It’s five o’clock on Friday night but besides Thomasina and Lacie, sitting at their usual table near the fireplace and eating their dinner, the Ballimore Hotel is deserted. For the fourteenth straight day in a row, it’s raining.
Jock considers his bookings. ‘Beatrice and Elizabeth Oldfield haven’t cancelled yet,’ he says. ‘That’s promising.’
‘I hope they have Matthew to bring them. They’ll need a four wheel drive in this weather.’
‘As a matter of fact, they’re coming to celebrate Matthew’s birthday. He’s collecting his brothers on the way.’
I glance through to the dining room and the table set for eight. ‘How many brothers does he have?’
Jock laughs. ‘Two, but there are other guests. Matthew looks after the sisters’ cattle interests, doesn’t he? Do you get any work out there?’
‘He uses a Dubbo vet.’
‘Andrew Martin was singing your praises last week.’
‘I’m learning a lot at the zoo.’
‘Blake was here last night.’
I smile politely. ‘I … saw him at the zoo yesterday.’
A week to the day since we’d kissed. We exchanged courteous acknowledgments. Prim. Blake. Nothing else was said. Nothing else needed to be said. He was cool and distant. Appropriately so.
Jock nods towards the papers spread across the table. ‘I hope the books are balancing.’
I slump. ‘Sorting out invoices and juggling bills isn’t much fun, but thanks for letting me do it here.’
‘In this weather, any weather, you need adequate power. Even before you lost it, the line was unreliable. As I said to Blake, if I see Douglas Farquhar, I’ll express my displeasure.’
‘Leave Farquhar to me, Jock.’
‘Blake wanted to box his ears too. The trouble is, Blake won’t take action without your say-so.’
Blake is considerate; there’s more than lust between us. That’s the problem. Settling my heart rate, I peel off an adhesive stamp and press it on an envelope.
‘I have a generator, but it costs a fortune to run.’
‘How long do you have on the lease?’
‘Two years. And before you say anything about moving, I won’t get anything better for the rent I pay.’
‘The field adjacent to the river must be a swimming pool by now.’
‘And if the water gets much higher, I’ll have to move the animals. So far, the only agistment I’ve found is an hour away. Billy is keen for me to send them to his property, and Tom is willing to keep an eye on them, but they need a lot of care.’
‘A four-hour drive is out of the question,’ Jock says. ‘How is Billy doing?’
‘One more round of radiotherapy. They’ve decided against chemotherapy … so that’s good news. When he’s stronger, he’ll have more intensive physio and strengthening exercises to get him … walking well again.’
‘He’s had a bad trot.’
‘I hope the worst is over.’
‘I look forward to seeing Billy perched on a bar stool by Christmas,’ Jock says brightly. ‘In the meantime, I’m sorry I can’t help with your present dilemma.’
‘You’re helping by allowing me to work here, and by taking Daisy on.’
‘We love Daisy!’ Thomasina calls from the other side of the room.
‘She needs nothing but warm milk, a patch of lawn and a cosy bed at night,’ Jock says. ‘Unlike your other livestock.’
‘Juniper’s arthritis is terrible in the cold and there’s nothing worse for Bonny’s hooves than standing in mud all day. And it’s not fair to have Merrylegs cooped up with nothing to do but eat. She’s pregnant. She needs gentle exercise and fresh grass.’
‘I don’t like the thought of you out there on your own.’
‘I’m not on my own.’
‘Prim!’ Thomasina calls out. ‘Lacie wants to show you something.’
When Lacie slips from her chair, I push aside my notebook to consider the page of a colouring book.
‘I love the bright colours.’
She looks at my pages. ‘Your homework is boring.’
‘I agree.’
‘Daddy does numbers too.’
‘Would you like to stay for dinner?’ Jock asks. ‘Friday night pork roast minus pork, stuffing and gravy.’
I laugh. ‘Thank you, but I’d better get home.’
‘You can’t cook without power.’
We both look up when the door swings open. The Oldfield sisters, laughing as they fold umbrellas and put them in the stands, are always beautifully groomed. I recognise Matthew, also in his sixties, who lives in a neighbouring town and manages the sisters’ Ballimore cattle property. Two other men stomp up the steps, presumably Matthew’s brothers.
‘I’d better get going,’ I tell Jock as I collect my things. ‘And please don’t worry. When I get home, I’ll crank up the generator so I can have a shower and heat something up.’
I’m not surprised by the darkness of the house as I drive through the gates. Or by the sodden ground and the puddles on the driveway. But my lights pick up other reflections I’m not so familiar with. I peer through the windscreen and—
I slam on the brakes. Most of the land between the shed and the gate is under water. Eeyore, looking much as he usually does, peers out from his shelter on the higher ground near the house. The other animals, tails to the wind and pelting rain, huddle in the shed.
I call Jock as I race towards the paddock. ‘I … n … n …’
‘Prim! What’s the matter?’
‘Ask … Matthew. A truck, two trucks.’ Knee deep in water, I wrestle with the bolt on the gate. ‘Matthew has a truck. Ask him to—’
‘Prim. It’s Blake.’
The water comes up to my thighs as I wade towards the shed. Juniper’s whinny is high pitched and panicky. ‘I … n … n …’
‘Matthew is here.’ Blake’s voice is calm. ‘Why do you want him?’
‘A truck. River. F … f …’ Merrylegs turns towards me. ‘Flood.’
I push back my hood, close my eyes, order my thoughts. If Phoebe were here, she’d be afraid of the dark. If Patience were here, she’d snap instructions over the phone as she marched through the water to the shed.
‘Prim?’
‘I have to get Eeyore and the horses and … goats out. Matthew knows racing people … with trucks. Can he or Jock … message … me details?’
‘Wait there. Stay clear of the water. We’re on our way.’