Page 29 of Wild Horses

Tyler stood frowning into his mug. It was the first time he’d braved the old coffee machine in the staff room. He took a cautious sip and spat into the sink. Disgusting! How on earth could people drink that stuff?

Maggie approached him, her expression tense. ‘Tyler, can we talk?’ she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. He nodded and tipped his coffee down the drain.

She led him to a quiet corner, her eyes scanning the room before she spoke.

‘I have some news about why Christy left her last school – St Luke’s College in Sydney.

’ Her tone was low and heavy with implication.

‘She was fired because of an inappropriate relationship with a fifteen-year-old male student. He had a major crush on her and apparently Christy crossed the line.’

Tyler felt a surge of disbelief. ‘Where did you hear that?’

‘Jane Storey told me. Her brother attends St Luke’s. Of course, I didn’t want to spread an unfounded rumour, so I took the liberty of calling Jane’s mother. She confirmed it.’

Tyler’s stomach churned. Had he really been so naive? Maggie’s hand reached out to touch his arm, but he shrugged her off. ‘I need some time alone.’ She nodded and left the staff room.

Her words had hit Tyler like a physical blow. His mind reeled, images of Christy’s close exchanges with Leo flashing through his mind. The thought he might have unwittingly exposed his son to harm was unbearable.

Tyler scrubbed a hand over his face, feeling the roughness of his morning stubble. He’d been the one who encouraged Christy to be a guiding figure for his son – a mentor.

‘Clare must’ve known,’ he muttered to himself. No wonder she’d asked Christy to pull back from Leo. She was worried that Christy might go beyond professional bounds. Yes, Clare had betrayed him too.

His heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vice, the treachery cutting deep.

He’d trusted Christy, believed in her, and now the rug had been pulled out from under him.

Her sweet face, once a symbol of trust and hope, now morphed into an image of deceit.

How could he have let her near Leo, encouraged their closeness, when her past was so tainted?

The thought clawed at him, leaving him feeling defenceless: a father who’d failed to protect his son.

He needed to confront Christy and demand answers.

Yet even as the storm raged within, a small, nagging voice whispered doubts about the truth of Maggie’s revelation.

She’d relayed the news matter-of-factly enough – her tone betraying neither triumph, vengeance nor spite.

But Maggie’s dislike for Christy was no secret.

Would she really pass on unfounded rumours?

Or even go so far as to invent such a malicious lie?

The truth was that he didn’t know her well enough to tell.

He wasn’t blind – he’d sensed Maggie’s romantic interest in him.

She’d made plenty of attempts to connect, but it hadn’t happened.

He’d only had eyes for Christy from that first moment when she rescued him from the side of the road.

But despite his doubts about Maggie’s motivations the damage was done – the seed of mistrust firmly planted.

As Tyler left the staff room his mind sped to visions of Christy laughing with Leo, offering him counsel, sharing quiet moments away from prying eyes, all playing like a haunting film reel.

He’d championed their bond, seeing it as a lifeline for a boy teetering on the edge of so many potential pitfalls.

Leo had been infatuated with Christy – he saw it now.

Did this infatuation have something to do with Leo running away?

Anything was possible in this new paradigm he found himself in.

He ducked through the fence and followed a familiar track the horses had made down to Currawong Creek.

Here the bush rang with calling currawongs and the liquid notes of butcherbirds.

The distant Bunyas loomed against the sky, their peaks shimmering in sunshine that blurred their edges and softened their grandeur.

The mountains usually calmed him, the majesty of nature a reminder of the world’s vastness and his own insignificance. But not today.

Tyler found a flat rock near the water’s edge and sat down. The silver ribbon wound through the ferns and rushed over pebbles, creating small whirlpools that caught the light and sparkled with a thousand tiny stars.

He leaned back and squinted his lids shut, hoping to lose himself in the simple, soothing sound of the creek as it flowed endlessly by.

But his worries pressed too heavily, and this serene landscape couldn’t lift them.

He opened his eyes and stood up, his gaze sweeping over the creek one last time.

The beauty of the place remained, but his perspective had changed, and he felt an unaccountable longing for the bright lights and anonymous throng of Brisbane.

He thought about calling Christy, but dismissed the idea almost as soon as it formed. No, he needed to see her, to watch her reactions, to gauge the honesty in her eyes when she spoke.

He checked the student timetables on his phone, then headed for the art room where Christy should be finishing up a class.

Reaching the building, he paused outside the door, taking a big breath to steady himself.

He could hear voices inside, Christy’s clear, calm tone and a student’s voice responding – Leo’s voice.

Tyler burst in to find her finishing up with a class of half-a-dozen students. They turned to stare at him. At first he saw delight on Christy’s face, but the smile slipped away when she met his gaze. Tyler leaned against the wall, arms crossed and his body coiled with tension.

After a few minutes the students headed for the door.

Leo cast his father an enquiring glance as he passed, but Tyler remained stony-faced.

When he and Christy were alone, the space between them seemed to pulse with the scale of his suspicions.

Yet he still ached at the sight of her, his stubborn attraction strong in spite of everything.

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

She knew exactly what he meant and her expression hardened. ‘I was accused of something I didn’t do.’ Despite her controlled exterior, her chin quivered.

‘You were fired for having a relationship with a student. I deserved to know that.’ Tyler’s accusation hung in the air, his words more a declaration than a question. ‘You’re lucky not to be in jail.’

Christy shook her head. ‘I was accused, yes. But I was innocent.’ Her hands clenched at her sides. ‘Why should I tell you about something I didn’t do?’

He swallowed, his mouth dry. The silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. ‘I want to believe you, Christy,’ he said at last. ‘But at the very least you should have told me of the allegation when I asked you to get closer to Leo. How could you not see that it was relevant?’

Christy’s eyes widened, hurt flashing through them before she masked it.

‘Because I wasn’t guilty, Tyler! I shouldn’t have to wear that false accusation like a scarlet letter.

’ Her brave gaze faltered. ‘And because I was trying to move on. I didn’t want that part of my past to define me.

The whole thing was a nightmare, and I thought .

.. I thought if I started afresh here, I could leave it behind. ’

Tyler’s heart ached at the vulnerability in her voice, but his mind couldn’t shake the distrust.

She looked up, her eyes pleading. ‘I swear to you, Tyler, it was all a misunderstanding, blown out of proportion by gossip and lies. I did nothing wrong.’

‘Then why didn’t you fight it?’ His question sounded harsher than he intended, anger and doubt twisting inside him. ‘Why did you leave if you were so innocent?’

She took a step towards him, her hands outstretched. ‘I didn’t fight it because I couldn’t bear the shame, the way people would have looked at me, the whispers behind my back. It was easier to leave. But that doesn’t mean I did the horrible thing they accused me of.’

Tyler wanted to believe her. He wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms, to tell her that it would be okay, that he trusted her.

But the gnawing rats of doubt refused to leave him alone.

He thought of Leo, of how easily a life could be shattered by misplaced trust. After all, it had happened to him.

His chest tightened. ‘Christy, I have to think about my son. I can’t—’

‘Tyler, please,’ she cut in, her voice cracking. ‘You know me. You know the kind of person I am.’

He closed his eyes, trying to tame the storm of emotions swirling inside him. He knew she was a good person – at least, he thought he knew. But any risk to Leo, no matter how small, was unacceptable.

‘I think it’s best if I return to Brisbane,’ he said, softly. ‘And Leo will follow as soon as he’s completed the school year. In the meantime I expect you to conduct yourself with strict professionalism around Leo, and I’ll task Clare with ensuring that you do.’

‘Oh, Tyler—’

He shook his head, held up his palm and continued. ‘Vera Scott is returning next week, and to be honest, lately you’ve been behaving like you couldn’t care less if I stayed or went anyway. Can you tell me why, Christy? Can you help me understand?’

His heart sank as a shadow crossed her face. She was hiding something. That was enough to confirm his decision. ‘I’m sorry.’

Tears welled in Christy’s eyes, but she blinked them back, lifting her chin with a quiet dignity that only made it harder for Tyler to walk away. ‘If that’s what you have to do, then so be it,’ she said, her voice steady despite an underlying tremor.

‘And I’m pulling out of the hall deal,’ he said. ‘It will be difficult for me to stay involved from Brisbane.’

Christy’s mouth fell open. ‘Tyler, please. We need that place. It’s important for the kids, for the community.’

‘You and Astrid are the most resourceful people I know. You’ll find a way.’

He couldn’t admit that working with her would simply be too painful.

Without a clean break he’d never get over Christy Peacock.

And anyway, her failure to disclose the allegation, especially when he’d entrusted her to build a mentoring relationship with Leo, showed a lack of transparency and even integrity.

Such qualities were essential for the collaborative and trust-based project he’d envisioned for the old school hall.

His enthusiasm for the plan had shrivelled along with his desire to remain at Currawong Creek.

A wave of sadness crashed in. His dreams of what might have been seemed as distant and unreachable as a fading echo.

But he was doing the right thing for Leo, and that was all that mattered.

Soon his son’s time at Currawong Creek would be up, and the two of them could make a fresh start together in Brisbane.

But right now all he could think about was the pain in Christy’s eyes.

He hadn’t realised that she’d take his decision so hard. It was breaking his heart.

‘Goodbye, Christy.’ Tyler committed her tear-streaked face to memory. It would haunt him, he knew.