Return to Drovers

Meg hummed to herself as she poured the dishwater over the garden. Terry wandered out of the house, a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Morning, love," he said, coming over to give Meg a kiss.

"Morning, Terry." Meg wiped her hands on her pants and stepped back from the garden. "I've missed this, Terry."

Terry nodded and swallowed some of his coffee. "I've missed this place too." He wrapped an arm around Meg and pulled her close to his side. "So, you ready to move back? I talked to the bank and that place we bought is still ours."

Meg smiled. "Really? Oh, Terry, that's wonderful. But what about the house?"

"I've decided to get some help. If all goes well, the house will be up in two months."

"Oh, Terry. Thank you." Meg turned and hugged him tightly. "I'm going to tell Jodi."

Meg kissed Terry's cheek and hurried up to the cottage. She called for her daughter and hurried into the kitchen.

"Morning, Mom." Jodi looked up from feeding Katie. "You look excited."

Meg leaned down and kissed Katie and Jodi before sitting down. "We're moving back to the area. Terry's getting some help and our house will be up in a couple of months."

"Oh, Mom, that's amazing." Jodi squeezed Meg's hand. "I'm so glad. Katie can get to know her grandparents."

"Yes, and we can get to know your handsome husband," Meg said grinning.

"Mom, you're married and he's mine." Jodi wiped Katie's face and lifted her out of the highchair.

Meg looked up at her. "I'm married, not blind. And don't worry, I love Terry and Matt can't see anyone besides you."

Jodi laughed. "How do you know that?"

Meg shifted closer to Jodi and leaned in. Katie shoved her head between the two women and giggled. Jodi moved her daughter out of the way. Meg stroked Katie's cheek and kissed her.

"Yesterday Stevie and Grace where fooling around at the house and started a water fight. They were both soaking wet when Matt walked by and he didn't even stop to perve."

Jodi laughed and Meg joined in with her. She hadn't had a laugh with her daughter in too long. It had been years since they had lived in the same place. When Jodi and Matt had disappeared she had been so lonely. She had Terry but it just wasn't the same. Knowing she couldn't pick up the phone whenever she wanted to talk to her daughter had hurt more than she let on.

But sitting here now, Meg realized that their time apart had been good. They were closer than ever. And with her and Terry moving back in she could spend more time with her daughter and get to know her granddaughter.

"That's Matt for you, Mom." Jodi stood up and carried Katie's dishes to the sink. "He's settled, loyal, loveable. He's the perfect man."

She turned and leaned against the counter. Meg studied her daughter. Jodi was so mature now. The bubbly daughter she knew was still there but something had changed. Katie touched her mother's cheek and Jodi leaned in to kiss the little girl's cheek.

"You know, when we were on witness protection Matt was so strong." Jodi rested her cheek on Katie's head. "He never let me give up hope that one day we would be free. So many times I wanted to just throw in the towel and go home. I missed everyone so much. But he always found a way to bring me around. He showed me that what we did wasn't just for us, it was for those we loved. I know he was scared too. I mean, those men killed his first wife and his son. So I had to brave for him too. In the end it worked out and here we are."

Meg smiled gently. "I like him even more." She stood up, walked to her daughter and rested her hand on Jodi's cheek. "I'm glad you're back."

"I am too, Mom." Jodi reached out and hugged Meg. "I've got to go. Can you take Katie up to the house? Moira or Grace should be around."

Meg nodded and took Katie in her arms. "Aren't we a pretty little girl?"

Jodi rolled her eyes as she pulled on her boots. "Don't tell her that. Matt does all the time. She's going to grow up thinking she's a princess."

Meg laughed. "Like someone else we know?"

"Oh, haha, Mom." Jodi shook her head and came over to kiss her daughter. "Be a good girl, Katie. Mommy will see you later."

Meg walked to the door and waved Jodi away. Katie reached out a hand and murmured something.

"Yeah, that's your Mom. She'll be back." Meg picked up Katie's diaper bag and started towards the main house.

On the veranda Meg found Grace nursing Channing and Xander feeding Turbo a piece of bread. Depositing Katie in the playpen, Meg shooed the dog away and scooped up Xander.

"Thanks," Grace said. "I tried to stop him but he's like his father. Gets stuck on something and won't stop. And this one wasn't keen on letting go."

Meg laughed. "You love him, Grace. No matter what you say I know you love him."

Grace smiled at her baby. "Yeah, I love him. Channing is mine and no one can take him from me."

Meg put Xander in the playpen with Katie and took a seat. She frowned and buttered a piece of bread. "Who would take him away from you?"

"His father," Grace said.

"Who is his father?"

Grace shook her head and Meg dropped the subject. Biting into the bread she leaned back in the chair and studied the land. It hadn't changed much over the years. The people that lived there may have changed but the land was still the same. It still was beautiful, still tough, but she loved it all the same.

Turbo got up and wandered to the edge of the porch. He barked once and then sat down. The sound of an engine cut through the earlier morning sounds. A black car pulled to a stop and a man with dark hair stepped out.

Meg frowned. "Now, who is that? Were you expecting company, Grace?"

"No. Do you know who it is?"

Meg started to shake her head but then a blond haired woman climbed out of the car and looked towards the house.

"I don't believe it," Meg murmured. "Becky."

Standing up she walked to the drive. "Becky! What are you doing here?"

Becky turned to Meg and smiled. "Meg. It's so good to see you."

With a laugh Meg hugged the woman and then turned to the man who still stood by the car. "Jake. Fancy seeing you again."

Jake smiled and gave Meg a peck on the cheek. "Hi, Meg. Sorry for just popping in like this, but we were in the neighbourhood."

"No worries. I'm so glad to see you."

Jake leaned into the car and came back out with a little boy in his arms. "Meg, this is Danny."

Meg smiled at Danny. "Hello, aren't you a handsome fellow?"

"And this," Becky said, turning from the car, "is Emma."

The little girl laid her head on Becky's shoulder.

"You have two children," Meg said. "Well, come up to the house and have a seat."

She led the small family to the veranda. Grace was holding Channing and talking quietly to him. She looked up and smiled uncertainly at Becky and Jake.

"Please tell me these aren't more long lost relatives," she said standing up.

"No, no. This is Jake Cosak and Becky Howard. Becky worked here when Claire was still in charge. Jake spent time at Killarney." Meg motioned to the chairs and Jake and Becky took a seat. "This is Grace McLeod, Claire's cousin. And these little darlings are Jake and Becky's children, Danny and Emma."

"Hello," Grace said. "Well, I've got to get this little one changed and down for a nap. It was nice meeting you."

Meg poured coffee into two mugs and handed them to Jake and Becky. They thanked her and sipped at the hot drink. Silence fell over the small group and Meg struggled to find something to say. She hadn't seen or heard from Becky for years. So much had changed she didn't know where to start.

"Are you two married?"

Jake nodded. "We are. Best thing that ever happened to me."

Meg smiled. "So how long has it been since you tied the knot?"

Becky wrinkled her nose. "Technically, almost four years ago but for real, two years ago."

"What?" Meg looked at the two of them. "How is that possible?"

Jake laughed and set Danny down on the porch. "We were going to get married after Becky finished Uni but then Danny decided to make an appearance and we figured he needed a Mom and a Dad. So we had a civil ceremony. Then when Becky was finished school we did the whole big thing."

"Well, why didn't you call? We would have loved to come down for it." Meg wiggled Emma's foot and was rewarded with a smile. "Can I have a hold?"

Becky nodded and handed her daughter over. "We did call. I asked for Jodi and whoever answered told me she was dead. It shocked me so much I just hung up. I didn't even ask for details or you."

"I wouldn't have been here anyway." Meg brushed Emma's blond hair away from her face. "She looks just like you, Beck."

Becky laughed. "Thank goodness. Danny looks like Jake so I figured I'd better get one that takes after me. At least in the look department, not in behaviour."

"I wouldn't go that far," Jake muttered. "She's got her mum's determination."

Becky smacked Jake's leg and then leaned over to kiss him. Meg laughed and rubbed Emma's back. The little girl relaxed against Meg and stuck her thumb in her mouth.

"So who's running the place these days?" Becky asked. "Is Tess around?"

Meg shook her head. "No, she's in Argentina with Nick. They're expecting baby number two next month. Stevie Hall and Grace run the place now."

"What about Killarney?" Jake said. "With Alex gone and Nick in Argentina who's left?"

"Marcus Turner runs it now," Meg replied. "Turns out Marcus is Bryce's son too."

"How did Alex take the news about that? Half brother, that must have been a shock." Jake shook his head. "Things change a lot in a few short years."

Meg nodded in agreement. "They sure do. And Alex and Marcus had their moments but in the end they were brothers."

Becky was looking at Xander and Katie. Meg bit her lip, wondering if Becky could see the resemblance between Katie and Jodi.

"Who's little girl?" Becky turned to Meg. "She looks an awful lot like Jodi."

Meg nodded. "That's because she is Jodi's."

Jake jolted. "What do you mean? Becky was told Jodi was dead. How can that little girl be Jodi's?"

"Jodi was dead on paper. Her and her husband had to go into witness protection for over a year. Almost two. They only just came back about eight months ago."

Becky wiped a tear from her eye and Jake wrapped his arm around her. Meg smiled as she watched the two. She could see that they really loved each other. Becky seemed more confident, more in connection with who she was.

"Can I see her?" Becky asked as she sat up. "I've really missed her."

Meg nodded and handed Emma back. "I'll go find out where she is."

Standing up Meg hurried into the house. Regan came out of the office with a stack of papers.

"Do you know where Jodi is, Regan?" Meg asked.

"Let me just consult my roster." Regan scanned a sheet of paper. "Yeah, she's in Skinny Jim's checking fences."

"Ta." Meg went back outside. "Are you up for a ride, Becky?"

Becky nodded.

"Jodi's in Skinny Jim's. I'll ride out with you. Jake, do you want to come?"

Jake shook his head. "No, I'll stay here and watch the kids. You go on, Beck."

Becky kissed Jake and looked expectantly at Meg. Meg smiled and led the way to the stables. She couldn't wait to see the look on Jodi's face when they came riding up. Her daughter would be so surprised and she knew for a fact that Jodi had missed Becky.

Meg pulled her horse to a stop in Skinny Jim's. Becky pulled up beside her.

"I've missed this place," Becky murmured. "So where is she?"

Meg shrugged. "She'll be around. We'll just wait right here for her. Unless she met Matt somewhere, then it could be a bit."

Becky laughed. "So Jake and I aren't the only ones that just happen to meet while we are working on the fences?"

Meg shook her head, amused at the girl's words. Becky and Jodi hadn't changed much over the years. They may have been wives and mothers but that playfulness she knew was still there.

They didn't have to wait long until Jodi trotted up the hill. She waved at them and pushed her horse faster.

"Mom, there's some fence-" She stopped when she saw who was with Meg. "Becky?"

Becky jumped off of her horse and Jodi slid form Tucker's back. The two girls met in a whirlwind of hugs and tears. Meg dismounted and gathered the reins of the three horses and stood silently as the two girls greeted each other.

"Where did you come from?" Jodi pulled back a little before hugging Becky again.

"We were looking at some horses in Perth and thought we'd pop by this way on the way home." Becky shook her head. "You look amazing."

"Isn't Perth a long way from home?" Jodi wrapped an arm around Becky and they walked back to Meg.

"It is, but we're making a bit of a trip out of it," Becky explained. "We had a lot of horses to look at along the coast so we decided to do it all in one long trip. It's been about month and I am so ready to go home. And so are the kids."

"Kids?" Jodi grinned. "How many?"

"Two."

"Danny and Emma," Jodi said. "Right?"

Becky nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, Danny and Emma. Not as close I wanted them but close enough. Danny's three and Emma just turned one."

"I have one. And I think that's enough for now. Katie's seven months and she's such a precocious one."

Becky laughed. "That's what I thought when I had Danny. I didn't think I would be able to handle another one and then when Emma came along I found it wasn't that bad at all."

Jodi shrugged. "Well, baby number two for me and Matt won't be along for awhile."

"I don't remember a Matt in the neighbourhood when I was around." Becky climbed back into the saddle.

Jodi smiled softly. Pulling herself back onto Tucker she started towards the house. "No, he wasn't around then. He came here about three years after you left. Maybe less. We've been married about two years, now."

Becky nodded. "So how many between him and Alberto?"

Jodi rolled her eyes. "Beck."

"What?" Becky giggled. "I know you. You aren't long without someone falling over you."

"Well, to be perfectly honest there was only one. Luke Morgan."

Meg cleared her throat and looked sideways at her daughter. Jodi looked at her and shrugged.

"Okay, there was also Riley, but Matt came back before things could get anywhere." Jodi sighed. "How about you? Still with Jake?"

Becky nodded. "Yep. We've been married for four years ago. We called here a couple years back."

Jodi smiled wryly. "And at that point I was dead. Sorry about that. We couldn't tell anyone. People here weren't even supposed to know."

"Did they?" Becky looked at Meg. "Meg told me a little bit. But how come they said you were dead if they knew you weren't?"

"Because it was safer that way," Jodi said. "My friend Kate started pushing for details and the cops were worried she would discover the truth."

"We brought her to see Jodi before Jodi had to disappear and Kate somehow persuaded the cops to let everyone else at Drovers know," Meg said. "It was hard for me to let her go and have to tell everyone she was dead, but in the end it was for the best."

The three rode back to the house reminiscing about the years they had spent working together. Laughing over incidents and the fun times they had, trying to run a property with just women and a head strong McLeod.

"Beck, did Mom tell you that I'm a McLeod too?" Jodi asked as they were brushing down the horses.

"How in the world did that happen?" Becky stopped brushing and stared at Meg and Jodi.

"Do you want to tell her?" Jodi said turning to Meg. "It's your story."

Meg sighed. "Well, to make a long story short, after Kevin left the first time I had a bit of a thing with Jack. Then Kevin came back and I suddenly was pregnant. I decided to say it was Kevin's but Jack suspected she was his. So he paid for Jodi's schooling and then on her twenty second birthday she received one hundred thousand dollars from Jack. That's when things went a little haywire."

Jodi nudged her Mom. "We had a bit of a fall out but we fixed it. So it turns out I'm a McLeod and now I'm part owner."

"Well, that's a step up from perpetual farm hand," Becky said. "So what else has happened in your lives since I left?"

"I wrote a book and Terry and I are married," Meg said.

"Right, I bought your book," Becky said. "I liked it. Wait, that's your story isn't? Yours and Jodi's?"

Meg nodded and looked at her daughter. That book had been the pouring out of her soul, a chance to rid herself of all those demons that had haunted her for so many years. It may have caused her problems with Jodi but just like everything else it had worked out for good.

"Yes, 'The Gift' is about me and Mom," Jodi said. "Come on, I want to meet your kids and see Jake again. It's been way, way too long."

Becky hooked her arm around Jodi's and the two girls hurried to the house.

"I'll just finish up with the horses," Meg called after. "Typical, they go off and have fun while I have to do the hard work."

Shaking her head she laughed and finished brushing down the horses. She could hear the girls laughing. She was glad that Becky and Jodi had found each other again. Jodi needed girls her age around. With Kate off to Africa again and Tayler going too, she would need someone to talk too.

When Meg got back to the house she found Jodi and Jaz talking horses with Becky and Jake.

"We picked up this gorgeous mare a year ago," Becky was saying. "She's beautiful, jumps like a dream. Her former rider was short listed for the Olympics."

"What's her name?" Jaz asked. "I used to ride on the show jumping circuit. Maybe I've seen the horse."

"Her name is Anastasia." Jake smiled. "I don't know who let her go but they lost out."

"Jaz, are you okay?" Meg put a hand on Jaz's shoulder. "You look pale."

Jaz nodded. "Does she have a brand on her at all?"

Becky nodded. "Yeah, on the right side of her rump, a moon and an 'A'. There are some strange markings on the top of her right foreleg. She's a beautiful grey and we bred her to Storm last year. She threw a beautiful dark grey colt this spring."

"Do you have a picture with you?"

"Why are you so interested in this horse, Jaz?" Meg asked. "Do you know the horse?"

Jaz nodded. "I think so. It sounds an awful lot like Annie, my show jumping horse."

"Wait, your Jaz McLeod, right?" Jake said digging out his wallet. "Is this Annie?"

Meg leaned over Jaz's shoulder and looked at the picture with her. "She's a beautiful mare. How did you let her go?"

Jaz traced the horse with her finger. "That's Annie alright. I had to let her go. She would never have made it as a stock horse and I couldn't go back into show jumping. Ben was with me so it wasn't so bad. I'm glad she has a good home."

Meg squeezed Jaz's shoulder. Everything was falling into place it seemed. She was coming home, her daughter had found one of her oldest friends and Jaz knew where her horse was.

Meg smiled. Things were going to be good. She hurried off to find Terry and tell him what had transpired in, she looked at her watch, three hours. If this was what life was going to be like she was ready for it.