They were dressed in very smart clothes for car travel. Or at least Jacinta was. Stewart wore a pair of moleskin jeans and a plain red polo shirt but she was looking very glamorous in a multi-coloured tunic dress with a black ribbon that tied under her bust. Gold jewellery hung from her neck and arms. She looked cool in spite of the heat. Suddenly Paula was acutely aware of her own dishevelled appearance. She dropped the shovel, wiped her hands down the side of her jeans and reached out to shake their hands.

“I’m sorry Dan’s not here. Are you staying for a while?”

“We haven’t…”

Stewart was interrupted by Jacinta again. “We’re on a bit of a tight schedule.” She touched Paula’s hand briefly, then took a small step back.

“Dan will be home this evening,” Paula said. “Perhaps you could eat with us.”

“Maybe next time.” Jacinta gave a wan smile. “We should have phoned ahead but we weren’t sure we’d have time to come this far.”

“We wanted to see where your farm was,” Stewart added.

“When are you due?” Jacinta asked.

Paula glanced down at the baby bulge protruding from her grubby t-shirt. “March. What about you?”

“February.” Jacinta’s smile widened. “And it’s a boy. We wanted to know the sex straight away, didn’t we, Stewart?”

Stewart nodded and Paula got the impression he would go along with anything his wife said.

“Do you know what you’re having?” Jacinta asked.

“No. Dan and I wanted a surprise.”

“Really.” Jacinta’s eyes widened with astonishment.

A little too wide, Paula thought.

“It’s a hot day, isn’t it?” Jacinta fanned her face with her hand and looked towards the house. “Perhaps I could have a glass of water.”

“Of course, I’m sorry.” Paula pulled back the screen door. “We should be inside. It’s much cooler in there.”

She pushed open the inner door and ushered them through.

“Ohhh.” Jacinta stopped just inside the door. Stewart hovered beside her.

Paula peered past them and groaned. An assortment of shirts and underwear was strewn in all directions among wet footprints. Spud had pulled the washing from the basket and must have had a delightful time dragging it around the cement floor.

“Oh, no, Spud!” she exclaimed.

The young dog bounded out of the toilet, dashed across the scattered washing and sat at her feet with a piece of toilet paper hanging from his mouth, his tail eagerly thudding the floor behind him.

“You keep your dog in the house?” Jacinta’s nose distinctly pointed upwards.

“No…not usually.” Paula grabbed Spud by the collar, pushed him outside then leaned against the door as she closed it. “I’ve had a bit of trouble with the plumbing.”

“Oh,” Jacinta said. “I was going to ask if I could use your toilet as well. Pregnancy is playing havoc with my bladder. Do you find that?”