So Far Into You (31 page)

They laughed and got started. They were purposeful, and they were positive. It was a good thing because Remy wasn't feeling particularly positive at all, but contrary to her wildest dreams, the picking went well and they got through more that day than she'd thought possible.

Other than Zac's two mates and Clea, who'd been told to take it slow, the other four fronted for work on Saturday. Clea came later to keep up the supply of coffee and tea and lunch.

Bryce complained a bit about his back, but they were in good spirits as they picked up the vineyard rows where they'd left off the night before.

Glancing skywards, Remy sent a quick prayer to the universe that the rain would stay away, and they'd get finished. No one from the universe answered, but for the moment at least the sky was clear and rain seemed a world away.

***

The Qantas flight landed midmorning Saturday in Adelaide. It was about fifteen minutes late because there'd been fog in Melbourne and flights across the country had been delayed. Seth got through the terminal fast, collected his luggage fast, and sent Rina a text to let her know he'd landed. Rina had his car and she would come pick him up.

He took his luggage out to the front of the terminal and waited. Soon enough, the Lasrey Estate black ute dodged past the taxis waiting to pick up passengers and nosed into the kerb. Seth heaved his bags in the back and opened the passenger door.

‘Howdy,' Rina said.

‘How's it going? Thanks for picking me up. Hope I haven't spoiled your Saturday.'

‘Lewis is working today, it's not a problem.' She checked her driver-side mirror and eased out from the kerb, picking up speed.

The roads were clear and Rina was through the city, heading up Glen Osmond Road to the Freeway. By the time she pulled off at the Hahndorf exit and started driving along Onkaparinga Road, they were pretty much all caught up with what was going on for Lasrey in the West and at Montgomery here in South Australia. Rina seemed relaxed and Seth figured it was time.

‘What favours are you doing for Ailsa?' He asked.

Rina's hands twitched on the steering wheel and she glanced hard at him. ‘What do you mean what favours?'

‘Did Ailsa ask you to give the media that stuff about Blake?'

‘They already knew about Blake but I don't think they put two and two together about “our” Blake being Blake Lasrey, world surfing professional. Once they knew that, they got interested real quick.'

‘I bet they did,' Seth said, as his lip curled. ‘What else has Ailsa asked you to do for her?'

‘I'm a director, Seth. So is she. I'm happy to keep your mother informed. We talk a lot about the winery business. It would be strange if we
didn't
talk.'

He pointed to his left. ‘Slow down, the driveway's just up here.'

‘I know where the driveway is.'

‘What do you do for her? She said you know where the company's vulnerable and you understand? What did that mean?'

‘Jesus, Seth. What is this? I don't know. I think about the company all the time … opportunities, strengths, weaknesses, threats.' Rina slowed the car and turned into Remy's driveway. The second she made the turn, she crouched lower in her seat, peering over the steering wheel as Remy's vineyard lay ahead. ‘What the hell?'

The place was buzzing. Cars lined the driveway. Remy's Rodeo sat several metres into the vineyard paddock with the trailer-gate down. Half a dozen crates made a neat stack in the back.

Remy was on the quad-bike, guiding it out into the vineyard with a stack of empty crates roped on the back. Breeze trotted behind.

‘What does she think she's doing?' Rina muttered, lips zipped tight.

‘Looks to me like she's picking her grapes.'

Rina chugged past a massively pregnant woman who was holding a flask of tea or coffee in one hand, fanning herself with her hat in the shade of the bushes near the house. He hoped to heck she wasn't picking grapes. That baby looked like it might be born any time.

Rina had to slow to navigate the driveway, made narrower than usual by the line-up of cars at the side. When they reached the cottage, Seth got out of the car and dumped his travel bag on the front step. Rina started making sounds as if she was heading straight home. Seth wasn't finished with her yet.

‘Hold on. I want to talk with Remy and see what's going on.' Seth strode toward the vineyard without looking back.

Rina called out, but he didn't stop.

Remy's blonde ponytail bounced as she navigated the bumps and gutters in the paddock, slower this time as she rode downhill. Those were full crates on the back.

Breeze trotted behind. He waved, and Remy deviated toward him. A beautiful big smile grew on her face and he knew something similarly goofy was spreading across his own jaw. She was magnificent, his woman. He was the luckiest man alive.

Across the vineyard, one by one, heads popped up to watch. Seth didn't care about the audience. Let them stare.

Remy let the bike engine idle a few metres before she reached him. Once it stopped, she stood up on the pedals, took hold of his shoulders to steady herself and kissed him full on the lips, in front of everyone.

A whoop went up from the vineyard.

Remy blushed and it was so sweet, and he felt such relief to have her in his arms, he kissed her again. Slower this time, tasting sunscreen and watermelon wrapped up with heat and longing. The combination knocked the breath out of them both.

‘I've missed you,' she said and he nodded, holding her close.

‘Me too. It's scary how much.'

One by one, those curious heads in the vineyard withdrew from above the canopy and left them alone. Seth could see Rina picking her way across the paddock toward them.

‘I had to organise my own pickers, I hope you don't mind.' Remy said, lifting her foot over the bike so she could stand beside him.

Seth kissed her hair. ‘Why would I mind?'

‘Well, you said your team would do it. But I couldn't get hold of anyone and Lewis said my block wasn't on the schedule till Tuesday. Tuesday can't be right. Plus they're forecasting rain.'

‘The fruit's not ready,' Rina said, still five metres away, watching them warily.

Remy snorted through her nose. ‘I know my own vineyard and I'm telling you it
is
ready. It's
perfect.
Here, try this.' She reached into the crate behind the quad-bike and pulled out a bunch of grapes.

Seth picked off several berries and put them in his mouth. Flavour burst on his tongue. Lovely, balanced fruit flavours.

Seth turned to Rina. ‘We need to help Remy get this off before it rains.'

She looked away. ‘All our pickers are busy.'

‘Where?'

Rina glared at him. ‘One contractor is at Robert Linke's place, another at Alf Flack's, or maybe Harman's place.

‘Those vineyards aren't worth half what Remy's fruit is worth to us.'

Rina stood her ground. ‘This vineyard isn't
ready.
'

Seth held out the bunch of grapes. ‘Try these. Tell me they're not ready.'

Reluctantly, Rina put two berries in her mouth. Sweet taste or not, her face was all sour. ‘I agree, this bunch is good, but that's not to say there isn't variability across the field. My sample average on Wednesday came in well under spec. The lab results prove it.'

‘You were here Wednesday?' Remy interrupted.

‘Yes,' Rina snapped, giving every bit of attitude back. ‘I did the tests myself. I wrote it all up on the whiteboard schedule. I've got the diary notes to prove it.'

‘Were you the one who called the ranger about Occhilupo?'

Rina hesitated a moment too long. When she realised that, she appealed to Seth. ‘Occhy wasn't even tied up. He could have got lost. Someone might have stolen him. I was worried.'

‘Forget about the dogs, both of you,' Seth said, as Remy went tense as a plank beside him. ‘No dog was hurt. No harm was done.'
He'd deal with that later.

‘Remy? How you going with those crates?' Bryce called from the vineyard. ‘We need more empties.'

‘I gotta go,' Remy said. ‘I gotta get these emptied. You sort this out. Just let me know what's going on, okay?' She put the quad-bike in gear, turned in a wide circle and headed for the Rodeo.

Seth turned to Rina. ‘Get this done. Make it happen.'

‘My samples said—'

‘I don't care about your samples. You must have calibrated wrong. This fruit is perfect.'

‘Fine,' Rina spat. ‘I'll fix it. I don't know why I'm surprised. You've
always
given her special treatment.' She spun on her heel.

‘Leave my car at the winery. I'll collect it later.'

‘Fine,' she said.

‘Rina?' Seth said, softer now he'd got his own way. ‘Thanks for picking me up at the airport.'

She didn't answer.

***

Bitch.
Rina's footsteps hammered the word as she trudged toward the car.

It was that same fucking thing all over again. No matter what obstacles you put in her way, Remy always bounced back.
Boing. Boing. Boing.

It wasn't fair.

Everything she'd done for Seth over the years. All those times she'd had his back. All the overtime. All the hours. Commitment. Dedication. Loyalty.

Worth nothing because Remy was the only woman he'd ever want. Remy could do no wrong. Even near-killing a vineyard couldn't convince Seth the girl was bad news.

Remy-bloody-Hanley/Roberts. Whoever she was.

Rina reversed out of Remy's cottage, drove back down the driveway, navigating cars, people, quad-bikes. Fuming.

As the bonnet of Seth's car reached the last vehicle, Rina stepped on the accelerator.

She only saw the pregnant woman at the last minute because she caught movement out of the corner of her eye as the woman waved at her from the shade. Automatically, Rina jerked the steering wheel, correcting to the left.

She saw a flash of tan and white at the edge of her vision. Then she felt and heard a bump. The flash hit her left front tyre and all Rina's anger vanished.

She braked, and braked hard. A cloud of dust engulfed the car.

Looking in the rear-view mirror, horror filled her throat.

She could see Remy and Seth, both of them running toward her. She saw the pregnant lady with one hand clutched across her chest, pointing at the ground, white-faced.

And she saw a scrap of tan and white fur on the gravel drive. It wasn't dead. It was moving. It might have tried to wag its tail.

Or was that the wind blowing the dog's tail? The dust made everything hard to see?

Had she killed Remy's dog?

Rina shoved the door open and leapt from the car.

Chapter 29

‘Seth? Where is she?' Remy asked, so upset she couldn't walk across the waiting area at the Adelaide Hills' vet, she had to run.

He'd been sitting on a chair, but he stood up to meet her and she skidded into his arms.

‘They're operating on her now. She's going to make it, Rem. They said she'll be fine. It might slow her down for a while. That's all.'

‘Are you sure? You're not just saying that?
Hell and Tommy.
She got run over, Seth.' Her eyes were savage, wild and wide.

‘I know.'

‘I only let her out because she'd been cooped up in the yard all week. I should have left her there … She was safe there.'

Breeze's yelp was a sound Seth would remember till the day he died. Both he and Remy had run toward the lump of beaten tan and white fur on the road.

‘Seth, I can't afford … I don't have pet insurance …'

‘I've got this, sweetheart. We'll sort it out.'

She leaned into him and Seth pulled her close.
Some homecoming.
It was barely two hours since he'd got off the plane.

‘Thank you for helping her. God, I'm so glad you were there,' Remy said.

Seth put her away from him so he could look at her face. Her hair was everywhere, long since fallen out of whatever elastic had held it in. Stress creased her brow and her eyes were dark with worry.

‘Rina didn't do it on purpose, Rem. I'm sure of that.'

‘I know,' Remy said. She believed it. Shocked as she'd been, she'd seen Rina's face. It had been ashen. Drained. Stunned. Rina hadn't even been able to stutter an apology. Her mouth wouldn't form the words.

Rina had been first to get to Breeze. She'd almost spun the ute into the ditch as she'd skidded to a stop. Squatting on the gravel, oblivious of the cuts the rocks engraved in her knees, Rina's hands had fluttered at her sides, useless.

Breeze had tried to wag her tail, as if to reassure the woman who'd run her over, caused her all this pain.

‘She's a beautiful dog,' Remy said, eyes welling. ‘She knew we were trying to help her. She didn't bite or growl at all when we put her in the car, and it must have hurt.'

Seth pulled her close, rubbing her back and her shoulders and any part he could reach. Gradually she quietened and not long after, the vet nurse came out to tell them Breeze was doing fine. They'd keep her overnight and if she was doing well in the morning, she'd be going home with a splint on her front leg, a quilting club's supply of stitches, and a bucket around her head.

‘I'm getting some pink bling to hang off the bucket,' Remy sniffed.

‘You do that,' Seth said, feeling his love for Remy flow over him like a wave. For the first time that afternoon, he let himself breathe the scent of her hair.

Remy stirred restlessly. ‘I've got to get back. I don't want to leave, but if I don't get that fruit off … I've left them all out there working.'

‘Rina promised she'd take care of it. She feels awful about hitting Breeze. Even if she ends up out at your place herself tonight with a set of secateurs, she'll make sure it gets done. You stay here and I'll go back out to your place. It's almost two o'clock. I'll call you to let you know how it's going.'