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‘I’m just in the middle of some pretty important research at the moment and I can’t spare the time but give me a few weeks and maybe I’ll join you when I have more time.’

‘I know you, Tarn. You’re happy in your cave. Just like you were before Jonty. Now remember who introduced the two of you? Good Old Sal. Now come out and we’ll cheer you up. It’s time to move on, honey.’

Tarni felt mean by saying no to every invitation, but she simply wasn’t capable of going out into the world. She carried her grief with her like a stone every minute of the day.

Sally’s persistence finally won out and they took her to Dr Gargles, a retro nightclub in Adelaide city. Keeping an interested and pleasant expression that night, and fielding dance invitations from strangers had worn Tarni out.

She couldn’t see the point in drinking to bury your feelings. An upset stomach the next morning from a couple of wines, and a headache from the loud music as well as being surrounded by cigarette smoke when she decided to go and sit outside wasn’t her idea of getting over her grief. She needed isolation—open spaces and fresh air. A change of scene to one where nothing reminded her of Jonty.

When the offer of a research placement to complete her PhD in the Northern Territory was offered by her supervisor at the Institute, she accepted without hesitation.

Packing up their apartment had been the hardest part of moving away. On the drive north Tarni detoured to the Barossa Valley. She’d put a sandwich and a thermos of tea in the same picnic basket Jonty had filled with delectable food and a bottle of champagne two years ago. He’d taken her to Tanunda; to a windswept ridge overlooking the vines and proposed.

On a chilly autumn morning, Tarni climbed that ridge and sat staring over the misty valley. She closed her eyes and tried to feel Jonty’s presence, but only the wind surrounded her. ‘Goodbye, my love. Thank you for the life we shared.’ Tears rolled down her cheeks as she relived that day in her thoughts.

Her husband of only a few short months was gone; she would try to make a new start.

Tarni came back to the present as the fridge door beeped from being left open for too long. Tears lingered on her cheeks, and she used the back of her hand to wipe them away.

Checking that she had turned the stove off—her memory had been shocking since Jonty had died—she went into the laundry, where she’d put her work boots and pulled them on.

Conscious of what Ellie and Kane had both said about security she checked her pocket for the house key as she walked down the hall. She did wonder if it was a bit of an overreaction because it was a good kilometre from the highway to the house.

The keys were in her pocket. She pulled them out and locked the screen door behind her and then carried the two bags of food down the steps. Breathing in the clear air, her mood lifted as she walked across the drive and along the fence line towards the shed which was about fifty metres from the house.

Tarni straightened her back as she approached the large shed. The roller door was closed. Cy had been gruff and distant, and it hadn’t seemed to bother him that she didn’t want to have him in the kitchen at the house.

She did feel a little bit guilty. Maybe she’d come across too hard, but the last thing she wanted to do was to have to make small talk and socialise with somebody she didn’t even know. She hadn’t seen him all day.

Cy’s white ute was parked there, and she remembered that she’d forgotten to tell him about the man who called in earlier looking for work.

She walked around to the back of the shed and was surprised to see there was another roller door there; this one was open.

She stood outside, put the bags down, and peered into the semi-darkness, but there was no sign of Cy.

‘You were quick,’ he said from behind her, and she jumped and spun around. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to give you a fright. I was in the tool shed. Come on in, and I’ll show you where your gear is.’

Tarni picked up the bags and followed him inside. Cy flicked a switch and the shed was flooded with light.

The space was divided into three areas with internal walls breaking up the shed, and Cy led her to the back far righthand corner. Four large windows let natural light in, on each side of the corner, and on the back wall and the right-hand wall. Two long benches ran along each side of the corner with a sink set in the benchtop at each end. In this work area, the floor was concreted and it looked new, although the rest of the shed had a dirt floor. She wondered if Kane had had it concreted because she was coming. Cy was standing quietly watching her check out her new workspace and Tarni made an effort to be a little bit more friendly.

She held up both bags.

Cy’s eyebrows rose and he looked at the bags as Tarni held them out to him.

‘What’s that?’

‘I brought you some meat and fruit and vegetables from the kitchen. It’s way more than I need. Ellie’s left the place stocked enough for an army, and it’s all fresh. There’s no way I’ll be able to use it before it goes bad so I’ve divided it and brought it down.’

‘Thank you,’ he said with a smile. ‘That was very thoughtful of you.’

She shrugged, not wanting to seem too friendly. ‘Better than wasting it.’

‘Okay, I’ll leave you to it. I’m going to head back to the dam.’

‘Oh, I meant to tell you. A guy looking for work called in before. He gave me his card.’ Tarni dug in her pocket. ‘Oh, drat, I left it in the kitchen.’

‘I’m looking for a labourer to help me. What did he seem like?’