The Saddler Boys (3 page)

In a flash the moment was gone, the pause button lifted, and life continued. ‘I think that's a good word for the blackboard, Billy.' As Nat walked to the front, her heart ached for him. He was different from the other kids – timid, sometimes a loner, softly spoken and reserved. After just a week, she felt as if Billy was a kid with an old soul, who flitted through life like a butterfly.

She picked up some chalk to spell out the word for them all. So many schools had whiteboards or fancy projector screens these days, but having a blackboard made her feel just like Mrs Smithe. Even the smell of the chalk dust felt right. And the kids fought over who got to clean the dusters.

At lunchtime, Nat was sticking the kids' work up on the wall when Grace popped her head in.

‘Would you like a cuppa? Ross has gone out on yard duty.' Grace saw the picture Nat had just put up and smiled sadly. ‘Oh, is that Billy's?'

‘Yes. How did you know? Did his nana pass away recently?'

Grace nodded and her shoulder-length bob swayed. Her fringe was long but didn't quite cover the scar along her forehead. ‘About three months ago. Alice Saddler was a wonderful lady and a good friend. She was well known and loved in this community.' Grace took a moment, her eyes glistening, before she continued. ‘She died from a metastatic melanoma.'

Nat's mouth dropped open. ‘Is that why Billy dresses in full-length clothes?'

‘Yeah. He's been a stickler for it ever since. I hear he gives his Dad curry every time he wears shorts. It's a hard lesson for a little boy.'

‘He was very close to her?'

‘Oh, yeah. I mean most kids are close to their grandparents around here because they all live on the farms together, but Alice was the one who helped bring Billy up.'

Nat frowned as they walked to the staffroom. Outside, kids were trying to eat their lunch quickly so they could go play. ‘No mother?'

‘No. She died not long after he was born.' Grace turned on the kettle and got out two cups from the cupboard.

Kath was at the table stirring a mug of soup. ‘Kettle should still be hot. You talking about Billy?'

‘Yeah. He seems like a gorgeous kid. Out of all of them he seems the sweetest, but . . .' Nat wasn't sure how to explain it – and what if she was wrong?

‘He's a bit different?' added Grace.

‘Yes. Has he been . . . tested?' Nat asked carefully as she took her lunchbox from the fridge with her homemade salad.

‘They took him to doctors but they said he wasn't “bad” enough to put under any label. Alice did a lot of after-school work with him to help keep him up with his year but now she's gone, you might find him slipping backwards.'

Nat walked across the black-and-white checked lino and sat at the table. Grace brought over their cups before fetching her lunch from the fridge.

‘All right. Is there anything I should keep an eye out for?' Nat asked.

‘He withdraws into himself and can sometimes have anxiety attacks but I've seen the way you are with the kids – you'll be fine,' said Grace with a smile. ‘He just needs patience and understanding. You seem to have that in spades. So are you excited about this afternoon?'

Nat groaned as she chewed a mouthful of salad. ‘Not sure,' she mumbled.

Kath laughed, and it sounded like one of the birds Nat had heard that morning on her walk to school. ‘You'll be fine. It's just a meet and greet and, believe me, you'd rather get it all over and done with in one go. It will save all the gawking every time you go to the shop.'

‘I guess. I'm heading to Perth afterwards, though, so I can't stick around for too long.'

‘Really? Are you going to do that every weekend?' asked Grace.

‘God, I hope not.' Nat stabbed her fork at a cherry tomato. ‘I still need a few things I forgot and everyone will want to see I'm still alive. They think I've gone to the end of the earth.' Gary, for one. ‘God forbid they might actually come and visit me.' She was actually looking forward to getting back to Perth, as the annual Wright–Hutchinson get-together was on. For years they had celebrated the friendship of these two families, as far back as Nat could remember, but this year would be different: this year, Nat Wright was dating Gary Hutchinson. He was eight years older than her, and she'd had a crush on him her whole childhood. Six months ago he'd finally asked her out, and they'd been together ever since. And the families couldn't be happier.

‘Ha, good luck with that,' said Grace. ‘I've got friends and family in Perth who have never come out here, yet they expect me to drop in and see them all the time. I was staying in Midland once and even that was too far away for them.' She shook her head in dismay.

Nat actually hoped there was some truth to Grace's words. She liked having Lake Biddy to herself. She was worried that if her parents and friends saw how remote it was they'd try to talk her into coming home. Nat just wanted one year to herself. A year doing a job that she'd wanted to do her whole life. Was that too much to ask?

‘DAD,
can I ride on the back with Turbo?'

‘Sure, mate. Just be careful,' said Drew as he watched his son clamber up the side of the ute.

‘Turbo, stop it! Don't lick. Let me get up.'

Drew tried not to laugh as Turbo showed his delight, licking madly and knocking off his son's hat.

‘
Turrrboooo
.' Billy thrust his wide-brim hat back on his little head and sighed like an old man. It was still hot at four in the afternoon, the sun bearing down.

Drew lifted his own head so he could glimpse the harsh rays from under his hat. Sweat coated his neck but the gentle breeze brought some relief. He glanced at his son, sitting down on the tray beside the dog with the heat shimmering in the background. It was moments like these on their farm, Dragon Rock, that really made him feel thankful.

‘Come on, Dad, the sheep are starving.' Billy's heart-shaped face looked up at him with a fierce intensity, as if to say, ‘How dare we make them wait.'

Drew was continually struck by his son's beautiful innocence and energy. As if he knew Drew was having a moment, Billy tilted his head and gave him an inquisitive smile. Some days he could come across as quite simple; other days he seemed wiser than most.

‘All right, Billy, let's go.' Drew jumped in his white LandCruiser and headed away from the sheds and towards the gully paddock, which had the so-called starving sheep. He glanced in the rear-vision mirror, first spotting the sheep feeder he was towing and then checking that Billy was doing as he had been told. The kid's lips were moving in an animated conversation with Turbo. Drew chuckled before stopping to open the paddock gate.

‘I've got it, Dad,' yelled Billy as he jumped down, his tiny Blundy boots kicking up dirt. It was a hard gate to open, but Billy persisted until it fell to the ground and he dragged it away so the ute could drive past.

When Billy was safely back on the tray, Drew drove into the paddock towards the mob and slowed down. ‘Give the rope a tug now, Billy!' he yelled.

Having done it a million times before, Billy pulled on the rope that opened the bottom of the sheep feeder. He gripped the edge of the tray and watched the wheat pour out, the sheep running towards them like kids running to Santa with his sackful of presents.

They did the same in the other paddock with the last mob. When the grain was all spent Drew got out to shut the feeder door.

‘They look hot,' said Billy, nodding to the sheep in their heavy wool coats. They panted as they moved back and forth.

‘It actually keeps them cool, you know. Don't worry, I'll start shearing them soon.' He gestured to Billy. ‘Come here.'

Billy walked over and threw his arms around his dad's neck. Drew lifted him off the tray and hugged him tight, renewing the vow he made to himself every day: it was just the two of them now, and Drew would do his best to have Billy by his side always, no matter how hard it was to run a farm and keep a household at the same time. He let Billy slide to the ground. ‘You wanna steer the ute back to the shed?'

‘Oh, yes, please.'

Drew got in and Billy climbed onto his lap. He would drive the ute all by himself, if only his feet could reach the pedals.

‘Dad, Miss Wright asked about Nana today,' Billy said matter-of-factly.

‘Did she now? So you like this new teacher?'

‘Oh, yeah.' For a moment Billy took his eyes off the dirt track to meet his dad's gaze. ‘She's like one of Mallory's Barbie dolls.'

‘Eyes on the road, kid,' said Drew with a chuckle.

Billy concentrated on his task but continued talking. ‘She's so nice but she knows nothing about the country, Dad. She's never seen an echidna or a yabby!'

‘I bet she hasn't.' Drew thought back to the woman he'd met at the shop before school started, immaculately groomed from her glossy spun-gold hair to her fancy painted toes. She was a Barbie, all right, and he'd bet his ute that this was her first real country experience. He smiled as he wondered what she thought so far. Would she last the year? Her vibrant teal-green eyes flashed in his mind and he remembered the flare of determination he thought he'd seen in them.

‘Can we invite her out to the farm, Dad?'

Drew realised they were back at the sheds and brought the ute to a stop before processing Billy's question. ‘Um, maybe.' Another ute was parked by the large water tank at the edge of the shed. ‘Look – Uncle Matty's here. Maybe he has Seth and Mallory with him,' said Drew. It was best to distract Billy quickly before he worked up a head of steam, because when he wanted something there was usually no way to change his mind.

‘Uncle Matt!' yelled Billy before Drew had even opened the door. He jumped out and ran towards the white dual-cab ute.

‘Hey, kiddo, I'm here.' Matt stepped out from the shed where he'd been looking at the header. He was shorter than Drew and had a well-fed middle but could still kick a mean football and tackle with the best. He wore faded blue work shorts and a dirty brown T-shirt with holes down the front. No doubt from grinding that trailer he was making.

‘Did you bring the kids?' asked Billy with his hands on his hips.

Drew had to smile at his little farmer, in work jeans, boots and long-sleeved checked shirt. He even had a little swagger.

‘Aren't I good enough?' said Matt, lifting his red Elders hat and scratching his head. That worn, faded red hat was almost a part of him, like his work boots. He was hardly ever seen without either.

Billy threw his arms around Matt's waist. ‘Of course you are, Uncle Matt.'

Matt patted his back affectionately. ‘I know, buddy. I was just teasing. The kids are playing in the shearing shed.'

With a quick glance at Drew, who gave him a quick nod, Billy took off, running towards the shearing shed.

Drew stood by his friend in the shade as they watched Billy leave, his legs pumping in a clunky run.

‘How's he been first week back at school?' asked Matt.

Drew and Matt had forged a tight friendship when Drew first came back to the farm after his father died, but it was cemented when they'd both had sons. Matt had been an honorary uncle to Billy all the boy's life. So Matt knew that school was hard for Billy and always asked how he was going – which Drew appreciated more than ever now that he was raising his son on his own.

‘Surprisingly good. I was expecting a repeat of last year and was waiting for the phone calls, but he's doing okay.'

Drew didn't have to worry about getting Billy on the school bus each weekday – he happily followed his two best friends, Mallory and Seth, and had become used to the routine. But having a new teacher had upset the balance in the past. Billy didn't take to change very well, and sometimes it took him a while to build up trust. Last year he'd had a meltdown at school, as he wasn't coping with the teacher or the work. It had taken weeks of school visits and talks to help Billy settle in. Then the teacher had left at the end of the year and Drew had to worry about starting the whole process again. Only this time Billy had been great.

‘He withdraws a bit here,' he told Matt. ‘He feels his nana's absence the most at home. But school's been fine.'

‘I'm not surprised; Mallory and Seth can't stop talking about the teacher. Miss Wright this and Miss Wright that. It's only been a week and I'm sick of hearing her name already.' Matt's smile totally contradicted his words. ‘Loz has gone into the meet-and-greet thing for the parents at the school – that's why I've got the kids. I've heard around town she's a stunner. Maybe you should have gone in this arvo?' Matt wiggled his thick black eyebrows.

Drew was used to his mates' ribbing, but he didn't need or want a woman; life was busy and complicated enough. ‘I've already met her,' he said simply.

Matt's mouth dropped. ‘No way. When? Why didn't you tell me? Is she as hot as the gossips say?'

Drew took a moment. ‘She was like something from a magazine. Well dressed, dripping of money, and she smelt . . .' Drew couldn't even describe the sweet scent that had stayed with him long after he'd left. Matt was hanging on his every word, waiting for him to continue. ‘She smelt amazing. Not what you'd usually find in our little town. I thought she was lost,' said Drew with a laugh. Sure, the young lady was beautiful, but it was her eyes that had remained in his memory, and the way she held herself. It didn't mean he hadn't noticed her long slender legs or her perfectly fit form – on the contrary, he'd noticed it all. She was like something you only saw in the movies. Yet here she was in Lake Biddy. That was what intrigued him the most.

‘Really? Did you speak to her?'

‘Yeah, not much. Who knows if she can make it work out here, but quite frankly I hope she does last. Billy seems so taken with her. It's certainly made my life easier, not having to deal with any issues. I'd like to be a fly on the wall, though,' Drew said truthfully. He wanted to see how she engaged with Billy. Had she worked with similar children before? Was she like Drew's mum, Alice? Is that why Billy seemed so comfortable with her?

‘I'd like to meet her. Damn, I should have gone in with Loz.' Matt winked. ‘With a bit of luck Loz will invite her out for a meal. Maybe we'll invite you over too.'

Drew laughed. ‘Don't even think about including me in your schemes.'

A motorbike whizzed past the shed at breakneck speed before doubling back to stop in front of them with a big slide, covering them in dust and sand. They both coughed and brushed themselves off.

‘Thought I'd find you here,' said a voice from the cloud of rusty powder.

‘Bloody hell, Kim,' Matt choked out. ‘You juvenile.'

The dust cleared and Matt's sister shook out her straight brown hair. She wore a blue-and-green checked shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a big R. M. Williams belt on her jeans. ‘G'day, boys,' she said with a smile.

‘Hey, Kim, you mad bugger. I'm glad Billy wasn't here to see that. I saw him yesterday doing a circle on his little fifty.'

Kim's perfect teeth were bright white. ‘Who do ya think showed him that, Sadds?' she said with a wink.

Drew laughed but he wasn't worried. Kim was always around and helping out, taking Billy for outings. She was a good sort, only a year older than Drew, and Billy loved her to bits. She would have made sure he had all his safety gear on and would have shown him the right way to do it. Billy had been riding his motorbike for a few years now so he'd probably already tried it.

‘To what do we owe this pleasure?' said Drew. ‘You didn't go in to the school thing with Loz?'

Kim flicked down the bike stand and sat propped up on the bike. ‘Nah, I had a few sheep to sort out. Besides, why would I need to meet the new sheila in town? It's hard enough finding myself a bloke, let alone sharing what's left with her.'

Matt chuckled. ‘Jealous much? Besides, from what I hear she'd have more chance. No guy wants a girl who can weld better than them.'

‘Better than you, you mean. I can't help it if you have no skill,' Kim teased.

Drew watched their banter with joy. He missed his own sister, Amy. She was in Perth with her family and hadn't lived on the farm since she went away to boarding school. She didn't come back much – she had two young kids and a busy job.

‘Matt's heard she's a stunner,' said Kim, rolling her eyes. ‘Sounds too citified to me. No bloke would want a girl who's afraid to get her hands dirty. It's a prerequisite for living in the country.'

‘Drew's met her. Do you think you could teach her how to get her hands dirty?' Matt said cheekily.

‘I'm not even going to answer that.' Drew glanced at Kim, who was staring at her hands, picking at her dirty nails. Something was on her mind. A little crease always appeared between her eyebrows when her brain was churning. ‘Kim, you still right to go fox shooting next Saturday?' he asked. As he'd hoped, she looked up, a bright smile on her face.

‘Of course. Just cleaned my gun too. What's the bet this time? Loser buys a carton?'

‘Sis, why do you even try? You know Drew's a crack shot.'

Kim put her hands on her hips and gave her brother a look to be reckoned with. ‘Because one day I will beat him.'

And Drew knew that she bloody well would. Kim was one of the most determined, gutsy girls he knew. There wasn't a damn thing she didn't know about farming, nothing she couldn't do or learn and, to tell the truth, at times she could be a little intimidating. Drew wondered if this was why none of the single lads had claimed her. More than likely it was because she hardly ever left the farm – too busy with farm work and the sculptures she made.

One thing was for sure: he couldn't have got through the last ten years without Kim and Matt.

‘You betcha. A carton for the winner. Coronas, please, and I'll meet you at the shed next Sat at seven.' Drew shot her a grin that warned her to bring her A-game.

Three kids came racing around the corner of the shed, Mallory and Seth dressed the same as Billy except for the pink tutu Mallory wore over her jeans and the sparkly headband in her hair.

‘Kimmy!' yelled Billy as he ran right into her side.

Kim scooped him up and hugged him tight. ‘Hey, little dude. How are ya?' She sat him in front of her, where he pretended to ride her big bike. Seth climbed on the back and Mallory pouted, left out. Kim reached out and touched her headband. ‘Looking fabulous as always, Mal, my little princess.'

Drew watched the kids clamour for Kim's attention. She'd make an awesome mum one day. It's a shame he couldn't say the same for Billy's mother. He clenched his jaw but his muscles relaxed as he gazed upon his son. His beautiful, perfect boy, full of life and love. Having him was the one thing his birth mother had got right and for that, he'd always be thankful.