had well-groomed hair tied in a bun and skin that was wrinkly and raisin-brown as if it had seen too much sun. She flipped a pan full of eggs over easy as she talked.
Harry, Grace and Jess kicked off their dusty boots and washed up in the laundry before joining them.
‘Good morning, sleepyhead,’ Grace said to her big sister as she walked into the kitchen. ‘About time you got out of bed. I fed your horses for you this morning while you were in Noddy-Noddy Land.’
‘I saw that,’ said Rosie, switching the toaster off at the wall and retrieving a mangled piece of toast. ‘You should have woken me.’
‘I tried, and you just kept on snoring.’ Grace demonstrated loudly.
At that moment Tom and Luke entered the kitchen.
‘Didn’t know you snored, Rosie,’ said Tom. He wore a fancy-looking shirt freshly smeared with mud. Luke wore a similar shirt, which carried crease marks as though it had just been pulled brand-new out of a packet. Jess couldn’t help wondering if Tom had given it to him.
Rosie blushed. She dropped the piece of toast and swiped at Grace, who was still imitating her. ‘I do not snore, Grace!’
‘Ooo, getting all embarrassed in front of the boys ,’ teased Grace.
Jess giggled. Rosie always seemed self-conscious around Tom and Luke.
‘You snore worse than Grunter,’ said Annie as she carried a huge platter through the kitchen. ‘Now pick up that toast and put it in the bin before someone walks it through the house. Tom and Luke, for the tenth time, hats off inside the house and put on clean shirts before you come in my kitchen.’
‘Sorry, Annie,’ said Luke, removing his hat and revealing sweaty hat hair. He gave it a scratch with his other hand. ‘Waterpipe broke down the paddock.’
Tom gave him a shove in the direction of the door and the pair of them squeezed back through it together, good-naturedly elbowing and pushing. Jess heard them laughing and wrestling out on the verandah.
Grace screwed up her nose. ‘Why do boys always like touching each other so much?’
Jess helped carry the plates of food out to the verandah. There were eggs, bacon and sausages, fresh fruit and some homemade fig and almond bread. Jess planned on attacking the bread first. It smelled heavenly. She eyed some butter that also looked homemade.
I should bring Annie some of our organic corn next Sunday to make some fritters. And some goat’s milk. And some tomatoes. Nah, she probably has heaps of her own tomatoes. Bet she doesn’t grow asparagus. I’ll bring her some of that . . .
Before long everyone was sitting at the table, fuelling themselves for the day ahead.
As Jess ate, she turned to Rosie. ‘You should have seen Walkabout this morning.’ The others joined in and soon they were all talking about foals and horses and planning the day ahead.
Once the dishes were done, they headed back down to the stables and began saddling up.
‘Could you do me a favour, Jess?’ Harry asked, as he limped alongside her. ‘I’ve gotta try to teach that Katrina girl to campdraft.’ He sounded noticeably lukewarm about the idea. ‘Totally wrong horse for drafting. It spooks the cattle. Something weird about it, can’t put my finger on it.’ He frowned and shook his head. ‘She should keep that horse in the showring where it belongs.’
‘How can I help?’ asked Jess.
‘My son’s coming over in a minute to put some new shoes on Biyanga,’ Harry continued. ‘Could you hold the horse for Lawson while I give Katrina a riding lesson?’
That gun-toting freak was Harry’s son?
For the second time that morning, Jess was speechless.
Lawson Blake pulled a beaten felt hat down over his eyes as he stepped out of a shiny new truck. He walked to the back of the tray and acknowledged his father with a nod as he buckled leather chaps around his waist.
Jess stood by, holding Biyanga. She had never seen Lawson close up. He was surprisingly young. She reckoned he must be in his late twenties, which
Harry, Grace and Jess kicked off their dusty boots and washed up in the laundry before joining them.
‘Good morning, sleepyhead,’ Grace said to her big sister as she walked into the kitchen. ‘About time you got out of bed. I fed your horses for you this morning while you were in Noddy-Noddy Land.’
‘I saw that,’ said Rosie, switching the toaster off at the wall and retrieving a mangled piece of toast. ‘You should have woken me.’
‘I tried, and you just kept on snoring.’ Grace demonstrated loudly.
At that moment Tom and Luke entered the kitchen.
‘Didn’t know you snored, Rosie,’ said Tom. He wore a fancy-looking shirt freshly smeared with mud. Luke wore a similar shirt, which carried crease marks as though it had just been pulled brand-new out of a packet. Jess couldn’t help wondering if Tom had given it to him.
Rosie blushed. She dropped the piece of toast and swiped at Grace, who was still imitating her. ‘I do not snore, Grace!’
‘Ooo, getting all embarrassed in front of the boys ,’ teased Grace.
Jess giggled. Rosie always seemed self-conscious around Tom and Luke.
‘You snore worse than Grunter,’ said Annie as she carried a huge platter through the kitchen. ‘Now pick up that toast and put it in the bin before someone walks it through the house. Tom and Luke, for the tenth time, hats off inside the house and put on clean shirts before you come in my kitchen.’
‘Sorry, Annie,’ said Luke, removing his hat and revealing sweaty hat hair. He gave it a scratch with his other hand. ‘Waterpipe broke down the paddock.’
Tom gave him a shove in the direction of the door and the pair of them squeezed back through it together, good-naturedly elbowing and pushing. Jess heard them laughing and wrestling out on the verandah.
Grace screwed up her nose. ‘Why do boys always like touching each other so much?’
Jess helped carry the plates of food out to the verandah. There were eggs, bacon and sausages, fresh fruit and some homemade fig and almond bread. Jess planned on attacking the bread first. It smelled heavenly. She eyed some butter that also looked homemade.
I should bring Annie some of our organic corn next Sunday to make some fritters. And some goat’s milk. And some tomatoes. Nah, she probably has heaps of her own tomatoes. Bet she doesn’t grow asparagus. I’ll bring her some of that . . .
Before long everyone was sitting at the table, fuelling themselves for the day ahead.
As Jess ate, she turned to Rosie. ‘You should have seen Walkabout this morning.’ The others joined in and soon they were all talking about foals and horses and planning the day ahead.
Once the dishes were done, they headed back down to the stables and began saddling up.
‘Could you do me a favour, Jess?’ Harry asked, as he limped alongside her. ‘I’ve gotta try to teach that Katrina girl to campdraft.’ He sounded noticeably lukewarm about the idea. ‘Totally wrong horse for drafting. It spooks the cattle. Something weird about it, can’t put my finger on it.’ He frowned and shook his head. ‘She should keep that horse in the showring where it belongs.’
‘How can I help?’ asked Jess.
‘My son’s coming over in a minute to put some new shoes on Biyanga,’ Harry continued. ‘Could you hold the horse for Lawson while I give Katrina a riding lesson?’
That gun-toting freak was Harry’s son?
For the second time that morning, Jess was speechless.
Lawson Blake pulled a beaten felt hat down over his eyes as he stepped out of a shiny new truck. He walked to the back of the tray and acknowledged his father with a nod as he buckled leather chaps around his waist.
Jess stood by, holding Biyanga. She had never seen Lawson close up. He was surprisingly young. She reckoned he must be in his late twenties, which
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