Three days later, Henry appeared at the clinic. He hung around until the last patient left and then leaned on Eve’s office door.
‘Fancy a wine and maybe even a dinner for two at the pub?’
Eve smiled. Stretched the kink out of her shoulders. ‘I don’t do dates with you, Henry. You know that. Plus I think Sylvia’s had a casserole cooking all day for tonight. But I’ll have a drink.’
‘Why don’t you do dates with me?’ He spread his hands wide. ‘You do dates with Lex. I’m a good-looking guy.’
‘I don’t do dates with Lex either. Just a coffee now and then.’ She looked him up and down. ‘And of course you’re gorgeous.’ She grinned at him. ‘I like you, Henry, I really do. But it’s never, ever going to be more than that.’ She put her finger to her lips and whispered loudly, ‘And I’m never going to sleep with you.’
Callie came in at the end of the sentence and her mouth twitched as she pretended she hadn’t heard.
Henry blushed and stood up. ‘Well, I’ll see you at the pub then.’
Eve looked at her sister and closed her eyes in silent communication: Forget you heard that. ‘I’ll come now. Callie, can you tell Sylvia I’ll be about an hour?’
Callie nodded but her lips remained compressed as her eyes danced.
Eve took Henry’s arm and squeezed it once as they walked out onto the street. She leaned into him. ‘I’m sorry. I was teasing. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.’
‘I’ll use your remorse for my own ends.’ Henry had rallied. ‘I’ll forgive you if you sleep with me.’
Eve laughed. ‘Well, I think we’ve covered that one. So tell me, how’s Lex and his new daughter?’ Henry didn’t answer and Eve raised her brows. ‘That bad, eh?’
‘Lex is pretty worried about Lily. Said he was coming in to talk to you tomorrow. I hear he’s asking you out to lunch at Diamond Lake?’
‘I didn’t hear that.’
‘Bet you won’t tell him you don’t do dates.’
‘Green-eyed Henry. And it’s not a date if he’s worried about his daughter.’
‘Hmm. Well. So I guess I’ll leave it to him.’
Eve blinked and then nodded. ‘So what have you been doing this week?’
‘Boundary fences.’ He groaned. ‘Which is why I needed your company. It’s been a long, boring week.’
She patted his arm. ‘Poor baby. But tonight you’re here in town. It’s a Friday. There are lots of chicky babes here waiting for you.’
They’d arrived at the pub and she followed him to the bar. She nodded to Mick, the old bushman who lived here most afternoons. She’d often hear his horse clopping away at ten at night when the pub doors shut, and she’d heard he slept all the way until his horse stopped at the farm verandah post and he slid off. Apparently he managed to undo the girth and lift the saddle off before he stumbled to bed. Sergeant McCabe let the Riding Under the Influence go because it had been happening for more years than anyone could remember.
The new backpacker barmaid was leaning her gloriously rounded cleavage towards Henry and, to Eve’s amusement, his eyes glazed. It reminded Eve they needed to advertise the new women’s health clinic hours. That had been Callie’s brainwave and not a bad idea.
‘What will you have, Eve?’ Henry said, dragging his attention back to his companion.
‘I might buy a bottle of nice shiraz. It’s the end of the week and there’s that casserole waiting. I’ll take the rest of the bottle home with me.’ There was a lot to be said for living next door to a country pub. ‘I’m happy to share if you’d like a glass?’
He glanced around the room and smiled at the hopefuls trying not to look in his direction. ‘Nope. Was going to stay the night but think I’ll just head home after this. Mother will be happy to get the supplies tonight.’ He smiled at barmaid. ‘A squash, thanks.’
Eve hoped Henry wasn’t really crushed by her silly statement in the medical centre. She suspected his skin was thicker than the solid leather of old Mick’s hat. They took their drinks to a little round table in the corner and perched on the high stools, looking out the window across the street. A dust-coated LandCruiser utility, complete with a red cattle dog asleep in the back, was situated nicely to block the glare of the afternoon sun.
Eve sighed as she sat down in the stripe of shade it offered from the burning ball in the sky. ‘Nice to stop.’
Henry tilted his head. ‘Would you have rather I hadn’t asked you? Maybe you’d prefer to just put your feet up at the house?’
Eve looked at him over the top of her glass. ‘No. I do thank you for asking me, Henry. I can’t live in Callie’s pocket the whole time and it’s nice to have my own friends.’
He sniffed into his drink. ‘At least I’m a friend.’
‘If you start that again I will be sorry you asked me.’
‘Fine. I’ve been meaning to ask you. How did you go with Lex in the helicopter the other week?’
It was Eve’s turn to blush and Henry’s eyes narrowed. She ignored the look. ‘The flight was fine. We saw the red sandhills on the way back. Your mother sent a basket of food and I loved it.’ She paused. ‘He told me about his ex-wife.’
‘Seriously?’ Henry couldn’t hide his surprise. ‘That’s a bit eerie, considering what happened this week.’
Eve shuddered. ‘She was very young to die.’
‘Yeah.’ He seemed to shake himself into a better mood. ‘I don’t remember much about her, except that Lex treated her like she’d break. And she didn’t ride. Main basis for my disbelief that he’d married her.’
Eve smothered a laugh. ‘I don’t ride either.’
He lifted his head. Considered her. Put his head down again. ‘You wouldn’t be afraid to learn.’
‘I’ll take that as a compliment.’
‘It is.’ He grinned at her. ‘I hear Simon and Molly’s baby is doing well.’
‘Yep. Brilliantly. They hope to come home next week. I’m driving out as soon as they get back to see them.’ She couldn’t wait. That had been a darn near thing.
‘Used to have a thing for Molly.’ Henry shook his head and then looked at Eve. ‘You love your job, don’t you?’
‘Yep. Love catching babies too. That’s something I miss.’ She looked at him: a well-dressed, leanly muscular man in the prime of his life, who was tragically wasting it. ‘What do you love, Henry? What’s your dream job?’
He shrugged and she caught the eye of the barmaid, who sighed languorously. Eve tried not to laugh as she brought her attention back to her companion.
‘Apart from the chicky babes? Don’t have one.’
Eve concentrated. Be in the moment, she admonished herself. This was important for Henry. ‘Yes, you do. I’m interested.’
He shrugged. ‘I love horses. Always have done. Would love to breed racing stock.’
That sounded very Henry. ‘Why don’t you? I could see you at the mounting yards at Eagle Farm. Last-minute instructions to the jockey. Pink shirt and coat at the Melbourne Cup.’
‘Not a pink shirt. Please.’ He smiled ruefully at her fantasy but she could see he was right there in it in his own mind. ‘It’s too frivolous for the board.’
‘Have you fought hard enough for it?’
He shrugged again. ‘Why bother? I’ll lose.’
Eve raised her brows. ‘Lose? With that extremely positive attitude? Nah.’
He laughed. ‘See why I love you?’ He drained his squash, and Eve picked up her own glass.
‘You don’t love me, Henry. You just hate not getting what you want. Why don’t you show the same tenacity for what you really want to do? Something really important to you.’
He glanced around. ‘I’d have to leave here for that. Be a little fish in a big pond. Not the other way around.’
She took a sip. Watched the red liquid swirl in the glass. ‘I hear it’s a good year in the diamond mines. Why not start with something modest and make a go of it?’ She put her glass down and looked at him. Saw th
e yearning he tried to hide.
‘You just want me to get out of your hair.’
‘Now, why would I want that when you’re my only friend who’s not related to me?’
‘I thought Lex was your friend.’
She wished she could be sure of that.
*
Lex did phone the next morning. ‘I need some advice with Lily, and Blanche suggested you. Are you up for a helicopter trip out to Diamond Lake Station for lunch? I’d bring you home before dark.’
It was a less-than-romantic invitation from Lex but an unexpected compliment from Blanche. And strangely depressing that Lex hadn’t thought of it himself. ‘Sure. I didn’t have any plans for today.’ Apart from washing her hair.
‘Sorry. Should have asked.’ She could almost imagine him rubbing the back of his neck. ‘Appreciate it.’
When she thought about what his family was doing for the district it was a small ask. Very small. ‘What time do you want me at the airstrip?’
‘An hour?’
She looked down at her pyjamas. ‘No problem.’ Wet hair wouldn’t matter.
Callie watched from across the table. ‘That Henry?’
‘Lex. I think the new daughter is causing concern.’
Callie nodded. ‘I imagine she’d be heartbroken. So what are you supposed to do?’
‘He said he wanted some advice.’
‘Lex McKay? I didn’t think anything rattled that guy.’
‘We all have our weaknesses.’ She just hoped Lex wasn’t one of hers.
Callie winked. ‘I’ll look forward to hearing about Lex’s weaknesses when you come home.’
They both laughed. ‘I could tell you but then I’d have to kill you.’ Eve gulped her tea and put the cup in the sink. ‘What are you two doing today?’
‘Mum and I are going to have a quiet day. She’s got some photos she wants to show me.’
Sylvia had started planning the slide show for her own funeral. Eve was finding it reminiscently morbid. Sylvia’s take was they’d all been in too much shock when Duncan died to really celebrate the man he was, and she wanted a memorial service for her husband more than herself.
Eve was glad she was going out today. She’d done all this for her own mother. Sometimes she worried she was encroaching on Callie’s time with Sylvia, even though both women often told her they appreciated her company.
Eve hurried through her shower and stood, wrapped in a towel, surveying her meagre wardrobe. What did you wear to meet a grieving seventeen-year-old who didn’t feel like she had a friend in the world? Eve shrugged. She’d wear what she always wore. Colour.
NINETEEN
Lex had already landed when she got there and the engine was off. He didn’t start up right away. He glanced across at her as she did up her safety harness.
‘You look like a very pretty budgerigar.’
‘Cool.’ She grinned at Lex. ‘And you look like the Marlboro Man. Very R. M. Williams.’
Except that he appeared unusually tired. The man could ride and brand cattle from dawn to dark seven days a week so it wasn’t physical labour that had exhausted him.
‘You okay?’
He shrugged. ‘I’ll survive.’
Well, she’d need more information before they arrived if she wasn’t going to put her foot in it. ‘Don’t start the engine yet. How’s Lily?’
He didn’t answer directly. ‘Thank you for coming, Eve.’
‘You’re welcome, Lex.’ She prodded. ‘So?’
‘Before we get onto Lily I want to talk to you about something else, though it’s not the main reason I asked you to come.’
‘I thought Blanche asked me to come?’
‘She did but I wanted to see you anyway.’
Eve supressed the little jump in her belly.
‘I’ve been trying to catch up with you for days. I want to apologise.’
That was a turn-up for the books but she couldn’t think of one thing he’d done wrong. ‘What for?’
‘For judging you, and to a lesser extent Callie, for helping my mother achieve the concept of the medical centre.’
‘You didn’t judge us, Lex. You had an opinion, which is your right, and it was obviously coloured by the loss of your sister. I under-stood that.’
The look he cast warmed her all the way down to her toes. ‘You understand a lot, Eve.’
Sometimes. She shrugged. ‘I understand women better than men.’ And wasn’t that the truth.
‘As long as you know I do appreciate the work you do. You and Callie. And what you did for Molly’s baby.’
‘We were all very lucky.’ She sincerely thought that, but it was a bonus if he was warming to the centre. ‘Though I admit to being nervous that Sienna will blame me for Blanche hijacking her.’
Lex’s scrutiny made her feel that he was interested. ‘It’s a worthy cause. I’m sure she’ll be fine.’
‘You don’t know Sienna.’ Eve guessed she didn’t know Sienna very well either. It looked like she was going to get the chance to remedy that. But Lex didn’t need her family stuff. She was here for his.
‘So tell me about Lily. How is she?’
‘Hard to tell. She’s still not speaking.’ He stared out the windshield with his lips compressed.
‘Sulking, or not at all?’
Shook his head. ‘Not at all.’
Eve’s mind raced. ‘Has she spoken since the accident?’
‘Nope. The doctor said it would just take time. But it worries me. If you could just check her out, blood pressure and stuff, to make sure she’s okay? She refuses to travel to town and I don’t like to ask Callie to come out with Sylvia unwell.’
‘Sure.’ It was tough for all concerned. ‘No wonder you’re worried. You know she mightn’t want to see me?’
‘I know.’ Now he turned to look at her, putting his hand up to his hairline and rubbing it. ‘And if you can’t help, then that’s okay too. I just have to believe time will make her feel more comfortable with us.’
Time would help. But that reminded her that Lex had lost a lot of years. ‘How’s Blanche coping?’
His hand fell away and he leaned back. ‘Kareena’s death knocked her about. She started mumbling about how the old ones should go first. I was getting worried, but she’s bounced back surprisingly well since Lily arrived.’
‘I thought she might.’
Lex turned to look at her, a small smile on his lips. ‘You admire my mother, don’t you?’
‘Very much.’
He shook his head. ‘But you’re not intimidated by her?’
Eve shrugged. ‘I think she’s awesome. But no, I’m not scared of her – she’s a lot like a very good friend I have in Brisbane.’ But this wasn’t about Blanche. ‘So, what is it you want me to do, Lex?’
She saw the sigh go through him and he reached for the ignition again. ‘I guess be a friend for Lily if she’s looking for one. I know she’s a lot younger than you but I thought that as you were from Brisbane you might be able to connect with her. I don’t know.’ He looked as distraught as a laconic he-man could. ‘And Blanche is worried. She’s had enough worries. She’s terrified something’s going to happen to Lily, because of Victoria taking her own life.’
Eve could understand that. ‘Hence me.’ No pressure.
He grinned and she felt that warmth again. ‘Don’t know why.’ As if he could read her mind. ‘You just help.’
She wasn’t quite sure if that was compliment but of course she would do what she could.
He glanced at his watch. ‘You right if we go?’ he asked.
She nodded and he began his pre-flight preparation.
Soon afterwards they took off and Eve barely registered the shudder of the aircraft as she looked across at Lex. His face was calm as he flew and she remembered the last time he’d been the pilot. His sudden joy in the moment. Well, he wasn’t getting that with the worries he was carrying but she could see he had regained some peace by the relaxed way he maneuvered
the little craft. She hoped their talk had had something to do with that. She was glad for him, and settled back to enjoy the changing scenery.
They flew for the next thirty minutes in a companionable silence that neither was in a hurry to break.
Finally Lex pressed the speaker button and gestured with his hand. ‘That’s the start of Diamond Lake Station.’
Eve looked down. A winding ochre creek bed lay below them near a few greenish waterholes under shady river gums. The wide empty banks wound away like a lost snake for as far as the eye could see.
In the other direction a mountain range formed a natural amphitheatre, and to the north, the way they were flying, was a collection of buildings. On the other side of those she could see dry scattered washes that stretched like thin veins towards the large expanse of water.
‘Diamond Lake,’ Lex said, and it glittered in the bright sunlight.
*
Lily Campbell was tall. Not as tall as Eve but way over Callie’s height, and she had her father’s grey eyes. The good news was that she didn’t have her grandmother’s nose.
‘Hello, Lily. I’m Eve.’
Eve held out her hand and tentatively Lily took it. Eve shook, let go, and stepped back. ‘I can’t imagine how hard it’s been for you. I’m so sorry to hear about your mum and grandparents.’
Lily breathed in heavily through her nose and nodded.
Blanche, worry creasing her face, gestured to the cane furniture out on the back verandah and wrung her hands. Eve sat down with Lily.
‘I’ll go and get some cold lemonade, shall I?’
Lily didn’t answer and Eve smiled. ‘Thank you, Blanche.’ She looked around. The view stretched for miles, and except for the house yard, which was lush and green and dotted with little islands of rockeries and flowering shrubs, the rest was flat, orange and brown, with grey-green stumpy trees disappearing into the distance.
‘Wow. It’s brown.’
The girl made a pffing sound with her lips that could have been a sarcastic laugh.
Eve scanned some more. ‘I’ve never been to the station before, but I haven’t been in the area long. So I don’t know the McKays too well, either.’
Lily stared down at her hands.
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