I removed my hat and ran a hand through my hair. “Well, it did, but I thought… Well, I thought it was precisely just because you were a kid.”
“Why do you think I so readily accepted moving here?” I shrugged. “Of course, the most important reason was because of you, Brucey. You’ve always looked out for me, even when you’re a thousand miles away.”
I could only smile before I asked, “Want to go for a ride?”
Her smile matched my own. “Sure.” She looked over the horses. “Which one, though?”
“Take that chestnut one there,” I stated, pointing. “He’s a good sort. Co-operative. And likes a canter.”
Once we’d saddled the horses, we mounted and headed off. I had a general idea of where we should head, though didn’t mention anything, hoping it would be at least a slight surprise. As we trotted along, Emily told me about what she’d been doing with her life. She’d done well at school but had chosen not to take further education, wanting to get out into the workforce and start making money. But, as I already knew, her home-life sucked and, despite working, she couldn’t afford to buy a house, while even renting would have left her scraping to survive.
“What about your mother?” I finally asked, hoping I wasn’t opening up a major can of worms, adding “You don’t have to talk about the other night yet, either. That’s on your own time. I merely wonder about my sister.”
“Your sister. My mother.” She chuckled bitterly. “She’s a bitch.” She looked at me, gauging my reaction. I just nodded. “She’s done nothing but belittle me and my brother for years. Spent years destroying my self-confidence. I even contemplated… You know, ending it… Once or twice.” Then she looked at me and smiled. “Finally I had an escape. I just had to find the courage to finally leave.”
“She work? Has a job?”
She cracked up laughing. “You’re kidding, right. She’s claiming some sort of government benefit. No idea what for.”
“What about these men she’s with?”
“The current one does work but he also deals. The one before that was unemployed and I’m sure pimped her out. The one before that was simply a deadbeat. Used to bash her around a bit. The one before that… I think he’s now in jail for armed robbery. One before that is in jail for murder. One before that, my father, or sperm donor, as I call him, lives on the other side of the country now. The one before that, my brother’s sperm donor, was probably one of the better men she’s been with, though that’s not saying much considering…”
“Fucking hell. Is she simply off the rails or what?”
“No idea. All I know is that I’ve spent most of my teenage years fending for myself.”
“I had no idea. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologise, Brucey. Not like I told you much about it. I couldn’t because…”
“You figured I’d worry?”
“I knew you’d drive all the way into the city to collect me. And my brother.”
“I’m tempted to say you should simply cut all contact with her.”
“I will eventually.”
“Does she know where you are?” She shook her head. “I wonder if she’ll call me. Can’t rightly remember the last time I actually spoke to her.”
“You can tell her that I’m here if you want. I’m 19 years old. I no longer have to answer to her.”
The land of the farm wasn’t completely flat as we ended up traversing a series of rolling hills before we finally crested one that would give a spectacular view of what lay ahead. Much of the land was dry, though wasn’t what people though as desert. There was plenty of grass as far as the eye could see, with small outcrops of trees. In the valley below ran a river that was full for the first time in years. I heard Emily gasp beside me as I knew she’d never seen it before.
“I had no idea it existed,” she said quietly.
“The last time you were out here, this thing was barely a creek. But apparently there’s been plenty of rain up in the mountains. News is that this will remain full for a long time to come. Good as we needed the rain.”
“Is it safe to swim?”
“Of course. It doesn’t flow fast and is plenty deep. All you’ll have to bring is your swimming costume.”
“Good thing I brought a bikini or two.” I looked at her as she shrugged. “I figured I may get a little sun out this way.”
“You’ll get plenty, that’s for sure. We’ll definitely head back this way and you can have your swim.”
“Will you join me?”
“Sure. I love a good swim as much as the next man.”
We turned our horses around and headed in a different direction, take a long circuit back towards the farm. We rode by some of the sheep, many of them definitely on the verge of requiring a good shear, Emily once again mentioning that she’d like to learn how to do that. We ended up in another paddock where some of the cattle was kept, joking that one of them may end up on our dinner plate one day.
“Good thing I’m not a vegetarian,” she stated, taking everything in her stride.
Arriving back at the farm in time for a late lunch, I made us some sandwiches, with bread I actually made myself, that fact alone making quite a significant impression, or so it seemed. I don’t bake but it’s difficult to get certain things this far out and, considering I didn’t want to drive into the nearest town all the time, I’d learned to do certain things for myself in the kitchen.
I rarely watched TV but always treated myself to a few hours of an afternoon on a Sunday when I watched the football, always with a couple of beers and some snacks. I didn’t expect Emily to have any interest whatsoever so was surprised when she took a seat next to me on the couch with a beer of her own. Asking what sort of football then who was playing, she seemed quite content to sit and watch beside me, asking the occasional question but otherwise watching in silence. I guess she wanted company as much as she wanted to keep me company.
When the game was finished, I wasn’t that surprised to hear her offer of making dinner. Unable to remember the last time anyone had made me dinner; I took her up on her kindly offer. I was polite enough to join her in the kitchen, watching from the table as she soon learned what was available in the pantry and the fridge and was soon cooking up a storm. I always cooked simple food, generally meat, potato and vegetables. It was obvious that Emily wasn’t cooking the same sort of thing.
I probably cleared my plate in five minutes after that first tasty bite. I was hungry but it was so goddamned tasty at the same time. I left her in a fit of giggles when I leaned back and burped.
“Sorry, used to living alone,” I stated.
“I’ll take it as a sign of appreciation for my cooking skills.”
“You’ve got yourself a job right there, young lady. You were working in a kitchen, right?”
“I was but they never took my skills seriously because I wasn’t officially trained.”
“If you can cook things like that, you have absolute free reign around my kitchen.”
She smiled. “I like to bake too.”
“You’re going to make one man very happy one day.” Her cheeks flushed and I figured I’d embarrassed her. “Just being honest, Em. A way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
“I was told the best way to keep a man happy is to simply feed him and fuck him.”
I looked at her, a face of innocence returned my way, before I burst into laughter. “Yeah, that’s what I meant too.”
I helped clear up, the two of us making a good team as everything used was cleaned, dried and put away, before we grabbed another beer each and sat on the veranda again. I think she already understood that it was a nightly ritual. We chatted a little bit but once again enjoyed the sound of silence, before I headed inside to have a shower.
I thought nothing of walking from the bathroom to my room with just a towel around me but came to a stop when I bumped into Emily. I noticed her cheeks redden as she looked me up and down. “Something wrong?” I asked, drying my hair with another towel.
“No. No. It’s just… I didn’t expect…”
“Oh… Sorry. I didn’t think. I’ll remember to wear a shirt or something next time.”
“Oh… I’m not complaining. I’m definitely not complaining.” Then she put a hand to her forehead. “That sounded worse than it should have.”
I laughed. “Guess this will take some time getting used to for both of us.”
She turned to head into her room but stopped and looked back at me. “You are a good looking man, Brucey. Leaves me wondering why you’re single.” I must have stood there, looking utterly dumbfounded, as she just smiled and said, “Good night.”
“Yeah, good night.”
The next week flew by as it was the start of the shearing season, waking before dawn each morning for breakfast before we headed out to start gathering the sheep. As she’d said, Emily was soon getting involved with all the enthusiasm I expected. She found it tough as shearing sheep took a lot of physical effort, the little bastards always straining against your hold as you tried to get their woollen coats off. She was knocked on her arse more than once by an uncooperative sheep but impressed me and my men when she got straight back up, dusted herself down and tried again.
At the end of each long day, bodies covered in sweat and dirt, muscles aching from the exertion, we’d always share the cooking duties before sitting down for dinner. We’d then shower before sitting out on the veranda, enjoying a cold beer. The first couple of nights ended with Emily falling asleep in her chair. I had no problem lifting her up and carrying her to bed. At least she weighed less than a sheep. The second time it happened, she woke up as I carried her and she just gave me this smile that part of my brain couldn’t help but misinterpret. But that’s all it was. Just a smile. I just think that she was finally happy.
Sunday being our day off, we were still up early though at least after the sun was up. She actually cooked what can only be describe as a full English breakfast, a real treat considering I never cooked breakfast for myself. The plate put in front of me looked delicious but the kiss on the cheek was what surprised me most. “This is for all the hard work this week. And for letting me feel like part of the gang,” she added.