Monday, December 23rd, 2019
Dusty was on the last round of the wheat crop. She’d taken time this morning to take a truckload to the silos, which meant now she could empty the combine straight into the bin on the truck, and all being well, take the last load to the silos tomorrow morning. Then she would clean the equipment, and she would then be officially finished before Christmas.
She planned to spend a few days relaxing, and more importantly, time with Blaise. She wanted him to stay in her life. She was sure of it now. Yet, it was still a big step, and she hadn’t told him. It was getting difficult to keep it a secret, though. He had been going back to his rental in Wilkton in the evenings, so she hadn’t seen a lot of him.
Things had settled between them after the trip with Aaron to Melbourne. She was glad that Blaise trusted and believed what she told him. It was the truth, after all.
One thing niggled at her—Blaise’s Christmas present. Dusty wasn’t big on gifts, but this year being their first Christmas together meant that she wanted to make an effort. She’d had an idea, but with each round of the paddock, she doubted herself.
Would the gift be enough?
Was it really a gift?
It was what Blaise wanted, and she was ready to give it to him.
The biggest issue was that she was simply running out of time, and she didn’t have time to go to the local shops.
She turned the combine for the final time and finished the last of the crops for this year.
Done.
Satisfaction welled inside of her. She hadn’t thought she’d manage to finish before Christmas. Relief washed over her while a tear slipped down her cheek. Another year nearly over, and the hard work was paying off.
Staying focussed, she drove to the truck and emptied the last load from the combine. It had been a difficult week, but now, as she finished, she needed to turn her attention to Blaise and their future together.
