“I’ve just left the doctor’s office. Do you need something from town?”

“No, I need someone to drive the tray top to the Harvey place.”

“Is Rowena home?”

“No.”

“Where’s Tom?”

“A good question.”

She could hear the tension in his voice. “You sound annoyed.”

“He should have been back an hour ago from delivering a load of peas and Rowena’s gone off to Adelaide to look at dresses or some such thing.”

Paula smiled. It wasn’t often Dan showed irritation with Rowena. She’d been planning this trip for weeks, although Paula had forgotten she’d gone today. Rowena wanted to find something to wear for her wedding and she was running out of time. The list of groceries Paula had planned to collect poked from the top of her bag. They would have to wait. “I can come home now.”

“Don’t you have other things to do?”

“I’ll do them another day.”

“No, don’t worry about it. I’ll manage till someone gets home.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, see you soon.”

The phone pinged in her ear as he disconnected.

She wanted to tell him about her doctor’s visit but that would wait until she got home. Her grocery list wasn’t long. She’d be through the supermarket and home in time to give him a hand.

* * *

Dan lifted his hat, ran his fingers through his hair then shoved the hat firmly back on his head. He shouldn’t be cross with Paula. He knew it sounded petty but he couldn’t tell her the real reason for his annoyance.

It was difficult juggling work. He really needed another pair of hands but he couldn’t consider it as things were. Tom was a good worker, or at least he was when his mind was on the job and not Louise. He’d probably been held up in the queue at the silos. Rowena had often helped in the past but she was entitled to spend some time for herself. He’d known for a week she wouldn’t be home today. He had hoped Paula may have been nearly home to drive the extra vehicle for him.

All of this was only a smoke screen for his real frustration. He’d had another call from the bank. His latest effort to change his loans around, so that Wood Dell wasn’t collateral for all the debt, had failed.