Page 16 of Outback Hearts

‘Which means you’ve missed absolutely nothing,’ Danny added.

Sassy turned to Mitch, who’d been quiet most of the evening. ‘How’s the school year going, love? You managing with that new curriculum they dumped on you?’

Mitch’s face brightened. ‘Actually, it’s going better than expected. The kids are responding well, and I’ve got this idea for an outdoor learning program next term—’

‘That sounds brilliant,’ Sassy encouraged. ‘You should talk to Sophie about it. She might have ideas from her pre-school job at home.’

‘I’d love that,’ Sophie said immediately.

Sassy’s attention shifted to Danny, a mischievous glint in her eye. ‘And speaking of programs—Danny, did you ever work up the courage to talk to that girl from Longreach? What was her name? Emma? Emily?’

Danny’s ears went red. ‘Emma. And yeah, I did, actually.’

‘And?’ Sassy pressed.

‘And we’re going to the pictures in Emerald next weekend,’ Danny mumbled into his beer.

‘About bloody time,’ Lisa, the nurse, said. ‘I thought you were going to pine forever.’

‘I wasn’t pining—’

‘You were absolutely pining,’ Sassy said firmly. ‘How’s your mum going, Lisa? Is she still working at the aged care centre?’

Lisa nodded. ‘Yeah, full-time. Actually, you know Mrs Patterson, don’t you? Harriet’s sister? She moved into the centre last week. Mum said she’s settling in well.’

‘Oh, I heard about that,’ Sassy said. ‘Poor love. Her hip never recovered properly after the fall, did it?’

They chatted about Mrs Patterson for a moment, and Amelia followed the conversation with interest. Even though this town was in the red dirt of the remote outback, it held the same degree of caring as her village at home.

Sassy turned to the three backpackers, her expression warming even further. ‘And you three—how are you settling in? Sophie, love, you surviving your week with me?’

‘Barely,’ Sophie said with a grin. ‘You work me too hard.’

‘Nonsense. You’re natural at it. Give it a couple more days, and I’ll be taking time off for the first time in years.’ She looked at Jill and Amelia. ‘And you two found work as well, I hear? That’s wonderful. See? I told you this town had room for good people.’

‘We’re loving it so far,’ Sophie said. ‘Everyone’s been so welcoming.’

‘That’s because you’re fitting right in,’ Sassy said matter-of-factly. ‘You show up, you work hard, you don’t complain—that’s all anyone asks out here. The rest will follow.’

When Danny bought her a second beer, Sassy raised it in a toast. ‘To new friends,’ she said. ‘And to Garnet Creek. May she surprise us all.’

They drank to that, and Amelia felt something warm settle in her chest. These people—Sassy’s kindness, Lisa’s honesty, Danny’s humour, Mitch’s quiet dedication—they were fighting for something. A town that was slipping away, a community that was fading. They were tired and sad and probably losing, but they were still here. Still trying.

She wanted to help somehow, though she had no idea what she could possibly do.

By ten-thirty, they were walking back through the quiet streets—the three girls and Sassy, who’d insisted on walking them home “just to be safe”. The stars overhead were brilliant; the Milky Way splashed across the sky like an artist’s canvas. The air had cooled properly now, desert-crisp and clean.

They reached the old pub, and all four of them stopped, looking at it in the moonlight.

‘She was something once,’ Sassy said softly. ‘The Royal. My husband brought me here on our first date, back in ’89. The place was packed every weekend. They had a band, dancing, the works. Everyone came—farmers, families, travellers. It was the heart of everything.’

‘What happened?’ Sophie asked.

‘Drought. Recession. People leaving. The owner got old and couldn’t keep up. Eventually, it just wasn’t viable anymore. Closed in ’98, been sitting here rotting ever since. The council took it over for unpaid rates years ago, turned it into a campground to at least get some use out of it. But look at her.’ Sassy shook her head. ‘Such a waste.’

Amelia stared up at the building—the sagging verandah, the peeling paint, the broken windows. But she could see past that, to the solid architecture underneath. The structure, the beautiful proportions, the potential.

‘What if someone fixed it up?’ she heard herself say. ‘Restored it properly. Turned it into a real hotel again, a place for travellers to stay. It could bring people to town. Bring life back.’