The rabbit disappeared behind a tumbled log and Neddy stopped to catch his breath. He’d come so far, he didn’t want to lose it now. By the time he made it to the old log and peered behind it, he realised that the rabbit had gone. He sat down on the log with a bump and the sense of loss washed over him. Looking about he saw that he was in a small clearing ringed with tall gums whose branches and grey–green leaves seemed to reach up to the sky. It wasn’t until that moment Neddy became uneasy. The breeze danced through the trees making the bough creak and the leaves rustle. Apart from an unseen bird singing in the distance, the clearing was quiet.
A shiver skimmed down Neddy’s back as he grasped the fact that there was a good possibility he was lost. There was an itch at the back of his throat and hot tears began to well in his eyes. Maybe following the bunny hadn’t been such a good idea; all of a sudden he felt very alone.
The first tear trickled down his cheek. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, but another one followed quickly after it. He dashed that one away as well, but his eyes kept filling up. His lips started to tremble when he heard a rustle not far away. Neddy looked up and saw the little brown rabbit sitting at the base of a gum tree as if waiting for him.
Neddy stood up and wiped the remainder of the tears away.
‘It’s all right, bunny,’ he said, ‘I’m coming, I’m coming.’
Chapter Twenty
‘Berry and Jess are so pretty,’ Em said as Nate’s car bumped up the dirt road.
Nate kept staring out the windscreen not knowing if he should comment or not.
‘I know, right,’ Lia said. ‘And did you see that jacket Jess was wearing—I want one so bad. Wasn’t Lanny Terka wearing the same thing on her Insta last week?’
‘I don’t know, you follow her, I don’t. Besides, as if that jacket is the only thing you want,’ her sister laughed. ‘I mean we all heard the Tom and I can row back later comment.’
Nate shifted positions in his seat and wished he was wearing earphones or had turned on some loud music. The last thing he needed to be privy to was a discussion about hot boys. God, his sisters were silly at times.
‘There wasn’t anything wrong with that,’ Lia snapped.
‘Nope, there wasn’t. You can have Tom and I’ll take Justin,’ Em said with a grin.
‘As if! I don’t know why you always have to—’
‘Can we just change the topic,’ Nate butted in. ‘I gather you both had a good time today?’
The girls nodded in unison. ‘Yep, absolutely,’ Lia said.
‘Did you?’ Em asked.
Nate nodded with a slight smile. ‘Yeah, it was fun.’
The girls grinned at each other, a fact that wasn’t lost on Nate.
‘Can we do that again, Nate?’
He shrugged. ‘I guess that depends on Berry.’
The girls shared looks and Lia mouthed, ‘Berry,’ silently before the two of them broke into giggles.
Just kill me, Nate thought as he flicked on his indicator and turned into Tarantale Downs. He spotted his father as soon as he drove up to the front of the house. He was standing at the top of the stone steps and was wearing his obligatory frown. Nate blew out a breath; he and his sisters had just had a great afternoon with Berry and now there was a good chance it was about to be ruined. He parked the car and glanced at his sisters. Whatever buoyancy and light-heartedness they shared on the drive back quickly disappeared and was replaced by the tension that appeared whenever Nate and their father were together.
‘Where the hell have you been?’ Sam Tarant said as Nate stepped out of the ute. ‘We’ve got to ready the stalls for the two new horses arriving tomorrow, and did you forget that Mr Wallace is bringing Silver Moon to get serviced by Sunstorm this week?’
‘No, I hadn’t forgotten,’ Nate said with an air of weariness as he started up the steps. Here we go again.
‘I should have guessed that you’d be skiving off somewhere rather than doing any work,’ his father bit back.
Em and Lia gave Nate a sympathetic look before Em squared her shoulders and opened her mouth, but Nate cut her off with a shake of his head before she could say anything. He waved his hand and gestured for them to get out of there before their father turned his attention towards them.
Lia took Em by the hand and tugged her away—both giving Nate one last glance before retreating inside the house.
‘I’m well aware of the work that has to be done,’ Nate said. ‘But it’s the weekend and I figured that the girls and I could take a few hours off.’
Sam Tarant shook his head, accompanied with something that sounded like a snort of disgust. ‘You’ll never be ready to run Tarantale Downs with that sort of attitude. If this place is going to continue to succeed you’ve got to put your heart, soul and every bloody minute of your life into it.’
‘I love this place, Dad, but that’s no way to live. I’m willing to put in the hours, but everyone’s entitled to some down time, it’s the only way to survive,’ Nate replied as he faced his father. ‘You know that there is actually life outside the boundary fence, don’t you?’
‘What the hell are you talking about? None of us will have anything if this place crumbles into the dust.’
‘Dramatic much?’ Nate studied his dad’s face to see if the barb hit—it did and that gave him a spark of pleasure. ‘I doubt the place will fall just because one of the stalls hasn’t been mucked out. I promised the girls I’d take them on a picnic, so I did.’
‘Pfff, and eating lunch takes you three hours, does it?’
‘Apparently so,’ Nate said before he turned to walk up the stairs.
‘Are you telling me you spent three hours by the dam eating sandwiches?’
‘No, I spent three hours at the dam at Stone Gully with Berry McCalister and her brother and sister. And by the way, I’m an adult—I don’t question you on your whereabouts, so I figure you owe me the same courtesy,’ Nate said as he walked away.
Sam Tarant turned around just in time to see Nate’s back. ‘Wait, you were with the McCalister kids?’
Nate paused but didn’t turn around. ‘That’s what I said, didn’t I?’
‘And you were at the dam?’
‘Yes … so?’
‘It seems a strange place for them to go, considering that’s where their mother died.’
‘It was?’
‘Yeah. How could they stand to be there and have a picnic?’
‘Wow. That’s intense … maybe they don’t know.’
‘Yes, of course, why would they?’ His father suddenly changed his tone. ‘Why were you with them?’
Nate frowned and glanced behind him. ‘Where is it stated that you get right of veto on my plans, or my friends for that matter?’
‘Friends—are they really?’ his father said quietly.
‘What the hell is that meant to mean? Look, as far as I’m concerned Berry McCalister is a friend. I only met the rest of her family today but they all seem great.’
‘The rest of her family?’
‘Yeah, her brother, sister and her uncle.’
‘He’s here too?’
Nate turned around and stared at his father. ‘He didn’t have lunch with us but he’s here. They’ve come up for the weekend to check on the progress of the renovation.’
‘Did they say if they’re going to sell it?’
Nate shook his head, trying to fathom why he was so interested. ‘As far as I know it’s undecided. I suppose they’ll fix the place up and then see what it’s worth. At the moment, I don’t think they have a clear idea.’
‘I see.’
‘I didn’t think you’d be interested.’
His father shrugged. ‘I’m not. I just hope they work out what they’re going to do and move on. Although, I did say I’d buy the place if she needed to sell.’
‘You did what?’ Nate couldn’t hide the surprise in his voice.
‘You heard me. I just offered, it’s not as if we really need more l
and but I’d rather buy it from the McCalisters than put up with neighbours we don’t know.’
‘Neighbours? God, Dad, we’ve never had a problem in the past. It’s not as if Tarantale Downs is small, so why would this even be an issue?’ Nate asked.
‘I’m just covering all bases, that’s all. Besides, I didn’t want Berry to be stuck with a place she doesn’t want,’ he replied.
‘Since when do you care about things like that?’
‘That’s enough! Remember who you’re talking to. We may rub each other up the wrong way from time to time but I’m still your father,’ Sam said as he pointed his finger in Nate’s direction. ‘And if you must know the truth, I said I’d buy the place because her dad was my friend and I didn’t want to see her or her family stuck with a place filled with bad memories. And that’s the end of it.’
Nate studied his prickly father for a moment. Sam Tarant had acquaintances, but not mates.
‘Well, you probably don’t have to worry about that,’ Nate said eventually. ‘From what I’ve heard, Berry’s had plenty of offers for the place. The first couple were pretty insulting but apparently the price is beginning to rise.’
‘Where did you hear that?’ His father seemed a little taken aback, a little upset.
‘Oh, come on, Dad—this is Harlington, gossip spreads like wildfire,’ Nate said with a slight smile. ‘Everyone knows what everyone else is doing, and if you don’t, then you can get a catch up at the pub or the general store.’
‘I suppose you’re right,’ his father said.
Nate sighed and pointed over his shoulder. ‘Look, I’ll see you later. I’m taking off.’
‘Where?’
‘Well, apparently I have a stall to muck out,’ he said, before turning and heading across the wide verandah to the front door.
Jess followed Berry up the hall of their childhood home and into the bedroom they once shared. It was an empty shell except for two boxes in the corner. Despite the bareness, lingering memories fought their way to the surface.
‘I always thought it was bigger,’ Jess said as she looked around the room.
Berry gave her a smile. ‘That’s because we were little—everything looked bigger.’
Jess nodded but said nothing as she wandered over to the window and stared out.
‘Did you enjoy today?’ Berry asked.
‘Yes, but probably not as much as you did,’ Jess said with a grin.
Berry rolled her eyes, crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe.
‘Aw, come on, Ber—I saw the way you kept glancing at Nate.’ She held up her hand to stop her sister interrupting. ‘And I saw the way he kept looking at you. There’s something there and don’t you try to convince me otherwise.’
Berry was silent for a moment and then shrugged. ‘You’re right, I am drawn to him, but nothing’s happened and it’s not going to.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because what’s the point of starting something when there’s a damn good chance I’m not staying? It would just make everything awkward and probably even sad if things started to work out.’
‘You could just have a bit of fun while you’re here,’ Jess countered. ‘It doesn’t have to be forever.’
‘I know but I’m not that person. Sometimes I wish I was but I’m not.’
‘Well, that’s a shame because I thought there was definitely more than a spark there,’ Jess said as she moved over to the boxes in the corner. ‘Is this some of our stuff?’
Berry shook her head. ‘No, it’s just some things I found in the shed. I took a box back to the B&B to sort through and just shoved these in here until I could get around to them.’
‘Did you find anything interesting?’
‘Not much. There was a teacup, a few old magazines and some of Dad’s paperwork.’
Jess wrinkled her nose at the mention of their father. ‘Why didn’t you just chuck it out?’
‘I wanted to go through it, just to make sure there wasn’t anything important in there,’ Berry said.
‘And was there?’
‘I don’t know yet—I haven’t sorted through the papers. Did you want to have a look?’
‘No, not at all,’ Jess said as she glanced at Berry. ‘I don’t want to be reminded of him.’
‘That’s fair enough.’
‘And I don’t understand why you’d want to be either. He ruined our lives and stole Mum from us,’ she said with a crack in her voice.
Berry walked forwards and pulled Jess into her arms. ‘Since I’ve been here, I’ve come to realise that I need to understand what pushed him over the edge—it’s the only way I can deal with what happened to us. I have to reconcile the man I remember with what he did—or more importantly why he did it. Do you understand?’
Jess sighed. ‘I do, but don’t ask me to help. I just want him erased from my memory. Forever.’
That night the McCalister family sat in The Queen’s Arms mulling over the day.
‘I never thought I’d say this but I kind of like Harlington,’ Uncle Dave said as he reached for his wine. ‘It funny, because I do believe I vowed that I’d never come back.’
Berry laughed. ‘Well, some vows have to be broken.’
‘Have you all thought about what you want to do with the place?’ he asked as he looked at his nieces and nephew.
‘We haven’t really had a chance to talk about it,’ Jess answered.
‘You know there’s no rush,’ Uncle Dave replied. ‘If you want to sit on it for a while, that’s okay.’
Tom fiddled with his salad. ‘Look, I don’t know how much my opinion counts …’
Berry gave him a nudge. ‘Don’t be an idiot—your opinion counts just as much as ours. Even though you might not remember anything about it, Stone Gully Farm is still yours.’
‘In that case, I know I said some harsh things about the town, but hanging around the farm today was good—you know, kind of peaceful,’ he said. ‘I’m not saying that I want to live here but maybe I don’t want to get rid of it either.’
‘Okay,’ Berry said as she sat back in her chair and glanced at her sister. ‘Jess, what do you think?’
Jess took a moment to ponder the question. ‘I think I agree with Tom. If we’re not in a hurry to sell it, then maybe we should keep it as a holiday place. We can always change our minds and sell it later on. What do you think, Uncle Dave?’
‘It was never my decision. Stone Gully Farm belongs to the three of you. If you want to keep it, then that’s what we’ll do. Berry, how do you feel about that?’
‘I think that it feels right to keep it. That’s not how I felt when I arrived here, I just wanted to get the place sorted so we could get rid of it. I thought we’d all been through enough and the house would hold too many memories. That it would drag us all back into the past, the one place we’ve spent years trying to escape. But I think maybe I was wrong,’ Berry said. ‘There are good memories mixed with the bad, some of which I had forgotten. There’s also been a change in the atmosphere at the house. The day I arrived, despite all my bravado to Jess, it was a bit sad and uncomfortable. Nate told me that the kids around here reckoned it was haunted, and I have to admit the first time I walked through the door I got chills.’
Uncle Dave sighed. ‘How long before the house will be finished?’
Berry shrugged. ‘The bathroom still needs to be done, the kitchen finished off and we’ve got people coming next week to redo the roof.’
‘Well, keep me updated,’ Uncle Dave said. ‘It was a bit of luck that Andrea had room for us, wasn’t it? I’m glad I don’t have to drive back tonight.’ He looked around at his nieces and nephew. ‘Maybe keeping the old farmhouse isn’t such a bad idea. It’s not that far away from home and could be an ideal bolthole for weekends away.’
Berry smiled. ‘Looks like we’ve got a plan.’
Chapter Twenty-one
A peace had settled over Berry by the time she waved her family off the next afternoon. The
decision not to sell Stone Gully Farm felt right. She hadn’t wanted to admit it, but the longer she stayed in Harlington the harder it was to face the prospect of selling up. It wasn’t so much that Berry saw herself starting a new life here as it could be a backstop—the property would always be there if she needed it. She felt that she’d just found the place again and maybe it meant a little more to her than she ever thought it would.
The visit from her family had energised her, and by the time she arrived at Stone Gully on Monday morning she was itching to get going with the reno. She waved good morning to the contractors as she walked through the house.
‘Hey Berry,’ Dan the head contractor said. Dan was in his forties with sandy-coloured hair and a beard that matched. ‘The marble benchtop’s arriving today. So, by this afternoon all the appliances should be in. Jacko has to finish off the splashback, but that should be done by lunchtime.’
‘That’s fantastic,’ Berry replied.
‘Once everything’s plumbed in and the stove arrives, you should have a working kitchen by probably tomorrow.’
Berry grinned. ‘Thanks so much, I can’t wait to cook in here.’
Dan looked at her for a moment. ‘Look, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but are you still going to sell it?’
‘No, we’ve decided to hang onto it.’
‘Great! I’m happy to hear that.’
‘Why?’
He gave her a smile. ‘Oh, I don’t know—I guess it would be a bit sad to go to all the trouble of fixing an old place up and then not be able to enjoy it,’ he said. ‘Besides, it seems like a good opportunity to make some better memories. I reckon the house could do with that.’
Berry nodded. ‘I reckon you’re right.’
‘I see that you got rid of all the junk out the back,’ he said, gesturing in the vague direction of the sheds.
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