Home Before Sundown

by Barbara Hannay

  Unfortunately, running Mullinjim had never been an option. Her father was a traditionalist and he’d always been adamant that the cattle business would be Luke’s responsibility. Growing up, Bella hadn’t been too worried. She’d been confident that she would eventually marry a cattleman and––

  Bloody hell.

  She was not going to let her mind wander down that dead-end track again.

  ‘That’s a dark scowl,’ Liz said, watching her.

  Bella manufactured a quick smile. ‘Thinking about something I’d rather forget.’

  ‘Well, I’ve been thinking too,’ said Liz. ‘I’ve been thinking about Zoe. I guess you might meet her at some stage.’

  Zoe was Bella’s half-sister who’d turned up, out of the blue, at the Mullinjim muster last year, shocking the whole family with the revelation that Peter Fairburn was her natural father.

  ‘Well . . . um . . . yes.’ Thinking about Zoe would certainly have been a more relevant occupation for Bella than dragging her mind through her past mistakes yet again.

  ‘I suppose Zoe might be at the hospital,’ Liz said.

  ‘Might she?’ Bella realised she should definitely have given this more thought, and now she felt an unwelcome spurt of jealousy. This other girl, who was also Peter Fairburn’s daughter, could also lay claim to her father’s heart.

  ‘It’ll be weird to meet her,’ she said, but in the next breath, she realised that she wanted, very much, to be mature and sensible about meeting Zoe.

  Bella had always been a bit of a princess in her daddy’s eyes and in the old days she might have resented Zoe’s arrival. She would have seen Zoe as dangerous competition.

  Now Bella liked to think – no, she was quite certain, wasn’t she – that she’d changed a great deal since she left home. She wanted people back home to recognise how strong and together she was now. And what better way to prove it than to accept her new half-sister without a fuss?

  ‘Everyone in the family seems to really like Zoe,’ she said. ‘Even Mum. And if Mum can like her, I guess I will, too.’

  Liz nodded and smiled her approval.

  ‘You’ve actually known Zoe for ages, haven’t you?’

  ‘I haven’t seen her in years,’ Liz admitted. ‘But she was always a great kid.’

  It had been quite a coincidence, actually. Liz had explained it all to Bella over coffee and hazelnut crepes during one of her quick trips to France. Apparently, long before Bella was born, Liz and Zoe’s mother had been best friends when they were both music students in Brisbane, and Liz had actually been the one who introduced Zoe’s mother to Bella’s dad – long before he’d become her dad, of course.

  Now Bella shrugged. ‘Luke says Zoe’s great. And Mac McKinnon obviously thinks she’s fabulous, since he married her. And I can’t get too upset when she’s a part of Dad’s past, from the time before he met Mum. It’s not as if he was cheating on Mum or anything.’

  ‘That’s true,’ Liz agreed, but her smile wobbled, then faded quickly, and Bella had the distinct impression that she’d said something wrong.

  *

  ‘A word of advice,’ Liz said much later, after they’d landed in Brisbane and made the dreary trek through customs and were finally, finally on a domestic flight heading north again to Townsville.

  Bella smiled. ‘You know I nearly always listen to your advice.’

  ‘Yes, but do you follow it?’ laughed Liz.

  ‘I came to Europe, didn’t I?’

  ‘You did indeed.’

  ‘Best decision I ever made.’

  ‘I’m glad, darling, but . . . the thing is––’ Liz was quite serious now. ‘You might find that coming home can be a bit tricky.’

  ‘Tricky emotionally?’

  ‘Exactly. It’s very easy to be swept back into the old life and to lose sight of your goals.’

  Is that why you’ve stayed away from Mullinjim? Bella wanted to ask, but she didn’t push. She understood what her aunt was saying. From the instant she’d decided to head for home, she’d felt a lurking fear that coming home might somehow result in her calling a halt to her overseas adventures.

  ‘But we can’t be selfish,’ she said, already torn between duty to her family and a strong desire to continue on with the fun and excitement of her new life. ‘Mum’s going to need support. And we have no idea what Dad’s going to need.’

  ‘Of course, Belle. I’m not saying we shouldn’t do everything we can to help. I’m planning to give Virginia and Peter all the support I can.’

  Liz paused, frowning, as if she was choosing her words carefully. ‘I just want you to be aware. It’s easy to be caught up in everything at home. This might sound a bit callous, but when I’ve come back in the past I’ve found it helpful to have a kind of pre-planned exit strategy.’

  ‘Mullinjim’s hardly Afghanistan, Liz.’

  But Bella didn’t have to think about this for very long before she realised it was sensible. Reassuring, too. ‘I guess I do have a kind of strategy in place. I’ve given my word to Anton that I’ll definitely be going back to France.’

  ‘Have you now?’ Liz smiled and seemed pleased.

  Bella didn’t mention the gold chain and charm she’d left behind with Anton. Her sophisticated aunt would almost certainly think that was an overly romantic gesture.

  ‘So, why don’t we make a pact?’ Liz asked.

  ‘What kind of pact?’

  ‘We’ll help in any way necessary for as long as it takes, but we’ll both fly back to Europe when this is over.’

  Bella smiled. ‘Sounds perfect.’

  To her dismay, as she said this, her thoughts shot straight to Gabe Mitchell. She had no idea why. When she’d shaken the outback dust from her heels, she’d known that Gabe was past tense.

  No. Longer. Part. Of. Her Life.

  ‘You have a deal,’ she told her aunt, defiantly sealing their exit plan with a high five.

  4.

  ‘Gabe here, Luke. I’ve only just heard about Peter. I’m so sorry, mate. How’s he faring?’

  ‘Things are looking slightly better now, thanks, Gabe. Dad’s off the ventilator. The medicos are saying it’s still touch and go, but we’re feeling more positive.’

  Gabe let out the breath he’d been holding. He knew firsthand what it was like to lose a father.

  Worst day of his life.

  The following months had been hell, too, and now, with a friend and neighbouring cattleman in ICU, he was reliving that horror stretch.

  ‘How are things up your way?’ Luke asked. ‘Any sign of rain?’

  Gabe grimaced. ‘Not a spit.’

  ‘Gotta come soon.’

  ‘You’d think so. Country’s drying out. They’ve already had spot fires around Gidgee Springs.’

  Luke sighed heavily into the phone. ‘I should get up there, I know, but I’ve got to sort out a problem with work commitments.’

  Gabe refrained from adding to his mate’s worries by mentioning the firebreaks that needed clearing on Mullinjim.

  ‘Has Bella arrived yet?’ The question rolled from his tongue as if he’d rehearsed it.

  ‘Sure,’ Luke responded in his easy drawl. ‘Bella and Liz got in an hour ago. Flew straight from London. Pretty buggered after the flight, of course, but it’s great to see them. Bella’s in there with Dad now.’

  ‘Peter will be pleased to see her.’

  ‘Yeah. Rapt. You know how he’s always been about Belle.’

  ‘Yeah . . . ’ Gabe cleared the brick that had lodged in his throat. ‘So . . . ah . . . tell her I said hi.’

  ‘Sure. I’ll do that.’ There was the slightest hint of surprise and curiosity in Luke’s voice.

  Gabe gritted his teeth. ‘I’ll leave you to it then, Luke. I’m glad the news about Peter is better.’

  ‘We’re keeping our fingers crossed. Thanks for the call. Keep in touch.’

  ‘No worries.’

  Gabe dropped the phone and strode outside, needing air. He let the f
lyscreen door crash behind him.

  Tell her I said hi.

  Shit. Shit. How had that slipped out? In two years he’d barely heard from Bella. No phone calls or texts. No email.

  And that was fair enough after the bitter way they’d parted.

  Gabe knew damn well that she’d needed to get away to find out about life beyond the bush. He’d more or less pushed her in that direction and he’d convinced himself he was glad she was out of his life.

  Out of sight, out of mind, and all that bull . . .

  At the far end of the verandah, his dog rose from the patch of sunlight and padded towards him, ears alert, eyes full of love, tail wagging.

  For once Gabe didn’t greet him. He had too much on his mind. None of it good.

  ‘Oh, my word, sweetheart, you look wonderful. Like Christmas on a stick.’

  A big grin stretched across Peter Fairburn’s face as Bella tiptoed into his room. But his grin couldn’t hide how tired and grey he looked or how formidable the ICU was with beeping machines and flashing screens, like something out of the Starship Enterprise.

  Throughout the long journey, Bella had been on tenterhooks waiting for this moment and so scared she’d miss this chance. She papered on a smile as she came closer and bent down to kiss her father’s cool cheek. ‘Missed you, Dad,’ she said softly.

  He reached for her hand and clasped her tightly. ‘Missed you, too, sweetheart.’

  ‘They say you’re improving. That’s fantastic news.’

  Her dad was still smiling at her fondly, his gentle gaze roving her face, as if he was drinking in details. ‘If you stay over there much longer you’ll end up with a proper peaches and cream complexion.’

  Bella laughed shakily. ‘I very much doubt that.’

  ‘Skiing must agree with you, Belle. You’re glowing.’

  She wished she could return the compliment. The hollowness in her father’s cheeks and the pallor of his skin frightened her. Even his lips were pale.

  He’d always been an outdoors man. Super fit. Strong. Suntanned.

  He seemed to have aged ten years . . .

  Careful not to bump tubes and wires, she took a seat beside the bed.

  ‘I’m sorry you had to rush back here because of me,’ he said.

  ‘Don’t give it another thought. I wanted to come. So did Liz. You know she’s here, too?’

  ‘Yeah. They’ll only let visitors in one at a time.’

  ‘So we don’t tire you.’

  Peter grunted and shrugged as if he couldn’t understand all the fuss. He smiled at Bella again. ‘Your mum tells me there’s a young French bloke on the scene.’

  ‘His name’s Anton. Anton Bazile. I met him at Alpazur, at the ski resort.’

  ‘Nice bloke?’

  ‘Lovely.’

  ‘Hmmm . . . ’ Her father’s eyes were shrewd as he watched her. ‘Speak much English?’

  ‘Yes. He’s really good as a matter of fact. Much better than I am at French, although I’m improving.’

  ‘Well, there you go,’ he said with a smiling shake of his head. ‘Our little Bella and a Frog. Plenty of blokes here keen on you, but you had to go hunting in the snow for one.’ He gave a soft chuckle. ‘I guess Aussie blokes can’t compete with a dashing Frenchman swooping down the Alps to rescue girls from frostbite.’

  Bella laughed, too, but the laugh was a little shaky. Sitting here with her dad in ICU, Anton and the French Alps already felt so far away. Almost unreal. Jetlag wasn’t helping. It was making her tremble. Nothing here felt very real – although the coldness of her dad’s hands was real enough.

  ‘Is he important to you, Bella?’

  Yes, of course he is.

  She opened her mouth to assure him that Anton was incredibly special, but somehow . . . the words wouldn’t come. Already everything felt so different here and her priorities were rapidly shifting. It was happening almost beyond her control, just as Aunt Liz had warned her.

  ‘It – it’s still early days in the romance department,’ she said lamely.

  Her father nodded and seemed happy with the answer. ‘I tried skiing once. Had so many bruises from coming a cropper. I’d rather ride a bronco bareback.’ His smile faded. ‘Won’t be doing any of it now.’

  Bella swallowed. ‘I hope you’re not worrying too much. Every­one’s certain you’re getting better.’

  ‘Yeah, well, I’m a realist, Belle. I know I probably should have gone with the first attack and if it wasn’t for Mac McKinnon––’

  ‘Don’t talk like that. It can’t be good for you.’ She was trembling more than ever now, fighting hard to keep herself from falling to pieces. ‘Maybe you should rest.’

  Her father’s hand tightened around hers, his grip surprisingly fierce. ‘I’m not worried about myself. It’s Mullinjim.’

  ‘Why should you worry about Mullinjim? Luke will look after everything until you’re well again. He did a great job last time.’

  But Peter Fairburn was shaking his head. ‘Luke’s a good son and I know he’d rush back to Mullinjim in a heartbeat if I asked him to. But it wouldn’t be fair to drag him back now.’

  ‘Drag him back?’ Bella felt as if she’d stepped off the edge of a cliff into thin air. ‘I don’t understand.’

  What hadn’t they told her? Of course Luke would step in. He’d always been their dad’s right-hand man.

  ‘Luke needs to make his own life,’ her father said now. ‘Doing more than just raising cattle.’

  ‘Really?’ Bella’s voice squeaked with shock. ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘You know how keen he is on carpentry and building.’

  ‘Well . . . yes.’ She had known Luke was brilliant at woodwork, but she’d never given it much thought. It was simply Luke’s thing, his hobby.

  Years ago he’d made a doll’s house for her. By the time he’d actually finished it, she’d grown out of playing with dolls, but she’d loved the house and she’d been old enough to appreciate the skill involved in crafting proper windows and doors, and a fitted kitchen with tiny cupboards that opened and shut, a spiral staircase.

  ‘Your mother’s helped me to see how important that work is to Luke,’ her father went on. ‘I’m slow to pick up on these things and I guess I’m old-fashioned, but I’m coming to terms with it.’ He stopped and closed his eyes.

  He looked exhausted.

  ‘Dad, you should rest. We can talk about this another time.’

  She’d rushed home to focus on her father’s fragile health, not her family’s succession plans. Shocked to feel tears on her face, Bella swiped at her cheeks with the heels of her hands. ‘You have to stop worrying, Dad. Just get better. Listen to the doctors and do what you’re told. Okay?’

  Leaning close, she hugged him gently, and then she remembered that she’d come all this way to utter the words she so rarely used. ‘I love you, Dad.’

  Tenderly he touched her face. ‘I love you too, sweetheart.’

  ‘See you tomorrow.’ She stumbled from the room in a tear­blurred daze.

  5.

  ‘Would you like a coffee or something?’

  Luke was sitting with Bella in the ugly hospital waiting room while their exhausted mother rested at the motel. Liz was in with Peter.

  Bella wondered what her aunt and father were talking about. What did siblings say to each other when one of them was facing the possibility of death? She shuddered at the thought and Luke slipped his arm around her shoulders as if he somehow understood.

  They weren’t a family of huggers, but it was incredibly comforting to bury her face against her big brother’s bulky shoulder, to feel his youthful strength and comforting warmth as he held her.

  ‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘I needed that.’

  Luke nodded. After a small pause, he said shyly, ‘He’s a special dad, isn’t he?’

  ‘Yeah.’ To her surprise Bella found herself smiling. ‘We’re very lucky.’ Her dad had always been a steadying rock in their lives, a figure of safety and se
curity. And love.

  ‘Remember that time he got gored in the leg by the bull?’ Luke said.

  ‘Yes, it took ages for him to recover and he never whimpered or complained once.’

  ‘And he knows everything there is to know about the bush.’

  Bella nodded, thinking about the long golden days of their childhood at Mullinjim. ‘He’s always given us so much freedom.’

  ‘You’re not wrong. Even when we were kids he’d let us saddle up our horses and head off, and we could go anywhere we liked on the property.’

  ‘On one condition.’

  Luke’s smile tilted crookedly. ‘Home before sundown.’

  ‘And we almost always were.’ Bella was sniffling again.

  Watching her, Luke said, ‘You need coffee.’ He was already getting to his feet.

  ‘Actually I think water is what I need. Planes can be so dehydrating.’

  They found a drink fountain in the corridor. Bella downed two paper cups of chilled water and began to feel better.

  ‘Sounds like you’ve been having an amazing time over there,’ Luke said.

  She nodded. ‘I love it. It was a big surprise to find out how much I love the big cities and all the go, go, go.’ It now seemed important to make sure Luke really got how exciting her new life had been. ‘It’s such an experience, Luke. You get to meet so many different kinds of people and you should see the lifestyle Liz has in London. So glamorous – jetting off to concerts in Vienna, Paris and Milan. She took me on a couple of jaunts.’

  Luke’s smile now looked a tad worried and Bella realised she’d gushed enough about herself.

  ‘Dad tells me you’ve got some great new job,’ she said. ‘Where is it?’

  ‘Charters Towers. Working with a registered builder, restoring a fabulous old heritage building that’s been there since the gold rush days.’

  ‘Wow. So . . . how long have you been working there?’

  ‘Little over a month.’

  It was about the same amount of time that she and Anton had been together. A lot of things could happen in a month. A lot of changes could take place . . .