Free Inheritance by Kate Loveday Page A

forget, it’d be mainly seasonal. We’re not going to get too many in the wet.’
    ‘We’d need extra. If Tony stays, perhaps his wife, Patty, would help out if we need her.’
    ‘You’d be happy with that?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘And you, Rosie? You know what we talked about earlier. I have Rosie in mind for driving and taking people sightseeing,’ she explained to the others.
    ‘I’m all for it.’ Rosie was enthusiastic. ‘It all sounds exciting.’
    ‘Daniel, I want to include visits to the cave to see the paintings. I plan on talking to Sam about this to see if he’s happy about having visitors go to an aboriginal site, and, if he is, if he’s up to taking people there and explaining the paintings. I’m just a bit worried that it might be too much for him. But perhaps you could be involved, too; how would you feel about that?’
    Daniel laughed. ‘I think he’ll be happy about it, Cassie. But don’t be taken in by Sam’s act. He likes to tell everyone he’s a hundred, but in reality he’s closer to eighty, and he’s as fit as he ever was. He’s quite capable and I bet he’d just love the chance to show off. But as a backup you might consider Tony.’
    Cassie sat back in surprise. ‘Tony! Would Sam be happy with an outsider being involved?’
    ‘He’s not as much an outsider as you think. He lived here when he was a child. He’s twenty years older than me, so I don’t remember him, but Sam does. His family moved away when he was only five. A whole group of them left together to look for work in the city.’
    ‘Well, just fancy that,’ Lorna said. ‘What a surprise!’
    ‘It’s another reason why he’d be happy to stay on here, so Larry could be where his roots are,’ Daniel continued.
    ‘In that case, I think it’s an excellent idea. Tom, will you speak to Tony?’
    Tom nodded. ‘If you want me to.’ He still sounded unsure.
    He’s probably worried about the finances, Cassie thought. ‘Don’t worry, Tom, I won’t take Yallandoo money for this.’ She looked around at the others. ‘So, if you’re all happy, I’ll go ahead and make some preliminary enquiries, do a bit of research to see if it’s feasible. Is that all right with everyone?’ They all nodded and murmured ‘yes’ although Tom still looked unsure. ‘So, I’ll let you know what’s happening as soon as I know myself. Now, who’s for a cup of tea?’
    ***
    Later that night, Cassie rang her mother. She wasn’t looking forward to this; she knew Gwen would be upset at her news.
    ‘Hi, Mum, it’s me. How are you?’
    ‘A bit tired. We’ve been busy. How about you?’
    ‘Fine, fine. I’ve had a busy day, too. Rosie and I went out with the men, selecting and branding and so on today. We still have some good breeding stock in spite of the drought. Tom’s done a great job.’
    ‘I’m sure he has. Len thought highly of him. I hope you wore a hat if you were out in that hot sun all day.’
    ‘Yes, Mum, of course I did. And it’s not all that hot yet.’
    ‘I can tell you, it’s damn cold down here.’
    ‘Well, it’s the time of year for it, after all. The holiday makers are all over the place up here, catching the sun. The Esplanade in Cairns is as busy as Martin Place!’
    ‘It’s always busy up there in winter; I know heaps of people who go up there then.’ Gwen hesitated for a moment before continuing. ‘Talking of people going to Cairns, I had a phone call from Jason a few nights ago.’
    Cassie drew a sharp breath. ‘Jason! What did he want? You didn’t talk to him?’
    ‘Yes, I did. He rang to tell me how sorry he was for all the trouble he caused us.’
    ‘You didn’t believe him, surely?’
    ‘I did. He was very sincere.’ Gwen’s voice tried to soothe her. ‘He explained to me how he’d been under terrible pressure at work then and he had a sort of breakdown. He’s really terribly sorry.’
    Cassie’s voice rose. ‘Oh, Mum, I can’t believe you were taken in by that. After all the