Page 52 of Outback Reunion

Stella smiled reassuringly. ‘I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t.’

Two and a half hours later, after a shower and a siesta, Gabi threw on her maxi dress—the only bit of clothing she owned that was suitable for the occasion—and said goodbye to Loud Mouth, who uttered a few rude words about her absconding.

‘I won’t be long,’ she promised, hoping this was the case. As lovely as Adam and Stella were, she felt nervous socialising with people outside the circus. The rare occasions she did so, she always felt drained afterwards.

She waved at her in-laws who were coming back from a late afternoon walk along the beach—still unable to look at either of them without thinking of their pretty-much-open marriage—then climbed into her old wagon and punched Stella and Adam’s address into the GPS app on her phone. The car made a coughing sound as she turned the key in the ignition, no doubt hot after spending the day sitting in the sun.

‘Come on...’ she coaxed. ‘We’re not going far.’

This time when she tried again, it started properly, and she caressed the steering wheel in thanks. Gabi put Luna’s favourite tunes list on Spotify—it consisted of a lot of Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and Olivia Rodrigo—and then followed the directions down the main street of Bunyip Bay and onto the highway. About five minutes north, she turned right onto a much rougher road, but thanks to their travel around the country, she was an experienced driver on many terrains. It amazed her that there could be paddocks and low shrubbery on either side of the road when they were so close to the beach. She could still smell the sea air through her open window, yet now there were also strong scents of dust and something else she couldn’t put her finger on.

When a white cockatoo swooped down to investigate some kangaroo roadkill on the bitumen, Gabi swerved around it. As she did so, she noticed a farm sign out of the corner of her eye. Wondering if she’d arrived at Adam and Stella’s farm faster than the GPS said, she slowed to read the names on the sign: ‘T and M Morgan’.

Her pulse accelerated. Were they Mark’s parents? Was thisMark’sfarm?

Hadn’t Adam said they were neighbours?

Sensing movement in her rear-view mirror, she looked up to see a car towing a caravan behind her and quickly moved on. It wasn’t long before she spotted another sign, this time announcing Burton & Son as the owners. As she turned down the road, she couldn’t help thinking about the similarities between circuses and farms. Most were family enterprises, passed down for generations.

Did farmers ever question what they wanted to do with their lives or, like her, did they just accept their fate?

She drove past paddocks of stubble indicating the recent harvest, another one with sheep munching on dry grass, and a cluster of sheds before a building came into view. And took her breath away. It looked like something from one of thoseEscape to the CountryTV programs that she loved to watch in her spare moments between shows. A house that had probably been built in the early 1900s and had clearly been added onto more than once over the years sat in the middle of a large, well-tended garden with a swing set and trampoline out the front.

Gabi could hardly imagine having this much space. What would you evendowith it?

Well, for starters she’d have a garden jam-packed with colourful flowers and a special swing where she could sit and read on sunny afternoons.

As she slowed the wagon, trying to work out where to park, she saw Stella approach through the front gate, waving her hand madly. She was dressed in cut-off denim shorts and a hot pink singlet and despite being the mother of two—one a newborn—she looked radiant.

‘Park anywhere,’ she called.

Gabi chose a spot under a gum tree and climbed out.

‘You found us!’ Stella threw her arms around her as if they were old friends. ‘The kids are out the back with Adam in the pool. Heidi adores Luna. They’re having the time of their life.’

Stella let her go and Gabi followed her through the front garden, onto the porch and through the front door.

‘Wow, this place is gorgeous,’ she said. Whereas she and Luna had a small pinboard of her favourite photos on one wall in the caravan, Stella and Adam had lined the hallway with beautifully framed photos of them, Heidi and others she guessed were friends and family. As they walked towards a huge open kitchen, Gabi kept looking around, glancing into rooms and wondering what lay behind the closed doors. ‘I can’t believe you have so muchroom! And you’ve decorated so beautifully.’

‘Thanks. I still have to pinch myself sometimes that it’s mine. Now can I get you a glass of wine? I can’t drink, cos I’m breastfeeding, but don’t let that stop you.’

Gabi thought it might be rude to drink when her host was not, but perhaps it would help loosen her up a little. ‘Thank you. That would be lovely.’

Stella grabbed a bottle of rosé from the fridge, poured a glass for Gabi and threw ice into a glass of water for herself before they headed outside in the direction of the splashes and squeals. On the back verandah, Lily was asleep in a bassinet-type thing with a mosquito net over the top.

Lucky baby.The nap had only made a tiny dent in Gabi’s exhaustion.

The moment Luna saw her, she shouted, ‘Mum! Watch this. Watch this. Adam, can we do the trick again?’

He grinned. ‘Sure.’

Gabi watched as he lifted Luna up so she could stand on his shoulders, and then he turned around once before she plunged into the water.

‘I hope you’re not wearing Adam out,’ Gabi called, before taking a sip of her wine.

However things had been between he and Gabi, Dante had always been a hands-on father, so it was unsurprising to see her basking in the father-like attention.

‘She’s fine,’ he replied.

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