Kim hoped it wasn’t too early on a Sunday morning to ask her new friend a favour. ‘Knock, knock.’ Kim pushed in the back door at She-Oak Springs, and found Mel chasing a half-grown kookaburra around her kitchen. ‘Any chance of borrowing your truck?’ She threw a convenient tea towel over the bird as Mel cornered it in the sink. ‘For the whole day, if possible.’
‘Sure.’ Mel quietly caught the squawking youngster and placed it in a crate. ‘What’s up?’
‘You know that rainforest nursery?’
Mel put on the kettle. ‘I heard it’s closed down now. Somebody bought out the entire stock, the whole kit and caboodle. Pity that – I wanted some more tamarind seedlings.’
‘You’d better ask me then.’
Mel turned to stare. ‘You mean —’
‘Yep. That’s why I need the truck.’
‘Oh my god! What are you going to do with all those plants?’
‘Give you as many as you need, for starters,’ said Kim. ‘A few more understorey species wouldn’t go astray in your gully.’
‘That would be wonderful, thank you. But what about the others? How many are there?’
‘Thousands.’
Mel put two cups of coffee down on the table, and gestured to a chair. ‘I know you’ve got a lot to do,’ she said, ‘but there’s always time for a cup of coffee. Now sit and tell me what you’re up to.’
Kim hesitated, then sat down. ‘You know I’m a botanist, right? When Connor inherited Journey’s End twelve years ago, we talked about a project of broad-scale rainforest regeneration. When he died, I gave up on the idea. Didn’t think I could do it on my own.’ Kim sipped the hot brew. ‘Well, I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to restore the original, pre-European vegetation cover.’
Mel looked confused. ‘What, over the whole two hundred hectares?’
‘That’s the plan.’
‘What about pasture for stock?’
‘In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t have any stock. Unless you count goats and brumbies and the odd wild pig.’
Mel shook her head as though she couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. ‘You’ll lose your improved land value. What if you want to reclaim the paddocks down the track? Clearing costs a fortune in steep country like this. And when you sell, who’s going to buy two hundred hectares of bush? Especially if it’s locked up with conservation covenants.’
‘Someone like me.’ Kim put down her half-drunk coffee and stood up. ‘Now, can I borrow the truck or not?’
‘Of course,’ said Mel. ‘Don’t get me wrong – I just want to be sure you know what you’re doing.’
‘Right.’ Kim bit her tongue. It wasn’t the reaction she’d expected. She thought they were on the same page, that Mel would be as excited as she was about the plan. After all, visiting the nursery had been Mel’s idea in the first place, and she had her own greenhouse full of natives.
‘I wasn’t criticising,’ said Mel. ‘It’s just I’ve never heard of anyone converting their land back to wilderness. Regenerating creek banks maybe, or putting in shelter belts. But not their whole farm.’
‘Well, now you have.’ Kim sat back down. This wasn’t the time to get in a huff. She needed to explain this to Mel, get her on side.
‘What does Ben think? I can’t imagine he’ll be happy.’
‘I haven’t told Ben. Only you and Taj.’
‘But I thought you and Ben were . . . you know.’
‘Well, we’re not.’
But Mel would not be deterred. ‘Admit it, ever since that crash a few weeks ago, Ben’s been spending a lot of time at your place. I see his car there all the time.’ This wasn’t entirely light-hearted teasing. Kim knew full well Mel had a crush on Ben. ‘You realise he’s the town catch, don’t you? Tingo’s most eligible bachelor.’
That made Kim smile. How many people were there in Tingo again?
‘Don’t be silly. He’s a friend,’ said Kim. ‘And Jake likes him. Ben helps him with his cricket.’ Mel did not look convinced. Time to get the conversation back on track. ‘What I’m planning isn’t very different to what you’re doing with that gully, Mel, just on a larger scale. Think how great this will be for your orphans. You can release them right next door.’
‘That does sound good,’ said Mel, her tone still uncertain. ‘But if you let the place run wild, won’t feral animals take over? I’ve got enough problems with foxes as it is.’
‘I’m starting an eradication program, with Taj’s help. Did you know he’s got a master’s degree from the University of Leeds in environmental biology?’
‘You’re kidding,’ said Mel. ‘Wouldn’t a qualification like that be recognised in Australia? I wonder why he’s working as a handyman.’
‘Taj says these mountains remind him of home – that’s why he stays. I know,’ said Kim as Mel raised her eyebrows. ‘I thought Afghanistan was all ruins and desert.’
‘Didn’t your husband . . . didn’t Connor talk about it?’
‘Not much and, anyway, he was stationed in the south – Helmand Province. Apparently the mountains are miles away, in the north-east.’ Kim drained her mug, surprised at herself. It wasn’t often she could talk about Connor so matter-of-factly. ‘So, back to the truck . . .’
‘I’d better drive,’ said Mel. ‘It’s got a few quirks, like no door handles. You need to use the needle-nosed pliers in the glove box when you want to get out. And reverse gear is tricky. If it doesn’t take then you have to keep the clutch in and quickly go through first and second, then very slowly back to reverse, and . . .’
‘Okay,’ said Kim. ‘You drive.’
Nikki ran in. ‘Drive where, Mum?’
‘Kim’s bought herself a baby rainforest. We’re going to pick it up.’
‘Cool. Can Todd and I come?’
‘Sure.’ Nikki ran off to find her brother.
Kim gave Mel a grateful smile. ‘I’ll bring the kids in my car, if you like. They can help us load up.’
‘Deal.’ Mel put the mugs on the sink and grabbed some keys from a hook behind the door. ‘Come on,’ she said with a grin. ‘Let’s go get your forest.’
Even with Taj’s help, it took them all day to collect the stock. This was their final load. Taj removed his hat and wiped the sweat from his brow. ‘That’s it.’ He handed down the last plant to Kim, then jumped from the tray of the truck, landing beside her with the easy grace of an animal. The feathery fronds of a tree fern poked out the top of the pot, along with a wilting seedling. She felt the soil. Bone dry. ‘You poor thing.’ The rightful occupant of the pot had almost been smothered by the self-sown fern. Kim was constantly amazed by the sheer fecundity of life in Tingo.
Kim trailed her fingers along the seedling’s nondescript leaves. No label. It could be anything.’ She looked up at Taj. ‘What do you think this one is?’
Taj bent close, and she could hear his steady breathing, almost taste the salt on his skin. He plucked the pot from her hand and studied the young plant with great care as if examining something precious and rare. He rolled a leaf-tip between thumb and forefinger. Closing his eyes, he brought the fingers to his nose and inhaled. Kim waited. The moment swelled and built. Finally he opened his eyes. ‘Cinnamomum oliveri. Cinnamonwood.’ He handed the pot back as though he was giving her a gift.
Dusty bowled into her legs and the moment was lost. ‘Well hello, sweetie.’ She put the little pot down in the shade with the others, and tickled the excited pup. In the few weeks they’d had him, Dusty had tumbled, romped, snuggled and charmed his way into all their hearts. She’d loved Scout, but the border terrier was all grown up when she first met him. She’d never raised a puppy before. And according to Mel, Dusty was rather a special one. ‘He’s so clever. You can see his mind ticking away, working things out. I kicked a stone behind the gate today to close it because my hands were full and I couldn’t do up the chain. Well, Dusty sat there and looked at that rock awhile. Then he picked it up in his mouth, moved it aside, and swatted the gate with his paw. It swung right open. It was the darnedest thing.’
Kim had learned to take her friend’s stories with a grain of salt. Mel had a nickname in town, Mel-odramatic, because she tended to exaggerate. But Dusty did seem to be very smart, though Kim had no basis for comparison.
It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Connor had told her stories about the bravery and intelligence of military dogs. ‘Dogs can understand two hundred and fifty words and gestures,’ he said. ‘They can count to five and are as intelligent as two-year-old children.’
Kim didn’t doubt it. Dusty could already undo the catch on the crate Mel had loaned her for house-training. He’d learned to open the pantry door, hide quietly under Jake’s bed when she wanted to put him out, and unlatch the chook pen so Bonnie and Clyde could come out and play with him.
Kim picked Dusty up. ‘What have you been up to, eh? Where’s Jake?’
Taj, who was fitting a hose to the tank, indicated the house with a jerk of his head. Kim turned to see Ben’s red LandCruiser parked in the drive. Jake was bound to be with him.
That explained why Dusty had deserted Jake. The pup knew Ben didn’t like him. His overtures of friendship were always rebuffed, and he ended up slinking away with his tail between his legs. ‘Why is Ben so mean to Dusty?’ Abbey had asked her. Kim hadn’t known what to say. Maybe Ben only liked dogs with a pedigree, and Dusty didn’t cut the mustard.
Taj tested the hose. Kim put Dusty down, and the pup leapt and snapped at the water stream. Taj let him play with it awhile, then turned it on the pots. Kim watched with a smile of satisfaction as curtains of spray rained down on the thirsty seedlings. This unique collection, these thousands of subtropical rainforest plants – all safe, all hers. She could still hardly believe it.
‘What do you say now?’ Kim asked him. ‘Am I still living around the edges?’
Taj turned to her with a grin. ‘I take that back.’ The warmth of his smile was reflected in his voice. ‘You’ve well and truly moved in.’ He picked up a little Moreton Bay fig. ‘Half of these seedlings are too small to plant out yet. They need re-potting and time to grow. In the meantime, I’ll bring you some advanced trees from home.’
‘Mel has some bigger ones too. We’ve got plenty to get started.’
The sound of Ben’s voice calling Mel from the house interrupted them.
‘Time I went.’ Taj turned off the tap, and a disappointed Dusty pawed at the lifeless hose. ‘Make sure they all get a good soaking. Tomorrow I’ll put up shade cloth and connect an automatic spray system to the pump on the creek. Otherwise your tanks will run dry.’
‘Why not stay for dinner?’ said Kim. ‘Mel and the kids are coming back once they feed the animals. We can have a barbeque.’
He shook his head. ‘I’m camping out at the yards again tonight.’
A local brumby group had lent them a set of steel passive trapping yards, to catch the mob of wild horses who’d moved in from Tarringtops over summer. Taj had set them up on Kim’s land beside the billabong on Cedar Creek, where it was shady and flat, with access for trucks. The lay of the land formed a natural funnel, helping to channel the brumbies towards the trap.
‘They seem a bit flimsy,’ Kim had said when she first saw the yards. She shook a section of fence. ‘Wouldn’t it be better to reinforce these panels with timber posts?’
‘Too dangerous. They need a bit of give in them.’
For the last few weeks he’d been baiting the yards with salt blocks, molasses and hay. Once the brumbies were used to coming in, a tripwire could be rigged up to a counterweight, swinging the gate shut behind them. But so far the wild horses had proved too clever, avoiding the yards whenever the trap was set.
Some nights when she slept, she dreamed of Taj out there, in his swag by the billabong beneath the stars. Once, after waking from a restless sleep, she went out on the verandah, and saw the wild horses on the hill, slipping wraith-like through the moonlit trees.
‘Good luck,’ she said. ‘Let me know if you catch them.’
Kim watched his ute swing around and drive away, wheels spinning on gravel. Was that the real reason he was leaving? Taj always disappeared pretty promptly when Ben arrived. She was beginning to think he shared Abbey’s dislike of the man.
Kim’s thoughts kept returning to Mel’s words earlier in the day. Ben’s been spending a lot of time at your place. I see his car there all the time. Kim had called her silly, but was she? Ben swung around after work most nights now. At first it was to check on her after the accident. But the visits continued after it became clear that she was okay. Sometimes he brought little gifts picked up in Taree, where he had his real estate office. Flowers or a bottle of wine. A new cricket ball or comic for Jake. Sticker books for Abbey or a horsey postcard to add to her collection. Not that she was very receptive. Not like Jake.
Her son hero-worshipped Ben, and since he’d been coming round, Jake’s behaviour had improved out of sight. Even Abbey noticed. ‘I almost like Jake now,’ she’d whispered, when he made a pond for her turtle. However Abbey didn’t agree with her mother’s explanation for the turnaround. ‘It’s not Ben that’s made Jake nicer,’ she said. ‘It’s Dusty.’
Abbey was just a child. She didn’t understand.
Kim was lonely living in this remote place, especially at day’s end, and she looked forward to Ben’s visits. She checked the clock more frequently as the afternoons wore on, listening for his car down on the road. What she made for dinner and what she wore became more carefully considered affairs. Ben often stayed on to share the wine he brought. Sometimes he casually brushed against her, or picked a leaf from her hair. There was no doubt they were growing closer.
There was also no doubt that there was something very seductive about Ben’s resemblance to Connor. Not just physically, but in personality as well. Ben was a take-charge kind of guy, naturally confident. His presence brought a comforting sense of security along with it. He sorted things for her. When the satellite television people were giving her the run-around, Ben stepped in and dealt with them. The house was hooked up within days. He arranged for her car to be fixed promptly, dealt with the insurance company and lent her a replacement vehicle. He dropped off her mail and took Jake to cricket practice. After managing alone for so long, it was nice to be looked after again.
The similarity didn’t end there. Like Connor, Ben was entertaining and gregarious, a perfect foil for her serious side. He told her jokes, made her laugh. Charmed her from her introversion. Although on one point there was no comparison. Connor would have loved Dusty, she was sure of it.
Mel’s car pulled in behind Ben’s just as Taj was leaving. Todd ran off to the house, carrying a bottle of soft drink, Nikki following. Mel emerged more slowly, with a salad bowl in her hands, and a smug I told you so expression on her face. ‘Ben’s here again. How did I guess?’
Kim gave her a wry grin and took the offered bowl.
‘Greek salad,’ said Mel. ‘Except with cheddar cheese, because I don’t have any feta. And capsicum instead of cucumber.’
Kim peered into the bowl. ‘Is that bacon? I don’t remember bacon in Greek salad.’
‘The bacon’s instead of the olives. I didn’t have any olives.’
Kim laughed. ‘So it’s a Greek salad with no cucumber, feta or olives.’
‘And no onion. Nikki doesn’t like onion.’ She headed into the house.
The boys and Nikki came round the side of the house with Ben. He must have come straight from work. She liked how he held himself. She liked the pride he took in his appearance. Connor had been like that. He’d used their iron more than she had. Ben’s muscles showed beneath his fitted, short-sleeved business shirt. Sandy-blond hair ruffled in the breeze. Knife-edge creases in his trousers. He looked too well-groomed for the bush. Kim glanced down at her soiled jeans and sweaty singlet.
‘What have you got here?’ Ben pointed to the pots. ‘Looks like you’re starting up a nursery.’
‘That’s not a bad idea,’ said Kim. ‘Maybe I will one day. But for now, I’m doing some replanting.’
‘Replanting? You’d be better off doing the opposite. Getting the tractors and chains in, reclaiming some of that scrubby hill country.’
Dusty crept towards Ben, smiling and wagging his tail. Ben ignored the pup at first, then pushed him away with his foot. Kim saw Jake flinch, then gather himself.
Abbey was watching from the seat of the old steam traction engine. She clapped her hands. ‘Dusty.’ He pricked up his ears and trotted off to friendlier territory. Jake looked torn but let him go. The lure of his hero was too strong.
‘Let’s get some practice in before the match tomorrow,’ Ben said, and Jake and Todd ran off to get their stuff.
‘Why don’t you like Dusty?’ Kim said into the quiet that fell.
Ben frowned. ‘I happen to believe dogs should be useful, earn their keep round the farm. You need solid bloodlines for that. You won’t think he’s so cute when he’s all grown up and running amok with Mel’s sheep.’
Kim looked to where Dusty was now playing chasey with the girls. Was Ben right? Would the pup become a problem?
Ben strolled off to help the boys set up a makeshift pitch. Kim went back to watering, careful not to miss a pot, stopping frequently to examine this one or that one. Lengthening shadows crept over the sea of plants. She should go help Mel with dinner, but she couldn’t tear herself away. Each pot came with the promise of something wonderful, something unexpected – a botanical lucky dip. She owed Taj a lot. If it wasn’t for his goading, she’d never have found the courage to follow her dream.
‘How’s that!’ Ben’s voice rang out across the paddock. Taj and Ben. Two men, different as night and day. Two men who, each in their own way, were teaching her to live again.