A Country Christmas Read online

  “To help make the house yours. You know, to do what you women do.”

  “Which is…?” She had to settle herself. He was a bachelor, older than her, and had some odd views about what women should do. Luckily, she was good at setting him straight.

  “Decorate,” he said hesitantly.

  He’s trying. Doing only what he knows, she reminded herself.

  “That’s very generous of you.” Her mind whirled. What the hell was she going to do with that money? No one had given her that amount of money in her life. Not even her parents.

  “You think it’s a good idea then? You don’t seem to be as happy with getting that amount of money as I thought you would be.”

  “I’m blown away.”

  “In a good way?”

  She took a deep breath and nodded. “I don’t need that much money. We need to spend it on the farm, don’t we?”

  “Yes. But you’ve given up so much to move here, for us, for the baby, for our family-to-be. I don’t want you to be lonely, or uncomfortable here.”

  She wanted to say she wasn’t. But what he said was true. Being here alone was difficult, more so than she ever thought possible.

  She knew one thing, though. “Money won’t fix those feelings I have.”

  “It might help ease them, though,” he shot back.

  She could tell he’d put a lot of thought into this. And here she was almost rejecting his gift. That was the last thing she wanted to be doing.

  “Okay, so you know what? I think I can make a list of what could be replaced in the house, and we can discuss what can be changed now, and what can wait. I’d like to spend the money together.”

  “I’m happy to go with whatever you decide.”

  Max was such a bachelor. A typical working man who was happy to leave the house side of things to his partner. She was surprised there were men who still thought like that these days, though he was that bit older than her.

  “No, we decide this together or I won’t spend a cent.” She glared at him, enforcing her point of view.

  “You’re not going to budge on this one, are you?”

  “No. This is your money.”

  “And I’m giving it to you… to make the house yours.”

  “I want the house to be ours.”

  There was a glint in his eyes, as if he finally got what she was trying to tell him. He might not want to think about things which were house-related, but he had to if they were going to make it theirs.

  “Okay.”

  “Okay what?”

  He smiled at her. His eyes sparkling with a new look on life. “I’ll help you work out what needs to be changed in the house, and this will be our home, for our baby.”

  Her eyes welled with tears. “Thank you.”

  Max leaned over and kissed her, his lips sweet on hers, and she felt herself getting lost with him as they connected on a deeper level.

  This was a very big step forward, and she was so glad he was by her side, and they were taking it together.

  Monday 9th December

  Zoe slipped into one of the new dresses bought last week. It was a blue stretch material, firm over her growing bust line, low cut, and short full skirt. Barely nine o’clock in the morning and the day was already feeling hot. Due to the constant reminder from Max, she’d been taking the last few days easy. She didn’t want to faint again and end up in the hospital. Now, she was bored, and it was time to do something other than sitting around the house all day. They’d made some progress with their list of changes to the home, and she needed a break from that activity.

  Max was out on the farm, checking the water again. This time she decided not to go with him. In an attempt to get to know his family better, she’d rung Kate, who had the day off of work at the local agricultural store and she had agreed to come and take her into Burra for brunch.

  Zoe had to admit, she was looking forward to the outing. Ready, well ahead of time, she decided to wander outside instead of waiting indoors.

  The warm breeze was a delight on her bare legs as she stepped outside, the screen door banging shut behind her. She looked out, considering what she wanted to do. The eggs were already collected for the morning, and the hens were clucking around the yard, scratching at the dirt and pecking at insects.

  The clothesline was to her right in the house yard, also the water tanks, and the land then extended out into paddocks where the cattle roamed. There was nothing to explore in that direction. To her left was the ghost gum tree standing stoic in the heat. She rubbed her belly, spying the sheds. They called to her. For a moment, she decided to put on boots, but then not wanting to bother, she walked out in her brown sandals.

  I’ll make some noise that will scare away any snakes.

  Thumping her feet on the ground, and stirring up small dust clouds, she wandered down to the sheds. She went into the closest one first, pulling hard on the creaky door to force the rusted hinges to move.

  “Ahchoo.” Zoe sneezed from the dust in the air.

  Sunlight filtered into the dark space of the shed, dust particles dancing in the rays as she walked in further. A huge, thick wooden work table sat in the middle of the shed, old tools scattered on top which were covered in decades of dust. On the far wall, there was a narrow workbench, full of more tools, and up to the roof there was box shelving with even more tools inside.

  To the right, she noticed a pile of wood. Curious she walked closer. It wasn’t just one type of wood, there were planks from a variety of trees, cut and dry, but somehow she knew they weren’t for firewood. The wood seemed more precious.

  She glanced back at the tools and picked one up. She’d worked enough with her dad in his shed over the years to know this was a plane. It was old, dusty, and needed a good clean, but it still could be used. An idea seeded in her mind. There were chisels on the table, in good condition, at least they would be after a serious clean and some oil.

  Zoe turned around looking at the shed with fresh insight. This had been someone’s workspace for wood carving. She wondered who. Max’s grandpa? Father? She was curious. She wanted to find out more. The idea grew in her mind.

  She had enjoyed helping her dad with the jobs around the house and had a basic idea of how to use tools. These were old and not powered with electricity, which appealed to her even more.

  Zoe was going to have to do some more research, see if this was something she could do. Based on the way her skin prickled, and how much happier she simply felt at this potential idea, she was sure it would work out. For one, she didn’t have to spend any money, there were plenty of tools to use, and there was even a substantial supply of wood. All that was needed to be done was to clean up the years of dust and cobwebs and do some research online.

  I think I’ve just found my hobby. But would Max let her use these tools. Let alone do something like wood carving.

  The sound of a vehicle approaching broke through her thoughts, and she stepped out to see Kate parking the SVU near the ghost gum. Zoe waved, pulled the door closed, and walked up to her.

  “Whatcha doing in the shed?” asked Kate as Zoe slid into the SVU, slamming the door closed, and buckling up her seatbelt.

  “I was curious. Who did the wood carving tools belong to?”

  Kate reversed the SVU, did a U-turn and started back along the driveway. “Grandpa. Dad and Max weren’t into wood carving.”

  “Or you?”

  “No, it didn’t interest me either. So, they just sat there in the shed where he left them. I’ve never really thought about it.” Kate turned on to the main road which would take them into Burra.

  “Do you have any of the pieces your grandpa made?”

  “Hmmm… I have a small bowl he made with me before he passed. I was about eight. I have it by my bed for my jewelry.”

  “He was skilled at it?”

  “Yeah, he sold most of his pieces, and didn’t keep much of what he made.”

  Zoe was impressed.

  Could I do something
like that? The idea just kept growing in her mind.

  It could be a source of income.

  Would I be any good?

  “Do you think it would be all right if I used his tools?”

  “I don’t see why not.” Kate kept her eyes focussed on the road.

  “Do you think Max would mind?” asked Zoe. Something told her that he might not really like the idea of her using tools in the shed.

  “I wouldn’t tell him.”

  Zoe laughed. “You wouldn’t?”

  “Nope. But don’t you dare tell him I told you that.”

  “As long as you don’t tell him, I’m going to do wood carving.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “I think so. I’ll need to do some research first, and it will take a bit of effort to clean up the shed. I need a hobby, and well, it feels exciting to give this a try.”

  “I’ll come and help you clean up the shed if you like. Just let me know.”

  “Thanks, I will.” Zoe smiled to herself as they approached Burra, and the open paddocks were slowly being replaced by more houses.

  Kate parked the car in front of the café, Bits and Bobs. Zoe had eaten there before and thought it quaint. Now, looking in at the café with her hobby in mind, another idea came to her. The café was also a second-hand gift store. If it worked out, and if she could produce quality carvings, she might well have a local place to try and sell her pieces.

  Things were finally coming together, her new life in the country, and it was blossoming with potential.

  Thursday 12th December

  “Are you ready?” asked Zoe as Max strode up the path toward the house. She sat outside sitting at the wrought iron round table under the veranda. Her cell in hand, she’d been searching videos to give her ideas of how to start up wood carving.

  She hadn’t told Max yet, that was something she was planning to do. It wasn’t like it was dangerous, not really, not if she was careful. She was going to take on Kate’s advice, and not tell him. At least, not yet. She was hatching a very big plan, and with Christmas approaching, there wasn’t a lot of time to implement what she really wanted to do.

  “I’ll wash up first, and change clothes.” Max stopped and kissed her, leaving her mouth on fire with passion as he went inside.

  Zoe stayed outside, searching for more videos on wood carving. She had no plans to tackling anything too challenging to start with. She wanted to create more practical items, things which didn’t cost a lot of money so they could be sold.

  Yesterday, Kate had come over once Max had gone out on the farm to fix a fence, and they’d cleaned the shed. It had been an enormous task, and she was glad Kate was there to help out. On the outside of the shed, there was no indication of the change that had happened inside.

  Max had thought that she was spending time with his sister, which he was pleased about, and in a way she was. It was just that Kate was helping her to do something that he might not really want her to do.

  Inside the shed, the tools were now organized on the narrow workbench that ran the length of the wall. The thick layer of dust was removed—there were no cobwebs, well, there might be now—and it was ready for her to use. All Zoe needed to do was to decide on the first project. She was nearly ready to start her new hobby, and she couldn’t be happier. That and the fact that Max was coming with her to the doctor’s check-up today. In Adelaide.

  Max came out, dressed in clean jeans, and a polo shirt. “I’m ready?”

  She slipped her cell into her handbag and stood. Zoe took his hand in hers, enjoying the glow of happiness in his eyes, as they walked to the ute together.

  “Let’s go see this baby together.”

  Max stood nervously next to Zoe as she lay on the bed, her belly exposed while the doctor moved the probe through an excess of gel spread over her stomach. The screen flashed between dark shadows and light, and he couldn’t make out anything. Somewhere on the screen was an image of their baby. He couldn’t wait to see it in the moment for the first time, since he’d missed out last week when Zoe was in hospital.

  He’d noticed a change in Zoe these last few days. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been making an effort before, but things had been different. She’d caught up with Kate more than once, and it made him relieved and happy she was getting to know his family and not spending so much time alone. They’d had a family lunch on Sunday.

  After this meeting with the doctor, he was going to have afternoon tea with Zoe’s mom and dad. He surprised himself that he felt calm about that, and was more nervous now, about seeing the baby and if all was well.

  “There we go,” said Dr. Khatri. “There’s your baby.” She clicked some buttons and took some measurements.

  Max stared at the screen. He felt his eyes begin to water. This was real. His baby, their baby, was up on the screen.

  Was she doing all right?

  He felt Zoe squeeze his hand. Looking at her, his heart melted. She was amazing, lying there as if this was normal.

  It is normal, he tried to tell himself.

  This was nerve-wracking for him. He’d much prefer to help a cow birth a calf, he knew what to expect then. Now he felt completely out of his comfort zone. Though, at the same time, he didn’t want to miss another second of this journey with Zoe. This meant the world to him, to be with her, that she trusted him enough to let him be there even though they were still very much getting to know each other.

  “Relax, everything’s going well,” said Dr. Khatri. “The nurse tells me your blood pressure has stabilized which is good news.”

  “So, I don’t have to see you for a while?” asked Zoe.

  “Nice try,” said Dr, Khatri with a smile. “You’ll have to keep all the appointments, but you can start to do a little more, but not too much. And don’t overdo it over Christmas.”

  “Great.” Zoe grinned, and squeezed Max’s hand. “Did you hear that?” She looked at him cheekily.

  “Yes, you can’t overdo it. I’ll check with my mom and your mom, and we will have Christmas covered. You won’t need to do anything.”

  “That sounds boring,” said Zoe.

  “That sounds more like Max is looking out for you very well,” Dr. Khatri interjected.

  Max smiled. “I’m glad I’m doing something right.”

  “You’re doing a lot right,” said Zoe reassuringly.

  “I’ll print some photos for you, and I’ll see you both in the New Year.”

  “Great,” said Zoe, wiping the gel from her belly.

  Max helped her sit and to get off the bed. He couldn’t help it, he hugged her tightly.

  “What was that for?” asked Zoe, her face alight with a broad grin.

  It was a relief for both of them that the pregnancy was back on track.

  “Because I love you.”

  He enjoyed seeing her blush.

  “I love you, too.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him into her.

  “This is going to be a great Christmas with you,” he whispered.

  “And baby.” Zoe winked.

  “And baby.” He rested his hand on her belly.

  The baby kicked.

  He grinned.

  Not planned, but it was the best thing that could have happened to have Zoe and their baby in his life.

  He couldn’t wait to meet their baby girl and start really being a dad.

  Wednesday 25th December, Christmas Day

  Zoe couldn’t believe she’d kept her wood carving a secret over the last few weeks. And now, there was going to be a big reveal. Helen and Leanne had taken over the kitchen, the roast was on, and the smell was making her hungry even though she’d only had breakfast not that long ago.

  They all sat in the lounge room, Kate and Helen, and her parents Leanne and Robert. After a discussion with Max last night, they’d gone out and chosen a small branch from the ghost gum outside and brought it inside to decorate as their Christmas tree. Zoe had purchased a string of led lights and strung them betwe
en the leaves, and they spent a little time adding a few baubles. It was simple, perfect, and reflected them. Zoe felt that this was the start of a new tradition and teared up knowing that next year they would have a little girl with them to share this joy.

  “How long until the food is ready,” asked Robert.

  “You’ve just had breakfast. You can’t be hungry already,” answered Leanne.

  “It’s Christmas… I’ll be hungry all day,” he grinned broadly.

  “I want to give you my gifts first,” said Zoe. She was glad that this time with both sides of the family together, there had been no sign of any augments starting.

  She got up and handed out the presents she’d wrapped yesterday in secret. Finally, she’d found a hobby. The wood carving was turning out to be a good way for her to keep active, but also to relax. It had been a push to finish before Christmas, but she’d managed to make something for everyone.

  “Wow! They’re heavy,” said her mom.

  “I made them myself.” She handed the last one to Max, her belly a flutter of nerves. He was about to find out what she’d been hiding from him for the previous few weeks. She sat next to him on the arm of the single lounge chair he was sitting in.

  “You’re very clever to make your own gifts,” said Helen.

  “Go on, open them,” said Zoe, holding her breath at the sound of Christmas paper ripping.

  “Wow,” said Robert. He turned a small bowl over in his hand.

  “For your loose change, Dad,” said Zoe. She had to keep the designs simple while she learned her skills.

  “You made this?” asked Helen, while she held up a large wooden cutting board made from two types of wood, pine and jarrah. That was something else Zoe had learned in the last few weeks, the type of wood that was in the shed Max’s grandpa had found.

  “I don’t believe it,” said her mom, holding up a similar wooden cutting board. “I don’t know that you should be doing thi—”

  “Leanne, I think our daughter has done an amazing job,” interrupted Robert.

  “But she could’ve hurt herself.”