Talk of the Town

by Rachael Johns

  ‘I’m going to make quiche for lunch and some salads,’ she said as stirred in the milk. ‘Do you think kids like quiche? I used to like it when I was little but then some children are really fussy, aren’t they?’

  Funny, but talking to the ghost had settled her nerves slightly. She just wished the ghost would talk back.

  ‘What’s your story? How long have you been here?’ she asked, leaning against the kitchen bench and taking the first sip of her coffee.

  When, after a few moments, there was no reply, she sighed and took her coffee out to the back verandah and sat down on the step to watch Cane tearing around the yard. She had no appetite for breakfast and so after she’d finished her drink and Cane had finished his shenanigans, she went inside to start cleaning and cooking for her guests.

  Just before midday, the sound of a vehicle outside announced the arrival of her visitors and Megan’s anxiety returned with a vengeance. She glanced in the hallway mirror, hoping it didn’t look like she’d gone to too much trouble. For the first time since she’d come to Rose Hill she was wearing make-up and a denim skirt instead of her usual shorts. She ran her fingers through the ends of her hair, which she’d washed and blow-dried that morning, and then took a deep breath before going to open the front door.

  Although she’d spent hours preparing for the visit, nothing could prepare her for her physical reaction when Lawson stepped out of his ute, ran a hand through that crazy hair of his and glanced up to see her standing on the porch. As their gazes connected, her belly didn’t just flop, it did freaking gymnastics for Australia. He wore khaki shorts to his knees, a navy polo shirt and black thongs that on him looked far sexier than she’d ever given thongs credit for.

  She lifted a hand to wave and opened her mouth to say Hi but the sound didn’t even come out.

  ‘Hey there,’ Lawson called as he reached into the back of his ute to retrieve something.

  Ned raced towards her and threw his arms around her again in the exact same way he had in the café. ‘Hi, Meg!’

  She found her voice, ‘Hello,’ as she stooped a little to hug him back. It felt so weird to have such an immediate connection with another human being. Weird but nice.

  ‘Where’s Cane?’ he asked, bouncing up and down in much the same way the dog did when he was excited.

  ‘He’s out the back.’ Megan had barely finished uttering this sentence before Ned headed into her house as if he’d been there a hundred times before. She laughed and tried not to feel nervous—there was nothing Ned or Lawson might see that would give them clues to her past life and it wasn’t a crime to have people round for lunch.

  Lawson chuckled as he stepped onto the front porch. ‘Someone’s a little excited.’ Then he leaned forwards and brushed his lips against her cheek. ‘This is for you,’ he said, holding up a bottle of milk. ‘Straight from the cow.’

  ‘Wow, thanks.’ Her fingers closed around the cool bottle and she hoped holding it would help lower her body temperature, which had skyrocketed the moment his mouth had touched her skin. It was the most chaste kiss she’d had in her life, but her hormones had been so deprived of human contact that they went wild. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever drunk milk this fresh.’

  ‘You’ll probably find it tastes a little different from the milk you usually drink, but if you just have it in coffee or use it for cooking, you might not notice. I know milk isn’t the most conventional gift, but Mum always said that you never show up as a guest at someone’s house without bringing a gift of appreciation.’

  ‘Said?’

  Lawson nodded. ‘You, me and Ned all lost our mums far too young. Speaking of Ned, I reckon we should go see what mischief he and Cane are up to, don’t you?’

  The knowledge of this common ground helped ease Megan’s nerves a little. He might be a country boy, and she might have been raised in the inner suburbs of Melbourne, but losing a parent hurt like hell no matter who you were. Not to mention he’d lost his wife as well.

  ‘Good idea,’ she said, turning and holding the door open for him. ‘Your sister couldn’t make it?’

  ‘No. Tab is selling her ice-cream at a community event in Harvey today but she said to say thanks for the invitation and she hopes to meet you very soon.’

  ‘I hope so too,’ Megan lied as she started down the hallway. Part of her would love to meet Lawson’s sister because everything about him piqued her curiosity, and if Tab were half as cool as he and Ned, she’d be a great person, but at the same time it was a relief (and safer) not to have to make another acquaintance. The more people she got to know, the more people she would have to lose and she was fed up with losing people. It was easier not to get close in the first place. She’d broken her own rules by inviting Lawson and Ned to lunch, but she’d just have to tread carefully.

  He followed her into the kitchen where she popped the milk bottle into the fridge.

  ‘Can I get you a drink?’ she asked, deciding to forget about the fact she shouldn’t be entertaining and try to enjoy the company while she had it. ‘Coffee, juice or soft drink? I have Coke, Fanta and lemonade.’ After making this crazy ‘date’ with them in the café, Megan had returned to the supermarket and bought a variety of treats she’d never buy for herself.

  ‘I’ll start with water,’ he said, hitting her once again with that potent smile. Every time he flashed it, she got a jolt to her nether regions.

  ‘Right, water.’ She turned to grab a clean glass off the sink and then went to the fridge to get out the jug. ‘Shall I pour one for Ned as well? I thought we could eat out on the back verandah. It’s not too hot in the shade today.’

  ‘Sounds good. Is there anything I can do to help?’

  ‘No. Why don’t you go out the back and check on Cane and Ned? I’ll grab the drinks.’

  Lawson retreated and a few seconds later Megan heard squealing. She peeked around the curtain and saw him holding a grinning Ned by his ankles, swinging him from side to side. Cane danced around them both, having a ball as well. A pang of loneliness and longing gripped her; growing up she’d always dreamed of having a big family, but now such a thing seemed like an impossible fantasy. The type of man she’d like to settle down with probably wouldn’t want the likes of her.

  She let the curtain fall back and sighed, noticing her hands were shaking. And then, she felt a presence behind her as if someone had come into the room. Her heart in her throat, she spun around but of course she was alone.

  It’s all right. Stay calm.

  These words came into her mind but, although she heard no sound, it was as if someone else had spoken them.

  Megan took a deep breath, forcing the air in and then out of her lungs. Shaking her head, she turned back to the task at hand.

  ‘Drinks,’ she called out a few moments later as she emerged onto the back verandah.

  Cane bounded over to her, followed by Lawson and Ned, who already looked a little red. He wore a cap on his head and she hoped he was wearing sun-cream as well, but bit down on the impulse to ask, as it wasn’t any of her business.

  While the dog lapped water from his bowl, Ned downed almost an entire glass of water. ‘I love Cane,’ he announced when he’d finished.

  ‘I think he likes you too. I do take him out for runs, but he never seems to use up his energy.’ She glanced over at Lawson, who was also drinking. ‘Are you guys ready for lunch?’

  ‘I’m starving,’ Ned announced.

  Lawson nodded as he put his empty glass down on the plastic table.

  ‘Right then, I’ll be back in a second.’ She went inside, took the quiche out where it had been keeping semi-warm in the oven and once again felt as if someone was behind her watching. Assuming she was imagining things again, she almost dropped the dish when she turned to find Lawson standing only a foot behind her.

  ‘Sorry,’ he said, reaching out to steady her hands. Of course his touch did no such thing. ‘I know you said you didn’t need any help but … I couldn’t just sit out there letting you
do everything. Here let me take that.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Megan managed as he took the quiche from her.

  ‘Anything else I can carry?’ he asked.

  She gestured to the stack of three plates on the table. ‘If you grab them, I’ll bring the salads.’

  The cutlery was already outside on the table and within a few minutes the three of them were sitting down to eat. Cane sat at their feet ready to pounce on any falling scraps.

  ‘This is really yummy, Meg,’ Ned said, after swallowing his first mouthful of quiche.

  Thank God. ‘I’m glad you like it. And I’ve made jelly slice for dessert.’

  Both Ned’s and Lawson’s faces lit up at this announcement and Megan couldn’t deny the buzz that shot through her. Although she’d been cooking for others for the last few years, doing so had brought none of the satisfaction she felt right now.

  ‘So, tell me about the life of a dairy farmer,’ she said, leaning back in her seat, beginning to relax a little.

  Lawson snorted. ‘It’s not that exciting—we get up before the sun and work until after it goes down—but I wouldn’t want to do anything else.’

  ‘Does your father work on the farm with you and your sister?’

  ‘Gramps married Sandra, and they live in Bunbury. Sandra doesn’t like cows so he tired early,’ Ned informed, before shoving another mouthful in his mouth.

  By ‘tired’, Megan guessed he meant ‘retired’. She hid a smile as Lawson elaborated.

  ‘Ned’s right. It’s just us and Tab on the farm now.’

  ‘And Ethan,’ Ned exclaimed.

  ‘Yes, Ethan’s our worker, but he’s part of the family these days. Dad did work up until a couple of years ago, but he had a heart attack that freaked out his new wife. She convinced him to move with her to be closer to medical facilities.’

  ‘I guess that makes sense, but you guys must miss him.’

  Lawson shrugged. ‘To be honest, Dad changed after my mum died. She had ovarian cancer and it wasn’t easy on any of us, but trying to keep the dairy running, look after me and Tab and take care of Mum, who was in and out of hospital in Perth, took its toll on him. He became a shadow of the man he once was. Life is a lot easier for Tab and me not having to consult with him about every little thing.’

  ‘I must admit I don’t know much about the dairy industry.’ She wondered if cancer had been what had taken Ned’s mum as well, but now didn’t seem the moment to ask.

  ‘You’ll have to come out and help with milking one day,’ Lawson said. ‘That’s if you don’t mind wearing ugly gumboots and aren’t afraid of a little cow shit.’

  ‘Language!’ Ned said and they both laughed.

  Megan wasn’t afraid of a little poo but as much as she’d love to see Lawson in his element, she remembered her determination not to get too close and, ignoring his suggestion, gestured to the water jug in the middle of the table. ‘Anyone like a refill?’

  ‘Yes, please.’ Ned pushed his glass towards her and she filled it again, hoping no one noticed her hand still shaking a little.

  ‘How many cows do you have?’ she asked before lifting a forkful of potato salad to her mouth.

  ‘Just over four hundred milkers but it’s calving season at the moment, so we’ve got another two hundred babies with more arriving every day.’

  As they finished their quiche and salad, Megan asked him more questions about the farm. She was genuinely interested but she also didn’t want to leave an opportunity for awkward silence, or worse, for him to start prying into her background.

  ‘There’s been lots in the media lately about big supermarkets killing the dairy industry. Has that been a problem for you guys?’

  ‘Yes and no. The price cuts have affected everyone, but we’re lucky enough to supply one of WA’s big milk companies and a few years back when things were pretty dire, it was get bigger or get out. We decided to get bigger. Sadly though some of the smaller dairies in the region are doing it tough at the moment.’

  ‘Dairy farming doesn’t sound like it’s for the faint-hearted,’ she said.

  Lawson chuckled. ‘I don’t think any type of farming is for the faint-hearted.’

  ‘Meg? Does Cane like water?’ Ned asked, when he’d all but scraped his plate clean and must have been getting bored with the shoptalk. ‘Can he and I play under your sprinklers for a bit?’

  She looked to Lawson for clarification.

  ‘If Meg doesn’t mind, it’s fine with me. But not for too long—we don’t want to waste water or for you to get burned. Go out to the ute and get the sun-cream so we can top you up.’

  ‘And if you move the sprinkler near the fruit trees, the water won’t be wasted,’ Megan suggested.

  While Ned retreated back through the house, she stood and began clearing the table.

  Lawson also pushed back his seat and started to help. ‘Thanks for lunch. It was delicious.’

  ‘It was my pleasure.’

  They carried everything inside and then he started to fill up the sink.

  ‘Oh, I’ll do that later,’ she said. ‘Let’s go sit outside and watch Ned and Cane.’ The thought of being alone in the kitchen with Lawson made her jumpy. It was one thing chatting to him when his son was chaperone, but spending time alone with a guy like him would be a dangerous thing to do considering she could never allow herself to act on the attraction she felt for him.

  At the sound of Ned thundering back down the hallway, Lawson smiled. ‘I better go out to help him or there’ll be more sun-cream on your back verandah than on him.’

  Megan laughed, dumped the dishes in the sink to soak and then followed him out. Ned had stripped down to only his jocks and while Lawson lathered his skinny limbs in cream, she went to turn on the sprinkler. She’d only used it a few times in the evening and so far Cane had always been inside. The moment the water shot into the air, he launched atop the sprinkler as if he needed to defend them from it. Seconds later Ned joined him.

  The sounds of Cane yapping at the water and Ned laughing rang out through the yard. Such an innocent, sweet sound. Megan smiled as she went over to join Lawson. He lowered himself onto the top step and patted the space beside him. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of being so close, but she’d look silly (and rude) if she refused.

  ‘So, are you going to tell me what brought you to Rose Hill?’ he asked as she sat down beside him.

  I’d rather not. But, after the questions she’d been firing at him, it was only fair that he asked some of his own. And following Adeline’s visit, Megan had spent many an hour in bed at night conjuring up answers to this question.

  She was a widow—her husband had recently died and her old life held too many awful memories. Lawson would certainly understand that kind of heartache. But how could she tell him such a thing when he really had lost a spouse?

  She was running from an abusive partner.

  Her boyfriend had betrayed her.

  Something about unrequited love perhaps?

  However, while the thought of telling tales to Adeline or other strangers didn’t bother her that much, lying outright to Lawson didn’t sit well—not when he’d been so kind to her. But neither could she bring herself to tell him the truth. That would defeat the purpose of coming to Rose Hill to try and reinvent herself. Perhaps she could come up with a history that was based on truth but left out the unsavoury parts?

  ‘You know how I told you my parents and brother died in a fire?’ she began.

  He nodded, his gaze trained unnervingly on her.

  ‘And,’ she swallowed, ‘then I went to live with my grandparents. Well, a year ago my granddad died and my grandmother was lost without him and passed away not long after. They’d helped me through some tough times but without them there any more, Victoria no longer felt like home.’

  ‘Didn’t you have other family and friends? What about your father’s parents?’ he asked.

  My father’s parents all but disowned me. I’m dead to them. Again, she
didn’t go the radical honesty route. ‘We’ve never been that close and I felt like I needed to get away for a bit. I’ve always loved old buildings and so I decided maybe I could buy something to do up. Give myself a project and a change of scenery. I spent days looking on real estate websites for a house I could afford. I stumbled across Rose Hill and fell in love with this old place on sight—it probably sounds stupid but my Gran’s name was Rose and I felt like somehow she was connected to it.’

  ‘It doesn’t sound stupid,’ he said, moving slightly so that his knee touched hers.

  ‘I know Rose Hill is isolated but this building has a lot of potential. I got it cheap, and I thought maybe I could restore it to its former glory.’

  ‘It’s a gorgeous old building,’ he agreed, ‘but what do you plan on doing with it after that? Not to be rude or anything, but you’re right about Rose Hill being isolated. I’m not sure the resale value will be much more even after you’re finished.’

  Although this was basically exactly what Adeline had said, his tone was different and his observation didn’t irritate her the same way.

  She laughed nervously as she racked her mind for a logical-sounding answer. Inviting him and Ned there for lunch had been a very bad idea. How had she ever thought she could hold a normal conversation with anyone, never mind someone as hot and physically distracting as Lawson?

  You want to open a tea room and sell arts and crafts.

  Megan blinked as once again words landed in her head as if a voice that wasn’t her own had spoken them. A tea room? She didn’t even like tea.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Lawson said. ‘That was rude of me and —’

  ‘I actually want to open an old-fashioned tea room,’ she found herself saying. ‘One that does morning and afternoon teas and light lunches, but also sells local arts and crafts.’ Even as she said this she was starting to visualise how perfect such a place could be. She could use the front part of the building, which used to be the general store, as the café/shop and still be able to live out the back and upstairs. She might even be able to convince Archie to let her showcase some of his amazing paintings. If she managed to train Cane not to wreak havoc wherever he went, he could lie out the front on the verandah as the tea room’s mascot.