Chapter 12

CHAPTER

12

The next day, after feeding the alpacas, Bree waved her grandmother off on her drive back to Sydney then settled down to do some paperwork and answer emails. The first email she opened brought a smile to her face. Her neighbour had agreed the details of the gate she needed onto his land, ready for the walks to begin. Sheep grazed those hills, but Bree had assured her neighbour they would not be disturbed. There was a fee involved, which she would start paying immediately. Then she could map out the walks and take some of her animals along the trails to get them accustomed to the surroundings. With inquiries already coming in, it wouldn’t be long before one money-making part of her venture would be up and running.

The second email was a response from a breeder who had a couple of young females Bree was interested in buying. Now she had her own place, it was time to increase her herd. The breeder’s price wasn’t totally out of the question, so she replied, arranging a day to come and look at the animals. The next email was from her mother. Bree skipped over that without reading it. After all, this was a work day and she didn’t work for her mother any more. That could wait until she was off duty tonight. If nothing else, she wouldn’t allow her day to be ruined by whatever her mother had to say.

When she read the next email in her inbox, Bree’s day was far from ruined.

Bree,

Thank you so much for a wonderful afternoon yesterday. The knitting club is a great idea. You can count me in as a regular.

Deb.

It wasn’t the only one. Two more of yesterday’s knitters had emailed their thanks and made offers of cake for the next meeting. She was just starting to think about setting up that meeting when her phone rang.

‘Bree, hi. It’s Matt Ambrose here.’

‘Hi, Matt.’ The smile on her face grew a little broader as she pictured Matt yesterday, showing Vicki how to knit. Who knew the real estate agent should have such a natural talent for knitting? And such a nice smile. And a cute bum …

‘I wanted to say thanks for yesterday. Vicki had such a lovely afternoon.’

‘I hope you did too.’

She heard a deep chuckle down the phone.

‘Well, yes I did. I never saw myself as a knitter, but it was very satisfying. I plan to finish that scarf for Vicki. And hopefully so she can wear it before the winter is over.’

‘I’m very pleased to hear that.’

‘Although, between the two of us, I’m not so sure I’ll ever get to wear the one she’s knitting me. My daughter does not seem to have a natural talent for this.’

‘Now, now. Careful. I’ll take that as a personal challenge for the next session. I do hope you’ll both be coming back.’

‘I think Vicki would never forgive me if she couldn’t come back. As for me—’

‘Do come back, Matt. It would be great to have you.’ As she spoke the words, Bree realised how much she meant them. She was really looking forward to seeing him again.

‘I’ll try.’

‘On a similar subject …’ Bree wasn’t going to leave it there. ‘I did promise Vicki could come by and see the alpacas. I meant it. When would you like to come?’

‘Are you sure it’s not too much trouble?’

‘Not at all. In fact, I’m starting to think about inviting the school to visit, so it would be good to practise on the two of you.’

‘If you’re sure …’

‘Yes. Now, when can you come?’

***

Two days later, Matt’s car appeared in Bree’s drive exactly on time. She was in the yards checking the herd when she saw it approaching. Slipping out the gate, she brushed off her jeans and her colourful tie-dyed T-shirt and picked up the coat she’d left hanging on a post while she worked. As usual when working with her animals, her capricious hair was caught back to keep it under control.

When Vicki emerged from the car, Bree was pleased to see she was also wearing jeans and a jacket. And strong walking shoes. All suitable attire for meeting the animals. She nodded. Matt was a good dad. And, she noticed as he walked towards her, he was looking rather cute today in his own version of farm wear; faded jeans and hiking boots and that fabulous smile.

‘Hello, Vicki. Matt.’

‘Oh, look, Daddy, look! There they are.’ Vicki’s squeal was accompanied by some eager jumping up and down and waving of arms in the direction of the paddocks.

‘I think you should say hello to Ms Johnston first. Otherwise she might think you’re being rude,’ Matt told her.

‘Sorry. Hello, Miss Johnston.’

‘Are you ready to meet the girls?’

‘Oh, yes, please.’

‘All right, then. The first thing you have to remember is not to scare them. No jumping up and down or sudden loud shouts.’

‘Yes, Miss Johnston.’

Vicki’s face was so serious and thoughtful, Bree had to bite her cheeks to stop from giggling. She looked at Matt and saw the laughter in his eyes. Pride too.

‘And always be gentle with them. Alpacas are gentle animals. And kind. So we have to be gentle and kind to them as well.’

Vicki nodded furiously.

‘All right then. Let’s go.’

Picking up a halter she’d draped over the fence, Bree led the way into the paddock where her mothers-to-be were chewing gently at the grass. As she’d expected, one immediately lifted her head and walked over, curious to see who was visiting. Bree slipped the halter over the alpaca’s elegant nose.

‘Vicki, I want you to meet Willow. She was the very first alpaca I bought.’

‘Can I touch her?’ The words were an awed whisper.

‘Yes, you can. Come and stand here, by me. You can stroke her neck like this.’

Vicki reached out and tentatively stroked Willow’s side. ‘She’s so soft.’

‘She’s what’s called a Suri alpaca. See how her coat is really long and silky?’

‘And it’s a pretty colour too.’ Gaining confidence, Vicki ran her hand joyfully over the light brown fleece. ‘And her eyes are so pretty. Daddy, look at her eyelashes. I wish mine were like that.’

‘Me too.’ Bree felt a nudge against her back and a tug at her sleeve as someone else vied for attention.

‘This is a Huacaya alpaca. Her name is Laka. See how her fleece is different?’

‘It all puffy and curly, like a teddy bear.’

‘That’s right. You can pat her as well.’

‘Hello, Laka.’ The second grand dame of Bree’s herd lowered her head to the little girl’s height and gently snuffled her hair. Vicki covered her mouth with her hands as she tried to stifle a giggle.

‘These two are really friendly,’ Bree said. ‘But the others are shy. The important thing to remember when we are out in the paddock with them is let them come to you. If you try to walk up to them, they might think you’re chasing them and run away.’

‘I understand.’

‘And you really shouldn’t try to pat them unless they are wearing a halter.’

‘I won’t.’ Vicki pointed to a dark brown face peering over the nearby fence. ‘Who’s that?’

‘That’s Digby. One of our boys.’

‘He’s pretty. Can I go and talk to him too?’

‘Yes, but your daddy and I have to come with you.’

‘Okay.’ Vicki was dancing on the spot with eagerness.

‘Don’t run. And stop before you get to the fence,’ cautioned Matt.

‘All right.’ Vicki skipped ahead of them.

‘Are they safe?’ Matt sounded worried.

‘Yes. As long as she stays this side of the fence. Alpaca males aren’t really aggressive like horses or bulls. She has so much confidence around them. It’s good to see.’

Matt nodded but didn’t speak. When he did, his voice was shaky.

‘For months after her mother died, she was afraid of everything. If I left the room, she’d come running after me, afraid that, like her mother, I would never come back.’

Bree’s heart cracked. ‘To lose her mother so very young must be hard on her. And you too … Losing your wife.’

She heard Matt take a deep breath. ‘Kim wasn’t my wife. Oh, we always intended to get married. But somehow, we never got around to it. Until it was too late.’

Bree didn’t know what to say. Matt’s grief flowed from him like a visible wave. Instinctively, she reached out to gently touch his arm in comfort. She didn’t know if he felt it through his thick jacket, but the gesture was a comfort for her as much as it was for him.

They stood in silence for a few moments, watching Vicki peering between the fence rails at the nearby animals. It should have been an awkward silence, but it wasn’t and Bree didn’t know why.

‘I don’t know why I told you that,’ Matt said at last. ‘But thank you for listening.’

Before Bree could respond, Vicki hurried towards them, holding out hands that were stained red—with blood.

‘Vicki!’ Matt dropped to his knees and held out his arms to grab her, but Vicki stopped out of reach.

‘Daddy, it’s the alpaca. He’s hurt.’

‘Your hands!’ The tension in Matt’s voice was gut wrenching.

‘There was blood on the grass. Under the fence.’ Vicki wiped her hands on the front of her shirt, leaving a stain, but showing the undamaged skin beneath. ‘You’ve got to help him.’

‘Which one is it?’ Bree asked, her thoughts turning to her animals now she was certain Vicki wasn’t hurt.

‘That one. Digby. The brown one.’

Bree still had a halter in her hand. Leaving Matt and Vicki outside, she went through the gate and slid it over Digby’s face. ‘What have you done to yourself, Digby?’ She ran her eyes over the animal and spotted the red stain on his chest and blood on his leg. She crouched down to get a better look.

‘It’s not too bad,’ she called to reassure Vicki. ‘It’s just a cut. But it will need tending to.’ She led the animal out of the yard and towards the stables. Digby was quite calm, occasionally stomping the bloody leg a little harder than the others. ‘Matt, through that door in the feed shed there’s a cupboard with first aid supplies. Can you get me a bucket of water, and cotton wool and a few other things?’

‘Sure, tell me what you need.’

A few minutes later he was back. ‘Is this everything? What else can I do to help?’

‘That’s it. Thanks. This won’t take long.’ For the next few minutes, Bree’s attention was entirely on her injured animal as she cleaned the wound and applied antibacterial cream. She didn’t think it needed stitches, but she’d call Anna Prentiss to take a look at it. There was no way to cover or bandage the wound without clipping away a section of Digby’s coat, so that too would have to wait for the vet’s visit. ‘You’re going to have to stay inside for a couple of days, old boy.’ She released him into a big, airy, loose box, then stepped back, shutting the door behind her.

‘Is he going to be all right?’ Vicki’s voice was shaking a little and her eyes were red with tears—not for herself, but for the injured animal.

Bree opened the stall door and allowed the girl to step in. ‘Of course he is. See, it’s a small cut. Alpacas don’t hurt themselves very often, but this is a new place for Digby. He must have tripped on something he didn’t see.’ Probably an old piece of wire or a fallen tree branch. Bree would go looking for it to make sure it didn’t happen again.

‘Can I pat him?’

‘You can, but be careful not to touch the injured place. Come around here to the other side.’ Bree put an arm around Digby’s neck to make sure he stood still.

Vicki walked ever so carefully up to Digby and gently stroked his shoulder. ‘You be careful, Mr Digby. You need to look where you are going. Daddy tells me that all the time. And he’s right.’

‘I’ll remind her of that next time,’ Matt whispered conspiratorially to Bree.

Bree put her hand on Vicki’s shoulder. ‘We should leave him to rest now.’ As she spoke, Digby’s ears flicked back and his mouth started to move. Bree stepped in front of Vicki just as the alpaca spat. A wad of mucus landed on her cheek and began to slide down her face.

‘Eww.’ Vicki stepped back and darted out the stall door. Bree followed and locked the door.

‘Eww,’ Vicki said again. ‘He spat on you.’

‘He did.’ Bree reached into her pocket for the wipe she always kept there for this very reason. ‘Alpacas do that sometimes. He’s a little bit upset and grumpy, so he was letting me know he wanted to be left alone.’

In the stall, Digby shuffled his feet and finally lay down in the deep bed of straw.

‘It’s time we went home,’ Matt said.

Dragging her feet, Vicki complied. When they arrived back at Matt’s car, he looked at his daughter and raised an eyebrow.

‘Thank you for letting me visit, Miss Johnston,’ Vicki said in her most polite voice. ‘I hope Digby is going to be all right.’

‘Thank you for coming. I’m sure he’ll be fine. If you hadn’t seen his injury, I might not have noticed until tomorrow, and that wouldn’t have been good. So thank you from Digby for that.’

Matt saw Vicki safely into the car with her seat belt on. ‘Thank you,’ he said to Bree as he opened his own door.

‘You two are very welcome.’ She meant it. She’d enjoyed their visit.

‘I wanted to say …’ Matt hesitated.

‘Yes?’

‘Would you like to have dinner with me and Vicki one night? To say thank you.’

An excited squeal from inside the car told them that Vicki had not only heard, but that she approved.

Bree was about to say she’d love to, but stopped. Was this a friendly meeting or something more? And was she ready for something more? Was Matt? Probably not. He was clearly still struggling with his grief over losing the woman he loved.

What was she thinking? This was a friendly dinner. Nothing more than that.

‘I’d love to.’