Maggie, chewing enthusiastically, gives Audrey a reluctant thumbs up.
‘The chicken was delicious.’ I put my knife and fork together. ‘Thank you.’
‘I’ve been meaning to ask, how are the works on the vet practice going?’
‘Frank says he’ll be done by the end of January.’
‘What a shame you won’t be here to enjoy the fruits of his labour.’
I fold my serviette. ‘The new kitchen will be lovely, and the bedroom upstairs now has an ensuite.’
‘It was beyond Julia’s means to renovate.’ Audrey lowers her voice. ‘According to Frank, Cam mortgaged his farm to cover the costs. He wanted the job done properly.’
‘Good lad,’ Maggie says appreciatively.
‘Who is ready for dessert?’ Julia calls out.
Milly and Benedict both stand. ‘Thank you, Julia,’ Benedict says, ‘but we’d better get back to our dear Belle. We could have been imagining it, but she was restless this afternoon.’
‘I put her in the pen before we left,’ Milly says.
‘If we need Amelie—’ Benedict sends me a smile, ‘—we’ll know where to find her.’
People appear to give gifts at any time of the evening, but the gift I have for Cameron isn’t in my bag, and I don’t want anyone to think I’ve excluded him, so I leave my gifts by the tree. We’re all sitting down to White Christmas, Miss Winters’ ice-cream, meringue and frozen berry dessert, when my phone buzzes. With an apologetic glance, I take it out of my pocket.
‘It’s Christmas Eve,’ Jimmy says. ‘Tell them you need a break.’
‘You did too good a job in handing out my cards.’ I’m smiling as I walk from the table to take the call. Keith Urban, tinsel around his neck, follows me out. ‘Amelie Peterson.’
Milly’s voice is panicked. ‘There’s something wrong! Please come!’
‘Tell me what’s happening.’
‘Belle is straining but we can’t see anything coming out.’
‘I’m on my way.’ Turning quickly, I bump into Cameron, then take a step back. ‘It’s Belle, Milly and Benedict’s cow.’
‘It’s her first calf, isn’t it? What’s the problem?’
‘The calf is possibly breech so I could be hours and Keith Urban would have to wait around. Can you ask Anna to have him overnight?’
He’s frowning in concern. ‘Sure.’
I’m at the bottom step of the verandah when I look back. ‘Can you also ask someone to drive Maggie and Rocket and Miss Winters home? Can you explain to everyone?’
‘No problem.’ Tall and supportive, hair now long enough to be very slightly scruffy, Cameron has one hand on the post and the other at his side. He’ll have more experience in breech births than I do, but if he offers to help, he might offend me. I know him better than I did; he knows me better too.
‘I might need your help, Cameron. Will you come with me?’
A flash of white teeth. ‘Two minutes.’
I’m still changing into the spare set of clothes I keep in the ute when Cameron throws a bag onto the back seat. He’s added boots to his shirt and jeans.
‘I haven’t got my boots on yet.’ Still doing up buttons on my shirt, I open the passenger door. ‘You drive.’
Chapter 20
Besides checking I have obstetrical chains and calf pullers, and Cameron reassuring me that many country vets don’t use portable ultrasound machines and it’s not my fault I don’t have one, we speak sparingly on the way to Milly and Benedict’s. Our eyes meet as he unclicks his belt.