Page 47

Indy pulled the handle down on the Great Northern tap behind the bar, filling a jug for a group of late Saturday lunchers.

They were the boys from Granger Stud, settling in to watch the footy game because the pub had Fox Sports, something Barty was obviously too cheap to pay for.

She eyed the group, hating them because they still got to work outside with stock while she was stuck indoors behind a bar.

She’d been off the mountain for two weeks now and her new address was room five of the Windale Hotel.

The room itself was probably half the size of the cabin on the mountain, and she had to share a bathroom at the end of the hall, kinda like the bunk rooms. She groaned.

Stop thinking of that place! Iggy hadn’t hesitated to give her a room at a discounted rate and promise her shifts once she’d finished her Responsible Service of Alcohol course.

Despite words really not being her friend, Indy had spent the first few days off the station tapping away on Iggy’s old laptop completing her qualification to serve alcohol in between rounds of burying herself under her doona to sob into Carter’s T-shirt, which had been scooped in with her clothes.

Yep, this was her life. For the time being anyway.

At least she had a ute now, a secondhand LandCruiser that would make finding a job back on the land a little easier.

She rang up the cost of the jug on the till and had turned the eftpos machine to face the farmhand when sirens came screaming up the street outside.

Every head in the pub turned, including Indy’s, as the rural fire brigade’s yellow fire truck rushed towards the road up the mountain. Her heart lodged in her throat.

Iggy came out from his o?ce. ‘There’s a grass fire on the mountain.’

The Granger Stud farmhands didn’t budge from their stools.

Indy looked at her new boss. ‘I’ve gotta help.’

‘I thought you’d say that.’ Iggy nodded towards the door. ‘I’ll hold the fort until you get back.’

‘Thanks, Ig.’

Indy didn’t waste time, legging it from behind the counter and flooring her new-old wheels up the track the fire truck had taken. Her stomach clenched as tightly as her teeth against her bottom lip as she drove closer to the smoke. It was impossible to pretend she wasn’t nervous.

She gave her head a shake. None of that mattered right now. The station was at risk and she needed to help.

She parked her ute with the other vehicles on the side of the road, in front of the fire that was eating through the grass, the faint greenness of it slowing down the progress. The smoke was so dark that even seeing the flames was di?cult.

Nova stood with the rural fire brigade captain on the other side of the road. With a deep breath, Indy headed over.

‘What are you doing here?’ Nova’s hands went to her hips. Ash was smudged on her cheek.

‘Where do you need me?’ Indy aimed her question to the captain.

He looked between the two women but Indy refused to follow his gaze. He cleared his throat. ‘You can join the home crew with the water truck along the north boundary. We’re in the middle of grading a fire break but if it jumps it, we’re screwed and it’s going to be all hands on deck.’

Indy took off at a run towards the tractor. She nimbly climbed over the fence and jogged towards Emery, who squealed and threw an arm around Indy’s neck.

‘You’re here!’

Janet threw Indy a shovel from the back of the water truck where she was perched with the hose. Mara was at the pump, grinning at Indy.

Theresa stuck her head out from the driver’s seat and waved. ‘Sure glad to see you!’

Emery plucked at the sleeve of Indy’s Windale Hotel polo shirt. ‘This is a bit flash for firefighting.’

Indy smiled. ‘I was in the middle of my shift.’ The crackle of the fire grew louder. ‘Let’s get some dirt on this bitch.’

The graded fire breaks worked and with no more fuel to feed on, the fire turned to a smouldering, smoky mess.

Indy’s shoulders ached from throwing the dirt around, dampening the flames that came at them.

She accepted a bottle of water from one of the volunteers with a grateful smile and cracked the top.

They were gathered at the front of the biggest fire truck and when Nova joined the circle, Indy shifted closer to Emery.

‘How’d this happen, anyway?’ Indy asked, casting a glance over the blackened paddock and boundary fence.

‘It was my fault,’ Dustin said, stepping into the group with the fire captain. ‘I was using the grinder on a star picket and a spark must’ve hit some dry grass. I thought it’d be too green. Clearly, it wasn’t. I didn’t even see it go up until it was too late.’

‘What a stupid thing to do on a day like today,’ Nova snapped. ‘In this heat.’

Emery gasped.

‘Nova,’ Janet said with a frown.

‘No, she’s right.’ Dustin ran a hand through his hair. ‘I was trying to quicken the process, which was stupid. I’m really sorry, Nova.’

The boss pursed her lips at him as if locking in the onslaught of names she wanted to call him.

Indy tilted her head. ‘How do we know you didn’t do it on purpose? I mean, your dad’s been trying to push us—push Nova and her crew off the mountain for years. You just conveniently start a grass fire in a southerly wind right on the boundary when your farmhands aren’t around?’

‘Indy,’ Emery hissed. ‘You can’t accuse him of that!’

‘It’s more than a little suspicious, Emery.

All of the Granger Stud boys are down at the pub.

They saw the fire trucks head up the mountain, but didn’t follow to help.

Either they have zero loyalty to you and your dad, Dustin, or they knew not to come because the fire was on Nova’s side of the fence.

As if setting the council onto Nova wasn’t enough.

I bet you’ve already got the auditor coming out to see the damage and shut this place down. ’

‘Indy!’ Emery shouted. ‘We passed the audit with an A plus. The investigation’s over.’

Indy hesitated. Pride burst in her chest. Of course they’d passed. She rounded on Dustin again. ‘Didn’t work, hey? Even more reason to try and burn this place down.’

Dustin held up his hands. ‘I promise, it wasn’t like that. I can’t speak for my dad, but I have no vendetta against any of you. I’m not my dad.’

Indy wasn’t convinced and shared a look with Nova. Her old boss’s eyes showed a brief flash of comradery.

‘Well, the fire’s out now,’ the captain interjected. ‘Let’s take it as a lesson learnt and thank the Lord above that the wind dropped when it did.’

Nova stood to face the fire brigade, turning her back on Indy. ‘I just want to really thank everyone for coming out and helping …’

Indy tuned out. The moment was over but the pain of Nova discarding her like trash was still there. Screwing the lid back on her water bottle, she tapped Emery’s leg, mouthed bye , and slipped away.

Indy’s ponytail fell over her shoulder as she crouched with the dustpan and broom to quickly sweep up the dirt and dust that’d gathered behind the bar over the day and pour it into the bin.

She could still smell a hint of smoke in the light strands of her hair despite washing it twice since yesterday’s fire.

Flicking it back, she stored the dustpan and broom away under the sink and washed her hands.

She looked up at the giant television in the corner of the room and swallowed hard.

The vibrant green of a football field created a background for two people holding microphones.

Flashes of lying in the grass at Windale, kissing Carter, hit her and she turned away from the screen.

It was Sunday afternoon and Carter’s first game of the season would be kicking off in under an hour.

She couldn’t remember ever being so nervous.

What would it be like to see him again? Even if it was just on the television.

It had been exactly fourteen days since she’d last glimpsed him.

Forty-eight hours after she’d left the mountain, she’d dragged herself down the staircase to beg Iggy for a loan of his car to drive out to Denarlie to see an old Ranger, but had frozen halfway.

She’d recognised the back of the head and shoulders of the figure that had sat in the beer garden.

She’d recognise Carter anywhere. Across from him was an older woman with the same dark, curly hair as him but longer and a younger woman beside her.

Undoubtedly his mother and sister, who she’d heard so much about.

Indy’s heart had hammered so loudly she was sure he’d turn around.

She’d wanted nothing more than to run out there and be in his arms just one more time.

But it would make it even harder to let go again.

And nothing had changed for her. Indy shuddered, remembering the question Jonathan had asked her when he’d caught her standing there, staring at Carter.

No, she didn’t belong in Carter’s world.

The reminder had been enough to make her flee to her room and the comfort of Carter’s scrunched-up shirt hiding under the doona still, car forgotten.

It was a lazy Sunday for Windale. A few patrons were scattered around the room, but not drinking at a rate that required more than just Indy behind the bar. Iggy was out back in his o?ce in case it picked up, but she didn’t think he’d be needed.

Constable Edward Williams strode in, dressed casually in dark jeans and a blue polo. ‘Two beers please, Indy.’

She grabbed her last clean schooners and set one under the tap. ‘Don’t need to confirm that it’s me today? Happy to depend on memory?’

He rested his arms against the oak counter. ‘When are you going to stop giving me shit over that? I had to follow processes. I’ve told you that already.’

When the amber liquid reached the top, she placed the glass on the counter in front of him and started on the next. Indy liked the sarcastic banter they shared whenever Williams came into the pub since he’d threatened to cuff her.

‘Don’t you ever get sick of wearing blue?’