4

Kaydon felt the familiar rattle of tyres over the cattle grid. All around, the sun glared through the grass, making it glow bright orange in the wake of the dust storm. Even the polocrosse field, normally so green, now looked like just another cow paddock. The garden of Rockleigh – home to five generations of Armstrong squattocracy – was neat but bare; only the hardiest of shrubs had survived.

‘I hope Jerry shut all the windows,’ said Bron as the house came into view, ‘or the place will be a total mess. I’ve got guests coming for dinner tonight.’ She peered at the sky. Dark clouds rolled over the outlying hills. ‘Even a bit of rain would be good,’ she said, with little conviction.

‘Hope some falls over the new place. The dams need filling,’ said Pat.

‘What new place?’ asked Kaydon.

‘We bought Glenvale,’ said his dad. ‘Just waiting on the exchange of contracts and it’ll be ours.’

‘Glenvale?’ The name rang a bell.

‘That overrun place up the other end of the stock route,’ said his father, cutting the engine. His voice lifted. ‘It’ll be a sister farm to Rockleigh, giving us good finishing country and only a day’s walk on the hoof to the yards.’

Another property: how could his dad afford that? Last Kaydon had heard, the farm wasn’t doing well at all. ‘How much land?’

‘Five hundred hectares.’ There was triumph in his father’s voice. ‘I’ve got a builder arriving in a couple of weeks to put a new manager’s house on it. Ken Harvey.’

‘Who’s gonna live in that?’ Kaydon asked.

‘Your cousin,’ said his father. ‘If he takes the job.’

Yes! Aaron was coming back to the district. Wow, this was a big deal. ‘What’s there now? Any buildings?’

‘Just a few sheds and an old cottage,’ said his dad. ‘The builder can stay in that while he builds the house.’

In the small mirror under the sun visor, Kaydon saw his mother raise her eyebrows. ‘It doesn’t even have a proper bathroom,’ she said.

‘I’ll take the caravan over as well,’ said Pat, sounding a little defensive.

A clap of thunder sounded outside the car.

‘I was hoping to have a hit on the polocrosse field,’ said Kaydon. ’Wanna join me?’ Even as he spoke, he knew he was wasting his breath. His dad was always too busy. With a new property to get up and running, he would be even more so.

‘Don’t dig it up too much,’ said Bron. ‘That’s where we’re holding the ball.’

‘On the polocrosse field?’

‘Yep. The CWA are going to lend us their big marquee and I found a band to play for free. It’s going to be fabulous.’

‘Will it be like a B and S?’

‘Absolutely not,’ said his mother, quickly and firmly. ‘This is a fundraiser; it will be a lot more civilised.’

‘Damn.’ He had been counting the days till his eighteenth birthday so he could go to a bachelors and spinsters ball. There were four hundred and twenty-eight to go.

He hopped out of the car and slung his schoolbag over his shoulder, following his parents through the huge wooden double doors and into the hallway.

His mother sighed with relief. ‘What would we do without Jerry?’

Kaydon saw the wet towels that Jerry had put along the window ledges and under the doors. Old Jerry was supposed to be the horse man on the place, but he also did odd jobs around the house while Dad was working the farm. He was the only full-time staff Pat Armstrong had these days.

‘I’m starving.’ Kaydon walked to the fridge and opened the door with an air-sucking yank. He found a platter of leftover barbecue meat: steak, chops and sausages. He grabbed a bottle of sauce from the door, hoisted himself onto the bench and began devouring the meat cold.

‘I had your tux altered while you were gone,’ said Bron. ‘It’s hanging up in your room. Can you try it on before you go out this afternoon?’ She dumped the towels in the doorway of the laundry then reached out and took the plate from his hands. ‘Sit at the table properly, Kaydon. Would you like me to make you a sandwich?’

‘Sure.’

His mother took the plate to the opposite bench and reached for a bag of bread. ‘I told your father he should slaughter a beast before you and Aaron got here,’ she muttered.

‘When does he get here?’

‘Tonight,’ said Pat. ‘He’s coming to look around the Glenvale property with the new partner, then he’ll stay on to help with the stock.’

‘New partner?’

‘Hugh Parker, his name is,’ said his father. ‘He’s a property broker and he’s also an expert in finance and logistics. Smart bloke – got his fingers in a lot of pies.’

‘Hugh and his family are coming over for dinner tonight,’ said Bron, handing Kaydon a plate of sandwiches. ‘So make sure you’re dressed smartly and don’t come in late.’

‘I want you to give a good impression,’ said his father. ‘You’re the heir to Rockleigh. Mr Parker needs to meet you too and be confident that you’re interested in carrying this place forward. We’ve got to show him strong commitment from our family.’

‘Sure,’ said Kaydon. His dad had never included him in anything like this before. ‘So, is Aaron coming back for good?’ he asked. Aaron had lived and worked on Rockleigh full-time for years until he left to make big money in the mines.

‘We hope so,’ said Pat. ‘He’s the one that put us in touch with Hugh Parker in the first place. He knows him well.’

‘Aaron’s bringing his girlfriend too,’ said Bron, flicking her eyes to the clock over the fireplace. ‘Her name is Stacey. They should be here in a couple of hours.’

Kaydon could see the delight in his mother’s eyes. Without any daughters or nieces, she was always trying to find the boys girlfriends, not that Aaron ever needed any help. Girls seemed to like big, muscular guys, and Aaron always went around with his shirtsleeves ripped off and his biceps hanging out.

‘I’ve got a mile of paperwork to sort out before Hugh gets here,’ said Pat. He turned to Kaydon. ‘That grey horse, Pilot, is fresh broke if you want to give him a ride. Jerry finished him while you were away. See if you like him – if you do, you can use him to muster this week.’

‘Cool.’ Kaydon took the empty plate to the sink. Things were looking up. For the first time in a long time, Rockleigh felt full of good vibes. His dad didn’t seem so depressed about the drought, and he was even going to the ball. Aaron was coming back and there was a new property to explore. Best of all, his dad seemed to be including him in the business side of things.

He went to his room. Hanging on the wardrobe doorknob was his tux, freshly drycleaned. He ignored it and got dressed for riding in faded denim jeans and an old workshirt, then jammed his hat on and headed out the front door. He wasn’t sure which direction things were going in, but for the first time in his life he felt like one of the men around the place.