A Changing Land(7)
‘So you found one?’ Anthony appeared astride his horse, Random; so named because it was purely chance if the gelding didn’t try and throw him once a month.
‘You scared me.’ Sarah draped the camera over her shoulder.
Anthony slid from Random, who nibbled his shoulder in an effort to court attention. ‘Sorry.’ He plucked a long blade of grass, tickling her ear. ‘I haven’t seen a koala for ages.’ They peered up through the foliage. Anthony draped his arm about Sarah’s shoulders and together they watched the koala scramble higher. Random snuffled their hair and tried to wriggle his head between theirs.
‘What is it about this horse of yours, Anthony,’ Sarah asked, scratching the gelding between the ears. ‘I think he’s suffering from a lack of attention.’
‘Well I know how that feels,’ he countered, giving her a kiss on the forehead. ‘So I see you’ve taken up your hobby again.’ He touched the camera strap.
Sarah patted the camera case. ‘Actually I’ve missed my photography. I think I got a great shot today too. Remember that wallaby we saw?’ Sarah pointed to the peppercorn and the broken timber railing. ‘I captured him just there and the light was magical.’
Random gave a whinny of impatience that set Sarah’s horse Tess to striking the sandy ground with a hoof. Anthony smiled. ‘Well I’m pleased you’re back into photography again. You always loved it. There’s no reason why you can’t enter a few more competitions like you did before –’
‘Before grandfather died?’ Sarah completed his sentence. ‘Didn’t feel like it before now.’ She walked to her horse.
Together they rode through the peppercorns and out into the cloud-streaked sky. The evening star had risen and it was towards this bright glow that they spurred their horses. They rode side by side; diverging from the normal dirt road back to the homestead to follow one of the many sheep trails that crisscrossed Wangallon. Sarah often wondered what these trampled single-file dirt paths would look like from the heavens; leading to and from watering points and feed.
‘Nice action,’ Anthony commented as Sarah trotted through a gate in front of him.
She could tell by the directness of his expression that he wasn’t talking about her riding ability. She pouted cheekily. ‘Interested in seeing it up close and personal?’
Leaning from the saddle, he chained the gate closed. ‘Before or after dinner?’
‘Hmm. Depends on your appetite,’ Sarah replied, breaking Tess into a canter.
They rode back to the homestead, reaching the stables as the horizon blurred between day and night. The coolness of autumn seeped upwards from the ground as they unsaddled Tess and Random. Anthony did the honours with the curry comb, giving each horse a quick brush down as Sarah put a ration of feed in their stalls. Having planned on a leg of mutton for dinner, roasted with some potatoes, carrots, pumpkin and lashings of gravy, time-wise it was looking more like spaghetti bolognese, with that special sauce only she could concoct: straight out of a jar.
‘Done.’ Sarah bolted the half-gate on Tess. Contented munching sounds echoed through the still air. ‘Shelley’s flying up this Friday. You didn’t forget?’
Anthony extricated his shirt sleeve from Random’s teeth and gave a final shove to the stall gate, bolting it closed. ‘Geez, you’re getting an attitude,’ he commented. Random turned away from Anthony in disgust.
‘You did forget, didn’t you?’ Anthony seemed to have relegated her city life into the wastepaper bin. Whether it was due to her time in Sydney being associated with her ex-fiancé or purely because he disliked the city and couldn’t relate to it, she’d never been sure.
‘Is she coming with or without the suit?’ A glimmer of mischief crossed Anthony’s face.
The suit in question was a fast-talking advertising executive, Robert, with an ex-wife, a brand new apartment and a walloping expense account that suited Shelley, aka recently crowned Lady-Lunch-a-Lot, just fine. ‘Without.’
Even in the half-light she could tell he wasn’t disappointed.
‘Well even without him that buggers up my recreational activities for the weekend. Guess I better make up for them now.’
Sarah found herself thrown uncomfortably over Anthony’s shoulder. ‘You Neanderthal.’
He laughed, smacking her hard on her backside. ‘That would be me.’