Chapter Eleven
“The spiel that the company is giving out to the media is a smokescreen.” Liam stood at the front of the auditorium in Spring Downs RSL Club and pointed to the PowerPoint that he had put together over the weekend. He’d talked to Jim Ison, and made some calls to his journalist mates on the newspapers in Sydney. “Even the figures they quote from the other mines can be proven incorrect by just looking at the production figures at the other sites.”
The crowd murmured and Jim Ison stood up. “They’ve underestimated this community. They’ve dismissed us as a bunch of uninformed cowboys and I vote that we put up a decent fight. Other communities have taken them on and won. We can do it here. What do you all think?”
Heads nodded around the almost full room and Liam looked to the back of the auditorium as an unfamiliar man stood to speak.
“For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Clive Barker. My farm is at the northern point of the Western Way. Last week, I had a couple of blokes come knocking on my back door to tell me they would be laying a pipe right through my property. I told them to bugger off.”
There was a movement at the door and Liam glanced across. Angie was standing at the back of the room near the main entrance. Clive’s voice faded into the background and for a moment Liam lost focus. He cleared his throat as he looked away. He hadn’t seen her for a few days, but she had been constantly in his thoughts. No matter what he was doing, she kept popping into his mind.
“So I suggest you all padlock your front gates.” Clive folded his arms and leaned against the door as the crowd murmured in assent. Liam lifted his head as Jim took the microphone again.
“I’d like to nominate Liam Smythe to be the official spokesperson for the Spring Downs Alliance. Who’s with me?” Jim Ison looked at the assembled group. “Is there anyone else who would like to nominate themselves or someone else?” No one put forward another nomination, and Jim turned to Liam. “Do you accept the nomination?”
Liam stared at the back of the room where Angie was still leaning against the wall. If he accepted this role, it would mean he would have to stay in town for the rest of the year at least, and maybe a couple of months into next year. He thought quickly; the network job in Sydney was being interviewed soon. If he was successful—and the word was the job was his—the interview was just a formality, the starting date would still be negotiable. One thing he’d learned over the past few weeks was that the farm was too big for one person to manage easily. If he stayed through Christmas, he could help Sebastian when he arrived to take over. No one knew how long Gran and Pop were going to be away. Liam had a feeling that the grandparents were testing them out. To see if any of them fell in love with the place and wanted to take it over on a permanent basis. Thoughts flew through his mind and he processed the pluses and minuses of staying for a few weeks longer. He could afford to stay until just after the New Year and then head to the city, if he got the ABC job; if not, he’d have to look further afield. And being involved in a topical project like this wouldn’t hurt his job prospects either.
Liam turned to Jim and held out his hand. “I’d be honoured to accept the position, Jim.”
He’d think about what that meant to his career path later. The applause was heartening and filled him with confidence. He looked to the back of the auditorium but Angie had gone.
…
So how am I supposed to deal with this turn of events? Angie bit her lip as she walked from the RSL club towards the milk bar. Her whole strategy of coping with Liam being here had been dependent on him only being around for a few more weeks, like he’d said. If he took on the role for the alliance committee—and he had—he was probably going to be around for a while longer.
Angie was due to meet Lucy at the milk bar for coffee to discuss the upcoming agricultural show and she tried to push aside her anxiety. She had to get on with her life and make a place for herself in this town. Helping out at the show, and the ball, would give her the opportunity to meet some other locals she hadn’t met through her vet practice. She quickly processed a new plan. If there was one thing she had in bucketloads, it was resilience. She’d quickly learned to cope with what life threw at her when her father had left and her mother had died. The next few months would pass quickly. She would keep herself busy at work, keep a low profile in town—as much as she could with all these committees and shows and balls—and avoid seeing Liam.
She pulled out a chair at one of the small wooden tables outside the milk bar and waited for Lucy. It wasn’t long before a dust-covered ute pulled up and Lucy bounced out of the driver’s door. She hurried around to the other side and lifted out a pram, and a minute or two later, she had James safely ensconced in the pram and was pushing it across to Angie.
Angie smothered a smile. In her work clothes, she felt colourless next to Lucy. Jeans and a plain T-shirt were sensible dress beneath her lab coat when she was dealing with animals all day. Lucy was wearing a pair of bright yellow tights with black spots and a matching yellow T-shirt.
She had never met anyone with the energy and enthusiasm that Lucy had. She seemed to throw herself into everything she did at full speed. Angie had been surprised to hear from Cissy that Lucy had only recently moved back to the Pilliga Scrub from the city. She’d thought Lucy was a long-term local.
“Hi, Angie.” Her voice was as bright as her clothes and Angie made the effort to sit up straight and look happier.
“Hi, Lucy, how’s young James?” She peered into the pram. The cute baby boy was sound asleep, his little lips pursed in a bow. “Oh look, he’s grown already.”
“He has.” Lucy pulled out the other chair and sat back with a sigh. “It’s so good to be out and about. Garth and Liam have been treating me like an invalid. Honestly, they’ve been driving me crazy. Overprotective.” She looked at Angie and a frown crossed her brow. “I hope this isn’t rude to say but you look really tired. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Angie summoned a smile. “Just extra busy at work.”
Lucy leaned over and touched Angie’s hand. “Well, don’t you overdo it. We need you to be bright and fresh for the show. I was so pleased to hear from Sally that you’re on board. They need some young ideas for the next show. And now they’ve got the two of us.” Her smile was wide. “It’s so good to have you in town. I’ll introduce you to some of the girls I went to school with. I’ve been re-establishing friendships since I moved back. Spring Downs is a great place to live.” Lucy laughed and shook her head. “I never thought I’d say that. I thought I was a city girl.”
“What changed your mind?” Angie tipped her head to the side.
“Garth.” A sweet smile spread over Lucy’s face. “We were an item at high school but we both moved away. I came back when Pop had his knee operation, and I fell in love. It’s a story to hear over a glass of wine one night.”
“I look forward to it.” Angie looked up as Con, the milk bar owner, came out with an order pad.
“What’ll it be, ladies?”
After they’d ordered a coffee for Angie and a malted milkshake for Lucy, Lucy turned back to Angie. “Now, tell me all about you. Where you grew up, why you chose the Pilliga and all about living in London. I am so jealous of that,” she babbled on as Angie looked at her in surprise. “I guess I’ll—”
Angie widened her eyes. Lucy knows I lived in London?
“Oh.” Lucy stopped mid-sentence. “You look surprised. Liam told me you lived in London. And look, if we are going to be friends I need to be honest with you. I do know,” she lowered her voice, “that you and Liam were together for a while.”
Angie took a deep breath. Before she could speak, Lucy continued. “But now tell me all about your boyfriend.”
“I didn’t realise I’d be the subject of conversation.” Angie’s voice shook and she felt bad when Lucy’s expression clouded. She hadn’t meant to sound short with her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be nosy.” Lucy cleared her throat and then waited as Con put their drinks on the table. “Liam and I are really close. He mentioned your name to me. It was a while back when he was giving me some good advice when I was moving back to the city. He was upset when I put two and two together. I won’t say anything. Even Garth doesn’t know.”
“Two and two?” Angie asked slowly. Lucy was moving too fast for her. “When?”
Lucy waved her hand. “I recognised your name when you called in last week and Liam introduced you. Liam hadn’t said a word, so don’t think badly of him. He’s a sweetie, even though we do fight.” She reached for her milkshake and sipped it. “Now tell me all about this new man of yours. He must be pretty good, if you picked him over Liam.” She smiled apologetically. “I can say that because he is my cousin and I do love him.”
Angie opened her mouth and then closed it. She reached for her coffee as she wondered what to say. Lucy was not a part of this. It was unfair to lie to her.
Why had life suddenly become so complicated? All she’d wanted was to come to this part of the outback, have her practice, and live happily. Her nose tickled as a sneeze threatened and Angie put her coffee cup down before she dug in her pocket for a tissue. Her fingers closed over the piece of paper she’d put there earlier and she bit her lip. Confidence and independence. She’d stood in front of the fridge this morning and repeated the words over and over, but the affirmation hadn’t worked yet. It was going to take a few days—or weeks. And now that Liam was part of the alliance, it could be months. So add determination to the mix. She pursed her lips.
“Angie, you’ve got the funniest look on your face. What on earth are you thinking about?”
Angie propped her hand beneath her chin and sighed. “I really hope we can still be friends.” She meant it. Lucy had a lightness about her, and a sense of fun, and that was just what Angie needed.
“Why, what’s wrong? Come on, it can’t be that bad.” Lucy put her milkshake down and reached over to take Angie’s hand. “Come on, you can tell Aunty Lucy.”
“I know you’re Liam’s cousin, and your first loyalty is to him, but I can’t lie to you. If I ask you to keep something to yourself, will you? I need to tell Liam myself.”
Lucy squeezed her hand. “Of course I will. Anything that upsets you so much stays between us. Even if you’ve broken the law. As long as it’s not murder.” She smiled and Angie knew it was an attempt to cheer her up. “I probably can’t condone that.”
She groaned and then shook her head. “It’s nothing as bad as that. I let Liam keep thinking something that’s not true. He made an assumption and I’ve sort of lied by not correcting him. I kept meaning to but every time I try, something’s happened. Now it’s got complicated and I have to tell him, but I don’t want to, because he might think I’m telling him I want him still.” The words came out in a rush and she sat back with a sigh. “Gosh, if you can understand that, you’re doing well.”
“Whoa, slow down.” Lucy leaned forward. “This sounds complicated. You can trust me not to spill, girlfriend. It will be our secret.”
“Okay,” she said slowly. “So Liam told you there’s a new man in my life?”
“Yes, he did,” she said slowly. “And now that we’re being truthful with each other, I can tell you he wasn’t very happy about it. Hugh?”
Angie chuckled, relief flooding through her when she knew she could trust Lucy with the truth. “That’s the first problem. I can never remember his name. Greg, Gary, Hugh Grant. I almost called him Garth once!”
“What do you mean? You can’t remember his name?” Lucy stared at her. “Why is that?”
“Hugh is my friend’s boyfriend. He works nights, so in the daytime he was renovating her house. By the time I’d get home from work he was gone. I met him for the first time the same day Liam talked to him on the phone.”
“What?” Lucy’s voice was a squawk. “How did Liam get to talk to him?”
“Liam rang me one night when Hugh was visiting Jenny—we shared a house together in Melbourne. Hugh answered the phone. Jenny and I were down in the back garden trying to get her cat out of a tree. By the time we came inside, they were having a good old chin wag. I took the phone and thought nothing of it. They must have got their wires crossed when they were chatting. Hugh likes to have a yarn, and he was very friendly. Somehow, Liam assumed he was living there with me. I didn’t even give it a thought because Liam was the last person I expected to run into in outback New South Wales. The last time I saw him was in London, and I thought he’d stay there.” Now that she’d confessed, her words tumbled out over one another. “He didn’t want to come back to Australia with me.”
Lucy stared at her, her mouth open, but her eyes crinkled as her lips closed and tilted in a smile. “Oh, Angie, I can see how that happened.”
“Every time I’ve tried to come clean, we get interrupted. And I keep calling Hugh Grant and not Hugh, because Liam and I used to joke about how much he hated Hugh Grant movies. It’s just the silliest situation.”
Lucy burst out laughing, and Con looked over at them with a smile.
Angie started laughing, too. “So don’t you say anything. I’ll tell him. Soon.”
“Oh, sweetie. Trust me. I won’t say a word. But I do know that it will keep Liam interested.”
“I don’t want him interested. Because he’s going again.”
“I’m doing my best to get him to stay here. He’s taken to farm life like a duck to water. I think it’s in our blood.”
“Oh no, he won’t stay. He’s a career man through and through.” Angie folded her arms.
Lucy shook her head. “That’s not the Liam I see these days.”
“Don’t you go getting any ideas, Lucy! I just want the time to pass and to keep myself busy so I can survive until he moves back to the city.”
Lucy leaned back in her chair. “If he does.”
“He will.”
James started to fret, a soft little cry coming from the pram. Lucy reached in and lifted the baby to her shoulder, gently patting his back. “Can I ask you something personal? I know we don’t know each other well, but I think we are going to be great friends.”
“Sharing a secret makes for a good beginning.” Angie smiled. She couldn’t help but like Lucy. She was friendly, open and honest, and full of fun. “Okay, fire away. But I may not answer.”
“How come you split up?”
Angie stared past her to the main street. The produce store building across the road was tired and the paint was peeling from the sign that said Cartwright’s Farm Produce. The museum next to the store was open but there were no tourists wandering through. The town was quiet, and a pang of something unfamiliar shot through Angie. She felt at home here and she’d like to be a part of Spring Downs and help build it back up to a thriving community. She turned back to Lucy who was watching her intently.
“We never said or did anything about ending whatever we had. It just fizzled out when I left.” Angie bit her lip, thinking back to the tears she’d shed on the plane on the long flight home. “I found it so hard.” She took a deep breath but her voice still shook with the emotion she was clamping down. “God, Lucy, I was so damn lonely without him, and in his emails to me, his life seemed to be going on as normal. I don’t think he even noticed I was gone. And that hurt.”
Lucy reached out with her free hand and patted Angie’s arm. “You poor thing. Men are so thoughtless sometimes. They just don’t get it, do they?”
“Nope.” Angie sat up straight. “Anyway, you know about me now, warts and all. So what I have to do is keep busy and wait for Liam to leave.” She held Lucy’s gaze. “Because you’re wrong. Liam will leave. He’s too immersed in his career and his causes to stay here in the outback.”
“Maybe there’s something here to keep him at home on Prickle Creek Farm.”
“This new alliance thing he’s got involved with?”
Lucy frowned. “Alliance?”
“Liam agreed to take on the role of spokesperson for the alliance this morning at the meeting over at the RSL club.”
“I didn’t know, but that’s fantastic. It just reinforces that he will stay. The outback, and the love for the land, is in our blood, and Liam is just now beginning to realise that.” Lucy leaned forward and put the now sleeping baby back in the pram. “Now, for my second question.”
Angie had a feeling she wasn’t going to like this one.
“Do you still love Liam?”
She took another deep breath and nodded slowly. “I do. But there’s no future in it. And that’s why his Hugh misunderstanding is convenient.”
Lucy’s nod was brisk this time. “I understand. And don’t worry, anytime you want to talk, you give me a call. Now we’d better talk about this show. Has Sally told you the roster?”
Angie was surprised by Lucy’s easy acceptance of her answer, and the sudden switch of topic.
Surprised and a little unsettled.