Mountain Ash (7 page)

According to the public Alex McGregor, who was fielding Worksafe inspectors, ‘it was an accident', ‘no one's fault specifically', but behind closed doors he'd let his wrath fall on his son.

‘You fucking idiot! What were you thinking? Oh, that's right, as usual you
weren't
thinking, were you?!' His father had paced the plush carpet of his office, his face screwed into a furious red ball. ‘The man could've died! Still
might
die, and then where will I be? I'll be sued! I'll have to pay him shitloads and he'd only just started here, for fuck's sake! And the whole
district will be talking about us! Laughing at us! Do I have to be by your side the
whole
time? Don't you ever
think
about the consequences before you go and fuck up?'

Now, in retrospect, Nate agreed he could have thought it through a little better. But only to a point. He should have made sure the cattle were locked in the paddock before racing off into the bush. They were his first priority along with the men in his charge. But if he had done that, the wild dog would have been gone and seeing they'd had some cross-bred ewes with holes burrowed into their sides from rancid teeth seeking kidneys, he could still also see the urgency of shooting the feral mutt.

‘I was trying to shoot the bloody dog. The one you've been complaining about for weeks! The cattle were near the gate. I thought it'd be all right to leave.'

‘Leave?
Leave!
You never leave until the job is done.'

‘Well this time
I'm
done.' Nate turned to go.

‘You come back here, you insolent bastard.'

But Nate kept walking out of the office, meeting his mother, who'd obviously been listening behind the closed door.

‘Nate?' she said.

‘I'm leaving, Mum.'

‘No! Honey, wait!' cried Elizabeth.

Alex came storming up behind them. ‘Where do you think you're going?'

‘As far away from you as I can get.'

‘Nathaniel!' Elizabeth had a hand to her mouth. ‘Don't talk to your father like that!'

‘I can and I will. It's how he talks to me.'

Nate stormed down the passage. His mother followed. ‘But, Nathaniel …?' she said before she stopped midway along the hall. Hesitated. Spun to look at her husband, who was hard
on her heels. Nate turned at the doorway to the formal lounge and took in his parents standing there. His mother, torn and desperate; his father, angry and resentful. But together. Them against him.

‘I'll pack my bag and be gone.'

Alex had pushed past Elizabeth and confronted his son again. The men were the same height, but Alex was the heavier. ‘You're going nowhere, young man. If you can't grow up and learn how to run this place properly, then what good are you?'

‘In your eyes, I'll never be as good as you, and you don't want me to be either.'

When Alex let fly with a right hook, determined to put his son in his rightful place, Nate had worn the punch. He'd watched the fist come towards his face in slow motion. Felt flesh connect with flesh. The sudden burst of unbelievable pain, as his jaw moved with the momentum of the punch. The solid throb that followed as he checked his teeth with his tongue to make sure none were adrift. As he brought his head back around to face his parents he watched his mother sink down the hallway wall, fear on her face, something else flashing in her eyes. What was it? Resignation? Shame?

Alex McGregor had shown no remorse, though. He remained wild-eyed, frustrated and angry.

Nate, with a nod to his mother and one last withering look at Alex, had then left, returning home once for Elizabeth's funeral, two years later, and the second time to see if the lay of the land had changed. It hadn't and that was six years back. It was then he finally worked out that, when it came to men like Alex McGregor, they could never really love and give over what they considered important. Land. Money. Position. Power.

On Glenevelyn there was no place for his son.

Jodie got out of the car, smoothed her good shirt, rubbed her Ariat high-tops against the back of her jeans to shine the toes, and made her way into the solicitor's office. Milly skipped along behind her, cute in a similar outfit.

Jodie moved towards the reception desk where a middle-aged woman with perfectly coiffured hair sat on an office chair. Glasses perched on the end of her nose enabled the woman to look Jodie up and down with undisguised distaste. Glennys Muldeen was one of those local Catholic women with a bachelor son – and he was going to stay a bachelor, if Glennys had anything to do with it. That was unless he found a girl who went to church on Sunday wearing a dress, baked like her prospective mother-in-law, didn't smoke, drink or swear, and definitely hadn't had sex and wouldn't before she was married.

‘Milly, mate, you're going to have to stay out here and play with some toys.'

‘But, Mum!' Her daughter wasn't happy. Milly cast apprehensive glances at Glennys.

‘No, hon. This is important.' Jodie looked straight at Glennys. ‘That okay with you, Mrs Muldeen?'

A slight nod from the regal head.

‘Jodie! Milly! How lovely to see you.' Phil Grieg, another of her father's old chess partners, came bustling from his office, a portly figure with an arm outstretched, and a wide smile on his round face. ‘Mrs Muldeen would love to care for Milly for a few minutes, wouldn't you, Glennys?' Phil beamed at them all now. ‘It'll get her ready for all those grandchildren Richard's going to give her. He's engaged, you know.'

Jodie turned to Glennys. ‘Richard's engaged?' She tried her hardest to keep the incredulity out of her voice, but it was there, enough that Glennys picked up on it.

The receptionist lifted her chin. ‘Charity is a
nice
girl.'

Like Jodie wasn't. Youch. Round one to Glennys.

‘And are they getting married any time soon?' asked Jodie.

‘Yes. I do believe the wedding will be next month.'

‘Oooo, so hasty,' said Jodie, sweetness oozing from her voice. ‘Is she up the duff?'

‘Right this way, Jodie,' said Phil, grabbing Jodie's arm and dragging her towards his office. ‘Stay there, Milly, like a good girl. Play with the Lego and we'll be back shortly.'

Jodie's last view of Mrs Muldeen was a bright red face matching her button-down collar. Round two to me, she thought with satisfaction, as the door closed.

‘Jodie, I wish you wouldn't do that!' said Phil, before letting go of her arm and moving to the other side of his desk.

‘She's a sanctimonious old bat. You can't tell me she doesn't know her son's slept with half the women in the district. I've
only been here three years and even
I
know it! Just why is it okay for a man to do that and not a woman?'

‘Richard isn't
like
that,' said Phil in a high-pitched sing-song tone, perfectly impersonating his receptionist. ‘He's a good Catholic boy.'

‘Good boy, my arse. He's got at least one child that I know of, plus goodness knows how many broken hearts behind him. He's a cowboy. That's what they do. Leave a trail of shattered lives.'

Phil made a motion with his hands to sit down. ‘Settle, girl. Just because he struts around town in a big hat doesn't mean he's a cowboy. He only farms part-time, you know. Works as a casual on the shire fixing roads the other half of his life.'

‘When he's not screwing around …'

‘Hopefully Charity will stop that.'

‘Yeah, well, she'll want to be as charitable as her name, having to put up with that philandering bugger.'

Phil smiled slightly and picked up a file in front of him. ‘Let's move on to your father's estate and the house. You'll be pleased to know you have about thirty thousand dollars left after everything is paid up. Enough for a deposit on a house …'

Jodie sat back in her chair, stunned. So they weren't poor? Not yet. Thirty thousand wasn't a lot but it
could
be enough.

Across the desk, Phil tore his glasses from his nose, and said, ‘That's unless Alex has popped the question?'

‘Hardly, Phil. Why? Do you know something I don't?' Phil also owned the local jewellery store.

‘Moi? Good enough for Alex McGregor? I hardly think that when our shire councillor decides to get married again he'll be buying a ring off a two-bit jewellery store like mine.'

‘Just checking,' said Jodie, not sure if she felt relieved or disappointed. She'd kind of thought Alex was leading towards
something with tonight's dinner date, which made her feel awfully queasy and excited at the same time.

‘So you have thirty grand. Invest it wisely, my girl, and when you're ready to jump, just yell.' Phil's wife owned the local real-estate agency, where Gavan Wright worked. There was no doubt about Narree. It was an incestuous kind of place, especially when it came to business – like most country towns.

‘I'll do that, Phil. Thanks for the advice.'

The solicitor got up and came around to her side of the desk. He pulled her out of the chair and wrapped her in a big hug. The top of Phil's head only came to Jodie's forehead, but she could feel the affection in the embrace. ‘Today's a difficult day, I know. I'm so glad I could give you some good news. Marie and I worry about you.'

Jodie gave the man a squeeze and moved back from his embrace. She couldn't do comfort today. Correction. She couldn't
afford
to do comfort today, otherwise she'd end up in a sobbing, blubbering mess. ‘I'm fine. I'm tough.'

Phil stared at her, his usually jovial face now turned serious. ‘We know that, Jodie, but sometimes it helps if things can be made easier. Like the deposit for the house …' He squinted his eyes as if he wanted to make a point. ‘And marrying a man like Alex McGregor.'

Jodie sighed. Even Phil reckoned Alex's suit of her was sensible. So why did she have these niggling doubts?

‘Anyway, enough of this serious stuff,' said Phil, grabbing hold of her arm and bustling her to the door. He'd obviously decided he'd thrown enough wild cards at her today. ‘You've got a daughter waiting patiently out here …' He opened the door, revealing Milly perched on the end of his receptionist's desk, waving a bottle of white liquid ink.

‘And so I just dab it here, Mrs Muldeen?' Jodie's daughter was saying to the woman, who was using the photocopier.

‘Yes, dear. Just a few drops from the end of the brush,' Glennys turned around, ‘and then you can get off my desk.' She'd spotted Jodie and Phil staring.

‘There. All done,' said Milly, slapping her hands together in perfect imitation of Jodie when a job was complete. ‘Hi, Mum! I've just been helping Mrs Muldeen.'

‘I can see that,' said Jodie. She moved forwards to grab her daughter's hand. ‘I'm sure you've done a great job.'

Phil came up behind the little girl and gave her a tickle. ‘And thanks from me for being my assistant's assistant. Mrs Muldeen can use all the help she can get,' he said, which earned him a withering glare from Glennys. ‘Well … ahem … Well, yes, thanks for the visit and we'll see you all again soon.' Phil belted back towards his office, slamming the door as he went. All was quiet in the reception area except for the venetian blinds on the inside of Phil's door, which rattled from the force of his slam.

Jodie, who was staring after Phil, could feel her face turning purple from the effort it was taking not to laugh. She swallowed a couple of breaths. ‘Thank you, Mrs Muldeen. Pass my best wishes and congratulations on to Richard and Charity, won't you?'

A tight incline of the head came from Glennys and then Jodie was out the door, dragging her daughter behind her, gulping huge swallows of air when they finally made the street. Slamming into a chest –

‘Jode! How are you, love?'

Oh God. Speak of the devil. Richard Muldeen. Standing right in front of her, with a hand on her hip, steadying her, surreptitiously pulling her a tad closer. A potent odour of spicy male deodorant wafted in the air. His underarms were wet with
sweat. She could feel the dampness against her breasts, which were now squashed against Richard's elbows. It was all so
yuck
!

‘Richard.' She scrabbled backwards.

‘Hey, why such a hurry?' Richard made to hang on tighter but Jodie was quicker. She stepped back on top of Milly, which caused her daughter to shout ‘Mum!' Which then made everyone on that part of the main street look at them. Some glared. Others looked curious. Shit! Recovery mode, Jodie. Quick.

‘Congratulations on your engagement, Richard.' There. Remind him he's nearly married.

The man in front of her, who still had hold of her forearm, gave a sly grin. ‘Yeah thanks. She's not a bad looker, either.'

Oh please! ‘So when's the big day?'

‘Next month. But hey, I've still got some time for a special girl like you.' Richard's thumb stroked her forearm suggestively.

Jodie noticed the alcoholic fumes mixed with the potent spicy BO basher. It was Friday afternoon. Possibly an early finish time for the shire's road crew. Great. Just great.

‘Thanks for the invitation, mate,' said Jodie. ‘But even if I wanted to, you're already taken.'

‘As are you.' A strong male voice came from behind her. Alex McGregor strode up and placed his arm around Jodie's waist. His blue eyes were as hard as crystal, his face like granite. ‘You can remove your hand any time now, Muldeen.'

Richard's eyes swung from Jodie to Alex and back. ‘So that's the way of it. An old man? Surely, Jodie, you could've done better than that?' He removed his hand from Jodie's arm with a moue of distaste. ‘You ain't stupid, though, are you, love? The old bloke will cark it and then the whole box o' dice will be yours. A dead cert get-rich-quick scheme.'

‘That'll be enough,' said Alex tightly.

The drunken man's eyes turned crafty. ‘But he's got a son you know –'

‘Richard!' A new voice came from a doorway behind them. ‘You heard Mr McGregor.' Glennys Muldeen beckoned with impetuous fingers. ‘Charity is coming.'

Jodie followed Glennys's gaze to a girl approaching down the footpath. Soft brown hair to her waist, a long ombre-dyed skirt and modest sleeveless top. She looked, well,
nice.
Too nice for the likes of Richard Muldeen.

‘Mummy?'

Jodie glanced down at a hand creeping up her side. Milly. She'd forgotten about her daughter. Shit and double shit. She'd always tried to keep Milly protected from the small-mindedness of people who made rash judgements about single mothers. And now she'd gone and caused a scene in the main street. Damn, damn and double damn.

‘Jodie,' said Alex, ‘if you'd like to move along.'

Alex. Thank God for Alex. ‘Yes. C'mon, Milly, let's go find an ice-cream.'

The face of the little girl lit up. ‘Wow! An ice-cream! Can I choose any colour?' Milly knew when she could push for what she wanted.

Jodie forced a smile onto her face. ‘Yes, any colour.'

‘Yippee!' The little girl danced down the pavement. ‘Last one to the shop is a rotten egg!' And she took off towards the café and ice-creamery.

Alex cast one more withering glance at Richard Muldeen. ‘You'll be looking for a new job come Monday, son.'

‘Why you –'

‘Richard!' Glennys Muldeen took her son's arm and dragged him into the solicitor's office. Charity followed, eyes downcast, shoulders slumped.

The poor girl. Jodie felt for her. Fancy being stuck with a prick like Muldeen. He was a spoiled bastard. All his life he'd been pandered to by his mother. Why did men like Muldeen think that just because she was a single mother she was an easy lay or a gold-digger?

Alex tugged at her hand. ‘C'mon.' He led her along the street. Silence reigned between the two of them as they followed Milly, but at a more sedate pace.

Jodie finally snuck a glance at the man beside her. ‘You're not really going to make him get the sack?'

‘I certainly am,' said Alex, looking fierce. ‘He's only a casual employee. He can't speak to either of us like that and expect to get away with it.'

‘But, Alex, he needs the job. He's about to get married.'

‘Well, he should've thought of that before he opened his mouth.'

Jodie went to say something more but swallowed it down when she saw how grim Alex appeared.

Instead she said, ‘I don't, you know.'

‘You don't what?'

‘Want you for your money.'

‘I know,' said Alex. ‘I wouldn't be wasting my time with you if I thought you did.'

Jodie bristled. Wasting his time? She stopped walking, making Alex halt too. Let go of his hand. ‘So why are you?'

‘Why am I what?'

‘Wasting your time with me?' Jodie started to walk off again, unable to look at him.

Behind her Alex sighed, grabbed at her arm and forced her to stop. ‘I didn't put that very well, did I? And here isn't really the place to be having this conversation.' He waved his hand at the half-empty street.

‘But I want to know. Why are you, rich councillor Alex McGregor, who could have any woman in the district he wanted, wasting your time with a single mother like me?'

Alex blinked in exasperation. ‘Because you're an attractive woman?'

‘Wrong answer.' Jodie went to walk again. He wanted her for her
looks?
She could feel tears welling but she would not cry. Not here. Not today.

‘Stop.' Alex grabbed at her again, spun her around. ‘Look, Jodie, what do you want me to say? I love you? Is that it? I find it hard to say that. I'm not that kind of man. But I've admired you, for what seems like a long time. When I used to see you at Robert's, I – Well, never mind now … Just let me say this: I care deeply about you. I want to look after you, protect you.'