The Sins of the Mother

Marcus tossed his towel into the hamper and bounded down the stairs. The doorbell rang again and he skidded into the front hall. He opened the door and stared at the woman standing on the porch. He had seen her in a few pictures. Once he had asked if he could meet her. That never happened.

"Are you going to let me in?" Liz Ryan asked. "Who are you?"

Marcus stood back and let the woman march into the house. "I'm Marcus Turner."

"Marcus, who is?" Ingrid called from the kitchen.

"Liz Ryan." Marcus shut the door harder than necessary.

Ingrid came into the front hall a dog at her heels and a puppy in her arms.

"Since when did we run a vet clinic out of our kitchen, super vet?" Marcus laughed.

Ingrid smiled sweetly at Marcus and deposited the puppy into his keeping. "Since somebody left a pan of oil out where the puppies can reach it. This is the last one." She turned to Liz and smiled. "Liz, how nice to see you. Come into the sitting room. Would you like something to drink?"

"Who are you?' Liz stared at Ingrid and then the dogs. "Since when did we let filthy animals into my house?"

"I'm Ingrid Turner. And the dogs generally aren't allowed in but Daisy's puppies got into some oil and I needed to clean them up." Ingrid straightened at Liz's tone. "Marcus, can you bring them back to the shed?"

Marcus turned and hurried into the kitchen. It wouldn't do to let Liz see the smile on his face. What the woman who had given birth to Alex didn't know was that Ingrid had been up against people like Liz all her life and knew how to handle them. He carried the puppy into the kitchen and found Daisy's other three puppies sleeping in a basket. Depositing the fourth puppy into the basket he lifted it into his arms and shuffled out the back door, Daisy at his heels.

"Daisy, keep your puppies under control," he said. "It wouldn't do to have Mrs. Ryan see them in the kitchen again."

Daisy wagged her tail while keeping a watchful eye on the basket of puppies. In the shed Marcus lowered his burden to the ground and patted Daisy's head. The dog licked his hand and then turned to study her offspring.

Marcus shook his head and left the dog to her own devises. The dog had shown up three weeks ago, heavily pregnant and rather thin. Ingrid had taken an instant liking to the poor thing and Marcus didn't have the heart or the guts to say no. So Daisy had joined their ever growing menagerie of useless animals. First there had been Hercules, then Nettie, a sheep with a bum leg. The dang animal spent her days wandering around the yards making a general nuisance of herself. Now Daisy and her litter where under foot. Next thing he knew his wife was going to be bringing in wounded kangaroos and koalas.

But right now he had a different kind of nuisance in the house and he couldn't let his wife deal with her too long. As he headed back to the house he tried to remember what Alex had said about his mother. Not a lot that made her seem like the woman a son wanted around his grandchildren. Alex rarely spoke about his mother. When he did it was not with affection. Nick hadn't said much about the woman in all their conversations. Even the girls at Drovers, for all their gossiping, didn't have much to say about Harry Ryan's first wife, the first Mrs. Ryan to rule the roost at Killarney.

Skirting through the kitchen he found Rhonda preparing a tray.

"She wants tea," the housekeeper said.

"I'll take it in." Marcus picked up the tray. "How's it going in there?"

"I don't think Mrs. Ryan knows what hit her." Rhonda's eyes danced and she struggled to keep the smile off her face.

Marcus laughed and headed to the sitting room. He walked in and set the tray on the coffee table. Ingrid was sitting on the couch and Liz sat primly in a chair. Marcus plopped himself beside his wife and kissed her.

"Do you mind?" Liz said. "I have some questions and would like answers to them."

Marcus sat up and Ingrid leaned forward to pour the tea.

"Is Alex's son about?" Liz accepted the mug from Ingrid.

"Xander?" Marcus shook his head. "Nope."

"Well, where is he? His mother hasn't run off with him, has she?"

Marcus frowned. This woman really had it in for Stevie. "No, Stevie and Xander live on Drovers."

The mug clinked against the plate as Liz set it down in the table. "What? Why is Alexander not living here where he belongs?"

Ingrid reached over and squeezed Marcus' hand. He gratefully let her take that question.

"Stevie tried to live here but the memories were too much and she decided that staying at Drovers was better for her and her son. Marcus is running Killarney until Xander is old enough to understand his inheritance."

Liz huffed and sat back in her chair. "And Nick agrees with this?"

Marcus nodded. "Nick has more than enough to deal with in Argentina and has happily agreed to let me run this place."

"More tea, Liz?" Ingrid lifted the teapot.

Liz nodded and once again took her mug and saucer in her hands. "And how exactly do you have a claim on this land, Marcus?"

"My father owned a share and on his death I inherited it." Marcus smiled softly when he thought of what his father had left him and helped him find just before he had passed from this world. Alex was the brother who showed him what family truly was and had given him a home.

"And who was your father?" Liz asked.

"Alex never told you?" Marcus was shocked. Surely Alex had said something to his mother.

Liz shook her head. "I'm afraid Alex and I were not on speaking terms when after he married that Hall woman. I don't think she was the right one for him."

"Alex seemed to believe she was." Ingrid was indignant now. "And if my opinion matters, what I saw of them together, she was perfect for him."

Liz laughed drily. "I'm his mother, I should know what was right for him and it was not Stephanie Hall. But you haven't answered my question."

Marcus bit his lip and looked at Ingrid. Did he tell this woman that truth? That he shared a father with the man who fathered her son? Ingrid nodded and Marcus faced Liz.

"My father was Bryce Redstaff."

"Bryce is dead?" Liz pressed a hand to her chest. "And you're his son?"

Marcus nodded. "There is also a sister, from Bryce's wife. Her name is Ashleigh and she is... well... in trouble. We are not on speaking terms."

Liz sighed as she digested the news. "So my son's father has died, leaving his part of my husband's farm in your hands. My grandson is living at that dump called Drovers and Nick is happy to let complete strangers to run Killarney."

"That about sums it up," Marcus said. "Anything else?"

"Yes, I'm taking up my place in this house on this property and Xander is going to come home where he belongs."

Marcus laughed. "Good luck getting Stevie to move here."

"Why would Stevie becoming here?" The colour had come back into Liz's face and she squared her shoulders.

Marcus stiffened and Ingrid stood up. He reached up to stop her but she was already across the room.

"Are you trying to tell me that you think you have the right to come in here and tell us what to do? You can't take Stevie's son, her last link to Alex, away from her. Nothing you do will ever appease your conscience. The only way to come back into this family is to let go of your preconceived notions about how Ryans should live and act."

Marcus stood up and wrapped an arm around Ingrid's waist. "That'll do, short ass, that'll do."

She sagged into his side and he pressed a kiss to her head.

"I suggest you leave, Liz," Marcus said quietly. "I think you've made your ideas quite clear and we don't agree with them at all."

Liz rose from her chair, every inch the injured queen. "I have more right to this place then you do."

"No, you don't. This place was left to Alex and Nick. Alex left his share to his son and the small bit that Bryce owned was left to me. Nothing was left in your name when Harry died. Nothing in Gungellan belongs to you."

Liz took a deep breath and snatched her purse from the end table. "You haven't seen the last of me."

With one hateful look at Marcus she marched to the front door, her heels clicking against the wooden floor.

"Well, she's a handful," Marcus whispered as they stepped out onto the front porch.

"It's no wonder Alex didn't want her around." Ingrid smiled sweetly and waved to Liz as she tore off down the drive. "I wouldn't want her within a thousand kilometres of my children."

Marcus rested his hand on her stomach and smiled. "Well, she won't be anywhere near this one."

"You heard what she said," Ingrid whispered, shuddering. "And she has money."

"But we have a lawyer in the family." Marcus grinned. "I bet Ashleigh will help us."

"But you told Liz you weren't on speaking terms with her." Ingrid looked up at him, confused.

"That can change real quick. We don't have to tell Liz who our lawyer is."

Ingrid laughed. "Liz Ryan will be in for a surprise if she tries to do anything against us. There are a lot of people that will stand toe to toe with her any day."

"And Stevie Hall-Ryan will be in the front of the line," Marcus said as they went back inside.

"Speaking of Stevie, do we let her know about our visitor?" Ingrid picked up the tea tray and carried it into the kitchen.

Marcus followed her and leaned against the counter. "I think we'd better. Someone is bound to have seen her in town. I'll give her a call."

Picking up the phone he dialled Drovers. Stevie had a right to know that her mother-in-law was back and up to no good. Not that that would be a surprise to anyone in the area. No one particularly liked that Mrs. Ryan.