Her hand went to her head. Was she losing her mind as well as her breast? She gasped. Why had she even thought that?

“Mum rang and said you were short with her.” Milt was frowning at her still. “I know she can be a bit demanding but she’s still pretty fragile.”

Natalie spun away from him and put her basket on the floor in the corner. It was the unexpected shopping trip for Olive that had made her forget Milt’s list.

“Then I had an odd call from Paul,” Milt said. “He was checking to see if you were okay.”

Natalie sucked in a breath. Normally no-one cared what she did but now they were all studying her as if she was a specimen under a microscope.

“Nat?”

She took another breath and glanced around. “Where’s Bree?”

“Shutting up the chooks.”

“I have to go to Adelaide tomorrow and I need you to come with me.”

“Hell’s teeth, Nat, we’re about to start mustering. I haven’t got time to—”

“I’ve got an anomaly,” she blurted.

He shook his head. “A what?”

“The breast cancer clinic rang today. There was an anomaly with my mammogram. I have to go down tomorrow for further investigation.”

“When did you have a mammogram?”

“Last week.” She’d told him. Perhaps she hadn’t. She couldn’t remember. Every time she tried to concentrate on something the thought slipped away out of her reach. He took a step towards her but she busied herself at the fridge, taking out the food she’d cook for dinner. When she’d first walked in, the strength of his embrace was what she’d yearned for but now she knew if he took her in his arms she’d fall into an abyss she mightn’t get out of. Bree would return at any minute and this was something she didn’t want to burden her daughter with. Not yet. She sensed Milt standing close behind her.

“I don’t want to go alone but I don’t want anyone else to know about it.” She fumbled the lid of the carrot crisper. “At least not till we know what we’re dealing with.”

Bree’s voice carried from the back door, talking to Bubbles.

Nat glanced back at her husband. “We’re going to Adelaide to do paperwork for Clem’s estate,” she whispered. “We might even need to stay overnight.” She didn’t like lying to her daughter but it was the first thing she could think of and in reality a job they did have to do soon.

Milt nodded his head. “You’ll be fine, Nat. I bet they’re just being cautious. It’ll be nothing. Don’t worry.”