Page 14 of Wedding Bells By the Creek

‘See you there, then,’ Tia said as the three of them turned away.

‘All right.’ Ed looked down at the envelope in his hands and then he looked up to see Helen glance back over her shoulder at him as she walked away. He slid the envelope into the post box.

When he arrived at the pub, he found Trish Warren standing in the middle of the bar, giving orders.

‘Jack, there’ll be a load of kegs coming this week. And some wine. Make sure the wine boxes get stored properly. Helen is staying for a few more days, I think. And we’ve got one more booking, starting tomorrow. A Mrs Wills. She’s travelling alone. But I suppose that’s not so unusual these days as it used to be. Anyway, put her in room number five.’

‘It’s OK, Trish. I’ve got it.’ Behind the bar, Jack North smiled in a tolerant fashion. ‘I’ve done this before, you know.’

‘Yes, but I’ve always been here to make sure you did it right.’ Trish pointed a finger in Jack’s general direction. ‘Without me or Syd, this place is likely to just go to rack and ruin. I don’t want to come back and find that we’ve gone broke, or the pub has burned down. Or you’ve got Fosters coming out of the VB tap.’

‘You’re going away?’ Ed couldn’t hide his shock. He couldn’t remember Trish and Syd ever leaving the pub.

‘Just for a week,’ Trish said. ‘Syd’s sister has taken a house on the coast. She’s bringing the whole family with her. Kids, grandkids. The lot. They asked us to come too, and we thought we might as well. It’s a good chance to see them all. Mind you, some of those grandnieces and nephews need a bit of taking in hand. I’m not so sure about these modern ideas about parenting. I’m no expert, of course, but you know what they say …’

Trish’s voice droned on, but Ed was no longer listening. He took a seat at the bar in a position where he could sip a cold beer and watch the door for Helen’s return.

‘It’s going to be beautiful,’ Helen said in a quiet voice.

‘There’s a lot of work to do before it deserves to be called beautiful,’ Max said. ‘But I think one day it will get there.’

‘Mum’s right.’ Tia reached out to take Max’s hand. ‘It’s beautiful already. I can’t wait until it’s finished.’

The three of them were standing beside a half built structure that would one day be a large and airy home. The main body of the house was surrounded on all four sides by a wide bull-nosed veranda. The high roof suggested that the rooms would be light and cool even in the hottest summer. The house was set at the crest of a slight rise in the surrounding land and the big sliding glass doors at the front looked down over a line of tall gums and bright willows that shaded Coorah Creek.

‘And you are doing this all by yourself?’ Helen asked Max in wonder.

‘Not all of it,’ he replied. ‘I needed help with some of the structural stuff. But the bulk of that is done now. It’s just the interiors. I’m doing all the timber work, and Jack North, a local guy, will do the electrics for me.’

‘We are going to do all the painting ourselves,’ Tia said, her voice warm with affection. ‘If we can agree. So far the only colour we have agreed on is that the ceilings will be white.’

Her laugh was cut short when Max took her gently by the shoulders and turned her to face him.

‘I will do you a deal,’ he said. ‘You can paint the place any colours you like. I’ll even agree to the purple bathroom – just marry me before we move in.’

Tia froze. ‘What?’

Helen’s heart skipped a beat as Max took both of Tia’s hands in his.

‘Surely this isn’t a surprise? Why do you think I was so pushy about getting Helen and you together? You needed to sort out your past before we could have a future. Together.’

Max took his eyes off Tia just for a moment, and looked at Helen, who nodded as tears began to run down her cheeks.

He turned back to Tia. ‘I think maybe you’re ready now. And I sure as hell don’t want to wait any longer. I’ll get down on one knee if that’s what it takes, but I am asking, Felicity Walsh, if you would please stop beating around the bush … and marry me. I love you and I promise I will always love you. More than anything else this world has to offer, I want to share my life with you. Please just say yes.’

‘Yes.’

Helen’s eyes swam with tears as her daughter flung herself into Max’s arms and kissed him. She stepped back a fraction, so as not to intrude on their most private and passionate moment. She was so happy for them both. She had only known Max for a few days, but she believed and trusted him. For that matter, she had only known Tia for a few days really, but one glance at the two of them told her they were very much in love.

Happy as she was for them both, one small part of her was terribly jealous. No man had ever looked at her the way Max looked at Tia. She thought back on the men in her life. Tia’s biological father, who had vanished the day he found out that Helen was pregnant. She could barely remember his face. There had been too many others … men with whom she had sought refuge, trading herself for a home and safety for her daughter. Ending with the one who had driven them apart. No man had ever made her feel the way Tia looked right now. She hated herself for feeling that glimmer of jealousy, but she couldn’t help it. She turned away to walk down to the creek and leave the two of them alone, but had only taken a couple of steps when Tia’s voice called her back.

‘Mum. Let’s go. We will go into town and celebrate.’

‘All right.’ Helen blinked away her tears before she turned around to follow them back to Max’s car.

It didn’t take long to drive back to the Creek. They pulled over at the pub, and Tia led the way inside.

The first person Helen saw was Ed. He was sitting at the bar in a place where he could see anyone who came in through the pub’s front door. As he spotted Helen, he smiled at her.

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