Sarah's Baby (13 page)

“I didn't know any of this,” Sarah said, shaking her head. “Mum never mentioned a word, but then both of us kept off the subject of the McQueen family.”

“Fearful of Ruth?” Harriet executed a double clutch.

“Mum was,” Sarah said with deep regret, stealing a glance at the speedometer. “It's awful to feel so powerless.”

“Yes, indeed,” Harriet agreed, “but
you're
not. That's why you came back.”

 

A
S
H
ARRIET AND
S
ARAH
drove away from the cemetery, Ruth held a strained conversation with her grandson from the back seat of the Rolls.

“It's not like you to let me down, Kyall. If we're seriously interested in Numinbar Station, we should work out a strategy.”

“I already have, Gran,” Kyall replied courteously, acutely aware of her age and the fragility of her diminutive body. “It's a very attractive property, but I think we can get it for a whole lot less than the three million Bart Colston's asking. There's a big opportunity to develop a parallel enterprise like ecotourism along with the cattle—we should go for high-grade Brahman, in my opinion. It's beautiful country, softwood rain forest, lagoons and creeks, wonderful horse trails, but Bart's allowed the station to run down. Many, many improvements have to be made to bring it up to scratch. I have everything in hand.”

“Does
everything
include Sarah Dempsey?”

“Sarah is always that bit beyond reach,” Kyall observed wryly.

“You could never live with a cold woman.”

“No. Absolutely not. But I've never met a sexier woman than Sarah in my whole life.”

“What did you say?” Enid, silent until that moment, stared across her mother's rigid body at her son.

“God, Mum, I forgot. You don't know about sex.”

“Kyall, darling, don't be coarse. Obviously I do. But sex is…well, messy. Sometimes I think I could do without it in my life.”

“So Dad tells me.”

It was a response Enid obviously hadn't expected. “You're joking, aren't you?” Enid looked at him with a mixture of shock, hurt and plain disbelief.

“Then why would Dad say such a thing?” Kyall said. Max had once, and Kyall had never forgotten.

“You need help, Enid, you really do,” Ruth interrupted, her voice cold with contempt. “Remember Alice Townsend?”

“Gracious, Mother, let's forget about her.” Enid shot her an injured look.

“Some things just don't die.”

“No need for you to go on about it, Mother. You're not exactly perfect,” Enid responded with a new, cool appraisal.

“The proof being that I had you.”

“Please, ladies, this isn't the moment to enjoy an argument.” Kyall looked at his womenfolk, thinking they
both
needed psychiatric help, but they were his family. Entitled to his love and support. Or as much as he could give under the prevailing circumstances. “Well, I'm off.” He straightened decisively, standing back a little from the car.

“May we ask where?” Ruth asked wearily.

“Certainly, though at this stage of my life I don't think I need to check in. Harriet has invited me to a late lunch. She's a very adventurous cook.”

“One would've thought it might have landed her a husband,” Ruth remarked.

To Enid's newly awakened ears it sounded like gloating. “Surely she's too independent.” Enid actually liked Harriet and secretly admired her.

“Harriet is one of those women who is fulfilled teaching other people's children,” Ruth scoffed.

“She certainly had notable success with Sarah,” Kyall said smoothly. “See you later.”

“Bye, darling,” Enid called after him. “Bye.”

“Shut up, Enid, and let Jensen know we're ready,” Ruth snapped.

“Please don't speak to me in that tone, Mother,” Enid said with offended dignity. “It obviously hasn't penetrated that I'm the mayor of Koomera Crossing. And a good one.” She sat back against the plush upholstery.

“Really?” Ruth turned her regal head to stare down her daughter. “Then why did you allow Sarah Dempsey to take over from Joe?”

“Because I'd rather have my son love me than never speak to me again. We need to get over our aversion to having Sarah Dempsey in our lives. She mightn't have had much to offer years ago—well, actually she did, but we didn't want to see it. Now she's a beautiful, confident young woman with great presence. A good doctor, by all accounts. I think this nonsense should stop. We have to throw out our silly prejudices. Must we
always
act like wretched snobs?”

Ruth sent her daughter a withering glance. “You may be ready to, but I'm not descending to the common masses, Enid, thank you very much. I've been a McQueen of Wunnamurra Station for most of my life. You, on the other hand, seem to be developing independence. It doesn't suit you.”

“What are you afraid of?” Enid startled herself by asking. “A flash of intuition? I have them occasionally. You can be cruel and vindictive, Mother.”

“I'm a real woman, Enid, not a cold fish like you.”

Enid turned away to wave at Jensen through the window. “Sometimes, Mother, I think I hate you,” she said quietly.

“Who would care!” Ruth gave a little contemptuous flutter of her hand. “I've done everything for you and your wimp of a husband. You've lived a life of absolute luxury. No, don't give me that stare. So what if you worked? You did it all for Kyall. As far as I'm concerned, the only thing we have in common is our love for him. I will never see Sarah Dempsey admitted to this family for as long as I live.”

 

H
ARRIET SERVED
the food, a
tori shisomaki,
which she translated for them as chicken wrapped in
shiso
leaves with a dash of lemon juice and soya sauce. She brought the dishes to the table, and the three of them began to eat.

“What you should do, Harriet, is open a restaurant,” Kyall suggested some time later as they all relaxed under the influence of the delicious food. “All we have is Bronwyn's café.” He didn't sound as though he was joking or merely offering flattery.

“And who would teach school?” Harriet didn't sound as if she was rejecting the idea, either.

“When you retire is your decision, Harriet.” Kyall looked up. “This town owes you a great deal, as it does Joe, but I wonder if you're not thinking of expanding your horizons. You'd be a great success in the restaurant business.”

“Are you serious, Kyall?” Sarah stopped eating, her fork midway to her mouth.

“Just thought of it this very moment.” Kyall chuckled. “I'd like Harriet to be able to enjoy her retirement.”

“With a restaurant?” Sarah asked. “Is that the answer? Wouldn't that be a lot of work?”

“It would,” Harriet intervened, “but fun. Fancy your thinking of that, Kyall. You're always coming up with something new.”

“The town needs a good restaurant. You know a lot about food. You've won over me.” He grinned. “And our fastidious Sarah. You wouldn't have to do it all yourself. There are plenty of women—good cooks—in the town who'd love to be in on such a venture. You'd be boss, of course.”

“Of course,” seconded Harriet.

“The whole thing would be based on your ideas. I know you'd have a lot of customers clamoring to get in. It just seems like a good change of pace. A rest from school. Life should be full of new ventures.”

Harriet, although she was smiling broadly, had a faraway look in her eyes. “I've found wonderful satisfaction in my
teaching career, but it's true—I've been battling with feelings of wanting a change. A restaurant! My goodness!” she exclaimed.

“Let Mum find someone to take over at the school,” Kyall advised, turning to her with his usual authority.

“You speak like it's already happening.” Harriet gestured with her free hand.

“Say the word and I'll make it happen,” Kyall promised.

“And you just came up with this, Kyall?” Sarah marveled, touched by Harriet's excitement.

“I'm not the only one who thinks Harriet is a great cook.” He shrugged. “If Harriet can get some pleasure and satisfaction out of it, I'm happy to help set things in motion. After all, a good restaurant could only be an advantage to the town.”

“And where would it be located?” Sarah asked, thinking the main street had full tenancy.

“We'll build the place from scratch,” Kyall said, moving his hand to close over Sarah's, caressing her fingers.

“That's just one of the things I love about you, Kyall,” Harriet enthused. “You're a real dynamo.”

“I haven't been up-to-date in my love life.” Kyall caught Sarah's beautiful brown eyes, such a contrast to the bright gold of her hair, and held them. “But that's going to change.”

“Is it?” Sarah asked softly.

“And it's about time!” Harriet hit the table forcefully with the palm of her hand, making the plates jump. “This is quite extraordinary,” she murmured. “A restaurant? Now I won't be able to get the idea out of my head.”

“What's life without a bit of excitement?” Kyall said, his gaze moving over Sarah so intimately she felt the familiar jolt of electricity.

“Goodness, you're even making
me
feel young.” Harriet
leaped up from the table. “Now, I've got a lime-and-ginger mousse I've put together. I'm great at impromptu desserts, if I do say so. It's light and refreshing. Any takers?”

“Two,” Kyall answered for both of them.

Harriet turned to beam at him. “Think of it, a restaurant!”

“Well you'd better hurry up, Harriet, and make your decision,” urged Kyall. “If we're going to do it, we should get started.”

 

A
N HOUR LATER
Sarah and Kyall stepped out into the glittering metallic sunlight, the narrow pathway sizzling beneath Sarah's thin-soled shoes. The whole town had closed down for Joe Randall's funeral, but for once, the children who attended the town school didn't delight in the holiday. Dr. Randall had delivered most of them. He'd been much loved.

“Let's go for a drive.”

Staring up into Kyall's taut, tanned face, Sarah could see he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

“If you like, but we shouldn't be long. Sue Reed's very good to do standby duty at the hospital.”

Kyall gazed off. “We've already started the search for a locum to help you. Joe carried too big a burden on his shoulders.”

“I agree. But not too many doctors are drawn to remote places.”

“We'll find somebody,” Kyall said with certainty. “The scouts are out looking as we speak.”

“You don't think I'll fill Joe's shoes?”

“First of all, I do.” Kyall opened the passenger door of the Range Rover for her. “Secondly, I don't want you under too much pressure. You have to have time for yourself. And needless to say, for me.”

A situation Sarah might have found blissful except for all the deceptions that got in the way.

As they drove past the small general store, Sarah saw the curtains move. “I'm glad Ruby isn't taking over from Mum.” She sighed. “I'm fairly certain that's Ruby behind the curtain.”

“I'm sure it is,” Kyall agreed offhandedly. “Marjorie Preston was by far the best candidate. Ruby can stay on as shop assistant. I don't know that she actually needs a job. Her chief interest is minding everyone else's business. So, where are you going to live? I know you don't want Joe's place.”

“Would your grandmother be willing to lease me the Sinclair house?” Sarah turned to look at his strong profile.

Kyall shook his head. “Don't be ridiculous, Sarah.”

“She wouldn't consider it?”

“Listen, Sarah.” He shot her a burning glance. “You must be aware that my wishes carry a lot of weight. You could have the Sinclair house if you wanted it, but
I
don't want you there. For one thing, it's too isolated. For another it's got such a desolate, abandoned air. I don't believe in ghosts, but…”

“You don't believe in the infinite?” she asked in a ruminative sort of way. “I had a little patient, a cancer victim, who related his near-death experience to me. He wasn't making anything up—he'd gone far beyond telling stories in his short, painful life—just describing it the way it was. It shook me. Another thing that shakes me is that there's no vestige of the living person, absolutely nothing of the spirit, after death. The soul has left the body. It's not the heart stopping. It's the soul departing. Sometimes I've tried not to believe it. But…I have to.”

Kyall nodded seriously. “Well, I believe there has to be a system whereby the good are rewarded and the bad are
punished. All the wrongs righted. I guess that means a kind of heaven and hell, but I don't accept the traditional version of either. In any event, that doesn't help us with this issue of the Sinclair house. That woman, Molly Fairweather—you never met her—died there. As you may have heard, a desert taipan got into the house. A bit out of the ordinary, but not impossible.”

“Why did your grandmother create the impression that she sold the house to Molly Fairweather? What was the woman doing there, anyway? She knew no one. She had no family here. No connection of any kind.”

“Hell, Sarah. Have you been checking up?” Kyall's voice cracked discordantly. “People find their way to the outback. Take Evan Thompson, a real mystery man if ever there was one. It doesn't seem to me that he's just a normal dropout from the rat race. I've had a number of conversations with him. He's a brilliant man.”

“Maybe he's brokenhearted,” Sarah said.

“Maybe he is. He has a damned look behind his eyes. You'll have to meet him.”