“We don’t have chocolates.”
“I’m sure they’d be a best seller with the guys coming in here needing to smooth things over with their missus.”
“I think you might be on to something.”
“I’ll get the feed, too, while I’m here.”
“Okay, I’ll get Dave to help me load them up on your ute. Two dozen?”
“Yep, that’ll get us into the new year until you open up again.”
“Right-o. Give me a minute to gift wrap this, and I’ll put it all on your account.”
Ben grinned at John’s sense of humor. It would certainly be helpful if he could gift wrap the boots. A glance at his cell and all Ben wanted to do now was to get home and have a bit of time with Raven. Wrapping paper and card could wait. At least he managed to get a gift. With any luck, Raven would like it.
Raven leaned on the old wooden railing and looked out into the paddock of alpacas. There were a few blades of green grass, but mainly it was brown, burned by the summer sun, even though it was only December and summer was only beginning. She shaded her eyes with her hand, wishing she’d grabbed her sunglasses on the way out of the house. This was a view she could look at for hours.
Evie stood nearly as tall as her mother, head down nibbling at the hay Ben had spread around early this morning. She was a beautiful tan color, big eyes, and long ears. Ben thought he would keep her for breeding instead of selling her, much to Raven’s delight. There was a special connection she had for Evie after seeing her born at the Royal Show only a few months ago. It was also the start of the relationship with Ben being more than a yearly fling. Raven didn’t think she could bear to see Evie sold. She was even looking forward to when Evie would be a mother herself next year. Raven surprised herself with her thoughts.
Wow, I have learned things about the farm. The emotion of feeling lonely bubbled under the surface, but she ignored it. That was the biggest issue she had here, and it could be enough to break the connection with Ben. She still had to wait for the group meetings to start up again after the festive holidays, and who knew how well her cooking for Janette would really go. She hoped these changes were going to be enough to stave off the feeling of isolation here.
Raven was nervous about cooking for Janette and Ben. That was if Ben even made it to the dinner table Sunday night. In all likelihood, he would be on the harvester. She had no idea what to cook. Her best dish was a honey-soy stir fry, but somehow, she didn’t think that was quite what Janette was used to.
Could I do meat and three vegetables?
That simple dish didn’t inspire her. Then there was an Indian lamb korma curry she could cook, but again, would that be something Janette or even Ben would enjoy? Cooking wasn’t her strong point—Janette had years of experience and was a very good cook.
Maybe I should’ve just offered to always be on clean up, she mused as Evie lifted her head and looked at her, chewing a mouthful of hay before putting her head back down, her lips moving to nibble at more. A few of the alpacas had settled in the shade of the trees and had nestled down resting the afternoon away.
The heat from the sun radiated, and sweat began to bead on her forehead, but Raven didn’t mind so much. The warmth of the day seemed to give her a bit of comfort that she needed right now. That, and watching Evie in the paddock with the other alpacas.
Feeling that things had somewhat been smoothed over with Janette, Raven had come out to clear her head in the fresh air—air that smelled of an animal earthiness. A gentle breeze moved the excess material of her loose pants. She remembered how alone she was out here and how she was disconnected with her old life and not yet connected with this new life. Another warm tickle from the wind moved over her body. A swim would be good right about now. The beach was too far away to bother driving to, and there was no pool on the farm. When she’d asked Ben what he’d done as a kid to cool down, he’d muttered something about running through the garden sprinklers. Right now, she considered that could be an option if it meant it helped her to cool down.
As much as she didn’t mind the extremely hot weather, right now, it was starting to get a little uncomfortable, so she considered going back into the house. But there was no air conditioning, and in an attempt to keep it cool, Janette had closed all the windows and shut the blinds and curtains to keep it dark. It helped to keep the temperature down inside, but it also made Raven feel a little claustrophobic.
It was too early to collect the afternoon eggs from the dozen or so chooks they had on the farm, so she’d decided to visit Evie. A few of the galahs squawked in the surrounding trees, then settled—it was too hot for them to cause a ruckus.
Raven could hear the chooks clucking. A few had ventured near her, scratching at the ground and pecking as if the heat was no problem for them. Even Rex, the cat, hadn’t come down with her like he often did. She was beginning to think that maybe an afternoon rest would be a good way to pass the last of the hot afternoon before it hopefully started to cool down again. Janette had mentioned that there should be a bit of a cooling change. Raven hoped so.
The sound of a vehicle engine rattling down the driveway caused Raven to look behind her, wondering who would be visiting. She still wasn’t used to how neighbors dropped in at random times with no warning.
It was Ben’s ute, and it was loaded high with bags of alpaca feed. She frowned. Why had he gone into town? And why wasn’t he on the harvester?
A knot formed in her gut, and a shiver went down her spine. Had something gone wrong?
She exhaled slowly, realizing how quickly she was jumping to conclusions.
Was this what it was like to be a farmer’s wife?she suddenly thought. Raven didn’t much like how she was feeling right now, simply seeing Ben drive here with his ute, knowing that he should be out harvesting the crop.
Ben smiled to himself as he saw Raven standing by the alpacas. She wore her city clothes—long loose pants and tight top—instead of the usual jeans and shirt that no matter the weather the locals wore. Her style looked a little out of place, but also at the same time, it was perfect, a breath of fresh air. A change. Something new and fun, but also strong, reliable, and sassy. That’s what drew him to her. He enjoyed driving into his home and seeing her. His pulse increased, and his body started to respond with the primal desires he’d been denying.
He glanced at the package on the passenger seat next to him. Would she like it? Would this be the gift to mark their first Christmas together?
Ben drove the ute to the shed where he stored the alpaca feed and parked the ute. He needed to unload it now, but there was something way more important he needed to do. As he got out, Snipper came up to him, excited that he was home. The dog jumped up and down, wagging his tail madly.
“Hey, boy.” Ben paused to give Snipper a scratch behind his ears before making his way down to the alpacas to Raven.
She turned and smiled as he walked up to her. His heart skipped so many beats he was sure it was out of control from just seeing her, standing relaxed watching the alpacas as if it were the most natural thing for her to do, despite being a city girl.
