I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but I've been really busy with uni and everything. Well, the story's slowly coming to a close(just thought I'd prepare you for that)! Only three more chapters to go after this one! One is going to come on a few minutes after this because this chapter just got so long that I decided to split it up.

Additional Disclaimer: I do not own the song "Grow Old With Me" either, I don't even know who it's by. And before you say anything, yes, I did leave out some parts, but naturally, you wouldn't listen to every bit of the text while you're dancing.

Chapter Sixteen

„Hi" Alex poked his head through the door. "Anyone seen Stevie?"

"Oh, she's not with you then?" Tess asked, turning her head while holding a board of wood against the wall. Nick was tightening a screw, which was meant to stabilize it.

"No, we were supposed to meet up twenty minutes ago, but she didn't turn up and she's not at the cottage."

"Last time I saw her, she was with the vet and one of the sheep. She must have been held up. Don't worry, Alex, it only takes her five minutes to get ready, she'll be here soon. Did you leave a note at her door?"

"Yup." He dropped onto a kitchen chair, putting his hat on the table.

"Well, I can only hope that Jodi didn't stay with her" Tess sighed. "Because in that case, we'll be sitting here for the next couple of hours."

Nick threw a brief glance at his brother, grinning. "Nice boots, mate!"

"I know, they're my 'special occasion' ones. I don't often get a chance to wear them, though. Jealous?"

"Oh yeah, mighty jealous-"

At that moment, Jodi entered the kitchen with a wide smile on her face. "Ready, guys?"

Alex whistled through his teeth. "Lookin' good there, Jodes!" It was true. She was wearing a semi-long, white skirt, which was wider at the bottom and fluttered around her legs, and a turquoise spaghetti strap shirt made of a silky, shimmering material. Her hair was pinned up loosely, with a few blond curls hanging down, which gave her an air of casual elegance.

"Thanks. Well, I am the only single in this room-"

"Not after tonight" Nick commented after one brief glance at her.

Tess cleared her throat in offence, although the smirk that was tugging at the corners of her mouth betrayed her – she wasn't being serious.

"But" he was quick to add in a declamatory, overly festive tone, "I'm still glad to be married to the most beautiful woman of them all."

"Aw!" They shared a quick kiss before returning to the board.

Jodi exchanged an annoyed look with Alex. "Um, yeah, could you maybe save the soppy couple stuff for later?"

Tess chuckled. "Sorry, there's just no way of getting around it!"

They could hear steps on the stairs and a moment later, Emily entered the room, wearing a light summer dress with multi-coloured dots on it and a white shirt underneath, to protect her upper arms from sunburn.

"You look very nice, Em" Alex complimented.

"Thanks!"

"Yes, you do" Nick agreed quickly.

His daughter's smile grew even wider. Emily clearly loved the attention she was getting. "Mummy, can you put this in?" She tried to hand a red clip to her mother, but Tess couldn't take it.

"My hands are full right now, sweetheart, just wait a moment…"

"Daddy, can you do it?"

"I could…try." He laid down the screwdriver, turning the barrette in his hands doubtfully. It took him a moment to fully understand the concept. He opened it with one hand, held the top portion of Emily's hair back with the other, and tried to slip it in elegantly.

Alex couldn't help laughing at the sight.

"Ow, that hurts!" She flinched away from him, rubbing her head.

"Sorry, sweetie…what, you think you could do better, Alex?"

Jodi shook her head incredulously. "Nick, what are you doing? It's a hair clip, not a pitchfork! Here, let me-"

Nick gladly stepped aside, leaving the hairdressing to his sister-in-law. This just wasn't his domain.

Jodi ran her fingers through her little niece's wavy mane. "Emily, no wonder it hurt, we've got to comb your hair first."

"I hate combing…" she mumbled grimly.

"I know, but tell you what, I'll comb it really, really gently, or brush it…and then I'll do something nice with it. How does that sound?"

Her face lit up. "Can you do that, Aunty Jodes?"

Jodi smiled. "Aunty Jodes"…she'd never been called that before, but it definitely had a ring to it. "Sure!"

"You're talking to our beauty queen here, the former Miss Gungellan" Tess supported her sister.

Jodi grimaced. "…for about ten seconds…"

"Yeah, but still! She's really good with those things."

"Wicked!" Emily explained, which earned her a grin from Alex and a lot of strange looks from the others.

"Let's go upstairs." Jodi ushered her up the stairs enthusiastically, but not without throwing a thankful glance at Tess first.

"Where did she get that expression from?" Nick wondered, as soon as they were out of hearing range.

"Probably Chloe" Alex suggested.

"No, that doesn't sound like Chloe" Tess objected. "Anyway, I haven't seen Charlotte for a while."

"She's outside, still watching that new horse you got at the auction yesterday; I just passed her." Alex smiled. "I think she really likes - what's his name again?"

"Kurrajong."

"Right. I still don't understand why you bought him, though. I mean he's castrated, he's half blind, he's not gonna be of any use for working with cattle! He's not even the right breed-"

"He's got an excellent bloodline, Alex," Tess objected, "and he's not half blind, he suffers from the Neglect Syndrome, which is a neurological disorder caused through brain damage. He simply can't process the visual information from the…uh, the left side of things. And he's not too good with spatial relations, either."

"That's even worse; you bought a horse with damaged brains, who sometimes doesn't recognize his own saddle if you hold it the wrong way round. Now I'm sure you felt awfully sorry for the poor fellow, but-"

"The accident happened when he was a foal, and he has adapted to the damage surprisingly well! He's a young, gorgeous, mild-tempered, reliable horse who learns quickly. We got him for a good price, ridiculously cheap if you think about his bloodline, and Stevie's certain that after some training, he'll be fine with cattle – as long as we keep him on the left side."

Alex shook his head, realizing that it was useless to pursue the subject. Buying this Kurrajong had been an act of mercy and nothing more, but neither Stevie nor Tess would admit it. They had saved one more poor, messed up horse from the slaughterer, although they couldn't really afford it, he was pretty sure of that. "Sure. Hey, I think I'm gonna go outside and take another look at him, check on Charlotte…"

Tess nodded, while Nick was just picking up the last screw. "I hope Stevie gets here soon."

Alex left through the back door, crossed the veranda and walked halfway around the house, across the yard towards the stables, and past them to the closer paddocks. Charlotte was sitting on the lower bar of the fence with her back to him, holding on to the upper bar with her right arm while patting Kurrajong with her left hand.

He was a handsome gelding, Alex had to admit that. Medium sized, with a good stature and posture, strong muscles, slim fetters and a slight, yet even curve in both neck and back. His fur reflected the sunlight, since he was pitch-black except for a narrow white blaze. Perfect – had it not been for the scar that ran from between his ears down to his right cheek, partly covered by his excessively long mane.

"Hey, Charlotte."

She turned her head, as her lips slightly curled upward. "Are we leaving?"

"No, not just yet…still waiting for Emily and Stevie to get ready."

He leaned against the fence and patted the right side of Kurrajong's head. "Hey there, my boy." The horse stood at ease, with his weight resting on only three of his legs, generously allowing them to touch him.

"He's pretty" Charlotte commented.

"Sure is."

"Aunt Jodi let me brush him today. But he doesn't like it when you come at him from where he can't see."

"Yeah, that would make me nervous, too." Kurrajong whuffed indifferently. Alex could see why Stevie had taken to him – there was a sense of pride and stamina about him, in spite of his disability. This horse would be tough, but companionable.

"I wish he was my horse."

"Well, you can always come visit him. Maybe you'll be allowed to ride him some day."

"Yeah…" Charlotte's smile seemed to flicker a little. "That would be fun."

-------------------------------------------------

"Alright, guys, I'm ready. Sorry 'bout that! The rest of the placenta had started to rot, causing an infection, it was hard to get…out…" She swallowed down the rest of the explanation when she noticed that there was a child in the room. "Anyway, sorry I'm late."

"What's a pla-cenna?" the little girl asked.

"Something inside a sheep."

"Do we have that, too?"

Stevie exchanged an unsure glance with Tess, who took over. "Yes, all women or female animals do."

"And that can rot!" Emily exclaimed in horror.

"No, usually, it can't. Only sometimes, a while after a sheep has born a lamb…but it couldn't happen to us, don't worry."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." She stroked her daughter's hair affectionately in passing. "Jodi, we're leaving now! If you still want to drive behind us-"

"Just a sec, I'm coming!" her sister called down from upstairs. How could it take her so long to "get ready" in the bathroom if she had been ready to begin with?

"Where's Alex?" Stevie asked.

"He should be outside with Charlotte, taking a look at Kurrajong" Nick replied, picking up his hat from the table. It was about time they got going. "If you're going to look for him anyway, could you tell her it's time to come cos we're leaving?"

"Will do."

"Alright, I'm here, I'm good, thanks for waiting" Jodi called while coming down the stairs, sounding a little stressed out. "Whoa, Killarney person in the room."

Stevie shook her head at the remark, for the hundredth time. "Are you gonna keep saying that every time you see me?"

"For the next month or so." She grinned.

Nick frowned. "You never said anything when I moved in here."

"Well, that's because you're…you're like Luke Skywalker!"

"I'm…blond?"

"No –well, that too- but you're on the 'good side of the force'." She made little finger quotations in the air.

"Ooh, does that mean I get to be Princess Leia?" Tess asked.

"No, because Luke and Leia were actually brother and sister. Honestly, people, did you even see that film?"

"What film?" Emily joined in.

Stevie laughed. "Alright, I'm leaving. Jodi's comparisons are over the top of my head. See you at the fair!"