Page 14 of Outback Reunion

‘Yeah... uh, an old fr... someone I used to know is performing.’ He gestured to the bag. ‘Can I help you carry that?’

Faith thrust it at him. ‘Thanks. You’re a godsend.’

‘Monty and Drew not here?’ he asked.

The women shook their heads.

‘Drew’s on duty, but he might pop his head in later,’ Ruby said, adjusting the flower she always wore in her hair.

‘And Monty went back to Mount Barker on Boxing Day,’ Faith added. ‘We hadn’t quite finished harvest before we came home for Christmas. I feel a bit guilty about staying, but when we heard the circus was coming to town, we had to go, didn’t we, Clance?’

She ruffled her son’s hair, and he paused jumping around only long enough to nod earnestly. ‘We going to eat popcorn!’

‘I think he’s more excited about the food than the entertainment,’ Faith said with an adoring chuckle.

Mark smiled at the boy. ‘Yum. I might have to get some of that myself.’

Since he had Faith’s bag, he had to walk with them to the entrance and make small talk. He asked how she and Monty were liking life in Mount Barker and she in turn asked after his parents.

‘They must be so pleased to have you home.’

‘Mum’s over the moon,’ he said, ‘but Dad and I are still working out the logistics of farming together.’

‘I thought your parents were moving south?’ Ruby asked.

Mark laughed. ‘Mum’s keen on that, but...’

‘Trevor needs more convincing?’ finished Faith.

He nodded. They both knew it could be almost impossible to lure a farmer away from his land.

‘Who’d have thought circuses were so popular?’ commented Ruby as they approached the entrance and eyed the long queue. ‘I thought they were a dying form of entertainment.’

‘Yeah, I’m a bit bummed they don’t have lions and elephants and stuff anymore, even though I’m a hundred percent behind the reasoning.’ Faith looked to Mark. ‘What does your friend do here?’

‘Umm...’ He swallowed, wishing he’d given another excuse for being here. ‘Not really a friend, and ah, this and that. She’s a dancer.’

Ruby and Faith wriggled their eyebrows at him and said in unison, ‘She?’

He rolled his eyes and chose not to take their bait.

As they got closer to the yellow and red striped tents with their flags flapping madly in the early-evening wind, they caught the aromas of popcorn, fairy floss and fried foods drifting from inside and Mark’s mouth watered.

Maybe he was hungry after all.

Frankie from the café and her fiancé, Logan, came up beside them, a toddler on her hip and a camera hanging round his neck.

‘Mark!’ Frankie exclaimed. ‘I barely see you in months and now two times in one week. Good to see you getting out and about again. You here with anyone?’

Before Faith or Ruby could mention his friend, he said, ‘Who’s this? Didn’t know you and Logan had popped out a sprog.’

She laughed. ‘Not ours.’

‘Frankie’s two cats are a handful enough,’ Logan interjected over the top of the carnival music drifting from inside the tents.

‘This little ratbag is Celeste—Simmo’s youngest,’ Frankie explained. Simmo—or rather Simone—was Frankie’s older sister. ‘Not really my idea of a fun Friday night, but Logan’s taking photos for theBunyip Newsand conned me into coming with him.’

He shrugged. ‘I needed a driver.’

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