Drovers Empire

by M. M. O'Reilly

It's October of 2020, but the wildfires and worldwide pandemic never happened. We return to Gungellan for a modern reboot of our beloved McLeod's Daughters. The cattle stations of Drovers Run and Killarney are still working farms, and Wilgul has found a new life. Time has passed, but the love flowing around Drovers Run has never faltered.

41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Tess smiled. She was actually having a really nice time with Finn. He wasn't putting any pressure on her, which she liked. The casual cup of coffee had turned into a second cup of coffee and a pastry. She was glad she came.

"Finn, this was great. Really great, actually. Thank you for the coffee, but I should probably get going," Tess said with a smile.

Finn loved that smile. It lit up her entire face. It was the biggest, brightest smile he had ever seen.

"I'm really glad you came. I'm glad we had a better time around on the second try." said Finn.

"Well, I don't think we could have done much worse. But yeah, this was lovely. Thanks," replied Tess, still smiling.

Tess realized she was smiling a lot.

"Can I walk you to your car?" requested Finn.

"Actually, I was going to grab a quick burger at the pub. I missed dinner at Drovers." Tess admitted.

"I hope this isn't moving too fast, but would you mind if I joined you at the pub? I was headed there myself. There aren't a lot of options around here, and my hotel room doesn't have a kitchen." said Finn.

Tess thought for a moment. Am I going too fast at this? I haven't been on a date with a man in at least five years. There hasn't been a man I was even interested in the past five years. Finn is very nice, and I've had a nice time with him, but two dates in one day might be overdoing it. It would be nicer than dining alone, though.

Finn watched Tess's face while she was clearly trying to think something through. Damn, I shouldn't have asked. I pushed her too much, he thought.

"You know, I think I'm craving some Chinese. I'll head there. I hope I can see you again another day. This was great." Finn said.

"No! I'd like you to join me at the pub, if that's still alright." Tess countered. She remembered what Claire had told her about being there if she stumbled. She decided to take the chance.

"Great! You can tell me what the best items on the menu are," joked Finn.

"Well, everything is pretty much the same level. It's all good, but none of the dishes are truly great." Tess joked back.

"Good thing I have great company then." Finn replied.