pushed open the screen door. Unlike when he’d last visited, Ewan had come dressed in his farm gear. Kree bit the inside of her cheek. Even after a day in the paddocks, a man just wasn’t supposed to look so good in a dusty, emerald-green shirt and faded jeans.
As he drew near to where she stood on the top step, a warm breeze brushed across her stomach letting her know her snug, hot-pink tee had again worked itself free from the waistband of her cut-offs. Ewan’s grey eyes flickered over her. She thought she caught a flare of deep and dark emotion, but knew it had to have been a trick of the strong light.
‘So, no water inside this time, Kree?’ he said, pulling the brim of his hat a little further over his face.
‘Not a drop. I hope what you said before about the pressure pump being a nightmare to fix won’t prove true. I so need a shower.’
‘I know how you feel. It’s a scorcher today and I swear it was at least five degrees hotter in the machinery shed.’
‘Tish said you’re working on an airseeder?’
‘Yes, I was replacing the hydraulic pump so I can start sowing while there’s still moisture left in the soil profile.’
‘Sorry to have dragged you away. This has to be the last thing that can go wrong.’
‘No worries.’ He cast her a grin that disappeared too quickly. ‘I’d almost finished, anyway.’
‘Thanks again. Touch wood when you next visit, it will only be for dinner.’
‘Let’s hope you’re right. Now, how about we check on this pump.’
Her eyes lingered on his profile as he turned away. Had the mention of their dinner caused his mouth to tense?
She followed him along the side of the house to where two cream-coloured poly tanks were nestled. At their base rested a steel pump. Ewan bent to read the small, round dial.
‘Right, there’s no reading on the pressure gauge, which means there’s no pressure in the line. There could have been another power surge, so I’ll check the fuses.’
Kree scooped up Freckle as he bit the bottom of Ewan’s jeans, growled and shook his head as though intent on killing a snake. Fudge bleated, and spun on her tiny hooves before bouncing off to nibble the grass beneath the wire hills hoist clothes line.
‘You deserve a medal, Kree. Those two would do my head in.’ The smile in his eyes softened his words.
Kree dropped a kiss on Freckle’s wriggling head. ‘Believe it or not, I’m going to miss them when I’m home. Life will be rather boring.’
Ewan chuckled. ‘With Seth for a brother, I don’t think your life could ever be called boring.’
Kree joined in with his laughter. ‘True.’
‘Now, if I remember correctly,’ Ewan said, striding away, ‘from when Maureen had power problems while Don was away, the fuse box is located further along the side.’
Ewan stopped at a wall-mounted metal box. He lifted the cover and from where she stood beside him, Kree could see all the small circuit-breaker levers were facing the same direction.
‘Okay, so no fuse has blown,’ Ewan confirmed with a small frown. ‘Let’s check the pump has power.’
Once at the pressure pump, he followed the electric cordthat trailed from the base of the pump to an external power point on the house. He checked the plug was inserted firmly.
Ouch.
Kree pulled her thumb out of Freckle’s needle-sharp mouth. Ewan’s deepening frown had distracted her from safeguarding her fingers. She placed Freckle on the ground and he scampered away to sit in the grass beside Fudge, his nose on his paws as he kept his eyes trained on Kree and Ewan.
Ewan returned to the pump and examined the round dial that still showed no reading. He leaned in close to the pump motor. ‘Can you smell that electrical smell?’
‘No.’ All she could smell was the in-bloom daphne.
Worry blossomed in her belly. Any electrical smell usually meant trouble, and in this case could also mean no inside water anytime soon. The forty-five minute drive twice daily to the hotel if she
As he drew near to where she stood on the top step, a warm breeze brushed across her stomach letting her know her snug, hot-pink tee had again worked itself free from the waistband of her cut-offs. Ewan’s grey eyes flickered over her. She thought she caught a flare of deep and dark emotion, but knew it had to have been a trick of the strong light.
‘So, no water inside this time, Kree?’ he said, pulling the brim of his hat a little further over his face.
‘Not a drop. I hope what you said before about the pressure pump being a nightmare to fix won’t prove true. I so need a shower.’
‘I know how you feel. It’s a scorcher today and I swear it was at least five degrees hotter in the machinery shed.’
‘Tish said you’re working on an airseeder?’
‘Yes, I was replacing the hydraulic pump so I can start sowing while there’s still moisture left in the soil profile.’
‘Sorry to have dragged you away. This has to be the last thing that can go wrong.’
‘No worries.’ He cast her a grin that disappeared too quickly. ‘I’d almost finished, anyway.’
‘Thanks again. Touch wood when you next visit, it will only be for dinner.’
‘Let’s hope you’re right. Now, how about we check on this pump.’
Her eyes lingered on his profile as he turned away. Had the mention of their dinner caused his mouth to tense?
She followed him along the side of the house to where two cream-coloured poly tanks were nestled. At their base rested a steel pump. Ewan bent to read the small, round dial.
‘Right, there’s no reading on the pressure gauge, which means there’s no pressure in the line. There could have been another power surge, so I’ll check the fuses.’
Kree scooped up Freckle as he bit the bottom of Ewan’s jeans, growled and shook his head as though intent on killing a snake. Fudge bleated, and spun on her tiny hooves before bouncing off to nibble the grass beneath the wire hills hoist clothes line.
‘You deserve a medal, Kree. Those two would do my head in.’ The smile in his eyes softened his words.
Kree dropped a kiss on Freckle’s wriggling head. ‘Believe it or not, I’m going to miss them when I’m home. Life will be rather boring.’
Ewan chuckled. ‘With Seth for a brother, I don’t think your life could ever be called boring.’
Kree joined in with his laughter. ‘True.’
‘Now, if I remember correctly,’ Ewan said, striding away, ‘from when Maureen had power problems while Don was away, the fuse box is located further along the side.’
Ewan stopped at a wall-mounted metal box. He lifted the cover and from where she stood beside him, Kree could see all the small circuit-breaker levers were facing the same direction.
‘Okay, so no fuse has blown,’ Ewan confirmed with a small frown. ‘Let’s check the pump has power.’
Once at the pressure pump, he followed the electric cordthat trailed from the base of the pump to an external power point on the house. He checked the plug was inserted firmly.
Ouch.
Kree pulled her thumb out of Freckle’s needle-sharp mouth. Ewan’s deepening frown had distracted her from safeguarding her fingers. She placed Freckle on the ground and he scampered away to sit in the grass beside Fudge, his nose on his paws as he kept his eyes trained on Kree and Ewan.
Ewan returned to the pump and examined the round dial that still showed no reading. He leaned in close to the pump motor. ‘Can you smell that electrical smell?’
‘No.’ All she could smell was the in-bloom daphne.
Worry blossomed in her belly. Any electrical smell usually meant trouble, and in this case could also mean no inside water anytime soon. The forty-five minute drive twice daily to the hotel if she
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