Drowning in Her Eyes Read Online Free PDF Page A

normal weekend with the children — little league baseball, hot dogs, basketball for Sarah. Susan, the quiet studious one, spent some time in the library ; she had a history assignment to finish. History was her favourite subject.

    Most did not know that, along with more than three thousand US military adv i sors, US Army helicopters were ferrying troops around a small country in Indochina.

    Goondiwindi, Queensland, Australia —1962

    This year the wheat crop had been down in yield. Se p tember did not bring the finishing rain to make it a good crop. Once home from boarding school, Denni and Jack had joined in with the work as usual. It was a dry, hot summer. For weeks on end, the daily temperatures had climbed above one hundred degrees F ahrenheit as t he sun blazed down from a clear blue sky. Waterholes dried up and had to be fenced to prevent sheep bogging down in a desperate effort to get a drink.
    For the next six weeks, nothing changed. Paddy and Jack, Mick and Ollie spent days on end checking stock and water holes. Many sheep were dragged from the mud, but not all survived. Paddy had reduced his sheep numbers, and replaced them with more wheat and some cattle. He had a flair for dealing. He sometimes travelled throughout western Queensland, attending cattle sales. Occasionally, he would sell some of these at a profit at the next sale, but mostly they were put in charge of a drover and walked the many miles to Ballinrobe on stock routes especially chosen for any grass available on them. They would arrive in good condition, having taken advantage of the feed on the stock routes and were usually sold soon after at a good profit. The Australian cattlemen called this practice using the long paddock .
    In mid- December, summer storms began to gather. It grew unbearably hot and humid. For a while, the storms were brilliant lightning shows with little rain — all piss and wind — as Ollie described them. One stinker of a morning, as the workmen, Paddy and the kids gathered just after sunrise to decide on and allocate the day ’s tasks, black clouds began to gather in the south- west, the direction fr om which the summer rains came.
    Mick observed, “I think this might be it, boss — bloody good rain at last. ”
    He was right. By lunchtime, a persistent drizzle had started, and in the early afternoon, thun der and lightning rolled in. I t began to rain heavily and did so for more than twenty- four hours. Lying in bed that night, Paddy was jub i lant. “This rain will set us up for the summer and there should be enough sub- soil moisture for a good start for our crops. ”
    Helen nuzzled into his shoulder. How lucky I am , she thought. I have a wonderful family and the best man in the world . Gently, she began to stroke him. She slipped out of her nightdress and began to make love to him. He responded in kind, and soon they lay gasp ing for breath, feeling as one.
    How Paddy loved this gentle but strong woman who had stood by him in good times and bad, and had given him such a perfect family. Later, in the dark, listening to the rain ra t tling on the iron roof, Helen decided to clear up some things about what the future held for Denni and Jack. “Paddy, ” she murmured, “we have to talk about the kids. It will be the last year of school for them next year, and we have to do som e thing about their future s . ”
    Paddy, half- asleep in the afterglow of their lovemaking, was not ready for such a serious discussion. However, Helen had chosen her time well. A man is so vulnerable at this time, sated, warm, and with his soft woman cuddled alon g side him, ready to say yes to anything she suggests. Many times over the years, Helen had used this technique to obtain the things she wanted, like a new car, or the just- renovated laundry.
    Helen continued. “Denni is a youn g woman now. I ’ ve made sure she knows about the birds and bees. She ’ s a se n sible girl, and