Beginning of November, 2020, but the pandemic never happened...

Chapter 1

Stevie's alarm went off at 4:45am. She blinked herself awake as she hit the dismiss button on her phone. She got out of bed and splashed cool water on her face to try to help wake herself. She got herself ready and put on the jeans and T-shirt she had laid out the night before. Today was a big day for her.

Stevie made some toast and a cup of coffee. She put the coffee in a travel mug and grabbed the overnight bag she had packed the night before as she ate the toast. She got in her ute and programmed the gps on her phone and headed out before the sun came up. She had a long trip to Renmark ahead of her to visit James.

Later that afternoon, Perth Airport

"Hey Grace, I'm guessing you're still on your flight. I hope the flight from Canberra over to Perth was good. Call me as soon as you land. I love you Sis." Jaz had left that message on Grace's voicemail while she was on the flight to Perth. Grace listened to it while waiting to deplane. She was walking down the jetway as she called her sister back.

"Hey Jaz, yeah I just landed. I'm walking down the jetway now. I checked a bag so I have to go get it."

"I'm glad you landed safely. You were on JetStar flight 1027, right?" replied Jaz.

"Yeah, why?" Grace replied.

"Your luggage is at carousel three," said Jaz, with a slight laugh.

"Uh, Thanks? They posted that online? I know they post when flights land and stuff, but I didn't realize they posted baggage claim assignments," said Grace as she walked into the termin.

"They don't post it online. Look behind you," said Jaz, as she walked right up behind Grace.

"You didn't!" said Grace as she turned around to see her sister standing next to her with a small rolling suitcase. She hung up the phone and hugged her sister.

"I caught a flight from Fisher. I timed our landing times pretty well. I only landed about thirty minutes ago. I told you, Grace; you don't need to do this alone. I want to be here for you, to help you get through this divorce and moving away from Perth. Now, let's grab your bag and head to the hotel. I hope you don't mind sharing a hotel room with your sister," said Jaz.

Grace was touched that her sister had flown to Perth to help her pack up her things. There wasn't all that much stuff left for her to move. Gavin had owned most of the furniture before they had gotten married, so she had made him take it with him when she kicked him out. She had sold a few of the pieces she had that were worth any value when she moved out of the flat, before she had left to go to Wilgul last month. Everything that was left had fit into a small storage unit she had rented for the month. She reckoned she would be able to get everything into her Hilux for the long road trip back to Wilgul.

Grace realized that this trip was the final chapter of not just her married life, but also, her life in Perth. It hadn't been all bad. She had been happy here with Gavin for a while and had done her best to build a good life in Perth. She had made a few friends and knew she would miss them now that she was leaving. Knowing this phase of her life was ending and that it was because Gavin had cheated on her had left her feeling raw and vulnerable. She was happy she had made the decision to leave and build a new life at Wilgul, but it still hurt to know she wasn't leaving on her own terms. Having Jaz with her would help her get through it and to focus on rebuilding a brand new life.

"Thank you Jaz. I really appreciate you being here," said Grace as she waited for her bag at baggage claim. She reached over and gave her sister another hug.

"I rearranged my schedule, so I've got a few days, as long as we don't stop too often along the way, you've got me for the entire road trip. I know you're strong, but you don't have to be strong all the time. I'm here, so you can lean on me sometimes," said Jaz.

"I love you Sis," said Grace as she saw her bag come around the carousel. "There's my bag."

"I've got it," said Jaz as she reached over and pulled the beat up duffel bag off the carousel.

"My ute is parked in the long term car park here at the airport, so we can grab that and head to the hotel. I planned on packing up the Hilux early tomorrow, saying goodbye to the city and hitting the road first thing the next morning."

"Perfect. That means we can have a girl's night in CBD Perth tonight. I'm buying, because I'm letting you cover the hotel."

"That's okay Jaz, I don't think I'm up for a big night out," said Grace, feeling a little overwhelmed at the idea of a big night on the town.

"Okay, I understand, but how about this; what was your favorite restaurant or bar here? Let's go there one last time, for memory's sake. I'll buy you dinner," said Jaz, not wanting to push Grace too hard.

"Okay. I'm game for that. I know where I want to go, but I want to go have a shower and change before we go. Our little niece decided to spit up on my hair right as I was saying goodbye to them at the Canberra airport. I've been smelling baby spittle for the last several hours, and I'd really like to wash it out."

"Would you believe I'm jealous of you? I can't wait to meet her. Is she amazing? How are Regan and Dill doing as parents?" asked Jaz as the two of them walked towards the car park where Grace had left her car three and a half weeks prior.

"She's perfect. Regan and Dylan are doing as well as you could hope for them to do. We got Gracie's nursery set up at their place. Dylan and I painted it with a horse theme for her. I'm not much of an artist, but we used some stencils and I think it looks pretty good. We got the crib and changing table and everything else all assembled and in place. I gave them a hand for the last two weeks changing diapers and taking turns in the feeding schedule to let them sleep more. I made up a couple lasagnas and left them in the freezer before I left. I'm not a great cook, but I tried, and I reckon they'll be so tired, they won't notice my mediocre cooking anyway," said Grace, laughing.

"That's so great, Grace. You were such a help when Kelly was born, I'm sure Regan and Dill appreciate it like Ben and I did, probably more, because they don't have the Drover's Empire like I did," said Jaz

"I was happy to help out and meet my new niece. I still can't believe they named her Grace. I'm so honored. Dylan's mom and dad are arriving tomorrow and are staying for a couple weeks, so they'll continue to have some help there,"

"That's good. I'm sorry Grace will never get to meet her grandparents on the McLeod side, but at least she will have two doting aunties and many more cousins and friends," said Jaz as they approached Grace's Blue Hilux. They put their bags in the tray and climbed in.

"Welcome!" Finn was feeling a little bit nervous. This was the first time Tess was coming to his place. He was cooking for her and showing her around his small cottage. Then, Finn hoped Tess was going to meet his sister Carolyn via Facetime.

"So I have a small kitchen here, but it's got everything I need, including a dishwasher, which is great." Finn lifted the lid on a pot from the back burner and gave the contents a stir. "I'm making you some traditional Wyoming food. I figured it was something you probably haven't had before."

'It smells wonderful, what is it?" Tess asked

"It's a white bean, chicken chili. I also made some traditional Native American style Frybread. It's great for dunking in the chili. But here, let me get you a drink." Finn reached into the refrigerator and pulled out two Budweiser bottles. Finn smiled at Tess and said, "I'm sticking with the American theme. I found some in town and thought it would be fun." He opened the bottles and handed her one.

"I can say with certainty I have never had Native American Frybread. I've had chicken chili before, but it wasn't white. Yours smells wonderful, I can't wait to eat it, and thanks for the Budweiser, I'm feeling very American." said Tess, faking an American accent.

"Thanks, it's been simmering for hours. I really hope you like it. I haven't gotten to cook for you before. I'm glad to finally have my own kitchen again. A lot of traditional Wyoming food is steak and lamb, but that's also traditional food here, so I wanted to go in another direction. Wyoming also has elk and bison meat, but I didn't think I'd be able to find that here." said Finn.

"No, I can't imagine the Cole's in Gungellan has Elk or Bison available." agreed Tess.

"Well, we will have to save that for when you visit Wyoming someday. Shall I continue the tour?"

"Yes, but you've gotten my stomach growling from the delicious smells coming from your kitchen."

"It's not that big of a place, We'll eat soon." Finn smiled. "I promise."

"So here we have the living room. The couch and chairs came with the place, but I bought the coffee table and of course, the TV. I miss watching sports on TV with friends. I used to watch the Seahawks games every week with a couple of buddies in Seattle. I miss that, but I don't think anyone but me would want to get up at 4 am to watch NFL football live here. George told me he might watch a game with me, but I'm not sure he realized how early he'd have to get up."

"You'd likely have more luck with recording them and watching them at a regular time," said Tess.

"So from the living room, we have this little alcove. There was a small desk here, but I moved it to the bedroom so I could have a little music corner. My cellos and my basses are still in transit from Seattle, but I bought this used Gibson Bass in Fisher last week. I missed playing, and I didn't want to have to wait for my instruments to arrive by ship. I've been playing cello since I was seven and I picked up the bass guitar in high school when I wanted to be in a rock band. It's the perfect instrument if you want to be in a band. Most guys want the prestige of being the lead guitarist, but bass is the soul of the song. I'd like to find some people to play with around here."

"Oh! I meant to tell you! Bobby and Russell were looking for a bassist! I told them about you. Bobby is a drummer and Russell plays guitar. They are hoping to start a regular thing once Russell moves to Gungellan in a couple months. I told Russell to give you a call about playing, I reckon he will once he's living here."

"That's awesome, I'd love to play with those guys. That would be perfect. Maybe I'll give Bobby a call. We could have a drum and bass jam session in the meantime. Thanks for telling them about me." said Finn.

"They seemed happy to have a bassist so close by."

"It would be awesome to have a couple buddies to play with, I hope that works out. Shall we continue the tour? Here is the bathroom. There is only one in the house, but if you need it, it's right there." said Finn.

"Always good to know where the toilet is. It's funny when you call it a bathroom. It's very American of you. I like it." Tess gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"And through this door, is the bedroom. You may recognize the bed from a previous evening together. I bought a couple night stands and moved the desk in here. I do most of my work on the road, doing site inspections and meeting with suppliers, so I don't need much of an office. I hate doing paperwork and fortunately I don't have too much to do when I'm home."

"It's a great cottage, Finn. Congratulations on your new place, and I do have very fond memories of that bed." Remembering that wonderful night brought a smile to Tess's face.

"I remember that night very well too." said Finn as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"I'm going to serve up dinner and get out of the bedroom or else I might just forget all about dinner and everything else," admitted Finn.