Opal Dreaming (21 page)

As Jess unsaddled Opal's mother at the end of the day, she couldn't help thinking of her filly, lying listlessly in the station yard. Lawson's offer was generous, but she didn't want a new version of Marnie. She wanted Opal.

She couldn't let her die.

26

THAT EVENING,
as Jess rummaged in the back of the trailer, looking for something clean to change into, Shara banged on the door. ‘Come on, Jess. We're giving you a belated birthday party!'

Jess pulled on a Craig Fairley special, rolled up the roomy sleeves and tied the front shirt tails into a knot. ‘I'm coming,' she said, opening the door and jumping out. Lawson was playing some bluegrass tune that filled her with the urge to do some boot scootin' and thigh slappin'.

Shara carried the ‘cake' – a large damper – on a plate. In the middle she had shoved a camping candle that was ten times the size of a regular birthday candle. ‘Blow it out and make a wish,' said Shara.

‘Just one?'

‘How many do you need?' asked Shara.

‘I have two,' said Jess.

‘Rosieee!' Shara yelled. ‘Get some more candles. The birthday queen wants
multiple
wishes.' She lowered her voice to Jess. ‘Considering the state of this cake, I think that's a reasonable request!'

‘It looks delicious,' said Jess.

‘Made by my own fair hand,' said Shara proudly.

Rosie came over with some more white candles and shoved them unceremoniously into the crust of the damper. ‘Who's got a match?'

‘Here.' Grace held a stick in the fire and caught some flame, then lit the candles one by one. ‘Happy birthday to you,' she began to sing and the others joined in for another round of the song.

‘Make your wishes,' said Shara.

Jess blew from candle to candle until they were all extinguished.

I wish Opal gets better.

I wish these guys are my friends forever and ever.

As plates of warm damper with butter and golden syrup were passed around, Shara sidled up to her. ‘So, best bestie,' she said, in a secretive whisper. ‘We all want to know what's going on with Luke.' She nudged Jess.

‘We saw you kissing,' teased Rosie as she sat down next to them. ‘Told you he was totally in love with you.'

‘Gross, I'm never having a boyfriend,' said Grace, tearing open her chunk of damper and watching the steam come out.

Jess smirked and took a bite of her damper without answering. ‘This is disgusting!' She searched for somewhere to spit out her mouthful.

Shara spat hers onto her plate. ‘I think I used salt instead of sugar!' she moaned.

That night, Stan showed Jess how to play a few chords on a guitar.

‘I think I have two left hands,' she said, picking up her index finger with her other hand and forcing it back down to where it was supposed to be. Her fingers were as stiff as pencils, seemingly severed from any connection with her brain. Maybe if she stared at them a bit harder they might do as they were told.

Stan plucked clumsily at Harry's banjo, pausing to adjust at each chord change. ‘Yeah, can't say I was born with any real talent either,' he said. ‘Not like them Blake boys.'

Jess found the G chord and triumphantly hammered the strings. ‘Dah nahhh!' she sang.

‘Ah, you've got the voice of an angel,' said Stan, sounding pleased for her. ‘Nearly brings a tear to me eye.'

‘It's bringing a tear to my
ear
,' said Ryan from the other side of the fire. He walked over and held out his hand for the guitar. ‘Mind?'

Jess gladly handed it over.

‘Oi,
Luke
!' Lawson yelled, loud enough to make Jess jump. ‘Stop working and get over here.'

‘I'm packing up the horse gear,' Luke called.

‘Do it tomorrow!'

‘Nearly done,' Luke called back. ‘Legs lost a shoe. Just gonna peg it back on.'

Lawson groaned and pulled himself up off the ground. ‘I'll do the horse, you get the gear.'

Lindy sat next to Jess with a bowl of steaming lamb stew. She took a mouthful and as she chewed, she looked over to the ute where Lawson and Luke worked alongside each other in the dimming orange light. She sighed. ‘What is it about farriers, Jess? I never met an ugly one.'

Jess looked at Lawson bent over under the horse. ‘That's because you never look at their heads.'

Within a few minutes, Lawson and Luke walked back to the campfire. Lawson squatted down next to Jess. ‘I was just talking to Luke. There are some more youngsters back home you can break in next holidays if you want,' he said. ‘Earn some pocket money. You and Luke can work together. You make a good team.'

Luke looked at her and grinned.

‘Okay.' Jess beamed. The next holidays were the Christmas holidays; six whole weeks of Luke and horses. She couldn't
wait
!

Lawson turned to Stan, who was still playing the same three chords over and over. ‘Better give me that thing before you spook the cattle.'

Stan held it out to him. ‘Me fingers are bleeding anyway.'

Luke plonked himself behind Jess and wrapped his arms around her waist. ‘I'm stuffed.'

‘I was beginning to wonder if you
ever
got tired,' she said, leaning her head back into him. She stared into the fire. Its tongues lashed greedily around the dry mulga timber and rose tall into the windless evening.

‘What was Marnie like to ride?'

‘Like a six-hundred-kilo ballerina.'

A wave of blinding light flashed over the trailer and there was an uproarious whining and howling that set off every other dog in the camp.

‘Who's that?' Grace asked, shielding her eyes with her arm.

Jess heard Luke laugh behind her. He gently pushed her forward and then stood up and whistled.

Two dark shapes, howling and barking, came barrelling into the fireside light and launched themselves onto Luke, sending him staggering backwards and onto his bum. ‘Hey buddies,' he yelled, as he rolled around with Filth and Fang, laughing. The dogs growled and whined playfully.

‘Filth!' Luke screamed as the black dog mouthed his arm and shook it playfully. ‘Gentle!'

The lights flashed over them again and the sound of a car's tyres rumbled along the ground. A horn honked.

Luke stood and took the two dogs by the collars, struggling to hold them. ‘It's Tom!' He squinted into the lights. ‘And someone else.'

Jess felt a hand on her shoulder and spun around. Grace stared back at her with a look of utter panic.

‘Jess, quick,' Grace hissed, motioning for her to follow.

‘What's wrong?' Jess asked, as Grace pulled at her sleeve. ‘Hey, watch the flannie!'

Grace kept tugging. ‘Pleeease,' she moaned.

Jess heard Tom's voice as he got out of the car.

‘I had to bring the dogs out,' he said. ‘They were driving Annie nuts, howling all night.'

‘I'd given up on you,' said Luke, throwing his arms around Tom's neck and jumping all over him. ‘Thought you weren't coming.'

Tom pushed him off and soon they were wrestling like two puppies, with Filth and Fang leaping on top to join in.

‘That is just a little
too Brokeback Mountain
,' said Jess.

‘No, it's not,' said Grace, dragging Jess towards and into the trailer.

‘What is
wrong
?' asked Jess. She'd never seen Grace so het up.

Grace made pointing gestures out the door and opened her eyes wide, making Jess guess.

Jess held her hands up, making her face vacant and questioning.

Grace screwed her nose up with frustration. ‘Elliot's here,' she spat, like an annoyed cat.

‘So?'

Grace rolled her eyes and sighed an agonised sigh.

‘Ohhh . . .
Elliot
,' said Jess. ‘And?' She looked at Grace. ‘Oh my God, you kissed him!'

Grace nodded, wincing.

Jess threw her hands over her mouth and caught an enormous barrel of laughter before it escaped from her throat. ‘How did that happen?' she whispered. ‘I thought you hated boys!'

‘It happened just before we came out here. I was going to tell you but he said he was coming droving and then he didn't come and then . . . I was beginning to think it never happened.'

They stared at each other, hands over their mouths.

‘Elliot?' Jess marvelled. She still couldn't believe it – Grace and the super geek. She stifled another laugh.

‘What's so funny?' Grace hissed. ‘You and Luke have been at it all day!'

‘Nothing. Nothing's funny. Does Rosie know?'

‘Of course not!'

Jess broke out laughing. Rosie would be merciless when she found out.

Grace began frantically rummaging through the whiffy rags strewn over the bunk. ‘I need some clean clothes.'

‘You've got no hope,' said Jess.

‘Look at me,' Grace moaned. She was wearing a pair of old trackpants that had holes in the knees, with a Craig Fairley special on top. ‘
He
looks like someone out of an IT magazine.'

‘I've got some cut-off jeans that are still clean.'

‘Shorts?'

‘Sure, come here.' Jess patted her hands over Grace's hips and then her bum. ‘Hmmm . . .'

‘Now who's
Brokeback Mountain
?' said Grace impatiently.

‘We need Rosie,' said Jess.

‘No way.'

‘She's your only hope.'

‘No! '

‘Yes!'

Jess leapt out of the trailer. Beyond the fire, Luke and Tom were trying to take down Lawson, who rambled about like King Kong with two monkeys clinging to him, two wolves growling at his heels. A body went sailing across the shadows and into a tree; she wasn't sure if it was Luke or Tom. She ran around to the water tanks on the back of the truck and found Rosie with her hair wrapped in a towel, brushing her teeth into a bucket.

She pulled her brush from her mouth when she saw Jess. ‘Whose car was that?'

‘Rosie!' Jess grabbed her by the arm and began dragging her into the trailer. ‘Huge crisis, in the trailer, quick!'

‘Hey!' said Rosie, ‘at least let me rinse!'

‘No time,' said Jess, pulling her along. ‘Grace needs a big sister!'

Within fifteen minutes, through quick explanations, gasps and whispered tell-alls, Rosie had Grace into a pair of clean jeans, pilfered from the washing nets in the back of the truck, a skin-tight black cotton singlet and one of Lindy's country-brand caps with a ponytail poking out the back. She was sponged, deodorised, cleansed and toned. Her teeth were brushed and her toenails painted – they decided bare feet would look casually confident, girly and earthy. Men found feet sexy, Rosie assured them, especially with painted toenails. She had read about it in a magazine.

‘As if he's even gonna see my feet,' complained Grace. ‘It's dark!'

‘Don't be such a sad loser,' said Rosie, applying a second coating of polish. She was in her element. ‘Do you want to look hot or not?'

Rosie screwed the lid back on the bottle and pulled Grace up onto her feet.

Jess let out a long, breezy wolfwhistle. ‘Nice work, Rosie!'

With her tanned skin, blonde hair and dark eyes, Grace was absolutely gorgeous.

‘One more thing,' said Rosie, reaching into her makeup bag and pulling out some lip gloss. ‘Strawberry or caramel?'

‘He strikes me as more of the Juicyfruit type,' Shara commented from the top bunk.

‘Oh no,' Grace groaned.

‘Go for the strawberry,' said Jess quickly. ‘It's high in vitamin C . . . and anti-oxidants.'

Grace screwed up her face at her.

Jess shrugged. ‘You don't want spongy gums and bleeding teeth when you're kissing a guy, believe me.'

‘What?' said Rosie, looking disgusted.

‘Nothing, forget it.'

Grace smiled nervously. ‘Do I look okay?'

‘More than okay,' said Jess, shoving her towards the doorway. ‘Don't you go near Luke looking like that,' she teased.

‘Look at your boobs,' said Rosie. ‘When did they happen?'

Grace immediately reached for the flannie.

‘No way,' said Rosie, snatching it and shoving Grace towards the door. ‘Now, go get him.'

Grace stumbled out of the trailer and into the dim lamp over the trailer door, Jess and Rosie close behind her. On the other side of the fire, Lawson, Luke and Tom walked back to the camp, talking and laughing loudly. They all saw Grace at the same time and shut up.

‘Err, hi,' said Grace, turning and trying to step back into the trailer. Rosie and Jess blocked her path and not-very-subtly herded her towards the fire. Elliot sat neatly on a tree stump, blinking through his glasses at something electronic and beeping in his hands.

‘Hi, Elliot,' said Rosie loudly.

‘Hi,' said Elliot, without lifting his eyes.

‘Good drive out here?'