The Awful Truth – McLeod’s Daughters Episode Summary 3.15

Synopsis: Harry Ryan is back in town, and immediately has a proposal that would stir his neighbors. Harry proposes that they vote on the upgrade and reuse of an old stock route that passes through all their farms. Nick Ryan’s surprise vote in favor of Harry’s proposal surprises everybody especially his brother Alex who is still furious with the man he once called his father. However, the blow from Nick’s unexpected vote is nothing compared to learning the awful truth about Harry Ryan’s new girlfriend.

Episode Summary: Pregnant Claire McLeod (Lisa Chappell) arrives at the Gungellan Pub and immediately her mood turns sour at the sight of Alex Ryan (Aaron Jeffrey) and Sandra Kinsela (Inge Hornstra) at the bar happily chatting with each other. If Claire only knew what they are so giddy about her mood would go beyond just sour. Alex and Sandra were reminiscing about the time when they spent the night together, something that only the two of them know. Their conversation shifts to the meeting between neighbors that Harry Ryan (Marshall Napier) had scheduled. Alex unaware of neither the meeting nor Harry’s return becomes irate. He excuses himself to confront his brother who knew of their father’s return and the get-together. Nick Ryan (Myles Pollard) need not to confirm Harry’s return, since the old man is standing right behind Alex. Continue reading...

Not wanting anything to do with the man whom he once called his father, Alex decides not to attend the meeting. Having learned of his decision, Sandra drives all the way to Wilgul to persuade him to come. Alex finds her sudden interest with his and Harry’s relationship odd. Moreover that it seems that it is only she who knows what Harry is up to.

Later that night, the McLeod’s arrive at Killarney where they meet Nick and their new neighbor Vince Lavise (Peter Stefanou). Sandra arrives just in time followed by Alex who surprised them all with his sudden change of heart. The purpose of the meeting is finally revealed. Harry who had uncovered an old stock route proposes its upgrade and reuse. Truth is, Nick and Claire already knew of this old stock route ever since Harry’s cattle found their way to Drovers Run, and trampled on her newly planted Canola. The two said nothing fearing that the old man would make this very proposal. It was a plan that proves to be very costly, and mostly benefited Harry, since his land is the farthest from the yard. Moreover, Wilgul, which is an organic farm, runs the risk of contamination if this proposal is approved and non-organic stock starts passing through the farm. Although there is a solution that would prevent such contamination it proves to be both costly and wasteful, since it would take a considerable amount of land to create a buffer. So it boils down to a vote. Claire, Tess, and Alex who had voted against the proposal were all surprised by Nick’s vote that left them with a tie. The pressure now is on Vince who had asked for more time to review the expenses needed to upgrade the route.

Meanwhile at Drovers Run, Meg Fountain probably tired about her daughter’s endless moping and talk about doing something else other than farming had taken upon herself to provide her the tool that would help Jodi accomplish her goal. She thinks that going back to school would be the answer. Unfortunately, she had forgotten her daughter’s trait of dreaming and not acting. Jodi Fountain had always been a dreamer, and attending a community college is not really what she had in mind. The truth is, her sudden interest with her daughter was partly to distract her from the fact that Terry had been distancing himself from her. This worries Meg, especially since he had been spending a lot of time caring for his supposed sick aunt, which she knows does not exist.

With a 24-hour deadline set to make a consensus on the proposal, they all scramble to persuade each other to change their votes. Nick tries to talk his brother into putting aside his personal differences with Harry to see that the stock route is not a bad idea. When Tess McLeod (Bridie Carter) comes over to lecture Nick about his perplexing decision, she learns that the only reason he had voted the way he did was to give Alex and Harry something to talk about. He risks getting his organic farm certified just to bring his family back together. Clearly, Nick’s agenda makes his decision final. Therefore, there is only one possible swing vote, and that is Vince Lavise. Accepting the man’s offer of Claire training his horse, she uses that as an excuse for her visit. Unfortunately, she was not the only one who saw him as the deciding vote. Sandra had personally brought over a pair of wire strippers, and used it as her excuse for dropping by. This angers Claire, and the woman’s mention about the mystery revolving around her child’s real father made her skin crawl. Not wanting to make a scene especially in front of their new neighbor, Claire just bit her tongue and swallowed her pride. Anyway, she believes she had heard the answer she wanted to hear. Vince whose farm is closest to the yard finds no benefit for the stock route.

Tess has other things to worry about other than the stock route. Now that the alpacas have grown a full head of hair, it is time to shear them. However, shearing the mischievous alpacas prove to be more tedious than she thought it would be. The other women had decided to call on the help of an expert – his boyfriend Dave Brewer, the local veterinarian. To the women’s disbelief Tess refuses his help, and she goes on and on about eventually being too dependent on a man until one becomes so insecure that you lose the one you love. Her speech struck a chord, and Meg wastes no time to confront Terry. On her way to Killarney, Meg furiously prepares her speech where she plans to put her foot down and send Terry packing. However, her emotions got the better of her, and tears start pouring. Somehow she manages to get a hold of herself, and demand the man for an explanation. Who she thought Terry was seeing was not another woman, but a doctor. Terry Dodge is being tested for prostate cancer. Too scared to hear the awful truth, the poor man had been driving to town, but never gets the courage to step in the doctor’s office to hear the results. Despite the frightening news, Meg could not help but be relieved that she had not lost her man to another woman.

Meg returns to Drovers Run where Tess still has not sheared a single alpaca. Learning from Terry’s mistake of keeping his problem to himself, Meg scolds Tess for being stubborn as a mule, and too arrogant to ask for help. This had put some sense on the woman enough to finally ask Dave for assistance, but not without letting him know that she does not intend on always running to him for help. What seemed impossible to do was really not so. All it took for them to keep the alpaca still was a sock over its eyes. With it the shearing took no time at all. With the shearing problem solved, Meg decides to accompany Terry to the doctor’s office. The man could still not bear to find the truth about his condition, but they needed to know. Together they receive the results of the tests only to learn that Terry is not suffering from prostate cancer. Terry repays Meg’s support in kind. He accompanies her to Fisher community college where she would sign-up for an English Studies course.

Meanwhile at Wilgul, Nick finds the perfect opportunity to bring his brother and father to talk. After receiving a call from Harry asking for help with his stock, Nick decides to pass the request to his brother. Alex would not have given this a second thought if not for Sandra’s talk about how her conversation with Harry would always end up with him. Alex finds his father by the road stuck with a truckload of cattle. Current roadwork had deemed the road impassable, leaving him with no other choice but to use the old stock route to get the cattle in time for the sale. Alex puts aside his anger towards his father, and helps him with this task. Not only was Harry able to show Alex the benefit of the stock route, he too was able to start mending their strained relationship. However, this will be short-lived. Harry had always had an agenda on his mind. Leave it to Claire to find out about it. On her way back to Drovers Run, she finds the construction that blocked the road. Not having been notified about the work being done, Claire becomes furious especially at the thought of how this type of unexpected roadwork would hinder them from transporting their stock. Knowing that her fury would solve nothing, she settles with just finding out who had approved the work. It was Harry Ryan.

Claire rushes to Wilgul to inform the Ryan brothers about Harry’s new scheme. Her news wiped off the smile from the pleasant day Alex had spent with his father, and one that marked the beginning of their reconciliation. It took no time for Alex to realize how his father had once again used him. He had set up the bogus roadwork hoping that Alex would change his mind about the stock route. Furious Alex goes to Killarney to confront his father, and was surprised to find Sandra there. The sight of Sandra half-naked followed by his father had left him speechless. His shock left him with no other choice, but to leave. Given this, there is no way Alex is going to change his mind about the stock route, but Harry already has a plan.

After receiving a call from Nick about the stock route, Claire and Tess waste no time to see what it is all about. Harry had bought Vince Lavise’s vote by naming the route that passes through his farm Lavise Drive. Vince who is new in town, and is still struggling to be one of the locals had found a benefit with having his name on a sign. Out-numbered, the vote is final, and Harry got his stock route. However, that is the least of their worries. Gold-digging, power hungry Sandra Kinsela becoming Harry Ryan’s new girlfriend might prove to be a bigger problem than the stock route.

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Body Language – McLeod’s Daughters Episode Summary 3.26

Synopsis: Becky Howard competes in the Regional Young Farmer of the Year award in the hopes of winning a scholarship and gaining the respect of other farmers. However, Jake Harrison comes back to her life, and offers her to come away with him. Becky is faced with the dilemma of leaving Drovers Run. Meanwhile, Harry Ryan and Sandra Kinsela had a falling off that led the woman to commit a desperate act of revenge.

Episode Summary: Jodi Fountain (Rachael Carpani) watches Becky Howard (Jessica Napier) muster the last heifer inside the gate. She wonders why the lead station hand dreams of winning the Regional Young Farmer of the Year award given the lackluster prizes – a trophy and the winner’s name on the wall. Becky reminds her about the scholarship at the Higgins Agricultural College, and how Claire McLeod gained the respect of other farmers as a result of her victory back in 1996. It would not be an easy win with tough competitors including Jake Harrison (Charlie Clausen) who after watching Becky from afar had decided to approach the young woman to let her know of his entry. He believes that the competition is a way to make Becky notice him, and that claiming victory would win her back.  Continue reading...

Harry Ryan (Marshall Napier) makes his way to Drovers Run to judge the Regional Young Farmer’s Competition, and also to check on his prized bull – King Harold. Driving ahead of him is his former girlfriend and also one of the judges, Sandra Kinsela (Inge Hornstra) who with a big smile stops her truck to flag him down. However, Harry who has turned cold on her just passes her by. He arrives at Drovers Run and learns that Claire McLeod (Lisa Chappell) had put Becky in charge of looking after the prized bull given that the breeding program was the young woman’s idea. Having learned this, Harry starts to feel a little hesitant with the agreement especially since Becky already has too much on her plate, but Claire assures him that her lead station hand is more than capable of handling her responsibilities, and adds that the young woman is the best station hand she has ever had.

Sandra finally arrives at Drovers Run, and finds Harry already there. She offers him a ride to the paddock where the competition will be taking place, but he rejects her offer. Having witnessed the turn of events, Alex Ryan (Aaron Jeffrey) could not help but mock her, but his ridicule backfires when Sandra implies about the short-lived relationship the two of them had. Unaware of Alex’s relationship with Sandra, Claire inquires about the woman’s remark. Luckily, the competition has begun allowing Alex to elude her inquisition. Jake takes the first round, which involved counting sheep. His plan seems to work, and Jodi provides affirmation having observed how Becky, though unconsciously, flirted with him.

Meanwhile Terry Dodge is a bit threatened and annoyed having learned that Meg Fountain (Sonia Todd) had been spending much time alone with Gordon Vidmar, her professor, discussing romantic poetry. Meg is a little insulted that Terry finds it hard to believe that her professor might just be interested with her brain. However, Tess made her think twice. According to her, men sends off signals such that when they talk and look at a woman’s mouth instead of her eyes it means that he wants to kiss her. To appease Terry, Meg though not convincingly attests that Gordon looks at her eyes. Still anxious about Meg and her professor, Terry seeks help from Jodi hoping to learn if her mother gives off any signs of attraction. Unfortunately, he asked the wrong person since Jodi was clueless about their affair before, and in fact only learned about it when she walked in on them. To add more to his anxiety, he finds Meg talking on the phone with Gordon. He worries even more when she innocently sends him out of the kitchen. Feeling insecure and fearing of losing Meg to a professor, Terry tries to win her back with a good home-cooked meal, but Meg’s mind is still wrapped around her poetry assignment leaving his efforts unnoticed.

With the first round over, Claire finds another opportunity to reopen the issue. Given Alex’s reputation, she had made herself believe that he slept with the one woman she abhors. Alex at first denies her accusation, but was forced to admit his guilt to avoid losing Claire’s trust. Although the affair happened before the two of them were together, Claire could not help but be angry.

The second round, a barrel race, commences and this time Becky takes the lead. While others are taking a break, she resumes her duties as Drovers Run’s lead station hand starting up with feeding the prized bull. Jake finds her, and offers her to come away with him. Apparently, he had already leased his own place, and wants her to help him run it, but more than that he only wants to be with her given how much he truly loves Becky. Confused she returns for the third round of the competition where contestants are to put up a post for a fence, and Becky finishes last, which moves her down to third place in the overall rankings. She blames Jake for her loss, since his revelation had made her lose focus. Determined to win the competition, she tells him to keep his distance from her.

Tess McLeod (Bridie Carter) and Nick Ryan (Myles Pollard) are on their way back to Drovers with the trophy for the young farmer’s competition. Not having won any competition Tess finds the trophy, a piece of shiny tin on a block of fake wood, a bit of a disappointment. Unlike her, Nick has a wall full of trophies, and knows exactly how it feels to win one. He explains that to kids, a trophy helps boost morale. However, there is one competition that he did not win where he clearly is still bitter about his loss – public speaking. Determined to prove that his speech about rodeo life deserves the trophy that escaped his grasp, he begins his speech where even a flat tire did not stop him from finishing it. Unfortunately, it only proved that he definitely was not worthy of the coveted trophy. The long and winding speech had made Tess forget about the trophy that she temporarily placed at the back of the Ute when she was looking for a jack. They drive away unaware that the award had fallen off the Ute. Some time had passed before Tess remembered the trophy. They return to the place where they had the flat tire to find that it had been run over, by the looks of it, by a truck.

With the first day of the competition over, Becky continues her watch on the prized bull. Oddly, she finds Sandra by the gate, equally peculiar is how she pointed out how Harry so loved his prized bull – King Harold. Her strange presence adds more to Becky’s already preoccupied mind. Becky is torn between Drovers Run and Jake both of which are difficult to leave. However, Jodi points out that she would be leaving anyway if she wins the competition, but Becky vows of coming back. Drovers Run has become her home thanks to Claire who provided her refuge when the world had turned its back on her.

The long day is finally over, and everybody is back in the comforts of their own homes. Nick and Alex talk about the peculiar ways of women. With Claire still upset with him, Alex complains how women do not want to be lied to, and be told the truth. Nick, on the other hand, is annoyed at Tess for finding his speech awful. Though not the best public speaker, Nick is good at giving advice, and his most recent one seems to be most helpful to Alex. He tells his brother to swallow his pride and apologize to Claire. Alex is hesitant, since he did not do anything wrong. Nick tries to convince his clueless about women brother to just follow his advice, but Sandra’s rather unusual visit disrupts their conversation.

Back at Drovers Run, Becky and Jake’s issue had opened the discussion for their own heartaches. Claire tells Tess of having discovered that Alex slept with Sandra. Learning that it happened long before the two became an item, Tess makes her sister understand that Alex was not in the wrong. However, Claire could not get over the fact that he slept with Sandra. The woman one would consider as her mortal enemy. Tess points out that she slept with Peter whom everybody knows Alex loathes. Moreover, she convinces Claire that Alex would not do anything to wreck their relationship. Their discussion made Tess realize about her own problem with Dave, her avoidance from him, given their recent break up. She makes it known that she actually misses her former fiancé.

Despite Becky’s order for him to stay away, Jake found it difficult to do so. He tells her of his plans with the land he leased, of building a cottage big enough for a family. Jake had clearly changed for the better, and is trying his best to please the woman he loves. However, his efforts seem to be in vain as she shrugs him off to go check on Harry’s prized bull – King Harold. It was a rightful decision, since Becky got there just in time to scare off the men about to castrate the bull. The next morning, Claire finds her sleeping at the back of the Ute keeping close watch of the prized bull. Confused as to why one would go to such lengths to castrate the bull leaving it worthless than stealing it for profit, the two women realize that it is a plot to make either Becky or Drovers Run look bad. Claire takes charge of moving King Harold so Becky could go and win the competition.

Becky and Jake go head-to-head at the shearing competition. All watch the event including Claire and Alex who had taken his brother’s advice, and apologized. Unfortunately, Claire is not like any other woman as she rejects his apology stating that Alex does not even know why he is even asking for forgiveness. Alex’s retort gave Claire the idea that Sandra must be the one who tried to castrate Harry’s prized bull given how Harry had turned sour on her. She leaves the shearing shed without knowing that Jake had once again beaten Becky. Fully aware how much the competition means to Becky, Jake tells her that he will pull out of the race if she asks him to. However, Becky wants to win fair and square and vows of completely rejecting his offer if he in any way attempts to let her win. Jake is given a renewed hope upon learning that she is giving his proposal some thought.

Tess and Nick set off again to get another trophy to replace the one they broke. However, Tess is not in her usual bubbly mood. Noticing this, Nick tries to cheer her up with his speech with the added hope of making her realize how good it is. Tess already sore after hearing it the first time begs him not to repeat it again. Nick dares Tess to give a speech of her own, and she ends up mocking him, but nonetheless makes a point. Her speech about coffee that only enumerated and described the different types is not far away from the speech he was so sure was deserving of a trophy.

After the wool classing round, Claire confers with Becky her suspect - Sandra. She reckons that it could only be Sandra who would have thought of castrating the bull rather than just stealing it. With this and learning from Becky that the woman had been strangely lurking around the prized bull, Claire is utterly convinced that she has the right suspect.

Sandra takes a break and leaves the shearing shed while the other judges are tallying up the scores. Claire takes this opportunity to confront Sandra. Alex sees the two and follows them. She accuses Sandra of the attempted crime, but was thrown off upon learning that the woman could not have done it since she was at Wilgul with Alex at the time. Alex confirms her alibi, consequently digging himself a deeper hole. He explains that the woman came uninvited and would not leave, but stubborn Claire would not listen.

The last round has finally arrived, and so is Becky’s last chance to win the competition. The contestants on their motorbikes race around a dirt course. Jake leads the pack with Becky right behind him. With only a few feet away from the finish line, Jake regrettably meets an accident as he hits a stack of hay causing him to lose balance and fall. Becky foregoes winning the competition as she stays behind to help the fallen biker. Although both of them lose, the mishap had made Becky realize that she still loves Jake. However, she is faced with the dilemma of leaving Drovers Run after all that Claire had done for her.

It seems like Claire is out again to stick her head for Becky after she tells Harry of the attempted castration of his prized bull. Harry who was from the onset against having Becky in charge of his bull’s safety blames the station hand, but Claire makes him understand that if not for the young woman’s efforts the bull would not have been protected from danger. In fact, she did over and above what was expected of her, and even jeopardized her chances of winning the scholarship that she so hoped of getting. She put her dream on the line for her job.

If there’s anyone to blame it should be Sandra whom Claire accuses in front of Harry. She is convinced that it is only she who would benefit from the crime, and in fact deliberately made the unusual visit at Wilgul to provide her the necessary alibi. Sandra threatens to sue for her false accusation, but Harry puts a stop to it given that his prized bull is alive and well. Truth be told, Harry is pleased to learn that Sandra might have done it as a desperate act of revenge. He considers the action as a very powerful way of saying how much she loves him, since she went to such lengths to get his attention.

Because Sandra has a watertight alibi, she is off the hook. The good news is Harry still wants Becky to continue her breeding program. However, Becky finally tells Claire about her leaving Drovers Run to be with Jake. Although, losing her best lead station hand is a painful blow, Claire who is always considerate of others needs does not stand in the way of the young woman’s love or dreams, and she gives Becky her blessing.

With the competition over, Meg makes her way to town to submit her assignment, and was taken aback when Mr. Vidmar looks at her mouth and leans close to her. Reminded by Tess’ theory, Meg makes it clear to her professor that she does not want to engage in a relationship with him. Confused with his student’s unusual reaction, Meg explains her sudden awkward, and rather fearful behavior only to shamefully learn that the only reason why Mr. Vidmar had looked at her mouth was because she has a piece of parsley stuck on her teeth. Moreover, she learns that he is in fact gay.

All return in time for the award ceremony including Meg who has wonderful news for Terry. Also there are Nick and Tess who managed to find a replacement trophy without anyone learning about the thrashed old one, which Tess awarded to Nick for his efforts at making her forget about Dave, and her upcoming biopsy. It seems that couples had gotten back together including Harry and Sandra, which only leaves Claire and Alex to sort out their own relationship. Claire apologizes to Alex and admits that she is wrong. Alex takes the rare opportunity of hearing Claire admit to her mistake, and subtly impels her to make her apology public. Without any arguments, she does what he would never dream of seeing her do. Claire McLeod swallows her pride and in front of everybody admits that she is wrong, and apologizes to Alex.

Finally, the actual award ceremony had commenced, and Harry Ryan announces that Ruth Davis wins the regional competition. In addition, Harry announces a new award for the best and fairest competitor who put others safety before the desire to win, to add, this person also went to extra lengths to ensure the safety of a prized bull. Obviously, Becky Howard takes that award, which comes with a one-year scholarship to Higgins Agricultural College – a prize that was generously donated by Harry himself.

Although this prize adds more complication for Becky who had earlier agreed to live with Jake to help him run their own horse-breeding program, the two managed to reach common ground. Jake, learning how much Becky wants the scholarship, puts his girlfriend’s dream first before his. All seem to handle Becky’s departure very well, except for Jodi who though happy for her friend’s good fortune could not help, but be sad to see her best friend leave. All say their goodbyes, including Meg who had not always gotten along with the young woman, but nevertheless learned to appreciate and even be proud of her. Becky tearfully bids farewell to Claire McLeod who was the one person who gave her a chance when no one else would. She remembers all the kindness she received from the women of Drovers Run who had always been there for her in her time of need. Becky waves goodbye to them as she and Jake drive away, and with that Becky Howard leaves Drovers Run.

Previous episode: Time Frame
Next episode: To Catch A Thief
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Turbulence – McLeod’s Daughters Episode Summary 3.30

Synopsis: The sudden appearance of a private investigator sends Stevie Hall packing, and ready to leave Drovers Run. At the same time, Charlotte becomes terribly ill due to a spider bite. Stevie puts her troubles aside to help save the baby’s life. With the hospital hours away, she decides to steal a plane in order to get the sick child at the hospital before it is too late. With trouble already following her, this latest stunt might send her directly to jail.

Episode Summary: Although Tess McLeod (Bridie Carter) had finally gone over her utter dislike for Stevie Hall (Simmone Jade Mackinnon) enough to reinstate her as the lead station hand; she still finds the new addition a little odd. The sudden appearance of a private investigator looking for her adds more to her apprehension. Despite her ambivalent feelings for the new hire, Tess still had the good sense of covering for her. Stevie assures Tess that there is nothing to worry about, and that the curious visit from a private investigator probably has something to do with the rodeo accident she witnessed, and nothing more. Tess remains unconvinced, and there is good reason for her doubt. In fact, Stevie had already started packing her things, and if not for Jodi none of them would have known about her taking off. Stevie goes back to the main house to retrieve her precious stones and to make a phone call. Unlucky for her, Jodi had already told the other women about her plan leaving Tess to confront the troubled station hand wanting to know the trouble she brought at Drovers Run. However, Stevie is adamant with keeping her business to herself, which leaves Tess with no other choice but to fire her.  Continue reading...

Claire McLeod is already buried and at peace, but Alex Ryan (Aaron Jeffrey) still has not moved on, and seems to be clinging to the last horse that his beloved mate trained. Nick Ryan (Myles Pollard) worries about his brother, but more so at his lack of interest with Wilgul’s cash flow problem. Left alone to tend to their property’s financial problems, Nick is left with no choice, but to seek help from the last person he would ask - his father Harry Ryan. Things are just not going Nick’s way. Harry though pleased to have his son asking him for help is willing to lend him a hand only he too is cash strapped, but only because he had just bought his lover, Sandra Kinsela, a brand new airplane for a birthday present. Nick returns to Wilgul to find Alex reluctant to accept Neil Thompson’s payment only because he is unwilling to let go of the last horse that Claire trained. Knowing that it was Nick who called Neil, Alex angrily confronts his brother for going over his head. It was only then was Nick able to finally make Alex realize the serious financial trouble they are in.

Meanwhile at Drovers Run, Meg Fountain informs Tess about Charlotte’s high fever. Apparently, a red-back spider had bitten the poor baby. Fortunately, Stevie has not yet left, and upon learning of the baby’s condition volunteers to drive the child to the hospital while Meg, thanks to Stevie’s guidance, calls the hospital to ensure that anti-venom is ready when they arrive. Tess and Stevie rush BOM to the hospital unaware that trouble has followed them, all thanks to Sandra who without a second thought pointed the private investigator to where she is hiding. Seeing the speeding car and a train approaching, the private investigator thinks that his chance of catching the runaway has come. Unlucky for him, with or without anyone chasing her, Stevie is determined to get Charlotte to the hospital as soon as possible such that not even an oncoming train would stop her from doing so. The P.I. watches in disbelief as the car zooms passed the tracks, and he is left to sulk on the other side, once again missing the opportunity of catching the elusive woman.

With Stevie miles away from his reach, the Private Eye decides to return to Drovers Run. Jodi finds him suspiciously lurking about the property about to rummage through Stevie’s sack when her dog, Diesel catches him. The two rival dogs, Roy and Diesel, find common ground as they stand guard to keep the terrified man cornered. The man nervously takes out from his coat pocket a form of identification only in his fright from getting mulled over by two seemingly vicious dogs he trips on a piece of wood and hits his head on the car.

Meanwhile, Tess inexperienced with dealing with a sick baby depends a lot on Stevie who seems to be knowledgeable with handling an ailing child. With BOM’s condition worsening, and still hours away from the hospital, Stevie decides to change course, and drives to the airport instead. Because Charlotte’s life is at stake, and having to go through the paperwork of officially flying a sick child to the hospital, Stevie takes one of the planes without giving any notice. Although against the new plan, Tess is left with no other choice but to submit to it. Sandra’s deviousness has finally been repaid, since the airplane that they stole belongs to her.

Stevie just keeps digging herself a deeper hole. Already on the run from an investigator, stealing and flying an airplane without a license does not seem to help her case. Moreover, her brilliant idea turns sour when she realizes that they are lost. Furthermore, there is no way of communicating to an airport terminal controller since the headphones are nowhere to be found, and the air speed indicator is not working. Good thing Tess has brought the cell phone with her, and it miraculously has a signal. As per Stevie’s instruction, she calls Nick for help with the navigation. The two Ryan brothers come to their rescue, but the women need a lot more help since one of the engines just failed. The plane starts to stall. Thankfully, the two brothers remain calm, and continue to provide guidance. With Nick’s clear instructions, the women and BOM seems like they are going to make it alive. Finally, the plane lands safely in Nanjemup where an ambulance is already waiting. BOM is then rushed to the hospital just in time eluding mortal danger.

Nick and Alex arrive to check on Charlotte. Both are relieved to learn that the baby is past the worst. Stevie who had put herself in danger to save the child deserves all gratitude, but no good deed goes unpunished. The police arrive to arrest her for stealing Sandra’s plane. Having learned that if not for Stevie the child might have not survived Alex owes Stevie for fuming at her recklessness. He helps get her out of serious charges by taking responsibility for Stevie’s actions stating that he was the one who instructed her to take Sandra’s plane in order to save Charlotte’s life. Sandra decides not to press charges. Unfortunately, stealing an airplane is only one of the many aviation laws Stevie violated such that the police still arrest her for the other charges. Again, Alex bails her out, and assures her that the worst is over given that the remaining charges are only misdemeanors. Stevie might soon be cleared of her charges, but she sure is not free from Sandra who has put her under obligation as payment for her not pressing charges.

Back at Drovers Run, the private investigator regains his consciousness, and finds Jodi and Terry hovering above him with the two dogs still standing guard. Having verified his identity, the two invite him inside the house to get to the bottom of things. Stevie arrives to find him at the kitchen waiting for her. She tries to escape, but Jodi and Terry stop and assure her that the man has no intention of harming her. Apparently, it was her sister who hired him. Not hearing from Stevie for months, her sister had become worried sick, and only wants to know that she is alive and well. To fulfill her sister’s request, Stevie sums up the courage to call home.

With the recent events behind them, normalcy is regained. Charlotte returns to Drovers Run completely out of danger, while Alex deals with Wilgul’s financial problems. He reckons that the answer to their finances lies in the rodeo even though he might end up with broken bones or worse. But because he is still grieving for the loss of his beloved mate Claire, Alex believes that there is nothing else to lose. Stevie seems to share the same feelings as she finally makes her secret known. She shows Tess a picture of her daughter, Rosie. The ordeal of nearly losing Charlotte brought back painful memories of almost losing her child. Only fifteen at the time, Stevie was a kid with a baby. To provide a better life for her daughter, she decided to leave her baby with her sister until she becomes settled and fit to be a mother only her child has come to believe that Stevie’s sister is her mother. To help Stevie with her goal, Tess puts aside their differences and offers her a place in Drovers Run.

Previous episode: The Long Goodbye
Next episode: Out of the Ashes
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To Catch A Thief – McLeod’s Daughters Episode Summary 3.27

Synopsis: Tess and Claire McLeod catch a stranger illegally grazing cattle on Drovers Run, but soon learn that it is Claire’s good friend from the rodeo, Stevie Hall. With her arrival coinciding with the robbery that has been going around the neighboring farms, and Tess’ growing dislike for her, Tess suspects that Stevie is the thief. Annoyed with Tess’ suspicious mind, Stevie sets out to catch the real thief.

Episode Summary: Tess (Bridie Carter) and Claire McLeod (Lisa Chappell) catch a stranger illegally grazing cattle on Drovers Run only to learn that it is Claire’s good friend from the rodeo, Stevie Hall (Simmone Jade Mackinnon). Seeing how close her sister is with her best mate, Tess feels threatened. Later, Jodi Fountain (Rachael Carpani) discovers that some hay is missing from the top paddock, and immediately suspects an unknown woman she saw mustering cattle at the stock route. She tells Claire and Tess about her finding, but knowing that the woman is Stevie, Claire quickly dismisses her as the thief. However, Tess is not too quick on foregoing her sister’s friend as a suspect especially after learning from Meg that as kids Stevie had dared Claire to move everybody’s car to another paddock leaving a lot of hung over B & S Ball attendees confused and about to call the police. Both Tess and Jodi could not believe that an uptight, no non-sense Claire could pull a stunt like that. That is not the only thing that Jodi could not believe. Learning from Toby that Nick had assigned him and a couple of guys a special secret job for the CFS, she tries to understand why Nick had not let her be part of that special mission.  Continue reading...

Tess’ growing dislike for Stevie worsens when she starts to make fun of her precious alpacas. To make matters even worse, Claire offers Stevie the lead station hand position without even consulting her. Tess makes it known to her sister that she disagrees with her decision, and even suspects the new lead station hand as the thief. Claire is taken aback by her sister’s unusual distrust, but supposes that it was only brought about by Tess’ anxiety for tomorrow’s scheduled open biopsy. Nick also notices Tess’ rather unfriendly behavior, and was bold enough to point it to her. Admittedly, she confesses that she is being childish.

Having accepted the job, Stevie with her dog Diesel moves in on Becky’s old quarters. She wastes no time to make the place her own as she hauls in her sack and almost a dozen pairs of boots, but those are not the only things she brought with her. She pulls out from her sack a pouch, and quickly hides it under the linoleum floor. Jodi returns to the Shearer’s quarters to find a pair of boots outside Becky’s old quarters. Stevie who immediately assumes the lead station hand position without further ado lays down the ground rules. Jodi is not pleased with her new boss, and Tess seems to be happy that she is not the only one opposed to Claire’s new hire. Unfortunately, Stevie proves that she is the right person for the job when she ropes and successfully catches a Mickey bull without breaking a sweat. Her display of skill only reinforced the fact that Claire made the right decision.

At her welcome party, Stevie was surprised to learn that Alex and Claire are together. Equally surprised, but for a completely other reason is Jodi. She learns from Nick that he had not sent Toby Frye on a special CFS job. Moreover, she now suspects Toby as the thief. This after Terry updated everybody that Harry Ryan had also been robbed. Stevie sensing that Tess suspects her of stealing boldly confronts her in the hopes of straightening things out with them, but their talk only confirmed what she already knew – Tess’ dislike of her. Claire notices her sister’s growing aversion to Stevie, but because she is unaware of the cause she just keeps silent. Truth is, Tess’ jealousy is the root cause of her resentment, and hearing more stories about the good times Claire and Stevie had only increased her unease. She escapes the enjoyment that is only causing her more unhappiness. Unaware of what her lumpectomy would bring, Tess prepares for the worst, and decides to write a letter to her niece, Charlotte. Thinking that she would not be around to see her grow up, she writes down all the things she would have taught her if she were alive.

Unlike Tess, Stevie does not pay much attention to what other people have to say about her, but she does notice how everybody appeared to be walking on eggshells around Tess. She learns from Claire of her condition, and only then did she understand. Although, the news did not stop her from being frank with Tess who was quick to accuse her of stealing after learning that Stevie whose Ute broke down decided to borrow Nick’s bike without his permission. Tired of being thought of a thief, Stevie takes it upon herself to catch the real thief.

While the two sisters are in the hospital for Tess’ open biopsy, Stevie and Jodi are busy in their attempt to catch a thief. Stevie’s plan is to fill up a petrol drum with water that way whoever was helping themselves to other people’s fuel would fill their vehicle with water rather than petrol, which would leave them stranded with a broken truck. Thinking that Toby is the culprit, Jodi becomes anxious with the capture. In an attempt to help her friend elude his imminent capture, Jodi tries to warn Toby only he is nowhere to be found. Later, Stevie and Jodi return to their bait to find that it worked. Someone had filled his truck with water instead of fuel. Convinced that Toby is the thief, Jodi tries to make excuses for her fellow CFS trainee’s actions only to find out that it is Race Hayley who has been stealing. Caught red-handed the old farmer is left with no choice, but to disclose his embarrassing financial status, and though not convincingly declares of paying for the things he filched.

The lumpectomy is finally over, but with the anesthesia still in effect, Tess dreams of waking up to Nick calling for her. In her dream, she wakes and opens her bedroom door to find him at the other side asking her to stay. She answers that she will always stay, and they kiss. With that she wakes, and finds herself still in the hospital with her sister sitting beside her. She is relieved to learn that the biopsy is done and over with. Claire and Tess return from the hospital, and Jodi wastes no time to inform Claire of their discovery. With the real thief caught, Tess owes Stevie an apology. Claire tells her sister that it is not necessary, since Stevie is not the type of person to hold a grudge. However, Tess’ rather dismal behavior caused by her unfounded jealousy and feeling of uselessness gets the better of her. Luckily, Claire is a little more considerate than usual given her sister’s condition that she shrugs off Tess’ foul disposition.

Having caught the real thief, everybody’s name except for the culprit is cleared, and that includes Toby. Jodi finds him sneaking in Drovers Run’s garage to borrow a chain. Knowing full well that he is not on a special CFS job, and unwilling to lend the chain until she learns the truth, Toby is left with no other choice, but to tell her what he and the other guys are really up to. Jodi finds out that Toby and the guys, for fun, took the CFS truck for a drive but one of the tires blew forcing them to leave it for the night. By the time they got to it the next day, the fire truck had sunk into the mud, and has become stuck. Toby asks Jodi not to tell Nick about their escapades, and she agrees, but not without asking something in exchange. Thanks to Toby’s misfortune, Jodi avoids hours of scrubbing grime.

As promised, Stevie returns Nick’s bike, being Claire’s good friend, and a straight-talker she manages to talk him into selling her the brumby he is training and to give her a lift back to Drovers Run. She arrives at the Shearer’s quarters and finds Tess inside her room. Tess swallows her pride and gives Stevie the apology she rightfully deserves. Tess’ visit though awkward did give them some common ground – shoes. Although she surely appreciates Tess’ attempt at making things right, Stevie appears a little bit anxious to have the other McLeod sister out of her quarters. The sole cause of her unease is the gems that she placed in a pouch and hid under the floor. Quickly she checks the precious stones and is relieved to find that none were stolen.

Meanwhile, Claire finds Tess’ letter to Charlotte, and after reading it becomes furious at her sister for thinking that she would not be around to see her niece grow up. Tess explains that she is not giving up, and comes clear about her jealousy with the close sister-like relationship that Claire and Stevie has. Claire agrees that she and Stevie are very much alike, but assures Tess, even with their differing tastes and her odd love for alpacas and real coffee, would not swap her sister for anything else. Tess finally realizes that she truly belongs.

Previous episode: Body Language
Next episode: My Noon, My Midnight
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The Long Goodbye – McLeod’s Daughters Episode Summary 3.29

Synopsis: Claire McLeod returns to Drovers Run as a ghost to help her sister deal with her untimely death. Meanwhile, Alex Ryan who is unable to grieve for the death of his beloved mate takes on a futile quest of taking the life of the white stallion that he believes caused Claire’s life. Alex fails in his pursuit, but comes to a realization, and he painfully bids her partner farewell. Though it took a while, Tess McLeod finally understands that she has to let go, and she bids her sister a long goodbye.

Episode Summary: Tess McLeod (Bridie Carter) dreams about the tragic accident that cost the life of her sister. She wakes up from her nightmare calling for Claire. Imagine her surprise to find Claire McLeod (Lisa Chappell) alive and well standing by her window pointing at their stars. Claire reckons that they ought to pick one for Charlotte and they do so choosing a bright star between theirs. Seeing and talking to her sister, Tess is certain that all that had happened was just a terrible dream and begins to tell her sister about it. Claire tells Tess that it is about time that she stops having those nightmares. She then leaves the room to go check on her daughter to show the baby her star that way they will always be together. Tess tries to follow her sister, but she is nowhere to be seen. She runs downstairs to the dining room only to find her sister’s coffin. Tess is mournfully reminded of the sad truth that Claire McLeod is truly dead.  Continue reading...

Another person whom Claire had left in shambles is Alex Ryan (Aaron Jeffrey). Convinced that the white brumby had caused the death of his beloved mate, Alex had taken it upon himself to go after the wild horse with the full intention of killing it. Knowing full well that the white stallion did not cause the accident, Nick Ryan tries to put some sense to his brother. Hoping to dissuade his brother from his futile quest, Nick informs him that Claire’s body is already back at Drovers Run. However, it proved to be a failure. Unable to grieve, Alex is clearly not ready to be reminded that her beloved mate is dead much more to see her in a coffin.

Like all who hold Claire dear, all in their own way mourn her death including her beloved dog, Roy. Ever faithful to his master, the dog would not even let anyone near her horse, which makes Jodi’s task harder given that Eagle needs grooming for the funeral procession. Gloom casts over Drovers Run and to hide from it, Tess busies herself with the wake and burial arrangements though clearly is unprepared to receive commiseration from friends and neighbors as she subconsciously ignores the incessant ringing of the phone. There is one thing she could not ignore and that is Claire’s ghost. On her way to meet with Harry Ryan who had dropped by to pay his respects, Claire’s ghost once again appears to her, but only to her.

Tess enters the room where they are holding her sister’s body to find Harry and Claire’s ghost who seems to be much less uptight dead than when she was alive. In fact, she wasted no time to comment on the flowers that Harry had brought stating that beer would have been a better offering. Awkward as she already is, Tess starts to act even more strange when she instinctively disagrees with her sister’s remark forgetting that she is the only one who sees and hears her. Though appearing jovial than she normally was, Claire’s distrust about Harry’s real intention of taking over Drovers Run remains intact. Following her sister’s suspicion, Tess blurts out to Harry that Drovers Run is not for sale much to the old man’s surprise who had in all honesty visited only to pay his respects to Claire. Hard as it is to believe, Harry truly has high regard for Claire despite their differences.

Harry and Claire might have had their own share of disagreements, but there is one thing they both agreed on and that is that the accident report is hardly worth reading. Claire even after death could not stress further that there are far more important things like farm work than trying to find answers from an accident report. However, Tess is too stubborn to listen to anybody not even to her sister who had come back from the dead to give her advice.

The same could be said about Alex whose determination to take out his anger on an innocent horse could not be deterred. Having been alone for too long pursuing a lost cause and without Claire’s ghost to straighten him out, Stevie Hall might just be the one person to shake Alex out of his vain pursuit. Overcome with anger for having lost his loved one, he had convinced himself that it was the brumby that killed Claire McLeod despite knowing that it was a pothole that really caused the fatal accident.

Tess has a lost cause of her own and had decided to return to the scene of the accident in an attempt to learn what she could have done to save her sister. Now, even without Claire’s ghost Tess is acting really strange as she desperately finds reason to her sister’s untimely death. Like a good friend that he truly is, Nick stays with her and does his best to get into her head that she had done all that she could, but just like his attempt to put some sense on his brother he too fails with Tess. She returns to Drovers still convinced that there must have been some tool at the back of the Ute that she could have used to break open her sister’s door to safely get her out of the slipping truck.

Claire’s ghost tries her best to help her sister forget about the accident more so to steer her away from the pointless search for answers to her tragic death. Her plan is to cheer her sister up with jokes even a bad one and to distract her with talk about raising BOM. However, Tess sees her haunting as an indication that Claire had not accepted her untimely death. On the contrary, Claire McLeod had never appeared happier and free than she is now. She continues with her blissful haunting upstairs in her bedroom where she starts getting rid of her clothes and even offers Tess the maternity dress she wore at Jodi’s wedding. Tess still in despair, but unable to grieve becomes annoyed with the ghost of Claire whose attempt to help her move on causes more trouble than aid. Tess’ irritation becomes even more obvious when she yells at her sister for pushing her to revive her relationship with Nick. Unlucky for her, Meg hears her talking to herself unaware of the presence of Claire’s ghost. Despite Tess’ unhappiness, Claire continues to act unlike herself as she playfully dances around the room.

Truth is, Alex is the one who appears as if life was sucked out of him and it seems like the only way to appease his inconsolable heart is to take the life of the white stallion that he deems responsible for Claire’s death. His chance has come when he spots the wild horse standing still in the open. Fully aware that the brumby had nothing to do with the accident, Stevie who decided to accompany the troubled Ryan brother foils his attempt at murdering the innocent horse.

Tess who just like Alex hides her anguish with a pointless quest, and has become unapproachable. This is why Jodi’s attempt to provide some sort of comfort to the surviving McLeod sister passed unnoticed, because Tess is preoccupied with her search for a way that could have saved her sister. Leave it to a ghost to try and convince her that no matter how hard she tries to find reason, the answer will not bring her back from the dead. Unfortunately, Tess is currently as stubborn as Claire was when she was alive.

Meanwhile, Stevie tries to cheer up Alex with the story of the first time she met Claire. According to her, it was in one of the rodeos and Alex was also there. They were still kids, but already Stevie knew that he, as early as then, was in love with Claire. Sadly, he wasted almost a lifetime to realize what was already in front of him. He is not the only one who fails to accept the truth. Late that night, Tess is awakened by the sound of the television. Claire had played the videotape of Charlotte’s naming ceremony. Tess continues to suppose that Claire has come back because of her untimely death, but her sister finally tells her that it is she who needs to move on. In fact, it is Tess who is keeping Claire from crossing over.

The time to put Claire McLeod to rest has come, but Alex is still not ready to bid her goodbye. In spite of Stevie’s urging, Alex could not bring himself to attend the funeral. He explains that the only way to put things right is to take the life of the brumby that he obstinately believes to have caused the fatal accident. He finally gets his chance when he corners the white stallion and it bravely faces its predator. Alex aims his shotgun and prepares to shoot just when the stallion’s family, a mare and a foal join the innocent brumby. Only then did reason come to Alex as he, unable to kill the wild horse, lowers his gun and lets the horses run free. Finally, he is able to grieve.

It was already the day of the funeral when Jodi found the right words to say to Claire, all thanks to Claire’s faithful dog, Roy. The beloved dog had come to pay its respects to its fallen master and through the unlikely creature Jodi was able to bid her a fitting goodbye. Unfortunately, Tess could not do the same. Seeing the carriage that would carry her sister’s coffin, Tess loses control and decides to escape. Thankfully, Nick who is already dressed for the funeral sees her and had the good sense of going with the troubled McLeod sister. After holding back for days what she truly felt, she tells Nick that she does not want to bury her sister. Somehow, he manages to convince Tess to return home. There really isn’t much she could do given that all their friends and neighbors had already arrived for the funeral and that includes Sandra whom Claire even after death loathes. Tess gives a final attempt at foregoing the funeral, but Claire wants it to be done and over it so Tess could get on with her life. All are ready for the burial, all except Tess. Leave it to Nick to finally convince Tess that she has to bury her sister.

Tess with Charlotte in her arms leads the procession that follows the carriage that carries Claire McLeod’s body to its final resting place. With Alex not in sight, Terry asks Vince to take his place in carrying Claire’s coffin. Terry opens the funeral with a heartfelt poem, and just in time Alex arrives to take his rightful place in laying his beloved mate to rest. Meg’s eulogy paints a picture of Claire’s life that is though short is fulfilled. She tells of a lonely child who at the end of her life finally got what she wanted – a man who loved her, a beautiful daughter and a sister. The time has finally come for Tess to say goodbye, and in a moment of agony was brought to the site of the accident where she stands face-to-face with Claire. There she learns that there is no reason for her death, but only acceptance. She finds strength from her dead sister’s wisdom. Claire begs her sister to let go. Only then did she understand and finally she let’s go. She opens her eyes and finds herself still in the middle of a eulogy, but with a renewed strength to go on. She tells of how at first she only wanted to claim an inheritance, but soon realized that the best part of her inheritance is finding her sister, and that it was only then did she feel that she truly belonged somewhere. Tess, though still grief-stricken finds the strength to move on, and she successfully does so. It took her long, but she finally bids Claire goodbye. Tess watches as Claire observes her own funeral from afar and with a smile on her face she walks away. Alex also finds the will to say goodbye as he kneels by her coffin, and for the last time tells Claire that he loves her. He puts the ring he never got the chance to give her on the coffin, and with it they bury Claire McLeod.

Previous episode: My Noon, My Midnight
Next episode: Turbulence
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My Noon, My Midnight – McLeod’s Daughters Episode Summary 3.28

Synopsis: Tess McLeod had made herself believe that the sudden appearance of a white stallion at Drovers Run is an omen – a sign of death. Her grim and dreary disposition is brought about by the impending results of her lumpectomy. All do their best to appease her only to painfully learn that the white horse is meant for someone else, her beloved sister – Claire McLeod.

Episode Summary: Stevie Hall is startled to find Jodi Fountain rummaging through her things and becomes afraid that the young woman would find the gems that she had hidden. Fortunately, the only things that she found are a hair dryer, a shirt, a lotion and her knickers that Stevie is already wearing. To appease Jodi and prevent her from looking any further, she promises the young woman a half dozen new pairs of socks. As soon as Jodi leaves her quarters, Stevie quickly checks the pouch of gems that she had carelessly hidden under the linoleum floor and finds them untouched. The incident was a close call, which gave her the need to look for a better hiding place. Later that night, she sneaks inside the main house and into the cellar where she finds a loose stone on the wall – a perfect hideaway. That night a full moon shines over Drovers Run and it brought with it a white stallion.  Continue reading...

It was already morning when they first catch the glimpse of the white brumby. Tess Silverman (Bridie Carter) was one of the first to see it as the horse grazes by the windmill, but it is Stevie Hall with her shotgun who scares it away. Upset, Tess confronts the new lead station hand and tells her that in Drovers Run, brumbies are not killed. Although not wanting to hurt the wild horse, Tess becomes troubled with its sudden appearance and has made herself believe that it is an omen - a sign of death. Knowing full well that the cause of her sister’s troubles is the impending open-biopsy result, Claire McLeod (Lisa Chappell) does her best to appease her sister and wastes no time on devising a plan to catch the brumby. With the help of the Ryan brothers, they set a trap in Wilgul where they use a mare as lure. However, Tess is certain that the wild horse is not just any brumby and is convinced that the trap is bound to fail.

Although Tess’ disposition had been dreary ever since she found a lump on her breast, she manages to genuinely feel happy for her sister’s good fortune of finally realizing that Alex Ryan (Aaron Jeffrey) is the one man that would truly make her happy. Like everybody else who knew that it took the two mates too long to realize that they are meant for each other, Tess urges Claire and Alex to take a step further and suggests that Alex move in at Drovers. The couple could not be any happier with the idea and they waste no time to take action. Truth is Alex had already planned on taking the giant leap of asking Claire to marry him. Well, it would not be the first time, but this time she would not be able to say no. In fact, he had already bought a ring to give her when he makes his proposal that night.

As part of Alex’s moving in, Tess decides to move downstairs in order to give the couple more space, more so to avoid bumping into them at an inopportune and embarrassing time. Claire finds her sister getting ready for the move by putting her personal stuff in boxes including an old, dirty pair of work boots. It was the pair that she gave her that made Tess’ eyes light up like a kid with a new pony. Tess plans on keeping the boots forever given that her sister’s gift was what made her feel that she truly belonged at Drovers Run. Claire then finds a menu of Tess’ cafe in Melbourne and remembers the time when Tess had left them only to return home to comfort her in her time of need. A call from the doctor’s office ends their trip down memory lane. The two sisters rush to the hospital to hear the results of the lumpectomy pathology. Pessimistic Tess expects the worst given the nature of the phone call and becomes all the more convinced of her supposition when she sees the white horse running alongside them.

Omen or not, there is no doubt that the wild horse means trouble as it already knocked down fences causing more work for the farm hands. In addition, the alpacas had wandered off to the other side to feed on skinny Jims. With a lot of fencing work to do, Stevie decides to take Jodi’s advice to forget about the alpacas. She soon learns her mistake when they find the beasts lying on the grass suffering on colic. Not only did her error added more work to their already long list of things to do, it also would give Tess more reason to dislike her. To avoid having to deal with the younger McLeod sister, Stevie decides to do the drenching without her bosses’ knowledge. Helping Stevie with the task, Jodi feels that it is a mistake not to let Tess know about her alpacas’ condition. However, the lead station hand is adamant with her decision rationalizing that she is only looking out for Tess who clearly has a lot on her mind right now.

Lucky for Tess, she has a lot of people looking out for her and one of them is Nick. Determined to catch the white brumby for his troubled, superstitious friend, he enlists the help of Terry to finish the trap since Alex is too busy packing his things for the move. Soon after they set up the trip wire, the brumby appears. They sit and watch as the wild horse paces back and forth waiting for the right time to pursue the mare. After much waiting, the wild horse finally makes it move and unsuspectingly locks itself in the trap.

The doctor explains that Tess’ family history of cancer was the cause of the thorough check, and was more than pleased to announce that the lump is totally benign. However, Tess who had psyched herself to hear the worst failed to hear the good news and went on and on about the type of treatment she would like to undergo. Confused, the doctor repeats himself to assert the good news that no cancer cells were found. Only then did Tess understand and with a deep sigh all her worries are gone.

At long last, Tess is back to her old, normal, bubbly self as the two sisters happily make their way back to Drovers Run with her standing on the seat of her Vdub and screaming like a crazy lunatic without a care in the world. Meg and Jodi receive the two along with their good news, and they could not be any happier. To celebrate her good fortune and also Alex’s moving in, they decide to have a party. However, Tess’ jubilation was cut short upon learning of the alpacas’ indigestion. Despite Stevie’s success at saving the animals from serious danger, Tess is still upset with her. Caught between her sister and her friend, Claire is left with no choice but to ask Stevie to leave making herself believe that her friend who had always been on the road was not planning on staying long anyway. Although knowing full well that Claire’s decision is truly brought about by the tension between her and Tess, Stevie like a true friend accepts without holding a grudge.

Unlike Claire who has all the luck in the world having her own farm, an adorable daughter, good friends and a sister who would always be there for her and finally finding a man who truly loves her; Stevie has no home and no family, and now even lost the only wealth she has – the gems. A friend leaves, while a lover arrives. Alex arrives at Drovers Run hauling with him boxes upon boxes of his junk. Good thing Claire is too excited with having him around that she sees past the clutter. Realizing that the right moment to make the marriage proposal had arrived, Alex sits Claire on her bed to surprise her with the ring only to discover that he had misplaced it. In his frantic search for the ring, he inadvertently reveals the gun rifle collection that he had hung on the wall of their bedroom. Not wanting to upset Claire, he agrees to take them down to the cellar without inciting an argument and continues with his search for the promised present enlisting Nick’s help on looking for it. Nick finds the ring in the glove compartment of his Ute, and makes his way to give it to his brother, but the couple is already in their room. To avoid spoiling their evening together, he decides to forego handing the ring to his brother and decides to check on Tess who after a long, exhausting day had already fallen asleep on her bed.

As soon as Nick leaves, Stevie sneaks down to the cellar to retrieve her precious gems only to find Alex’s junk blocking the wall. Hearing that Alex is on his way down to the cellar to add more to the rubbish he had brought with him, Stevie is left with no other choice but to leave before getting caught.

Aggravated for having been trapped, the now restless white stallion runs around the gate and successfully jumps over the enclosure to free itself. It was already morning when Stevie informs Nick that the brumby had escaped his trap. However, having learned the result of Tess’ lumpectomy, he believes that the worst is over with or without the brumby that Tess had been superstitious about. In fact, there soon will be much rejoicing when Alex finally gets to propose to Claire.

The purpose of Stevie’s visit was to see if Nick is looking for a station hand to help with running Wilgul. Although she would be a good addition, Nick just does not have enough money to hire her. Though unlucky with her job hunt, her visit was not in vain, since the Ryan brother had told her to stick around for a little longer hinting that wedding bells will be ringing not too long for Alex and Claire. Actually, Alex’s luck in love seemed to have rubbed on to him as Tess now free of her troubles comes riding on her horse all the way to Wilgul to give him a kiss on the lips and to inform him of the festivities at Drovers Run.

To buy supplies for the party, Claire and Tess with BOM make their way to Gungellan. Getting used to spending a lot of time with Claire, Alex asks his girlfriend to return soon realizing that he could hardly live without her. Not too long, Claire and Tess make their way back to Drovers Run with the supplies. After a long trip to town, BOM had started to act up and cry. To calm the restless baby, the two sisters happily sing to the child only to learn that keeping silent is a better solution. All seems well until the white stallion comes running in front of them causing the Ute to swerve, but Claire manages to regain control of the truck. Still distracted with the close call with the brumby, Claire fails to see the pothole such that she again loses control over the Ute, but this time its side hits a tree. Claire’s foot gets stuck under the pedal, which made it very difficult for her to put on the breaks. The Ute runs over a fence and makes its way to the edge of a cliff. By the time Claire manages to hit the breaks, the front of the Ute is already hanging over the edge of the cliff.

The two sisters sit in horror as they gaze at the bottom of the cliff. Slowly, the Ute continues to slip. With no time to waste, Claire asks Tess to take BOM out of the car to safety, since her leg is stuck under the steering wheel. As Tess slowly reaches for the baby, Claire though badly hurt tries her best to calm her distressed daughter. However, Tess could not reach the child. Claire tells her sister to get out of the Ute in order to safely take her baby out of the truck. Tess refuses to leave her sister, but Claire already in tears begs her to save her baby. Tess does as she is told and takes the child to safety. Relieved that her baby is free from imminent death, Claire in tears thanks her sister for saving her child. Tess sets BOM on the ground and rushes to get her sister out of the Ute, but Claire’s door having hit the tree is stuck. She then decides to tie the truck to a tree to prevent it from falling over, but the rope is too short. Slowly, the Ute continues to slip. Left with no choice, Tess struggles to pull the truck with all her might despite knowing that none of her efforts would save her sister. Tess continues to hold on to the truck persuading her sister to pull her leg free, but it was too late. Knowing that nothing can be done to save her, Claire entrusts her child, Charlotte, to Tess and tells her that she loves her. To prevent her sister from falling over the cliff with her, which is what Tess intended to do, Claire pushes her away to safety. Tess watches as the Ute drops and hits the bottom of the cliff with her sister still inside it.

Tess carrying Charlotte with her tries to make her way down the cliff to help her sister, but it was too steep. She decides to make her way back to Drovers Run on foot to get help. Unaware of the tragic accident, everybody gets ready for the party, while Alex prepares for his marriage proposal now that Nick had handed him the ring that he misplaced. He was struck with an idea of surprising Claire by putting the ring on her pillow. Excited he carefully puts the ring on her pillow and waits for Claire’s return. Having been out for quite a while, they presumed that Claire had just decided to pamper herself for once and get her hair done. The sad truth comes when distraught Tess arrives on foot with Charlotte. Alex and Nick rush to the site of the accident to find the Ute at the bottom of the cliff. Alex risks hurting himself when he rushes down the cliff to rescue his beloved mate. Jodi, Terry and Tess arrive and watch as Alex runs to the wreckage. There he finds Claire still strapped on her seat with her eyes still open. Alex in tears embraces her lifeless body.

Meg left with Charlotte anxiously waits their return, but their sullen faces gave her the painful answer to what she feared. All return without Claire. Meg comforts her daughter who broke down to tears after the painful realization that she really is gone. Together they wept the death of their good friend. Tess, on the other hand, has not wept since their return. Alex finds her in Claire’s room sitting on a chair holding Charlotte in her arms. Full of guilt and grief, she tells Alex that she should have stayed with her. However, Alex overcome with sorrow could not say a word. He turns to Claire’s bed to find the ring he had put on her pillow and tries to hold back his tears. He walks away. Tess sees the ring that Alex was going to give her sister and only then did she weep again.

Previous episode: To Catch A Thief
Next episode: The Long Goodbye
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