The Cattleman's Ready-Made Family. Michelle Douglas

man was being very silly and we don’t need to worry about him at all.’ She prayed they’d believe her, that they trusted her enough. Time for a brave face. ‘You know what I need?’ she whispered. ‘A lamington. Are there any?’

      ‘Ones with cream in them.’

      ‘Ooh, yum.’ She made her eyes wide. ‘Let’s go look.’

      They each selected a lamington, they each took a bite, and then Tess caught Stacy’s eye. ‘Don’t forget,’ she whispered before the teacher reached them, ‘I need the names of vegetables.’

      They were laughing again by the time they reached the group of other children. Tess didn’t doubt there’d be more questions tonight, but for now things were fine.

      She moved back towards Lorraine and the group of women who surrounded her. ‘Are the littlies okay?’ one of the women asked her.

      Tess hesitated, her gaze darting back to the circle of children. ‘I think so.’ She swallowed. She’d given an account of Ty and Krissie’s circumstances in her application letter. Not a full account, perhaps, but full enough. She didn’t doubt that everyone in the room knew about the death of their parents. ‘It’s just that they’ve been through so much in such a short space of time…Little things can unduly upset them.’

      ‘An angry man isn’t a little thing. Especially when you’re five years old.’

      Tess had to close her eyes for a moment. An angry man. The shaking started back up inside her. Lorraine touched her arm. ‘I can’t tell you how sorry I am, Tess. Lance has a lot on his mind at the moment, but that doesn’t excuse his behaviour.’

      Lorraine was obviously appalled.

      ‘It wasn’t your fault.’ But…She twisted her hands together. ‘Is there anything I ought to know?’

      The women surrounding them discreetly melted away, leaving Tess and Lorraine alone. Lorraine gripped her hands together. ‘Cameron and Lance have had the most dreadful falling out, Tess. They haven’t spoken to each other in over ten months.’

      Ten months!

      Lorraine’s eyes filled with tears. ‘I…I certainly didn’t expect any of that fallout to land in your lap, though. I’m absolutely mortified.’

      The older woman’s heartache tugged at her. But…‘That forty hectares?’ she whispered.

      Lorraine blinked hard and swallowed. ‘I knew nothing about it, I promise.’

      The shaking inside her started to slow.

      ‘Tess, I can’t tell you how sorry—’

      She reached out to clasp the other woman’s hands. ‘There’s no need to apologise further, Lorraine.’ She had no desire to make things even harder for the other woman. Especially when she’d gone to so much trouble to welcome them to town so warmly. ‘Let’s forget about it.’ She made herself smile and then turned to check on Ty and Krissie again. She prayed there hadn’t been any permanent harm done there.

      ‘Honey.’ Lorraine moved in close so they were touching shoulders. ‘I understand your concern. Your Ty and Krissie have had a lot to deal with, but…children are remarkably resilient, you know?’

      She gave a shaky laugh. ‘Are they?’ She didn’t have a clue.

      ‘Yes, I promise. And I promise they’ll be okay. All you can do is love them the best you can…as you obviously do. All of us here in Bellaroo Creek will do our best to become a second family to them. It’ll all work out in the end.’

      The other women, who’d moved back in closer, all nodded and murmured their agreement.

      They made it sound so easy.

      Why, then, was it proving so very, very hard?