Return to Riversleigh by Anne Ashby

Author:Anne Ashby [Ashby, Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, late life, New Zealand, Adventurer
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2017-11-17T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

“I’ve rounded up enough sheep for one day. We can’t expect the kids to work a full day during school holidays,” Rod said as he joined Luke and the children for an early dinner prior to midday. “We’ll head off to begin the tailing after we eat.”

Thomas had been hanging around with Jake and Amy in the morning, but Luke hadn’t expected him to sidle up to the quad bike in the yard when they were ready to head out.

“Does your mother know where you are? Where you’re going?”

Luke looked over toward the flat’s kitchen window and spied Shannon at the sink. He acknowledged her wave.

“Jump on then. There’s plenty of work for everyone.”

Hours later Luke’s impression of Shannon’s son had changed. The boy had worked tirelessly with Rod. Although initially uncertain what to do, he soon became an asset.

About halfway through the flock, Luke called Thomas to his side. “My hand’s cramping up.” He flexed his perfectly-working fingers in front of Thomas. “Could you take over doing the vaccinations for a while?”

He wasn’t wrong. Thomas’s chest had puffed out. He hid a smile while showing the boy how to inject the lambs, and watched Thomas hesitantly practice on a couple. Luke left him to it with an off-hand, “As soon as my hand feels better, I’ll relieve you.” Luke flicked his right hand again for extra effect.

“Seems like a decent kid,” Rod commented as Luke joined him.

“He picked that up quick enough,” Luke mused. “His mother mollycoddles him. She doesn’t let him test his boundaries at all.”

Rod shrugged. “There’s not much you can do, Luke. You can’t interfere.”

“She’s making the kid’s life a misery.”

Rod shook his head. “It’s got nothing to do with you, lad.”

Luke shuffled away to round up more lambs, his sense of injustice tweaked. He couldn’t sit by and see the kid being denied the fun things in life.

****

Thomas lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. He was knackered. Thank goodness his mother hadn’t expected him to hang about downstairs. Her query about his afternoon he’d managed to answer with a grunt as he hauled himself up to his room.

His right hand ached. He clenched and relaxed it numerous times, hoping the movement might warm the strained muscles and ease the pain a little. Tailing lambs was hard work, much harder than he’d expected.

Luke and Rod hadn’t said much. They hadn’t told him he’d done a great job or anything. They’d just nodded as they collected the equipment and packed up for the night. Did I do everything right? He worried his bottom lip. I hope they think I did okay.

He ignored his mother’s call for him to shower before dinner. He was too tired. “I don’t want dinner,” he yelled out.

Her head appeared up the stairs. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

“No,” he muttered. “I’m just not hungry, okay?”

He rolled over, facing the wall. She came no farther into his room, although it was some moments before he heard her moving down the steps again.

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