Breakaway Creek. Heather Garside

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СКАЧАТЬ all the feeders were full, he left the tractor and walked back to join her.

      'We have to cut the twine off now.' He grabbed a large knife that had been wedged against the gatepost. 'Do you want to help?'

      It would have been easy to say no. Already the cattle were crowding around the hay, snatching mouthfuls from the top of each bale above the webbing that encased it. But she didn't want to seem like a complete wuss.

      She nervously followed him into the yard, ready to take refuge on the rail if necessary. The cattle moved away at their approach and she began to help him pull the webbing off as he cut it free. Then one bold animal ventured to the opposite side of the feeder, snatching a mouthful of hay. Its companions began to follow and she shouted at them, waving her arms in the air. Startled, they ran to the furthest side of the yard.

      'Hey!'

      She swung around at Luke's yell, to find him glaring at her.

      'Don't frighten the cattle. We're trying to get 'em quiet!'

      Chastened, she continued pulling off the netting, watching the cattle all the while. But it seemed the damage had been done. They didn't come close again.

      After they'd finished, she sat on the top rail and watched as he spent ten minutes walking amongst the weaners, talking to them in a soothing voice. They soon stopped rushing away from him and began to snatch hungry mouthfuls from the feeders, watching Luke warily but accepting his presence. When he swung to the rail beside her he gave her a rueful look.

      'I guess that's my fault. I didn't tell you."

      Her face heated.

      'I'm sorry - I know nothing about cattle.'

      'At least you're willing to have a go. That's something.' He vaulted to the ground. 'Come on, I'm finished here.'

      ****

      Back at the homestead, Shelley left Luke in the shed, patching a punctured motorbike tyre, while she returned to the house. She was hot and sweaty and her clothes and skin ponged of the cattle yards. She fetched her suitcase from the car, unpacked a few things and laid them out on the second bed in her room, then headed for the bathroom to shower off the fine layer of dirt.

      Once fresh and clean, she checked the computer, which had finished its scan, and did a disc clean up. Then she ventured to the kitchen, looked dubiously at the pile of dirty dishes in the sink and decided it wouldn't kill her to do a bit of washing up. She was just wiping down the table when Luke came in with a young man she assumed was his brother.

      He looked pleasantly surprised.

      'Thanks for doing that, Shelley. This is my brother Mitch.'

      The newcomer was an inch or two shorter and more compactly built than Luke. He stepped forward with an open, easy-going smile and took her hand in his large, calloused one. He looked significantly at the sink.

      'Going on the improvement in here, you're welcome to stay as long as you like.'

      She smiled.

      'Don't get excited. That was an aberration.'

      'Can you cook?' Mitch jabbed a thumb in his brother's direction. 'You've gotta be better than him.'

      'You should talk.' Luke hung his hat on a hook just inside the door and grinned at Shelley. 'He's the worst cook in Australia. Come on, mate, set the table while I get the food out.'

      Luke cut slices of corned beef while Shelley made a salad with lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. She voiced her surprise at the well-stocked fridge and Mitch grinned.

      'I'm used to fending for myself and Miranda was never at home, so Luke did plenty of batching. It's just the cleaning that gets on top of us.'

      Shelley glanced at Luke. His mouth had a grim line to it, dissuading her from any comment. It didn't sound as if Miranda had ever been the settled country wife.

      'What'd you find out this morning?' Mitch asked as they sat to their places at the table. 'Any luck with that ancestor of yours, Shelley?'

      'Luke found him in a photo.' Shelley passed him the salad bowl. 'But he's a bit of a mystery. His birth and marriage aren't recorded in the bible, like the rest of your family. We're wondering if he was adopted, or something.'

      'We're going to look through the old house tomorrow,' Luke said. 'Check out that stuff in the ceiling.'

      'Good idea. I hope you find something. You've come a long way for nothing, otherwise.'

      She smiled at Mitch.

      'Even if I don't, it's a new experience. Feeding weaners, cleaning up after two men...' Her lips twitched with gentle mockery. 'What more could any girl wish for?'

      She didn't miss Luke's grin as he helped himself to the salad.

      ****

      After lunch Luke headed off to do more repairs in the shed.

      'Just make yourself at home,' he said. 'Unless you fancy holding a spanner.'

      Shelley looked at his grease-stained jeans and shuddered.

      'I've just had a shower. I think I'll stay away from the shed.'

      She grabbed her laptop from the bedroom and settled into a wicker chair in a cool spot on the veranda. She experienced a moment of panic about the remoteness of her location when she plugged in her USB modem and the connection registered only one bar. To her relief she managed to spend a few hours checking her emails, catching up with news on Facebook and searching fruitlessly on ancestry sites.

      She had no real idea how she was going to occupy herself while she was on leave. Perhaps she'd been a bit hasty. What had happened in Brisbane - the shock and humiliation of finding Jason in bed with another woman - had just made her want to escape. And she'd got away fast. In moments of crisis it was still her Mum and Dad she turned to, back home in Rockhampton. Shelley knew she wasn't ready to go back to Brisbane yet, but eight weeks was a long time.

      Christmas was coming up too, and once that was over she'd need to go home. She had other friends in Brisbane after all. Her life hadn't revolved around Jason even though they'd been together for more than five years. Looking back, it was obvious now that they'd drifted apart, but that didn't excuse him from cheating on her. She was still stunned by the turn of events. One moment she thought she had her life mapped out, the next ... BAM! She was in limbo.

      Jason had kept their flat so she'd need to find somewhere new to live. There was, however, no point in making hasty decisions. She had plenty of time to decide.

      Mitch was the first to come in, just before dark.

      'Want to help me feed the dogs?'

      She jumped up eagerly.

      She'd seen the four Border Collie-crosses jump in Mitch's tray-back after lunch, milling excitedly as he drove off to work. Now it was time to shut them back in their pens.

      'They wander if we leave them off at night,' he explained. 'Collies tend to be a bit hyperactive, always looking for mischief. They should be kept busy, but we can't СКАЧАТЬ