Page 38 of A Vineyard for Two

‘Fine, this one then.’

‘Better.’

They entered the track and followed the signs on the granite. A kangaroo rested under a eucalyptus tree, paying little attention to the tourists snapping photos with their iPhones. Harper smiled as she passed them, leading the way along the marked path. There was a stillness in the air, fresh, crisp, peaceful. The serenity she never got in the city. She took a moment and veered off the path and onto the boulder, surrounded by a waterhole. Kneeling, she waded her fingers along the water, then noticed a turtle swimming towards them, its head bobbing out of the water as it neared the edge.

‘Think he’s hungry?’ Brookes said.

‘Definitely trained to feed off the tourists.’

She moved her hand from the water and watched the creature swim back and forth along the edge of the waterhole, while another smaller one made its way towards them.

There was a part of her that missed this. She glanced over at Brookes; he was watching her too. She stood and wandered back onto the path. As she did, she felt his hand glide along her back. She ignored it and kept walking.

‘Catch up, old man.’ She said and took the lead on the trail. He was barely a couple of years older than her, so it wasn’t an insult, but she liked to walk fast and wanted to set the pace for today’s trek. The route they chose was likely to take a few hours or more if they took his leisurely stroll.

‘This isn’t a race,’ he said, following.

‘Isn’t it?’

‘Is that a challenge?’

They walked in silence for a while, Harper in the lead, as she took in the fresh air and greenery around them. It was slightly chilly, but the pace warmed her up in no time, and with the sun slipping through the branches, it warmed her skin, making the walk even more enjoyable. She used to walk these trails every week, each time choosing a different one, sometimes doing two, one after another. It had been therapeutic and good for her fitness. She’d still walked in the city, but it wasn’t the same.

After about forty-minutes, they reached a large boulder. Several people were slowly making their way down, and so they waited to the side until they passed. Brookes offered his hand to help her up. She took it as she stepped up on to the boulder as her body tingled all over, then she let go and began the climb up. The boulder was deceiving from below and didn’t seem all that steep until one walked on it. Harper knew that, but she hadn’t remembered just how tricky it could get, so she took her time.

When they reached the top, the view was spectacular as it stretched across the national park and Granite Belt. She’d missed this, only now she realised just how much.

‘It never ceases to amaze,’ Brookes said beside her.

‘Hmm,’ she murmured.

She looked down and saw him squatting as he opened his backpack and pulled out a blanket, sandwiches, and a bottle of wine.

‘Oh wow, you came prepared.’

‘I didn’t want to disappoint.’

She smiled. Brookes could never disappoint. He knew exactly what people needed and wanted. Disappointment was not one of his traits. The fact that he went to this effort shouldn’t have surprised her. She didn’t deserve it, though. Not after the way she’d left things.

She sat down and Brookes opened the bottle and poured some in the plastic wine glasses he’d brought along. He handed it to her, and she took a sip.

‘Wow, that is a perfect blend,’ Harper said, taking another sip of the wine. ‘Where is this one from?’

‘Mathers Vineyard?’

‘Is this your way of trying to persuade me to agree that selling is a bad idea?’

‘I don’t think I need to persuade you. You already know it’s a bad idea.’

She savoured the view and the wine but said nothing. Maybe he was right. Selling was a bad idea, but she couldn’t stay and take over the vineyard. She had a job in the city, a life. At least what she considered to be her life, and she had worked hard for it. Harper wasn’t prepared to give it all up for a life in the country.

‘There’s a storm brewing.’

‘We don’t get too many this time of year,’ he said, looking out over the horizon. ‘It looks like it’s headed straight for us. We should probably get down this boulder before the rain hits.’

Harper finished the wine and gave him back the glass. ‘What? Can’t let good wine go to waste.’

He smiled, shaking his head as he took her empty glass and returned it to his backpack along with everything else. ‘I guess we’ll literally have to take a raincheck on this.’

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