‘No.’ Angela stood up. ‘Thanks for the offer, Dad, but if I continue, Claudia will stay with me. I’ll enrol her at the pre-school in Munirilla.’
‘Do they even have one?’
‘Of course. Leanne’s youngest goes there.’
‘Is this Leanne the one that looks after Claudia?’
‘Yes.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘Look, Dad, I’ll think about the job but right now I need to get loaded.’
‘We can talk more over dinner.’
Angela frowned. ‘What?’
‘Janice has booked a motel room. You know she doesn’t like sleeping in the truck. I’ll have to be on my way first thing, but she’s staying a few days and flying back. We booked a room for you and Claud too – our treat.’
‘We’re fine in the truck, Dad. Claudia loves it in there.’
‘I know, but we can eat together this way. It’ll be nice to spend some time with Claud … and you. It’s not far from here.’
‘Mummy, Mu-mmy.’ Claudia was bounding towards them with Janice in tow. ‘Janice said we’re staying at a special place tonight and we can have tea with her and Grandpa.’
‘Looks like the decision’s already been made,’ Angela conceded. She didn’t mind the prospect of a good meal and a bed but she wasn’t looking forward to an evening of small talk with Janice.
‘I can look after Claudia while you two get on with your work,’ Janice said. ‘We could go to the zoo.’
‘Goodie,’ Claudia squealed.
Angela sighed. An afternoon of pick-ups couldn’t compete with the zoo. She bent to kiss Claudia and got a closer look at the dainty locket on her neck. It was no piece of trinket jewellery.
‘Be good for Janice.’ Angela turned to her father. ‘I should be back by six.’
‘I’ll meet you here,’ he said. ‘Janice is organising a hire car.’
Claudia was jumping up and down between her Grandpa and Janice. Angela headed for her truck, leaving the three of them to their plans.
***
Several hours later, Angela climbed into the small hire car beside her father.
‘How was your afternoon?’ he asked.
Angela pulled her face into a smile. ‘Fine,’ she answered, settling back and letting the cool air blow over her. It had actually been one delay after another and the heat had been oppressive. She sighed at the thought of the full morning she’d need tomorrow to finish loading, but that was the trucking business and her father knew it better than she. ‘What about you?’ she asked.
‘Straightforward. I’m loaded, ready to go first thing. How did you get on?’
‘I hope to be underway by early afternoon.’
‘You shouldn’t do too much night driving, Angel.’
‘Neither should you.’
‘You look tired.’
‘So do you.’
He laughed. ‘Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix.’
Angela relaxed against the headrest while her father navigated the early evening traffic. ‘It’s been a long day but you’re right. Sleep is all I need.’
She thought about her frustrating afternoon at the brewery. She’d had an order of kegs to collect for both hotels, but as soon as she’d got one order loaded she had to move her truck and wait while several other rigs were loaded before she could get back in and collect her second. The guy in charge wouldn’t listen to her plea to do both at the same time. He stubbornly refused to deviate from the order the requisitions were listed in.
‘I don’t want to pressure you, Angel, but I’m going to have to work out some way to keep this run going till Tiny Trev can take over.’
She rolled her head to get a better look at him. ‘I’ve had time to think about it.’
‘And?’
‘Work will give me more time off …’
‘That’s great.’
‘But it’ll be without pay.’
Angela had made use of her idle time at the brewery to make some calls. Work was still quiet – they were happy for her to take more time off – but she’d used up all her holiday leave.
‘I’ll make sure you don’t have any extra expenses and I’ll pay your rent in Melbourne.’
‘You can’t pay for everything, Dad. You’re already covering the flat at Munirilla as it is.’
‘I’m not paying for that. Ken Harris is.’
‘Really?’
‘It was one of the conditions of taking on the job. He said he’d provide accommodation for the first few months. I think the flat is his anyway.’
‘That figures,’ Angela muttered.
‘No good?’
‘It doesn’t matter. We’re not there much.’
‘What about Claudia?
‘What about her?’
‘Would you like us to take her back to Melbourne? Give you a chance to concentrate fully on the job.’
‘No Dad.’ Angela had given her daughter a lot of thought too. ‘I appreciate your offer but Claudia is happy here. She’s settled in to life on the road and in Munirilla. When we get back there I’m going to see if I can get her into the pre-school.’
They stopped in front of a block of motel units. Her father switched off the engine and turned to look at her. ‘Janice will be disappointed. She really has missed Claudia … More than I have, if that’s possible.’
Angela felt a pang of guilt from the sadness on his face. ‘It’s not forever, Dad. Just a few more weeks, like you said.’
‘I know, and that’s what I’ve been telling Janice.’
‘You know, Dad …’ Angela paused to pick her words carefully.
‘Janice never used to want much to do with Claudia.’
‘That’s not fair, she loves Claudia.’
‘I’m sure she does.’ Angela could see the confusion on her father’s face. She didn’t want to make him take sides. Partly because she loved him, partly because she knew, as Janice had said all those years ago, that his loyalty would be with his wife. She decided to drop it.
‘Janice has cut back her hours at the depot. She’s got more time to devote to Claudia now.’
‘That will be good when we’re back in Melbourne.’ Angela hoped her words sounded believable.
‘Fair enough, Angel.’ He patted her arm. ‘Just as long as you know the offer’s there. I don’t want Claud to suffer because you’re doing me a favour.’
There was a call from outside and they turned to see Claudia waving at them from the motel room door. She clutched a large panda under her arm. Angela clenched her teeth and undid her seatbelt. The clothes Claudia wore were new as well. Janice must have gone all out today.
As Angela got out of the car a brief gust of wind whirled dirt in the air, forcing her to squint. The grit stuck to her skin making her feel even grimier.
‘Mummy, we went to the zoo. We saw the pandas and Janice bought me one.’
Janice stood behind Claudia, beaming like a Cheshire cat. ‘Here come the weary workers,’ she gushed. ‘We’ve been having fun all day and you poor things have had to work. I’ve booked us in for a meal at seven, so you’ve got time to clean up. Your room’s next door, Angela.’
‘Thanks. Do you want to come, Claudia?’
‘Janice and I are doing a puzzle. It’s a panda puzzle.’
‘Sounds like you’ve been spoilt.’
‘We haven’t seen our little girl for so long. It was a special treat,’ Janice said, holding out a room key. ‘You go get cleaned up. Claudia’s fine with us.’
Janice’s sing-song voice echoed in Angela’s head as she opened the door to the room. Her stepmother was getting on her nerves and they’d barely seen each other. At least she’d picked a decent motel. The room was basic but clean – better than a truck bunk any day.
Angela’s mobile rang. She tugged it from her pocket and smiled. Kate’s name glowed on the screen. Angela put the phone to her ear as she pulled off her boots and flopped on the bed. There was time for a good chat.
Twenty minutes later she’d
heard all about the goings-on in Kate’s world, and had filled her friend in on the highs and lows of life in Munirilla and on the road, and the latest surprise visit from Janice.
‘I agree with you,’ Kate said. ‘It’s weird she’s taking such an interest in Claudia, but maybe she just realised what she’s been missing.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, for someone with no kid experience, babies can be daunting. But Claud is at a more interesting age now. Walking, talking, no nappies, no chucking …’
‘You should see the stuff Janice is showering on her.’
‘My mum does that with my brother’s kids. It’s just what grandmas do.’
Angela wasn’t so sure that Kate’s mum was quite as indulgent as Janice but she let it go. ‘Maybe.’
‘Anyway, tell me more about this Coop guy.’
‘What do you mean? There’s nothing to tell.’
‘Come on, Angela. I can hear it in your voice every time you mention him.’
‘I’ve hardly seen him.’
‘Last time you told me you’d been on a picnic. Now you’ve been to the pub with him …’
‘Not with him …’
‘Then out to his farm, and you made him pizza …’
‘I made the pizza for Claudia and me. He just turned up – I couldn’t be rude.’
‘And now he’s driving the truck for you.’
‘I told you, he’s helping me out. I don’t have a dangerous goods licence.’
‘He sounds like an interesting guy.’
Angela didn’t like the way Kate rolled out ‘interesting’. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You know. One worth taking notice of, following up on. Sounds like he’s going out of his way to be nice. Come on, girlfriend, what’s he like? Is he worth putting on some lipstick for?’
Angela rolled onto her stomach and fidgeted with the corner of the pillow slip. She was glad Kate was on the phone, hundreds of kilometres away, and not here to see her squirm. ‘It’s not like that with Coop. You know I’m sworn off men. Nothing but friends … Which is what Coop is.’
‘Just because you’ve made a few mistakes doesn’t mean every man is off-limits.’
Angela rolled onto her side and sat up. ‘I’m not going there, Kate.
Anyway, I really have to get going. Janice has a dinner booking. Talk to you again soon.’
She hung up, tossed her phone on the bed and pulled her t-shirt off. Suddenly she felt very hot. Kate’s words had stirred up thoughts she wanted to keep firmly tucked away. She tried hard not to think of Coop as anything but a friend, but there was something about him that was beginning to melt her resolve.
She opened the door to the little bathroom. Hopefully it had a decent shower. She was going to need a good soak to wash away the grime of the day and ease the tension that was gripping her body.
Chapter 26
Coop lifted his hat and wiped the perspiration away with the back of his hand. He studied the pipe in the greying light. It had taken some fiddling but he’d managed to remove the old, rusted house tank and install the new one. The gutter fittings had needed changing over and nothing had been straightforward about the joins. He needed something to replace the filter but that could wait for now.
There was a distant, low rumble.
‘Just in time, hey Rusty.’
The old dog was sleeping on the verandah as close to Coop as possible. He didn’t twitch an ear let alone lift his head.
‘Probably just as well you’re deaf, old boy,’ Coop said and bent to pick up his tools. Jilly, on the other hand, had perfect hearing and wasn’t so keen on thunder. She watched from her position in the driveway and gave a short, low howl. Coop was tempted to call her over. Rusty had been gradually accepting her into the yard since Alice left but he didn’t want to tread on the old dog’s toes.
A flash caught Coop’s eye. He frowned, peering at the northern sky. A fork of lightning lit the distant horizon. The air around him was still and warm. No sign of moisture. An electrical storm wasn’t a good thing. In spite of the good rain a couple of weeks back, there was still too much dry vegetation.
He strode to the ute. That was another job to add to his list. The water truck and pump were in the shed – always ready – but it had been a while since he’d tested them.
The thunder rumbled again. It was still a long way off but the lightning was becoming more frequent and spearing the sky over the reserve behind Alice’s property.
Coop opened the passenger door and Jilly jumped in without waiting to be asked. He gave her a reassuring pat.
‘She’ll be right, Jilly. Nothing to fear.’
The dog focused her big, trusting eyes on him and gave the softest of whines as another rumble gathered in intensity. In the distance, a huge fork stretched across the sky and down to the horizon. It looked like it reached the ground.
‘Not from the thunder anyway,’ Coop muttered, hurrying around to the driver’s side.
***
Those words came back to haunt him later as a boom of thunder overhead made him flinch. He was thankful he’d left Jilly tied up back at the quarters. She wouldn’t be happy but at least she’d be safe while he was out fighting fires.
Several other locals, including Alice’s neighbours, Barry and Skitch Barnes, and Phil and Annabel Cameron, had gathered along the edge of the reserve. Coop had heard the commotion on the two-way radio just after dark. He’d headed out to the back of Alice’s property straight away, thankful he’d made sure the fire truck was ready. It had been tough to start when he checked it earlier in the day, but after some tinkering it was running like a charm.
Together they put out several spotfires. The Country Fire Service was dealing with a couple of larger blazes on properties farther west, but the reserve was being left to burn. This group of worried farmers and their assorted vehicles was the only thing between the spreading fires in the dry timber country of the reserve and the farms that edged it – their farms.
Lightning strikes sparked a number of fires during the night. A few short showers dampened some of the spotfires before they had a chance to take hold, but what the firefighters needed now was a decent rain to come to their aid. The wind was strengthening and it carried thick ash in their direction.
Coop cruised the edge of the property along a track on the reserve side of the fence. He kept his eyes peeled for signs of fire in Alice’s paddocks. Thankfully he saw none. The storm was right on top of them now and lightning lit the sky in every direction.
Headlights came towards him and he stopped his slow-moving vehicle. Three kangaroos broke from the reserve and bounded across the track, leaping Alice’s boundary fence. Two did it with ease but the third, smaller one clipped it and fell. It got to its feet in an instant and hopped away. He lost sight of them in the paddock as the other vehicle drew level with his. Barry Barnes rolled down his window.
‘All clear up ahead?’
Coop could see the outline of Skitch in the passenger seat beside his father. ‘So far,’ he replied.
‘We’ll do another run along the track.’
Thunder boomed again. Coop flinched and saw the same reaction in the Barnes men. The two-way crackled and he heard the report in stereo as the same voices came from their radio.
‘There’s another spotty the other side of our place,’ Barry said.
‘Camerons and a few others are there by the sound of it,’ Coop said. He was loath to go too far from Alice’s property unless it was absolutely crucial.
‘Yeah, sounds like they’ve got enough help. You go back to the meeting point for a break.’ Barry jerked his thumb in the direction Coop had been heading. ‘The missus has turned up with some tucker and a thermos.’
‘Thanks.’ Coop nodded and continued on to the meeting point at the end of the road that ran between Alice’s property and the Barnes’. Joan was the only one there when he arrived. She offered him a cup of tea and some sandwiches, using the boot of her car as a makeshif
t table.
‘Everyone’s headed to a fire the other side of our place,’ she said.
Coop gazed around at the landscape still being lit by huge flashes. Ash floated everywhere.
‘Some are saying the worst is over,’ Joan said.
‘Really?’ Coop took a bite of a sandwich. The bread was fresh and the chicken was coated in tangy mayonnaise. It tasted good.
‘They reckon there’ll be a big rain behind this,’ Joan continued.
‘I hope so.’
They were silent a moment while Coop munched down another mouthful.
‘When did you say you were going to see Alice?’ Joan’s question was nearly lost as thunder rumbled again.
‘At the end of the week.’
‘Will you be gone long?’
Coop paused. He remembered the open door into Alice’s room. ‘A day or so,’ he said vaguely.
‘Do you have someone to check the dogs? I could come over …’
‘No … I mean, yes, I have someone lined up. But thanks for the offer.’ Coop studied the thermos, not wanting to meet Joan’s eyes.
‘Okay.’ She turned away and busied herself with the food.
Coop had decided to ask Annabel Cameron to keep an eye on the place while he was gone but he hadn’t actually spoken to her yet. He watched Joan repacking the food. She had offered him nothing but kindness but something about the Barnes family made him cautious.
That said, he knew little about Annabel Cameron. She’d only moved back a few months ago to help out while her brother was away. Coop gathered she’d done some degree in genetics, then had travelled and worked in Canada. He’d seen her briefly tonight but they were all so busy fighting fires there’d been no time for conversation. Hopefully she’d be around at the end of the week. The trip to Adelaide should only take two days, but he needed someone to keep an eye on the ewes, as well as feed the dogs.
He planned to call in and see her tomorrow. There was the seeding plan to discuss as well. If good rain fell, everyone would be out on their tractors. He needed to know how the Camerons were going to manage Alice’s place as well as their own.
‘Would you like some cake?’
Coop looked at the slice of chocolate cake Joan held out to him.
Queen of the Road Page 17
