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Back The Orchardist's Daughter Save as PDF
Chapters (57)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. PRAISE
  3. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  4. DEDICATION
  5. PROLOGUE
  6. PART I SEEDS
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. PART II GERMINATION
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. PART III GROWTH
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. PART IV UNDERSTOREY
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. EPILOGUE
  57. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In the waiting room, Leon paid the bill, then Frances took Max and Bonnie on a tour of the surgery.

‘That’s so nice of you to adopt the puppy,’ Kate said to Leon.

‘Kind or crazy. I’m not sure which.’

‘Kind, I would say. Not everyone would do something like that.’

‘What’s a bloke meant to do when a kid turns up crying on his doorstep?’

Kate’s face fell. ‘What happened to the other pups?’

‘Drowned. And I gather it wasn’t the first time.’

‘Oh, that’s grim. How about I give you a discount on desexing Rosie?’

‘Really?’ Leon was touched. ‘Would you do that? I’d appreciate it.’

‘It’s my clinic. I can do what I want.’

‘You own the clinic?’

Kate laughed. ‘No, the bank owns it. Only the doormat is mine … But I could do the desexing for two hundred dollars? Would that help?’

‘That would be fantastic. But I’ll have to discuss it with Max’s family first. Wish me luck. I think money will be an issue, even with the discount. But we’ll find a way. I suppose you get that a lot around here, people unable to pay …’

‘It can be a problem.’ She smiled again. ‘Fortunately Frances is very persuasive. She won’t hand over medications till everything is paid up.’

‘I’ll make sure I have my visa card loaded when Bonnie’s turn comes around.’

Bonnie gambolled back into the room, Frances and Max just behind her. Frances flashed Kate a meaningful look. ‘I think Bonnie’s ready to go.’

Kate smiled. ‘Okay.’ Then to Leon, ‘We’ll see you for her next vaccination. Give me a call if you want to book Rosie in.’

27

27

Miki was wiping down tables when a new-looking four-wheel drive pulled up in the street. It was too clean to belong to anyone around here, like something straight out of a showroom. Four men climbed out: three in smart-looking suits; the other, tall and thin, in a fleece jacket, checked open-necked shirt, black jeans, polished hiking boots. Miki wondered who they were. They looked too important to be tourists. They hovered on the footpath for a while, talking among themselves, before heading towards the visitor centre.

Ten minutes later they were back, and the tall man came into the shop. He had short grey hair and looked somehow familiar, but Miki couldn’t place him.

‘Hello,’ he said, smiling. ‘Thought I’d buy myself an early lunch. What would you recommend?’

Miki was serving today because Kurt was out the back with the Coke rep. ‘We have some good salads,’ she said, indicating the display fridge and inspecting the man while he inspected the salads. She still couldn’t work out who he was, but she recognised his high forehead and straight nose and those sad, washed-out grey eyes. She blushed when he caught her looking at him.