She felt torn between annoyance at her father for insinuating there was a problem and at Dan for not telling her if there was. Paula rubbed at her forehead. It was all conjecture. Once she got home she’d ask Dan about it but it niggled at her all the same. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the seat back, enjoying the cool air.

It had been a busy time since Dan’s birthday with harvest, then Christmas and her family coming. Paula remembered trying to have conversations with Dan about making a will. Her eyes snapped open. He could have told her then about his father’s will but he’d brushed her off. Perhaps he was hiding something.

Then there was that cousin that had turned up out of the blue, Jacinta. Both Dan and Rowena had been vague about her. Paula sat up again. Damn it, Rowena would have to know about any will. The two of them were in it together but why would they keep it from her? She imagined Dan’s frowning face. She had thought his worries were about the season but what if there was more to it? He’d been in a hurry to make Woodcroft farm a separate entity to Wood Dell, then he’d wanted to change the collateral for the loan.

Paula backed her car out and drove. She was angry and she was going home to get some answers. Rowena had given over the farm bookwork but she obviously hadn’t included everything. Paula pictured Rowena and Dan, their heads together hatching plans that still didn’t include her.

She screeched to a halt as she realised the lights ahead of her had turned red. She was so angry she hadn’t been concentrating properly. There was a park further along the road and she pulled in. It suddenly occurred to her that there was someone in Adelaide who would have all the answers, Glen Barrett. She took out her phone to search for his details.

Damn Dan! He’d promised no more secrets. She’d kept her side of the bargain. Being together meant sharing everything, the good and the bad. She found the number and pressed call.

* * *

Rowena inspected Dan’s hand. He’d washed away the blood but there were bruises forming and one finger stuck out at a bit of an angle. “You should go to the doctor. That finger looks broken to me.”

“Nothing he can do for it,” Dan said.

“It might need realigning.”

“I’ll be okay.”

“Suit yourself.” Rowena knew it was pointless to argue with him. “Sit down and I’ll make you a cuppa.”

Dan pulled the notebook out of his pocket and turned to the pages where Tom had scribed for him.

“Damn!”

“What’s the matter?”

“Tom wrote down the grain information for me but I can hardly read it.”