The McCalister Legacy

by Nicole Hurley-Moore

  ‘You? I … I was just a kid, and you would never have even looked at me.’

  ‘So … was I your crush?’

  Berry turned red and looked away. ‘Nate, I said I wasn’t going to tell you.’

  Nate grinned. ‘So I was!’

  She looked at him with her eyebrows raised. ‘Are you gloating?’

  ‘Absolutely!’ Nate started walking the horse again. After a short silence he said ‘So, are you willing to give this a go on your own?’

  ‘Yes, yes I think I am,’ Berry said as Nate let go of Maggie’s bridle and Berry took control of the reins.

  Chapter Thirty

  It was mid afternoon when Berry saw a large car pulling a horse float drive slowly towards the stables.

  ‘Looks like Dad’s back with Constantine,’ Nate said.

  ‘Constantine?’

  ‘Yep. He’s a roan stallion with great bloodlines and the latest addition to our stud stable.’

  His father slowed down to a stop alongside Nate and Berry.

  ‘Hey Dad, how’d it go?’

  ‘Good,’ Sam replied, his arm resting on the open window. ‘I was surprised the traffic around the city was pretty light—well, light for Melbourne. Anyway, it was a good run and I was down the peninsula before I knew it. Everything all right here?’

  ‘Yeah. I’m about to take Berry to see Andrea,’ Nate said.

  Sam glanced at Berry. ‘Any word from the police?’

  Berry shook her head. ‘Not really but the garage has been in touch and my car will be ready in a couple of days, so I guess that’s good news.’

  ‘Well, that’s something. I thought it could have been out of action longer,’ he said with a smile before turning his attention back to Nate. ‘Are the girls around?’

  ‘They went for a ride around the trail. I don’t reckon they’ll be back for at least another hour. Did you need a hand settling Constantine in?’

  ‘No, I’ll be right. If I need help I’ll get Justin. You should take Berry to Andrea’s,’ Sam said as he glanced over towards the stables and saw Justin. ‘I’ll see you later.’

  ‘Come on,’ Nate said as Sam drove off. ‘I’ll take you to Andrea’s.’

  ‘Oh, my gosh, Berry, you should have called me,’ Andrea said as she gave her a tight hug. ‘I can’t believe this happened.’

  ‘It’s okay—it was late and I didn’t want to disturb you,’ she answered, finding it a little difficult to breathe.

  ‘Silly girl, you can ring me whenever, especially when it’s an emergency,’ Andrea said as she finally relinquished her death hold. ‘Come on in and I’ll put the kettle on.’

  Berry smiled as she and Nate followed Andrea down the hall and settled onto a couple of the high stools at the kitchen bench as Andrea bustled around the kitchen.

  ‘So, they don’t know who was responsible?’ she asked as she filled the kettle.

  ‘Not yet,’ Berry replied.

  Andrea stilled for a moment before turning around. ‘Wait. The person that ran you off the road—are they responsible for the vandalism as well?’

  Berry glanced at Nate. ‘We’re not sure but it kind of feels that way.’

  She sighed. ‘I can’t believe that something like this could happen in Harlington. It’s always so peaceful and everyone gets on fine.’

  Nate leaned his elbows on the bench. ‘I guess mostly that’s true, but do we really know our neighbours?’

  Andrea grabbed three mugs and set about making coffee. ‘You’re right, of course. I suppose that after living in the city for most of my life, I tend to think that Harlington is idyllic. Well, I’ve always been a bit prone to looking at life through rose-tinted glasses,’ she said with a smile.

  ‘That’s not a bad thing,’ he reassured her. ‘Besides, Harlington is a great place to live. But every place has its secrets. I mean—’ Nate’s phone rang and he didn’t get to finish his sentence.

  Berry saw a frown form on his brow.

  ‘Sorry, I have to take this,’ he said as he stood up and walked away. ‘Lia … slow down. What! Where the hell are you?’

  Berry swivelled around on the stool and stared at Nate, her eyes rounding in surprise.

  ‘Is Em still with you? Okay, okay, calm down and get the hell out of there. No, I’ll call them now, don’t hang around. No, Lia, listen to me—just go!’

  The hairs on Berry’s arm began to quiver.

  ‘What’s happened?’ she asked as she stood up and faced him.

  ‘There’s a fire. Just hang on, I’m calling emergency,’ Nate said as he punched in 000 and headed back into the hallway.

  Berry’s eyes widened as she heard him tell the operator Stone Gully. She glanced at Andrea and saw a shocked look on her face.

  ‘Oh my God, the girls were riding.’

  ‘What?’ Andrea asked. ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘The trail the girls were on bumps up against the Stone Gully fenceline. They must be close to my place—which means they’re close to the fire,’ Berry said as she started after Nate.

  ‘Berry, be careful.’

  ‘I will. I’ll call you as soon as I find out what’s going on,’ she called back over her shoulder.

  She almost bumped into Nate as he was shoving his phone in his pocket.

  ‘Are the girls okay?’ she asked as she caught hold of his arm.

  ‘Yes, I told them to ride back home as fast as they could. We’d better get going. The fire brigade will be coming as soon as possible, but maybe we can do something in the meantime. If it’s too dangerous we’ll go back to my place and take it from there,’ Nate said as they started walking towards the door.

  ‘Nate, is it the house?’

  He looked down at her. ‘Oh, sorry, I should have said. No, it’s not. The fire’s in the top paddock. From what Lia said it sounds like it’s near where we fixed the fence.’

  Relief overtook her at the knowledge that the house—her house—was still standing.

  We’re lucky.

  At least that’s what Berry thought as she and Nate watched the firies put out the blaze. All the way to Stone Gully, Berry couldn’t help but let her mind jump to the worst-case scenario—total destruction. But that hadn’t been the case at all.

  Lia had rung Nate as soon as she and Em had made it home. According to her, they had been riding the horse trail and noticed the smoke in the air, which they presumed was just someone burning off until they reached the boundary fence and heard the crackle of fire as it began to eat up the eucalypts in the bush on the other side of the fence. The air was full of acrid smoke but the fire was obviously burning further into the block. After Nate called emergency services, it wasn’t long before the first fire engine turned up, followed closely by a second.

  Berry watched and could only marvel at the firefighters’ dedication and professionalism. The afternoon waned and soon the light began to fade as the smoke rose high in the sky and obscured it.

  The atmosphere changed as twilight approached. Before, Berry had been aware of the feeling of urgency as firefighters fought the flames and tried to contain the blaze, but now there was calm. Nate was standing by one of the fire engines and chatting to a couple of the firefighters. After a while, he shook each of their hands before turning away and striding over to Berry.

  ‘Any news?’ she asked as he approached.

  ‘Yeah, some. The fire’s almost out—they’re just wetting down the area and stomping out any spot fires. But they reckon it’s done and dusted.’

  ‘Well, that’s a relief,’ Berry said. ‘Anything else?’

  ‘Hmm, there is,’ he said as he put his arm around her. ‘The fire took out a couple of acres and the old sheep pen. Thank God it’s barely spring. We’re lucky, because there was more than a decent amount of rain last winter and things haven’t warmed up yet.’

  ‘We just have to be thankful that it wasn’t too bad. No one was hurt, and I figure if there were any animals about there’s a chance that they got away. And as
for the sheep shed, it was dilapidated anyway,’ Berry said as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

  ‘That’s true, but you should know—’ he hesitated ‘—they think it was deliberately lit.’

  ‘What! You’re joking!’

  He shook his head. ‘I wish I was.’

  ‘So, was it connected with what happened yesterday or just some idiot firebug? Either way you look at it, it’s bad,’ Berry said.

  ‘I swear, people who light fires on purpose need to be chucked in jail and the bloody key thrown away,’ Nate said.

  A chill slid down Berry’s spine. Did someone want her out of Harlington that badly? And if they did—why? Why would Stone Gully Farm be so important to someone that they’d be willing to do anything to get it? This was the question that kept spinning in her head all the way back to Nate’s place. There had to be a reason and she was determined to find out.

  Nate parked outside his place, got out and walked around to the passenger’s side. He held out his hand as Berry stepped out.

  ‘It’s been a hellish couple of days,’ he said as his fingers interlaced with hers. ‘How are you holding up?’

  Berry tried to smile as they walked side by side towards the steps. ‘To be honest, I’m a bit shaken up. I still can’t work out why this is happening,’ she said. ‘It all seems so … oh, I don’t know, over the top. These events have to be connected but it still doesn’t make any sense.’

  ‘Yeah, I know. Why would someone go to all this trouble to run you off?’

  ‘Stone Gully must be important, but why?’ Berry said as she waited for Nate to unlock the door.

  ‘Okay, let’s try and think about this logically—why would it be important?’ Nate answered as he led her inside. ‘Is it worth a lot of money?’

  ‘Doubtful. I love it, but let’s be real, it’s a farmlet in a tiny town—hardly prime real estate,’ Berry answered. ‘Unless Harlington is about to be the next big thing for tree changers and there’re plans to enlarge the whole place with new supermarkets, housing and schools, I can’t see the attraction.’

  Nate smiled. ‘I doubt it. Secrets around here have a way of getting out, although I have to admit having a supermarket would be nice. There could be some local planning shenanigans, but Stone Gully Farm is located out of town, so I can’t see how that would even work.’

  ‘Hmm, I know, right? It’s not as if we’re a sprawling metropolis. So, what’s another reason?’

  They stared at each other as they tried to come up with an answer.

  ‘Enlarging your property,’ Nate said with a shrug. ‘However, that would point the finger at me as Tarantale is your only neighbour.’

  Berry tilted her head to one side, put her hands on her hips and asked with a grin. ‘Nate, did you burn down my sheep shed?’

  He chuckled as he pulled her into a hug. ‘No, I didn’t.’

  Berry placed her head against his chest and let out a sigh. His navy jumper was soft and she could detect the faint smell of smoke mixed with his familiar aftershave. She was content in his arms and she closed her eyes for an instant. As she did pictures of her father’s research tumbled through her mind and she opened her eyes wide.

  ‘Then the only other explanation is that someone is hunting Harlington’s gold and they think it’s at my place.’

  Nate let go of her and took a step back so he could see her face. ‘What? That’s just a stupid old legend. That’s crazy—there’s no such thing as lost gold.’

  She looked at him for a moment before she spoke. ‘Isn’t there?’

  Chapter Thirty-one

  In the Gully, 1906

  It was getting dark and Neddy was scared. The only thing that gave him comfort and stopped him from crying was the rabbit curled up asleep under his shirt. It was soft and warm and made Neddy think that maybe everything was going to be all right.

  The wind had picked up and began whistling through the gully. He wanted his mam but she didn’t know where he was—and neither did he. A single tear worked its way from his eye and down his cheek until Neddy swiped it away with the back of his hand. Crying wouldn’t help, he needed to think and work out how he and Peter were going to find their way home.

  He wasn’t hungry because he’d stripped several handfuls of fat blackberries off the tangle of bushes on the other side of the gully by the clump of gum trees. And even though he was worried that the rabbit had hurt his leg, Peter seemed to be fine as he happily accepted the blades of grass that Neddy had collected for him.

  Trying to get back home now would be a mistake because he wouldn’t be able to see where he was going and would probably end up even more lost. No, he was going to wait until the sun came up. Neddy looked around the gully in the hope of finding somewhere to rest. He didn’t want to be out in the open—at least he’d feel safer if there was somewhere he could hide until morning.

  Neddy wrapped his arms around the sleeping bunny as he stood up and walked across the trickling creek to the big rocks that jutted out from the gully wall. They were tall, grey and filled with crevices. At first he thought they were attached to the wall, but as he walked around the circumference of the nearest boulder he realised that there was a gap between it and the wall—a gap big enough for Neddy to squeeze through. Behind the rock was a narrow opening in the gully wall and Neddy wondered if it led to a hidden cave. He wanted to go in and explore, but it was almost dark and it looked a bit scary. So, he settled down with his back against the boulder and tried to sleep.

  At first the sounds of the bush kept him awake, with wind rustling the leaves and bushes as it passed. In the distance an owl hooted, and somewhere nearby Neddy could hear the strange guttural argument between two territorial possums. It should have frightened him but he knew the sound that possums make because one lived in the peppercorn tree by the sleep-out he shared with his brothers. It often bumped across the corrugated tin roof making a terrible racket and producing the strangest grunting, hissing sounds.

  The night air was cool, but Neddy was warm with the rabbit cuddled against him, and slowly his eyes began to droop and he fell asleep.

  He woke with a start and for a few moments lay in confusion as he tried to remember how he’d managed to get here. His next thought was for Peter, who was no longer curled up next to him.

  Neddy scanned the area, afraid that the rabbit might have run off, but he found him nearby munching on the leftover pile of grass from last night. Behind him, the large rock was still in shadows except for one shaft of morning sun that shone through the gap between it and the gully wall. The light beam ran across the rocky ground and permeated the darkness of what Neddy thought was a cave. As he looked at the ground scattered with white quartz pebbles that glowed in the sunlight, a glint caught in his peripheral vision. Neddy turned his head and saw a golden gleam coming from one of the quartz pebbles.

  Standing up slowly, so as not to startle Peter, he went and picked up the rock to get a better look. The stone was about the size of his palm and there were little bumps, veins and speckles of gold throughout it.

  ‘Look, Peter, at this pretty rock,’ he said as he held it in the shaft of light. But the rabbit appeared more interested in finishing off the grass.

  Neddy put the stone in his pocket and looked at the ground to see if there were any more. To his delight he found a small stone with the same golden inclusion, and then another. He added them to his pocket and smiled. He was sure his mam would think them just as nice as he did.

  The light shaft shone into the entrance of the cave. It illuminated just a fragment of the bottom of the wall. Neddy peered inside, still unsure—there could be anything in there, from a dingo to a dragon or maybe even a monster. But, even so, curiosity won out and he took a few tentative steps into the shadows. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw that the light beam had landed on a thick seam of gold trapped within the rockface.

  Chapter Thirty-two

  ‘What makes you even say a thing like that?’ Nate asked as he stared
down at her. ‘That’s a big assumption to make and it’s coming out of left field.’

  Berry shook her head. ‘No, I don’t think it is. When I cleaned out the sheds, I found a whole lot of my father’s papers. He had stacks of notes and research all about Harlington’s gold and the story about Little Neddy Doherty finding it.’

  ‘Like I’ve told you before—it’s just a stupid old legend. Sure, we get a handful of crazies every year who hear about it and come to dig around. But they’re not going to find anything, because it doesn’t exist.’

  ‘Young Ned believes it does,’ Berry countered.

  ‘He’s an old man who wants nothing more than to prove the story is true.’

  ‘And why is that?’

  ‘Because it legitimises his family. The Dohertys have always been at the centre of this tale. He just wants to prove that his family was right and telling the truth all this time. I get it, because he and the story are generally regarded as a bit of a joke. They both bring a bit of character to the town.’

  ‘I don’t believe Young Ned is a joke,’ Berry said quickly. ‘I believe him.’

  He placed his hands on her shoulders. ‘I don’t mean I don’t like him, I do. It’s just we’ve all grown up with the tale and heard it so many times. Ned recounts it to anyone who’ll listen.’

  ‘That may be, but it doesn’t mean it’s not real. I believe that most stories and legends have a tiny grain of truth in them,’ Berry said. ‘Besides, I think he has some proof.’

  Nate raised his eyebrows in surprise. ‘Proof? What do you mean?’

  ‘Well, I’ve been over my father’s research and apparently the Dohertys were pretty poor around the time the little boy went missing. Even though they had a small holding outside of town, their father worked as a carpenter rather than running their own farm,’ Berry explained.

  ‘Okay, but I don’t see—’

  Berry cut him off. ‘But after Little Ned was found, things changed and the family’s fortune was turned around. I’m not saying that they were uber rich, but something happened because they bought extra land and Mr Doherty started working it.’