Page 57 of Finding Forgiveness

She barks out a laugh so boisterous her tummy jiggles. “We don’t dress our animals in the country, hun.” I force out a weak smile, trying to quell my disappointment. Seeing a real-life baby goat in a onesie would’ve been the highlight of my trip thus far.

“What a shame.”

“Hmm,” she hums rolling her lips. “Would you like to hear the story of how the café was named?” I’m now feeling less enthusiastic about hearing the story, but I nod anyway. “You see, legend has it that Kaldi—he’s an Ethiopian goatherder by the way—was pasturing his herd when he noticed his flock acting more energized than usual. They were jumping and dancing around. When he enquired into their quirky behaviour, he discovered they’d been eating the cherries from the Arabica tree. It’s believed to be the first coffee to be cultivated.”

“Wow. That’s a cool story.”

“I thought so too. You’re not from around here, are you?”

“No. Is it that obvious?”

“The goats in the onesies gave it away.”

I sigh. “I’m a city chick at heart … born and bred.”

“What brings you to Mudgee?”

“I’m just passing through.”

“Oh, where are you heading?”

I lift one shoulder. “I have no clue. I’m just going to drive until I can’t drive anymore, I guess.”

“That doesn’t sound like a solid plan.”

“It was very last minute,” I say, bowing my head.

She holds out her arm, extending it across the table. “Martha,” she says.

“Cassandra,” I reply, making eye contact with her as my fingers wrap around her hand. “But my friends call me Cassie.”

“Cassie it is then. Okay,” she says, slapping her hand down on the table. “How are you with animals?”

“I don’t know, I wasn’t allowed to have pets growing up. I always wanted a puppy though.”

“What a shame, pets can be a great learning tool for kids … it can teach them the importance of responsibility at a young age.”

Maybe that’s half my problem. I never had much responsibility growing up … I just did as I was told. “My parents were always too busy with work.”

Martha’s lips thin. “Do you have siblings?”

“No, just me.”

“All the more reason you should’ve been allowed to have a pet. They can be great companions. When my husband passed, God rest his soul, I don’t know how I would’ve coped if it wasn’t for our animals. They gave me the will to keep going.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, placing my hand on top of hers.

“Thanks, hun.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I like you, Cassie, so here’s what we’re going to do. I only work here until the lunch rush is over … the girls handle the rest of the day. I have a couple of cabins on my property. We used to let them out to city slickers, just like yourself, but I don’t have time for that nowadays. They’ll be a little dusty … they’ve been vacant for a few years now, so if you’re not afraid of housework, you’re welcome to stay in one until you can decide where exactly you’re heading. I have clean sheets up at the house. How does that sound?”

“It sounds wonderful, but I couldn’t ask you to take me in.”

“Good thing you’re not asking then. I’m not comfortable with a young and pretty girl like yourself, driving around with no solid plan in place. There’s not much out there past here … the towns are few and far between. If something happened to you, or your car, you’d be up shit creek without a paddle.”

“I—”