-1Dave, Claire, Alex and Jodi sat around the kitchen table at Drovers as Claire had explained the phone call. No one spoke for a few minutes.
"I think I should be the one to tell Stevie." Claire announced.
No one challenged this. Not even Dave. Not because he agreed with Claire, but mostly because he didn't want to be the one to tell Stevie, so it suited him fine that Claire wanted to do it.
"I'll come with you." Dave said finally, and Claire nodded.
Claire looked over to Alex. There was a time he would have been the one to volunteer to come with her. But it was probably for the best that he and Stevie stay out of each others way for a little while.
"Maybe you shouldn't be here when we get back." Claire said to Alex. Claire was determined Stevie would come home with her today, and she didn't want any fighting.
"You're kicking me out?" Alex asked "For her?"
"Alex are you that insensitive? Can't you leave her alone for one day, not even on a day like today after such a terrible thing has happened?" Claire asked him.
"What do you think I'm going to do? Throw a party. Thanks for your faith in me Claire. You said it yourself, she's my friend too. You think I would kick her when she's down? What kind of person do you think I am?" Alex asked but headed out the door without waiting for an answer.
Claire felt bad for upsetting him, but it was for the best that he wasn't here. Somehow he would manage to put his foot in it. Now that one problem was fixed, Claire turned to Jodi "And don't you open your mouth about cattle or anything else, do you hear me Jodi Fountain?"
Jodi nodded. "Of course." She too was offended that Claire would have to tell her that. After a tragedy like today, it seemed that cattle mattered very little.
Claire felt assured by Jodi's answer. This whole cattle thing would go away and things would go back to normal on Drovers Run. But what about her and Alex? Claire felt afraid for what her relationship was becoming. Harry, Stevie, cattle, why were these things coming between them? Claire ran out to Alex car just as he was ready to drive away.
"You know I love you." She told him.
"Do you?" He asked
"Alex how can you ask me that? I don't want these things to be between us."
He stepped out of his car and hugged her tightly. "I don't either. You're right, Stevie and I haven't got along well lately. And I should leave her to have some peace tonight. But its not entirely my fault Claire. I feel like you blame me for everything and constantly take her side."
"Alex that's not true. I just hate to see you two fighting. I hate to be in the middle all the time. And I hate that you won't leave me to run my property the way I choose to."
Alex sighed. She was stubborn. He knew what Drovers meant to her, that she wouldn't just step aside and let him take over. But he had thought she would let him help out. To share the decisions. To run the place together. "I thought you wanted to share your life with me. I thought Drovers would be ours, not yours."
"Alex, that's not what I meant." Claire tried to explain.
"And for the record, I wouldn't have said or done anything to upset Stevie today. I'm disappointed that you thought I would." With those words Alex got into his car and drove away.
Claire sighed. The more she tried, the deeper she seemed to dig herself in. But for now, she had no time to dwell on Alex.
"You said you wouldn't bring her." Stevie said coldly as Dave and Claire arrived back at Dave's place.
Claire ignored the cold reception " I need to tell you something Stevie, some bad news. Lets sit."
Stevie looked over to Dave, wondering what was going on, but he looked away from her. So she looked back to Claire, and sat.
"First I want you to know something. I was trying to make it clear but I guess I didn't. Stevie, you're my friend. Drovers is your home. And I don't want that to change. " Claire told her.
Stevie looked away, guilt eating her up for lying to Claire, for her part in the cattle theft, for not being worthy of the trust and respect Claire held for her. But why was Claire telling her this now?
Stevie felt Dave's hand on her shoulder. She turned to see a sad look in his eyes. It frightened her and she began to realise that whatever this bad news was, it was very bad.
"What is it?" She asked, a million things running through her mind.
"Your sister rang. Your parents were killed in an accident this afternoon." Claire said slowly.
"I see" Stevie answered. It was a shock, that was for sure. It was certainly the last thing she expected to hear. But why should it matter to her? She hadn't seen them in years. She wouldn't have recognised them if she passed them on the street.
Dave and Claire seemed to look at her expectantly.
"I'm so sorry." Claire said as Dave gently rubbed her back.
Stevie shook her head, "Don't worry about it. You know we weren't close Claire. Thanks for coming by." Stevie said standing to her feet to show Claire the door.
Claire didn't know what to say. She wanted to scream. "But they are your parents, and they are dead!" She remembered the way her own heart broke at Jacks death, and her lifetime of longing for her mother. Claire decided that Stevie must be in shock, and that would explain her reaction.
"I really want you to come home." Claire whispered.
"You want me to leave?" Stevie asked Dave, it seemed he and Claire were in on this together.
"No" shook his head, "You know you are always welcome here. But I thought Drovers was your home."
"Please?" Claire asked, and for reasons she didn't quite understand, Stevie agreed.
The homestead was silent when the girls returned home.
"Why don't you stay in the house again tonight?" Claire asked.
"I like the shearers quarters. And I cant leave Jodi there on her own, she might burn it down." Stevie answered.
"Jodi can stay here too. She's refusing to sleep down there until the roof is fixed anyway." Claire answered, suddenly feeling the need to keep the people she loved close to her.
The thought of staying in the house, that crying baby haunting her each night, and Alex staying over practically every night of the week was enough to make Stevie want to turn around and go straight back to Dave's. But something in Claire's eyes stopped her.
"Want to talk?" Claire asked her, even thought she really wasn't good at this sort of thing. It was much more of a job for Tess. But Tess wasn't here.
"Work to do." Stevie replied.
"Maybe you should talk to someone else then. A counsellor or something."
"You think I'm crazy" Stevie stated.
"No. I don't." Claire insisted. "I don't know what is going on with you. I don't know how to help you. You wont let me."
"Look Claire, about my parents. We weren't close. It's ok. Don't worry about me." Stevie tried to convince her friend, and herself.
"Just promise me that you won't run away, not this time. I don't want to lose you again." The thought of losing someone else from her life made her sick. She let so few people in to her heart, and the ones that she counted as friends meant the world to her.
Stevie couldn't make that promise. Not even to Claire. It was that thought that she could run away if things got to much that kept her sane. "I'm sorry about the cattle." Stevie said finally. An apology seemed the least she owed to her friend.
"I thought I made it clear you know, the cattle, or whatever else, it doesn't matter, this is your home, you are my friend. Don't go."
"Claire, you made it clear, I get it. I understand what you mean without you having to say it. You never were one to say exactly what you meant."
"I wish I understood you in that way." Claire answered, suddenly feeling that she didn't understand her friend at all. Claire really wanted to forget the cattle. It didn't seem fair to be asking for answers about it after Stevie's parents had just been killed. But Stevie seemed to be begging Claire to ask her about it. It seemed this time that Claire might actually get some answers. They needed to put this behind them, and honesty was the only way to do that.
"So you did take the cattle?" Claire asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"Yes." Stevie answered
Happy at the fact Stevie was talking, and trying to remind herself that the girl had just lost her parents, Claire controlled the sudden strong urge to scream WHY??!! Don't I pay you enough? Didn't I give you a home? Didn't I give you everything you wanted?
"You stole them?" Claire asked again, needing to hear it for a second time.
"I let someone steal them." Stevie explained.
Claire relaxed a bit. That wasn't quite the same thing. Somehow that made it better.
"You told the police you did it." Claire reminded her.
"I may as well have." Stevie answered. "I told someone where the cattle were, that you were out of the house. Then I helped them load the truck, and then I drove the truck for them." Stevie explained, not able to look her friend in the eyes as she spoke.
"Why?" Claire asked.
"I owed a debt." Stevie answered. No point lying or denying the truth now. She had come this far.
What about your debt to me!? Claire wanted to scream. What about everything I've done for you!?
But instead she asked the obvious question. "A debt to whom?"
