Page 35 of The Knitting Club at Wagtail Ridge

‘I’m sorry, Kim. She’s your mother and I know you loved her. But she hasn’t been the same since you left us. I’m worried for her, but Vicki has to be my first priority. I promised you I’d raise her the way we wanted. That I would look after her and love her enough for both of us. I’m trying. I really am. But it’s so hard without you.’ His voice broke and his eyes filled with tears. ‘I miss you so much …’

CHAPTER

14

‘Maggie, the gate isn’t properly latched.’

‘Oh. Sorry.’ The girl immediately swung back towards the gate, causing the lead rope she was holding to jerk tight on Digby’s halter. The alpaca gave a grunt of displeasure. ‘Oh, sorry.’ Maggie turned back to Digby and the gate started to swing open again.

Bree caught the gate and deftly slid the latch into place. ‘Gates are the most important thing to remember,’ she patiently told Maggie. ‘That and never threaten or hurt one of the animals.’

‘Yes, Miss Johnston. I’m sorry.’ The girl hung her head.

Bree sighed. Despite her advertisements in the shop and post office, and her visit to Centrelink in Muswellbrook, nineteen-year-old Maggie was the first—and only—applicant for the job as assistant, or farmhand, or whatever it was called, at The Gums.

‘It’s all right. All this is new to you.’ Bree had hoped for an assistant who had grown up on a property and was used to dealing with animals. Who knew about checking gates. And turning taps off. But Maggie was a townie. She seemed nice. Nervous and very young, but kind. That was important when dealing with animals. She’d also be dealing with clients. There would be times she’d have to tell the walkers they were doing something wrong. Or instruct them not to do something. Bree could teach her what she needed to know, but would the girl ever have the confidence to do those other things?

‘Let’s take Digby back to his stall.’

‘Yes, Miss Johnston.’ The girl’s shoulders had visibly sagged. She wasn’t stupid. She had guessed the way Bree’s thoughts were leading.

With Digby safely settled, Bree thanked Maggie for coming for the interview, but was non-committal about her chances of getting the job.

Maggie walked back to her car and Bree turned her attention to the leaky pipe that fed the water troughs in the small paddocks near the stables. She checked her watch. There’d be time to get this done before she went into town for dinner with Matt and Vicki. She had never done any serious plumbing before, but with online videos and help from the man at the plumbing supplies shop in Scone, she was pretty sure she had this.

With tools in hand, she set about trying to remove the damaged section of pipe. She locked the big adjustable wrench in place on a join and heaved on it with all her strength. It didn’t budge an inch. She tried again, with no joy. Frustration set in after the third try. She lay on her back and kicked the wrench with all the strength of her leg. The wrench moved, the pipe burst open and water poured out, instantly turning the ground to mud. Cursing under her breath, Bree realised she’d forgotten to turn off the water. She scrambled to her feet and sprinted towards the stables and the valve.

When she returned to the open pipe, she saw she would be standing or kneeling in mud to finish the job. She braced herself to pull the damaged pipe free and slipped, falling flat on her backside. If only she’d found an assistant. An extra hand would be helpful.

She kept at it until the damaged section of pipe was replaced. Crossing her muddy fingers, she turned on the water flow. The join held without so much as a drip.

‘Yay, me!’ she shouted at the sky. ‘I did it!’

As she returned the tools to the shed and sprinted towards the shower, Bree suddenly understood. She was a townie too. Even worse, she was a city girl. If she could do this, maybe Maggie could too? She should give the girl a chance. Besides, there was no-one else.

She showered in record time, but her hair would have to do. She caught it back in a clip as she decided what to wear to her not-really-a-date with Matt. Her probably-just-a-thank-you-dinner with Matt.

She looked at the dress hanging on the bedroom door. It was a nice dress by a well-known designer. So too were the shoes that were waiting on the floor a short distance away—nice and designer. She’d worn this dress on many social occasions in Sydney. It was her ‘going to dinner with a male colleague’ outfit, to be worn if she wasn’t sure if it was a date or just a working dinner. Or if she wasn’t sure which she wanted it to be.

And while she had some of those same thoughts about tonight, deep down, she could acknowledge this was simply a thank-you dinner with Matt and Vicki. She wasn’t out to impress anyone. Leaving the firm and the city and her old life was all about becoming the person she wanted to be. This was her new home. These people were the first of her new friends.

She unclipped her hair and ran her fingers through it to encourage it to flow freely in wild and slightly frizzy curls down her back. That was better. The smart dress and shoes went back into her wardrobe, replaced by her favourite long skirt and a top she had knitted out of her own alpaca yarn. A wool coat would keep her warm during the drive.

She collected a box of biscuits she’d baked that afternoon, donned her ugg boots and set off.

She parked outside Matt’s house and had barely raised her hand to knock on the front door when it was flung open and she was greeted by a grinning Vicki.

‘Hello, Miss Johnston.’

‘Hello, Vicki.’

‘How’s Digby? Is his leg better?’

Before she could answer, Matt appeared behind his daughter and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. ‘How about you let Ms Johnston come inside out of the cold first?’

‘Sorry.’ Vicki stepped back to let her enter.

Matt smiled at Bree. ‘Hi.’

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