The view below them was spectacular. A tapestry of colour spread out across the ground with patchworks of browns, yellows and greens as far as the eye could see. Mountain ranges bordered the edges of the horizon, touching the blue sky and melting into an indistinguishable line, seemingly joining the earth and sky together as one.
The property they were visiting was near a small town on the way to Armidale and they were flying there before heading to their accommodation in town. Realistically they could have driven but, as Dan so cheerfully put it, why waste time driving when they could fly?
Rilee had flown with Dan a few times now and knew that he was an extremely capable and experienced pilot, but knowing that and remembering all that separated them from plummeting to their deaths was a very thin sheet of metal and a bunch of engine parts were two very different matters.
The flight itself Rilee found rather enjoyable; it was just the landing and take-off that made her break out in a cold sweat. As they approached their destination—a narrow landing strip in the middle of a wide brown paddock—Rilee felt her stomach lurch and shut her eyes, gripping the seat with her hands. She let out a long slow breath once the wheels touched the ground in a smooth textbook perfect landing and summoned what she hoped was a reassuring smile at Dan when he reached over and placed his hand on her knee.
The McPherson property was not nearly as imposing as Thumb Creek Station, but it was impressive nonetheless. There was no grand residence, no cluster of workers’ cottages, but they clearly had a very profitable stud if the quality of fencing and yards was anything to go by.
Bill McPherson drove out in a large four-wheel drive to collect them, helping Dan put chunks of wood in front of the tyres of the plane and securing it before driving them to the homestead.
Rilee liked the silver-haired man instantly. He had a quiet way about him, but his questions and conversation proved him to be shrewd and perceptive. His wife, Marcy, was welcoming when they reached the house and sat them down for a cuppa straight away.
‘I understand you were a city girl, Rilee?’ Marcy said as she handed over a cup of tea.
Rilee looked up at the woman, unsure if there was going to be a patronising smile to accompany the question. She let out a small sigh of relief when she detected only curiosity instead. ‘I’m afraid I still am. I haven’t quite got the hang of country life yet.’
‘You’ll get there,’ she said with a small wave of her hand. ‘We all do eventually.’
‘Oh? You came from the city too?’ Rilee asked, gratefully sipping her tea.
‘A long time ago now, but yes. Born and raised on the North Shore.’
‘Wouldn’t know it now though,’ Bill chimed in, taking a bite of the homemade date loaf he held in his hand.
Marcy smacked his arm lightly. ‘You be quiet. There were many a time I had my bags packed by the front door in the first few years. You’re lucky I stuck around.’
‘That I am. Luckiest man alive, I reckon,’ he said with a soft smile.
She glanced across at Dan and wondered if he was comparing the McPhersons with his parents. She couldn’t read his expression, but she wondered if maybe her stoic husband ever wished his family was a little more affectionate.
‘Are you interested in the farming business, Rilee?’ Marcy asked.
‘I find it fascinating, but I think Dan and his family have the business side of things under control,’ Rilee said, her smile feeling a little forced. ‘I’ll just stick to my own profession, I think.’
‘Oh? Which is?’ Marcy asked, tilting her head slightly.
‘I’m a naturopath.’
‘Oh, how exciting. My sister swears by her practitioner.’
Rilee felt an instant rush of relief at the woman’s words. She had come to expect either contempt or dismissal whenever she discussed her work.
‘She had terrible trouble with eczema and allergies for years, and now, not a sign of it,’ Marcy said, giving a small shrug of her shoulders. ‘So will you be able to continue practising? Or have you given it up for now?’
‘Oh no, I couldn’t give it up. I plan on opening a clinic in Pallaburra, very soon actually.’
The men stood up, excusing themselves to go look over the cattle Dan was interested in, and Rilee enjoyed finally being able to discuss her work without feeling defensive.
‘It’s good that you have your own work to keep you busy,’ Marcy said as they enjoyed their second cup of tea. ‘It’s still important to take an interest in your husband’s business, though.’
‘Between Dan and his parents, there’s very little for me to actually do.’
‘I know all too well how it feels to come into another woman’s domain and try to fit in. Bill was a real mummy’s boy too,’ she chuckled and Rilee smiled a little at the thought. ‘It’s hard trying to find your place, especially when you haven’t had much experience with farming before. It’s certainly a different way of life.’
‘I really don’t have anything helpful to offer the business,’ she said, before adding carefully, ‘and I’m fairly sure the Kincaids wouldn’t appreciate me trying.’
‘You may not have any farming experience, but you can most certainly contribute to the family business in other ways. It’s important not to let them shut you out. It may not be intentional, but if you don’t establish some kind of interest early on then they’ll exclude you in the future. Trust me, I’ve been there.’
Rilee thought perhaps Marcy was right. Although she didn’t want to step in and help run Thumb Creek right now, she should at least have an idea of how it worked. However, she knew exactly what their reaction would be if she tried. Ellen would dismiss her in that condescending, patronising way she so often used, and Jacob would probably just grunt and tell her to stick to being a wife.
Part of her understood how parents might have concerns about a daughter-in-law joining the family business—after all, divorce was common nowadays and she could imagine them being afraid their business would be implicated in settlement proceedings. Nevertheless, Marcy’s words hit a nerve. The Kincaids never discussed anything that related to the financial running of the property when she was around. Dan would go to the main house and have meetings or sit in on visits from the bank or accountant, but she was never invited along.
Bill and Dan returned a little while later all smiles and in good humour, which made Rilee wonder if maybe now was as good a time as any to show some interest in Dan’s business.
‘Thank you for the chat,’ Rilee said, giving Marcy a hug of farewell, ‘and I’ll post that mixture out to you as soon as I get home.’
‘That would be lovely, Rilee. Thank you, I can’t wait to try it. And remember what I said,’ she added in a lower voice.
‘They were lovely,’ Rilee said once they were back in the air.
‘Yeah. He’s a top bloke, Bill McPherson. Knows his cattle too.’
‘So you were happy with the cattle?’
‘Yeah.’
‘How many are you buying?’
‘None.’
‘What? I thought we were coming out here to look at cattle to buy?’
‘We were coming out to look over the quality of his stock and check out his bull.’
‘I don’t understand. You came all this way just to look at his cattle?’
‘Yep, and make a decision about breeding.’
‘So you need to buy a bull?’
‘No, not the entire bull,’ he grinned across at her. ‘Just the semen.’
‘Oh.’ Gross.
Dan looked back at her. ‘I want to cross my Black Angus with his Bazadais line.’
‘Why a Bazadais?’
‘They have better muscle and weight gain.’ When he saw that she seemed genuinely interested, he continued a little more eagerly. ‘Angus meat has the marbling effect that restaurants and the overseas market are looking for, but if you cross the Black Angus with the Bazadais you retain the marbling effect and increase the size and muscle of the animal, so you get more meat and less waste.’
‘And your father doesn’t understand this?’
‘It’s not a matter of him understanding it. Black Angus have been the standard breed on Thumb Creek for generations,’ he shrugged. ‘I’ve been trying to convince Dad to introduce the Bazadais for a while now, but he doesn’t get why you’d mess around with something that’s always been reliable.’
‘But you obviously think it’s worthwhile?’
‘Yeah, I do. I think we could improve the quality of meat, as well as the durability of the animal—make them a lot more drought tolerant, adaptable to different conditions, so we can survive climate fluctuations better.’
‘How can he not consider it?’
‘Because he’s Dad,’ Dan said gruffly. ‘Because he’s always bred Black Angus and he won’t consider anything else. He just doesn’t want to go through the process of implementing it. It’ll take years to build up the stock, and he doesn’t see the point of all that stuffin’ around, as he calls it.’
‘But if he agreed to you coming out to look at Bill’s cattle then he must be coming around?’ Rilee gave a small lopsided grin at her husband’s guilty look. ‘Oh. I see. He doesn’t know you came out here to look at the cattle.’
‘I’m going to do it on my own.’
Rilee frowned. ‘You can do that?’
‘I can, if I use my own money and resources.’
Rilee frowned. ‘When were you planning on filling me in on these plans?’
‘Filling you in?’ He sounded confused.
Marcy was right. Maybe she should have taken a more active interest in the business side of things. Wasn’t it normal that married couples would discuss things like venturing out on their own? Then again, Dan had shown little interest in her business plans. ‘Well, if you’re thinking about starting up your own business, shouldn’t I be part of that discussion?’
‘It’s not really my own business, it’s more a sideline—something I want to do to prove to Dad that what I’m saying can pay off.’ He glanced at her, his expression cautious. ‘It wasn’t a big secret, I brought you along.’
‘Well, yeah.’ Okay, so that was true.
‘What’s going on?’
‘Nothing, forget it,’ she said with a quick smile and wave of her hand before looking out the window.
‘I didn’t know you were interested in any of this.’
‘Well, I wasn’t…but that was before I realised you were planning on doing this without your parents. If this is your project then I want to learn more about it. I’d like to be part of it.’
‘Really?’
‘Of course. You’re supposed to be my husband. Married couples usually take an interest in each other’s business—’
‘There’s no supposed to be about it. I am your husband,’ he said in a low, deliberate tone, and Rilee swallowed a little nervously at the steady look he gave her.
‘Would you keep your eyes on the…out there!’
With a small chuckle he returned his gaze to the front window and Rilee let out a slow breath. The man was far too potent for his own good: with just a look he could send her heartbeat into overdrive.
Their Armidale accommodation took Rilee completely by surprise. She’d been expecting an impersonal motel room, but instead Dan drove their rental car through town and turned off down a dirt road that seemed to go for miles without giving any hint of where it headed. Dan slowed as they approached a sign, which read Wood Smoke Cabin, and then turned down a long gravel driveway bordered by a manicured hedge. At the end of the drive was a clearing where a little cabin sat on the edge of a ridge overlooking the bushland and valley below.
Rilee gaped at the scene before her as Dan retrieved their overnight bag and led the way up the three steps to the verandah.
‘This is where we’re staying?’
‘Do you like it?’ Dan asked as he dropped the bag on the verandah and linked his arms around her waist.
Rilee turned and held him tight. ‘It’s beautiful. How did you find it?’
‘I remembered a mate telling me about it once. He stayed here for his honeymoon a few years back.’
‘It’s perfect,’ she sighed, laying her head against his chest and breathing in the heady mix of mountain air and man.
‘Wait till you see inside,’ he promised, opening the front door.
Rilee gasped as she walked into the cabin and looked around. A huge fireplace dominated the living area and scented candles flickered gently all around the room. A giant wrought-iron bed sat facing a large window which provided stunning views of the mountains, and on the other side of the room a decadent-looking spa bath sat surrounded by a recess of glass, facing a wall of natural rock. ‘This is amazing,’ she breathed and Dan’s smile widened at her delight.
‘You’re amazing,’ he corrected, brushing the side of her cheek tenderly. ‘I know I’ve thrown you in the deep end back at Thumb Creek. I’m sorry things have been so hectic.’
‘It’s not as though you didn’t warn me,’ she shrugged.
‘Yeah, but I just wish it could have been different.’
‘I get to spend every night with you beside me,’ she smiled, slipping her arms around his hips.
‘You don’t regret saying yes?’
‘Of course not,’ Rilee pulled back to look her husband in the face and caught a glimpse of doubt shadowing his expression. ‘Are you serious?’
‘I’ve never had anyone to worry about before, Ri. I don’t want to stuff this up.’
‘I love you, Dan. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than with you.’
They spent almost the entire weekend locked inside their little cabin, only venturing outside to explore the bushland and tracks before hurrying back inside where it was warm, once more.