She nodded and tears rolled down her cheeks as he walked away.

“Right,” the nurse said. “I’ve been watching the way you’re perched on that chair. After this feed, I’m going to organise a salt bath and get you tucked up for a few hours’ sleep. We’ll come and get you when your young man needs his next feed.”

The tears trickled unchecked as a great sense of relief flowed over Paula.

It was amazing how much more human she felt after the bath. Someone had put a cup of tea and a biscuit by her bed. The tea was cool but she drank it anyway. The nurse who’d helped her with the last feed had told her it was important to keep up her fluid intake.

Paula pulled back the crisp bed cover and crawled in between the sheets. It was blissful to lie down. She hoped she’d be able to sleep.

Chapter 44

CHAPTER

44

Rowena went from room to room closing the windows she’d thrown open a few hours earlier. After the long heatwave it was welcome relief to have a pleasant sunny day. Rowena had tidied the place up, put fresh sheets on the bed and given the whole house a good airing. And, even though there was still a smoky tinge to the air, it was better than the stifling closed-up heat.

The fire had been a close call but thankfully no one had lost their lives or their homes. Now that it was under control, the stories were spreading. Stock losses were reported and there were several sheds and kilometres of fences destroyed. There had been several near misses with firefighters. The man who’d brought back Dan’s water truck said he’d had to drive wildly across country just as the wind had changed. By the look of Dan’s truck he’d been lucky.

Rowena stopped to look at the photo of Dan and Paula on the mantelpiece. Regret still gnawed at her. Since Dan had left he’d made two short phone calls to keep her informed of the baby’s progress. She knew his full attention was on Paula and the baby.

Rowena and Austin had stayed on the farm and come each day to give the dogs a run and feed them, along with the hens. In between, Austin was content to read and watch sport on the television but Rowena couldn’t sit still for long. She had put her energy into making meals to stock Paula’s freezer.