Chapter 38

CHAPTER

38

Matt was earlier than Bree had expected, but that was fine. With Vicki around, they wouldn’t get much chance to be alone, maybe a quick kiss. But even that would be enough. No. Who was she kidding? That wouldn’t be enough. But it would have to do for now. She left Maggie cleaning out feed bins and walked to where Matt was helping Vicki out of the back seat of the car.

‘Hello, Bree.’ Vicki skipped towards her. ‘Daddy says there is a surprise. What is it?’

Bree returned the little girl’s hug, feeling overjoyed at her confidence and the open display of affection. ‘Surprise? I wonder what your dad was thinking of?’ She grinned at Matt and took a step towards him, but was shocked to see that his returning smile was forced. His face was stony, as if he was keeping a tight rein on some overwhelming emotion. Something was very wrong. Before she could ask, he shook his head slightly, and nodded at Vicki. Bree understood.

‘Come on, Vicki.’ She took the girl’s hand. ‘Let’s see if we can find this surprise.’

With Vicki skipping along beside her, Bree walked to the mothers’ paddock and helped Vicki climb onto the bottom rail of the wooden fence. Once the girl could see over the top, it didn’t take her long to spot the new arrival.

‘Daddy, look! It’s a new baby. Did you know they are called crias? Hello, little cria.’

‘It’s Roxy’s son,’ Bree told her. ‘He’s not quite two days old.’

Roxy was grazing quietly while her boy was testing his legs, trotting around the grazing alpacas and racing with the other youngsters. Vicki started laughing at the creature’s antics. Bree glanced at Matt. The look on his face as he watched his daughter’s joy was heartbreaking.

‘What’s his name?’ Vicki asked.

‘He doesn’t have a name yet. Would you like to help me pick a name for him?’

‘Oh, yes, please.’

‘All right. You have to get to know him a little before you pick a name, so why don’t you just sit there on the edge of the water trough and watch him for a while? See what names come to you.’

With Vicki safely occupied, Bree touched Matt’s arm and they stepped back, out of earshot.

‘What’s wrong?’

She listened with growing horror as Matt outlined what had happened. ‘Oh, Matt. How horrible for you. How much did Vicki hear?’

‘Not as much as she could have. I sent her away, but she knew something was wrong, And afterwards, she didn’t ask about it. That’s what she did in the last stages of Kim’s illness. She went very quiet and stopped asking how her mother was doing. It scares me to see her like that again. I can’t let this happen to her. Not now when she’s become her old, happy, confident self again.’

‘No, you can’t. I’m so glad the other man has stepped back. A full paternity hearing, with blood tests and so forth, would have been so stressful for poor Vicki. And you.’ She took his hand and squeezed it gently in support.

His fingers closed around hers like a drowning man finding a lifeline. ‘I don’t know what to do next.’

‘You could get a restraining order against Sally.’

‘I don’t want to do that. I think it crosses a line that we might never come back from.’

Bree understood what he was saying, but to her mind, Sally had already crossed that line and taken several steps beyond it. ‘What does my mother say?’

‘I haven’t spoken to her. I came straight out here as soon as Hooper left. I wanted Vicki to stop worrying about what had happened. I hope it’s okay that we came early.’

‘You can come here any time you want—or need—to.’ In the meaningful silence that followed, Vicki’s laughter rang out. ‘Why don’t you ring my mother now and see what she says? Go inside and use the landline. It’s much better than a mobile and there’s no chance of Vicki overhearing. I’ll keep her occupied while you do.’

Matt looked at his daughter then nodded. ‘Thank you.’

Bree saw how his shoulders slumped as he walked to the house. He would fight for Vicki with everything he had, but right now, it was clear he thought he was losing. And no matter what she said, Bree knew her words would be little comfort in the face of his greatest fear.

‘Where’s Daddy going?’ Vicki appeared at her side. ‘He’s not leaving me, is he?’ Her voice quivered, as if tears were not far away. Bree’s heart contracted. It was so unfair that Vicki was suffering like this. ‘Of course not,’ Bree said brightly. ‘I think he’s going to use the bathroom.’ She pulled a face and Vicki giggled. ‘All right. Have you thought of a name for the baby?’

‘Can we call him Kristoff. After Anna’s friend in Frozen ?’

‘That is a very good name. Let’s go and ask him, shall we?’ Bree led Vicki towards the gate into the nursery paddock.

***

Margaret’s advice to Matt was simple. ‘We need to get an intervention order.’

‘I was hoping to avoid that.’

‘Matt. Do you trust her with your daughter? Seriously. Because if the answer is no, then a Family Violence Intervention Order is the answer. At least for now.’

‘But she’s never been violent towards Vicki. Or me.’

‘Do you think she might be? And remember, she can pose a threat without doing actual physical violence. Harassment is a valid case.’

‘I think … I think she’s becoming more unstable. And with Kim’s birthday coming up the day after tomorrow, I’m afraid she’ll do something—’ He took a deep breath. ‘You’re right, Margaret. I don’t trust her. And I don’t want her anywhere near Vicki, at least until she’s had some sort of counselling or therapy. And certainly not without me present.’

‘Then you know I have to do this.’

‘I know.’ His voice fell. ‘What do I have to do?’

‘I’ll get the paperwork underway first thing in the morning. I’ve got my notes here about what happened today. When it’s written up, I’ll send it to you for confirmation or anything you can add. Then we file.’

After they’d agreed, Matt hung up the phone. He sat staring at it for a long time before the sound of Bree and Vicki dragged him from the dark place he had gone to. He pushed his thoughts into the far recesses of his mind and by the time the front door opened, he was smiling.

‘Daddy, we’re calling the cria Kristoff. He’s lovely. And Kristoff was a hero.’

‘It’s a very good name.’

He didn’t get a chance to talk to Bree as dinner was prepared and eaten. Vicki chatted happily, not seeming to notice the tension in him. The little girl was soon yawning, which meant it was time to go. Matt settled her in the car seat, then drew Bree aside.

‘Intervention order?’ Bree asked. He nodded.

She put a comforting hand on his arm. ‘I know you didn’t want to go this route, but it’s the right thing to do. You can’t let things remain as they are.’

‘I know.’ As he looked at her, he wanted to take her in his arms and lose himself in her more than anything. Lose himself in the warmth and the joy that would take away the horrors of the day. But he couldn’t. ‘Bree, I want … But I’m sorry—’

‘Stop.’ She lifted her hand and gently stilled his lips with her fingertips. ‘You don’t have to say anything. You will get past this. Until then, I’m here to help in any way I can. And after, well, that’s something for us both to look forward to.’

As he got into the car to drive away, Matt cursed Sally. It wasn’t enough that she was getting between him and his daughter, she also seemed bent on destroying his first real hope of a happy future for himself. He was not going to allow that to happen.