The River Gum Cottage by Leonie Kelsall

Author:Leonie Kelsall
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2022-05-24T00:00:00+00:00

25

Jack

Jack tried not to stare at Lucie.

What had he said?

Whatever it was, Lucie’s expression had darkened, her mouth tightening and shoulders hunching, as though she hid within herself.

Why was he rabbiting on about the animals on land that he stood to lose once Lucie inherited it, anyway? He could at least be business-like about the whole damn shitshow. He gestured towards the river about eight hundred metres away, distinguished by the high levee bank and the broad, white-and-russet-striped trunks of river red gums. ‘The block ends before the river, the border’s where the darker grass is. There’s an irrigation channel through there. The dairy owns the bottom paddock, along with everything south. It’s around nine hectares or twenty acres, hence the name, ‘The Twenty’. It has good fencing all round and the soil’s excellent; the only real problem is the lack of water.’ Lucie looked a bit non-plussed but dutifully squinted in the directions he indicated as she bent to put the dog on the ground. The pup waddled over to Sally, who gave him a couple of tentative sniffs then looked up at Jack, as though not convinced the long-haired sausage was a dog. ‘If I had a water licence, I’d have liked to turn some land over to hemp production. The returns per hectare are good, but more importantly—’

‘It can be sustainably grown and is nutrient-rich.’

‘And suppresses weeds and improves the soil,’ he finished, trying to quell the lurch of excitement, the urge to share. But it was like she was inside his head.

He gestured back at the cottage. ‘The house is plumbed to rainwater, so you have to go a bit careful on it. I’ve been living here the last three years, but we’ll work something out if you want to move in.’

‘What?’ Lucie gasped. She took a quick step back from him, pulling Keeley with her. ‘Why would I—?’

The cottage could do with some work. He never had time to spend on prettying up the gardens, and somehow a fair bit of farm equipment had found its way into piles on the cracked concrete porch—although that mess should be hidden by the hip-high wall—yet it wasn’t as bad as Lucie’s reaction made it seem. ‘I mean, I know Gus wasn’t interested in the house, but a share of it comes with the property, I reckon.’

Lucie kept Keeley tight against her. ‘I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.’

Was she serious? ‘Gus only cared about the strawberries, but technically half of everything is his.’

‘Dad … owns this?’ Lucie asked slowly.

‘Half-owns,’ he corrected quickly. ‘Equal partnership.’ He tapped his chest, in case she still didn’t get it.

Lucie shook her head, looking around with what he hoped wasn’t renewed interest. Though wasn’t it better if she liked the place? She clutched the stone on the cord around her neck. ‘So Dad—and you?’ she paused. ‘You both own this?’ One tanned finger hesitantly described the perimeter.

‘Ah, yep.’ He’d thought the concept pretty clear; it was only when the use of the land was taken into account that it got messy.

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