Inheritance (14 page)

Mark regarded the cedar tree with interest. ‘This deserves to be highlighted in some way. You’re putting in a boardwalk along this track, aren’t you, so people can reach the cabins easily?’

‘I suppose we’ll need one.’

‘Yes, you will. If you extend the boardwalk just here,’ he pointed, ‘make a deck in front of the tree and around it, with the tree growing through the floor. It’d make an ideal spot to display information about the plants and animals in the rainforest. You could feature the cassowary. It’d be quite effective if it’s done properly, in keeping with the surroundings. That’d make it a focal point. Think about it, see if it’s the sort of thing you had in mind.’

‘Right. I’ll think about it.’

When Gary returned, he had a smile on his face. ‘It’s wonderful in there. It’s a bit dry now, but that’s only because of the drought. The atmosphere’s fantastic. There are a few natural clearings, but for six cabins, we’ll have to make some more. Come in and have a look.’

He led them back through the trees until they reached a spot where the growth was less. ‘See. This won’t take much clearing. Because the land slopes, we’ll build the cabins touching the ground at the back but up on stilts at the front.’

‘I want a deck across the front so people can enjoy sitting out in the middle of a rainforest,’ Cassie explained.

‘Right. We could clear away some of these spindly plants among the trees at the front to give them a better view. You could replant with…say…tree ferns. They’re attractive but not so high. I can see it now.’ Gary was enthusiastic. ‘It’ll be a real little paradise.’

‘Why don’t you prepare a plan for Cassie of the cabins you have in mind together with a cost estimate,’ Mark said, ‘then you can take it from there.’

‘Good idea. Is that what you want, Cassie?’

‘Yes. You seem to understand what I need. How long is that going to take?’

‘I reckon I could have something roughed out in about a week. I’ll ring you when it’s ready, if you like. It’ll only be preliminary sketches to see if you like my ideas. Then I’ll do the final plans when we get all the details right.’

‘That sounds fine. I’ll wait to hear from you.’

‘Right. I guess we’re finished here for now, then. I’ll lead the way back but if we run into the cassowaries again, you can take over, Cassie.’

‘Oh, they’re not so bad,’ she teased. ‘It’s the pythons you really need to watch out for.’

But there were no more upsets on the return journey. When they reached the cars, Cassie thanked Gary for coming and they shook hands.

‘See you soon,’ he called as he drove off with a wave.

‘Do you have a little time to spare now?’ Mark asked Cassie as they climbed back into the Landcruiser.

‘Why?’

‘If you have time to come over to Binbin, I have something to show you.’

‘What is it?’

‘It’s something I picked up off the road but I think you’ll be interested to see it. You may even want to keep it.’

‘Picked up off the road?’ Cassie raised her eyebrows. ‘That sounds intriguing. Well, yes, I can spare some time. Let’s go.’

Mark drove past Binbin’s homestead and headed towards the rear. ‘Here we are,’ he said as he pulled up in front of the stables.

Cassie slid out of the seat and walked with him to the yard at the side of the stables.

‘Annie,’ he called out to a young girl busy grooming a horse, ‘could you bring out our little guest, please?’

The girl disappeared into the stables and came out a moment later with a bundle wrapped in a towel. Mark took it from her. A little grey, furry head with a sharp nose peered out of the towel and surveyed them with watchful eyes.

‘A joey,’ Cassie exclaimed. ‘Where did you get it?’

‘Its mother was hit by a car and left by the side of the road. I came by just after and saw the mother was dead but the joey was looking out of the pouch, still alive. I couldn’t leave it. I brought it back here and Annie’s been feeding it with a bottle.’

Cassie took the baby kangaroo from him. ‘I think it’s big enough to survive.’ She unwrapped the towel. ‘See, it has fur all over. It’s probably been in and out of the pouch a lot. I’d say it was nearly ready to leave its mother.’ Carefully she placed the little animal on the ground. It stood and gazed around then gave a tentative hop, then another. It stopped and turned its head from side to side, uncertainly.

‘It could be the start of your baby animal zoo if you like.’

‘Really?’ A buzz of pleasure ran through Cassie. ‘Oh, yes, I would like it. Thank you, Mark. Let’s see, now. We can make a temporary pen on the back porch near the kitchen until he’s big enough to go into a yard.’ She bent and wrapped the towel around the joey again and picked it up. ‘You can come home with me now, little fellow. We’ll take good care of you.’ She beamed at Mark. ‘It was good of you to think of me. Now I’ll have to look out for some more babies.’

‘I’ll keep an eye out for you, too. Now we’d better get you home with your new ward.’

They walked back to the car. ‘Here, let me hold him for you while you climb in.’ Mark took the bundle from her and she swung up into the seat. He handed it to her before climbing in himself. She cradled it on her knees.

‘We’ll have to think of a name for you, won’t we?’ She stroked its head as she spoke. ‘You’re a cute little fellow, what would suit you?’

‘What about Bouncer?’

‘Oh, no,’ Cassie laughed. ‘Sounds like a nightclub heavy. How about…Hoppy?’

‘Scarcely original,’ he smiled, ‘but appropriate.’ Reaching across, he touched the little animal on the head. ‘Welcome to the family, Hoppy.’

‘Shall we stop and show it to Gemma?’ Cassie asked as he started the engine.

‘If you like.’

‘I’m sure she’d love to see it.’

Mark pulled up at the door to the homestead. They both got out and walked into the hallway. ‘Anyone home?’ he called out.

There was a rush of footsteps as Gemma came running down the hall with Nadia following more sedately.

‘Daddy! And Cassie! What have you got there?’ Gemma tugged on the towel excitedly as she saw the little pointed face peering out.

‘Careful now. Cassie’s come to show you her joey, a baby kangaroo.’

Gemma’s eyes widened. ‘Can I nurse it?’

‘Please,’ said her grandmother automatically.

‘Please.’

‘Yes, but you’ll have to be very gentle,’ Cassie replied as Gemma jumped up and down. ‘Let’s find a seat where you can sit quietly and have a little nurse.’

‘Come in here.’ Nadia led the way into a small sitting room.

Gemma sat in a chair and Cassie placed the bundle on her knee. ‘Gently now,’ she said. ‘He’s a very young baby.’

‘What’s his name?’ asked Gemma as she carefully stroked the little furry head.

‘Hoppy.’

‘Oh, I like that. Can he stand up?’

‘Yes.’

Cassie took the bundle from Gemma and unwrapped it. She placed the little creature on the floor where it stood looking from side to side.

Gemma knelt down on the floor in front of it. ‘Here, Hoppy,’ she called softly. It took a timid jump in her direction, then stopped to gaze around again. ‘See. He’s coming to me. He likes me.’ Gently she stroked its back. ‘He’s beautiful. I wish he was mine. Can he stay here and play with me?’

‘He’s too little to play yet. We have to make a pouch for him to sleep in and feed him milk with a baby’s bottle until he’s a bit bigger and can go outside on his own,’ Cassie explained.

Gemma raised her eyes hopefully. ‘I could feed him with the bottle.’

‘If you’d like to do that, then you can come over and see him whenever you want and if it’s time for his bottle, then you can give it to him.’

‘Oh thank you, Cassie. May I go?’ she looked up at her father, her eyes shining.

‘Yes. Whenever it’s convenient for Cassie to have you. You mustn’t be a nuisance, though.’

‘Oh, I won’t.’ She spoke earnestly, all the time softly stroking Hoppy. ‘I love him. When can I come?’

Cassie looked enquiringly at Nadia, who had been sitting quietly watching the girl. ‘Would it suit you to come for coffee on…say…Friday, Nadia? Give us a day or so to get him used to us. Then Gemma could see how we arrange his new home for him and how he’s getting on.’

‘I would enjoy that, Cassie. Thank you. Will you stay for coffee now?’

‘I think I’d better take Hoppy home and settle him down. He’s had a traumatic time and he needs some food and more rest. I’ll look forward to seeing you on Friday morning. And you too, Gemma.’

Gemma rose reluctantly from the floor, where she had been sitting murmuring words of endearment as she stroked Hoppy. Cassie wrapped him in the towel and picked him up. Gemma came with them to the car and stood waving until they were out of sight.

‘I feel a bit mean that you gave him to me instead of Gemma,’ Cassie said when they were on their way, ‘but they do require a fair amount of attention to make sure they survive. Lorna’s raised heaps of orphans; if anyone can save him, she can.’

‘Gemma’s far too young to look after any animal, let alone this one, and my mother’s had no experience. He’d probably die.’

‘You’re right. Anyway, thank you again. I really am most grateful. This’ll spur me on to find some more suitable animals and have an area prepared.’

‘Could I ask a favour of you in return?’

Cassie had forgotten her earlier aloofness. ‘Of course. What is it?’

‘You promised to show me your rock pool and caves. I’d like to see them. Could we make it soon?’

‘When would you like to go?’

‘How about tomorrow?’

‘Yes, that would suit me. It’s quite a hike. We’d better ride as far as the creek.’

‘Even better. We should make an early start before it’s too hot.’

Cassie smiled at him as she agreed, and stood watching as he drove away. She was touched by his concern for the welfare of the joey – many motorists would have driven by with no thought for the little animal’s fate – and also by his thoughtfulness in offering it to her. Perhaps there was more to Mark Pierce than she had first thought.

Mark and Cassie followed the same path as they had on their previous exploration of the rainforest when they set out early the next morning. Their ride was without incident and they dismounted and left their horses by the creek.

‘It’s best on foot from now,’ Cassie explained. ‘It’s fairly rocky from here on in.’

Emerging from the dim light of the forest, they stepped into dappled sunlight. The trees were thinner here and lacy ferns grew profusely. Tall trees cast their shadows and in between them shafts of sunlight fell, splashing the ferns with a silver sheen and creating a wondrous pattern of light and shade. Lorikeets darted from tree to tree, their vivid green, red and yellow plumage brilliant in the sunshine.

Cassie scanned the sky. Not a cloud in sight. She sighed. ‘No rain yet, I’m afraid.’

‘There’s not much likely at this time of the season, is there?’ Mark asked.

‘No, but even a little now would be helpful. Not today, though.’ She indicated the hill in front of them. ‘Now, we have to climb up there, alongside the creek.’

‘Does it still have water in it?’

‘I’ve never known the spring to dry up. Apparently it comes from deep underground. In the wet, the creek’s quite deep and the water rushes down. When the rocks are slippery, it can be dangerous.’ She pointed up ahead. ‘The rock pool is up there past those big boulders. It’s a bit of a climb.’

‘Lead on.’

The forest grew on either side of the watercourse but a natural pathway gave access to the banks. Small ferns and other plants pushed their way through the cracks between the rocks and pebbles. The stones in the bed of the creek were smooth and polished by the centuries of water flowing over them. Their veins of pink, blue or yellow were visible through the clear water, but the largest rocks, their tops thrusting from the water, had been bleached almost white by the tropical sun.

By the time they reached the large boulders, both Mark and Cassie were perspiring freely.

As they sighted the rock pool, Mark stopped with an exclamation of surprise. ‘But this is wonderful. I never expected anything like this.’

Ahead of them water cascaded over an outcrop and fell into a pool surrounded by huge granite boulders. The gushing stream sparkled in the sunlight and rainbows of colour formed in the spray. On the bank where they stood, a wide gap between the boulders meant the pool was easily accessible down a short slope covered with flat stones and pebbles. The water was so clear, they could see right to the bottom.

Cassie walked down to the edge of the pool. Cupping her hands, she leant over and scooped up water and splashed her face, then bent again and drank the clear liquid from her hands.

‘Ah! That’s better. You should try it.’

Mark followed her example, drinking thirstily. ‘It’s wonderfully cool. We should go for a swim.’

‘It’s a shame we didn’t bring our togs. We will another time.’

The hesitant look on Mark’s face seemed to say that without togs was fine with him.

‘When we were young,’ Cassie continued hurriedly, ‘Rosie and I used to come here to swim all the time. Sometimes Daniel came with us, too. Over the other side, you can’t see it from here because it’s hidden by the boulders, there’s a big rock with a flat top. That’s where I like to sit after I come out of the water. You can reach it by those smaller rocks between the boulders.’ She pointed. ‘It’s quite secluded and shaded by trees, no one can see you. When I was a child, I’d go there on my own if I was upset. It always made me feel better.’

‘It’d be hard to be upset here. It’s so peaceful.’

‘Yes. All you can hear is the birds and the frogs. Listen.’

Cassie cocked her head to one side. The lorikeets’ chatter floated in the air, and the hoarse croak of a frog sounded nearby.

‘I love to hear the frogs, they tell us everything’s right with nature.’ Cassie paused before continuing softly. ‘This has always been a special place for me. To me, it seems to have a magic about it. Sam used to tell us stories about the Dreamtime and the old aboriginal legends when we were children. Apparently this was a place for lover’s trysts.’