Rod extended his hand to shake Paula’s. “Give us a call when you’re ready to pick up the pup. I want to make sure I’m in so we can talk some more.”

Paula waved them off then went back to pack her lunch containers into the car. She hummed to herself. The future was full of exciting possibilities. Dan was worried about his grain but his sheep might be the way to balance the books.

Chapter 18

CHAPTER

18

“Dan, it’s just a few people for a barbecue.” Paula put her hands on her hips then dropped them again. Her belly had rounded out quickly in the last couple of weeks and she’d looked at herself in the mirror often enough to know that it would make her look like a melon with handles. “You have to eat.”

“It’s harvest,” Dan said. “I eat and sleep on the run. My birthday is at the wrong time of year for a celebration.”

Paula took a deep breath and followed him out to the back door. She knew he was as tightly wound as a spring but that should be all the more reason to take breaks and relax. She kept her voice calm but firm. “Saturday evening I am inviting Rowena, Bruce and Jane, Dara and Chris, and Tom and Louise for a barbecue. You can call in for a sausage at some stage.”

“You girls have a lovely time.” Dan shoved his hat on his head. “You won’t get the blokes in. We’ll all be flat out.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips over her cheek. “I know you mean well, Sweet Pea, but right now my birthday is at the bottom of the priority list.”

It was still a few days till Saturday. Paula changed the subject. “I’m going in to Dara’s this morning to learn to make pasties. Would you like some for lunch?”

“Can you bring them to the paddock next to the corner paddock? That’s where I’m working at the moment.”

“What about Tom?”

“No, he’ll have his own lunch today. He’s baling at Ted’s.”

“What time?”

“Whenever you can?” he called back over his shoulder and jiggled the little esky she’d just packed. “I’ve got some stuff to keep me going.”

Paula hurried back to the kitchen. She had a pile of dishes to wash including those from last night. It had been late when Dan had come in and she’d been in the baby’s room packing away some clothes she’d washed. Thinking about the baby made it easy to fiddle and daydream the time away and, once they’d eaten, she hadn’t been able to summon the energy to tackle the dishes.