Chasm

While they waited for Kyle to arrive with Toni, Travis asked Tomalee to bring in some coffee and Tee appeared.

“Uncle Travis,” he called out bursting into the house, “I saw it, I saw the calf being born.”

“Tee, Tee we’ve got company,” Travis corralled him around the shoulders.

“Oh, sorry.”

Michael smiled, “You saw a birth?”

“Yeah I did, wow Uncle Travis that big calf came out…”

“Tee, calm down and say hello to Mr. Stanley, this is Mrs. Roberts father.”

“Hello Sir,” he nodded in Michael’s direction, “is Mrs. Roberts here?”

“Not yet, she’s on her way.”

“Can I show her the calf?”

“I don’t see why not she might want to see it, if you’re going to be in the house you need to clean up.”

“I’m going back to the barn.” Tee smiled at Michael and ran back out the door.

“This is your nephew Travis?”

“Yeah, he’s a good kid, he is my sister’s son, she died last year and left him to me, we didn’t even know he existed, the kid had a hard life until he came here.”

“He seems a very nice young man.”

Travis’s phone rang, “Excuse me,” he took the call wandering around in the hallway outside the lounge. Michael heard the one sided conversation, it appeared to be Jan McGee. Travis was back in a few minutes. “That was Jan, I called my solicitor this morning about the rumors in the mill, she’s going to put out a statement later today, maybe that will help put out the fire.”

“I certainly hope so. Thank you Travis you seem to be on top of it all.”

Travis smiled, “you don’t have to thank me, I’m doing what I can…I do care.”

Kyle arrived with Toni, Michael stood up and Travis went to the door, Michael was curious to see the interaction between Toni and Travis.

Toni still a little shaken from her ordeal at Starbucks ran up the steps to the porch where Travis waited, he caught her arms and held her away from him or she would have gone into his arms; a safe haven.

“Toni are you okay now, come inside your Dad’s here.”

“Kyle, thank you again,” Toni turned as she went inside the house.

Travis caught his eye, “Any trouble?”

“They caught us coming out of Starbucks, there’s somebody outside the gates, car parked along the road. We stopped and got her bag…I didn’t know…save a trip maybe,” he met Travis’s eye.

“Good, ta mate.”

Michael gave her a hug, “How are you my dear, come and sit down.”

Toni sat on the sofa next to her father, “I don’t know how I am, it’s all too much, too fast.”

“I quite understand,” he looked up as Travis came back in the room and took a chair across from them. “Hopefully it will settle just as fast for all our sakes.” The man had tremendous control of himself.

“Toni, Jan’s going to put out a statement to the press later today denying all rumors, the Sydney papers won’t print anything about you but she has no control over the rags. It will all die down soon. I told you that you could stay here, I’ve got a guest house, Kyle uses the lounge as his center of operations,” he grinned, “but there are two nice bedrooms, it’s fully functional as a separate house. You are welcome to stay there for awhile.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea Travis” Michael stated.

“No one needs to know she’s here, she goes back to Coffs she’ll be spotted. She won’t be able to go out without being photographed. Just for a while Michael, until this dies down. You’re welcome to stay with her.”

“You all talk like I’m not here; I have a right to…” Toni started crying and Michael put his arm around her and looked across the room at Travis he saw the look in his eyes and sighed.

“What do you want to do Toni? Come home with me or stay here? You need to think about this; if Richie asks me where you are I won’t lie and you know what that will mean for you if you’re here.”

Toni wiped her eyes with her hands and looked up and met Travis’s gaze.