As was she. She sat, simply sat, hearing the creak of the roof in the heat, the buzz of cicadas, Maxi’s gentle snore, knowing that Sam slept two rooms away, that her daughter was playing with devoted grandparents and great-aunt, that she was there, in the house Matilda had given her, in the life both she and Tommy had given her and that Sam had helped her build, where she, astonishingly for one who had never known love or even a hug in her childhood, had conjured so much love about her now.

At last she stood and began to wipe down Mattie’s high chair — Maxi had already left the floor below meticulously clean — when Nancy’s ute pulled up outside. Jed gave the kitchen table a last swipe, put the kettle on and grabbed her notebook.

‘Cooee! Only me.’ Nancy shut the screen door behind her and sat at the kitchen table.

‘Tea? I’ll put the kettle on. Blue left date and walnut cake.’

‘The best in Gibber’s Creek.’ But Nancy looked distracted. ‘How’s Sam?’

‘Good. Wonderful. Incredible. Happy. He’s planning a new scheme with William. Pre-fab houses at the factory.’

‘Good. More local jobs.’

‘I hadn’t thought of that.’

Nancy shrugged. ‘Not much work in farming just now.’

‘Nancy, I . . . I want to thank you. Talking to me at the hospital about Clancy and Maria and everyone. I think those stories saved my sanity. And maybe Sam’s. He was listening too, he said, even if he couldn’t move. It’s going to be a great book,’ she added.

‘Yes. Well. About that.’ Nancy looked out the window. ‘I’m afraid there won’t be more stories for a while. We’re going to go on the long paddock for a while, me and Michael and the boys.’

‘Leave Overflow! But you’ve said you’ll never leave here.’ Nancy had even refused to go to Sydney to see a specialist during her high-risk pregnancy.

‘I’m not. We’re not going far: just taking the sheep up the back road to Flinty’s, then down and up again. There’s always a bit of green pick up that side of the mountains — they get a bit of drizzle now and then that we miss out on here. The boys can do Distance Education for a year or two, or stay with Nicholas and Felicity sometimes and go to Rocky Creek school.’

‘A year or two?’ And had Nancy waited until Sam was home before taking the long paddock? Probably. Nancy was as close to a true mother as she had ever had. And Matilda. And Blue. Jed smiled. She was so very rich in mothers.