Free Tasmanian Tangle by Jane Corrie

understand why he had wanted to imprint upon her that her own country still had much to offer in the way of outstanding beauty that was not man-made, but gifts of nature.
    So Tanya's memories of the farm had remained the same as she had had as a child, but now she was seeing it from an entirely different angle, and a rather jaundiced one at that.
    As -a van loaded with boxes hooted as it passed by them a few moments later, Tanya realised with a start that it was the picking season. She had had so much on her mind that such an event had gone unnoticed by her until now. There was further evidence of this when they arrived at the first acre, where hordes of men and women were engaged in picking the rosy-hued fruit that clustered in groups on the healthy-looking trees.
     
    Some sang as they worked, and others held animated conversations with their workmates working alongside of them. The atmosphere was one of cheerful bustle and an unhurried urgency to get the fruit off to the sorting department and away to its final destination.
    Kade's popularity with the workers was evident as they passed through the lines of activity. Tanya was surprised by the fact that Kade knew and greeted each worker by name, although there were so many of them —there had to be to cope with the vast acreage to be worked.
    The cheery greetings were extended to Tanya too, and as most of the helpers had been with the firm for a great many years they would know who she was without being told. Returning their greetings, Tanya felt a glow of warmth flow through her for the first time since she had returned home.
    When Kade dismounted and strode over towards a group of women industriously engaged in picking the firm fruit, Tanya followed suit presuming that that was what he would expect her to do. As her eyes followed his tall figure, and then rested on the group of women he was about to join, she noticed the way they automatically patted the bright kerchiefs they wore on their heads, much in the way they would pat a hairstyle into place, as if making sure that their appearance was presentable. She also noticed the almost reverent way they watched him select an apple from the box that lay at their feet and minutely examine the fruit. When he replaced it with a curt satisfied nod it seemed to Tanya that they all relaxed, as if it would have been their fault if the fruit had been found wanting.
    Kade repeated this action at random intervals right
     
    through the upper acres of orchards and the same hushed atmosphere would prevail during the inspection. As before, Tanya would stand beside him and just watch proceedings, and only once did he call her attention to one particular tree whose fruits were just as healthy as the others, but were smaller. 'This is the sort of thing we watch out for,' he commented to her, and turned to the foreman anxiously watching the inspection. 'Look up last year's charts, Len,' he ordered. `I'm pretty certain you'll find the crop from this one slightly under norm, might be as well to give it a soil test and a change of feed next season.'
    The foreman nodded in agreement with this diagnosis; and Tanya watched Kade's long lean fingers gently run over the smooth skin of the apple. If he had been stroking the skin of the woman he loved, his touch could not have been more gentle. At this thought she felt acutely embarrassed and moved away on the pretence of examining other apples from the same tree.
    To Tanya, the morning had been an experience. Apples to her were a fruit to be picked when ready, and eaten when required, and that was all there was to it—or had been before her introduction into the growing of the fruit and its attendant problems. The trees had to be sprayed every year to keep them free from pests, and at the acreage covered, it was a pretty expensive operation. There were also records to be kept of each year's crop, and a certainty of a plentiful harvest to ensure a healthy profit after the deduction of the seasonal