"Thank goodness, Essie. I'm dying of hunger and thirst here. Rooney is such a hard taskmaster, she won't let us relax for one single minute."
"Get away with you. You can't pull one over me, Cade, any more than when you were younger." She brought in cooler bags of food before going back out for more cleaning supplies. When she came back in, Cade was already into the cold chicken sandwiches she’d made earlier.
"Can't you wait for everyone else before you eat?"
Cade laughed, his mouth full of food. He chewed and swallowed before answering. "You should know me better than that. I'm starving and I couldn't wait any longer. Tam is hungry too, aren't you?"
"Yes." She looked up at Essie and gave a small smile.
"Help yourself, pet. I'll put the kettle on and make your mum a cup of coffee." Essie went back outside and came in carrying a box with a spare kettle and the making for coffee. She looked around for the kitchenette and filled the kettle. "Rooney, time for a lunch break."
"Yeah, coming," she replied from the treatment room. The sound of more rubbish hitting the bottom of the bin sounded before a subtle curse followed. "Bloody hell." She walked out, shaking her head.
"What's up?" Cade held up the box of sandwiches toward her.
"I was hoping some of the equipment would be alright. Sadly the sterilizer is cactus. That’s going to make a hole in my savings." She took a bite of the sandwich and sighed. "Essie, I love you."
"I know, I know. Here, have a coffee to go with that." She walked out holding two mugs of steaming coffee, handed one to Rooney, and placed one on the floor beside Cade. "Now what did you want me to do first?"
"Eat."
"I already have. I came to help you clean and I don't have a lot of time. Windows?" She looked at the disgustingly dirty glass and back at Rooney.
"Yes please." Rooney took another bite of her sandwich and washed it down with the hot coffee. "Looks like I'm going to have to spend more than I wanted. The equipment is really bad."
"It'll work out, love. Have faith," Essie said as she pulled on rubber gloves and filled a bucket to start on the windows.
After lunch, Cade and Rooney got stuck in again, and by the time Essie was ready to go home and prepare dinner, the place looked much more presentable.
"Mum, Uncle Cade said I can ride home with him. Can I, please?" Tam clasped her hands together and looked up at her mother with a toothless pleading smile.
Rooney brushed her hand over her daughter’s glossy dark hair. "Only if he promises to stick to the speed limit." She glanced over at her brother, giving him what she hoped was a stern look. "Okay, Cade?"
"As if I would do anything to endanger the little squirt."
Tam jumped for joy and wrapped her arms around her mother in a tight hug before racing outside to the bright yellow car.
Rooney walked out and made sure her daughter was strapped in before standing back as Cade started the engine. "Drive safe, Cade. I won't be long. See you at home." She waved as the car drove sedately out of the car park and headed for the farm.
Smiling to herself, Rooney headed back inside to do a final check on the equipment she had managed to salvage. With a pen in her hand, she walked around and listed everything she deemed good enough to use for now. When she got home, she’d go online and see how much of her savings she would have to use to get the doors open.
The slam of a car door startled her and she looked up. The light was fading and she cursed. They would have expected her home ages ago. Lost in her own world, the time had flown.
Footsteps sounded on the gravel car park and she walked over to the door to greet whoever had stopped by. Rooney looked out the door and her heart almost stopped beating. Memories of her past rushed through her mind. Stevie, the love of her teenage life, walked towards her.
"Rooney." He stood looking down at her, his tall frame towering over her petite height. "Heard you were back in town." Stevie stood with his hands on his hips, watching her with dark brooding eyes.
"Yes, Father died and we had to come back, but you probably knew that anyway." Her voice came out in a squeak and she took a deep breath before saying anything else. "I see you’ve done well for yourself."
"Well it was kind of overdue, wasn't it? Either join them or get on the wrong side of the law." He looked at her lips and clenched his together.
"What did you want, Stevie?" Please leave, before I dig by hands into your shirt and pull you inside.
"Just to check up on you. I'm sorry about your father."
"No you're not. He was a bastard to you." She coughed and cleared her throat. "I hear he gave you a belting too when I left home."
Stevie threw his head back and laughed, digging his hands into his back pockets. "You could say that." He looked back at her, his gaze travelling the length of her body. "I guess I deserved it, although at the time I didn't think so."
Rooney kept silent and watched the emotions race across his face.
"Why didn't you tell me you were going, Rooney?"
"Let it go, Stevie. What's past is past and I want it to stay that way." She swallowed and looked down, finding it hard to look into his face.
He turned and walked a few paces before turning back. "I might not be the kid I was when you left but nothing’s has changed for me, Rooney, nothing at all. See you around." He walked to
