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‘I’ll be fine. So, take the opportunity.’

Cy shook his head. ‘To be honest, I don’t have to go there. I’m still thinking about it.’

Joe might be his father, but he had done some dreadful things and Cy wondered why he should go and see his father.

He appreciated that Tarni didn’t dig with more questions. The longer he spent with her, the more he respected her. He glanced across; her head was back again and her eyes were closed. The colour had left her face again; he wouldn’t go to the palliative care place to see Joe. It wouldn’t be fair to drop Tarni off and leave her.

Cy looked ahead as she dozed quietly beside him; the smoke haze from the woodland burn-off was getting thicker and he focused on his driving rather than letting his chaotic thoughts take over. Half an hour later, they approached the small settlement of Humpty Doo, and Tarni opened her eyes and sat forward. ‘Is this the beginning of Darwin?’

‘No, this is Humpty Doo. There are a lot of mango farms around here too. It’s known locally as “the Doo”.’

‘I thought South Australia had some strange place names, but that’s a classic. Is this near where you worked on the cattle stations? It’s a lot greener here than I thought it would be. South Australia is a lot drier.’

‘No, I worked further southwest, close to the Western Australia border. You have to remember this is the tropics. This lush green environment soon changes to red dust and dirt.’

‘Do you miss being on a cattle station?’

‘If anyone had asked me that a few months ago I would’ve said I’d be back in the cattle industry like a shot. But since I’ve been working on Kane’s farm, I’m not so sure. I hated being in the city. I was working with cattle but not out in the open spaces. I was laid off and was about to head back west when Kane offered me the management of the farm while they were away. I’ve been really surprised at how much I’ve enjoyed working on the agricultural side of things.’

‘They say a change is as good as a holiday,’ Tarni said.

‘True. What about you? How are you enjoying it up here so far?’

‘I am, even though it’s only been a week or so, it’s been really good for me. I love my work, but doing it in this environment is wonderful. I feel calm and settled. It happened before I got here actually. I spent a couple of nights at the Makowa Resort and I had the best sleep I’d had for months.’

‘Maybe you’re not a city girl.’

‘Maybe not.’ Tarni looked down at her bandaged hand. ‘Maybe I do need a new start somewhere, a new me.’

Cy couldn’t imagine Tarni being any different. ‘Kane’s turned the property into a showpiece, but it does have a good feel to it,’ he said.

‘It has.Hard to say why. I know the climate is different, but just sitting out on the veranda in the early morning, watching the sun rise and seeing that beautiful dawn as it steals over the green mango trees as far as you can see to the horizon, I feel calmer in myself.’

‘Did you live right in the city with your job?’

‘I did. I sat at my window and watched the sun rise above the rooftops. The closest I got to a big sky like the one here was a couple of puffs of cloud occasionally drifting across. The land and the air here are so natural and so clean. It’s funny you know, but I was even thinking about staying up here once I finish up with Kane. I thought I might be able to do some more work up here. There’s a university in town and some agricultural institutes. And there’s a lot of different crops up here; I’ve read in the paper about research over at Kununurra on the Ord River.’

‘Might be worth a try.’

‘I’m due for a change,’ she said.

Cy looked at her curiously, but he respected her privacy, as she had with him. He didn’t ask any more questions. If she wanted to talk, he would listen.

Chapter 21

McLaren Mango Farm - Sunday night

Tarni.

Tarni slept most of the way home. Cy glanced over at her every so often, but she didn’t stir until he slowed at the gate to the farm just after seven. The headlights illuminated the gate and he hit the brakes hard.

He’d left the gate open and now it was closed. Someone had been at the farm; maybe one of the family had called in. Cy jumped out and opened the gate. When he got back in the car, Tarni was stirring. He reached over and touched her arm lightly.

‘We’re home, Tarni.’

She stretched, put her head back and then turned to face him with a smile. ‘I feel so much better after a good sleep. Sorry, I wasn’t much company.’

‘That’s fine. You needed the sleep. Did they give you some tablets to bring home?’ Cy drove through the gate and jumped out and shut it behind them. Tarni nodded when he was back in.