Sarah's Baby by Margaret Way Page A

came off the water and she turned her heated face toward it. “I dreaded coming back to town.”
    â€œIt’s not the town you dread.” He spoke with a hard edge of disgust. “It’s me. Why? You or your mother didn’t sign some agreement with my grandmother, did you? Some legal document? If you did, tell me. I’ll fix it. This whole business is bizarre. Something wrong at the heart of it. Can’t you meet my eyes?” He took hold of her, communicating his urgency.
    She shook her head. “No need to get angry. I signed no agreement, Kyall.” In fact, unbeknownst to her, her mother had. She had found it among her mother’s papers. Agonized over it.
    â€œWell, that’s a relief,” he muttered with acid humor.
    Above their heads the branches of the bauhinias were whispering to one another. The Aboriginals considered them fairy trees. The fairies that lived in them were urging Sarah to confide in him. Only she wasn’t brave enough. She broke away blindly, making for the track, although the strength had gone out of her arms and legs.
    There was comfort in silence.
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    O N THE RETURN JOURNEY Sarah confounded Kyall by telling him about Joe Randall’s proposal that she take over from him at the hospital.
    He’d been driving across the open plain, dodging the clumps of spinifex. Now he hit the brakes and drew the vehicle to a halt. “Sarah!” he exploded. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
    â€œI don’t know,” she said. “This is a very traumatic time for me, Kyall. I’ve settled into a kind of life. I have spells of being happy. My patients think I’m a good doctor and I do get results, so I must be doing something right. I deal with very sad things, but I try not to let my emotions get the better of me. Most doctors have to do that. But whenever I come back here, it all starts up again. The desperate memories…”
    â€œMemories I share, Sarah,” he told her. “You don’t want to love me. But don’t you think I’ve been through that? I’ve tried to stop loving you. I wanted to get on with my life, but so far it hasn’t worked. For either of us, obviously. But we can’t go on and on and never find a resolution. What did you think of Joe’s suggestion? He’s ill, isn’t he. He keeps putting me off when I ask him.”
    â€œHe has a condition that’s very worrisome,” Sarah said evasively, Joe having sworn her to a secrecy of sorts.
    â€œGo on,” Kyall urged. “I should tell you I’d never expect you to give up your profession. Everything you’ve worked for.”
    â€œYou mean you’d come to the city?” Her voice held disbelief. “A McQueen of Wunnamurra Station. Scion of the McQueen dynasty.”
    â€œWhy not?”
    Sarah turned fully to stare into his eyes. “You, give up your heritage? Devastate your grandmother?” she asked incredulously.
    He laid a hand on her shoulder, his lean fingers automatically caressing. “Who said anything about giving up my heritage? My heritage is intact. Gran is only the custodian. She can’t disinherit me. She won’t even try. Legally she wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. I can administer our affairs from anywhere. We have a station overseer and there’s Mum and Dad. Gran’s never given Dad credit for all the hard work he’s done. He’s too much a gentleman of the old school—he should’ve put her straight long ago. My mother’s been too busy staying on Gran’s good side to support her own husband. It’s all too sad.” He flashed a sardonic smile. “We all live under one roof, but we’re not a proper family.”
    â€œWhose fault is that?” Sarah retorted. “It’s a tragedy that your grandfather, Ewan, died so early. He’d have kept your grandmother in line. She would never have been able to adopt