Faith smiled at the girl’s enthusiasm. “I’ll do my best.”
Darcy dipped his hat as he climbed into the car. “I hope to see you Sunday.”
She waved goodbye as they drove off, resisting the urge to fan her face. The man stirred all her insides. His strong hands, the way he dipped his hat in greeting and his sweet encouragement of Lara… She sighed as she broke off a hay biscuit and fed Spirit. It wouldn’t be long before her mother wouldn’t need a regular carer and Faith would go back to Perth, back to her corporate law job and her townhouse.
Faith retrieved a curry comb from the box of equipment, and brushed long strokes down Spirit’s dappled grey coat.
Returning to Perth didn’t hold as much appeal as it should. Lara’s wordsnoisy and smellyechoed in her head. She’d become accustomed to the small town, being able to walk to the shops, or down to the beach. If she was feeling energetic, she could even walk to the pony club and ride. She’d also made friends with people who worked on her father’s tour boat and caught up with them at least once a week for a drink.
Life was less hectic, more enjoyable here. She barely had time to catch up with friends in Perth. There, seventy-hour work weeks were the norm.
“You get neglected in Perth, don’t you, Spirit?” she murmured, moving behind her horse to brush its other side.
Spirit nickered at her voice. She had lost the roundness from her belly caused by a lack of exercise and her coat now shone from being brushed regularly.
Faith’s tanned hands and unpolished nails made her chuckle. Spirit’s appearance had improved, while she had let go of all the professional gloss that was part of her law job. She’d loved not needing makeup, and having to look the perfect part every moment of the day.
But she had enjoyed the challenge of a well-written contract, and the money that came with the job. Her townhouse was in a trendy part of the city, close to restaurants, so she never needed to cook, and she could walk when she went out occasionally with friends.
She shook her head. It was pointless comparing the two. The differences were too great. Faith returned the comb to the equipment box and gave Spirit one last hug. “See you tomorrow.”
She couldn’t delay her departure further. It was time to head home to face her father.
***
Faith’s father was at the front door of his modest brick house before she closed her car door. The sun edged its way towards the horizon, casting him in shadow, but his entire posture was tense, and his grey hair was its normal dishevelled mess. Her father used to let nothing get to him, but Faith had discovered over the past eight months anything to do with his wife’s health really riled him.
She sighed. “Hi, Dad. How was your day?” Sometimes she could distract him by asking about the boat.
“It would have been a lot better if I hadn’t got home to find your mother alone.”
Faith brushed past him, pecked a kiss on his cheek and continued to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. Her mother sat on the couch in the open plan living area, her walking stick beside her, her dark hair belying her age and as always, impeccably done. She shrugged apologetically at Faith.
“Now Rob, I told you I insisted Faith go to her class. She has a commitment to those children.”
“The agreement was she would come to Retribution Bay to nurse you,” her father argued. “Not to reinvigorate an abandoned pony club.”
Faith would have lost her mind if she hadn’t had something else to do after the first few difficult months of helping her mother with constant physiotherapy. “It was the only way I could agist Spirit there.Youhelped me arrange it.”
“I didn’t know it would take so much time.”
A typical example of how her father never thought ideas through. Before he could bring up his other gripe, she said, “Andyou were the one who told your friends to bring their legal questions to me.” She appreciated the chance to use her law skills, but it hadn’t been enough. Four months after her stroke, Milly had improved to the stage where she was more independent, and had encouraged Faith to find a hobby.
“At least you can do that at home, with your mother here.”
Her father would never admit his part in this. Time to defuse him. “Did you have a good group today?” Faith asked.
His posture relaxed. “We went a fair way to find a whale shark,” he said. “I couldn’t disappoint them.” He rolled his shoulders a few times.
But he expected her to disappoint the children who came to her classes. Her father only ever considered what he wanted. Faith didn’t know how her mother put up with him.
He scowled, turning to his wife. “You should have gone with Faith rather than stay here by yourself.”
“It was far too hot outside,” she said. “And a little alone time was pleasant.”
“No.” He slammed his fist on the kitchen table. “I won’t have you here by yourself and that’s final.” He strode out of the room and a few seconds later the bathroom door banged, and the shower switched on.
Her mother sighed. “It will take some time for him to understand I’m all right.”
