by Mandy Magro
‘Tays?’
‘Yeah?’
‘I love you more than all those stars up there in the sky.’
‘Jay?’
‘Yeah?’
‘I love you to the moon and back.’
CHAPTER
27
6 MONTHS AFTER CYCLONE IVA
Taylor sat in the dappled shade of one of the many waratah trees now swathed in bold scarlet flowers and bit into her piece of watermelon, wiping at the sticky juices as they dribbled down her arm and cheek. She relished its coolness and sweet taste as she watched her treasured horse, Dolly, prance around in the paddock with Boomerang. Dolly’s palomino coat glowed in the sun, her exquisite goldness accentuated by her pure white mane and tail that had been groomed to perfection by Taylor. In sharp contrast was Boomerang, with his bay coat, black tail and mane and bold white blaze down his face. The pair of horses were like chalk and cheese but they got along and were now almost inseparable, whickering to one another if they were ever separated.
Slipping into deep thought, Taylor sighed softly, wondering just where the time had gone. The saying, ‘Time flies when you’re having fun’, was so very true in her life. Four months had passed since she’d gotten Dolly back, however it only felt like yesterday that Jay had blindfolded her and guided her out towards the horse float, revealing its contents with a jubilant ‘Tah dah!’ He’d apparently spent countless hours trying to track down who had bought Dolly from Taylor’s stepdad, and eventually he’d succeeded. He’d had to pay top dollar for her return to Taylor. It was so typical of Jay, being so thoughtful.
The rumble of a bike broke her daze and Taylor waved as Patty whizzed past on the four-wheeler, beeping animatedly, an overzealous Buster and Floyd running behind her. Taylor smiled broadly, returning Patty’s cheerful grin. It was great to see that Patty had found her zest for life again, her passion lying in her newly discovered love for painting, which she spent hours doing out in the paddocks with both dogs for company. She was extremely gifted, too, already selling a few of her paintings at the Driftwood markets. She was nothing like the heartbroken woman Taylor had first met, and hadn’t touched a drop of drink for almost seven months. It showed, her skin now glowing, her long hair lustrous and her eyes twinkling. Although Jay and Taylor were both suspicious about the twinkle in Patty’s eye — her regular weekly dinner in town with Sergeant Frank had occasionally become all-nighters. Patty declared tiredness as her reason for staying in Frank’s spare room, and when prodded further, denied anything was happening between them. Jay and Taylor didn’t buy her excuses for a second. In fact, they both hoped there was something going on: Patty was too young to live out the rest of her days without love in her life. And they both adored Frank; he was a good-hearted, decent bloke.
Gazing out past Dolly and Boomerang, Taylor’s eyes came to rest on the ridge, excitement bubbling in her belly like a bath bomb in warm water as she spotted the glinting roof on the house she and Jay were having built. Not long now and they’d be moving in so their life together could take another leap forwards. She couldn’t wait for the privacy. Not that she minded living with Patty; Jay’s mother was very easy to live with, always conscious of giving her and Jay time to themselves. But it wasn’t the same as having their very own place, somewhere they could make their home.
Taking another bite of watermelon, Taylor found herself awed once again by the potency of the countryside that had gripped her heart so tightly. It had the power to disengage her from everything in the outside world, allowing her to just be, and yet it was so alive it communicated with her in ways only other country lovers could understand. This was one of the many special bonds she and Jay shared, both of them taking delight in being able to just sit and listen to the land. It was a living, breathing entity in its own right and one they both took great pride in looking after, together.
Reaching out, Jay wiped at her cheek with his thumb and then licked the juice from it. ‘You’re always spilling your food down the front of yourself, Tays. I’ll have to buy you a bib.’
Taylor tenderly rubbed her prominent belly beneath her overstretched T-shirt, giggling. ‘Well, if we wait another three months I can just borrow one of Skye’s. What do you reckon?’
Jay raised his eyebrows then kissed her protruding bellybutton before rolling onto his back, his hands clasped behind his head. ‘Good thinking, ninety-nine.’
Taylor eased herself backwards onto the grass, resting her head beside Jay’s as she watched a cloud float leisurely across the expanse of blue. ‘I’m really nervous about Mum coming today. Even though I’ve spoken to her on the phone a few times I haven’t seen her for almost a year now.’
‘You’ll be fine, Tays. I honestly reckon it’s your mum who’s going to struggle. She sounds really sorry for what she did to you and Tom, and I’m guessing she’d be paying for it big-time with guilt.’ Jay propped up on his elbow, chewing on a grass stalk. ‘And my guess is that she’s probably been paying for it all your life. Every time she looked at you, she would have seen Tom’s face.’
Taylor pouted, crossing her arms resolutely across her chest. ‘And so she should agonise over what she did, taking that twenty-five thousand dollar cheque from Grandad to run away from Dad with Charles. And all because my evil grandfather thought Dad was bad news ’cause he didn’t wear a suit to work and he didn’t own his own house. In his opinion, Charles was the better candidate just because he was a university graduate and his best mate’s son,’ Taylor huffed. ‘Ha, talk about an arranged marriage. I reckon the old coot paid Charles too. He was always a stuck-up old bastard, Grandad, believing that money bought happiness. I never could stand being around him. Now I know why. I mean, for Christ’s sake, he even made her change both our names by deed poll, cutting ties to my dad completely. It’s no wonder Tom couldn’t find us.’ She smiled dryly. ‘I cannot believe my mum’s name used to be Evelyn; I’ve only ever known her as Grace.’
‘Hmm, it is a bit weird. Kind of like me thinking about your name being Skye — I’ve only ever known you as Taylor. But, to be honest, Tays, if I were you, I’d be laying blame on your grandfather, not your mum. She was young and naive when she followed his advice, just shy of nineteen and harshly controlled by your grandfather’s heavy hand, from what Tom’s told me. She was petrified of her own father. Could you imagine it? Your grandfather should have known better, really, than sticking his nose in where it didn’t belong. And when it comes to hitting women, well, I’ve got no time for a bloke who does that.’
Taylor sighed. ‘Oh, bugger it, I know you’re right. It’s just, well, I feel like I have to be angry at someone for all the years I lost with Dad, and seeing Grandad’s dead, there’s only Mum left to blame. Now I know what Grandma wanted to tell me all those years and couldn’t. There were many times she’d go to talk about something and then stop. Grandad would have beaten her if her if she did, so I can’t blame her.’ She rubbed her face, exhaling heavily. ‘I know I have to stop being so bloody stubborn. Tom’s found forgiveness in his heart for her so I suppose I should too. He’s told me about how he used to stick up for Mum when Grandad hit her, but it didn’t do any good. Poor Mum, really. It must have been terrible.’ Taylor rolled over to her side and laid her head on her outstretched arm, facing Jay. Their baby girl kicked like a champion rugby player and Taylor’s already stretched tummy moved.
Jay grinned, laying his hand on her belly, laughing as it bounced about from Skye’s energetic gymnastics. ‘She’s already a little ball of energy. Just imagine what she’s going to be like when she’s a toddler.’
‘Oh, trust me, I’ve already thought about it.’ Taylor placed a lingering kiss on Jay’s lips. ‘Thanks for agreeing to name her Skye. It really means a lot.’
‘I know it does and like I always say, whatever makes you happy, makes me happy. I genuinely love the name, especially seeing it was yours originally, and Tom’s pretty chuffed about it too.’ Jay rolled his eyes. ‘I can’t get over how excited he is about this ba
by, almost more so than us — if that’s possible.’
Taylor chuckled, recalling how she walked in on Tom yesterday looking through The Idiots Guide to Babies, which he’d hidden within his newspaper. ‘Yeah, I know he is. He’s even talking about ordering a cot and highchair and painting the spare room in the workers’ cottage pink so he can babysit when we need a night off. I swear he’s turning all soft on us.’
Crunching of leaves underfoot broke their conversation as a shadow moved in from behind them. ‘Did I just hear my name mentioned? And also something about me becoming soft?’ Tom wiggled his finger in his ear. ‘I thought my ears were bloody burning,’ he added sternly, the grin on his face saying otherwise. He gave Taylor a kiss on the cheek as he sat down beside her. ‘How you feeling about your mum coming to stay for a few nights now the actual day has arrived?’
‘Hmm, a little nervous, but I’ll be okay.’ She screwed her face up. ‘I hope.’
Tom gave her leg a reassuring pat. ‘I’m here to help, if you need me, love. Just go easy on her. We all make mistakes. I’ve been mad at her for the last twenty-odd years, but she’s apologised so many times that I’ve had to forgive her.’ He chuckled to himself. ‘Otherwise, I don’t think she would have ever stopped calling me, and she was driving me nuts.’
Taylor chuckled along with him. ‘I know she can be persistent when she wants to be. Where do you think I get it from?’ She paused, thinking. ‘I’ll be nice to her. She is my mum, and I will always love her. I just need time with her, that’s all. I’m glad the big charity concert is on tonight, so we aren’t sitting around the homestead, going over it all again. I think it will do us a world of good to get out and about, you know, bond a little and have some fun. We’ve talked about what she did over the phone until we’re blue in the face — there’s not much left to say about it, really. I think it’s best if we just leave it in the past and move on.’
Tom smiled proudly. ‘That’s my girl! It’s a good thing to be able to forgive, it takes a lot of courage and it also stops you from growing bitter in your old age.’
A rising cloud of dust pulled their attention towards the entrance of Waratah Station, the silvery sparkle of a flash Range Rover announcing Grace was here, and thankfully, Taylor thought, on her own. She didn’t want to see her stepfather, all he’d do was look down his nose at Tom, and she’d find it impossible to bite her tongue and she didn’t want any more arguments today — there had been enough with him over the phone. He was exactly like her grandfather, cold and selfish, and unapologetic for lying to her about Tom all these years. No wonder her mum had married him. They always say people marry their parents and Charles was certainly like her grandfather. It was so sad that her mum had missed out on something so very beautiful. She’d missed out on unconditional love. Taylor couldn’t help but wonder if her mum loved Charles at all. Thank God, Jay was like Tom: quietly confident, considerate, moral, loyal, protective and, most importantly, so very loving. What more could a woman want?
Tom stood, straightening his shirt with trembling hands like he was readying himself for an interview, as Jay helped Taylor up from the ground. She sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly. ‘Right, Jay, let’s go introduce you to my mum.’ She gestured towards Tom with raised eyebrows. ‘You all right, Dad?’
Tom nodded briskly. ‘Yep, right as rain. You lead the way love.’
The drive into Driftwood was long, the conversation among Taylor, Jay, Patty, Tom and Grace a little forced but thankfully Patty filled in the uncomfortable silences with trivial topics like the weather. She asked Grace plenty of questions about living in the big smoke. Taylor was remarkably relaxed, Jay offering his support as he drove with occasional gentle squeezes of her hand. Her mum seemed tense in the back seat, which was expected, and Tom fidgeted beside her like he desperately needed the toilet. Taylor respected how hard it must be for him and she loved him all the more for not only refusing to say a bad word against Grace but also trying to talk Taylor into forgiving her. How her mum could have ever left such a wonderful, big-hearted man was beyond her. Money and fear could do crazy things to some people.
A wisp of a smile touched Taylor’s lips as they hit the entrance to Driftwood, the native trees along the road now in all their flowering glory. The newly built post office and bank looked smick among the quaint little stores that had survived the battering of Iva because they were built from brick. The endless hours of hard work and the many money-raising events had all contributed to putting the picturesque seaside town back on the map. It felt damn good to have been a part of the rebuilding process and to witness the way the residents had pulled together so strongly, even after some had lost everything they owned. And it wasn’t uncommon, even six months later, for someone to break down when asked how they were doing. Cyclone Iva had left its unfavourable mark on all of their hearts.
There was still plenty of work to do, though, damaged homes to repair, and a handful to rebuild. The homeless were relying on friends and family to house them until they could find a way to restore their lives. But overall, there was a feeling of optimism for the future, and it made Taylor very proud to be a part of such a close-knit community.
Entering the front beer garden of the new Southern Cross Hotel, Taylor felt a well of admiration for Jay and his generosity fill her: Jay had donated fifty thousand dollars towards the reconstruction of the iconic hotel. Her beautiful man believed the pub was the heart and soul of Driftwood, the place where the residents could come together and draw strength from each other after the town was almost wiped off the map. He just couldn’t bear the thought of it never being rebuilt. She paused to read the inscription on the substantial gold plaque out the front that Col and Faith had insisted on putting up, proudly pointing it out to her mum. The words written by William Donnellson were so poignant she felt a few tears welling in her eyes as she silently read them for the umpteenth time. The original letter they had found in the old jewellery box was now framed and ready to take pride of place in her and Jay’s new home.
I, William Harold Reginald Campbell Donnellson, duly declare that I was wrongly accused of the brutal murders of the Ballinger family of Goldbury, New South Wales, in 1859. The true killer was one Sergeant Clive Terrence Hocking. This jewellery, owned by Christina Ballinger, was found in his possession on the same day I accidentally killed him in a rage after learning he had raped my darling Anne. May God forgive me for this sin and may Hocking rot in hell for his crimes.
I chose not to come forward with this information, feeling that the local officer of the law would not take a humble farmer’s word over that of a fellow police officer, who had been accidentally killed by my very own hands. It would have only brought attention to my family and myself, and I could not afford to be hanged, as my family’s livelihood depends on me. I hope, that whoever finds this — if it is God’s will that it is ever found — can use these contents for the improvement of Waratah Station and to keep her within the Campbell Donnellson family.
This is my last and final wish and if he sees fit, may God grant me this.
Yours
William Campbell Donnellson
Taylor smiled softly as she noticed her mum sniffle and wipe wet eyes.
‘And I thought we had it tough,’ Grace murmured, putting her arm around Taylor’s shoulder. ‘I love you, Taylor. Please don’t ever doubt that.’
Taylor kissed her on the cheek. ‘I love you too, Mum.’ She ran her fingers over the plaque. ‘Bless you, William and Anne,’ she whispered, before turning with her mum and joining the rest of the group inside. Taylor knew without a doubt, as did Jay and Patty, that if it wasn’t for William’s hidden treasure they would have never found a way out of the devastation of the cyclone, and Waratah Station would have been ripped out from beneath them by the bank. They had searched high and low for the next of kin of the Ballinger family, but there were none, making the jewellery rightfully theirs to do with as they wished. The sale of the jewellery to an antique merchant down
south had brought a hefty sum: three hundred and twenty-six thousand dollars.
Running from a corner table and throwing her arms out wide, Jasmine gave Taylor a massive hug, as if they hadn’t seen each other for years, yet it had only been a few weeks. Wes walked over beside her, vigorously shaking Jay’s and Tom’s hands and introducing himself to Grace. Their bundle of joy wriggled in the pram he was pushing — Matilda was six months old.
Jasmine gave Patty and Grace a quick peck then poked Taylor’s bellybutton, which had somehow found its way out of her button-up shirt. ‘I recall someone having a good old laugh at mine. Now it’s your turn my dear friend. At least you won’t have to give birth in the middle of a bloody cyclone, though.’
Wes cackled. ‘Yeah, talk about when it fucken rains it fucken damn well bloody pours.’
Jasmine gave him a sharp slap on the wrist. ‘Wes, I keep telling you. Don’t swear in front of Matilda!’
‘Oh, shit. Sorry. I keep forgetting.’ He covered his mouth, quickly realising his mistake again. Jasmine glared at him as she tried to stifle a smirk.
‘Righto you lot, who’s ready for a party then?’ Adam Brand’s familiar voice came from the direction of the bar. Taylor looked over, grinning when she spotted Adam, Graham and Fang sharing a few beers with Col and Faith. Zoe gave her a quick wave from where she was working behind the bar, the tension between them long forgotten now that Zoe had found love with the most unlikely of men, Cooper Harrison.
Shuffling over and giving them all a big squeeze, Taylor felt very loved. It had been months since she’d seen the guys, and she’d missed them like crazy, the three blokes only pulling into Driftwood early this morning after a long drive up the coast. She introduced her mum, proudly announcing Adam’s name. Grace blushed as Adam kissed the back of her outstretched hand — she knew Adam from watching Dancing with the Stars.
