Free The Last Mile Home by Di Morrissey

so they could eyeball each other. Diet continued to yelp around her ankles.
    â€˜What do you think you are you doing?’
    Abby spun around in shock at the icy voice. Enid Holten stood at the door, a look of horror on her face.
    â€˜Who are you? Give me my dog at once.’ She advanced on the stunned Abby, who meekly handed over Tucker. Enid bent down and scooped up Diet and swiftly inspected them, then glared at Abby. ‘No one touches my dogs. They don’t go to strangers,’ she said accusingly.
    For a minute Abby thought this woman must have thought she was going to throw the two mutts into the cooking pot. ‘I’m sorry, they just came in. I’ve never seen dogs like these before.’
    â€˜These are pedigree dogs. They are sensitive and special creatures who are easily upset.’
    Abby glanced down at the dogs under each arm, glaring back at her with a similar expression to that of their mistress. Abby had the feeling the two of them were about to poke their tongues out at her.
    Thankfully Mrs Anderson came hurrying in with a bowl of whipped cream. ‘Oh, Mrs Holten. This is Abigail McBride. She’s been working at the shed.’
    â€˜Then what is she doing here?’
    â€˜I came to help Mrs Anderson take down the dessert for the party,’ said Abby soothingly. So this was Barney’s mother.
    Enid swung around and glared at Mrs Anderson. ‘Dessert for the party? I thought the cook was doing everything.’
    Mrs Anderson thrust the bowl of cream into Abby’s hands and picked up the two cakes. ‘Barney asked me to make a cake or two, nothing special. Come along, Abby, don’t want to keep them waiting.’ She shot Abby a look and Abby headed swiftly for the door.
    â€˜Nice to meet you, Mrs Holten.’
    â€˜Bring back the leftover cake, Mrs Anderson,’ called Enid.
    â€˜So she can stuff it into those spoiled little beasts,’ muttered Mrs Anderson.
    Abby couldn’t hold back her giggles. ‘Goodness. When they ran into the kitchen I thought they were some sort of monster rats!”
    â€˜They’re the bane of my life, I tell you. She even has me cook special things for them. I told Jim I had this dream once where they were stuffedwith food till they were as fat as a Christmas goose and I roasted the pair of them and took them to the table on a silver salver, lifted the cover and said, “Dinner is served, madam”. He thought that was a dreadful thing to dream.’
    Abby burst out laughing. ‘I didn’t think Barney’s mother would be like that. For a minute I was a bit scared of her.’
    â€˜She isn’t normally that feisty. She mostly drifts around in a dream world. Well, come on, let’s serve up the cake.’
    Back at the barbecue Bob McBride smiled at Abby and slipped an envelope across the table to her. ‘Here’s your pay, luv.’
    â€˜Thanks, Dad.’ She slipped the envelope into the pocket of her skirt and ate a piece of cake. Some of the men were moving around, gathering up their gear ready to cut out. They came up to shake hands and said goodbye to Abby, saying she’d been a real help and a breath of fresh air around the shed.
    â€˜It was good having a girl around the place, made us watch our p’s and q’s,’ said the boss of the team with a grin.
    While her father was saying goodbye and politely refusing invitations to meet the others in town, Abby picked up a pile of dishes and carried them in to the cook. ‘It was great. All your meals were, Tommo. I don’t know how you keep up with it all.’
    â€˜This job’s an art, Abby. Specially when you’re out on the track and got a limited plant so you have to cook everything in a camp oven and in the coals. I’ll let you in on a secret, d’ya know what my nickname used t’be?’
    Abby shook her head.
    â€˜One Pot Tommo. Cause everything from a cake to a roast came outta