Page 136 of The Vet from Snowy River
This time her squeal got buried in the lapel of his jacket before his eardrum was perforated.
‘Dad, that is so amazing only …’
She pursed her lips.
‘Only what?’
‘Who’s going to break the news to Jane?’
He pulled her ponytail. ‘You working here tonight or what?’
‘Of course I’m working. I’m Graeme’s right-hand girl.’
‘Well, go find me a beer, will you, kiddo?’ he said, his eyes roaming the crowd until they found Vera’s smiling face. ‘Your dad’s in the mood to celebrate.’
ONE YEAR LATER
Vera scrolled up to the first page of her manuscript and sat for a moment before typing out the word.
D-E-D-I-C-A-T-I-O-N
She felt a little teary. Was this what closure felt like? She hoped so. God, how she hoped so. How many months ago had it been when she had made that rash promise to herself and to Jill that she could make a difference?
The shame she’d felt when she’d thought she’d let her aunt down had made her life so very bleak.
A deep purr rose from under her desk and she nudged her slippered feet against the plump sides of her old grey cat.
‘You’re right, Daisy,’ she said. ‘That’s all behind me now.’
The cat had snoozed beside her—at her feet, across her keyboard, sprawled across the reference book she most particularly needed to read—for every word of this guidebook for families trying to navigate the aged care sector. As Vera had typed, Daisy’s injuries had healed and word-by-word, month-by-month, she had finally come to believe that her own wounds had healed, too. She had fulfilled her promises; to her aunt that she would campaign for change, to the bundle of fur she’d once offered a saucer of milk to in an alleyway. A publisher had put their faith in her and offered her a contract; aged care workers and facilities and families had helped her with research so the guidebook contained perspectives that differed from her own.
She was proud of it. She was proud of herself, for seeing it through.
To my Aunt, she typed.You lived a full and fearless life and deserved to be safe, respected and cared for in your final years. This book is for you, Jill, and for all the other fierce and fabulous women who grow old before their time.
A large pair of hands slid over her shoulders and she leaned her head back into the warmth that was Josh.
‘I think I’ve finished.’
He leaned down and pressed a kiss into her temple, letting his hands slide down and around the swell of baby belly pushing out her dress. ‘I’m proud of you.’
She covered his hands with her own and took the moment to just be. ‘You know what, Josh?’
He pressed his cheek to hers. ‘What?’
‘I’m proud of me, too.’
‘I’ve got something to show you.’
She smiled. ‘Is that a line? Because I’m pretty sure I’ve seen what you’ve got to offer, Josh Cody, and I am one hundred per cent in.’
‘Don’t distract me with saucy talk, Vera Cody. Come on.’
She followed him out of the large open-plan room he’d made in the second storey of his grandparents’ apartment block, then down the hall with its polished timber floors and extravagant trim. They passed the doorway to Poppy’s room, then to their room, then he halted at the door to the other as-yet-unused bedroom.
‘Shut your eyes.’
She shut her eyes and held her hands out to the man she trusted more than life itself. ‘Show me.’
