Page 10 of Rough Stock

‘What’s wrong with my smile?’

‘It’s trouble.’ Then he pointed at Izzy. ‘You have that same smile, too. When you finally decide to smile—which is rare.’

‘Don’t point at me like that.’ Izzy slapped away his finger. ‘Besides, you haven’t given me any reason to smile.’

‘Feel free to leave. Door is there.’

‘No, Izzy can stay, and I’ll leave.’ Bree skipped up from the table and kissed his cheek. ‘You’re a cranky prick when you’re sick, just like Charlie.’ She ruffled his blond hair like a big sister. ‘Get better soon, Craig. Call me if you need me and I might bring over some homemade grog and we can do a long liquid lunch.’

‘Hey, Bree.’ He grabbed her hand. ‘Thanks for coming.’

‘Anytime. You’ve done it for me countless times. But I’m going to make you that sign now. Dustfire, right?’

‘You don’t need to. Not if Izzy has her way in selling the place.’ He narrowed his eyes at Izzy.

‘It’ll be a good one for the front gate.’ Bree waved while walking out of the house.

Izzy felt a pang of guilt for planning to sell up, as she followed Bree to the bright yellow Kombi van that seemed to glow under the stars. ‘Thank you for coming, Bree. And for all that food. But you can hold off on the sign.’

‘All good. I’m glad to share.’ Bree wound down the driver’s window, then paused. ‘I’m glad you’re here, Einstein.’ Again, Bree hugged Izzy tightly. ‘Even though that lonesome cowboy won’t admit it, Craig is glad too.’

‘It’s not permanent.’ Again, there was the familiarity of being hugged by a friend, she’d missed that. ‘What is this job you mentioned for Craig?’ He’d need it.

‘Well, I know someone who could use Craig’s skills. I’ll have to talk to them first. But I’ll be back with Dustfire’s sign, and we can have a cocktail party at the front gate while watching Craig put it up. Later.’ With a rev, and a toot of the horn, the Kombi van’s bright spotlight beams highlighted the landscape, with loud music blaring from its speakers.

Izzy stood there long after the Kombi’s lights disappeared and the dust settled on their long driveway, leaving a crisp, earthy aroma in the air. Then, she caught the familiar scent of warm honey and spice drifting from the iconic weeping paperbark. It had been so long since she’d breathed it in.

Proudly lining both sides of Dustfire’s driveway, the row of weeping paperbark trees created an impressive entrance to the property. Even in need of a trim, they were still spectacular, with their fluffy, creamy clusters of bottlebrush flowers releasing a soft, sweet fragrance. During the day, their scent peaked—a spiced honey blend that lured native bees and birds to gorge on their nectar. Izzy loved that tree, common in the Northern Territory but rarely seen elsewhere in southern Australia.

Again, she took a deep breath of fresh clean air, fully filling her lungs. There was no bitter taste in it. No smog. No traffic noises. While the light from the kitchen was the only light in the area.

She craned her neck to face the stars, where galaxies hid behind galaxies, their depth never ending, along with their astonishing patterns and falling star trails. Her heart bloomed. Oh, how she’d missed those stars.

‘What are you doing?’ Craig’s powerful figure was highlighted by the kitchen light as he leaned against the doorframe.

‘I forgot how clear the night sky was, and the smell of the night air.’ Again, she inhaled, this time detecting the faint aroma of eucalyptus and some heavenly native jasmine. Nothing and nowhere smelled like the outback at night, where it slept beneath an enormous ceiling of stars.

The noise of something scraping along the ground brought her out of her stargazing reverie. ‘What are you doing?’

‘This.’ Craig clumsily dragged two kitchen chairs through the dirt, using the chair’s backs like crutches. Over his shoulder he carried a shopping bag, its contents clinked like glass. ‘Sit.’

‘But you’re meant to be resting.’

‘I am.’ He flopped heavily into his chair, taking a few slow breaths before pouring the last of the red wine into two glasses. ‘I think we’ve done enough arguing today. Let’s just take a moment.’

‘I have work—’

‘No, you don’t.’ Capturing her wrist, he dragged her back to sit down beside him, then handed her a wineglass. ‘Now, say nothing until we both finish our glasses of wine. No small talk. No conversation. Let’s make a truce for peace at least until sunrise.’ He clinked his glass against hers.

‘To peace.’ Tired of fighting with him, too, she sat in silence.

She didn’t know how long they sat there enjoying the blissful sounds of silence, but it was long after she’d finished her glass of wine while staring up at the sea of stars. For the first time in a very long time, her mind finally slowed down, allowing her to relax.

She only ever did that with Craig.

Six

Izzy was the house guest from hell. For the past two weeks, she’d been relishing the sport of irritating Craig daily. It started with her rearranging his cupboards so he couldn’t find anything, forcing him to open at least half a dozen cupboards just to find the coffee.

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