Taming the Outback (15 page)

Her body started to tremble, and she had trouble getting her breath. Libby was afraid she was going to pass out until she felt Holly move from her knee and Nathan pulled her to his chest, his arms wrapped around her shoulders tight.

“Just breathe.” He cradled her head to his body. “It’s shock, sweetheart. Shhh.” He stroked her damp hair. Libby heard him talking to a nurse, but it felt like he was far away. She closed her eyes and breathed in the smell of him as she fought to stay conscious.

The rattle of teacups on a tray made her open her eyes and focus. Holly leaned into her mother’s knee as a nurse handed Libby a cup of tea.

“Thanks.” She took a sip and pulled a face at the sweetness of it.

“Sorry.” The nurse laughed. “Best thing for shock, but it can be a bit much if you aren’t into that much sugar.”

“No, really, that’s okay,” Libby reassured. “If that’s the worst I have to deal with, it’s no big deal. How long until we can see Tom?”

“Give it half an hour. Doc has put the man’s shoulder back in, but he feels a bit dopey. He said to tell you he was fine and not to worry.”

“That’s great. Thanks.” Her baby and Tom were safe, and it was thanks to the man sitting quietly next to her. Taking a deep breath, she turned to him. “Nathan, I don’t know how to thank you. I can’t imagine what I would have done if you hadn’t been home.”

“I would do the same for anyone, but if you don’t mind, I would rather not discuss this just now.” His eyes were distant and gray as they looked at her. “We’ll go and see Tom, and then I’m taking you home. You and I will talk about this at a later date when you’ve had time to think about what happened today and why.” He turned from her and drank his tea.

One minute he was holding her as she went into shock, saying soothing words to her and ordering her tea, and the next minute he was cold and unresponsive.

Talk to me later...right, ignorant bastard.

Her first reaction to him was right, the bossy prick.
He’ll probably try to convince me to go back to the city
. Fat chance that was going to happen now. He didn’t want her; he wanted to control her.

“Whatever. But I give thanks where they’re due, and I won’t forget what you did today. Thank you, Nathan.”

He looked at her while she gave her little speech and then turned away. He remained motionless until the nurse came back and showed them into see Tom.

He was propped up in the emergency-room bed, his arm strapped to his chest to restrict movement. His face now had color, and he was sipping a cup of tea with his good hand.

“Libby,” he said when she kissed him and expressed her relief. “I’m so sorry for what happened. I didn’t realize the water would come down on us so fast. If it wasn’t for the horse shying like it did, we would have been all right.”

“It doesn’t matter. The only thing that’s important is that you’re both okay. When the boys came back and said they couldn’t find you on our side of the creek, I panicked. It was lucky Nathan was able to get to you. Something I am very grateful for.”

“Thanks, Nathan.” Tom looked gratefully over at him. “I guess I owe you one.”

“Think nothing of it, mate. The one you should be thanking is Holly.”

“Yes, I guess I should.” Tom nodded and took Holly’s tiny hand in his. “I don’t remember much of what happened though. It’s all a bit fuzzy. Perhaps you should tell me what happened, Holly.”

She looked at her mother and then smiled at Nathan before she told them what had happened out there. Tom had told her to stay on their side of the creek while he went to bring in a couple of calves that had bolted and were stranded on the other side, too scared to come across to their mothers. He’d had them almost through the raging waters when Tom’s horse appeared to slip and fall, throwing him into the rushing creel. Holly had pushed Puddin’ across the river to get him to shore and sat with him until help arrived. By the time Nathan had found them, the water was closing in, and she was scared she couldn’t move Tom on her own.

“You did well, Holly, my girl.” Tom smiled at her. “Make sure you give Puddin’ some extra hay for being so brave going across that water, won’t you?”

Libby’s heart was thudding as she thought of her little girl crossing the raging water. She could tell from the dark look Nathan gave her, he was thinking about the danger Holly had been in saving Tom. She should never have let Holly go out with Tom, but it was too late now. An argument was brewing in Nathan’s mind; she could just imagine what he was thinking. She’d no doubt think she was irresponsible in his place too.

_***

By the time they got back to Nathan’s house, the rain had eased, but the waters were continuing to rise. If they came up too much more, the back paddocks would flood, but that would not put them or the house in any danger. Nathan pulled up beside Libby’s four-wheel drive and slammed the door. He turned to her, a scowl marring his face.

“I’ll pick Tom up and bring him home tomorrow if the road isn’t cut. In the meantime, try to keep your kids at home where you can keep an eye on them.” He grunted before storming off.

“Well, he’s in a pissy mood, isn’t he?” Pete noted from where he stood with Molly and the boys.

“Is Tom okay?” Winton and Josh asked together.

“Yeah, guys, he’s fine.” Libby felt relieved now that she was back with them and the worst of it was over. “He had a dislocated shoulder, and they gave him some pain relief before they got him out of the truck. They put it back in the emergency room, and he just needs to rest it for a few days.”

“God, we were so worried,” Josh said. “Can we go home now? I think we’ve worn out our welcome here.”

“Sure. Do you guys think you can lead the horses home?”

“No worries.” Winton led his horse over to take Tom’s while Josh grabbed Puddin’s lead and mounted his palomino. Libby let them go first and followed them after thanking the team for their help. Nathan was nowhere in sight, and she wasn’t sure if she should be thankful for that or not.

“You know where we are if you want any help, Libby,” Molly called, winking at her as she said her good-byes.

Libby helped the boys dry the horses and feed them some hay. The lambs were calling for food, again and they all pitched in and settled them for the night.

Libby got Holly into a warm soapy bath before pinning Winton and Josh down in the bedroom.

“I want you guys to go and get Winton’s stuff out of his room.” Libby leaned against the door frame, arms folded. “From now on, Winton, you sleep in the house.”

“I can’t do that,” Winton cried.

“Why not?” Libby asked.

“’Cause, the house is for, you know, family,” he mumbled, looking at the floor.

“Don’t you remember what I said the night I arrived? You and Tom are family now, and that’s final. This house is huge, more than enough room for all of us. Now go and get your stuff. You can either bunk in with Josh or choose another room, your decision. If there’s one thing today has taught me, it’s to make the most of what we have. We could so easily have lost Tom and Holly. It’s time we acted like a family and shared the same roof.” Libby spread her arms wide to take in the huge room. “This house is big enough for three families. Take a look around.”

“Better do as she says.” Josh grinned at his mate. “There’s no talking sense into her when she gets like this.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Winton smiled shyly.

Libby left them to it and went back to her bathroom where Holly was enjoying the bubbles with Henry sitting quietly watching her.

“I think it’s time we got you out of there, young lady.” Libby grabbed a large, fluffy towel from the rail.

By the time she had Holly dressed and warm in her nightclothes, the boys had brought in a couple loads of Winton’s belongings and settled him into Josh’s room. Holly went to check it out while Libby put dinner on the table.

Everyone was exhausted from the day, none more so than Libby, so the conversation around the table was minimal. She was drained, physically and emotionally. The last interaction with Nathan left her feeling confused and worried. She had no idea what he was going to do. One minute he was caring, and she could see they might make their peace if given a chance, and the next he was cold and aloof. She was sure she would find out sooner or later what he thought, he’d made that clear. She just didn’t know if she were ready to hear it.

Tucking Holly into bed that night, she praised her for her loyalty to Tom. “That was very brave of you, baby.”

“I had to help him, Mum,” her daughter replied. “He’s my bestest friend.”

“I know; he’s mine too.” Libby kissed the cheek of the child who was already asleep. Holly’s little shadow, Henry, watched until Libby left the room.

She checked on the boys and found them asleep as well. The day’s events had drained them, and they were dead to the world. Turning off the light, she whispered her good nights and shut the door. She was too keyed up to sleep and went to get herself a drink. Libby poured herself a small glass of red wine, sipping it as she did the dishes. Wiping the benches down, she looked around the kitchen, feeling unsettled. Picking up her wineglass, she wandered into the lounge and trailed her fingers over the backs of the chairs as she walked aimlessly around the room.

The night beckoned to her through the open French doors to the rocking chair. She pulled her feet up under herself and let her head fall back, the motion of the chair and the steady downfall of the rain on the tin roof soothing her frazzled nerves. She imagined Tom, asleep in the hospital, his arm in a sling. Thank God Nathan had found them before the water came up too far. She would go out tomorrow and have a look. There was no way she was letting Tom do too much for a while. She would get the boys to help move his stuff into one of the spare rooms the next day. She could hear his protests already, and it brought a smile to her lips.

Today’s accident was as close to a disaster as she ever wanted to get, and if that was what it took to make her realize what was important in her life, so be it. Libby would put up with his complaints when he came home and found she had moved him from his old room. This was not her uncle’s or grandparents’ home any longer, and she would not stand for him living in the shed like the hired help. Libby was sure if her grandmother was still alive, the woman would do the same
. I would have loved to have known her.
Libby had a sudden nostalgic feeling sweep through her mind. She didn’t understand why her parents had moved away and had nothing to do with the farm and their family. If it was a family rift, it obviously had been forgiven by her grandmother and uncle. Libby would have to find out more when she had the time to rummage through the boxes of paperwork in the office. Meanwhile, it remained a mystery.

_***

Libby woke to the sound of her regular morning kookaburra. Rolling over in bed, she looked out at the sky. The rain had ceased during the night, and the sun was trying to fight its way through the clouds, by the look of the small patches of sunlight streaming through the French doors. Pushing back the blankets, she pulled herself up and sat on the edge of the bed. There was no other sound in the house, and that suited her quite well. A cup of coffee with no one else to intrude into her thoughts for a bit would be nice. Libby needed to gather her wits and work out what was going happen when Nathan came over. She knew he was going to try and get her to go home. It was obvious he thought she was incapable of looking after the farm and now her kids.

Libby leaned on the kitchen bench, looking out on her vegetable garden while she waited for the kettle to boil. She wouldn’t be pushed away from the best chance at the life she had for her family. He could rant and rave all he liked; it wasn’t going to sway her. They belonged here. She knew it, and so did Tom and Aaron. Nathan would just take a little bit more convincing. That was all.

She poured her coffee and walked outside, the damp grass cool on her feet. Wandering over to her garden, she marveled at the way the rain made everything feel so much fresher. It was just a fact of life that every now and then, they got too much, and it flooded. They were resilient, these country people, they pull together and help those who were affected more than others.

Libby stood at the back fence and looked out over the flooded paddocks. The raging water still rushing past shocked her. The small trickle had changed to a dirty, gushing torrent covering most of the paddock. Her heart thudded. Her baby had crossed this.

She felt sick to her stomach as the visions of what might have been raced through her mind. Her skin became clammy, and she felt like throwing up. They were lucky they still had Tom and Holly alive and well. It could have been so much worse.

She drained her mug and headed back indoors. Going to the boy’s’ room, she knocked gently before opening the door. Two heads were tucked under blankets and didn’t move when she approached. Pulling the blanket away, she shook Josh on the shoulder.

“Josh, wake up.”

“Mmmm, what?” he mumbled, trying to pull the blankets back over his head.

“I’m just going out for a bit. Keep an ear out for Holly, please.”

The kids were still asleep as she grabbed the truck keys from the hook. She had no reason for what she was doing, but she couldn’t stop herself.