If Only They Could Talk

Ingrid hummed as she cleared the breakfast table. The sky was overcast and they had had to eat inside. Not that she minded. A morning inside with her favourite man was just the thing the doctor had ordered. She smiled as she remembered the look in his eyes when she had told him what she wasn't wearing. He had gotten a little distracted and breakfast took about an hour longer than normal.

"Ingrid, you should be relaxing," Rhonda said. "You've had a busy morning."

Ingrid shrugged. "I don't know what you mean. And I don't mind helping clean up. At least I feel useful."

Rhonda laughed and pulled the stack of plates from Ingrid's hands. "You know exactly what I mean. I saw the two of you run off to the bedroom. And the fact that Marcus just left to go to work..."

Ingrid shook her head and after pouring another cup of tea headed outside with a book. The phone rang as she went by the desk. Tucking the book under her arm she answered.

"Killarney, Ingrid speaking."

"I need a vet."

Ingrid frowned at the strident tones of Liz Ryan. What could the woman want? Wasn't her visit last week enough?

"Did you hear me? I need a vet."

Ingrid raised her eyebrows. This woman was not to be kept waiting. "What's the problem?"

"I bought a piece of land and the former owners have left three horses and two dogs. They are all in awful shape," Liz said. "I need someone to get them well enough to move."

"You don't want to keep them?" Ingrid settled into a chair on the porch.

Liz snorted. "No, I don't want them. Now are you going to come help me or am I going to have to spend money getting another vet from out of town?"

Ingrid sat up. "Alright, I'll come but it won't be free."

"I didn't expect it." Liz laughed softly. "You remind me of Stevie."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Ingrid sipped her tea.

"I haven't decided. I'll give you my address."

Ingrid hurried inside and grabbed a pen and paper. Jotting down the number she hung up. She was going to need help but Russ was away for the weekend. She looked out at the yards but there was no one in sight. Marcus had mentioned something about fixing boundary fences and moving a mob of sheep.

"Rhonda, I have to go out for a bit," Ingrid called. "I don't know if I'll be home for lunch."

"Shall I pack something for you?" Rhonda appeared in the kitchen doorway wiping her hands on a towel.

Ingrid nodded and headed towards the front door. "I'm just going to check that I have what I need in my jeep. Can you bring it out to me?"

Rhonda nodded and disappeared back into the kitchen. Ingrid stepped outside and frowned at the sky. She didn't want to have to work in the rain. Marcus would already be worried that she was working. She needed someone who knew horses and dogs.

Daisy was lying on the lawn with her puppies. Ingrid leaned down and stroked the dog's head. Daisy lifted her nose and peered down the drive. Turning Ingrid saw the cloud of dust that heralded the arrival of a vehicle.

A familiar battered Ute slowed down and came to a halt in front of her. Ingrid's smile faded as Stevie stepped from the Ute, her red hair dishevelled.

"Is it true?" She hurried towards Ingrid. "Is Liz really in town?"

Ingrid nodded. "She surely is. Didn't Marcus call you last week?"

Stevie shook her head. "I've barely been home in the last week. What with sales, Xander being sick, visiting Kate. I'm not surprised that he didn't catch me."

"How is Kate?" Ingrid asked as she headed to her jeep.

"Getting better. She's coming to visit. Her and Dave," Stevie said, lifting Xander from his car seat.

"How is that going to go with Regan?" Ingrid opened the back door of the jeep and began rummaging through her stash.

"Not sure. She still hasn't told Dave she's pregnant with his child. I don't think she ever will."

"And how is she going to hide it from him? It's not like he's leaving anytime soon." Ingrid shut the door, satisfied she had everything. "Are you busy?"

"No. Why?" Stevie set Xander on his feet and smiled as the boy toddled towards Daisy.

"I need to go see some horses and dogs." Ingrid looked at Stevie. "It's Liz Ryan that needs help."

Stevie raised her eyebrows. "She asked you to come help? From the whispers going around I thought she had declared you a thief."

Ingrid laughed. "I put her in her place."

"You would too," Stevie said. "Alright, I'll come with you. Xander, come on, let's go meet your grandmother."

Ingrid frowned. "You don't seem too worried about her."

Stevie shook her head. "She can't be any worse than Harry. Besides, she loved her sons and just wanted what was best for them. And Xander might soften her up."

Ingrid sighed. "Stevie, you don't know what she said to Marcus and I. It wasn't nice. I'm worried that she might try to do something to you."

"Ingrid, how many people are there on our three farms?" Stevie picked Xander up and hugged him.

Ingrid thought for a minute. "A good dozen or more."

Stevie nodded. "Not one of those people would let that woman hurt me or Xander."

"Okay. Well, let's go."

Half an hour they pulled into the lane of an aging farm. Stevie looked around.

"I'm surprised Liz even agreed to set foot on this place. What a letdown from Killarney."

Ingrid parked the jeep by the pasture and frowned as she saw the three horses. Two were still standing, which was a relief, but the third was lying on the ground. A voice called from the house and Ingrid could make out the shape of a woman on the porch.

"Well, here goes nothing," she muttered.

Stevie smiled and stepped out into the cloudy day. Ingrid followed and headed towards the house.

Liz didn't step off the porch. She was watching Stevie.

"It's about time you got here," she said, as Ingrid reached the porch. "Why is she with you?"

"I needed help and Stevie knows horse and dogs. Besides, you said it was an emergency." Ingrid stopped at the bottom of the steps. "I could wait until I find someone else to help me."

Liz shook her head. "They might die and I won't have that on my conscience."

Ingrid smiled. This woman did have a heart after all, even if it wasn't always in the right spot. Stevie joined her but didn't say a word.

"Hello, Stevie," Liz said. "How are you?"

"I've been better," Stevie replied. "And you?"

Liz shrugged and studied the boy in Stevie's arms. "Is this Alex's son?"

Stevie nodded. "Yes, this is Xander. Say hi, Xander."

Xander buried his head in Stevie's shoulder, refusing to look at the woman on the porch. Ingrid stepped up and asked to see the dogs. Maybe after a bit Xander would warm up to his grandmother.

"They are right this way." Liz led the way around the house. "I found them in the box on the back porch. They haven't moved since I got here and they won't eat anything."

Ingrid knelt in front of the box and stroked the head of the black dog. It didn't move more then to open its eyes. The brown and white dog didn't even bother to open its eyes.

"Well, the black will be okay. But the other one, I don't know, Liz. If he survives until tomorrow he'll be okay." Ingrid stood up. "They will have to stay here until they are strong enough to move."

Liz nodded. "Can you tell if they are boys or girls?"

"Let me look at the horses and then we'll deal with these two."

The horses weren't in any better shape. The mare that was lying down was beyond help. Ingrid tried not to cry as she pushed the needle full of death beneath the bay coat. Stevie was busy with the other two and soon they were looking more alive. Liz watched everything from outside of the fence. Xander toddled along behind his mother, reaching up to stroke whatever part of the horse he could reach.

"Should he be doing that?" Liz called out.

Stevie smiled at her mother-in-law. "He's fine. He knows how to behave around horses."

Ingrid turned from injecting some penicillin into the dark bay gelding. "Xander's been on and around horses since he was born."

"Does he have his own horse?" Liz had come into the paddock and was picking her way towards them.

"We have an old pony that Alex bought for Charlotte. Marshmallow is getting on in years. He can barely raise a trot but Xander doesn't mind." Stevie scooped up her little boy and he leaned over to stroke the grey mare between the eyes.

"Pretty, Mommy," he said.

"Yes, she is. What shall we call her?"

Xander tipped his head. "Lizzie. Afta her." He pointed to his grandmother and smiled shyly.

"Lizzie, that's a nice name. Do you think Grandma will like it?" Stevie smiled at her son.

Ingrid turned to look at Liz and was happily surprised to see that the woman's face had softened.

"I'd like that very much, Xander." Liz was now standing by Stevie.

Ingrid could see the longing on her face and prayed that Stevie saw it too. Maybe Liz Ryan wasn't as tough as she liked to pretend. Stevie looked at Liz and then at her son.

"Liz, would you like to hold Xander?"

Ingrid could see the war waging inside of Stevie. On one hand she knew she couldn't deny Liz this link to her son but on the other, Liz might just do something that would hurt her.

Liz nodded and reached out her arms to her grandson. Ingrid held her breath as Xander stared at his grandmother. Then with a small smile he reached out to her and settled into Liz's arms. Ingrid swore she saw a tear glisten in Liz's eye.

Stevie relaxed a little when she saw that Liz wasn't going anywhere. "Alright, let's get these two into the barn. I'll come back tomorrow and bring some hay."

Ingrid headed back to the house to deal with the dogs. Liz followed with Xander. She sat down in a chair and held Xander on her lap.

"Xander, do you like dogs?" Liz asked.

Xander nodded. "Turbo nice."

"Who's Turbo?"

Ingrid smiled as she once again lowered herself before the two dogs. "Turbo is Stevie's dog. I think he's a descendant of a dog Claire McLeod had."

"Roy?" Liz allowed Xander to climb off her lap.

"Yes, that's the one. Apparently after Claire died Roy disappeared and when they found him he had a girl and a litter of puppies. Turbo is one of those."

Liz smiled as Xander pulled a rock out of his pocket and held it up before her eyes. She touched the rock as the little boy babbled on.

Two days later Ingrid again pulled up to Liz's place. A man pushing a wheelbarrow ambled across the almost immaculate lawn. Liz sure hadn't wasted time getting the place up to snuff.

Parking beside the barn, Ingrid slipped out and grabbed her kit. The interior of the barn was cool and shadowed. Something moved by one of the horses stables. Ingrid stopped and watched as Liz leaned over the door and stroked the nose of the grey mare. The mare nuzzled the woman and then took something from her hand.

Liz smiled and then headed out of the other end of the barn. Ingrid stepped back and waited until the woman had disappeared. Stepping up to the grey mare's stall, she smiled. The horse had been brushed and fresh water was in the water pail.

"Lizzie, my dear mare, has your new owner been visiting you?" Ingrid stroked Lizzie's neck. "Well, let's see how you are feeling."

As she swung the stall door opened the sun glinted off the door. Ingrid stopped and studied the door. A brass plate with the name 'Lizzie' engrave into it was screwed onto the door.

Taking a quick look at the gelding's box she saw a similar name plate. 'Whiskey' was engraved in that plate.

"Whiskey," Ingrid said and the horse lifted its head from the pile of fresh hay. "So Liz does have a heart."

Giving both horses a quick exam she headed to the house. The black dog greeted her at the top of the porch steps. It wagged its tail and moved slowly around the house. Ingrid followed it and found Liz kneeling in front of the brown and white dog coaxing some food into its mouth.

"Hello, Liz."

Liz turned around. "Hello. This one's looking better. The black one is a girl and I've named her Alexis."

"Alexis, it's a beautiful name," Ingrid said, leaning down to stroke Alexis' head. "And the other one? Have you named her?"

Liz nodded. "Paige. I had a dog like her when I was young. Her name was Paige. I thought it was only fitting."

Ingrid nodded and knelt beside Liz. "Well, let's see how Paige is doing."

Paige rolled her eyes towards Liz as the woman moved away. Liz laid a hand on the dogs head and Paige relaxed.

Ingrid smiled. Clearly if these animals could talk they would have a totally different story to tell about this woman. Maybe over the years Liz had mellowed. Maybe she wasn't as hard as she seemed. Yet something lingered in the back of Ingrid's mind. The look on Liz's face when she first saw Xander, a look of greed and want.

What secrets had Liz told these animals? Now more than ever Ingrid wished the dogs and horses could talk. Would Lizzie and Whiskey tell of secret plans to take back what was Liz thought was hers? Did Paige and Alexis know why Liz was really back in Gungellan?

Or was Ingrid just imagining things? Maybe Liz just really wanted her family back. Perhaps she just wanted to be accepted.