Chapter 18

CHAPTER

18

‘Daddy, it’s nearly time for knitting club.’

‘I know, honey, give me a couple more minutes to finish this. It’s important.’ Matt’s fingers kept moving over the keyboard. Finally he hit print. The machine in the corner of his office reluctantly came to life, and after a couple of minutes of clunking and whirring, it eventually spat out a few sheets of paper.

No doubt eager to get her father moving, Vicki collected the paper and handed it to him. Matt examined it. A similar poster to those already in his window advertising properties for sale, but this one had no photographs, just details of the land and buildings and price. He’d be taking it with him shortly when he went to the property to conclude his arrangement with the sellers and take some photographs. There were also some forms for them to sign. All part of a day’s work.

‘You know I can’t come knitting with you today. I have to go and visit a new property for sale.’

‘But I am still going. You said I could.’

‘Of course you can, and if I’m not back when you finish, you go home with Lou and I’ll pick you up from her place.’

Vicki nodded vigorously, hopping from foot to foot in her eagerness to be gone.

Matt stifled a laugh. ‘Now, let me see. Where did I put that thing …’ He slid open a desk drawer. ‘No. Not here. Maybe in the other drawer.’ He reached for the next handle.

‘Daddy, pleeeeease!’

‘Just a minute, Vicki. You need this. Ah.’ He made a great fuss of pulling a gift-wrapped package out of the drawer.

‘Ooh. Is that for me?’

‘Yes, it is.’ Matt held it out.

Vicki grabbed the parcel and began ripping it open. She let the paper fall to the floor as she held up the cream knitted scarf. ‘Oh, that’s so soft.’

‘It is. It’s my one and only knitting project, ever, and it’s for you.’

Vicki wrapped the scarf around her neck. Matt had to admit it looked pretty good. He’d finished it over a couple of nights while Vicki was in bed. It had been remarkably easy to follow the simple pattern and he hadn’t made too many mistakes. Compared to the one Vicki had knitted for him, it was a masterpiece. But that wasn’t what mattered. The two items were equal in the love that lay behind them.

‘Thank you, Daddy.’

‘My pleasure, sweetheart. All right. Are you ready to go?’

‘Can I wear my new scarf?’

‘Yes, and you can show it to everyone at the club.’

‘I’m knitting one for Granny now.’ Vicki picked up a tote bag from the sofa in the corner of the office. ‘But I’m not going to show it to you until it’s finished.’

‘I’m sure Granny will love it.’ Matt ushered her out of the office and locked the door behind them. He wasn’t sure Sally would ever wear a scarf like the one that was wrapped around his own neck, full of holes and dropped stitches and other mistakes, but he loved his, because Vicki had made it. He might take it off when he met with clients, but it would be back on when he picked up Vicki at the end of the day.

‘Will Granny be at knitting club?’

Matt hoped not. He hadn’t heard from Sally for a few days. ‘I’m not sure, honey. Granny hasn’t been feeling well. We might not see her quite as much in the next few weeks.’

Vicki’s face fell and her eyes filled with tears. ‘She’s not sick like Mummy was sick, is she?’ The little girl’s voice quivered.

‘Oh, no. No, honey. She’s not sick like that at all.’ Matt gathered Vicki into a hug, cursing himself for the careless words. He’d wanted to prepare her in case things with Sally worsened but now he’d frightened her. ‘Granny’s just a bit tired. She’s been doing too many things. She needs to rest for a little while then she’ll be right as rain. But you will see her soon.’

Vicki nodded and smiled, but he could see she wasn’t convinced.

When they arrived at the hall, Matt looked around hopefully, but Bree wasn’t there. Instead, Rose was setting up the tea and biscuits for the knitting club.

‘Hi, Matt, Vicki.’

‘Isn’t Bree here?’ Vicki asked.

‘Yes. She’s in the kitchen.’

Vicki set off for the back of the hall and Matt made a quick decision. He wanted to see Bree. He had things to say to her. But they needed to be said in private.

‘I can’t stay today,’ he told Rose. ‘But I should be back before the session is over. If not, Lou will take Vicki.’

‘Don’t you worry about your girl. The Wagtail Ridge Knitters look after their own.’

He was gone before either Vicki or Bree emerged from the kitchen.

The property he was adding to his list was medium sized and well kept. The price the owners were asking was reasonable for the market and Matt was hopeful he’d be able to find a buyer for it. A sale like this was just what he needed to put himself on a stronger footing for the next year.

‘I want to thank you for thinking of me, rather than one of the big firms,’ he said as the owners gathered their paperwork together.

‘Oh, we always try to support local businesses if we can.’

‘I appreciate that. Now, if you’re happy, I’ll get a few photos before I leave. For the website and the display window.’

‘Of course.’

Matt started inside the house, then took shots of the outbuildings. After making his farewells, he drove back to the road, stopping for more photos of the paddocks. He put the phone into his jacket and got into the car. As he started driving towards the Ridge, Matt’s mind turned to Sally and the phone she’d tried to give Vicki. He wasn’t against his daughter having a phone when she was ready. And he could understand parents who liked to have that contact with their kids, especially in the bigger towns and cities; places like Newcastle, where Sally and Brian lived. But here in the Ridge, it really wasn’t necessary. Not yet. And when Matt felt it was, Vicki could have a simple phone, with no unsupervised connection to the internet. Matt would give it to her.

His anger started to rise again. And with it, a degree of despair.

I don’t know what to do, Kim. I understand how hard it has been for her. I don’t want to drive her away. But I have to protect Vicki .

As always, he was answered only by silence echoing out of the deep well of grief that was now a permanent part of his world.

As he turned onto the next road, he realised his route home would take him past the gates of The Gums. He really should explain to her that she didn’t have to go to the dance with him. That although they could be friends, he wasn’t ready to start dating again. He liked Bree. Liked her a lot. If there was to be someone else for him to love, it might be her. But he had to tell her he still loved Kim. And he could do it with just the two of them there. A rare opportunity indeed.

When he reached The Gums’ wooden gateway, he braked and turned into the gravel drive.

***

Bree had only just arrived home after knitting club. The afternoon had been a great success and the women of Wagtail Ridge had dived right in, knitting projects well underway. Much tea and cake had been consumed and stories—dare she say gossip—had been exchanged. When Vicki was distracted by something else, a couple of the women had talked to Bree about Matt, saying what a good man he was and how sad it was that he was alone now. And what a lovely little girl Vicki was and wasn’t it sad that she didn’t have a mother? Matt was doing a wonderful job, but a strong female figure in the girl’s life would be such a good thing. It seemed certain that almost forcing Matt to invite her to the upcoming dance was just the beginning of the townsfolks’ matchmaking.

Bree wasn’t sure how she felt about the matchmaking, but she knew exactly how she felt about going to the dance with Matt.

She was distributing the evening feeds when she heard the car approaching. She didn’t get a lot of unexpected visitors and the shearers weren’t due until the day after tomorrow, so she waited to see who it was.

She felt a little twinge of anticipation as she recognised the car pulling to a stop outside her house. Matt had never dropped in unannounced before and she was surprisingly pleased that he had—and without the excuse of bringing Vicki to see the alpacas. Maybe the matchmaking was working.

Her boys were waiting for their dinner, so she carried it over to the fence, waiting there for Matt to join her.

‘This is a pleasant surprise.’

‘Hi, Bree. Is that the one who was hurt?’

‘Yep. This is Digby. He’s fine now.’

Matt nodded, his eyes firmly fixed on the alpaca—almost as if he was avoiding looking at her.

‘Is something wrong? Vicki?’

‘No. No. She’s fine. There’s nothing wrong. Well, not really wrong.’

For someone with nothing wrong to speak of, Matt looked very tense and she thought she knew why.

‘I know Deb more or less forced you into asking me to go to the dance with you,’ she said. ‘But it’s all right. You don’t have to.’

‘I do want you to come with me, if you want to.’ The words were almost blurted out. ‘But …’ Matt took a deep breath. ‘I don’t want you to think or expect … I mean … just as friends.’

‘I’d love to.’ The speed and strength of her response startled them both. For a few seconds they stood there, looking at each other. The whole world was silent except for the soft singing of the breeze in the trees and the sound of the alpacas breathing.

The seconds were beginning to stretch out when Matt smiled. ‘Good. It’s settled then. I hope you don’t mind if Vicki comes too—at least for some of it.’

‘Of course not.’

‘Great.’

His face didn’t look like it was great. There was still sadness in his eyes, and uncertainty about the set of his shoulders. Bree didn’t want this not-a-date to get in the way of their growing friendship and she had something she thought might help.

‘I’ve been training the alpacas for the first of the walks. They’re fine with me, but it would be good to see how they behave with other people. Do you work on Sundays? If not, could you and Vicki come out and take a walk with us? To help with the training.’

‘I’m not sure I can be much help. I know nothing about how to … do things with an alpaca.’

‘That’s all right. They know what to do with you.’

The quip was rewarded with a half-smile. ‘I’m just on my way to pick Vicki up after knitting club. I’m sure she’ll love the idea.’

***

Vicki had not only liked the idea, but—according to Matt—she hadn’t stopped grinning and talking about it from the moment Matt told her to the moment they both arrived at The Gums the next day. Vicki bounced out of the car looking like she was ready to walk on clouds with her alpaca.

‘Can I walk with Digby?’

‘I thought your dad should take Digby. You know, boys together. How about you take Willow?’ Bree replied, naming her most experienced and quietest walker.

‘Oh, yes. I like Willow. She’s pretty.’

Father and daughter helped find halters for their alpacas, and the animals behaved perfectly. Bree collected Freddie and they set off, walking past the stables towards the newly constructed gate in her boundary fence.

‘This is the Williams’ place, isn’t it?’ Matt asked as they went through the gate, carefully closing it behind them.

‘Yes. It’s perfect for this. Nice bush, gentle slopes, and there’s a bit of a view from the top. I’ve been walking around and have already marked out a couple of trails for the paying customers.’

‘So tell me how this alpaca walking thing works.’

‘Sure. It’s like walking a dog, but with a big furry creature—and far fewer stops at convenient trees.’ She was rewarded with a chuckle. ‘Alpacas are friendly, curious creatures. And they are ridiculously cute. Isn’t that right, Freddie?’

The creature walking beside her ignored the comment, but with his head raised to look around at the new sights, he did look very handsome.

‘People are drawn to them, and a walk with such a gentle creature is relaxing. Alpacas don’t need handling as such. They like their own space. As long as the walker stays calm and doesn’t do anything stupid, there’s never a fuss.’

‘Am I doing everything right?’ Vicki asked.

‘Yes, you are. You are being gentle and patient. It’s important not to do anything to startle them or make them run away.’

Was she talking to Vicki about alpacas or to herself about Matt?

‘I hope I’m not. Doing anything stupid that is,’ Matt said.

‘You’ll know if you are. They spit, remember?’

Matt gave Digby a dubious sideways look.

‘You’re doing fine,’ she said. ‘Look at Digby’s face. He’s having a lovely walk.’ And Bree was beginning to think Matt was too. The small crease between his eyes was gone and his shoulders seemed a lot less tense.

‘Do a lot of people do this?’

‘Around the city they do. I know you get quite a few tourists up this way, so I’m getting some flyers printed to put in shop windows and B&Bs. The tourist centre in Scone is going to take some. I hope that’ll bring in some walkers. The Gums is a little way out of town, but hopefully they won’t struggle to find the place. GPS is a wonderful thing, although I might give some maps to the shops in town, in case people get lost and ask for directions. And then there’s the yarn. I’ll be selling whole fleeces as well as spun yarn.’

‘There’s a wool shop at Nundle. You’ll have competition.’

‘Yes and no. A choice of wool and alpaca yarns is going to tempt a few more mad knitters to visit this part of the world. And if they are anything like the knitters I know, they’ll buy plenty from both of us.’

Matt laughed easily. He sounded far more relaxed than he had thirty minutes ago.

‘Are you going to set up some sort of wool shop here at The Gums?’

‘Initially it will just be online. It would be nice to have a small place in town, but that would need someone to run it and I’m not ready to pay more wages yet. I can afford Maggie, but that’s it.’

‘When you are ready, I have a place that might be exactly what you need. A small shop on the main street with a cottage behind that maybe you could use for storage. It’s not big, but with a bit of fixing up, it might do the job. The shop is big enough for the knitting club too.’

Bree chuckled. ‘Are you always on duty, Mr Real Estate Agent?’

Matt stopped in his tracks, causing Digby to pull up sharply. The alpaca looked a little put out. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.’

‘It’s fine.’ Bree indicated they should keep walking.

The sun was at its highest, and there was a delightful spring warmth in the air. The animals were enjoying their walk and taking an occasional grab at a tempting green shoot. Matt seemed content to walk in silence, pausing occasionally to humour Digby’s imagined hunger and to run his hands along the thick wool of the animal’s neck. At last they reached a clear area at the top of the gentle slope. The clearing was drenched with sunlight, the grass shining with its freshness. From this point, their view stretched across the valley, past The Gums and, in the distance, the sun glinted off the windows and the corrugated iron roofs of Wagtail Ridge.

Vicki and Willow had pulled a little ahead and had already walked to the other side of the clearing. Bree and Matt could hear Vicki’s voice as she chatted happily to the large, elegant animal who was helping herself to the tasty grass.

‘It looks so pretty from here,’ Bree said.

Matt nodded. When he spoke, his voice was soft and sad. ‘Kim grew up in the city, but she fell in love with this place the first time she saw it. From that day, all she ever wanted—all we ever wanted—was to live our lives and raise our family here.’

‘I am so sorry. What happened?’

‘Cancer. It’s such a horrible disease. She was so young and alive and beautiful, but in a matter of months, she was gone.’

Bree wanted to reach out to Matt and offer him comfort, but she held back. The depth of his grief was so great she doubted anyone could comfort him, except perhaps his daughter.

‘Every time I look at Vicki, I see so much of her mother in her. It’s a joy, but also …’ Matt ran his fingers through Digby’s thick coat, seeming to take comfort in its rich softness. ‘I think Sally has a worse problem. I think she sees Kim sometimes when she’s with Vicki. She seems to want Vicki to take the place of the daughter she lost. And she can’t be that. She has to be herself.’

‘I did get the feeling that Sally was … overprotective,’ Bree said cautiously.

‘Did she say something to you?’

You went to my daughter’s house … flung yourself at Matt … You stay away from them.

‘Nothing that matters.’ She wasn’t going to add to his concern.

‘I have told her and Brian to talk to me about being involved in Vicki’s life. I don’t want to cut her off from them, not for a minute. But Sally is getting too interfering. I’m not sure what to do next.’

This time Bree did reach out to lay a friendly hand on his arm. Just for a few seconds. ‘You’ll sort it out, Matt. You love your daughter and she loves you. Not everyone has that.’

The words slipped out before she could stop them. One day, perhaps, she would talk to him about her relationship with her own parents, but not today.

‘Vicki is the most important thing in the world to me.’

To Bree, those words seemed his way of making sure she understood his message. All they could be was friends. It wasn’t what she wanted, but it would do for now.

They turned their attention back to the animals, who had been grazing happily during the discussion.

Matt once again ran his fingers through Digby’s rich brown fleece. ‘This has been so relaxing. It’s made me feel so good.’

‘Alpacas will do that.’

‘I’m sure they do, but they can’t take all of the credit.’ He flashed her that smile one more time.

‘Come on, Vicki, I think it’s time we headed back,’ Bree called. ‘Nan is back at the house, baking. She will probably have some biscuits for us.’ She led the way out of their sunlit clearing and down the hill.