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She took their hands in hers. “Did you know your mother was the best runner in Bindarra Creek? She didn’t like to jog or go slow, she loved to run as fast she could all the time. She would just take off at a moment’s notice and run like she was on fire.”
The boys stared in awe at Kristy. “When?” “Where?” “How?”
“When you get back to your grandma’s, ask her to show you all of your mother’s ribbons and trophies. Your mother won all her races at school, then she represented Bindarra Creek in some big races in Sydney and when she got older she ran for the State.”
The boys stared at Kristy, eyes wide with wonder. Josh stilled on hearing this snippet of Amanda’s life he’d long forgotten.
Kristy turned to him. “Give us fifteen minutes and we’ll be ready. Okay?”
He wandered across to the top of the slope and watched all three run down the gentle slope to the back paddock. Their laughter drifted to him and Josh kept his eyes on them.
Stories!So obvious.
Since Amanda’s death he’d been so driven to ensure their daily lives ran smoothly that he’d totally ignored the possibility that they’d love to learn more about their mother.
A horn honked behind him, blasting away his thoughts.
A hay truck backed up by the side of the stables. Josh watched a flurry of people drop what they were doing to help unload and stock the hay in the back shed. The riders Kristy had ridden with were now walking their horses to a nearby paddock on the other side of the chook pen. He glanced across at the Christmas shop in the next paddock and saw a constant stream of people going inside.
What on earth had she created to generate such activity?
His sons’ laughter reached him. He swung around and watched them run around the trees with Kristy. Mixed emotions caught at his throat at seeing them have fun.
Josh ran an eye over at the stables and spotted the fridge. He popped the eggs inside and jogged down the gentle slope to Kristy and his sons.
Kristy spotted him first, then the boys noticed and rushed up to him. He picked each one up in turn and swung them about before dropping them back down. Their bright eyes, rosy cheeks and squeals calling out for more caused his heart to swell.
He knelt down beside them and tugged at them to keep still as he set to work and plucked a variety of leaves and twigs out of their hairs.
He almost let out a groan when he saw the state of them – his mother had taken them into town the week before to buy them some new clothes – but for once he didn’t care. Josh made a play of patting out the dirt streaked across their shirts and the muddy patches on their knees.
Play things. How could he forget?
Josh looked over their heads to Kristy and was struck by her casualness. Unfussy, Amanda’s term.
He shrugged. “I didn’t pack any play clothes.”
“Not to worry,” Kristy assured him. “I can quickly wash them and Phyllis need never know. In this heat they’ll dry in no time.”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll take care of it.” His words flew out sharply and Kristy’s head shot up, a look of shock fleeting across her face. What he hadn’t realised until that moment was that over the past months a ring of protectiveness had grown around him and the boys. His thoughts and his very being always circled back to the boys.
“Kristy, I’m sorry that came out all wrong.”
Kristy stared at him. He could feel her eyes burrowing into his brain before she threw up her hands.
Kristy nodded. “It’s okay. I’ve got the tree marked with a pink ribbon and Rex will cut it down today. You can pick it up whenever you like. Anyway, it’s time we headed back.”
Kristy strode past him, not catching his eye.
“Who’s going to try and beat me back?” she called out.
She waved to the boys and started to race up the slope. They took off right behind her.
Josh reached them at the stables as Kristy handed out cold drinks to his sons.
Her eyes were clear and steady as she handed him a cold drink.
“Josh, I’m not the enemy. If you need any help with stories or photos, drop in, now you know where I am.”
