Page 18 of Wedding Bells By the Creek

‘So, tell me about the puppies,’ Helen said, when they were both settled inside.

‘They’re Golden Labradors,’ Ed said, pulling away from the kerb. ‘Years ago, my son Scott adopted a stray Lab. When he ran away from home, he left her behind with me. I kind of got used to having her around. She was very old when Scott finally came back. I think maybe she was just waiting for him. Then she died.’

‘Oh, Ed. I’m sorry.’

‘Don’t be. She had been failing for a while. It was as if she was happy to see him again, and then she just went to sleep and never woke up.’

‘You must miss her.’

‘I do. The funny thing was, I adopted a stray cat. A tabby called Bill. He and I rub along all right together. But I think I’d like another dog.’

‘What will Bill think?’

‘Bill’s tough as old boot leather. He’ll get the puppy trained pretty quickly.’

Beside him, Helen laughed. She seemed more able to do that now. Even a few days had changed her.

‘I’m glad things are going better for you and Tia now.’

Beside him, he heard her take a deep slow breath. ‘Thank you. It’s … well … it’s wonderful. We’ve spent hours and hours just talking. Saying things we should have said a long time ago. It’s even better than I had ever hoped, seeing her again. She’s become such a wonderful young woman, despite …’ her voice broke just a little ‘… despite everything that happened. Despite my failure.’

‘No.’ The vehemence in his voice surprised both of them. ‘You didn’t fail her. You did the best you could. It’s all any of us can do. And you loved her. That’s what matters. She knows that now, I hope.’

‘I think she does.’

‘Good.’

Ed slowed for a corner, and risked a quick glance across at Helen. She looked pensive, but not sad. ‘I guess you’re getting caught up in wedding preparations.’

‘Oh yes. It’s exciting. Every mother dreams of planning her daughter’s wedding. Even after she left, I used to fantasise that I’d be doing this. And now I am and you know what … it’s nothing like I imagined. I certainly never thought we’d be doing it in a place like this. But this is so much better that I ever dreamed. It really is.’

The excitement in her voice reached deep inside Ed sparking emotions that he had long since thought were dead.

‘That’s good,’ he said gruffly.

‘We’re even talking about taking a few days to go dress shopping in the city.’

‘I guess that will be fun.’ Ed knew nothing at all about dress shopping, but even a bloke could figure out that a wedding dress needed the sort of shop that just didn’t exist in a place like Coorah Creek. Probably not even in Mount Isa. It probably meant a major expedition down to Toowoomba, or even Brisbane. Ed didn’t like the city. Never had. He hadn’t been back east in … years. But anything that made Helen sound so happy was a good move in Ed’s mind. Just as long as she came back.

He pulled into the driveway outside a well-kept home. ‘Here we are.’

The puppies were just seven weeks old. Along with their mother, they occupied the laundry at the back of the house. There were five of them, all fat and healthy and full of life. They wriggled and squirmed and climbed on top of each other, eager for attention.

‘Oh. They are so cute!’ Helen sounded like a young girl in her excitement. ‘May I pick one up?’

‘Of course.’

By the time the owner had explained that the puppies were ‘mostly’ Labrador and would be ready to go to their new homes very soon, Helen was sitting on the floor, with puppies crawling all over her lap.

‘You are the first,’ the owner told Ed. ‘So you can pick whichever one you like.’

Ed barely heard what she was saying, as Helen turned and looked up at him, her face shining.

‘Aren’t they just lovely?’

Lovely was a good word. But it wasn’t the puppies Ed was thinking of. One particularly adventurous puppy scrambled onto Helen’s lap, then climbed and wiggled his way into her arms. As she picked him up, the puppy lunged forward and began licking her face. Ed was almost jealous.

‘That’s the one,’ he said quickly.

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