Free Down Outback Roads by Alissa Callen Page B

crossed Ewan is able to contact them soon.’
    ‘He will. Ewan always follows through. He’s such a well-respected man, just like his father. But if he does have trouble, tell him to give me a call and I’ll see what I can do.’ Mrs Jessop leaned closer to Kree, who almost choked on the older woman’s strong perfume. ‘You do know, Ewan is the catch of the district.’
    ‘Is he?’ Kree stepped away to inhale fresh air. ‘I thought he was a confirmed bachelor.’
    So much for leaving Marellen to achieve a Ewan-free day. Mrs Jessop appeared to only be getting warmed up on her new topic.
    ‘Rubbish. Mark my words, Ewan won’t stay single forever, he just has to meet the right girl. Who knows, she might be right under his nose.’
    ‘Who knows?’ Kree hefted the bags in her arms. ‘If you don’t mind, Mrs Jessop, these are getting heavy. I’ll just go put them in the ute.’
    ‘Of course, deary.’
    Kree headed for the dual-cab. Behind her, Mrs Jessop’s heels clacked on the cement footpath.
    Kree manoeuvred open the ute door and placed her parcels on the passenger seat. She glanced around for a diversion to change the topic of conversation.
    To her left, a small park featured an aged half-stone-and-half-timber building. She squinted into the glare to read the sign. Surely the lettering didn’t say what she thought it did?
    ‘Mrs Jessop, does that sign say Cobb and Co. coach house?’
    ‘Yes, that’s where the Cobb and Co. stage coaches stopped in the late 1800s.’
    ‘Glenalla is such a treasure trove of surprises. I had no idea stage coaches ran out here.’
    Kree rummaged beneath the bags to find her sunglasses. She slipped on her polarised lenses to better inspect the old building.
    ‘There was also a pub,’ Mrs Jessop added, ‘but it burned down in the 1940s. The coach house and those stone stable pillars beside it are the only things left.’
    ‘It’s in such good condition for a historic building, but it looks unused?’
    ‘Before the drought, a Sydney artist bought it. It took a while but he eventually got permission from the local council to make changes. He spent a fortune on restoration and renovation, intending to open it as an art gallery and coffee house. But I’m guessing he went belly up as things haven’t progressed in five years.’
    ‘So, it’s all kitted out with a kitchen?’
    ‘I think so. I did poke my head in while it was being refurbished – you can’t be careful enough with out-of-towners around – and I do remember a sink.’
    Kree looked along the empty main street. ‘Is there anyone who would know how to contact the Sydney owner?’
    ‘Steve at the general store would know. He’s the one who hired the contractors.’
    Kree took a long look at the old Cobb and Co. coach house. Delight budded inside her. She’d just thought of a way to give Glenalla the town heart it deserved. All she needed now was a plan to lure tourists to the district and her debt to the warm-hearted community would be repaid.

C HAPTER E IGHT
    ‘Whiskey, cover your ears,’ Ewan told the black-and-tan kelpie lying sprawled on the concrete shed floor. He’d wasted a day replacing the hydraulic pump and now the airseeder still wasn’t right to go. Time was running out. He had to get the canola in, and then the wheat, before the soil moisture evaporated. He let fly with a string of heated words that would make even Travis blush. Not feeling any better, he scrubbed a hand over his face.
    What was wrong with him? He didn’t normally possess such a short fuse.
    He glanced at his watch. Kree had only been gone for two hours. It felt like five.
    ‘Right, Whisk, road trip.’
    He’d head into town and get the wheel bearing required to fix the latest sowing glitch. At least this part would be available from the local mechanics, so he wouldn’t have to source it from Dubbo. He could always call Kree’s mobile and if she hadn’t left town yet she could collect it. Well, he could have if he’d