
Bea creased her brow in confusion. ‘Mitch, I’d like you to meet my friend, Emma.’
Mitch barely even glanced at Em as he held out his hand for her to shake. ‘Pleased to meet you, Emma.’
Em s
miled warmly, either oblivious to his cool reception or in a brave attempt to rise above it. Bea couldn’t tell which. ‘My friends call me Em,’ she said brightly.
‘Uh huh,’ Mitch responded, his eyes still firmly on Bea.
‘Did you forget about your promise to be Em’s tour guide today?’ Bea asked.
‘Oh damn it! Yeah, sorry,’ he glanced at Em, ‘I did. Look today’s really not a great day for me to be away from the farm. I’m sorry to let you both down, but I promise we’ll do it another day before Em goes home.’
‘Um, okay.’ Bea suddenly felt bereft. She told herself not to be stupid. Obviously something had gone wrong on the farm that needed his attention. What that could be she wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t as if she had any understanding of the nuances of cattle farming. Even after a few months here she didn’t know exactly what it was he did all day. ‘Anything we can help out with?’ she asked.
He smiled and shook his head. ‘No, honey, but thanks for asking. You girls have a fun day without me.’
She shrugged. Obviously they weren’t getting an invitation to come inside. ‘Okay, we’ll be off then. We might pop over and see your mum.’
Mitch’s eyes widened and he opened and closed his mouth as if he wanted to say something but then changed his mind. As Bea and Em turned to leave he spoke again. ‘Bea, I really need to talk to you sometime today. Do you think you can spare some time this afternoon?’
She was about to say ‘of course’ when the front door opened. A dark-haired woman with a baby on her hip stood in the doorway. She was dressed in a nightgown and robe. ‘There you are,’ she said to Mitch. ‘We were wondering where you’d got to.’
Bea stared at the woman, not comprehending what was going on.
She smiled at Bea. ‘Hello, I’m Lucy,’ she said.
All moisture left Bea’s mouth and acid burned her throat. Em was looking at her with a confused expression, but she couldn’t speak. She shook her head and began to run.
