Next chapter is on. Still the same story.
I hope you like it. Have fun while you read it and please review.

Thanks: Isi, I actually have no idea to thank in a way I haven't already used. So I just say thank you very much.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

10. Woman (And Man) At Work

Alex had finished the restorage of the things from the storeroom into the basement when Tess was back at Drovers. Meanwhile he restored his own things in the upstairs hallway until he was finished with the room.

"Everything ok with the wheat?" Alex asked her.
"Yeah, why?" Tess asked confused by the question.
"Because you wanted to talk to Nick about it."
"Ah. Sure, it's growing. There isn't more to say." Tess answered. "What did you do in the meantime?"
"I emptied the room upstairs. It's ready now for the renewing. There are some wet spots at the ceiling. I have to climb up to the roof and find out where they are coming from. Beside of that there isn't much to do. Some painting and it's ready for furnishing." Alex answered.
"Do you need a hand with something?"
"Not yet. I will check the roof first. I will get back at your offer when I'm done with that. You can help with the painting later, if you don't mind."
"I don't mind at all. I'll have a look at the cattle now. Look for me when you need my hand." Tess said.
"I will." Alex answered and went outside to get the things he needed for the work at the roof.

Meanwhile Tess went into the kitchen. She was starving. She looked for something to eat. It wasn't time for lunch yet so Tess helped herself to a cheese sandwich. She just finished her last bite when Meg entered the kitchen.
"Done at Wilgul?" Meg asked. Alex had told her that Tess was going to Nick after the drenching.
"Yeah. Wasn't much to do there and I promised Alex to help him upstairs but he doesn't need my help yet." Tess explained.
"Thought so too when I saw Alex climbing up the roof a few minutes ago."
"Meg, may I ask you something?" Tess asked.
"Sure."
"I want your opinion. What do you think about friends becoming more than that?" Tess asked. She didn't want to mention her question directly to Meg so she tried to hide it in common words.
Meg jumped into conclusions what Tess actually wanted to ask. "Tess, it's easy. Just tell Nick about your feelings. He will forgive you. He was angry at you, I noticed that, but he will forgive you." Meg answered, an answer she wanted to tell Tess since her friendship to Nick more to say her starting relationship became just a business agreement.
"It's not about me and Nick. It's about a ... friend." Tess answered searching a way to keep it out of her love life. She didn't want it to go this way.
"So tell me about your 'friend'. What's the problem?" Meg asked seriously although she was sure that this talk was about Tess and Nick and not Tess' so called friend.
"I think she is in love with a mate. They had spent one night together." Tess started insecure because she didn't want to spell any hints which would lead Meg to Claire. "They are back to friendship again but I think there is more to it." Tess ended.
Meg thought about the right words for a while before she answered. "Did you talk to your friend about it? What did that night mean to her?" Meg asked seriously.
Tess didn't know an answer to that questions. At least she didn't know it yet but she wanted to find out. "Got no idea, Meg." Tess started. "Maybe I just talk to her. Forget this conversation."
"But Tess ...?" Meg started but noticed that Tess didn't want to talk about it anymore. "You know where I am. Come to me whenever you ...", Meg cleared her throat, "... you need an advice for your friend."
"Thanks Meg, I will." Tess said and went outside. She hoped Meg didn't get whom she was talking about.

Tess still had to go to the cattle but first she wanted to have a look at her alpacas. She hadn't had much time for them lately. Since Claire had been in hospital she had to run Drovers all by herself and she made a good job as Claire told her yesterday when she was back at Drovers and checked Tess' bookkeeping. While she walked to the stable she turned around and looked up at the roof. Alex was working on it.
She went into the stable and the alpacas immediatly came to her. How she had missed them the last months. They were her little babies and one of her first projects at Drovers Run. Everybody laughed about them that time but until now Claire and Tess had saved money through them because they protected the sheep against foxes and so on as well as they made money through their wool which was worth a lot. Whenever Tess needed time for herself to think she went to them. Today was such a day. She needed to sort out how she would cope with Alex and Claire.
"You know what? I need an advice. How do we get those two together? Any ideas?" Tess asked the alpacas which made their usual sounds and didn't give Tess an answer to her question.

Tess still hadn't gone to the cattle so she went out to get her horse Oskar and to ride to the paddock. There was nothing uncommon their so she rode back immediatly. Back at the farm she noticed that Alex wasn't at the roof anymore. That meant he must have finished or that he was hungry.
Alex came out of the house that moment. "I'm done with the roof, Tess." He told her. "Some roofing tiles were broken so I exchanged them. Now the room should stay dry."
"So you need a hand now?" Tess asked.
"Yeah, I will just put this back to the shed." He answered pointing to the toolbox in his hand. "You already could get the buckets with the colour upstairs if you don't mind." Alex guessed.
"I don't mind at all. Don't forget to bring brushes from the shed." Tess reminded him.
"I won't Tess. I'll be there in a couple of minutes."
"No worries."

Tess went to Alex' ute, took the buckets and went into the house up to Alex' new room.
A few minutes later Alex showed up at the doorstep. He had made painting hats out of an old newspaper. He put one on his head and the other one on Tess' head when he reached her. In his other hand he had two brushes. He kept one for himself and handed the other over to Tess who had already prepared the colour.
"Let's get started then." Alex said, went to a wall and started to paint. Tess went to another wall and did the same. They started to work silently until Tess broke it after a while.
"Hm Alex, how will this work. You know I live here too." Tess started a conversation.
"I've noticed that long ago. You know I slept over a few times." Alex answered in a funny way. He didn't have a clue where this talk was heading to.
"Sure you did, but it's different staying for a night or staying as a family for the rest of your life."
"Not for me. I already feel comfortable." Alex answered smiling by the thought in his head. "You don't know how long I wanted to live here at Claire's side."
"Alex, what are you hiding from me?" Tess asked directly.
"Nothing. Why should I? It's not that I'm a criminal." Alex answered slightly annoyed. Tess brought him out of his thoughts. Just a minute ago he had the perfect picture of his friend and bride-to-be Claire in mind but now her little sister wanted him to spill out something he wasn't ready to talk about yet.
"Even if you kill me now, I have to ask you this. What happened between you and Claire when you tasted your home-brewed?" Tess asked once more directly.
"Jeez, nothing happened there. I slept here because I was too drunk to drive. Was that a fault or do you want me to get killed in a car accident?" Alex replied angrily.
Tess didn't know what to say so she started to paint again. Alex did the same. They worked in complete silence now. Tess wanted to start again but wasn't sure what she should talk about. She felt that Alex was pissed off of her and her questions. She got to know how to handle people from the countryside over the last few years but she still had some trouble with them when she acted towards them in her city-way, what meant that she talked or at least she tried to talk about problems.

After 2 hours they were done with the complete room. Now it just needed some furniture. Tess and Alex seperated without a word. He still wasn't into talking again. Alex drove back to Killarney because he had seen some unused furniture in a shed there in the morning. He had asked his mother, Liz. She had told him that he could take whatever he wanted if they needed it at Drovers. So Alex took a locker and a shelf. In the morning he had already taken his bed with him. He told Liz that he and Claire wouldn't share the room because they were marrying for the baby's sake and were just friends. When he had loaded up everything he drove back to Drovers.

He couldn't see Tess around. A good sign for him at the moment. He didn't want to talk about his feelings, especially not to someone who wasn't involved. Actually he didn't want to talk about it at all. Claire was the only person he had to talk about them some day but he was scared of it, scared of her reaction.

To be continued ...