Rose's Vintage (26 page)

‘It's a bit hard to tell what's in there, isn't it?' Rose said.

The technician smiled, ‘There's your baby, Astrid.' An outline of a baby came into view. ‘Look, that's the heartbeat.' She pointed to a tiny pulsing movement.

Tears welled up in Astrid's eyes. ‘Oh, look at that. It looks just like a little alien! Look at the size of that head!' She beamed at Rose, brushing away her tears. ‘Oh God, it really is real now.'

‘Sure is, sweetheart,' said Rose, squeezing her hand, feeling suddenly protective of the younger girl, but fearful for her too.

‘Would you like to know the sex?' asked the technician.

Astrid and Rose looked at each other. They hadn't expected this.

‘Not that it's a hundred percent sure, but we can get a pretty good idea at this stage.'

Astrid shook her head. ‘I want to wait until it – I mean he or she – is born.'

After their appointment, as Rose drove her back home, Astrid pulled out the black and white print they'd given her. Rose caught her smiling as she looked at the evidence of what was growing inside her.

‘Are you going to give Thommo another chance?' asked Rose.

Astrid thought for a moment. ‘Well, he at least has a right to see this,' she said holding up the piece of paper.

‘I'll drop you off on our way home if you like.'

‘No, I've got to collect Luisa and Leo, and anyway, I'd like to give him some warning this time.'

‘Yeah, you're right. Might also be an idea to talk to him in a less public place too. Someplace where the whole neighbourhood isn't looking over your shoulder. Why don't you invite him over to the barn? I'll make sure Jake isn't there.'

‘Well, stone me. Good-lookin' little fella ain't he? Must take after his dad.' Thommo looked up from the piece of paper Astrid had given him, wonder in his eyes. ‘I'm sorry about the other week,' he said. ‘I really put my foot in it. I honestly had no idea.'

‘You weren't to know that you'd hit the nail with the hammer,' said Astrid. They were sitting in the barn. At Astrid's insistence, Rose was also there – for moral support, she assumed.

‘Looks like that's something I'm good at,' Thommo joked.

‘Ha ha, even
I
get that. Very funny, Thommo. This was hardly something I expected to happen. And I didn't want to tell you on the phone, or while you were so far away either.'

Thommo was still gazing at the scan. ‘So, this is really him?'

‘It could be a girl, you know,' said Rose, unable to stop herself from interrupting.

‘They could have told me at the hospital,' explained Astrid. ‘But I didn't want to find out. I hope that's okay, or do you want to know?'

‘Girl, boy, I don't mind. I'm just stoked that there's a little tacker of mine on the way.'

‘Are you sure? Really? It's not as if we are exactly boyfriend and girlfriend. It was just a one-night thing. And it's going to change both our lives.'

‘Are you kidding? I can't wait to put him up on a tractor, kick a footy around …'

‘Or her …' Rose reminded him again, with a smile.

‘Well, it'll be a while before that happens. Can we just take it one day at a time?' said Astrid. ‘But first I must tell Mark before he finds out from someone else. I don't know what he's going to say. I don't think he will be happy at his nanny getting up the spout.'

‘Up the duff!' laughed Rose, relieved for Astrid's sake that Thommo's reaction had been so positive.

‘I just hope I keep my job for as long as I can,' said Astrid.' After that I'm going to need some help.'

‘Oh, don't worry about Mark. I'll come and see him with you if you like. He'll be fine; he's a good bloke underneath it all. And you could always move in to our place if things get sticky at here.'

‘With you and Charlie? I'm not so sure about that.'

‘Well, Charlie's going to be in Italy for most of next year, so there'll be plenty of space if that's what you're worried about, but in any case, he won't mind.'

‘Thommo, look, a baby kind of changes everything, doesn't it? I'm not sure how I'm feeling, about whether there is a future for you and me, but I do know I'm going to try to be the best mother I can be,' said Astrid.

Thommo took her hand. ‘Listen. I'm not going anywhere, and now I've had time to get used to the idea I'm thrilled. Really I am. And us? Well, let's just take that one foot at a time, hey?'

Rose's spirits lifted. Maybe, just maybe, things would work out for her friend.

‘Thommo, that means a lot to me,' said Astrid. ‘I've been going out of my head trying to figure it all out on my own. I've been so scared.'

‘Don't worry, babe. I won't let you down,' said Thommo as he gave her a reassuring hug. He pulled away and looked at her. ‘May I?'

Astrid nodded as he placed a gentle hand on her stomach.

CHAPTER 26

E
arly one evening, just as Rose was heading back to the barn, she ran into Mark. ‘Hey there, how's it going? Not off to the bright lights of Eumeralla tonight? Isn't that where Jake's gone?'

‘Nup. Feeling a bit tired actually.'

‘Don't suppose you fancy a bit of a drive? I've gotta go over to the east vineyard, make one last check on the vines there. Haven't had the opportunity to get around to it till now.' Mark looked enquiringly at her.

Rose wasn't going to turn down the chance to spend a bit of time with him. She was beginning to realise how much she enjoyed his company. Mark had relaxed a lot since she'd first met him – he seemed a lot less stressed now the Channings order had been confirmed. He was almost a different person. ‘Sure, okay. Just let me grab a top in case it gets colder.'

‘Meet you at the car in about half an hour. I just want to check on the kids first.'

‘Cool. See you then.' Rose walked nonchalantly back to the barn, though every fibre of her wanted to run.

Half an hour was long enough for a quick shower and fresh makeup. Just.

Brushing out her hair and loosely braiding it into a thick rope that fell down her back, she rubbed on a bit of blush, slicked on some lipgloss and was done. Her eyes were bright and her skin was clear, just lightly dusted with a few freckles, thanks to the long sunny days that had blessed the valley over the past few weeks. Her new jeans clung to her long, slim legs and she buttoned a clean cotton shirt over a lacy bra. Definitely worth breaking out the good underwear.
You never know
.

True to his word, half an hour later, Mark was standing waiting for her beside his mud-spattered four-wheel-drive. He was carrying a cloth-covered basket from the kitchen, and a bottle of wine. Rose raised one eyebrow at him, as she glanced at the basket.

‘Thought we might have a bit of tucker while we're there. We might not make it back till after dark,' said Mark. ‘In any case, the pantry's certainly well-stocked these days, thanks to you.'

A picnic? Is he for real?

Rose didn't want to read too much into the plan, but it looked pretty promising from where she stood.

A flock of white cockatoos wheeled overhead, cawing loudly as they set off. The sun tinged the vines golden as they drove down through the leafy avenue of trees that lined the long Kalkari lane. Dragonflies danced on the beaten silver surface of the dam. Rose felt a small bubble of happiness well up inside her. The beauty of the landscape and the feeling of rightness about being beside this man, the man who haunted her dreams most nights, were only marred by the remembrance of the promise she'd made to Henry, and his designs on Kalkari. Right now though, that promise seemed a lifetime ago, made by a different girl than the one who sat here, and she determinedly put it to the back of her mind, not wanting to spoil the moment and her mood. Worrying would get her nowhere.

‘Here we are.' Mark spun the wheel and brought the car to a halt just off the road, parking in a lay-by. ‘It's just a short walk up there.' He indicated a path that followed the line of a hill about a kilometre from where they stood.

Rose jumped out of the car as Mark grabbed the basket and bottle of wine, handing her a picnic rug. ‘So what is it that you need to check on here?' she asked as they walked up the hill.

‘Oh, you know, just that the fruit's set properly, whether we might need to bunch-thin later, what the leaf coverage is like.' Mark sounded vague, something Rose wasn't used to from him.

They reached the top of the rise, and Rose stopped suddenly as she saw the view laid out before them. Neat cornrows of vineyards criss-crossed the landscape, a few solitary trees dotted between them, before the land rose up to the Shingle escarpment in the distance. The fading light cast long shadows over the valley and the sky was streaked with pink and rose gold. She had to admit it: sunsets in the Shingle Valley were nothing short of spectacular. The air was clear and warm, gentle birdsong and Rose's own breathing the only sounds. The world seemed to pause for a moment, pleased with its own magnificence.

‘Pretty special, huh?'

‘That's an understatement.'

‘It's my favourite spot in the valley. The place that started it all – the Assignation block. When times are tough, I come here to remind myself how lucky I am to be here at all,' he said, gazing at the view. ‘What makes it all worth it.'

‘I can see why. It's incredible.'

‘Did you know that Kalkari means “to wait” in the local Aboriginal language?'

Rose shook her head.

‘Pretty apt really,' he said with a dry laugh. ‘Now come on, let's go and see how these vines are doing.'

They stepped off the path and along one of the leafy rows.

Rose found it hard to concentrate on what Mark was saying, as he explained what he was looking for when he inspected the tightly clustered bunches of tiny green grapes. Her mind kept returning to the fact that he'd brought her somewhere that obviously meant a lot to him. She glowed at the thought.

‘… so that's what we mean when we talk about
terroir,
the ability for a wine to truly express the place where it was made, the soil, the climate, the geography, the growing conditions …'

Rose zoned out, enjoying the sound of his voice and the softness of the air as they walked. She imagined walking with him always, enjoying the feeling of being by his side.

‘How about we take a break? Are you hungry?' Mark's voice interrupted her daydream. They'd come to the end of a row, where there was a clearing under a large gum tree.

‘You bet.' Rose could always eat.

The ground was soft with fallen sword-shaped leaves that gave off the distinctive pungent eucalypt scent.

She spread the picnic rug over the leaves, and they both sat down. Leaning their backs against the trunk of the tree, they were completely hidden from view. Not that there was a soul for miles around in any case.

Mark cracked the seal on the wine and, reaching into the basket, produced two glasses with a flourish. ‘Drinking the wine from the place where the grapes grew. Nothing like it, hey?'

As the deep purple-red liquid glugged into their glasses, Rose looked up and caught him staring at her. They locked eyes and the world stood still.

Rose blinked first.

‘Cheers,' he said softly, clinking his glass against hers.

‘Cheers,' she echoed, and tipped her head back to sip the rich, fruity wine.

They feasted on the picnic Mark had brought: wood-fired bread, smeared with a terrine that Rose had made the previous day, ripe strawberries and a small fresh goat's cheese from the Shingle Dairy. The wine disappeared as they chatted easily, laughing about Leo's not entirely successful attempts to train Barnsie and Luisa's efforts to catch the chooks, talking about everything and nothing. The shadows lengthened over the vineyard and Rose shivered slightly as the sun's warmth began to leave them.