The Promise Read Free Page A

cotton dress, with her hair tied in a bun. She looked beautiful.
    â€˜Jesus, Cal. Is it you?’
    I felt shy all of a sudden, like a schoolboy.
    â€˜It’s me.’
    She came down from the porch and walked across the yard.
    â€˜Christ. It is you. Let me look. Wow. What are you doing here?’ She was a little nervous. ‘My husband, he’s away at an ag meet. He’ll be back soon.’
    â€˜I don’t want any trouble, China. I was just driving by.’
    She raised a hand, the same soft hand she used to rest in the small of my back.
    â€˜It’s no trouble. It’s just that I wouldn’t have expected you to show up out of the blue like this. It’s been … four years?’
    â€˜A little more.’
    â€˜I read about you in the papers. How long have you been …?’
    â€˜About a month. I’ve been staying back with Mum.’
    She looked out to the highway, to where the stolen car was parked.
    â€˜You say you were driving by? How did you know where I was?’
    â€˜This fella I’ve been working with, Bruce Conlan, I guess you don’t remember him? He bought one of your dogs some time back. We were talking and your name came up and he told me that he’d seen you. I had to come over this way and I thought – only then when I saw the old sign – that I’d call in and see how you are. But like I said, I don’t want to cause you any trouble.’
    She shifted on her feet, reached behind her head with a hand and pulled a clip from the back of her hair. Her hair dropped, bounced and rested on her bare shoulders.
    â€˜Where are you heading to?’
    I heard a car engine, turned and spotted headlights at the end of the drive. China nervously smoothed the front of her dress.
    â€˜Here’s my husband now.’
    I had only seconds left to me.
    â€˜China, I just wanted to tell you that when I was inside I thought about you. A lot. It sounds stupid but I need to tell you that you were a good person. I never understood that before. I was too wild to know anything when we were going out.’
    I scraped my boot in the dirt.
    â€˜And I want to also tell you that you were beautiful. You are beautiful.’
    â€˜You told me that plenty of times,’ she laughed. ‘You were pretty nice yourself.’
    â€˜No, I was trouble. I’ve always been trouble.’
    â€˜You were not.’ She leaned forward and brushed my arm with a fingertip. ‘You were sweet. Most of the time.’
    The car pulled into the yard and the dogs ran to meet it. The driver hopped out. He was tall and thin and fit looking, full of purpose, and no doubt suspicious of me.
    â€˜Can I help you? Is that your car on the highway?’
    â€˜I’m working for a farmer over east and he’s after one of your working dogs. I was driving this way and I thought I’d call in on the off-chance. I shouldn’t have done so. It’s late. My apologies.’
    He relaxed a little.
    â€˜We don’t have pups at the moment. It’s not the time of year for them. You should have called ahead.’
    â€˜Your wife was just explaining to me that they’re out of season.’
    He kissed China on the cheek.
    â€˜Sorry I’m late, Marg. It went on longer than I expected.’
    I hadn’t heard China called by her proper name since school rollcall. He took out his wallet and handed me a business card.
    â€˜Give me a call around December and I’ll let you know what we’ve got. Should have some pups then.’ He offered his hand. ‘Tom.’
    â€˜Bruce,’ I answered. I took the card. ‘Thanks.’
    I stepped back and took a last look at China, arm-in-arm with her husband.
    â€˜And thank you, Marg.’
    â€˜You too,’ she answered, looking down at her bare feet.
    I sat in the car for an hour or more. I couldn’t get my mind off her. I got out of the car and watched the house. A honeyed glow