Page 96 of Outback Reunion

Gabi blinked. ‘Oh?’

Frankie smiled. ‘My fiancé Logan works in Geraldton and he has a degenerative eye disease, which means he’s slowly losing his sight, so we’re moving there because he won’t be able to drive for much longer and me driving back and forth to the café every day isn’t practical. But if you’re looking for work in the Bay, I can put you in touch with the new owner. We’re always in need of casuals.’

Gabi wondered if Frankie had mistaken her for someone who wasn’t just passing through town, but before she could set her straight, they were joined by Henri and her sister, whom she introduced as Tilley.

‘What grade is your little girl in?’ Tilley asked.

‘Um... Luna’s grade two age, but she’s home-schooled.’

Tilley nodded in reply and then started singing the praises of Bunyip Bay Primary School. ‘Not that there’s anything wrong with home-schooling, but Luna must miss things like sports carnivals and Book Week dress-up days.’

A string of other people followed Tilley, coming and going to talk to Gabi, each telling her something special about Bunyip Bay.

Ruby, who Frankie introduced as one of her closest friends, and her policeman husband, Drew, told her how Ruby had moved back to the town after escaping a toxic relationship and how he’d come here escaping something else entirely.

‘Neither of us could imagine living anywhere else,’ he said, winking at Ruby.

She also waxed lyrical about her horses and the riding school she ran for local kids.

‘And adults. Do you and Luna ride?’

‘We know our way around a horse but don’t currently have any at the circus. Luna can ride a camel though, does that count?’

Everyone laughed and Tilley jumped in. ‘If Luna wants to learn properly, Ruby’s the one to teach her. She’s got a gift.’

Luna might be a quick learner, but they were only here another few days, besides Gabi didn’t really have the money for riding lessons. ‘I’ll keep that in mind,’ she said politely.

Ruby and Tilley eventually moved on, but before Gabi could get closer to the pool to check that Luna wasn’t pestering Mark too much, another local commandeered her. This one asked if she played netball, another couple of women talked about their book club—which read more wine labels than they did actual books—and someone invited her to a CWA Belles meeting.

It was almost as if they were pitching Bunyip Bay to her like real estate agents, but it wasn’t until she spoke to Stella that she realised this was exactly what was happening.

After changing Lily, Stella flopped into the chair that the CWA Belles woman had vacated to go refill her punch. ‘Having fun?’

Gabi nodded. ‘Seems an odd day for a party though. Don’t people have to work?’

Stella shrugged as she jiggled the baby on her lap. ‘Most of us here are farmers and we’re pretty flexible. Except during seeding and harvest, that is. Adam and I both spend almost every waking hour in the paddocks then. I’m not sure how this one was conceived during seeding—we’re usually like ships passing in the night.’

‘She’s so cute,’ Gabi said, smiling down at Lily, who was sucking on a bright yellow dummy.

Stella pressed a kiss against her near-bald head. ‘We think so. Do you want to hold her?’

‘Are you sure?’ Part of Gabi desperately wanted to, but she was also terrified Lily would scream blue murder the moment she landed in her arms. Like a dog who could sense fear, maybe the baby would sense that she wasn’t skilled in the baby department.

In reply, Stella grinned and passed her daughter over.

‘How old is she again?’ Gabi asked, relishing the warm, squishy bundle who looked up at her with big, blue eyes. Was that her ovaries she felt quivering?

‘Four weeks today actually.’ They were both quiet for a moment, then Stella said, ‘You’re obviously a natural with babies. She won’t go to everyone.’

Gabi half-laughed. ‘I was terrible with Luna.’

The other woman frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

‘She had colic really bad and only my husband or his mother could settle her. Where Luna was concerned, I couldn’t do anything right.’

‘I’m sure that’s not the case, but those early months can be tough. Heidi had colic too.’

‘Oh my God.’ Gabi remembered Luna’s heartbreaking cries echoing around the lot late at night. ‘How did you cope on your own?’

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